This wine came as a bonus bottle in a case from Heritage Estate adorned with a red ribbon and thank you cork but thankfully not sealed under cork. Anyway a nice gesture and a timely one as I have always preferred the grigio style so ordinarily would not have purchased the gris style but this wine gives me pause. Gris style is a little richer and sweeter than the grigio. For The Granite Belt the alcohol is a little higher than I would have expected under most vintages but the 2019 vintage was hotter than usual and very dry plus there was a rather short ripening period, the resultant fruit is very high quality while the yields were quite low. Under these conditions we can expect quite powerful fruit and sometimes higher alcohol.
This wine is a light peach colour in the glass with a pink blush perhaps pretty in very pale pink. As expected, being a Gris style, there is a slight sweetness to this wine but the wine is actually comparatively dry. A large factor in the sweeter aspects of this wine is the expression of fruit power from an excellent vintage. In the 2012 vintage a number of Clare Valley rieslings tasted unusually sweet even though they were 3 grams residual sugar or less, this was due to fruit power from an excellent vintage and so goes the 2019 Granite Belt vintage.
The bouquet is intense, complex and powerful, green and red apples combine with some citrus, pears and nashi pear, there is a cumulative power of all the components that signals a zangy tang. The palate is long yet fast and racy with citrus, nashi pear, those green and red apples again, certainly a fresh clean crisp racy acidity and late on the palate some non-sweet strawberries announce their presence as the wine lingers very long on your palate reluctant to say goodbye but the parting impels a swift re-taste. Kudos to John Handy on the superb balance of this wine!.
So after tasting this Gris would I now buy a Gris style wine – absolutely. This wine was a perfect accompaniment to a roast organic free range chicken lightly flavoured with lemons, garlic, a tinge of harissa and turmeric, some Himalayan pink salt and cold pressed organic olive oil.
The 2018 and 2019 vintages on The Granite Belt are both excellent. I haven’t tasted enough of the 2019 wines yet but early indications are that 2019 will be another step up from the 2018 vintage wines. If you’re considering purchasing some Granite Belt wines look no further that the 2018/2019 vintages.
Tasted: Saturday 16th May, 2020 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $30
Suggested Drinking Window: now to 2023
Winemaker: John Handy
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