'A Pound of Flesh' Skin Contact Vermentino 2022
'A Pound of Flesh' Skin Contact Vermentino 2022
The vermentino grape can be found in several regions on the northern Mediterranean coast as well as the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. Quite adaptable to difference climates, whilst it does change somewhat depending on its location, it always retains a freshness and bite that I love. I've made a few vermentino wines in the past, and this is my second from a Victorian vineyard. In 2021 when I saw how the colour of the skins was developing as the fruit approached ripeness, I made a snap decision to make a skin contact style!
Fruit was harvested early on a morning in late March and transported to the winery. The grapes were transferred to open fermenters, plunging at least once per day for five days. After pressing the wine was pumped to a mixture of stainless-steel tank and mature barrels to complete fermentation, and once completed the majority of the wine was aged in barrels. After five months the wine was racked to tank, cold settled then bottled without fining or filtering.
Rather than using a name for this wine that refers to the variety - as I generally do with my other wines - in this case I was more interested in highlighting the style of the wine. I thought of a concept famously introduce by William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice, when the character Shylock requires a pound of flesh for non-payment of a loan. The fleshy textural elements of this wine are a big point of difference, so I thought this name perfect.
2023 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show - Gold Medal
Stuart Knox - The Real Review
”Pale straw with a fine haze and aromas of grapefruit, white pepper, and oyster brine. Textured and slippery as grapefruit and ginger spices flow across the palate. A hint of phenolic grip adds some tension as it flows to a medium finish. A richer and more savoury style that would work well with spice laden foods.” 89 points
Lisa Cardelli - Wine Pilot
”Wet terracotta, an aroma that I commonly associate with skin contact wines (regardless of the use of clay pots in the winemaking). Quince, honeysuckle, turmeric, iodine and a whiff of Mediterranean herbs open the palate, it seems almost like I’m back in the homeland Sardinia. Then it’s all about the fleshiness and extract from the skins. It is an interesting, and clean example of a style that has seen all the ups and downs but that can continue to intrigue.” 89 points
Jeni Port - Halliday Wine Companion
”There's no denying that this skin-contact white will divide drinkers. It's lightly cloudy and savoury, with a characteristic taut phenolic grip from the skin contact. Chervil, wheat grass, pear, Meyer lemon and mango skin to the fore. The smooth, rolling texture turns chalky and chewy with a musky finish.” 87 points
