CellarHand Newsletter June 2021

We hope this missive will drive away any hint of winter blues – and also the gloom of lockdown for those in Victoria.
One of the surprise trends of the pandemic has been a rush on Grüner Veltliner. (Makes more sense than loo paper, I suppose.) We’re delighed to report a bumper shipment from Austria, with Grüner and more from the likes of BründlmayerDomäne WachauGroiss, Stadt Krems and Stift Göttweig. The first 2020 wines from Austria point towards a cool, classic vintage with zippy, pure wines. Meanwhile we also have some 2019s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner among these latest arrivals, and that harvest really was a joy to behold. Don’t miss it!
Filling out the import news is Arthur Ostertag of Alsace. His biodynamic 2019s in the Les Jardins range – Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris – are absolute diamonds.
On the home front, we have our first 2021 wines hitting the fridge: Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris fermented on skins from Airlie Bank. Also fresh out now are the new Nero d’Avola from Chalmers and – from Tassie’s Tamar Valley – a taut, elegant Pinot Noir from Joe and Lou Holyman.
Finally, if the exceptional write-ups on Frankland Estate‘s single-vineyard reds haven’t already persuaded you to take the plunge, you won’t resist once you’ve read the latest. 
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