2011 Chalmers Aglianico

Chalmers

Australia / Heathcote / Chalmers

Sourced from the Chalmers Heathcote Vineyard where the Aglianico plantings have been established on the top of the Mt Camel ridge at
240m elevation in rocky Cambrian terrain. Hand picked fruit is 100% destemmed and fermented in open fermenters without a yeast addition. Fermentation typically goes for 20 days. The wine is then pressed and matured in 90% old and 10% new French barriques. Malolactic fermentation is natural. The wine is then bottled without fining and with little or no filtration after about 18 months.

The 2011 Aglianico is vibrant, showing earthy cherry, aromatic spice and delicate perfume on the nose. The balanced, savoury palate shows subtle fruitcake spices, herbal notes and candied orange rind with a pleasant mouth-watering acidity and the fine, smooth, building tannins you would expect of the variety. An elegant and structured wine with excellent potential for long ageing.

March, 2014

James Halliday

Australian Wine Companion

95 points

While only light-bodied, juicy fruits spring to life the second the wine enters the mouth, and continue unabated to the finish. The flavours are in the red cherry/strawberry family, but with a squeeze of lemon just making its presence felt to give a gently savoury sidelight, although not savoury in the ordinary sense. The price of alternative variety wines does not always appear to be linked to the quality, but here it certainly is.

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About Chalmers

The Chalmers family was justly named 2014 Viticulturist of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE. Their commitment to innovation and excellence has made them a pivotal force in the Australian wine scene for more than 20 years. Bruce and Jenni began growing grapes in the 1980s, with their vineyard at Euston developing into one the largest and most diverse privately owned vineyards in the country. Their nursery business was responsible for importing a selection of around 70 new clones and varieties, many of which are now used in the production of Chalmers' Italian variety wines. Since selling the original vineyard in 2008 the family has established two new sites: one in Heathcote, henceforth responsible for all Chalmers wines, and one at Merbein where the family will continue to experiment with new varieties and clones. Very much a family concern, daughters Kim and Tennille are now driving this exciting business forward.

About

Kim studied at the University of Adelaide before joining the family business. She has been director at Chalmers Wines since 2005, managing operations from the vine to the wine list. In 2011 she was awarded an AgriFoods Skills Australia Overseas Fellowship, for which she wrote a paper entitled “Hot climate wine growing, making and marketing in Southern Italy and its application in Australia”. Kim's husband, winemaker Bart van Olphen completed the family team in 2011, a year after sister Tennille joined the business full time following a 10-year career in hospitality, most recently as a sommelier. The Chalmers sisters have been pivotal in turning the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show into a major event on the wine awards calendar. In 2015 they also spearheaded 21st Century Vino, an initiative to increase awareness and expertise in Italian vine varieties grown in Australia.