Dear Member,
“I’ve been sick as a dog… and I’ve had a wretched time trying to find a Pinot Noir… but I’m leaving Adelaide tomorrow. I’ll let you know what I find.”
It was a month before the massive coronavirus outbreak, and Barry was facing some challenges of his own in Australia.
Searching for wine in Australia and New Zealand, one begins to wonder whether the counterclockwise spin water takes south of the equator—as it disappears down your sink drain—doesn’t somehow apply to everything else down under as well.
Syrah is Shiraz.
The green rolling hills and steep slopes prized elsewhere give way to flat, red plains.
Even the geography seems confused. This is the “New World,” after all—yet Australia is one of the oldest land masses on Earth, along with Africa and India.
You might think ancient, sunbaked soils would be perfect for stressing grapevines. And they are—except that many of Australia’s best wines come from alluvial flood plains, where soils can be as rich as those of the Mississippi Delta.
Eventually, you stop trying to understand it and simply give in:
To spiced Shirazes grown on blood-red clay soils.
To Cabernet Sauvignons scented with plum and eucalyptus.
To eccentric winemakers who work like mad scientists, matching parcel and grape in search of the perfect wine.
Australian winemaking legend Brian Walsh likes to say—twisting a well-known French phrase—
“A great wine is not born in the vineyard, but in the brain.”
Old Sensibilities, New Worlds
If there is one fair criticism of Australian winemaking, it is a tendency toward the overly technical—too much reliance on machines and not enough on instinct.
For this collection, we deliberately sought out winemakers who combine obsession with an earthbound, traditional sensibility: hand-picked grapes, indigenous yeasts, minimal chemicals, and a deep respect for the land.
And then, of course, there is New Zealand.
You have probably had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. You probably enjoyed it. As Karen MacNeil once wrote, “New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs have no parallel anywhere in the world.”
Their success led to debate within the Partnership. Was there really anything left to discover?
As it turns out—plenty.
Our search led us to Brian Brickwell’s obsessively crafted Mahi Sauvignon Blanc. Refusing to take the varietal’s popularity for granted, he combines natural fermentation, wild yeast, whole pressing, and a constantly evolving multi-parcel approach to produce a wine of remarkable precision and depth.
Each year, more than four hundred European winemakers petition to make a vintage from his grapes.
You will understand why when you open your bottle.
In This Box
You will find six bottles:
Balnaves “The Blend” 2016
Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz 2017
Langmeil Legendary Cabernet Shiraz 2017
Helen & Joey Estate Layla Pinot Noir 2018
Beelgara Shiraz 2017
Mahi Sauvignon Blanc 2018
We believe these six wines—some of which are not available anywhere else in the United States—capture the earthy, old-meets-new character of Australia and New Zealand.
As always, our advice is simple: let each bottle speak for itself. Each has a story to tell.
To your health,
Will Bonner
Founder, Bonner Private Wine Partnership
