3 x Amazing U.S. & Australian Wines @ Sticks & Stones, Munich
Let's talk about my little tasting session at the phenomenal Sticks & Stones in Munich, you can read our article on the wine bar itself here. As already explained in that article, the real highlight and focus of the wine selection there is the US and Australia, which suited me very well, as the "New World" is a favorite topic of mine alongside Spain. As a relative newcomer to the wine game, I naturally took my time to seek advice and asked for a fresh, exciting starter for what was already a very warm February day and then looked for something complex and spicy, but not too powerful for the rest of my visit.
As I had already been to the Grapes wine bar the day before (article to follow, of course) and mentioned that I had really liked the Sangreal by Farr Pinot Noir there, we ended up with the same grape variety for the reds. Funnily enough, Justin Leone even mentioned that he was the one who brought the Farr wines to Grapes and that it was probably even his bottle.
I now know that Chardonnay is not my favorite white grape variety, or even ranks in the lower half for me personally when it comes to white wine. Nevertheless, the extreme precision and quality of Bindi's Quartz was noticeable at every moment, a crystal-like clarity and balance of freshness and elegance that I have rarely had with Chardonnay before. However, as I tend to be a fan of opulent, more barrel aged and matured white wines, I can't quite match the ratings of some critics, but I was still delighted with the result.
The real highlights for my taste came afterwards, of course, and the Paradigm Hill in particular left me completely speechless with just the first scent. I was still curious at first, as Pinot is at least a little more delicate than some more robust red grape varieties and I was in the mood for spicy complexity. But my trust in the team paid off, because that's exactly what I got. Quite spicy for a Pinot, but typically complex and also somewhat light-footed, despite the intense jam notes of freshly crushed berries. A dream.
The fact that the Littorai Pinot ended up with one point less is probably simply down to my preferences. After a bit of reading, the reason is quite clear to me, the winery works in a very French-inspired way and indeed, French red wines (wine nerds please skip this sentence) are not yet my non-plus-ultra. It was more elegant, rounder and silkier than the Paradigm Hill, but still had its own, somewhat quieter spiciness, which is why I understood the team's recommendation. If you want a hidden joker for a French high-end tasting with your friends, this is the one for you.
2017 Bindi Chardonnay Quartz
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The juice goes to barrel straight from the press tray, with no additions of yeast, nutrients or enzymes. Once the juice is in barrel a small amount of sulphur is added and then we wait, usually about five days, for the fermentation to begin. The wine spent 10 months on yeast lees in French barrels, of which 25% were new, and was bottled in early March.
Category: White wine
Country or origin: Australia
Region: Victoria
Designation/Sub-Region: Macedon Ranges
Producer: Bindi
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Alcohol content: 14%
Residual sugar: ?
Acidity: ?
Price: ca. 85€ (2017 vintage)
Nose:
Fine, elegant, restrained, fine roasted notes of light nuts, some stone fruit, white grapefruit and lemon zest, a bit of lemongrass later
Taste:
Grapefruit, lemon zest, lemongrass, cumin, great, elegant acidity, plus light toasted oak, the interplay of the grape character and the barrel is really extremely finely tuned, light yeast
Comment:
Overall, it is not particularly complex and has a rather light body while still showing some barrel influences, yet you can feel the craftsmanship in every second. Highly elegant. For the incredible points some critics are giving (>95P) especially the nose was missing a bit of character.
92P
2013 Paradigm Hill Pinot Noir Les Cinq
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It has often been said, great wine is made in the vineyard – and this is why George Mihaly believes that his terroir is so vitally important to the wines character. He has just over 10 acres of north facing gently sloping vineyard. The philosophy of his wine making is to guide the wine with minimal intervention through the vinification process – and this is how George believes that he can maximize the varietal character from the terroir, for each of his wines. The fruit is picked by loving hands, with vintage being a time for celebration.
Paradigm Hill has committed themselves to achieving a zero carbon foot print from the activities at winery. In addition to having been their own “Carbon Cops” and audited and then reviewed all their energy consumption, George has also installed a substantial 132 panel, 30kWh Photo Voltaic Cell [PV Cell] system that is rated to generate about 40+ Mega Watt Hours of electricity per year.
Category: Red Wine
Country of Origin: Australia
Region: Victoria
Designation/Sub-Region: Mornington Peninsula
Producer: Paradigm Hill
Grape variety: Pinot Noir
Alcohol content: 13,5%
Residual sugar: ?
Acidity: 6,5g/l
Price: ca. 90€ (2013er sold out)
Nose:
Raspberry and strawberry jam, violets, some allspice and clove, mysterious and complex, typical Pinot, only spicier than usual, mushrooms, fresh forest soil, some licorice, black cherry, extremely aromatic and cool, you notice the cool climate for Australia
Taste:
Fresh strawberries, no jam at all compared to the nose, Bœuf bourguignon, but silky and elegant, umami, shiitake mushrooms, violets, super finely worked out, everything seems perfectly arranged in its place, black cherry, licorice, some fine clove in the finish, very long finish
Finish:
Cool, pure elegance, lots of fresh fruit and yet finely spicy and complex.
94P
2014 Littorai Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard
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The estate was established in 1993 after Lemon returned to the US having learned his trade in Burgundy working for a range of producers including Dujac, de Villaine (DRC), Roumier, Bruno Clair and Parent before being appointed winemaker (the first American ever) at famous Meursault producer, Domaine Guy Roulot. Predictably then, his winemaking style takes its lead directly from Burgundy and follows a reasonably straight-forward and non-interventionist approach. All the pinots are cold soaked (vintage dictates for how long), they undergo indigenous yeast fermentation, some stems are included where possible and the wines are almost never racked. The single-vineyard wines see approximately 50% new oak and the regional blends about 30%.
As much as is possible organic and biodynamic principles are used in the vineyards and cellar practices also reflect this ethic.
Category: Red Wine
Country of origin: USA
Region: California
Designation/Sub-Region: Anderson Valley
Producer: Littorai
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Alcohol content: 12,8%
Residual sugar: ?
Acidity: ?
Price: ca. 115€ (more recent vintages)
Nose:
Fresh sloe berries, blueberries, wonderfully fruity with a very fine mineral slate smoke, cassis, fresh elderberry, some violets, fresh olives
Taste:
Cassis, fresh and juicy, with fine vegetal notes, green bell pepper, juniper, laurel, some olives, fresh slate and even more juicy berries, blueberries, fresh red cherry, extremely silky tannins, elegant, rather light to medium body, beautiful minerality, some pomegranate and sour cherry on the finish, medium length
Finish:
Very delicate and complex, needs some time to really discover it but then it really embraces you.
93P
