Dappled Wines Shaun Crinion was first introduced to wine in 1999 after being fortunate to work for his winemaker Uncle on the central coast of California – making Pinot, Chard & Syrah. Since then he was done vintages at Bay of Fires & Pipers Brook in Tasmania, Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley, Williams Selyem in Russian River, California and Domaine De Montille in Burgundy just to name a few.
Dappled is boutique and small production – currently he makes approx 100 cases each of Pinot Noir Syrah and Chardonnay, all single vineyard. The 2010 wines are from 23+ year old vines in the Yarra Valley and whilst all are drinking well now, benefit from a decant (including the chard). They should cellar well.

The Dappled portfolio will continue to grow, particularly through expansion into Pinot and Chard from other regions – the 2011 release includes a Mornington Pinot . The wines will remain small batch, food friendly and well-priced. It’s all about good booze at a reasonable price; it should be easy to enjoy quality, interesting, wine with friends and family any day of the week!

2010 Chardonnay is hand picked, whole bunch pressed with wild yeasts and full solids ferment. 1 year old french oak and 10 months on full yeast lees.
Made in an austere style that focuses on minerality and phenolic structure. The aroma profile highlights some of the more complex and alternate characteristics associated with wild yeast, full solids ferments. Oak is a subtle inclusion, and carefully not overdone.

2010 Pinot Noir Fermented in small open top fermenters with 80% whole bunch and 20% crushed fruit. The must / fruit was chilled to 12 degrees to enable a 5 day cold soak to occur. This was followed by a long steady wild yeast ferment (peak temperature reaching 30 degrees) The finished wine was pressed straight to small 1 year old and older French barriques and kept on lees until bottling
Utilising techniques including whole bunch ferment and long vatting times will make this Pinot a wine to last. Despite this, the wine shows remarkable primary prettiness of a young Yarra Pinot. Sweet cranberry/musk notes are complemented by underlying stalky funkiness and hints of sweet oak. The palate is lasting with round soft red fruits building on sappy textured tannins.

2010 Syrah Cane pruned and cropped to max 2.0 t/acre. Hand picked 100% whole bunch ferment with Wild yeast & natural MLF.  30% new French oak and older French oak, aged for 10 months on full yeast lees and completely bottled unfined and unfiltered.
A 100% whole bunch Yarra Syrah, it opens with huge peppery, stalky wild characters and with air releases sweet red/dark berry fruits. The palate reflects cool climate elegance in Shiraz; soft and plush and well suited to food. It finishes with nice angular tannins.

They seek for blocks within vineyards that really shine; The search is to find and polish these often overlooked gems and present a treasure chest of different jewels: pristine, crystalline Rieslings; crisp, radiant, multi-faceted Chardonnays; alluring, perfumed Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon; brilliant, regal displays of Cabernets and blends.

Snake is the winemaker and knows WA well after being chief winemaker at Howard Park for 4 years. The Herring spent his youth working in a bottle shop (where he got the wine bug) and is a qualified accountant whom looks after all other facets in the operation.
Great price points and wait to you see those labels!!!

2010 Sato Petillant Naturel Riesling
The fruit for this different style of Riesling comes from Northburn Station. After a 9 month ferment in stainless steel and a little bit of old oak, Yoshi keeps the ferment going in the bottle (hence the slight bubbles). He adds just a tiny bit of sulphur pre bottling to stop oxidation and with loads of lees contact you get a funky, textural and spritzy riesling!
Only 800 bottles made.

2009 Sato Pinot Noir
Sourced from organic vineyards in Mt Pisa, this pinot went through a natural ferment with 3 weeks on skins. 30% whole bunch and 15 months in French Oak (17% New) resulting in a complex and  deeply profound wine.
Fragrant and lifted with an intriguing interplay of fruit and spice. Dark cherry, plums and kitchen spice with a rich and layered mouthfeel.

2009 Sato L’Insolite Pinot Noir
Yoshi’s top cuvee comes from the Pisa Range Terrace which is made up of gravel and high mineral content soils. 100% Whole bunch fermentation, 7 days carbonic maceration and 15 months in 50% new French oak produces a deep, murky and full of interest pinot noir.
Mulberries, macerated dark fruits with an elegant and enchanting nose.
Layered with great detail and finesse there is kitchen spice, cloves and a sappy texture.
Minerals and fruit driven tannins weave a long and focused finish. Get on it!!

2007 Bell Hill Pinot Noir

The wine is concentrated with rich spice aroma and a deep, dark red fruit core with hints of blueberry, dark cherry and plum and lifted complexity. The palate has lovely elegance and young fresh fruit which belies its concentration. A structured wine that has savoury, spicy fruit presence with mineral salinity, it has a long finish displaying at this early stage an even fruit depth and tannin that will preserve the wine in the years to come.

2008 Field of Fire Chardonnay

Late April pick, whole bunch pressed, in a lovely little basket press borrowed from our friends at Bell Hill; no settling, no SO2. Vineyard yeast ferment, enduring 9 months, in a second use 450L puncheon. Natural malolactic, but unfinished until spring 2010. Ten months on lees in barrel, then transferred to a variable capacity tank for a further 16 months; bottled unfined and unfiltered on the winter equinox, June 2010. Alcohol 13.2%. Production: 50 cases.

Brilliant yellow-gold.
A nose of baked peach, pate brisee, and yellow flowers – acacia and fennel blossom. Also a comfortable note of warm cornbread.
Lush on entry, but quickly turns streamlined, from stony acidity and girdling phenolics: great volume and energy, condensing and accelerating on the palate. Flavours of yellow peach, ground almonds, and lemon curd. Very fluid, very long.

Mount Edward Pinot Noir 2008

In 2008 Central Otago saw a growing season that was to all intents and purposes – fairly average – both in length and in temperature. As a result we carefully managed our own vineyards and crop thinned extensively to achieve optimum balance. In a year that saw New Zealand record its highest ever grape crop it was essential to keep vineyards in check if one wanted to grow premium wine. Our vineyard crew needs to be congratulated for allowing us to do so in 2008.

“One of the more arresting sights during my time in Central Otago was winemaker Duncan Forsyth’s pastel blue suit straight out of Saturday Night Fever. Fortunately his vinous sense is better than his sartorial and Mount Edward continues to produce great Pinot Noir.” Neal Martin Sept 09 The Wine Journal on E Robert Parker .com

Terravin Pinot Noir 2008

Vintage Notes
After a lovely spring the vines flourished and had a great flowering that left potential for large crops on the vines. In our usual way we undertook a huge crop reduction (by almost half) to maintain balanced healthy vines. As the perfect summer continued the fruit ripened evenly and we harvested in the middle of March as in most years. This proved critical as early Autumn rains spoiled everyones optimism in early April, by that time the wine was either in barrel or about ready to press.