Brokenwood

EXACTLY two months on since the previous report and with the arrival of Nick Bulleid and his Pinot Noir, I think we can safely say that the last fruit is in, 91 days after we started on Hunter Valley Semillon.

 The 40^th Brokenwood vintage, the 30^th vintage of Iain Riggs at the helm, the 20^th for Vineyard Manager Keith Barry and the 1^st for Simon Steele, has been one full of interest and challenges.

The last two months has seen every berry of our Hunter red picked, probably the only Hunter winery to do so. Simon and Stuart and the winery team have delivered an excellent range of wines from Hunter Valley Semillon and Shiraz to the full complement out of Beechworth (the Chardonnay and Pinot are particularly exciting), rich robust reds from McLaren Vale and cool climate Sauvignon Blanc from the Forest Edge Vineyard at Orange. However the rain and disease pressure did get the better of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Forest Edge

Interesting to see that the Southern Oscillation Index returned to negative or El Nino territory in mid April 2012, bringing up exactly two years of La Nina conditions. Hunter Valley  winemakers can work with the odd break in the weather to turn out top wines but a rain free vintage would be  welcomed I’m sure.

Of course El Nino could also mean days on end of 40C plus weather, so to keep one step ahead a 100sqm blast chilling cold room is being built, along with a complete upgrade and relocation of the refrigeration system.

The winery waste water is now being recycled for growing jumbo grass and then harvested for vineyard mulch.

Wines going to bottle in the next few weeks include three Single Vineyard 2012 Semillon’s, one of which will be released at 6 years as the ILR Reserve as well as a very fresh and vibrant 2012 Hunter Semillon. The other early bottling will be the 2012 Beechworth Pinot Gris.

With all the 2012 grapes in the winery, work swaps over to getting the 2011 reds out of oak and the most important of all being the 2011 Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz.

Mention should be made of the great vintage crew in 2012. Our ‘Brains’ Brokenwood Prize winner from Adelaide Uni, Lauren Hansen,  tackled her first vintage with gusto and Lauren will be a great asset to the wine industry in years to come.

By Iain Riggs
Managing Director/Chief Winemaker

Press Release – 12th April, 2012
by PRUE SEMLER, Liquid ideas

It’s time to celebrate all that is great about Australian wine with the A+ Australian Wine Celebration starting today, 12 April, around the nation and running through until 29 April.

The A+ Australian Wine Celebration is the country’s biggest festival of the grape organised by Wine Australia, the national wine industry’s statutory body, with close to 100 events registered, so there is something for everyone.

Keen wine lovers can try their hand at winemaking when the Hunter Valley’s Brokenwood hosts Winemaker for a Day, have a go at crafting wine barrels at Yalumba in the Barossa Valley, or sample pre-release wines and meet the winemaker at Vasse felix in the Margaret River. There are also incredible food and wine festivals, plus wine and food degustation dinners spread throughout the nation.

With a cavalcade of events from Sydney to Strathbogie Ranges, Melbourne to Margaret River and Barossa Valley to Brisbane, this is the perfect opportunity for Australians to get out and enjoy the best of Australian wine from world-renowned wineries, winemaker and regions.

Wine Australia Regional Director Aaron Brasher, said the support for the inaugural A+ Australian Wine Celebration had been overwhelming from the industry.

“Many wineries have created experiences especially for the Celebration, such as behind the scenes tours, others are flinging open their cellar doors and offering incredible deals, and we have some of Australia’s best food and wine festivals registered as part of this national event,” Brasher said.

“The celebration is all about showcasing Australain wine to the nation and what better way to do that than to have people try the wines and meet the people behind the labels.”

There is a lot on in regional areas and the capital cities, so people just need to visit www.apluswines.com select the state they are interested in and scroll through the array of events on offer. All booking and pricing details are listed with the event.

It is hard to believe that only 5 weeks have passed since the last report as it does feel more like 8 weeks. Such is the fun of vintage that everyone works twice as long and in one week 2,000km may have been covered. The incessant rain hasn’t helped anyone’s demeanour. The stop/start nature meant that, ‘are we there yet?’ has been replaced with ‘can we start yet?’

In 2011 Australia Day was celebrated in 43C sunshine but with 2012 it was 30mm of drizzling rain. Brokenwood launched into #vintage2012 on 31st January and while we have had to walk away from a few vineyards, we did end up with the full volume of Semillon we required. The problem was twofold for a lot of vineyards; the lack of summer combined with high crops. The first classification tasting has confirmed they are top class Semillon’s with plenty of citrus/lime juice and mineral texture. A few Single Vineyard parcels will be kept separate.  The last Semillon crush was on the 20^th February so a lot more spread out than usual. Rainfall for February has been 170mm.

Even with two fruit thinning sweeps through the Graveyard Vineyard, the lack of heat has meant diabolically slow ripening. More fun to watch paint dry. These’s photos are of us pressing our 300kg picked off the most southern Graveyard block, affectionately known as either Steel City or now days Vegas block due the fortune spent on it over the years. Well Brokenwood is boutique!!!! The feeling is that at least the ‘hang time’ the reds have had, has ripened some of the tannins and now also very good colour. Classic, low alcohol Hunter Valley dry reds are going to be the feature of 2012.

On a very happy note, new winemaker Simon Steele, saw most of the Semillon into the winery and then shot through to Beechworth where he knew the region was shaping up for one of its best in years. As at 24^th February, all the Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir have been picked with lots of variations in processing. Simon, having worked in Burgundy and more recently with Matt Harrop at Shadowfax does know a thing or two about getting complexity with finesse in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Shiraz should also be very exciting with the State of Origin blocks another year older. These are cuttings from the old vines on Graveyard, Rayner, Wade and Seville Estate vineyards.

The southern states are paying the price for the wet lead up to and over the 2011 vintage. Yields are very low especially on the reds. We start harvesting week of 27^th February, extraordinarily early. King Valley and Orange round out the regions are both are looking top class at present.

All good news from here on.

Post script 28^th February Hunter Valley. A week of 30-35C weather has helped the last of the Graveyard Vineyard and Verona Shiraz that was left out. KB and Katrina have worked wonders in the vineyard and even though a lot of rain is due, we’re prepared to leave a couple of blocks out. The possibility of a Hunter Shiraz or yes, even a Graveyard Shiraz looks better every day.

Iain Riggs
Managing Director/Chief Winemaker

I have made mention before about the derogatory comments Roseworthy Oenology lecturers made in the early 70s regarding the Hunter Valley. Looking back, the odd part about it was that the Hunter had very successful vintages through the 50s and 60s (of course further back when including the legendary Maurice O’Shea) and it wasn’t as if it only rained in the Hunter. Vintage 1974 soon sorted that out for the southern states. After having worked at Waikerie Co-Op winery, Bleasedale and Hazelmere Estate (all between 72 and late 82), the offer of a job in the Hunter Valley seemed as good a challenge as any. Even in South Australia, the Brokenwood operation was well known. With Len Evans a regular visitor to SA and the Wine and Spirit Buying Guide constantly reviewing the tiny Brokenwood output it was hard to miss. Len being a great mate of the founding trio Halliday, Beeston and Albert certainly helped the noise.

No surprise either that Halliday et al turned to Brian Croser and Tony Jordan to not only design a new winery but help find a winemaker. Hazelmere Estate in McLaren Vale made a big splash in a short time. The use of milk crates as picking buckets and storage overnight in a cold room was the modus operandi and bright, fruity white wines started to take on the more traditional broader styles. So much so that the 1982 Hazelmere Estate Chardonnay won the Best Wine of Show at McLaren Vale (still the only white to achieve this) and me, the Bushing King title. Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke it also won Trophies at Adelaide and Canberra. I soon learned that a cage on the trailer was preferable to tying down after I lost one load of grapes in the drive way of Southern Vales Co- Op in the main street of McLaren Vale, to much mirth from the locals.

A weekend trip to the Hunter in September 1982, to meet some of the Partners (it was a Partnership until 1985) and the obvious love of good food, good wine and good times had me sold. The stories from the previous 12 years were outrageous and hilarious. It’s no wonder Brokenwood hasn’t been able to get someone to chronicle the fun and games; not a lot could be printed. Start date was 4th November and with vintage about 10 weeks away, the only thing at Brokenwood was a set of plans. Luckily everything had been ordered, so that the site was cleared, slab down, shed up and tanks in place for the New Year’s Eve party 1982/3.

A definite up side of joining Brokenwood was the extraordinary wines and wine knowledge of Halliday, Evans, Beeston and Bulleid. Vertical tastings back the 1800s were common from James Halliday and I can still remember the look of sheer disbelief when I turned down a Saturday night dinner invite during the 83 vintage that featured one of Halliday’s favourites, Chateau Lanessan back to the 1920s. It is not hard to pick where the Brokenwood capsule design came from. It wasn’t all bon homie, as one weekend James was cooking and hosting a food shoot for a glossy magazine but forgot to tell the Partners up working that as a result there was not only no lunch to be had but the kitchen was strictly off limits!!

The 1983 year turned out to be quite a momentous one. The original plan for white wine production was an oaked Semillon (because young Hunter Semillon sales were non-existent and with the rise of Chardonnay, everything had to have oak) and the Semillon was to go into oak after the Chardonnay came out. Use of the cold room and skin contact had such a dramatic impact on fruit flavour so at first one 800 doz tank was bottled mid-year quickly followed by another. The lifted grassy Brokenwood style Semillon was born. We did persist with a small amount of wood matured but gave it up after the 1989. Half way through 1983 James Halliday announced that he was moving to Melbourne and selling his Brokenwood holding. An announcement that took a number of partners by surprise but as Brokenwood had continued with the semi-forced work crew of friends and colleagues, three new partners were soon on board. To go back a step, the original 3 had become 9 in 1978 in order to purchase the Graveyard Vineyard, then 9 became 8, then 11 by the end of 1983.

Also in 1983 the original tractor shed that doubled up as a sales area with the addition of pallet on a drum had a serious make over (again all done by Partners) and Cellar Door sales became a feature of Brokenwood. Vintage 1984 rolled around and the weather fun the lecturers had banged on about became reality. Temperature hit 40C on Xmas day 1983, followed by 4 inches of rain Boxing Day and that seemed to stop 4 months later. A bean pole lad from the Old Dart by the name of Andrew Caillard came along to help with the vintage and established the tradition of itinerant winophiles starting their wine schooling at Brokenwood.

Iain Riggs
Managing Director/Chief Winemaker

Iain Riggs, Managing Director, Chief Winemaker and part owner of Brokenwood, has taken Brokenwood from a small “hobby” winery and into the national and international arena.

Iain’s skills in white winemaking revolutionized Brokenwood, which, when Riggs joined, produced only red wines. A year into his tenure, with the 1983 vintage, production levels changed to 70% white wine and 30% red. 

Iain is immediate Chairman of the Hunter Valley Wine Show, having taken over from Len Evans in 2002 and is currently Chairman of Judges at the Macquarie Group Sydney Royal Wine Show as well as the Shanghai International Wine Challenge. His strong interest in ‘improving the breed’ of Australian wine sees him as Chairman of Trustees of the Len Evans Foundation that conducts the week long Len Evans Tutorial. On the wine industry political side, Iain was an inaugural Board member of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, its Vice-President and President of the Australian Winemakers Forum. For relaxation, Iain is currently President of the Pokolbin (Reds) Rugby Club. 

In 2001, Iain Riggs was nominated by Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine as a finalist in the Winemaker of the Year feature. In 2003, Iain was awarded the Graham Gregory trophy for outstanding service to the NSW wine industry.

 Born in Burra, South Australia in 1955, Iain’s first insight into the wine industry was through relatives who lived in the Riverland region of South Australia. These were very much ‘brandy and dry’ times, but the allure of table wine drew the young Riggs. The experience that set him on the path that was to become his life was a bottle of 1970 Leo Buring DW110 Riesling – he has been tied to the power of the vine ever since.

 Iain studied at Roseworthy College between 1972 and 1975, graduating with honours. At this time, the industry was undergoing a major change – namely the emergence of white wine. He first worked at Bleasedale and Hazelmere in McLaren Vale. At Hazelmere, he sparked his interest in varietal blending and was one of the pioneers of the now-famous combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. At Hazelmere, Iain, as Chief Winemaker, focused on white wines, and was crowned McLaren Vale Bushing King in 1982 with his multi-trophy-winning Chardonnay.

 The owners of Brokenwood, keen to grow their business and expand into white wine production, offered Iain the job of Chief Winemaker in 1982. That year, a new winery was built. Iain’s skills in white winemaking revolutionised Brokenwood, which, when Riggs joined, produced only red wines. A year into his tenure, with the 1983 vintage, production levels changed to 70% white wine and 30% red.

Brokenwood’s committed to a program of regional blending from 1978 in an attempt to even out some of the more difficult Hunter Valley vintages as well as continuing a long held tradition in Australian winemaking. As such Beechworth was identified as one of the most exciting up and coming regions with Riggs and Brokenwood assisting in the establishment of the Indigo Vineyard in the late 1990s. The Brokenwood winemaking team now has premium Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris and newer varietals that include Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Rousanne and Viognier available. McLaren Vale and the Orange region add more quality fruit.

 Iain is known as the force behind the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and its promotion as a unique single vineyard Shiraz. Recently elevated to the top level – Exceptional, on the Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine, it is still the only Hunter Valley Shiraz to feature. A number of other premium Shiraz feature in the portfolio including Mistress Block, Verona, Wade block 2 and the Indigo vineyard Shiraz. Riggs is also a great promoter of Hunter Valley Semillon with the ILR (Iain Leslie Riggs) Reserve Semillon the flagship.

 As vintage 2012 is the 30^th with Iain at the helm, the premium region focus and Single Vineyard philosophy is as strong as ever.

NEW Brokenwood Winemaker, Simon Steele

HUNTER VALLEY based Brokenwood Wines is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Steele to the position of winemaker. Simon previously worked at Brokenwood during the 2003 vintage, when he was given the nick-name Stainless.

Simon has packed considerable experience into a short time. He graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1999 with a Bachelor of Management, specialising in logistics and marketing, and then again in 2005 with a degree in Oenology. During his studies he worked in several regions in Australia, including Margaret River, the Adelaide Hills, the Grampians and Beechworth, and also in Burgundy and Spain.

His latest postions were as winemaker for Shadowfax and then Chapoutier in Victoria.

Brokenwood’s Chief Winemaker and CEO Iain Riggs said today ‘We were looking for a winemaker with experiences across a range of warm and cool regions and with good management ability and Simon brings all of these. He has a reputation as a sharp taster who ‘gets’ the wines of the world, and we know from his time here in 2003 that he also fits this unusal place that’s Brokenwood, so that’s an additional bonus.’

Simon’s excited about his coming role. ‘Brokenwood has great vineyards to work with, the Graveyard and Hunter Semillon, Beechworth has great potential and McLaren Vale’s home, so there’s wonderful diversity. Working with Iain is a great opportunity, too.”

Simon will take up his new position in early November.