Apri l 2012 E-Newsletter

Mother Nature dishes out one of the toughest seasons ever

This season has some of the Hunter Valley’s older states-

men proclaiming that 2012 will go down as one of the

toughest seasons ever. Late spring and the entire season

of summer were characterised by very cool conditions (an

average of 2 degrees Celsius below the mean), and unre-

lenting rainfall. Over the critical ripening and harvest

months of December through to March, we received no

less than 300mm of rain and 3 significant hail events. The

result being immense disease pressure, and constant dilu-

tion of acid, flavour and sugar in the berries. In the end, a

reluctant decision was made not to pick any Hunter Val-

ley Shiraz this year. Fortunately, as is often the case with

early-ripening Hunter Semillon, we managed to pick

smaller quantities of excellent quality fruit, and we are

very pleased with the resulting wines.

So as we get our latest vintage of Hunter Semillon off to

bottle, Canberra faces conditions disturbingly similar to

those experienced here in the Hunter. Fortunately the rain

has fallen some weeks before harvest, and providing we

get some warm, sunny weather, we are still hopefully for

excellent red grapes including our Cabernet Sauvignon

from Gundaroo and Shiraz from Murrumbateman.

Our thoughts are, however, with the many growers and

winemakers who have lost crops and entire vintages to

the rainfall and subsequent flood waters that swamped the

state at this critical time. The following images are of

flood waters in Sunraysia and Bilbul, near Griffith, serve

to highlight the extent of the damage caused.

Fingers crossed this is a once-in-a-lifetime vintage...

MB

Gundog Member’s Lunch—Pony at the Rocks!

We are delighted to invite Cellar

Club Members to our first function

for the year. On Sunday the 22nd

of April, we will be hosting a

lunch at Pony Lounge and

Dining, at The Rocks Sydney.

This is a great venue and Chef

Damien Heads has consistently

delivered fantastic food over the

years we have visited. The style of

food is casual and fresh, focussing on fantastic produce,

and should compliment our latest batch of new releases

including three 2012 Hunter Semillons and our 2011

Hunter’s Shiraz.

We have organised seating at one long table outside on

the terrace area. Seating here is strictly limited to 40

guests, so please RSVP as soon as possible so you don’t

miss out! Tickets are $120 per person. To book your spot,

please email winemaker@gundogestate.com.au.

GUNDOG 2010 MARKSMAN’S SHIRAZ

Limited release from a vineyard in Murrumbateman –

Canberra District. 14 months in French oak.

Another beautiful Canberra shiraz. Trademark flavours:

dark cherry, sweet blackberry, roasted nuts and a general,

tangy, boysenberried fruit note. Five-spice rather than

pepper. A bit of oomph but lively and refreshing. Chains

of tannin. Acid needs time to integrate but wouldn’t be

surprised if this warrants a higher rating in time.

Excellent.

93+ points

Friday 16th March 2012, by Campbell Mattinson

www.winefront.com.au

New Releases — 2012 Semillons!

Media Cl ippings

Gundog Estate 2010

Marksman’s Shiraz $50

With vineyards in the

Hunter Valley and

Canberra region the

Gundog star continues to

rise under the winemaking

skills of the prodigiously

talented Matt Burton. The

Marksman is Gundog’s

first top-shelf shiraz and

it’s a beauty. Crafted from

Murrumbateman shiraz

it’s bold and powerful, yet

nicely poised, with layers

of berry fruit, integrated

spice, clever oaking and

silky tannins. Stick it in the

cellar for a few years.

Kerry Skinner, 2012

Illawarra Mercury

GUNDOG 2011 WILD SEMILLON

The “wild” refers to wild yeast, time on skins and some

residual sugar. None of which are the norm for Hunter

Valley Semillon. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it

but it sure is flavoursome. It’s a river of sweet, red apple-

like flavour. It smells too of dried tobacco and lemon

though the palate has a slatey, chalky feel. The word

“feel” is operative; there’s real texture to this wine. It’s

bright and pure in the glass but it almost tastes cloudy. Its

sweetness is obvious but not overpowering. Reckoned, in

the end, this is both interesting and delicious.

90 points

Thursday Dec 8, 2011 by Campbell Mattinson

www.winefront.com.au

Huon Hooke, Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012

Stay in touch with Gundog Estate!

New Releases. . .

2012 WILD SEMILLON

One of our biggest releases for the year, the 2012 Wild

Semillon picks up where the 2011 vintage left off. Sold

out in just 2 months and acclaimed by wine critics

throughout the country, the 2011 Wild Semillon was a

runaway hit.

With the Wild Semillon, we push the boundaries of con-

ventional winemaking by fermenting a portion of the

wine on skins (like a red wine) using natural or

“indigenous” yeast. The aim is to create a very textural

and complex style of Semillon that showcases another

side of this great wine grape.

The 2012 Wild Semillon is very aromatic, offering lem-

ongrass, peach and some herbal tea notes. The palate is

bright and fleshy with some residual sweetness there to

offset phenolics (tannin) and acidity.

Because the wine is so textural and carries some residual

sweetness, the Wild Semillon is an interesting proposition

with food matching. The wine should hold up well to

spicy, Thai-style dishes where acidity, saltiness and chilli

are often offset by barely noticeable sweetness. It also

partners well to roast pork or lighter poultry dishes. MB

2011 HUNTER’S

SHIRAZ

This is the first release of our Hunter Valley sourced Shi-

raz. With the full compliment of Hunter Valley Semillons

we thought it would be great to add a local Shiraz into the

mix, and the 2011 vintage provided ideal conditions to do

so.

We sourced the grapes from two Hunter Vineyards. Hand

picked fruit was fermented in open top tanks and plunged

by hand twice daily for 10 days. The wine was then

pressed off to barrel for 10 month’s maturation. We used

a combination of barriques and larger puncheon style

barrels to add complexity and enhance oak integration.

Through the carefully managed oak regime, and shorter

than usual maturation period, we have managed to bottle

a wine showing really nice fruit purity.

I believe the days of the old-school “sweaty saddle”

Hunter Shiraz are long gone; the modern style instead

focuses on preserving fruit flavour and shows off the fact

that the Hunter Valley, just like Canberra, is able to pro-

duce full-flavoured, complex reds, that are only medium

bodied and rarely over 14% alcohol. As such, they are

incredibly food friendly and often long-lived wines.

Game meats and lighter lamb or beef dishes partner well

to Hunter Shiraz as do cheeses and charcuterie. I think

the wine will drink well while young, though I do suggest

decanting before serving. The oxygen will do a world of

good, and really help it to “open up” in the glass. The

cellaring potential should also be good. I would think 5 to

10 years. MB

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The skies are clear over the Yass River Valley and the prevailing northwesterly blows for most of the daylight hours.

We are in a critical stage of the vintage as the red grapes move towards full ripeness; by this time next week we

should have our cabernet sauvignon and shiraz crops picked and safely in the winery. Our planned picking days are

speculative at this stage, based on daily readings of the Baume (sugar content) of the berries and what levels Matt

requires for his planned wines, but are subject to sudden changes caused by a cold front passing through or an unex-

pected low overnight temperature. Mostly we fear rain at this time and sudden and damaging storms.

Another indicator of fruit ripeness, which can also prove devastating to the crop, is the increasing interest shown in

the vineyard by flocks of native birds intent on a sweet and lavish free lunch. In fact my major activity during the last

weeks of veraison is to conduct a war of deterrence against our feathered friends.

Bird strike in a vineyard, like locusts in the wheat belt, can wipe out a crop in one sitting if the flock is large enough.

In the Canberra District the preferred, and traditional, method of controlling birds is to cover the entire vineyard with

netting at the onset of veraison. I have always thought this an inefficient and costly method of dealing with the bird

problem and when we set up Gundog Estate I decided to take on the birds with other deterrents.

Over the past five vintages I have developed the following arsenal, which I gradually apply when the birds first ap-

pear and I can start to identify the breeds, as they all have different appetites and hours of dining. By this time, with

only days to go until harvest, I have everything firing.

Six hawk shaped kites made from sailcloth that fly from lines attached to six metre high posts scattered through

the vineyard.

A “sonic fence” contructed from weatherproof speakers placed amongst the grapes that broadcast shrill elec-

tronic sounds simulating particular breeds of distressed birdcalls.

A gas air-cannon sounding like a mortar that is programmed to go off at various times, especially at bird break-

fast and dinner times.

“Disco strips” of silver foil on spinners that mark out particularly vulnerable areas.

Ten Chinese mirror balls that randomly flash incredibly bright slashes of sunlight across the vines and interfere

with bird navigation.

My last defence is me wandering through the vineyard firing a shotgun into the air, although the poorly described

gundog Karl Marx really disapproves of this one.

This year we have decided not to pick our chardonnay grapes so my current tactic is to shepherd the native birds

away from the reds and into the chardonnay where they can eat as much as they like. Avian ability to learn seems to

me to be in direct relationship to body size – the large Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and the various breeds of parrots

get the message quickly whilst the tiny pesky Silvery Eyes are the hardest to influence – or maybe they just prefer

reds.

****

I was contacted recently by a journalist writing a piece about “vine huggers”, his expression for people who take on

grape growing/wine making as a second career. I said I thought it was a misnomer, inferring a principal interest in

conservation, as in “tree hugger”, whereas most grape growers would consider themselves as simple farmers, conser-

vationists or not. His point of course is that quite a lot of people do choose grapes and wine as second careers and

more often than not include the desire for a rural land based lifestyle amongst their reasons for making such a choice.

It is also true that a significant number of people making the change come from the film and television industries, and

this is the case in Europe and the USA as well as Australia...CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

Geoff’s Letter From the Vineyard 24th March

Method

Rub the chicken with salt and place bay leaf inside

cavity.

Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole with close fitting

lid.

Add garlic, celery, capsicum, thyme, sage and pepper and

gently sauté for a few minutes.

Add wine and stock and simmer for a few minutes.

Add the chicken to the pot and rotate it to ensure all sides

are coated in the cooking liquid.

Cover the pot and seal the edges with a flour and water

paste.

Cook in a 180 degree pre-heated oven for 90 minutes.

Break the seal and serve the chicken on a platter with

some juices from the pot and surrounded by the cooked

garlic cloves.

Two film industry colleagues of mine, Sally Ayre-Smith and Marcus Skipper, recently resettled themselves on a farm

on the mid-north coast of NSW and proceeded to plant garlic that they planned to cultivate under organic principles.

Sally by the way was the producer of the formative and highly successful SEACHANGE television drama series.

A couple of weeks ago a box appeared on my doorstep containing kilos of the most beautiful looking plump, firm

garlic heads that I have ever seen. I love cooking with garlic and also believe, as many do, that there are health-

supporting qualities in fresh garlic, so I was delighted to receive this package from Sally and Marcus. Garlic, like the

newly cultivated truffles from the Canberra region, possess enticing and exotic flavours of their own but are tradi-

tionally used in conjunction with other foods to enhance those flavours. What to do to exploit and sample this boun-

tiful gift? My first experiment in the farm kitchen was to combine two favourite tastes: garlic and anchovies. In a

moderate oven I baked a few heads of the garlic by just removing the outer skin and sitting them on a rack for about

30 minutes or until the flesh is quite soft. In the same oven a few thin slices of baguette are dried out and slightly

crisped. The warm flesh of the garlic is spread generously on the toasts and then topped with drained strips of an-

chovy filets. I know they are expensive but one really has to use Ortiz brand tinned Spanish anchovies to give this

simple dish a touch of class. Enjoy a plate of these in the autumn sun along with a glass of GUNDOG ESTATE

Rosé, to achieve complete contentment!

Continuing the garlic feast last weekend Sharon and I cooked an old Provence favourite, Chicken with Forty Cloves

of Garlic, and what a triumph it was, especially enhanced by the fresh organic garlic. Check further down the news-

letter for the recipe. Sally and Marcus’ garlic is grown at Sweet Water Farm and can be purchased from About Life

in Rozelle or Bondi Junction or ordered for postal delivery via email: garlic@sweetwaterfarm.com.au. That’s all

from the vineyard for now, and bon appétit. Geoff Burton

Geoff’s Letter From the Vineyard 24th March

Ingredients

1 large free range chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

40 cloves of unpeeled garlic

A sprig or two of fresh thyme

A few sage leaves

1 bay leaf

2 chopped celery stalks

2 chopped capsicums

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

Enough flour and water to make ½ cup paste

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Chicken cooked with 40 cloves of garlic

This traditional Provençal recipe might seem to be a bit heavy handed with the garlic but the method of cooking pro-

duces a tender and aromatic chicken with no garlic aftertaste. It is important to have fresh and flavourful garlic, such

as Sweet Water Farm’s, and the really best free range chook you can obtain, around 1.8 kilos. Sealing the cookpot

and leaving it that way during the cooking period is also important.

Slow-roasted lamb with buttered parsnip and braised borlotti beans

With two great reviews of the 2010 Marksman’s Shiraz featured in this newsletter, we

thought why not celebrate by cooking a dish that marries beautifully with this wine! I

recently discovered this recipe for Slow Roasted lamb in the March 2012 edition of

Gourmet Traveller, and can happily confirm it is an ideal companion to the 2010 Marks-

man’s Shiraz...though a second bottle was required just to be sure. Enjoy! MB

Fine Food & Gundog Estate Wines

Ingredients

Serves 6

2 tbsp currants

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup rosemary, coarsely chopped

120g coarse sourdough breadcrumbs

60g parmesan, finely grated

1/4 cup pine nuts

1.5 kg boned lamb leg

125 ml dry white wine

BUTTERED PARSNIP

1 kg parsnip, core removed, coarsely chopped

1 kg swede, coarsely chopped

120 ml pouring cream

60g butter, coarsely chopped

2 rosemary sprigs

1 garlic clove, halved horizontally

BRAISED BORLOTTI BEANS

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

500g podded borlotti beans (about 1kg unpodded)

2 cups chicken stock

Method

Soak currants in vinegar in a bowl (30 minutes). Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add onion and garlic, stir

occasionally until tender (7-8 minutes), add rosemary, stir until fragrant (1-2 minutes), set aside to cool. Add bread-

crumbs, parmesan and pine nuts, stir to combine, season to taste.

Preheat oven to 150C. Place lamb leg on a work surface, press stuffing over lamb, season to taste and roll to enclose

stuffing. Tie with kitchen string, place in a casserole, add wine, cover and roast until tender (4-5 hours).

Meanwhile, for buttered parsnip, steam parsnip and swede until tender (25-30 minutes). Stir cream, butter, rosemary

and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Strain into parsnip mixture (discard rosemary and garlic),

mash to combine, season to taste and keep warm.

For braised borlotti beans, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add garlic and stir occasionally until tender (3-4

minutes). Add borlotti beans and stock, season to taste and simmer until beans are tender (10-12 minutes). Add chic-

ory, cook until tender (4-6 minutes) and season to taste. Serve hot with buttered parsnip and slow-roasted lamb.