2021 Les & Sez Bien Sur!
WINEMAKER: Tim Stock & Sarah Feehan
VARIETAL: Chardonnay, Cinsault
REGION: Adelaide Hills/Barossa Valley, SA
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
A sure thing from the start. Both varieties were hand destemmed into an old, upended puncheon until we got sick of it and chucked in the rest of the Cinsault as whole bunches. No ‘management’ other than pushing the cap down now and then once it rose. Basket pressed to one precious barrique. A cherry red treasure chest full of old rubies. The 'ye olde' feels persist with the delicate notes of dried rose and vanilla bean, subtle pomegranate and plum vibes. She does change from day to day often showing more floral aromatics. Medium weighted, bien sur is a confuser. Light, pithy, cranberry skin tannins land it in the red wine camp but an underlying silkiness feels white and the fully textured mid palate is all Chardonnay. Expect more plum and red berry fruits along with a watermelon tang to the finish and those tannins are surprisingly persistent.
Late nights, sticky ferments and copious bottles are responsible for this love story. Les (Tim Stock from Les Fruits) and Sez (Sarah Feehan from Parley) took time out from their own projects to make three little barrels of wine. Hand picked, hand de-stemmed, basket pressed and barrel fermented, the wine was an experiment in doing as little as possible to create a wild and unadulterated expression of fruit.