Wednesday Wines – Episode 48
Episode 48 – 24th February 2021
TURON WINES by Turon & Alex White www.turonwines.com.au
The guide prices shown are in Australian dollars and they are taken from Turon’s website.
I was delighted to be sent preview samples of Turon White’s wonderful range of wines and, while they are not yet available in the UK, I know that there is already interest on our shores and they will be sure to hit the shelves before too long. I have picked out my favourites for you to read about here.
Whites
2020 turon, Field Blend, Adelaide Hills AUD25
The facts – a tri-varietal blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and Chardonnay with 37% skin contact and 45% fermented in French oak. This recipe is certainly interesting and while we may not have had the pleasure of drinking many wines made from this trio, it certainly makes a lot of sense in the Hills where these three varieties thrive. Initially quirky and chewy with the skin elements providing delicious counterpoints to the elegant fruit, this wine is alive with energy and it finishes pristinely clean and crisp. Even the oaked moments work well here bringing a little more succulence than expected as the three slick grape varieties glide past each other on the palate, like trains silently zipping through a junction. Zesty, green, lemony, gingery, grapefruited and delicious, this is a revelatory wine. 18/20
2020 turon, Chardonnay, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills AUD32
The facts – Hand-picked, whole-bunch-pressed, wild-fermented, partial malolactic and 9 months in French oak. This is a wine that must work in a portfolio such as this, given it is made from Adelaide Hills’ golden child grape Chardonnay. It is, therefore, exciting to report that this is another pristine wine with lifted fruit, perfectly-judged oak and thrilling balance. Long, cool and impressive, this is a superb release and it is only going to open more and blossom with time. 18/20
2019 turon, LTD Chardonnay Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills AUD45
The facts – Hand-picked from a single vineyard, whole-bunch-pressed, wild-fermented in a single, large-format French oak barrel and aged for 10 months. There is a much more robust oak footprint here with nuttiness and patisserie tones and yet the fruit is slender and fine – an emerging turon hallmark. I would prefer a slightly lighter touch, but if you have only one barrel, you have no other options. Either way, this is a more ostentatious wine with a heady perfume. 17.5/20
Reds
2020 turon, Pinot Noir, Lenswood, Adelaide Hills AUD32
The facts – Hand-picked, 30% whole bunch, 9 months in French oak. This is a crazy-modern Pinot with the slinkiest fruit tones and palest colour imaginable. The whole bunches bring a crisp herbal tone which elevates the perfume and also encourages an energetic, angular finish. Far too easy to drink, this is one of the lightest, purest and most resonant Pinots I have tasted from the Hills. 17/20
2019 turon, LTD Pinot Noir, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills (POA)
The facts – Single barrel, single vineyard, wild fermented, 50% whole bunch, 10 months in French oak. This time there is an extra dimension of fruit which darkens the hue and layers more red cherry fruit in the mid-palate. Subtle, smooth, gluggable and refreshing, while it is a fuller-framed wine there is little obvious oak here given its job is to polish the texture of this wine as opposed to adding unnecessary carpentry. 17.5/20
2020 turon, LTD Pinot Noir, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills (POA)
The facts – Single barrel, single vineyard, single block, wild fermented, 100% whole bunch, 10 months in French oak. Goodness me, this is a seriously clever wine. Imagine combining the character of the 2020 Pinot with the calibre of fruit and winemaking acumen deployed in the 2019 LTD Pinot. This is a brilliant wine with enticing, lip-smacking, aromatically sensational fruit and a crunchy, dramatic finish. The 100% whole bunch here works a treat and while this is seriously brave, and rarely a successful recipe in my opinion, Turon has nailed it in turon! 18.5/20
2019 turon Syrah, Balhannah, Adelaide Hills (POA)
The facts – 100% whole berry, wild fermented, French oak puncheons for 16 months. This is a chewy, wild, bold and bright Syrah and it shows weightlessness which I find enthralling. There are discreet touches of pepper and five-spice and the fruit is blueberry-tinged, not black-fruited, and this makes it an unmissable member of this portfolio! 18/20
2018 turon Syrah, Balhannah, Adelaide Hills AUD32
The facts – 20% whole bunch, wild fermented, French oak puncheons for 16 months. This is a richer and more muscular vintage with lovely, spicy fruit but it is quite deep and atypical in this portfolio! Yummy, a little minty and more fruity than savoury, I expect that wine is a flashback to a time in Turon’s evolution as an edgy but confident winemaker and I venture we will not see its kind again! Having said this, while it is the odd wine out in this collection, I still like it enormously. 17.5/20
2019 turon, LTD Syrah, Lobethal, Single Vineyard, Adelaide Hills (POA)
The facts – Single barrel, wild-fermented, 20% whole bunch, 15 months in French oak. There is a stunning balance of crispness and dark fruit here which is both lush and also sour and tangy and this means it challenges the senses. Medium-weight, slightly meaty and bursting with pure blueberry and black cherry fruit this is a plush, suave, intellectually-satisfying wine and it is already drinking beautifully. 18/20
