AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED
Cropped from a specific half-acre plot of the Merricks Grove vineyard, Terre de Feu (the land of fire) takes its name from the vein of pure red ferrosol soils of this plot. Several years ago, Barney noticed that the vines in this little ironstone buttonhole were producing slightly smaller bunches and yielding wines of greater depth and concentration than the surrounding vineyard. Thus, the decision was taken to produce this micro cuvée.
The power of the fruit enables a 100% whole-bunch ferment and Terre de Feu remains Garagiste’s first and only Pinot made this way. The wine also sees a little more new oak and is released later.
From what Flanders calls the vintage of a lifetime, you’d be right to expect some fireworks here. Right now the wine is a deep cauldron of flavour, featuring intense dark fruits, brown spices and campfire complexity oscillating around a deep, pulsating core of sappy, bunchy freshness and fine structure. It still needs time (or the right food) but it has everything in place to make it superb drinking over many years to come. Don’t miss it.
“A mid-weighted pinot of scintillating vibrancy, embedded with the mescal and turmeric scents that serve as whole cluster’s legacy. Yet the juiciness of the mid-palate, the intensity of red berry flavours and a medicinal whiff behind the bunchy cladding, are all impressive. Framed by a carapace of nicely wrought tannins melded with saliva-sucking acidity, these are factors that augur well for a bright future across the mid-term. I score with this in mind.” 95 points, Ned Goodwin, Winecompanion.com.au
“The quality is high, the style challenges you… This is one hell of a savoury beast. Nut, twig, meat, forest floor and woodsmoke characters are all set to high. Black cherried fruit is more than a fair match, as is fine-but-sturdy tannin. It feels architectural, a bit out there, wild and polished all at once. You don’t cellar this wine to induce complexity, you cellar it in an attempt to tame it. If you’ve made it this far into the review you’ll know whether it’s your style of pinot or not. If it is, you’ll love the inherent quality here.” 94 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront
