| SPRING NEWS & REVIEWS Spring has sprung...and with it the vines are once again alive. After plentiful winter rains, we are hopeful this year will be frost-free, allowing us to renew and replenish our cellar stocks and satisfy thirsty clients. With a mind to further enhancing the natural balance of our vineyard and soils, we have settled this year on the trial of an undervine mower to tend to grass over the growing season..yet to be tested on the terraced site, but we are hopeful of its success! For those of you with an eye on the press, Huon Hooke in the Sydney Morning Herald has been singing the praises of the Riesling and the delectable Rosé. Further abroad, our agent in London, LOEB agencies, recently held their annual tastings with Crawford River gaining some terrific responses over the course of the day, particularly for the reds, which usually seems be in the wake of our growing reputation abroad for our Riesling. Always welcome. |
| OLD NEWS, GOOD NEWS Bringing in the New year... ( 2009 that is...almost gone) Lok Thorton of the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld had given yet another compliment to Crawford River in The Australian Financial Review : Life and Leisure section Dec 30th. He is currently matching one of our aged Rieslings with a vegetable dish in the acclaimed restaurant, whose wine list also happens to be world class! Lucky us. In 2008... In June 2008, Crawford River conducted a vertical tasting of Rieslings going back to 1990. Held in London, the tasting was invitation only and was received very well - despite Jancis Robinson missing out on a couple of bottles due to some thirsty Sommeliers! For those of you who are members of Jancis' Purple Pages, please visit her site for her related article and notes. We are also thrilled that Crawford River Riesling and Cabernet Merlot 2004 are both currently available at some top London restaurants: Hakkasan and Chez Bruce just for kick off!! We're thrilled. Due to our meagre crop in 2007 resulting from severe frosts in Spring 2006, very little 2007 was made - about 200 cases. Despite this, publicity was generous. In 2005...(it was a busy one!) Crawford River Riesling was elevated to the Distinguished Category in the market driven Langton's 2005 Classification of Australian Wine - The 101 Most Collectable Drops. A wonderful 30th birthday present indeed. To quote from the Langton’s book, the Classification “is regarded internationally as an “unofficial honour roll” or “form guide” of Australia’s finest wine – the list challenging people to think about Australia’s place in the ultra-fine wine market.” Only fourteen white wines are included in the line-up and during our time in the wine industry, riesling has never been a fashionable variety – an important criterion for trading in the secondary wine market. Tim White writes “The rieslings ..……..were thrilling from vintage to vintage. The Crawford River 2004 is a wine of quite ethereal delight.” He followed this up by including the 2004 Riesling in his 'MUST HAVES 2005' published in the Life & Leisure section in The Australian Financial Review December 2-4; " ... amazing clarity and purity of flavour...pristine limy grapefruit flavours, fine mouth-watering acidity and lovely length. A thing of rare beauty". 2004 Riesling was also nominated by Philip Rich in the 05 TOP 20, published in The Australian Financial Review Magazine, December Issue; " A very worthy inclusion in this year's Langton's Classification...the palate is minerally, intense, bone dry, tightly structured and long." "...winemaker John Thomson has an uncanny ability to produce consistently flawless wine." 2004 Riesling "Very fine and intense lime blossom aromas; a mix of lime, apple, spice and mineral on the perfectly balanced and very long palate." - Halliday - 96 points |