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| MEDIA COVERAGE 2005 |
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ON THE GRAPEVINE: Aldgate Ridge 2003 Pinot Noir It's not often that a pinot of this class comes along at an affordable price, but this little beauty from the Adelaide Hills has the texture, finesse and concentration of pinots twice the price and is the best I've tasted this year. SEE CLIPPING
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SUMMER SENSATION: Aldgate Ridge 2005 Sauvignon Blanc Pale straw - luscious - tight and elegant - balanced fruit with freshness - soft and persistent fruit supporting - purity of fruit with a distinction - crisp citrus lemon, loads of tropical fruit and hints of gooseberry with a certain minerality - herb crusted perch. 92/100. SEE CLIPPING
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THE WINE LIST: Aldgate Ridge 2005 Sauvignon Blanc This has been a successful year for savvy wines from the Adelaide Hills. Here's another bursting with summer fruit flavours of passionfruit and mandarin that flood the mouth, kept in check by tight lines of nervy acidity. Match it with an Asian-accented seafood salad (lots of fish sauce, lime juice and chilli). SEE CLIPPING Max Allen |
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WINE PICKS: Aldgate Ridge 2005 Sauvignon Blanc From a very good vintage, it boasts a herbal/floral nose, intense varietal fruit characters (herbs/asparagus/grapefruit/tropical fruits) and some lovely crisp acid on the finish. Racy and lively, this is an ideal partner for dishes such as grilled sardines or goat's cheese on toast. SEE CLIPPING Winsor Dobbin |
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WINES OF THE MONTH: Aldgate Ridge 2003 Pinot Noir Savvy pinot enthusiasts have been trying to keep this maker a secret. Now everybody can get a slice of the action, as vintage after vintage, this is one of Adelaide Hills' best. The 2003 is rich and robust, made without compromising varietal integrity. Meaty and plummy with delicious appealing berry like characters. SEE CLIPPING Graeme Andrews |
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WINE MATCH: Aldgate Ridge 2003 Pinot Noir Selecting this wine to accompany a dish of seared peppered tuna, Ken Gargett has this to say: This is one of the few occasions on which a lighter-bodied red wine, especially a delicious pinot noir such as this with its red fruit flavours and forest floor aromas, might be a better choice than a white for fish. SEE CLIPPING Ken Gargett |
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WINE LIST: Aldgate Ridge 2003 Pinot Noir & 2005 Sauvignon Blanc Aldgate Ridge's early pinot noir clones came from the heart of Burgundy, where the variety enjoys celebrated status. According to [winemaker] Powell, the differences in flavour and structure between the Burgundian and Australian-clone blocks are becoming increasingly more significant, which in turn provides him with an important edge in building complexity. The 2003 Aidgate Ridge Pinot Noir ($33) is driven by rich, vigorous, mouth-filling flavours, a gigantic step-up from run-of-the-mill pinots. And the 2005 Aldgate Ridge Sauvignon Blanc ($22) shows yet again just how suited the variety is to this cool climate region. SEE CLIPPING John Fordham |
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STUNNING: Aldgate Ridge 2005 Sauvignon Blanc Intensely aromatic, it delivers on the palate with abundant fruit flavors and zesty natural acid. SEE CLIPPING Ross Noble |
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INDULGING: Aldgate Ridge 2003 Pinot Noir Pinot is a difficult and temperamental grape to grow but Adelaide Hills operators Jill and Chris Whisson have got it down to an art form. A quality drop with a smooth mouthfeel, it is rich and robust with strawberry, raspberry and plum flavours on the palate. Drink it with smoked quail. SEE CLIPPING Kerry Skinner |
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IN THE CELLAR: Aldgate Ridge 2003 Pinot Noir & 2005 Sauvignon Blanc ALDGATE RIDGE 2003 Pinot Noir has lovely berries on the nose and a rich, plummy, meaty flavours and a soft mouth feel. A nice pinot at $33. ALDGATE RIDGE 2005 Sauvignon Blanc has herbs and tropical fruit on the nose with a zesty, tropical palate, crisp acid and good weight. A lovely drinking white at $22. SEE CLIPPING Elaine Wilson |
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FIVE STARS: Aldgate Ridge 2002 Pinot Noir THIS is richer and with more oak influence than earlier pinot noirs from the Aldgate Ridge vineyard. It is ruby red in colour and has glace cherry and forest floor scents. Bold strawberry flavour shows on the front of the palate, and blood plum, coffee cream chocolate and savoury oak characters chime in on the middle palate. Lingering berry fruit and minty tannins come through at the finish. Try it with rib of veal with creamy porcini mushrooms and gratin of sweet potato, tuna steaks or duck. Ageing: Eight years. Rating: ***** SEE CLIPPING John Lewis |
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WINES OF THE MONTH: Aldgate Ridge 2004 Sauvignon Blanc There's plenty of varietal herbaceousness in the bouquet, together with tropical-fruit aromas which also continue on to the palate. The palate is zesty, crisp and refreshing, but there's good weight of flavour too, making the wine really drinkable rather than just interesting as a varietal curiosity. SEE CLIPPING Graeme Andrews |
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INDULGING: Aldgate Ridge 2002 Pinot Noir If you are one of the 78 per cent of red-wine-drinking Australians who think pinot noir is wussy, this one may change your mind. Made by David Powell of Torbreck fame, this pinot packs a punch. There's plenty of power and potential. SEE CLIPPING Greg Duncan Powell |
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WINES OF THE YEAR John Lewis has selected both Aldgate ridge current releases among his top wines for 2004: Aldgate Ridge 2002 Pinot Noir. SEE CLIPPING John Lewis |