European elegance from Tassie terroir

We have Ruth Althaus to thank for the fact that she and Peter chose the Coal River Valley when they decided to quit corporate life in Switzerland, where Peter was a department head at IBM, and grow wine in the Antipodes.

Suitable land was cheap then in Otago in New Zealand, but Ruth said no, she did not want to live in a place quite so far away from airports, theatres and restaurants, “where you could talk only to sheep”.

So in 1989 the couple bought Stoney Vineyard, a 0.5ha property near Campania established in 1973. Peter made his first vintage, a pinot noir and a cabernet sauvignon, in 1990 while he was still on a tourist visa.

His aim was to make world-class wine, inspired by the classic reds of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

A self-taught winemaker, Peter epitomises the emphasis in our new wine selection for single vignerons – people who make their wines themselves from grapes they have grown on their own properties.

The half hectare has now expanded to 11ha of black cracking clay over dolerite – “chocolate” is a terroir character. It is planted in cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot, merlot, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc grapes in the same proportions as in the original vineyard. An imposing winery and function centre have been built.

The wines are held in new French oak from leading cooper Seguin Moreau.

Pinot grapes are picked only “when the sugar ripeness and acidity is in perfect balance, the window is three days,” said Peter. This year those three days were earlier than usual, in late February, and picking of all varieties was finished by Easter.

The name, Domaine A/Stoney Vineyard, encompasses two labels, the original Stoney Vineyard and the super premium label Domaine A, which is made only in years when the fruit from the hand-tended, low-yielding vines justify it. “These are custom-made wines for a special occasion,” says Peter.

There will be a 2006 Domaine A vintage – although the quantity was small the quality is excellent.

About 70% of Domaine A wines are sold internationally, including at six of the 10 wine caves in France that handle the premier wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy, and at Harrods in London, which stocks only about 30 Australian wines.

Because Domaine A wines are of an elegant style, with less alcohol than most Australian reds, Peter does not enter them in Australian wine shows. “If you were a Bordeaux producer, you would never enter an Algerian wine competition,” he explains.

Domaine A has won several gold medals at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition, but these days the Althauses showcase their wines only at select tastings in London.

English wine expert Matthew Jukes said in 2003, after a visit to Domaine A,: “I have never been so gob-smacked with a range of wines in my life … These are amazing wines, phenomenally focused and firmly tannic in their youth … They all taste like supreme vintage clarets.”

And James Halliday said of Peter Althaus, also in 2003: “The wines he makes reflect the terroir first and foremost but also his innate feeling for wine derived from the old world.” And of the wines: “What makes the wine so remarkable is its extraordinary power and concentration, and a finish that lingers for a seeming eternity.”

Peter is a member of the Hobart Slow Food convivium, a movement whose take on life matches his own. He detests the rat race, where everything has to happen now, the world of fast-food, quick bucks and snap decisions.

“We don’t have time any more to reflect upon the good things of life, to enjoy the quality of things that are not so immediately obvious to us, like art, music, the theatre, good wine,” he says.

Tasting Notes

Domaine A Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Given that this wine is now six years old, we believe that it is only now starting to show its real class. Dark leafy berry fruits with a hint of smoky aromas fill the glass with concentrated flavours. On the palate the flavours are equally complex, with a silky mouth feel, fine-grained tannins and complex tertiary flavours starting to develop. The length is persistent and very well balanced.

Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Developed fruit characteristics, which were formed by extended barrel maturation. The wine has complex dark berry and Morella cherry fruits with strong hints of chocolate and blackcurrant leaf, all supported with a touch of mushroom. Fine soft tannins and food-friendly acidity make this wine ideal to drink now, but it will develop further complexities over the next five to six years.

Stoney Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004
A vintage that presented many different problems in the vineyard, but at the end, produced some exceptionally high-quality fruit. This wine displays a vibrant red cherry appearance with notes of raspberry, cherry and spiced fruits, with soft subtle tannins and balanced acidity. A wine that is drinking beautifully now.

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