With Simon Nunns
assisted by Nigel Wright in the
winemaking role and Wayne Morrow (aka ‘The Gardener’) as the viticultural guru,
Andrew and Cynthia Hendry, the owners of Coopers Creek
have an outstanding team. Excellent
palates, enquiring minds and a good sense of humour have seen Coopers Creek
quietly become one of the most reliable star performers of the industry over
the past few years. Classics such as the
‘Swamp Reserve’ Chardonnay have never been better. But it is the innovative ‘Select Vineyard’
range that have excited wine enthusiasts; these wines have been recognised and
rewarded by the industry show system too, with plenty of gold medals and
trophies in the short time this label has existed. Coopers
Creek have now returned
to Riesling and the focus has seen the Riesling bar raised with the release of
two 2009 vintage wines made from this noble variety:
Coopers Creek
‘Select Vineyard – Mister Phebus’ Marlborough
Riesling 2009
Although Coopers Creek
have flirted with Riesling, and successfully so, this ‘Select Vineyard’ wine,
the first Riesling so-designated, is something different and something quite
special. It is made from a small parcel
of hand-picked fruit from the Ellin vineyard on Dog Point Road at the mouth of the Omaka Valley. “The fruit was simply sensational in terms of
purity and focus” says winemaker Simon Nunns,
and he had to capture this in bottle.
And that he has done. The wine is
elegant at 12.0% alc, distinctly crisp and dry, and possesses beautiful lime
and lemon blossom aromas and flavours on a silken textured palate. A subtle richness through the line and length
of the wine is the only indication of its 12 g/l residual sugar. Yet it appears dry, a result of the extremely
low pH of 2.90. It makes an outstanding
aperitif and will match all Asian cuisines.
The wine has all the hallmarks for aging superbly. Simon in his ever matter-of-fact manner is
less committal about its cellaring ability: “Not sure yet, as we have never
made a Riesling in this style. We’ll let
you know in a few years!” Our estimation
is 7-8 years easily. We can’t come up
with a definitive version of how ‘Mister Phebus’ got its name. Simon surmises Andrew Hendry came up with it
while listening to the Concert Programme one day: Phebus=Phoebus=Latin name for
Apollo or Helios=’Radiant One’. Riesling
is radiant and pure, ergo, Riesling=Phebus!
Coopers Creek
Reserve Marlborough
Late Harvest Riesling 2009
The Reserve Late Harvest Rieslings from Coopers Creek have been an irregular release as
the fruit selection is based only on the most noble infected grapes that show
no brown rot or any sign of imperfection.
This 2009 wine is the first since 2004!
It was made from fruit from a mature Dog Point Road vineyard that was hand
picked bunch by bunch. The grapes were
heavily botrytised at 36.9 Brix and exceptional. Fermented with a Sauternes yeast selected for
its ability to perform in high sugar must, the resultant wine has 8.5% alc and
200 g/l residual sugar. It is a
favourite of assistant winemaker Nigel Wright
and we can see why. Straw yellow in
colour, the bouquet is quite sensational.
Honey, marmalade, talc and apricots of pure botrytis fill the nose. On palate, the wine is rich and sweet, yet
remarkably ‘light on its feet’. There is
richness from the unctuous textures and an unmistakable decadence, but with
restraint. The high level of sugar is
superbly balanced by the acidity, and the mouthfeel is soft. The wine is sufficiently gentle to serve as
an aperitif, but it will work well with lighter desserts. Gold medal at the 2009 International
Aromatics Competition and well-deserved.