Brackenwood Vineyard / Adelaide Hills, Sa

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Biodynamic Minimal Intervention Wines From A Beautiful Adelaide Hills Estate

Owner Damon Nagel started life as a sommelier in Adelaide, moving to London to further his wine education whilst working in top end dining restaurants. Achieving success in London property, he would eventually return to Adelaide, purchasing the beautiful undulating Brackenwood farm in the early 2000s, first releasing wines from vintage 2005.

Winemaking is today overseen by Daniel Zuzolo, ex Primo Estate, with the stable offering interesting blends and lesser seen plantings of Barbera and Gamay alongside more traditional offerings such as Shiraz and Riesling.

Growing and winemaking is strictly along biodynamic lines, with no additions bar minimal sulphur at bottling. A pure set of releases very much at home alongside Felixir’s European offerings, fun styles of personality with enough depth and interest to be taken seriously.

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  • Brackenwood Syrah 2020

     $ 32.00 incl. GST

    A nod to Brackenwood’s very first release in 2005, 2020 sees a portion of carbonic maceration returning to its Shiraz. A fine style, quite lithe and pinpoint, a plethora of fine berry fruit amid savoury peppery bunch notes. A pretty release showing a new stylistic direction, and one we’re very happy for.

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  • Brackenwood Skinny White 2021

     $ 32.00 incl. GST

    Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, given 35 days of skin contact, and two years ageing in neutral Hungarian and French oak.

    Marmalade, quince and sandalwood lead the aromatics, the palate chiming in with apricots, mandarin, grapefruit, thyme herbs, and a bittering edge of cooked citrus rind via that marmalade note again.  A nicely balanced tail of tannins give some decent length – a well assembled Orange wine all round.

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  • Brackenwood Riesling Felixir

    Brackenwood Riesling 2025

     $ 36.00 incl. GST

    The first off-dry release from this producer, weighing in at around 8g/L residual sugar. Texture is further bolstered by the wine going through full malolactic fermentation – “Riesling made like Chardonnay” in vigneron Damon Nagel’s words.

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  • Brackenwood Gamay Pinot 2022

     $ 36.00 incl. GST

    Brackenwood’s prime cult release hits form again in this juicy 2022 release, juicy and concentrated.  65% Gamay and 35% Pinot co-fermented and bottled early.  It’s a vibrant nouveau style red bursting with violet, cherries, wild strawberry and raspberry, and the signature savoury lick of boot polish in the aromatics.  First rate spring and summer drinking that can handle a light chill, previous fans of this style will be pleased.

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  • Brackenwood Gamay 2023

     $ 41.00 incl. GST

    Brackenwood’s Cru Gamay is chosen from the best parcels of fruit, the best four barrels, which is a mix of extended maceration and traditional ferments that are 65% whole bunch. The wine is aged for 12 months in old French and Hungarian oak.

    The wine has a perfumed bouquet of red fruits, thyme and flint with wild strawberries and cherries on the palate, that finish with a long mineral and tea tannins.

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  • Brackenwood Nebbiolo 2022

     $ 41.00 incl. GST

    The first Nebbiolo vines were planted at Brackenwood on their own rootstocks in 2011 on a slope of ironstone and quartz soils, the vineyard holding four different clones.  The wine was first commercially released in 2019 vintage.  A steep learning curve with the variety, extended macerations are now known as key here to allowing better tannic integration and overall development and evolution.  2022 sees 45 days of skin contact, with future releases at 60 and 90 days.  Two years in seasoned oak is followed by several months in stainless pre bottling, as per Piedmont practice.

    Evocative here of Langhe or Barbaresco, certainly varietally correct – potpourri and dried petals rather than fresh roses; cigar box, maraschino cherries, and gorgeous sandy and textural Nebbiolo tannins.  Clove and wild thyme notes raise their hand, with a ferrous and tar/creosote edge.  Ever a challenging grape to work with, we’re hugely excited about this release and the trajectory of what’s to come from this producer.

     

     

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  • Brackenwood Barbera 2021

     $ 41.00 incl. GST

    This wine makes a great case for the Adelaide Hills as a first rate region for varietally correct Barbera, in having refreshing acidity and decent body around the grape’s sweet/sour/silky pull.  This has an intense ruby red colour, dark cherry, plum, and stewed mulberries on the palate. It has silky smooth tannins with scents of red-berries and nutmeg.

     

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