By Andy Young
New wines have been released by Jacob’s Creek, De Bortoli and Passing Clouds, some of which are available now and others will be released in the coming months.
Jacob’s Creek has added white wines to its Barossa Signature range, with the release of a Chardonnay and Riesling. These add to the Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon which were part of the initial Barossa Signature range in 2015.
Jacob’s Creek Chief Winemaker Ben Bryant said: “With the addition of the Chardonnay and Riesling varietals our Jacob’s Creek Barosaa Signature range now tells the complete story of the Barossa, from the warmth and generosity of the valley floor to the elegance and vibrancy of the Barossa ranges.
“These are wines from our home – made with great pride and reflecting our long history in the Barossa.”
The two white wines will carry a $19.99 RRP and will be available in stores nationally from 1 July.
Meanwhile the team at De Bortoli have released a new range called ‘Down the Lane’ plus a premium Yarra Valley sparkling wine.
The non-vintage La Bohème Cuvée Blanc is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and is described by Leanne De Bortoli as both a fun and a serious wine.
“The wine is fun, but from a winemaking view is pretty serious. Blended in batches or cuvees using vintage and reserve wines, this small batch blending gives terrific consistency to each bottling and enables the introduction of fresher wine over time for ultimate drinkability and complexity,” Leanne said.
Available now and for drinking now, this NV Cuvée has a $23.99 RRP.
The Down the Lane range consists of a Pinot Grigio Arneis, Rosé Gris de Gris, both 2016 and a 2015 Shiraz Tempranillo.
De Bortoli’s Senior Winemaker said of the range: “Down the Lane is a terrific opportunity to explore varieties that may be better suited to our particular climates and blending for interest and flavour rather than the traditional single variety approach.”
De Bortoli said the range will retail for around $12.
And finally the small team at Passing Clouds have released two new wines, in a Bendigo Shiraz and a Bendigo Cabernet Sauvignon.
Winemaker and owner Cameron Leith said The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the winery’s “prized Bendigo vineyards”.
“It is a selection of the finest, most elegant Cabernet Sauvignon barrels each year. After 12 months in oak, the selection process begins and each barrel is carefully sampled to determine whether it has made the cut. When the barrels are selected they are aged for an additional four months, bottled in June 2016 and then aged in bottle for nine months,” Leith said.
“The resultant wine is a sophisticated and extremely age-worthy expression of a cooler climate Cabernet Sauvignon.”
The winery has also released at 2015 Shiraz, decribed as a “distinctly robust version of the Bendigo Shiraz”.
The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon is available now with a $53 RRP and the Shiraz has a $34 RRP.