2015 Jilly White Wolf of Cumbria ENew England Rosé

In Jared Dixon's 2015 Jilly White Wolf of Cumbria Rosé, Pinot Noir is combined with Gerwurztraminer, both from New England. The colour is bronzed-orange pink, like shiny, new polished copper. There is strawberry and some citrus in the perfume. The palate is salty water and preserved blood orange or tangerine/mandarin, with honey mead on early palate and ginger in the mid-palate. Since Dixon's inclination is food-friendly wines, I thought lusciously about our forthcoming lamb chops while I drank a first glass.

 

2015 Jilly FIFO Barossa Valley

Jared Dixon's 2015 Jilly FIFO Barossa Valley Rosè is orange-red in colour, extraordinary really, with a red fading to bronzed orange: something like the robes of Buddhist monks. Shame they don't drink wine: they'd look good with a glass of this in hand. It has a tart orange Mirella-jube perfume with ripe, juicy mandarin at its edge. The oddity comes from its combination of Marsanne (a white grape) with Grenache and Mataro (reds). So it’s the Marsanne that gives it its tart-jube saltiness. With some cloudiness from its limited interference ideology of making (basket-pressed, indigenous yeast), in the mouth it is interestingly dry: you'd want to be near salt water when you drank it. A kind of beach/desserty/ arid outlook would suit. Spain perhaps. The Middle-eastern coast. Not quite with swimming-tog suitable, but loose-fitting clothes in ecru/cream. A straw sunhat to boot. And, and yeah, sunglasses. Peanuts might be your suitable companions. Or, because of the current penchant for salting everything from caramel to chocolate to ice-cream, one could think about drinking it with these three. It's a Rosé I would not say no to on a hot summer day. See what liquorice would be like with it. I think cheese and bikkies would underplay it. Olive, yes. Chips, not quite. But taramasalata, yes, and therefore potentially caviar – but then, what do I know about that?

2015 Jilly Lone Ranger White

Jared Dixon under his Jilly label has released an intriguing new white: a 2015 New England Gewurztraminer and Petit Manseng, hand-picked and destemmed, indigenous-yeast fermented. The most extraordinary colour, making you think of medieval mead, a kind of dense honey that's also clear and golden, with an hallucinatory bronzed-pink tinge. A mildly sweet perfume of jube, ripe stone fruit, a fluffy yellow or golden velvet. A beautiful wine that is almost like cordial; sophisticated and elegant. An adult wine, a wine for fantastically imagined aristocratic celebrations – or a wine to serve really good and valued friends to say that they are of value.

 

2014 Jilly Margaret River FIFO (Semillon)

This is an unusual Semillon if you're used to a Hunter Valley Sem – or perhaps not. For there can be some unusual HV Sems. Nevertheless, the Jilly Sem is probably recognisable as a Sem – a drink for adults. It's serious, high art, modernist, unyielding in any quest for popularism. A shy, clear mid gold in colour, maybe even with a tinge of lime, and it would seem, on some glances, without that yellow pigment, it could be as colourless as Australian Chenin Blanc. It is its perfume that is most unusual: nutty, nutty, nutty, and honey/hay, roast chicken,  corn, summer grass. The palate is also nutty, with popcorn. The young and emerging winemaker (not all emergent artists are young), Jared Dixon, of Clunes, NSW, Australia, says he felt sympathy for Semillon, under-rated and, as a consequence, usually mixed with Sav Blanc. The Janice Robinson Oxford Companion to Wine says that Sem  is an 'unsung' hero; but from the Hunter Valley, 'it is responsible for one of the most idiosyncratic and historic wine types exclusive to the New World'. (Strange to hear Oz described as the new world!) But here is a winemaker prepared to acknowledge sophistication.   A superb Semillon, with an idiosyncratic  label made by a friend: a snake outline, and yellow and ballet-pink blotches reminiscent of Rothko. From the Margaret River, Western Australia (gravel loam, Upper Wilyabrup, hand-picked, left on skins for 36 hours in the cold, basket pressed, barrel fermented, flew in  2/2/14, flew out 2/3/14): now contending the Hunter Valley!

2014 Jilly Lone Ranger Rosato

This is the second Rosé-style wine from emerging winemaker, Jared Dixon (of Clunes Cellars, Northern New South Wales coastal hinterland). His first was Vino de Noche, made from Tempranillo, left on skins overnight, basket-pressed the following morning, so not the sangee style,  but, rather, made in the ancient Roman tradition. The Rosato (Italian for Rosé) is from Dixon's favourite variety, Nebbiolo, grown in the ideal conditions of New England's Topper's Mountain vineyard, curated by viticulturalist Mark Kirkby. The Neb is left on skins for twelve hours and barrel fermented with the indigenous yeast populating Topper's Mountain. While Jilly comes from Dixon's paternal grandfather's lost love, a maid named Jilly, the 'lone ranger' series refers to small batch production: one barrel. All Jilly wines have a cloth-like wraparound label, the back-label information handwritten to support the 'handmade' quality of the wine. Already the 2014 has sold in quantity to specialist bottle shops in Australian capital cities, so not much is left in Clunes Cellars (Be quick!). The Rosato is bronze-highlighted, medium rosy-red in colour. A light sweetness finishes off the perfume which is characterised by roses and strawberries with an undertone of orange sherbet. The deep, luscious palate features dryness high on the long length. Dixon is interested in food-matching wines – having his drinkers think, 'I need ... to eat ... with this'. I'd recommend a yellow cheese and/or nuts, maybe some savoury popcorn or tart, or brioche with cherry or smoked tomatoes. Rather than a Chardonnay, or Dixon's new Semillon, this Rosato went well with pasta carbonara at chez nous. So this is a serious rosé for a business lunch, or cultural discussion.

 

2014 Jilly Vino de Noche.

A black (naturally, for 'noche' , the night leaving), wraparound label says this, my bottle, is 48 out of 380 bottles. Made from New England hand-picked and crushed Tempranillo. Left on skins overnight, basket-pressed the following morning when I did about an hour's worth of juice collection.  It's colour is a cross between blood and strawberry juice. And this is symptomatic of its style: not quite as luscious as your left-over sangee style, but more grown-up, elegant, adult and textured. It smells of earthy strawberries. And on the palate, very dry with a length in that dryness. A kind of mysterious, alchemical rose made for what it is, as it is, in the ancient Roman tradition, yet remaining mysterious, keeping some of its subjectivity secret, unarticulated. Over the $20 mark which is quite probably a stunning price too for such a consciously conceived wine.

2013 Imogen's Farm Innes Chambourcin

'Handcrafted by the Kesteven vineyard'  in the Byron Bay hinterland at Whian Whian, this Chambourcin smells, and tastes (somewhat), like a Barossa Shiraz, all black pepper, but with some dry dirt, then a very light underplay of sweet berry. It's a pink and ruby crimson red. On the palate - very dry, with tartness in the length and light tannins.

It would be good with ... A light gamy meat maybe: duck. Or perhaps pork.

Douglas Kesteven, at a Lismore evening market, implied that he was hitting his stride with this wine that came out of an unusually dry summer.