Beechworth Bound

The Age

Saturday September 2, 2006

JANE FAULKNER

Take the main road to Beechworth and you'll pass some of the best wineries in the district, including Giaconda, Castagna, Sorrenberg and Savaterre. Keep going, however, and you'll come to Wardens.

It's not a winery, but a cafe-restaurant run by Lisa and Rocco Esposito and loved by locals for its strong Italian flavour. Think artisanal cotechino, pasta and more, dished up by talented young chef James. As for wine, the list runs from barolo to barbera and proudly showcases the best of the region. It's one reason why the Wardens' wine lunches are becoming very popular.

The third such lunch, on Sunday, September 10, is Burgundy-themed with wines selected from Domaine Wine Shippers' impressive list such as Raveneau and Mongeard-Mugneret. The previous lunch highlighted the wines of Beechworth, including Savaterre, which is former policeman and foreign exchange broker Keppell Smith's enterprise. His vineyard, opposite Giaconda, has lovely views but it is his close-planted chardonnay and pinot noir vines that are worth looking out for.

It's been fascinating to trace Smith's vinous journey. Constantly fine-tuning, you'll find more restraint with the fine-grained oak in his wines these days. Coupled with organic practices, and natural fermenting for extra complexity, his traditional winemaking is really shining. The 2004s are superb but the '05s (a very good vintage) from barrel promise to be his best wines yet.

He'll be indulging his penchant for the Italian variety sagrantino by planting some vines soon - we'll just have to wait five or six years to taste it.

Visit savaterre.com

The Wardens Burgundy wine lunch costs $190, phone 5728 1377.

BILLECART-SALMON NON VINTAGE BRUT ROSE $125

To start the Burgundy lunch at Wardens, this rose champagne will be served with canapes - sweetbreads wrapped in kataifi and tuna carpaccio with brioche. Excellent match. It's a superb drink with a delicate aroma, lifted floral notes, strawberry too with loads of fine bead. Refined, ultra elegant and a finish that just goes on and on. A top example of rose champagne.

SAVATERRE 2004 CHARDONNAY $60

This is an opulent wine that's reined in by plenty of finesse. To start, lovely stone fruit with just the slightest buttery popcorn character, attractive balanced oak and nutty, leesy notes. The palate is round, rich and with a long finish. Definitely a Beechworth chardonnay, and a fine example.

SAVATERRE 2004 PINOT NOIR $65

Wonderfully aromatic, with a palate of delicious, juicy cherry fruit, damp forest floor and just a hint of dried bay leaves, complex but not over the top. Soft, silky fine-grained tannins and great palate weight, round and a lingering, long finish.

© 2006 The Age

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