Jolimont Wines

Rutherglen and the rest of Victoria’s North-East is well-known for its traditional wineries, wines and atmosphere. Until a few years ago to wander through the district meant taking a step out of time – nothing had changed for decades. Like waking from a deep slumber, the last few years have seen a mini-renaissance, as new names appear and ancient wineries finally get their well-earned facelifts.

Jolimont was a wine company in need of a home in 1984. Named after Victoria’s original vineyard, found in the Melbourne suburb of the same name, actually on the site of the present Government House, Jolimont had already made a name for itself in both media and public circles prior to then. But little else was known about the business, other than that some remarkably drinkable lighter red wine was to be found under the Jolimont label.

No-one knew where from or how – the product had a faceless quality to it. Now all that has changed, and the two main operators, general manager Peter Gleeson and winemaker Howard Anderson, are tuning up the business for a prosperous future.

It was Howard Anderson’s enthusiasm for the North-East’s potential to make a variety of different winestyles that encouraged entrepreneur Doug Shears to move to Rutherglen, resulting in the purchase of the large old Seppelt winery and the development of two vineyards, totalling another 55 acres.

In Rutherglen Jolimont now has ten acres of each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Frontignac and Rutherglen Tokay Muscadelle, planted in 1984. Another twenty acres in Wahgunyah comprise five each of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and five of rootstocks for future planting of premium varieties. Phylloxera is still gives the odd headache in the district.

The five acres I haven’t specified are found around the winery’s `cellar block’, and make a rare little planting of Caracofa, Xeres and Cornifesto understandably abbreviated by Anderson to the “CXC” block, which are all Portuguese port varieties, planted by the previous landholders, Seppelt.

Jolimont’s large acreage of muscat and tokay varieties and their very low yields keep the total crush down to a modest 200 tonnes per annum, which includes the purchase of Pinot Noir for sparkling wine about ten tonnes, Shiraz for sweet fortified styles about twenty tonnes and a little under ten tonnes of Sylvaner, to make both a dry wood-aged white and a sweeter dessert wine.

They nearly make everything, don’t they? In addition, Anderson has concocted a premium Sparkling Burgundy. Good on him. The drink is a rich fruitcake of flavour and body with a fine beadF and a great finish. Another Jolimont wine to look for is the 1985 Shiraz, which not only gutsy, fruity and full of character, but elegant as well! Cop that.

Howard Anderson has some interesting views on Rutherglen wine. He readily admits that the local Chardonnay should not try to compete against those now emerging from the cooler regions. “It’s a very forgiving variety, and it does well under most conditions”, he explains. “Our style is full, soft and buttery. They can be luscious and rich, where others are more intense and aromatic. They all have a place in the market.”

Anderson regards the Sauvignon Blanc he has planted as a dual-purpose variety, and a bit of an experiment in this region. If it doesn’t work as a dry white it could well finish up by lining half-bottles of dessert wine made in the Sauternes style.

“In Rutherglen Riesling tends to lose its intensity and perfume, although the consistency of our climate helps us to make late-picked white styles. The fruit becomes intensely honied and with a little botrytis the result is sheer magic.”

“The region makes some fine late-harvested wine, as the St Leonards Late-Harvest Chenin Blanc shows. We’ll simply substitute our Sauvignon Blanc in that sort of style.”

It’s clear that like many other North-Eastern wineries, Jolimont has had to `lighten off’ its reds to guarantee consumer acceptance. It must be hard for winemakers in a district such as the North-East to move away from their traditional bread-and-butter – the rich, heavy tannic blockbusters of the past, but no-one has the time to wait for them to become drinkable any more.

“People everywhere want lighter wines, whether they are the best that can be made in a region or not. We can still make the fuller-bodied reds, but because they really need to be aged before sale, we’re limited to how much we can make.”

It is true that many consumers today are taken aback by the older styles of red, finding them too full and heavy. “I reckon I prefer good young red wines”, he adds.

“Our Jolimont reds are not necessarily light reds. They have softer tannins and less extraction, for we still pursue that North-Eastern richness and flavour. We don’t ferment for long on the skins, where the bitter flavours are extracted, and it’s certain that our lighter wines will get more depth of flavour as the vineyard matures”, continues Anderson.

Howard Anderson has a balanced view of the district’s strengths and possible future. “Our main asset is flavour, whether in table, fortified or sparkling wine. The folksy varieties like Durif and Blue Imperial continue to be successful cellar-door lines, but as a winemaker I question whether they are as good as the more recognised varieties. But in our context that’s entirely beside the point.

“Like Semillon, Shiraz is ignored by wine-drinkers around Australia, but it does make some damn good wines here and in other regions. Cabernet Sauvignon and its related varieties do well here. Look at the wine made by Campbells.”

Everyone knows that Rutherglen’s fortifieds are a phenomenon without parallel on earth. On the whole they’re the sort of wines I’d happily take a running jump into – rich, sweet and luscious, crammed full of character. Most are considerably older than I, and many times more mature. “Their quality helps to keep the region’s profile high”, says Anderson. “They bring people here and encourage people to try all our wines wherever they are sold.”

The price of the muscats and tokays really is a farce. You can find them for less that a tenner at many of the wineries, which would barely cover the cost of holding the stock, let alone giving any indication of its true value. One day I hope that the locals can charge a decent price for them, for at the moment they would have to represent the best value for money in wine anywhere. Please login to post comment