Description
- 2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Brunnen Chardonnay
- 2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Thorley Chardonnay
- 2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Brunnen Pinot Noir
- 2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Thorley Syrah
- 2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Thorley Riesling
2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Brunnen Chardonnay
If you are going to make Beechworth Chardonnay, it is fair to say the bar has been set high.
Names like Giaconda, Savaterre and Sorrenberg have set the standard for the region and they are some big shoes to fill. Tessa Brown and Jeremy Schmolzer are making a very good fist of it.
Their Brunnen Chardonnay comes from the vineyard directly across the road from their own block of fledgeling vines way up in the high country behind Beechworth. It is a beautiful site - cool, high and isolated.
The fruit is treated delicately; predominantly older oak, all natural ferments, malo only happens if it wants to. Nothing about this wine feels forced, it feels like it was nurtured into being. If this is the next generation of Beechworth Chardonnay, there's a bright future ahead for the region.
96 points
"This is just lovely. So lovely. It’s bright and intense, but kind of refined and calm too. It offers plenty of almond meal, light spice, fennel, grapefruit, pear and white peach, some floral notes, with a chef’s kiss of flinty struck match, but not much. It’s juicy, has such energy and cool acidity, but also flavour, some creamy richness, and fine chalky grip on a finish of superb length. Beautiful wine. And, because I love almond, in fact, I’m mad for it, it really gets me in. Yes."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
95 points
"Another strong release of this wine... Some toasty cedary oak notes through the finish, too. Restrained power, with great complexity and structure. All class."
- Tom Kline (Wine Pilot)
2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Thorley Chardonnay
Beechworth and Chardonnay are synonymous now, thanks to the great vineyards of the region (Giaconda, Sorrenberg, Domenica et al) and here's a new name to enter that class.
Thorley is a pint-sized property planted by husband and wife, Jeremy Schmolzer and Tessa Brown. It's a much higher altitude site than those names previously mention and so produces a finer, more detailed expression of Chardonnay, that's not without the classic Beechworth power.
It's long and fine, beautifully balanced and if the track record of their Brunnen Chardonnay (from the vineyard across the road) is anything to go by, it should cellar beautifully too.
96 points
"What a treat this wine is... These guys are on fire with Chardonnay. Complex, architectural, intense and ageworthy. A big yes from me."
- Tom Kline (Wine Pilot)
95 points
"Mouth-watering and intense. Very specific, and very bloody good."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
95 points
"Crikey this is fantastic. Flinty, minerally, succulent, quite light weight but so impressive... Outstanding length. Brilliant, crystalline wine. 95, maybe 96 points."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
95 points
"But it is the depth of fruit concentration and length that really impresses with beautifully integrated acidity."
- Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)
2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Brunnen Pinot Noir
The Brunnen vineyard is set amongst spectacular Australian bushland high on the hill behind Beechworth. Its high altitude and rugged soils make a perfect setting for high-class Burgundian varieties, like this Pinot Noir.
This is a gorgeous, thought-provoking style of Pinot that has gotten better and better each season Tessa and Jeremy have been tending to this fruit. It has remarkable fruit purity, accents of earth, herbs and spice, and an elegance to it that is often missing in Beechworth Pinot Noir.
This is one of the finest examples of Pinot Noir to be found from the region and highly worth investigating for lovers of quality Pinot.
95 points
"Beechworth pinot noir shines in a tough, cool and wet vintage – impressive! Structure is a prime feature here together with cool-climate pinot fruit, racy and super bright, jumping in cherry and red berries, bramble, earth and autumnal, leafy aromatics. Leads to a deep walk in the woods with earth and undergrowth, dried herbs, red berries and briar before a long glide to the finish, wrapped tightly in fine tannin and brisk acid crunch."
- Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)
2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Thorley Syrah
If you love elegant, detailed, perfumed, Northern Rhone-inspired Syrah/Shiraz, then look no further.
Tessa and Jeremy's site, their "first child", is the Thorley vineyard. It sits high in the back hills of Beechworth near the township of Stanley, with the vines all lovingly planted by friends and family. It's the highest altitude site in the region, and during winter, snow is not uncommon.
This is a true cool-climate Syrah - dark-fruited, uber-perfumed and spicy, with detail and freshness. Northern Rhone meets Beechworth, meets yum-town!
96 points
"So good on so many levels. Delights the senses with its vision of a fragrant, elegant, spice-laced syrah showcasing the beauty of a leading cool-climate region. Complex in toasted spices, pepper, red cherry, plum, and briar running long across a smoothly textured, well-composed palate. Great balance."
- Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
"There’s lots going on here... So little of this wine is about fruit, and it’s so damn good. Another classy, fine and brilliantly complex release from VS&B."
- Tom Kline (Wine Pilot)
2022 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Thorley Riesling
The Thorley Riesling is grown by Tessa & Jeremy at VS&B high up on their small vineyard in Stanley outside Beechworth. It's frightfully cold up there on the property, perfect conditions for growing fine-boned, delicate Rieslings.
Jeremy has spent a vintage at the great Keller Wines in the Rheinhessen, and Tessa is obsessed with the variety - it's fair to say they know their way Riesling. With this wine, made from their own home-grown fruit, no stone is left unturned getting this to its full potential.
In contrast to their King Valley Rieslings, this is close to bone dry. A little time in old oak fills out the texture and will allow for excellent ageing potential. It's a gorgeous wine made in very small quantities.
94 points
"Flavour and texture. Different to your average Australian Riesling, and very good in that way too."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
94 points
"Fantastic wine. Texture, freshness, length, concentration. Saline elements for sure, and the salted Thai green mango thing actually happens in the wine too, absolutely. Really good wine, distinct and interesting and delicious. 94 points, maybe more."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
94 points
"Tightly wound, vibrant, bright, structured. Very good. This will do well with five to ten years in cellar."
- Tom Kline (Wine Pilot)
Customer Reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 0 Total 4 star reviews: 1 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
- SRShaun R.Verified Buyer1 year agoReviewingVignerons Schmolzer & Brown Beechworth PackRated 4 out of 5 starsLovely Wines
Lovely wines. Will be better with age. Liked the Chardonnay.
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