Dr
Brian Freeman likes to do things differently.
For
a start, his vineyards are in the Hilltops region outside the town of
Young in rural New South Wales. “A lot of people have never
heard of he Hilltops,” he says with a smile.
Secondly
his flagship Secco wine is made from rondinella and corvina grapes,
virtually unknown outside of Valpolicella, classically used to make
Amarone wines in the Veneto, and the only mature plantings in
Australia.
He
also likes to dry a portion of the grapes to concentrate flavours,
as per the Italian ripasso
method, to produce reds of intensity, structure and elegance.
Freeman,
the former professor of wine science at Charles Sturt University, has an eclectic range.
The Secco is the star but there is is also an outstanding creamy and
textural 2014 Prosecco ($25), the first release, the pale and savoury
2013 Rondo rosé ($22), also made from rondinella grapes, and a
delicious botrytised sweet wine called Dolcino ($25, 375ml), made
from viognier grapes.
The Freeman portfolio also includes a cabernet sauvignon and a shiraz (both varieties
thrive in the cool Hilltops), as well as a tempranillo (all around
$25) and an intriguing, dry, savoury white wine labelled Fortuna
Pinot Gris Plus, a blend of gris, riesling, chardonnay, sauvignon
blanc and Italian variety aleatico. The style is inspired by the
field blends of Italy's Alto Adige region.
Freeman,
whose motto is “dare to be different”, dries some of his grapes
for Secco in an old prune dehydrator, eliminating any risk of
unwanted botrytis.
Overall,
he has 103 hectares of vines but sells most of his fruit, much of it to Hunter Valley
wineries for blending. He first planted rondinella and corvina in
1998 and released his first Secco in 2002.
Freeman
describes himself as having “a small winery and a large vineyard”
and the Hilltops is a region with immense potential sitting at
500-600 metres above sea level with very cool nights.
He is snapping
up more vineyards such is his belief in the district's future,
although he only currently only uses 5 per cent of the fruit for his own label.
Freeman
2010 Secco Rondinella Corvina $36
A
very different style; but extremely rewarding for those willing to
take the plunge into the unknown. Dark and inky with 14.5 per cent
alcohol; it is no shrinking violet but this Amarone-inspired blend –
from fruit harvested in May – is more about structure than power
and is medium-bodied and flavoursome with savoury sous
bois
notes along with the dark fruit, soft oak and relaxed tannins. A wine
that blossoms with food, so pair it with a game ragu
and pasta.
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