Origin: Swan Valley
Region: Western Australia
Grape(s): Gewurztraminer + Frontignac
Style: Medium-bodied skin-contact wine
Drinkability: Guzzle
Alcohol: 12.5%
Chewy, tight and chalky, lean in a way but great in that respect too. Dried apricot, mandarin, blood orange characters and all of this shot through with a kind of lychee and white pepper character. It’s an intriguing, wonderful, delicious wine of great personality and finesse. So much going on here, excellent stuff.
Garth Cliff spent 20 years making wine across Australia and in the US, with a decade at Houghton before striking out on his own with partner Kristen McGann. While many Western Australian winemakers would feel drawn to the glamour regions like Margaret River, Cliff was most passionate about the deeply unfashionable Swan District. Under the Vino Volta label, Cliff focuses primarily on the region’s strengths, which are Chenin Blanc and Grenache.