A week of NSW wine starts now: Toppers Mountain Gewurtztraminer 2012

Toppers Gewurtztraminer 2012 (New England, NSW)
12.6%, Screwcap, $35
Source: Sample
www.toppers.com.au

This week kicks off the NSW Wine Festival, a month long celebration of all things NSW wine. Considering that it once was a week-long festival, I think its only apt that I dedicate this week to all things NSW wine. Or such.

Kicking off is a wine that I had forgotten was a winner at the NSW Wine Awards (which I judged at, though not this class) and I’ve curiously never tasted. Suffice to say that, given the quality of this wine, I’ve been missing out…

Bottle number 605 of 1615 (which makes it about 130 odd cases produced), what makes this so intriguing is just varietal it is. I can’t think of a more Gewurtzish Gewurtz, if you get my drift. This was, according to Mark Kirby of Toppers Mountain, picked at the ‘peak of pink when the bright pink fruit was displaying its characteristic Turkish delight and lychee flavours.’

Production wise it was crushed, destemmed and wild yeast fermented without temperature control, before then being inoculated with a neutral yeast and then fermented cool over 15 days.

You can smell this wine from literally the other side of the room, with the aromas of musk sticks and intense bath crystals aroma unimaginably, almost overwhelmingly overt. It’s an almost comical nose actually, more like walking past one of those Lush soap shops than a winery. Wild crazy aromatic power to be marvelled at. The palate too is ridiculous in its flavour concentration. Soft, dry, musk stick power, made in a crisp, slightly reductively handled form and with a finish that is endless and ripe.

If anything this is almost too overt to drink, a statement wine that simply commands you to take notice of it. But ‘too overt’ is also ignoring the length and concentration on offer here. I initially scored it lower (as it may be too much to be a great drink) but I think this needs celebrating. Plus I like Gewurtz muchly.

Drink: 2013-2016
Score: 18.5/20 94/100
Would I buy it? Yes, but its not for all occasions. Again, a statement wine to be admired though not quaffed wantonly.