A Taste of the Vinorium #134

"I actually had zero exposure to wine whilst I was growing up!  I was born and spent the first 20 years of my life in a small farming town named Tailem Bend, on the banks of Australia’s most important river – The Murray.  My father bought the property as virgin land in 1965 and developed it into a sheep and cereal farm raising merino lambs and growing barley and wheat.  Wine wasn’t a thing in country towns throughout Australia in those days.  Actually, quite the opposite in a very, very strong masculine culture – if you were seen to be drinking wine you must’ve been one of those ‘toffy well to do types’ or worse….  Strictly a beer and spirits culture as far as alcohol was concerned.  I had a wonderful childhood, growing up on a farm near a riverside town – lots of freedom and outdoors, camping, fishing, learnt to drive and shoot from about 12.  Only in retrospect do I realise how lucky I was to have that childhood experience.  Whilst rich in experience, however, we were not living a luxurious lifestyle.  My mother and father fought hard for everything that we had.  Every dollar was hard earned and judiciously used.  When it was time for me to start making some life decisions I thought that there must be a different way and decided (with a not so small nudge from my mother) to move to the city, Adelaide, to study business management. I found some work at a restaurant in Adelaide to pay my way through university.  It was here that I was first introduced to wine.  I think Rockford’s Barossa Valley Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine that ever passed my lips.  And I was instantly captivated and delved straight in.  I couldn’t get enough. 

Whenever I had a gap between full time study and full time work I was squeezing in wine courses –

wine appreciation, international wine, small scale winemaking and soon after completion of the Business Management degree I was on a plane to Napa, Sonoma, Rhône – on a backpacker’s budget with substantial stops in LA, NYC and London…   Until I made the decision to apply to the University of Adelaide to take their Oenology degree.  I was accepted into the course so had to make my way back to Australia, beg for my job back and get back into study.  I’m not terrible at study but it’s not one of my favourite things to do so I overloaded the course and pushed through most of it in 3 years rather than 4 and pushed my way into working with my brother in law, Michael, at Torbreck Vintners – initially just as work experience in the vineyards and then as an intern in the winery under Dan Standish.  I had a very steep, practical learning curve at Torbreck and in my second year there Dan had me overseeing production at their satellite winery in Lyndoch, in the southern Barossa.  This was 2002 and was also the year that Michael and I established Teusner & Page as a company and purchased 5 tonnes of Grenache for our first wine under the Teusner Wines label.  This was seen as a conflict to my role at Torbreck so I found myself working with Rolf Binder who was far more open to me making my own wines whilst also working for him, to the point that he allowed me to use his old disused cellar to store and blend our wines.  I happily credit Rolf with giving me the leg up that allowed us to develop Teusner Wines to what it is today.  Teusner experienced exponential growth of at least 200% annually for about a decade to the point of becoming a significant player in the premium Barossa Valley wine scene, picking up many peer review accolades along the way."

Upon sampling, we have the exact same opinion as you, that the Utopos wines are very special indeed. You speak openly about how good the land is – why wasn’t it snapped up prior to your arrival?

A great deal of my time was spent snooping around the Barossa trying to source grapes from established growers for Teusner Wines in the early days.  It was in this endeavour that I first came across the vineyard that we now call Utopos.  We were already sourcing fruit from vineyards adjacent to this property for Teusner that were making some of our very best Shiraz wines (Albert and Righteous) so I knew the ability of the geology and microclimate of the area to produce outstanding reds.  I instantly fell in love with the site and the way that it was planted.  I so desperately wanted to play with the fruit that was growing here.  However, the owner of the property was signed into pretty tight contracts with Penfolds and wasn’t willing to jeopardise that to sell me a bit of out of contract.  He did nothing to lessen my desire, however…  Bragging to me that the cabernet sauvignon was some of the only Barossa fruit to make Bin 707 grade etc etc.   

So I was forced to just dream about it every time I drove past to visit my other growers in the area. Until the day in late 2014 that the owners decided it was time to slow down and move into town and put the property up for Auction.

All of the big names from around the area were at the auction.  Standing on one of the highest points of the area overlooking some of the most beautiful views in the Barossa. I was so desperate to have it – these properties rarely become available over multiple generations - so I just went in with all guns blazing and put in my best offer as first bid.  It was the one and only bid and the property was ours!

Regardless of the quality of the geology and microclimate, however, all properties need ongoing attention and this had perhaps been let go a little over a few years. So we have been investing heavily in the property since we have owned it with upgrades to best practice trellising, irrigation systems and planting of the last 20 acres.

Who planted the Shiraz in 1974? Was it a working winery? What was the previous label / owner or was all the fruit sold to different producers?

The Roennfeldt family owned much of the land around this little area originally and still have significant landholdings here.  The first block of shiraz was planted on this property by the Roennfeldt family, after whom the road that accesses the vineyard is named. As far as I am aware the fruit from this property has always been bought by Treasury Wine Estates for their Penfolds wines.  This was the most common scenario in the Barossa of the past – Growers grow the fruit and sell it to wineries.  Grower/winemakers were a very small part of the landscape.

Be brave – how good do you think your wines truly are? In your eyes, who do you stand shoulder to shoulder with?

To be honest I think that we are still getting to where we want to be.  Still understanding the site and how best to work with it to produce the best fruit and wine.  The wines are very good, no doubt – as evidenced by the immediate high praise received from the critics – but they will definitely achieve greater heights as we grow to understand the site and fruit better.  As they stand, the wines comfortably sit with some of the best in the Valley but I do aspire for them not to be shoulder to shoulder with these wines, but better.  Dan Standish, I’m chasing you down…

Your wines offer an extraordinary level of concentration coupled with incredible precision and poise. How do you achieve this exquisite balance?

These sort of wines are created in the vineyard.  It’s entirely about the site and the fruit grown there.  Key is to have a happy, healthy vineyard.  Stressed vineyards creating great wines is a myth.  Sure, they will grow great wines occasionally, when conditions are perfect, but not consistently.  Plants aren’t that different to humans in that regard – we don’t work well and produce our best when we are constantly stressed out but occasionally the pressure may produce a diamond….  On the flip side, if we are living in the top paddock we tend to get fat and lazy and again, not produce our best work.  It’s a fine balance and that’s the key.  Keep the vineyard in the happy zone – not too happy but also not stressed the whole time.  If one can achieve this, the resultant fruit should be concentrated in flavour and balanced in terms of its chemistry.

What do you personally look for in each wine when choosing barrels and blending Utopos wines?

Balance.  It’s everything.  Correct balance between the acidity and tannin ensures drinkability now whilst also enabling the wines to cellar for 15+ years. 

Obviously this also has to be balanced with fruit weight.  After balance, comes clear varietal definition and complexity. – Shiraz, dark ripe fruits, hints of liquorice and savoury complexity.  Good Barossa Cabernet exhibits elements of mint, eucalypt, mocha, tobacco and very slight herbaceous notes, however, the key is the rich palate weight.  The MSG should be all about the Mataro, supported by the Grenache and Shiraz.  Lots of Provençal herbs and Asian spice with bright red fruits.

Have you considered producing a Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon blend?

Watch this space.

The bottles and branding look fabulous. What lies behind the inspiration?  

Utopos is the Greek origin of the English Utopia.  Spelled Eutopos it means a good and perfect place, spelled Outopos it means that place which is just a dream, just out of reach.  That’s kinda how I felt about this property – my perfect Barossa Valley site that was just out of reach for so long.  I was also contemplating why intelligent, professional and independently wealthy people (my business partner in Utopos) choose to risk their money in Australian agriculture.  After speaking with quite a few of these people it became apparent that it was the allure of a romantic life far removed from their own day to day chores. Their own Utopia, if you like.  The term fitted both of our desires perfectly.  As a winemaker this is always a personal challenge as well I think.  I am never at rest thinking that I have made the perfect wine.  There is always something to improve upon, always something to tweak.  Another utopian dream.  I engaged a friend in Adelaide to sketch me my utopian vineyard.  That place which perhaps remains just out of reach, floating around in the clouds…  He pretty much nailed what I had envisioned first go and then the designer came out in him and he started experimenting with newly available sculptured emboss print plates etc.  I agree – I absolutely love the result.  I have always loved Jade.  One of my favourite colours and gems – it’s even my daughter’s middle name!  We used the jade foil and wax to give a feeling of purity and luxury.

Tell us about your vineyard practice and how you support the future of modern winemaking .

At this stage the vineyard is being run with a minimal impact philosophy, however we haven’t converted over to organic viticulture just yet.  This is certainly in our sights, but we are managing the transition to align with the health of the business as well as the health of the vineyard.  There is no doubt that every facet of the endeavour will benefit but it will be a big departure from the historical management of the site and we want to manage it intelligently. Lowest possible impact chemicals are being employed on an 'as need only' basis and the latest technology irrigation control matched with brand new infrastructure to maximise water efficiency has been introduced.

Why do you prefer machine harvesting over bunch selection by hand?

The harvest period in the Barossa Valley is a very warm part of the season. 

Machine harvesting enables us to harvest in the cool of the night in a short period of time, vs. hand harvesting which must occur during the heat of the day and takes a much longer period to cover the same area.  Hence, with machine harvesting the fruit arrives at the winery in far better condition and at an appropriate temperature. This is not only much better for the fruit and resultant wine but also puts less energy pressure on the winery by reducing the weight on the cooling systems.  Machine harvesters are very advanced these days – they are much gentler and treat the vineyards so much better than times gone by, delivering a fruit sample that is clean and almost completely free of matter other than grapes.

The Barossa Valley is perhaps one of the best climates in the world for growing grapes.  I consider Utopos to be one of the best sites in the BV. It is rare that we have heavy disease pressures in our vineyards and therefore the need for hand selection at the point of harvest is rare.

There is also the issue, in Australia, of having a very small population in a very large country.  Hence, often there is simply not enough labour available to be able to hand harvest all of the fruit when it is at its optimum.

In your opinion, what makes the Barossa so special?

Climatically it is one of the easiest places in the world to grow grapes.  Clear and defined seasonality.  Wet winters,  Cold spring mornings with clear warm days, Warm but moderate temperatures during the growing season.  Match this with so many unique sites and soil types, elevations ranging from 100m ASL to almost 600m ASL, all combining to produce endless unique microclimates and it spells out a diverse region that can produce so many relevant and interesting styles from the varietals that are grown here.  It also enables low reliance upon chemicals to successfully grow grapes commercially.  It sounds strange but sea breezes do make it through a small break in the coastal hills through to the Barossa, which is only 70km from the sea as the crow flies.  One can clearly smell the sea under the right conditions sitting at the top of the hill in the Utopos vineyard.  The human impact in the Barossa is also obviously very important.  The Barossa retains, to this day, a very strong community and culture reflective of its history but it is open and attractive to newcomers to come and have a contribution to the future. 

The community is very open, aware and reactive to the issues facing agriculture around the world today in order to ensure that the Barossa remains viable into the very distant future.

You are surrounded by some famous neighbours. Is there a sense of community between you all? 

Absolutely.  It is this sense of community that drew me here in the first place.  I clearly remember in 2008, during a freak heatwave – we had to harvest far more fruit in a far shorter time than we anticipated and the winery was a long way short of capacity.  I rang Pete Schell, at Spinifex Wines, to ask if I could possibly bring some fruit to his winery.  He said, “Better still, I have a bunch of fermenters here that I’m not using, bring your truck over and pick them up.”  This is pretty typical of the Barossa spirit.  Everyone digs in and helps each other in times of adversity.  There seems to be an innate ability of the people here to see past pure self interest in preference for the bigger picture of the region as a whole.

Utopos has had a fantastic debut and received a spot in the ‘Ten of the Best New Wineries’ list in Halliday’s Wine Companion and some fantastic scores for the wines. Domestically, are Halliday / Wine Front scores super important?

Indeed.  Halliday is considered as the most important critic in the Australian wine scene.  His reviews are potentially the most widely published and are relied upon by consumers through the entire southern hemisphere.  The founder of Winefront has been a regular contributor to the Halliday publications and Winefront is regarded as one of the foremost, unbiased wine reviewers, whilst retaining a lighthearted air.

What are your aspirations for Utopos wines?

Simply the pursuit of excellence.  I can’t imagine ever thinking that I have ‘made it’ with this site and these wines.  I will always be striving to improve in both viticulture and oenology in order to produce better and better wines. Truly quality over quantity.  Perhaps one day they will be considered one of the Benchmarks for Barossa.

What do you do in your downtime? 

We have 2 young children – 9 and 11.  Downtime???  Hahaha.  Really though, guiding and watching their development gives me so much pleasure, music, sport, socially – good fun.  

Mum and Dad still have a property on the Murray River at Tailem bend and we have a boat in the shed there, so water skiing is a big thing for me. Albeit took a bit of a backstep 18 months ago when I broke my ankle during a slalom ski crash….  I’m trying my hand at various motorsports at the moment but grip and drift, and I have a couple of go karts so that I can hopefully live vicariously through my kid’s motorsport career!!!  The boy is pushing me to start mountain biking – there are some great tracks in the hills throughout the Barossa….  I can feel more broken bones coming…  Being so close to the coast, fishing is also a big part of our life with some of the best seafood in the world on our doorstep.  Life is busy enough!

What message would you like to share with your new audience? What would you say to new customers in order to introduce and encourage them to discover your wines?

Whilst Utopos is perhaps a slightly selfish endeavour, pursuing my own dream, I hope that as a result I can bring a true and definitive expression of one of the best terroirs in the Barossa to wine lovers across the world.  These aren’t just another bottle of Barossa wine, but hopefully wines that speak of a specific piece of the Barossa, that describe the season in which they were grown and contain a small part of my personal story.  The wines of the Barossa are so easy to love for their generosity and richness, the wines of Utopos aspire to be the epitome of this.