News and Stuff

New climate controlled storage at Printhie

Due to the rapid growth we have experienced over the past 5 years we are already quickly running out of finished wine storage space in the winery. When we built the winery in 2003 we never imagined we would so soon require larger and better facilities to store the increase in production. So this week we begin work on a specially designed storage facility to accommodate our expansion. We are however extremely aware that this could be a temporary measure with our current growth indicating we could well be back at the drawing board in the coming years.

New distribution for Printhie Wines

We are pleased to announce we now have wines distributed into Canberra and Brisbane. After a rigorous selection process we are very pleased with the decision we have made in both markets.

In canberra we will be represented by Z4 Wine Distributors, owned and operated by Bill Mason. Bill has had many years representing brands in the ACT and South Coast NSW regions, he is well known in the market and is looking forward to Printhie becoming a feature of his portfolio.

In Brisbane we will be distributed by TBW Wine Specialists, owned and operated by Rob Jenkins. Rob has 25 years experience in the Brisbane market and will provide access to both on and off-premise markets for the Printhie brand.

So for those drinkers who have been holding out for an outlet close to you in these areas please keep a close eye on the shelves and winelists of your favorite bottleshop and restaurant. If you cant wait, ask them to contact the above.

Len Evans Tutorial - Drew's wrap-up

I have spent a bit of time away from the winery wine show judging including a week in the Hunter Valley participating in the Len Evans Tutorial – a once in a lifetime opportunity to taste some of the greatest wines in the world and some more than 50 years old. One of the great revelations was how wonderfully some Australian wines, especially from the 1950s and 1960s are the equal of anything from Europe including France – just wonderful wines and I have little doubt that some of the very best wines being made in Australia today fit into that category as well.

The winemakers diary - April 2009

Well, we have finally come up for air after another great vintage at Printhie. After a great vintage in 2008 I never expected 2009 to be a repeat performance but someone must be smiling on us. Even at this very early stage (ferments are only just finishing) I think that 2009 is every bit as good as 2008, maybe even better. To have two great vintages back-to-back is a great privilege. It is a relatively rare occurrence and the first time I have experienced it in 16 years of winemaking.

So, why was it so good. Well the season got off to a great start with good spring rains that enabled abundant canopy in the vineyard and plenty of soil moisture for the season ahead. Mid- to late-summer was warm with good dry spells. There was the occasional wet day which brought enough rain to freshen up the vineyard nicely and prevent stress. Orange escaped the worst of the heatwaves that were experienced in much of South Australia, Victoria and far-western NSW. These extreme temperatures caused a lot of vineyard stress and crop loss in affected regions. In fact, the hottest day of the summer was the terrible Black Saturday of the Victorian bushfires. Orange hit a high of 36oC which was a lot less than the 48oC down south.

There was little disease pressure for those vignerons that were paying careful attention to their vineyards so we were able to harvest perfect fruit at the time of our choosing. A real bonus was the fact that the different varieties ripened at different times. Whereas in 2008 everything ripened at once and there was a real crisis in terms of storage space, in 2009 different varieties ripened in a much more orderly fashion. As a result, varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, which can often benefit from an extended period of maceration with their skins, had the luxury of spending up to three weeks on their skins. The Pinot Noir was on skins for four weeks. This provides beautiful tannin structure to the wines. This was very difficult to do in 2008 because the next batch of grapes had ripened and we needed the tank space.

But the best bit was the grapes themselves – beautifully ripe, wonderful natural acid, fine tannins and wonderful flavours. Really, it was just a joy to be a winemaker in Orange – more so at Printhie. Due to diligent planning and careful investment Printhie was able to fully capitalise on what nature and attentive vineyard management has provided.

Cheers
Drew Tuckwell
Winemaker

Wine feature - Chardonnay

Look what the critics are saying about the Printhie 2008 Mountain Range Chardonnay. Paddy Keeler from Melbourne’s Sun-Herald said “Fans of southern Victorian chardonnay – think Geelong, Mornington, Yarra and Macedon will relate easily to the various varietal styles now emerging from Orange in NSW…check out the Printhie Chardonnay, a thoroughly enjoyable expression of the grape…a winner.” Well, we are very happy to be aligned with regions like those that excel at high quality Chardonnay. And Nick Stock in WBM Top100 absolutely nailed the style and the value when he wrote, “Plenty of stone fruit in this cool climate Orange bargain. It trades on purity and direct fruit presence, mixing citrus and peach/nectarine flavours, all threaded together with zesty fresh acidity, and pear flavour to finish. Balanced and ready to enjoy”.

The 2008 Mountain Range Chardonnay was a very deliberate attempt to produce a wine that truly reflects its cool climate origins. It’s a style that is meeting the growing expectations of Chardonnay drinkers – a little more restraint, greater freshness, an emphasis on fruit and increasing interest from underlying complexities. This wine expresses definitive varietal fruit aromas and flavours from a cool season in a cool climate wine region.

Sourced from three high altitude vineyards ranging in elevation from 650m up to 1,050m, the excellent natural acidity retains freshness and provides a structure upon which layers of flavour can be built. The backbone of the blend is tank fermented and unoaked providing clean varietal flavours. Added to the blend are small portions of wine that include new French oak and older oak barrel ferment, wild yeast ferment, partial malolactic ferment, yeast lees stirring and higher solids content in the juice. All these portions add complexity in a subtle way. The resulting wine is fruit dominant but with interesting nuances.

At Printhie we aim to deliver the best value chardonnay for $17 that consumers can buy year-in, year-out but also a wine with regional expression and individual character because, after all, we only source fruit from a single region and we are a relative small, family-owned business.

Such was the quality of the 2008 vintage and Printhie’s belief that Orange can produce some of the best Chardonnay in Australia, we produced our first reserve Chardonnay. It is not far away from being released as the Printhie 2008 Mt Canobolas Collection Chardonnay – keep an eye out for it – we are sure you will be impressed.

After the overwhelming success of Orange Chardonnay in the regional wine show, Printhie is thrilled to have two great wines that we hope you will enjoy and become benchmarks by which the region is judged.

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