2014 Amato Vino Bastardo!
$30.00
Wild ferment in 200L amphorae, no adds, and matured on skins in amphorae for eight months. Unfined, unfiltered, unsulphured.
The colour is light red/brown, cloudy. Expect a nose of plums, some spice, nuttiness and red-‐fruits, secondary earth and game. The palate is textural and generous – red-‐fruits and spice, warm and long. Tannins have softened, acid is low.
This is raw, natural wine and is slightly cloudy – being unfined and unfiltered it contains sediment. Drink now.
Out of stock
Description
Natural wine. Handpicked Bastardo grapes from southern Margaret River were gently de-stemmed and placed in two 200L clay amphorae for wild fermentation. Post-ferment and post-wild-malo, the wine remained on skins in amphorae for eight months untouched until November when the free-run was jugged out and the skins pressed by hand through muslin to extract the last vestige of wine. After a few weeks settling back in the amphorae the wine was hand-bottled in 640ml craft-beer bottles with crown seals, waxed, and tagged for release.
The colour is light red/brown, cloudy. Expect a nose of plums, some spice, nuttiness and red-fruits, secondary earth and game. The palate is textural and generous – red-fruits and spice, warm and long. Tannins have softened, acid is low.
This is raw, natural wine and is slightly cloudy – being unfined and unfiltered it contains sediment. Drink now.
Brad –
No sulphur here. Use of an amphora, ancient or not, is part of the winemaking make-up. The fruit comes from one of the few Australian sources of bastardo/trousseau, this vineyard in the south of Margaret River so an easy drive for Brad Wehr if the surf is on a lay-day.
Brad Wehr seems to have taken his slightly irreverent but considered winemaking to another level with this range of wines. Crown seal great; waxing one likely an idea conceived after a few Margaret River chill zone jazz cigarettes. Dig the wine though. And it comes in longneck brown glass beer bottles. Spot on.
Slosh of briary herbal fruit and the cloudy, dull garnet colour looks like something you’d find in someone’s back yard winemaking stash. Never mind that. Pour deep in a tumbler, swirl around, guzzle down wild berry-scented, wild raspberry-flavoured liquid tinged with earthiness, savoury spice, lightly chewy tannins and bruised apple acidity. It feels more wild grape juice than formed wine, but that’s part of the fun. Those sensitive will see a hint of mousiness, but that’s by-the-by, forgettable in the rustic drinking, transparent fruit appeal. Points might not reflect it, on the technobabble scale, but this is a pretty good thing to drink, and an interesting shift from Wehr. Kudos.
Mike Bennie – winefront.com.au
Brad –
Red emeralds obscured by clouds, scented with spiced chocolate, cherries, brambles and game meats, concealing drips of VA. Maximum mouth filling tannin and tinned fruit juice textures, black fruit pastel jubes with tomato leaves and vines. 3 days later… earthy, port core, smoked venison… maybe. Brave, brazen, and brutish.
Daniel Honan – thewineidealist.com
Brad –
Mike Bennie, Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE
Appears cloudy and garnet-coloured in the glass, smells of savoury spice, plums and dates, tastes similar and finishes with a lick of dusty tannin. It’s a curious, exciting drink.