Flatrock Cellars

Just a few minutes drive from Cave Spring, the winery and tasting room for Flatrock Cellars rises above the vineyards just on the edge of a hill.

That hill is important, as it separates the upper vineyard, which has limestone soil and good drainage, from the lower sandy, loam-ier soil below. The temperatures in the two tend to vary a bit, as well, with frosts affecting one more than the other, depending on conditions.

Flatrock boasts an enormous gravity-feed winery surrounded by walkways for visitors to see the process. And the tasting room has windows on all sides, with a spectacular view of the vineyards.

All these things - and the important fact that Flatrock makes some renowned Rieslings - makes this a popular destination for wine tourists. I arrived to find the tasting room full, a couple of vans having got there before me. I was lucky, though - they were mostly heading off on a tour, which I happily skipped so that I could focus on the products.

Luckier still, a Greyhound bus arrived in the parking lot - just as I left.

Flatrock Cellars Nadja's Riesling 2007
Nadja's vineyard is at the top of the hill - drier, limestone soil. It produces fruit with more acidity and more flavour.

This is pale yellow, with a nice nose of minerals, petrol and secondary apple characteristics.
Green apple dominates the flavours, though, with grapefruit for a tart, fruity and mouthwatering mouthfeel. This is extra dry and light bodied, and has a long Granny Smith apple finish.
The balance is good, if slightly high in acidity given the flavours.
It should be fine to cellar 3-5 years. I bought two bottles.

Flatrock Cellars Estate Riesling 2007
From the lower, sandier vineyard, this has a pale, watery yellow colour. It has steely grapefruit, vanilla and cinnamon notes and offers a good complexity. But it's sweet for my taste - typical of the lower vineyard products, I was told. With only medium acidity, it's off-dry. The balance is good if you like off-dry Rieslings, and it would go nicely with Thai curries or other hot-sweet-creamy foods. The flavours of fruit, peaches and pears are interesting - almost more Gewurztraminer than Riesling. I think it has limited ageability, because the limited acidity will decrease further.

Flatrock Cellars Unplugged Chardonnay 2007
Stainless steel fermented, this unoaked Chard surprised me with some vanilla and toasty notes. Confusing. It has a lovely medium straw colour and peach, pear, honey and mineral notes on the nose. But I found only apple, vanilla and toast on the palette, and a great deal of harsh acidity. Not well balanced, it might improve with age.

Flatrock Cellars Gravity Pinot Noir 2006
Very light, clear cherry colour, this has sweet stewed fruit, smoke and cherry scents. The flavours of of cherries, leather and toast. It's extremely light bodied with mouthwatering acidity. The balance is good, though the flavours are very light. I don't expect it to improve with age.

Interestingly, the tasting room manager told me that the 2006 was a poor year for their Pinots, but that the 2007 product, which has just been bottled and is waiting for release in the next few weeks, is expected to be excellent.

Flatrock Cellars Red Twisted 2006
Flatrock's "Twisted" series denotes their blends. In this case, the winery won't reveal the blend. Here's what they have to say about the wine:
"The components of this wine were vinified and aged separately in 10% new French oak barrels and the rest older,then blended to create a wine with a serious twist. The wine then underwent further bottle maturation for 9 months prior to its release in May 2008."

I was a bit disappointed. Like the Pinot, this had a very light cherry colour and a nose of leather, and mild cherries. It has medium acidity, low tannins and plum flavours. The balance - little flavour and little acidity - wasn't great.