Shop/Orange & Skin-Contact/La Petite Mort Viognier / Marsanne / Roussanne
Granite Belt, QLD
La Petite Mort Viognier / Marsanne / Roussanne 2021
La Petite Mort
Rhône whites given the skin-contact treatment.
$38.00
750mlVintage may change. If it does, we’ll notify you of any price adjustment before dispatch.
About
Granite Belt, Queensland — three classic Rhône varieties (Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne) blended and aged with skin contact. Apricot, honeysuckle, herbs and texture. Distinctly Australian, unmistakably skin-contact.
Andrew Scott makes La Petite Mort at Bent Road in Ballandean, on granite country, after founder Glen Robert took him under his wing. Between the two vineyards sits what Scott calls the only garden of authentic Georgian qvevri in the country, buried on a knoll the traditional way. He says his experimental wines are old techniques revisited rather than new ideas.
For 2021 the three varieties went into the qvevri as whole berries and fermented apart for just over a month. They were punched down three times a day. The vessels were then sealed and left in the ground for 205 days before the wine came out. Viognier brings the fruit and perfume, Marsanne the waxy weight, Roussanne a savoury edge. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered, so expect some sediment. That is deliberate.
Sometimes Always finds mandarin peel, crisp apple and honey. It sits at 13.9 percent.
Producer note
The Granite Belt sits at 700–1,000m altitude near the NSW/QLD border, giving La Petite Mort the coolness needed for Rhône varieties that would otherwise bake in Queensland.
Structure
Picked on Stef's structure profile.
