A couple of Aussie whites turned up in the post the other day, an Albarino and a Verdelho from Rusty Fig in Bermagui. I know Bermaguai in Queensland, this one is on the south coast in NSW. I had a look at these on the weekend, they are both really interesting and show plenty of promise. This is the first wine I remember having from this region, so I have nothing smart to say on the climate etc, however these look good.
The nose opens up with plenty of lemon and bay leaf, just a touch of white flowers followed by some melon. Very tight and focused in the mouth, plenty of chalky acid and good length. Lean and fresh. On the palate things are more in the lemon, melon and underripe peach (in a good way) spectrum. I’d like a bit more ripe fruit here, some white peach etc, however it is difficult to get the fruit ripe enough yet keep the acid up in many areas of Australia. None the less, very enjoyable. 87 Pts.
Source: Rusty Fig Wines Price: $25 Closure:Screwcap
Great to see you getting these. The Rusty Fig albarino is on the list at Old Parliament House’s cafe in Canberra, and is popular with my workmates. There’s a bit of good semillon grown on the NSW South Coast and it shares some climate characteristics with the Hunter Valley, and some with the NSW Southern Highlands.
The Rusty Gig albarino is made here in the Canberra District, by Roger Harris out at Brindabella Hills. Talking to Roger about his learning experiences with albarino for this climate firmed up my decision to plant albarino at Quarry Hill (Murrumbateman, not far from Clonakilla), vines for which went in during 2006.