I must admit to holding an ill-founded long prejudice against the estate of Domaine A, harbouring the view that the wines were inauthentic; a copy of Bordeaux. It seems illogical to me now as all wine from Australia, at its root, is a copy, and the early settlers needed to plant grapes if they wanted to drink wine. Importing the wines of Bordeaux to the colonies in 1800 didn’t make a whole lot of sense, due to the extreme distance and the wars between France and the British Empire, a truly global conflict.
Rewriting a wrong
Attending a large tasting of 40 producers and on the lookout for more Australian wines I finally tasted the wines of Domaine A last month. The first wine offered was the 2020 Domaine A ‘Lady A’ Fume Blanc and the wine carries a lovely story. Ruth and Peter Althaus took over the Domaine A vineyard, planted mainly to Bordeaux varieties, still almost unheard of in Tasmania.
Ruth’s favourite wine was Pavilion Blanc du Chateau Margaux, a famed dry white Bordeaux made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Ironically, Ruth wanted Peter to remove the Sauvignon Blanc and replant the site with Cabernet Sauvignon, something which Peter did not do. Instead he secretly worked to perfect the style of dry white Bordeaux. Sometime after, Peter poured Ruth a glass of white wine, telling her it was her favourite, Pavilion Blanc du Chateau Margaux. She loved it and being very satisfied, Peter produced the bottle and it was not the Bordeaux, rather, the very first vintage of Domaine A’s Lady A Fume Blanc.
I loved the story and I loved the wine. There are a number of good Fume Blancs in Australia, but none come close to scaling the heights of Domaine A. When one considers how many terrific Pinot Noirs, Cabernets, Chardonnays, Shiraz and so on being produced in Australia, dry white Bordeaux is a style we have failed to embrace. Except of course Domaine A, as soon as I could smell it, it took me back to a terrific bottle of Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2003, tasted almost 20 years ago.
Bordeaux inspired
Domaine A is better known for their reds, Bordeaux inspired mostly, but also Pinot Noir. All aged before release and tasting like nothing coming out of Tasmania, let alone Australia. It can seem strange to taste wines grown in Australia, yet reminiscent entirely of Bordeaux. It was a lovely reawakening. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon dark, textured and deep, showing a classic left bank style, a sort of combination of St Estephe, St Julien and Paulliac.
A rarer style, in the Australian context is personified in by the 2017 ‘Petit’, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a dash of Petit Verdot. The producer and many critics see this as a ‘St Emillion’, but I was deeply reminded of the wines of Pessac Leognan, with its tobacco leaf, squid ink, and gravely, gripping tannins. A wine not only of sweet fruit but of savouriness and great textural presence. Like so many of Domaine A’s wines the ‘Petit’ A is unique, utterly different from every other producer in the room and yet they taste and feel so classic.
The real deal
So is Domaine A authentic, or are they simply a copy of an incomparable wine region? A gesture of love, Peter Althaus’ creation of the ‘Lady A’ for his wife Ruth, demands respect in its own right. Tasmania is in the grips of wine fever, and almost all of its dry wines fall within the aromatic spectrum. Many producers are crafting high energy, high acid and tangy/tingling fruited wines, certainly the “in” style amongst the wine fraternity. Domaine A’s authenticity derives from an unashamed love of the wines of Bordeaux. Their emulation is unique, delicious, serious, honest, loving and historic. They are simply one of Australia’s grandest wine producers, and I only wish I took better notice twenty years ago.
Domaine A ‘Lady A’ Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Australia’s greatest Sauvignon Blanc, irrespective of style. Hedonistic and opulent, presumably full malo and aged in predominantly new French oak. That being said, the nose is incredibly expressive with exotic fruits of pineapple, pawpaw, kiwifruit, white peach and Jersey butter and cinnamon notes. Rich, medium to full bodied, the fruit is so powerful and deep, displaying great detail and control. Fresh and vibrant, with notes of grapefruit, preserved lime, dried apricot, gooseberry, lemon and pink lady apple. The oak’s discreet, integrated and absorbed by the sheer volume of fruit. Generous, with a gorgeous fluffy lanolin texture, and long silky close.
Domaine A ‘Petit’ a Cabernet Blend 2017
St Emillion inspired, but for me, reminiscent of the haunting, autumnal wines of Pessac Leognan. Beautifully complex aromas of blackcurrant, cranberry, mulberry, blackberry, violets, garrigue herbs, tobacco leaf, mint and cocoa. Pure ripe fruit, supple initially, before the sensual squeeze of chewy, tobacco laced tannins. Very complex interplay of savoury and fruit notes with squid ink, fresh earth, herbs. Oyster shell and pine nettles woven with dark and red fruits, and a little gooseberry tartness. Magnificently complex and gourmand, a wine full of stature and bearing.
