Our Maiden Voyage:
In 2018, off the back of a near-perfect vintage, we created and launched our first rosé, Pink Submarine.
This new, low-intervention offering combined several firsts for us beyond it being our first rosé. Pink Submarine was the result of our first collaboration with winemaker Jared ‘Jilly’ Dixon. It is also (to our knowledge) the only 100% Pinotage rosé made in Australia at the time.
Pink Submarine was a bone-dry, textured rosé, barrel fermented and aged in oak for several months. The production was tiny, with less than 500 bottles produced.
This rare, limited-edition experiment was a crowd favourite and sold out in record-time. We knew we had to bring it back, along with some new additions for 2020!
All aboard HMAS Topper´s Terroir:
In the 2 years following our original Pink Submarine release, we have been hard at work, experimenting with low intervention and vegan winemaking styles.
The result? The Submarines (plural!)
Our old friend Pink Submarine is back, accompanied by all new White and Red Submarines.
Pink Submarine:
Man overboard! He probably went looking for this luscious field-blend of Pinotage, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. A dry, aromatic and textured rosé, it’s best to follow him but put your scuba suit on first.
Breaking the surface (top notes):
- Dried raspberries
- Cream
- Blackberry
- Mango
Cruising depth (heart notes):
- Dark fruit
- White pepper
- Sage
Ocean floor (base notes):
- Fresh mango juice
Welcome aboard HMAS Topper’s Terroir!
A dry yet creamy rosé with a light tannic nip, balanced by fresh, crunchy acidity. No additions, minimal manipulation and bottled with minimal preservatives.
RRP: $29.00 AUD
White Submarine:
Lock the hatch and prepare to dive deep into a curious field-blend of Chardonnay, Pinot (Noir andBlanc), Chenin Blanc and Verdejo. Creamy texture on the palate is perfectly balanced by crunchy acidity.
Breaking the surface (top notes):
- Dried lime peel
- Apricot jam
- Agave
Cruising depth (heart notes):
- Quince
- Candied oranges
- Basil
- Ginger
Ocean floor (base notes):
- Lime pith
No additions, minimal manipulation and bottled with minimal preservatives.
Welcome aboard HMAS Topper’s Terroir!
RRP: $29.00 AUD
Red Submarine:
Check the sonar, we’ve got a field-blend of Tempranillo and Tannat spotted on the horizon. Fresh, smooth and savoury, there’s no oak in sight to dampen the fruitiness of this red.
Breaking the surface (top notes):
- Blackberry
- Plums
- Dark cherry
Cruising depth (heart notes):
- Sage
- Basil
- Smoke (just a touch)
Ocean floor (base notes):
- Mulberries
- Thyme
No additions, minimal manipulation and bottled with minimal preservatives.
Welcome aboard HMAS Topper’s Terroir!
RRP: $29.00 AUD
What we leave out…
Also known as the ‘hands off’ approach, after harvest and crushing, we let nature (and wild yeast) do the rest. We like to call this technique, minimal intervention, maximum attention.
At Topper’s we love to work exclusively with what the vineyard gives us each vintage, so in our blends there is no added:
- Acid
- Yeasts
- Enzymes
- Tannins
Our Submarine range is neither fined, nor filtered, producing the most, honest, natural and vegan wines, as close to what nature intended as possible.
Field Blends…
Field blending echoes back to traditional winemaking techniques, when vignerons of the past simply harvested every variety at the same time and fermented them together.
Using this technique, both the character of the vineyard and the vintage were preserved. The Modus Operandi of The Submarines range is to discover and capture the unique character of our terrior, specific to each vintage yet ever-changing.
We use field blends for several reasons, a combination of practicality and dedication to our M.O.
For one, each variety planted within the Fruit Salad plot is only one row, which doesn’t produce enough fruit to create a single varietal wine. Some varieties also play better with others rather than by themselves.
In terms of our M.O, we strive to create wines that include only what the grapes provided us with each harvest. Blending allows us to create complex and balanced wines, in the most natural, honest way.
Fruit Salad:
In 2002, a small plot of the vineyard (20 rows) was dedicated to trialing new varieties. Each row was planted with a different variety to experiment with the terroir and see what worked and what did not.
This plot is affectionately known as Fruit Salad.
We’ve had our ups and downs, the most successful of which was Gros Manseng, a white grape grown primarily in the southwest of France. Manseng is botrytis resistant and rich, with a piercing acidity, thriving off the hot, wet summers.
Other varieties that have showed great potential are: Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Tannat, Nebbiolo, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cao, Tinta Roriz
We plan to continue experimenting with the Fruit Salad nursery. By being flexible,
we can better adapt to the changing climate, some of which we have already experienced with bushfires destroying 95% of the 2019 vintage.
Toppers & Terroir:
At almost 1000m above sea level, on a basalt cap with iron-rich soils and wet summers, one would be hard pressed to find another wine region like it in Australia.
New England had significant grape-growing activity more than 100 years ago. However, the ‘tin-rush’ of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s signaled the demise of the viticulture industry in the area. That was, until we showed up.
From the early 2000’s its been up to owner and vigneron, Mark Kirkby, to discover the potential of the Topper’s terroir, aided more recently by Wine Manager, Jan Taborsky.
Introducing the Terroirnauts!
At Topper’s we like to think of ourselves as Terroirnauts, explorers on a mission to discover and experiment with our terroir.
A submarine was chosen as the symbol of our voyage as we dive deep into the terroir, uncovering its secrets and mysteries.
The submarine symbol also doubles as a nod to Mark’s previous career before he ‘jumped ship’ to become a vigneron, working as an engineer and creating components used in the Australian navy, often for submarines.
