Prentice Wine | Pinot Ramato | Pinot Sauvage | Tar & Roses | Chenin Blanc

THE WINES

Some wine from 2006 and 2007 has been showing up heavily discounted in retail and at Auction houses. I believe this wine has spent three summers in NON-TMEPERATURE CONTROLLED warehouses in Brisbane and Sydney. We cannot warrant the quality of this stock. For more information please contact me directly.

PINOT RAMATO

Ramato is an old-fashioned method of producing Pinot Gris with some skin contact. This gives the wine a beguiling pink hue and a crisp phenolic crunch.

Grown at Whitlands on the Buffalo High Plateau near Victoria’s ski fields, Ramato is the result of several vintages of experimentation with free-run Pinot Noir and pressings Pinot Gris as well as my passion for acid driven, dry rosé and also for fruit focused Beaujolais and Dolcetto.

Ramato is a wonderful expression of the unique Terroir of Whitlands; a high altitude, continental region with cold nights and cool summers. The grapes ripen slowly, accumulating flavour yet retaining acidity. The unirrigated vines grow with restraint in the deep, free-draining Volcanic Basalt soils from which the wine derives signature minerality and complexity.

It has a beguiling pink hue and aromas of rose water. The flavours are white cherry and brioche with lime counterpoints and umami texture.

Grapes are crushed and left on skins for a short while before being pressed as whole juice to barrel. Juice is allowed to oxidize and fermentation commences without inoculation. Oak is small old barriques. I am not looking for oak flavour, rather to keep the juice in contact with gross lees for as long as possible prior to bottling.

Ramato is perfect with Salad Niçoise as well as Sashimi and Sushi. I also enjoy it with Thai flavours.

REVIEWS

		Making the great leap forward Chin Chin was a slow train coming (to borrow a line from one of the stalwarts of its nostalgia-soaked soundtrack) but it arrived with the power of a runaway locomotive. Simply pushing open the heavy glass door from Flinders Lane is a sensory experience. The place itself is no less a shrinking violet. Drinkers are piled several deep at the bar, while the queue snaking out the door thrums with expectation and disappointment, depending on the glass half-full/half-empty leanings of its constituents... Read full article Larissa Dubecki The Age - Epicure 2 August 2011


		Menus of a Geisha Welcome to Geisha 2.0, the brainchild of the 30-year-old waiter, blogger and food enthusiast, Lee. Since its launch four months ago, Lee has been re-creating a modern take on the geisha concept, steering food-loving locals, tourists and corporate clientele through a whistle-stop tour of the best of Melbourne's dining scene. The process is simple: log on, sign up and the ping of your email inbox will alert you to the time and meeting place of your assigned evening's tour. It's a clever concept given legs by Lee herself... Read full article Sarina Lewis The Saturday Age 30 July 2011


		The flavour of the land A herd of short, fat black cows grazes by a vineyard in the hills. The cattle are wagyu and the vines in the vineyard produce pinot noir grapes. This is Neil Prentice's parents' farm at Moondarra, overlooking the Latrobe Valley towards Warragul. Here, Prentice raises full-blood Tajima wagyu, a line of the Japanese beef cattle renowned for their ability to produce vast amounts of marbling, the pale interlaced fat that sits between the deep red of the muscles. Prentice sets himself apart from the majority of wagyu producers in the nation by raising and fattening his animals in the paddocks in which they were born; most of the wagyu produced in Australia is fattened in feedlots... Read full article Richard Cornish The Age - Epicure 12 July 2011


		Holly’s Garden Ramato Pinot Gris 2010 ★★★★ The Whitlands Plateau is at the southern end of the King Valley, and these grapes were grown at an altitude of 750 metres. Ramato means copper in Italian and is an old method of production in which the grapes are crushed and left on their skins to gain a copper-like colour, rich texture and crisp acidity. Texture and acidity are structural highlights, as are aromas and flavours of pear, golden delicious apple, red berries, citrus (juice and pith) and a varietal smokiness. I had to double-check the price. Food match \ Peking duck Read full article The Weekly Review 8 June 2011


		Wagyu & Wine “We often see a lot of sweet and sour on the plate with Asian flavours and that’s where bitter can be a nice little counterpoint in your glass: Sometimes beer is a better option with Asian food than wine; or if you’ve got wine, you’ll want it to have some phenolic component... and perhaps some sweetness to counter the spice.” Such sentences comprise a normal conversation with Neil Prentice: He is clearly passionate about his wine, and his food—and matching the two. Born in Warragul, Neil is the grandson of Gippsland dairy farmers. He works his parents’ property ‘Moondarra’, near Erica, running 60 wagyu cattle and the Moondarra vineyard... Read full article Milk Magazine July/August 2011


		Food For Thought Tuesday night we had the pleasure of having dinner with Neil Prentice at French restaurant, Libertine. The man himself is no different to some of his wines in that he's not backwards in coming forward. His robust character (the man, not the wine) complements Libertine's mild-mannered chef... Read full article Lou Pardi Peppermint Mag 19 May 2011


		A trip to Libertine will appeal to your inner Francophile Libertine is fond of events. On Thursday 19th May, Libertine team up with Neil Prentice - certified wine and wagyu beef legend - for a delightful four course meal, matched carefully to Neil's Prentice, Moondarra and Holly's Garden wine labels.... Read full article Kelly Eng Time Out - Melbourne 10 May 2011


		Pagan A-Prentice Dinner The Pagan A-Prentice Dinner - Neil Prentice, wine and wagyu master will be holding a public dinner at Fix St James on 26th May and at Libertine in Melbourne on 19th May 2011.... Read full article Australian Gourmet Pages May 2011


		EAT Sample wine and beef master Neil Prentice's much-applauded Moondarra wagyu when he hosts a special meal at Sydney's Fix St James. On Thursday, May 26, diners have the opportunity to acquait themselves with tipples from his Prentice, Moondarra and Holly's Garden labels as he talks... Read full article Australian Financial Review Life & Leisure May 2011