‘Clarence’ Sticky Semillon 2010
Tasting Notes
The Clarence is light gold with a mild toffee and candied pineapple nose. It has a crème brulée/ citrus/ pineapple juice palate and finishes full, even and clean, all the while being light and fresh too. The wine is named after the Duke of Clarence who was allegedly drowned in a butte of Malmsey wine in the Tower of London by order of his brother Richard III. This is all according to Shakespeare however, and I believe the nature of Clarence’s demise is subject to some historical debate. No question about this wine however, it is delicious served chilled with dessert or with some delicate soft cheese.
Vintage
We recorded just about average annual rainfall over the year, which resulted in healthy crops of Shiraz and Cabernet. Unseasonably warm November weather interfered with the Chardonnay during flowering and has resulted in small crops of this variety. The weather then remained almost perfect for the rest of vintage. The general consensus amongst winemakers in the Vale is that 2010 marks an exceptional year for both red and white wines.
Winemaking
We picked the Semillon extremely ripe at 20° + Beaumé then crushed it and fermented it in stainless steel (a small amount went into new French oak to add complexity and texture) and then to bottle soon after.
Awards
Judges and Consumer's Award – SA Wine Awards 2011
'No debate here, this is a brilliantly fresh, sweet delight from a great year in McLaren Vale, full of zing along with its lemon zestiness and toffee pineapple aromatics. The joy of this style is it has amazing freshness and drive while proud of its deep, pure citrussy sweetness.' (taken from The Advertiser Wednesday 8th September 2011)
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WINE OF THE YEAR AWARDS The South Australian Wine of the Year Awards are presented annually to recognize the very best wines produced in South Australia. The awards are judged by an independent panel of the state’s leading wine judges, representing all winemaking regions in the state. The awards are unique in having a separate set of amateur consumer judges who taste a selection of the best wines first chosen by the professional judges from more than 1000 entries.
Reviews
Spitbucket Wine Review Episode 142 12th March 2012
A 93 point review from Dan Coward from Spitbucket @up_shiraz for the Clarence 2010 Sticky. A few descriptors from the video for Clarence: 'cacophony of lemon and orange blossom', 'beautifully floral', 'rich, sweet citrus' as well as 'lean and streamlined' I think he liked it.
eRobertParker.com #199 February 2012 Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Pale to medium straw colored, the 2010 ‘Clarence’ Sticky Semillon offers moderate to pronounced aromas of lemon marmalade, clover honey and dried apricots with hints of fresh ginger and jasmine. Very sweet and silky on the intensely fruited, full bodied palate, it has a good line of crisp acid and layers of stone and citrus fruit flavors going long into the finish. Delicious now, it has some capacity to develop and should keep to 2017.
90+
Winestate Magazine July August 2011 Sweet Wines and Fortifieds - 5 Stars
Beautiful honeyed apricot/ melon-like bouquet and an extremely luscious palate exhibiting wonderful fresh fruit salad flavours.
5 stars
Other Vintages
Technical Details
Picking Date: 1 April 2010
Bottling Date: 18 October 2010
pH Level: 3.21
Total Acidity: 8.48 g/L
Alc/Vol: 13%