Ballandean Estate’s winemaker Boxi Zhen has continued his winning streak at the Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland 2024 Australian Mediterranean Varieties Wine Show, held in Toowoomba. Queensland’s oldest family-owned and run winery was awarded Best in Queensland White for its 2023 Wild Ferment Viognier, and Best in Queensland Red for its 2023 Nebbiolo.
A word from our winemaker Boxi Zhen
“These wines reflect the efforts we are undertaking in the vineyard and cellar. To me, the medals are good signs that we are on the right path. I feel honoured and excited that our wines are being recognised by the show judges. It says a lot about how great our Granite Belt wines can be, and just how much potential we can explore from the terroir here.”
Judges praise texture and finish for a gold medal score of 95 points
Estate manager Robyn-Puglisi Henderson says,
“Judges praised the Wild Ferment Viognier for its beautiful texture and finish, awarding it 95 points out of 100, a gold medal score. It’s a real testament to the fresh perspective and minimal intervention approach Boxi is bringing to the Granite Belt. Boxi was recently awarded the Emerging Queensland Winemaker of the Year, it’s so exciting to see him further develop his reputation for winemaking excellence and judging capability.
“Ballandean Estate’s Nebbiolo has an excellent pedigree as our first Italian Strange Bird™ planting and has received ongoing critical acclaim, awarded 92 points at this show. In 2022 it took out the trophy for Best Italian Red Varietal at the Queensland International Emerging Wine Variety Challenge. We call it the Italian version of Pinot Noir at the cellar door. Lighter in body, big tannins, cherry, tar and roses on the nose, ruby and orange hues synonymous with aged Nebbiolo — it’s a real food wine.
“Three of our wines have just been announced as 95-point wines by James Halliday: 2023 Nebbiolo, 2023 Small Batch Reserve Chardonnay, and Angelo’s Vintage Tawny 1987, another ringing endorsement for Boxi’s second vintage as a Granite Belt winemaker. These 95-point wines qualify us to be a five-star-rated winery in the next release of the Halliday Wine Companion.”
Experimental approach in both the vineyard and cellar
According to Boxi,
“Nebbiolo is a hard variety to grow and make. It’s always the first variety to bud burst in the vineyard and last variety to pick at the end of the vintage. Extremely high acid, heavy tannins and light colour while the maturity level, in most of the years, are not enough to climb up to it should be. We are actually undergoing heaps of trials in the vineyard and cellar year by year, trying to boost the quality and quantity of the Nebbiolo, finding the best way to best express its varietal characters while building up its perfect texture during the maturation.
“The 2023 Viognier was part our minimal handling scheme in the vintage of 2023. The harvest was of meticulous design, harvested in batches. Winemaking saw 20% percentage of pre-ferment skin contact, wild ferment, lees stirring during the aging period and barrel maturation. The trophy and gold medal awarded to this wine expressed the winemaking efforts that we committed to the wine. ”
Boxi Zhen moved to Adelaide from China at the age of 24 to complete his prestigious Master of Viticulture & Oenology at the University of Adelaide. He also has a degree in Food Science, which places him in excellent stead to continue the R&D science-based approach employed by Ballandean Estate’s previous winemaker of 22 vintages, Dylan Rhymer.
Ballandean Estate continues its winning streak with a swag of medals awarded this weekend at a national wine show for boutique winemakers. The Australian Small Winemakers Show is held annually in Stanthorpe, attracting wine entries from across Australia and New Zealand.
Vintage 2022 delivered Queensland’s oldest family-owned winery 3 silver and 2 bronze medals, bringing the tally to 5 medals at one of the most prestigious shows on the annual wine circuit.
Fourth-generation vigneron Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi says,
Ballandean Estate is famed for alternative white varietals, our Strange Birds™! This year, our great Italian whites Malvasia, Fiano and GFM (Giallo Fiano Malvasia) were awarded silver medals, which means they had to score greater than 17/20 points; and be considered exceptional on the palate, with freshness and finesse highly prized by the judging panel.
We’ve just released our 10th vintage of Fiano, a wine we’ve won critical acclaim for since 2012, thanks to its richer Italian style with mouth-watering acidity, grippy texture and mineral undertones. We sell out of this varietal every vintage within weeks.
Malvasia is another of our fastest-moving white wines at the cellar door. People fall in love with its big aromatics, richness and complexity. It is the kind of wine that has you excited before even taking your first sip.
Dad (Ballandean Estate owner Angelo Puglisi) is always keen to experiment with Italian varieties. His interest in Italian varieties is not just about the increased diversity of aromas and flavours, but most importantly about structure: and, specifically, acid. Grapes grown for natural acid balance deliver a fresh expression of our granitic terroir and require minimal intervention in the hands of the winemaker.”
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi
A wine pioneer, Angelo’s vinicultural vision has delivered 13 new Strange Birds™ for the Granite Belt Geographical Indication.
Ballandean Estate’s 2022 Viognier and Bolle Rosa, a refreshing sparkling pink Moscato, were both awarded bronze medals. A remarkably strong line up of wines was presented, with a marked increase in medals awarded for each class at the 2022 Australian Small Winemakers Show, which held its inaugural event in 1987, open to small wine producers who crush less than 500 tonne a year.
Ballandean Estate’s 2019 Nebbiolo took home the Trophy for Best Italian Red Varietal at the Queensland International Emerging Wine Variety Challenge. Angelo Puglisi, founder of Queensland’s oldest family-owned and -operated winery, accepted the prize at the Brisbane awards dinner held at 66 on Ernest restaurant at Southbank, Thursday 26 May 2022.
Wine analysis
- Colour—Pale ruby with orange hues
- Nose—Cherry, tar and roses
- Palate—Medium-bodied with red fruits, strong tannins, high acidity and earthy tones
- Alcohol/Volume—2%
- Cellaring potential—Drink now to 5 years
- Winemaker—Dylan Rhymer
- Viticulturist—Angelo Puglisi
- RRP $42
Estate owner Angelo Puglisi says,
“Experimenting with varieties that fit our unique climate and terroir is what gets me excited. In 2001, I thought it was about time we had an Italian red under our belt. Hailing from Northern Italy’s Piedmont region, this grape is known for producing bold red flavours, grippy tannins, and high natural acidity — all while looking as pale as Pinot Noir.
Nebbiolo was our first Italian Strange Bird™ planting. We call it the Italian version of Pinot Noir at the cellar door. Lighter in body, big tannins, cherry, tar and roses on the nose, ruby and orange hues synonymous with aged Nebbiolo—it’s a real food wine.
Nebbiolo is a finicky variety to grow in Ballandean, but when it’s right, it is so right! Incredibly sensitive to terroir—it needs great drainage and a long, bright growing season,” says Mr Puglisi.
ANGELO PUGLISI
Overcoming low yield with great viticulture
Ballandean Estate’s high altitude, cool climate and granite traprock soils on Bellevue’s slopes saw the vines mature a low yield initially. Angelo Puglisi overcame this by using a different pruning approach that produces more fruit bunches. The fruit is the last to be harvested, as it matures slowly with the cool nights at the end of growing season.
Queensland International Emerging Wine Variety Challenge
The Queensland International Emerging Wine Variety Challenge is in its third year. Queensland-grown alternate varieties take on the best of Europe in this unique event hosted by Queensland Wine Industry Association. The varietals are judged and benchmarked against wines from their place of origin.
Ballandean Estate’s world-class Sylvaner is set to make a splash on the international stage yet again as this dry summer is delivering optimal growing conditions for a temperamental Strange Bird variety. This decadent dessert wine has had international wine judges raving since 1985, with 15 trophies, 7 gold, 22 silver and 54 bronze awards.
An immaculate pedigree
- The 1991 Ballandean Estate Sylvaner received global acclaim from Alsace wines world expert Tom Stevenson, who declared it “the greatest Sylvaner he had ever tasted”. This accolade was published in his international book The Wines of Alsace. Stevenson profiled over 300 producers and analysed 118 wine villages, 50 grands crus, 84 lieux-dits, 28 clos and 4 wine producing chateaux.
- Rated 93 points by James Halliday (2002 and 2006 vintage), he describes it as “glowing gold; the Granite Belt’s most famous wine, made on and off over the past 25 years when vintage conditions permit; a gentle mix of barley sugar, lime and vanilla, it has excellent balance, and its history shows it cellars surprisingly well.”
- Oz Clarkes Grapes and Wine: the definitive guide to the world’s greatest grapes decreed Ballandean Estate (Australia) as a world-best producer, ranked alongside France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Deliver thee the nectar of the Gods!
The last Sylvaner vintage release was in 2014 and sold out quickly. Sadly, the only remaining bottles of Sylvaner in existence are carefully cellared in private homes and within Ballandean Estate’s museum collection. The good news? Ballandean Estate has decreed 2019 the best growing season in a decade.
A Strange Bird that needs the stars to align and the sun to shine
“Ballandean Estate winemaker Dylan Rhymer says, “Sylvaner is a sensitive Strange Bird! We only make a Sylvaner in perfect years. It is easily damaged and very susceptible to rain.
“Harvest is an incredibly delicate process, as we use the cordon cut method. Two weeks prior to picking, we cut half of the fruit-bearing canes. This allows the fruit to dry and concentrate in flavour. The other half that are still attached to the vine continue to grow as normal. These are picked very late in the season, as our aim is to get very high sugars.
“The vineyard method makes the Sylvaner exceptionally hard to produce. Rain in particular can affect the grapes at those final stages prior to picking.
“Inside the winery, the commitment to craft the best dessert wine continues. The Sylvaner juice is chilled to minus two degrees. This, creates water icicles which are removed to leave even more highly concentred flavour and sugar delivering a 40% loss of volume.
“The result of this process is highly acidic fruit. This gives the Sylvaner a crisp finish rather than a sticky sugary finish. When these two parcels are combined, we get a blend of fresh, crisp and intense fruit which develops the kerosene-based aromatics — reminiscent of the great Rieslings. The resulting wine is consistently great, a match made in heaven with cheese, fruit and creamy desserts.”
James Halliday’s 2008 Wine Companion states that “.. the (Ballandean) estate specialty, Sylvaner Late Harvest, is a particularly interesting wine of great character and flavour if given 10 years bottle age”.
“Our Sylvaner vintages wines are on the whole made to be drunk young, with crisp acid and slight spritz. But will still age gracefully with magnificent flavour,”
says Rhymer.
How Sylvaner came to be planted at Ballandean Estate
One of Australia’s leading wine scientists, Dr Bryce Rankin, in a 1973 discussion with Ballandean Estate owner Angelo Puglisi, suggested that Sylvaner and Chenin Blanc would grow well on the Granite Belt. Dr Rankin was principal research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute, which he helped establish, for over 20 years, and author of hundreds of scientific papers.
That year estate owner Angelo Puglisi planted approximately 1.5 acres of Sylvaner on two blocks at Ballandean Estate. The first vintages from 1973 to to 1985 were made as a dry table wine style. In 1985 Angelo employed winemaker Rodney Hooper, whom with some other young winemakers, had become interested in the production of dessert wines. Controlled environment botrytis was experimented with but was not successful. So the cane cutting method was employed and had good results. The 1985 Sylvaner was born.
