If I drank more bubbles I could have been tempted by the 2010 Bubbleduck (70% Pinot and 30 % Chardonnay $52), but it was the 2013 Riesling ($28) that attracted my attention. I am, after all, a dedicated Riesling fan, and this was a good ‘un, (tropical) fruit driven with an attractive nose and zesty acid on the finish.
I skipped the 2013 Bazil Sauvignon Blanc ($28) on the basis of the residual sugar level (30 grams) but was quite taken with the 2012 Chardonnay ($36), a new style Oz Chardy that’d go rather well with my favourite roast chook and the fruit driven 2012 Pinot Noir ($44). I snaffled a bottle of the latter to go with dinner later in the piece. Silky tannins and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel had me pencilling a couple of bottles into a mixed dozen if we were heading this way on Day Thirteen. Should go well with lamb and mushroom dishes and the website suggests a mushroom risotto, which is a LHoC specialty.
It isn’t easy to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon in the Apple Isle, but I had no qualms about the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($45), fruit driven and sourced from a vineyard further inland in the Coal River Valley.
The major hit of the visit was the Verjuice ($22), non-fermented juice of wine grapes, usually reserved for cooking purposes but here, sourced from premium grapes, intended for drinking as well. At the price, which is rather steep if you’re looking for something for a salad dressing or marinade. I reckon it’d add a dash of something to a risotto and the website suggests it’ll last up to six weeks in the fridge, so there’s a chance for something grapey and non-alcoholic over ice through the summer. Very tasty and definitely worth further investigation.
Our final day schedule had a window that would permit a return visit to Puddleduck, and if that doesn't materialize there's the Internet. As previously mentioned, they don't do retail outlets.