Dappled
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Shaun Crinion brings a tonne of diverse wine making experience to his own Dappled label, which, since its inception in 2009 has been headed in only one direction.
A combination of enviable fruit sources in and around the Yarra as well as astute yet minimal interventionist wine making has seen his wines fly.
He aims to express the sub-regionality of the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir the main focus. His whites are driving, chiseled iterations with his Pinot expressing structure and complexity oft reserved for the top cru of Burgundy.
Dappled ‘Appellation’ Chardonnay 2022
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Region Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Grape: Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
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All fruit is hand-picked and cooled overnight, followed by whole bunches being lightly crushed by foot before a long pressing when the un-sulphured juice is transferred straight to oak. The oak is a combination of 80% old and 20% new French Barriques, Puncheons and Demi-Muids. Ferments are allowed to start naturally (wild) and complete with no temperature control. The wine is not battonaged and left on lees for 10 months where some MLF may have occurred, but not encouraged, and SO2 is added when the wine is ready for it. The wine is lightly filtered before being bottled un-fined.
Shaun's wines are consistently some of my favourite out of the Yarra, and out of Australia for that matter, especially when you consider their affordable price. There isn't a better winemaker when it comes to the quality/price ratio. Chardonnay is perhaps Shaun's strongest suit, with this, the Appellation release, always brimming with energy. It's a wine built on fleshy acidity, but that is not to suggest that it is lean. Rather, dripping off that line of acid is generous white peach, nectarine, red apple and bronzed orchard fruit, with an underlay of cashew nut and macadamia below the surface. Lovers of Chablis should explore both this wine and Shaun's single vineyard Chardonnay release. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Dappled ‘Les Verges’ Chardonnay 2022
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Region Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Grape: Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
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The fruit is hand-picked and cooled overnight. Whole bunches are lightly crushed by foot before a long pressing when the un-sulphured juice is transferred straight to oak. The oak is a combination of old (75%) and new (25%) French barriques and puncheons. Ferments are allowed to start naturally (wild) and complete with no temperature control. The wine is not battonaged and left on lees for 10 months in oak and a further 5 months on lees in stainless steel. Some MLF may have occurred but not encouraged and SO2 is added when the wine is ready for it. The wine is lightly filtered before being bottled un-fined by hand via gravity.
With an impressive CV of international winemaking experience, assisting at producers including Williams Selyem (California) and Domaine de Montille (Burgundy), Shaun has learnt from the best when it comes to making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And it shows. This wine is a continuation of style coming from his 'Appellation' release, where flavours are taut and nicely drawn out in a long and linear fashion, yet with ample fruit weight in the middle palate. This wine, the single vineyard release, comes from a site called Les Verges in the Yarra and really champions transparency and purity. Red and green apple, white stone fruit, sherbet, lime peel and citrus oil all make an appearance. There's a real zing to the acid, like touching an electric fence, but the perfectly weighted ripeness of fruit provides support as the wine drives on and on. Serious, modern, fantastic Australian Chardonnay. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Dappled ‘Champs de Cerises’ Pinot Noir 2022
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Region Macclesfield, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Grape: Pionot Noir
ABV: 13%
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From Macclesfield at approximately 250m above sea level, all MV6 clone, 25% new oak (large format) and 30% whole bunch.
A delightful, medium-bodied and seamless Pinot Noir from Shaun with a perfect balance of ripe fruit (blood plum, dark cherry, wild strawberry) amongst savoury elements of brown earth, twig and rhubarb. The use of whole bunch is totally effortless and adds freshness and savoury tones all at once. It’s got elegance and approachability all bundled up in one. Fantastic. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Dappled ‘Tradition’ Cabernets 2022
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Region: Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield oin the Yarra Valley, Victoria
Grape: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
ABV: 13%
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From vines planted in 1981. Of all the regions making Cabernet and Cabernet blends in Australia, I have a real soft spot for the Yarra. Generally the wines are much more gentle in approach than those from Coonawarra, for example. This shows only moderate alcohol and moderate tannin, all within a medium bodied frame. It’s open-knit and somewhat old-school in its delivery of cassis, brown leaf and crumbly brown earth flavours. As always with Shaun’s wines, this doesn’t look for extraction, weight or power, but excels in its delivery of a seamless, delicious and particularly drinkable claret. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
