We are two Americans, living in Amsterdam, making wine in Australia…

Sucette and Nichon

Sucette and Nichon



 

Sucette

 

 

Grenache is one of the world's most widely planted grapes & at it's best, it is one of the great wines of the world. That said, there are actually very few examples worthy of bestowing such a designation upon them.

It takes all of the right ingredients, including such things as soil, climate, & a soft touch in the winery. The soil, in particular, matters a ton.

We believe that the prettiest of all Grenache comes from old vines grown in sandy soils.

In sand the colors are lighter...

(& who cares, you neither taste nor smell color) & the wine develops all of the beautiful, floral, high-toned aromatics that give allure & sex appeal.

We have come to regard it as the well-endowed, warm climate analogy of Pinot Noir.

We make the trek from Amsterdam to South Australia in order to work with some of the oldest Grenache vines on the planet, growing in sandy soils.

Our own vineyard, The Rza Block (estimated to have been planted between 1860-1880), is situated in the heart of the Vine Vale in the Barossa Valley in deep, white beach-like sand. The vines are head-trained, own-rooted and dry-grown.
Harvest is a fairly simple affair, pick the grapes & haul them across the country road to the winery...

where we ferment, partially whole-cluster, in outdoor open-top fermenters.

A pass through the traditional Barossan basket press & then the wine hangs out for a year or so in only old French oak barrels.

 

In keeping with the belief that it's not what you wear, it's how you wear it, we believe the 'old' barrels give the wine time to find itself, preserve the purity of soil & grape, & set itself up for longevity.
The result is an elegant, sumptuous, sexy, delicious bottle that finds its way onto our table rather frequently.

 

We hope you enjoy it too.

 

 

⨷ 2014 - Sucette -  Details

⨷ 2015 - Sucette -  Details

⨷ 2016 - Sucette -  Details

⨷ 2017 - Sucette -  Details

⨷ 2018 - Sucette -  Details

 

 

Nichon

 

 

We love Semillon. We think Semillon is one of the greatest white grapes in all the land...

Some people would say that’s crazy talk but we’d just say hey, differences make the world go round, and of course there’s always room on the Semillon bandwagon once you see the light.

That said, we’re making our white wine from a grape that is not a household name principally because we love it and believe in it.

As sommeliers we were (and as former somms, still are) fortunate enough to drink a ton of great wine.

Somewhere along the way one develops preferences and keeps returning to those wines that really tug at the strings of one’s heart.

For us, this meant wines like Chateau Musar Blanc, Fiorano’s Semillon bottling, Haut Brion Blanc, Kalin Cellars Semillon, The Willows, Tyrell’s and other such lovely things. The common denominator, of course, is Semillon.

It’s only natural that we’d want to make one too.

Nichon is 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc.

We are lucky enough to work with an old-vine parcel of Semillon from a vineyard down the road from our Rza Block (the heart of Sucette); the vines are 60-65 years of age, dry-grown, and own-rooted in the deep sand of the Vine Vale.

The vineyard itself is feral; the owner prunes once and picks at harvest. Other than that, the vines are left to their own devices.

We believe hard-won fruit is very special.

 

That old Semillon in addition to a splash of bright young Sauvignon Blanc creates the perfect balance in our minds: the snappy SB helps to corset the velvety Semillon fruit.

Winemaking is simple:

a 12 hour basket press for the Semillon and Sauv Blanc, then straight to second-use French oak barrels to ferment in the cold room. After 10-12 months in barrel the wine is racked to tank for a few months and then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

 

Be excited.

 

 

⨷ 2015 - Nichon -  Details

⨷ 2016 - Nichon -  Details

⨷ 2017 - Nichon -  Details

⨷ 2018 - Nichon -  Details