Restaurant-Dining Critiques

Fonty’s Pool wines presented by Wine Connection, Tel. 66 2 234 0388, with special thanks to Darawadee Prom-in (Tie)

Fonty’s Pool Winery

Cellar door opening 10am-4:30pm daily
Contact: info@fontyspoolwines.com.au
Website: www.fontyspoolwines.com.au
Winery address: Seven Day Road, Manjimup
P.O. Box 465, Manjimup WA 6258
Tel. +61 8 9777 0777
Fax +61 8 9777 0788

Following is a listing from James Halliday Australian Wine Companion of some of Fonty’s Pool current wines from:

Fonty’s Pool has again been awarded 5 Red Stars from James Halliday
5 Red Stars is recognition for having a long track record of excellence
“Truly the best of the best a 5‐Star winery”

Single Vineyard Pemberton Chardonnay 2008 Bright straw‐green; a chardonnay with the precision of a Swiss watch, a highly fragrant bouquet ranging through citrus and white flesh stone fruit, the palate picking up those flavours, then adding a fine veneer of oak and a mineral backbone to the package. Screwcap. 13% alc. Rating 96 Drink 2017 $22 Date Tasted Feb 10

Lucia Limited Release Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008 Bright quartz‐green a 50/50 blend with some oak infusion; a totally brilliant winemaking exercise, the wine building lemony flavour progressively through the length of the palate and aftertaste in the manner of a great Burgundy. Screwcap. 12% alc. Rating 95 Drink 2012 $22 Date Tasted Feb 10

Single Vineyard Pemberton Pinot Noir 2009 Light crimson; fragrant red cherry and spice aromas, then a relatively light‐bodied savoury/spicy/cherry palate that has excellent texture, structure and, above all, length. Screwcap. 13% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2015 $19.80 Date Tasted Feb 10

Single Vineyard Pemberton Chardonnay 2007 Classic cool‐grown chardonnay with a racy mix of grapefruit, mineral and stone fruit, oak somewhere in the mix, although never obvious. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2017 $22 Date Tasted Sep 09

Single Vineyard Pemberton Merlot 2008 Varietal character is first, second and last in defining the wine, fusing cassis, spice and a touch of black olive into a seamless and very well balanced palate. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 92 Drink 2014 $22 Date Tasted Sep 09

Single Vineyard Pemberton Cabernet Merlot 2008 This is a convincing cool region blend, with attractive cassis/blackcurrant flavours offset by fine, savoury tannins. A case of less is more. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 91 Drink 2016 $17 Date Tasted Sep 09

Single Vineyard Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2009 Interesting wine; while the flavours are in the grass/citrus spectrum, the palate has more weight than many of this vintage, and a touch of tropical fruit; lees contact? Screwcap. 12% alc. Rating 90 Drink 2012 $19.80 Date Tasted Sep 09

Puddle Jumper Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2009 There’s lots of activity on the label, and lots of activity in the glass too; ripe tropical fruit is offset by touches of grass and herb great for a casual glass or two. Screwcap. 12.4% alc. Rating 89 Drink 2012 $15 Date Tasted Feb 10

Puddle Jumper Pemberton Merlot Shiraz Malbec 2008 Bright hue; a light‐ to medium‐bodied wine with an array of plum and fruit cake flavours, fine tannins and a touch of oak; no need for cerebral effort. Screwcap. 14% alc. Rating 88 Drink 2013 $15 Date Tasted Feb 10

Lucia Pemberton Sparkling Brut Chardonnay 2008 Well balanced and fresh, with plenty of citrussy fruit; not complex. Cork. 13% alc. Rating 87 Drink 2012 $26 Date Tasted Feb 10

Paul McArdle, CEO, Fonty’s Pool Winery.  Paul’s long involvement in the wine industry has been varied:

He has been a lecturer for the West Australian Wine Education Centre, focusing on the specialty international wine courses. He also provides specialist international wine education for the sales staff at ‘Negociants Australia’ (National wine distribution company).

Paul is the consultant wine buyer and staff educator for the award winning ‘Must’ wine bar in Perth (since 2004). He writes a quarterly wine article for Box magazine and is a wine panel judge for Scoop magazine.  In addition, he earned a “Master of Wine” degree from the demanding UK based tasting exam in 2003. Mr McArdle is currently the CEO of Fonty’s Pool winery in Pemberton, WA.

La Tavola Restaurant, Renaissance Ratchaprasong Hotel, Bangkok

Above: a couple of Chef Fabio Polidori unique creations for the four course dinner.

I am usually not a big fan of Australian wines as the bottles I have sampled, over the years, were overall too heavy and some contained as much as 14 – 15% alcohol. Fonty’s Pool “cool climate” wines were a very pleasant surprise, displaying a great deal of finesse and elegance with most of the wines weighing in at a pleasant 12 – 13.5%. Especially good were the Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion and a delightful Pinot Noir.