50th Jimmy Watson Trophy – Glaetzer-DIxon achieves a first for Tasmania
The 2011 Royal Melbourne Wine Show-stopper!
Media release
Winemaker Nick Glaetzer, maker of the 2011 Jimmy Watson Trophy winning wine [©VisitVineyards.com]
The results for the 2011 Royal Melbourne Wine Show conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria have been announced, including the 50th Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy winner; Glaetzer-Dixon Mon Père Shiraz 2010, which is the first Jimmy Watson Trophy win for Tasmania. Mon Père also won The Dan Murphy’s Trophy for the Best Rhone Style or Shiraz.
In 2005, Mon Père winemaker Nick Glaetzer moved from the Barossa to Tasmania, where he has pursued his passion for experimentation and challenging wine convention; in 2011 he won one of the wine industry’s most sought-after awards.
The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy is named after the legendary Jimmy Watson and the trophy has been presented every year since 1962 at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show for the best one- or two-year-old red wine.
The awarding of the Jimmy Watson Trophy to a Tasmanian wine attests to the state’s emergence as one of Australia’s most important cool climate terroirs and is an exciting first for Tasmania.
Mon Père is a cool climate shiraz, made from grapes sourced from vineyards in the the Upper Derwent and Coal River Valleys in Southern Tasmania. The wine was fermented in half-tonne open fermenters, hand-plunged and matured in new and seasoned French oak barriques.
The top wines of the 2011 Royal Melbourne Wine Show were widely lauded by the diverse judging panel, with several wineries this year awarded multiple trophies:
The Victorian Government Trophy for Best Victorian Table Wine, The Douglas Seabrook Single Vineyard Trophy and The Dan Murphy’s Trophy for the Best Chardonnay were awarded to Yabby Lake International’s winemaker Tom Carson for the handpicked and whole-bunch-pressed Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010.
Winning three trophies is an outstanding achievement for Yabby Lake and certainly sets their Single Vineyard Chardonnay apart as one of the finest produced in 2010.
The François De Castella Trophy for the Best Young White Wine was presented to Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2010; a Margaret River, batch-selected chardonnay.
The winery also won The Dan Murphy's Trophy for the Best Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Blend for their Vasse Felix Semillon 2010, both made by chief winemaker and Perth native, Virginia Willcock.
The inaugural Bill Chambers Trophy for Best Fortified in Show was awarded to Morris Cellar Reserve Liqueur Muscat NV, made by fifth generation Morris winemaker, David Morris, custodian of more than 150 years of family tradition.
Morris Wines were also awarded The Riedel Trophy for Best Muscat or Sweet Wine.
Over four days of judging, 3298 wines from 538 exhibitors were tasted by the 33-strong judging panel, led by Chairman of Judges, David Bicknell. The judging panel awarded 19 trophies to the best-of-the-best in Australian wine.
Two trophies were not awarded, the Trophy for the Best Early Drinking Rosé and Light Red (Classes 16 & 17) and The Kubota Trophy for the Best Single Varietal and Blend Style (Classes 25, 33 & 45). Although some strong exhibits in both classes, no gold medals were awarded. The judges commented on a number of issues including lack of varietal character, some winemaking faults and high levels of residual sugar in the Rosé and Light Red classes.
Judging alongside national wine experts were international judges, Tim Wildman MW and Fongyee Walker of Beijing, providing a global perspective to the RMWS.
Wildman and Walker were thrilled with the energetic buzz and healthy debate amongst the judges. Wildman commented on the ‘extremely high quality of judges, with outstanding technical knowledge. The top wines showed impressive sophistication and elegance; I’m continually astounded by the great leaps made in quality Australian wine.’
Walker said, ‘I’m the last person to need to be convinced about the quality of Australian wine; I have made so many discoveries here and been so impressed by the excellence on show, the industry is in terrific shape.’
Chairman of Judges, David Bicknell said that, ‘There were some wonderful examples of sensitively-grown wines, with fragrance, complexity and texture. We saw the real emergence of single vineyard wines, from small producers, but some outstanding examples from established and larger producers. It was a privilege to lead the judging panel that chose the 50th Jimmy Watson Trophy.’
RASV Chief Executive, Mark O’Sullivan, said ‘The Royal Melbourne Wine Show is the vehicle for Australian wine producers, large and small to benchmark their wines amongst the best of the best. In the RMWS’s 127 year history, The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria has worked closely with the industry, its exhibitors, the Wine Show Committee and the many judges and industry professionals associated with the Show who assisted to make the Royal Melbourne Wine Show what it is today.
‘We are committed to staying at the forefront of wine style evolution and winemaking trends and this year, in close consultation with the industry, introduced a new fortified trophy, changed the eligibility for the Jimmy Watson to bottled wine only and reduced the Single Vineyard class minimum production to embrace boutique producers. We are delighted with the response to the changes we have made to the Show this year and the results which include some of Australia’s finest wineries and winemakers winning our stable of prestigious trophies.’
2011 Major Trophies
The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for the Best Red Wine of the 2009 and 2010 Vintages:
Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers, Tasmania – Mon Père Shiraz 2010
2011 marks the 50th anniversary of The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, one of the wine industry’s most sought-after awards. Named after the legendary Jimmy Watson, who championed table wine at his wine bar, which celebrates its 75th year of family trading, the trophy has been presented in his memory every year since 1962 at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show for the best one- or two-year-old red wine.
The 50th Jimmy Watson Trophy winner is the fifth trophy for the Glaetzer family and a first for Tasmania. With Mon Père, winemaker Nick Glaetzer pays homage to his father Colin Glaetzer; a Baron of Barossa. In 2005, Nick Glaetzer moved from the Barossa to strike out on his own in Tasmania.
Nick has been able to combine his passion for experimentation with his rich family history of Barossa shiraz winemaking to produce this outstanding wine.
The Victorian Government Trophy for Best Victorian Table Wine:
Yabby Lake International, Victoria – Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010
The Victorian Government Trophy for Best Victorian Table Wine is presented on behalf of the Victorian Government in recognition of excellence in the Victorian Wine Industry. It is awarded to the exhibitor of the Best Victorian Table Wine in Show. Wines entered are made from 100% Victorian grapes vintaged in Victoria.
The 2011 Victorian Government Trophy-winner is Yabby Lake International vineyard, for their Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010.
Yabby Lake International is in the Moorooduc sub-region of Mornington Peninsula. Positioned on a north-facing slope, the site captures maximum daily sunshine and is nightly refreshed by the maritime breezes; the perfect conditions for growing high quality chardonnay.
The Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay is hand selected from a number of blocks from the Yabby Lake Vineyard. The fruit was handpicked and whole-bunch-pressed into tight-grain French oak barriques, with each block handled separately in the winery. Fermentation commenced naturally and the wine was matured on lees, without malolactic fermentation.
Founded by Robert and Mem Kirby, Yabby Lake is under the custodianship of General Manager and Chief Winemaker, Tom Carson.
The François De Castella Trophy for the Best Young White Wine:
Vasse Felix, Western Australia – Heytesbury Chardonnay 2010
The Francois De Castella Trophy is one of the Royal Melbourne Wine Show’s marquee awards. The trophy is named in honour of François Robert De Castella (1867-1953), a Swiss-born pioneer Victorian viticulturalist and winemaker who wrote the influential Handbook on Viticulture for Victoria and as the state’s viticultural expert, helped the fledgling industry through very difficult times during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This year’s trophy-winning Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay is a barrel selection from the very best Chardonnay parcels from Vasse Felix’s 2010 vintage. Small batches were selected from the finest sections of the best vineyards and clones. This complex and elegant Margaret River Chardonnay is wild yeast fermented and matured in French oak barriques with battonage. This allowed the yeast lees to impart further complexity, texture and palate weight. With bright, natural acidity a priority, no malolactic fermentation was encouraged. Heytesbury wines are the pinnacle in Vasse Felix expression and the name Heytesbury draws from the ancestral home of Vasse Felix owners, the Holmes à Court Family.
The Douglas Seabrook Single Vineyard Trophy
Yabby Lake International, Victoria – Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010
The Douglas Seabrook Single Vineyard Trophy is a prestigious annual Royal Melbourne Wine Show award named after iconic 1970s Australian wine judge and commentator Douglas Seabrook. To qualify for this award, all exhibits must be produced using at least 95% of fruit from an individually named vineyard and the vineyard name must appear on the wine’s commercial label.
The 2011 Douglas Seabrook Single Vineyard trophy-winner, Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay, is hand selected from a number of blocks from the Yabby Lake Vineyard. The fruit was handpicked and whole-bunchpressed into tight-grain French oak barriques, with each block handled separately in the winery. Fermentation commenced naturally and the wine was matured on lees, without malolactic fermentation. Founded by Robert and Mem Kirby, Yabby Lake is under the custodianship of General Manager and Chief Winemaker, Tom Carson.
The Bill Chambers Trophy for Best Fortified in Show:
Morris Wines, Victoria – Cellar Reserve Liqueur Muscat NV
The Bill Chambers Trophy for Best Fortified Wine is a new trophy in 2011, awarded to the best fortified in show and adjudicated by a panel of specialist fortified judges. It recognises the outstanding achievements of Rutherglen legend, Bill Chambers, both for his contribution to Victorian fortified wine and his role with the Royal Melbourne Wine Show as Chairman of Judges for 25 years.
The inaugural Bill Chambers Trophy-winning fortified was made by the historic Morris Wines, which was established in 1859. The ‘Brown Muscat’ grapes (a clone of muscat aux petit grains rouge) for the Liqueur Muscat were handpicked before undergoing partial fermentation and fortification.
The fortified Muscat matured over many years in casks and barrels before meticulous blending of a range of vintages. The youngest material provides freshness to the bouquet, and the older vintages lusciousness, intensity and richness.
2011 Trophies
Best Chardonnay
Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010
Best Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Vasse Felix Semillon 2010
Best Aged Semillon
Tempus Two Copper Zenith Semillon 2007
Best Aromatic White
3Drops Riesling 2011
Best Pinot Noir
Medhurst Pinot Noir 2010
Best Claret Style or Cabernet Sauvignon
Amberley Secret Lane Cabernet Merlot 2010
Best Rhone Style or Shiraz
Glaetzer-DIxon Mon Père Shiraz 2010
Best Australian Style
Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz Cabernet 2009
Best Red Mediterranean Style
Brown Brothers Graciano 2009
Best Sparkling
Brown Brothers Patricia Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2005
Best Sweet Style
Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon 2008
Best Mature Wine
Wigan Riesling 2005
Best Australian Fortified Red
Penfolds Grandfather NV
Best Muscat or Sweet Wine
Morris Cellar Reserve Liqueur Muscat NV
Best Early Drinking Rose & Light Red
Not awarded
Best Single Varietal & Blend Style
Not awarded
A full list of winners can be found on the RASV website here »
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