Wine of the Year at London Wine Competition for Margaret River’s Gralyn Estate
Gralyn Estate needs a bigger trophy room after it was awarded overall winner, the prized ‘Wine of the Year’ yesterday at the prestigious London Wine Competition for its fortified wine, the Artizan Rare Muscat NV.
The only wine to score 97 points, the Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat NV was also awarded ‘Best in Show by Country’ and ‘Best Wine of the Year by Quality’ from 1,300 wines that were submitted from 36 countries including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia.
The Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat NV has won 11 other trophies including 2021 ANZ Boutique Wine Show, the Global Fine Wine Challenge and scored 95 Points and Gold at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, further cementing Gralyn Estate as a preeminent name in Australian fortified winemaking.
Fortified wines are a speciality of Gralyn Estate. The Artizan Rare Muscat NV is produced using the Solera System, a winemaking practice where younger wines are blended in barrels storing older wines and hence termed non-vintage or NV. The solera in the Artizan Rare Muscat NV dates back 40 years.
The London Wine Competition states:
“The award winner at the 2022 London Wine Competition, Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat, is matured in old oak casks and is a limited release. Everything about this wine is exquisite — from flavour to label. It is rich and sports intense flavours of raisin and toffee. This exquisiteness also reflects in the intricate label which is an original artwork by Merilyn Hutton.”
Gralyn Estate was founded in Wilyabrup in 1975 and was the first to open a commercial cellar door in Margaret River in 1978.
Owners and winemakers Scott and Annette Baxter took the helm of Gralyn Estate two years ago from Annette’s parents, founders Graham and Merilyn Hutton.
Scott Baxter says that each year they only bottle a small amount of Artizan Rare Muscat so the wine holds its freshness.
“The quality of the fruit, barrel age, blending and freshening is what makes this such a great fortified,” Scott says.
“Very old brandy barrels are used to store the Artizan, so as not to impart too much oak character, allowing it to develop rancio complexity.
“These wines are precious as there is considerable loss each year from evaporation, what’s described as the Angel’s Share, and this gives the wine its power.
“The vineyard is mature, low yielding and produces lovely juicy fruit, which is very perfumed when young - think, Turkish delight and rose petals, and as this material matures, we start to see more intense flavours of raisin and toffee.
“We're winning accolades now because Annette’s parents had the foresight 40 years ago to barrel age this beautiful wine.
“They knew it was special, they knew it had its place and they believed that they were on to something for which we’re very grateful, because now we're reaping the rewards of their vision and hard work,” says Scott.
Gralyn Estate was also awarded Gold for both its 2017 and 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at the London Wine Competition, and its Chardonnay awarded bronze.
Visit www.gralyn.com.au for more information.
London Wine Competition Judges Tasting Notes
Rich, dense character with good acidity and pronounced aromas of toffee, raisins, candied fruit, chocolate, mocha and dates. Generous palate with notes of toast, caramel and raisins and a complex long finish.
Gralyn Estate needs a bigger trophy room after it was awarded overall winner, the prized ‘Wine of the Year’ yesterday at the prestigious London Wine Competition for its fortified wine, the Artizan Rare Muscat NV.
The only wine to score 97 points, the Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat NV was also awarded ‘Best in Show by Country’ and ‘Best Wine of the Year by Quality’ from 1,300 wines that were submitted from 36 countries including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia.
The Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat NV has won 11 other trophies including 2021 ANZ Boutique Wine Show, the Global Fine Wine Challenge and scored 95 Points and Gold at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, further cementing Gralyn Estate as a preeminent name in Australian fortified winemaking.
Fortified wines are a speciality of Gralyn Estate. The Artizan Rare Muscat NV is produced using the Solera System, a winemaking practice where younger wines are blended in barrels storing older wines and hence termed non-vintage or NV. The solera in the Artizan Rare Muscat NV dates back 40 years.
The London Wine Competition states:
“The award winner at the 2022 London Wine Competition, Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat, is matured in old oak casks and is a limited release. Everything about this wine is exquisite — from flavour to label. It is rich and sports intense flavours of raisin and toffee. This exquisiteness also reflects in the intricate label which is an original artwork by Merilyn Hutton.”
Gralyn Estate was founded in Wilyabrup in 1975 and was the first to open a commercial cellar door in Margaret River in 1978.
Owners and winemakers Scott and Annette Baxter took the helm of Gralyn Estate two years ago from Annette’s parents, founders Graham and Merilyn Hutton.
Scott Baxter says that each year they only bottle a small amount of Artizan Rare Muscat so the wine holds its freshness.
“The quality of the fruit, barrel age, blending and freshening is what makes this such a great fortified,” Scott says.
“Very old brandy barrels are used to store the Artizan, so as not to impart too much oak character, allowing it to develop rancio complexity.
“These wines are precious as there is considerable loss each year from evaporation, what’s described as the Angel’s Share, and this gives the wine its power.
“The vineyard is mature, low yielding and produces lovely juicy fruit, which is very perfumed when young - think, Turkish delight and rose petals, and as this material matures, we start to see more intense flavours of raisin and toffee.
“We're winning accolades now because Annette’s parents had the foresight 40 years ago to barrel age this beautiful wine.
“They knew it was special, they knew it had its place and they believed that they were on to something for which we’re very grateful, because now we're reaping the rewards of their vision and hard work,” says Scott.
Gralyn Estate was also awarded Gold for both its 2017 and 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at the London Wine Competition, and its Chardonnay awarded bronze.
Visit www.gralyn.com.au for more information.
London Wine Competition Judges Tasting Notes
Rich, dense character with good acidity and pronounced aromas of toffee, raisins, candied fruit, chocolate, mocha and dates. Generous palate with notes of toast, caramel and raisins and a complex long finish.
RSS Feed
