Nourish to Flourish at Rockpool Sydney
Here at Rockpool we, alongside many other Sydney restaurants, are showing support to small businesses affected so greatly by the devastating Victorian bushfires.
In addition to the Sommelier’s Focus on Victoria’s Yarra and High Country wines our bar menu features a nourish to flourish dish; Jamondul Serrano Ham with Pickled Walnuts, $24. This dish has been created using produce from Victoria’s pristine High Country and Yarra Valley and by enjoying it you’ll be supporting Victoria’s bushfire affected small businesses.
Sommelier’s Focus
Nourish to Flourish
‘Sydney supports Victorian small businesses after the February bushfires.
Nourish your taste buds to help the small businesses of the Yarra and High Country flourish.’
From the 13th of May, in support of those regions affected by the February bushfires, Sydney restaurants are showing their support by promoting food and wine from the affected regions in Victoria.
The Rockpool wine team has selected a number of great wines from the affected regions to showcase them on our Sommelier Focus page.
Sparkling 120 ml
2004 Yarrabank Cuvée Pinot Noir, Chardonnay Sparkling Yarra Valley Glass 18.00 Bottle 90.00
Made at Yering Station, this Sparkling wine is made in conjuction with the French Champagne house Devaux. The wine has great poise and balance, aged for 4 years on lees. It has an attractive yeasty nose with blossom, lime and almond. The palate is lively and focused, vibrant, floral and fine textured with a wealth of intensity.
White 150 ml
2007 Gembrook Hill Sauvignon Blanc Yarra Valley Glass 17.00 Bottle 80.00
Winemakers Timo Mayer and Andrew Marks have chosen to make an elegant and textural style of Sauvignon Blanc by fermenting 50% of the wine in old French oak barrels. On the nose the wine is restrained with herbs and fresh grass, reminiscent of a French Sancerre. The palate has a wet stone minerality with prominent citrus characters and a long finish.
2008 Hoddles Creek Pinot Gris Yarra Valley Glass 13.00 Bottle 60.00
Wine maker Franco D’Anna allows only minimal intervention in the winery, letting nature do its best when making his wines. His Pinot Gris has prominent pear and spice aromas. The palate is clean and crisp with ripe pear and apple characters showing through, followed by a lifted mineral finish.
2004 Yarra Yarra Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon Yarra Valley Glass 23.00 Bottle 110.00
Grown and made by the Maclean family this carefully oaked white Bordeaux blend displays a nose with light herbal fragrance, fresh lemon, gooseberry and melon with dusty vanilla oak. The palate is creamy and mouthfilling with lemon and melon fruit, a slight hebaceous character and tightly knit oak, finishing long and seamless.
2001 Tahbilk Marsanne Upper Goulburn Glass 14.00 Bottle 65.00
From Central Victoria, Tahbilk has been producing Marsanne since 1927 and boasts some of the oldest Marsanne vines in the world. This unwooded style is aged, with intense aromas of lemon, peach and honeysuckle. On the palate, the wine has developed beautiful complexity with toast, honey and spice.
2007 Giant Steps ‘Sexton Vineyard’ Chardonnay Yarra Valley Glass 17.00 Bottle 80.00
Named after the first solo album of John Coltrane, Giant Steps was first released in 2001. Winemaker Steve Flamsteed is looking for distictive expression of single vineyard sites. The resulting wine is restrained and complex with lemon-citrus, melon and stonefruit characters. Its intensity and persistence is driven by cool conditions and flinty soil.
Yarra Valley and High Country, Victoria
All of these vineyards have been directly affected by the bushfires in some way with loss of tourism, vines and in some cases the winery itself. The 2009 vintage has also been dramatically affected by smoke and heat damage.
All of the featured wines, by-the-glass or bottle are from Victoria’s High Country or the Yarra Valley, and by enjoying them you’ll be supporting bush fire affected small businesses get back on their feet.
Red 150 ml
2005 Labyrinth ‘Viggers Vineyard’ Pinot Noir Yarra Valley Glass 19.00 Bottle 90.00
Owner and Winemaker Ariki Hill has the rare opportunity of making great Pinot Noir in the Yarra Valley but also in California’s Santa Maria Valley. His Yarra Valley version displays a delicate perfume of raspberries, cherries and restrained cedar/vanilla oak. A palate of juicy red cherry and raspberry finishes with nuances of spice and cedar.
2004 Chrismont ‘La Zona’ Barbera King Valley Glass 12.00 Bottle 55.00
Winemaker Warren Proft specialises in Italian varietals utilizing sustainable practices. The La Zona Barbera is deep and rich with intense plum and blackberry aromas. A concentration of elegant spicy plum, chocolate, blackberries and toasty vanilla notes on the palate is matched with crisp acidity and soft tannins.
2003 Pizzini Nebbiolo King Valley Glass 26.00 Bottle 125.00
Winemakers Alfred and Joel Pizzini have a passion for producing Italian Varietals. The 2003 Nebbiolo has a savoury aged bouquet with mellow leather and earth charaters. The palate is tight and firm with vigorous tannins great concentration of fruit including violets and dried rose petals, liquorice and spice, tar and tobacco.
2003 Yarra Yarra ‘Cabernets’ Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc Yarra Valley Glass 26.00 Bottle 125.00
Ian Maclean owner and winemaker at Yarra Yarra has been making the wine since the first vintage in 1983. You could say that he listens to the grapes and treats them gently. The wine is highly perfumed with violets and red fruit. Generous on the palate with fine grained tannins and a lingering, invigorating violet and spice finish.
2005 Yering Station Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Glass 13.00 Bottle 60.00
From the site of the Yarra Valley’s first plantings, the 2005 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon diplays aromas of sweet blackcurrant, mulberry, chocolate, mocha and cedary oak. Medium to full bodied on the palate with sweet raspberry and violet undertones. A round and supple style with fine, ripe tannins. Well structured and classically elegant.
2006 Giaconda ‘Warner’ Shiraz Beechworth Glass 38.00 Bottle 185.00
From the foot of the Victorian Alps, Rick Kinzbrunner has made Giaconda one of Australia’s icon wineries. This vintage is Rhone-like on the nose with savoury charcuterie, graphite and brambles with real depth of aroma. The palate displays fresh spicy Shiraz fruit characters with underlying power and flavour, balanced firm and fine tannins.
Dessert 120 ml
2006 Yering Station Late Harvest Riesling Yarra Valley Glass 17.00 Bottle 50.00
The Yarra Valley Riesling grapes in this wine were hand picked late in the season. The berries were naturally sun concentrated. A fresh, light style with amazing balance of viscosity and acidity. Luscious honey and brioche with the freshness of nashi pear and lemon complemented by great natural acidity and minerality.
Fortified 60 ml
Campbells ‘Liquid Gold’ Tokay Rutherglen Glass 18.00
From the Mucadelle grape, Campbells Tokay is made using a solera system. An intense, rich and luscious wine with hints of candied peel, cold tea, toffee, honey and citrus on the nose. The palate is intense with malt and toffee and great rancio characters. A wine of power with a luscious yet clean finish.
Tags: nourish to flourish, Rockpool Sydney, Victorian Bushfire Appeal, wine