here<\/a>. But I can\u2019t believe it has been almost four years since we last caught up properly!<\/p>\nHe\u2019s currently in a happy place, after going through a more difficult period.<\/p>\n
’12 months ago I was discouraged,\u2019 he shares. The main problem was the arrival of phylloxera in the Yarra Valley, which was looking to threaten some of the older vineyards he’s working with. \u2018It\u2019s our biggest challenge,\u2019 he says. All the vineyards he leases are planted on their own roots; the youngest is 20 years old and the oldest is 38. And although Mac doesn\u2019t own any vineyards, he spends a lot of money on the ones he leases, and now has three skilled vineyard people working for him. \u2018It\u2019s a lot cheaper just to buy fruit.\u2019<\/p>\n
He takes a lot of care not to let phylloxera get into his vineyards, but some of the other wineries aren’t so careful. \u2018There are trucks turning up covered in dirt coming from regions in phylloxera zones from big wineries,\u2019 says Mac. He quarantines every vineyard in terms of equipment, and uses disposable body suits for pickers (who will have been in other vineyards). So the challenge now is to see how it is possible to get resistant rootstock into vineyards without sacrificing vine age. And Mac has a clever plan.<\/p>\n
The idea is to plant American rootstock vines as close as possible to existing trunks. Then, if phylloxera comes, he can graft this rootstock into the existing vine. Yes, the root system of the rootstock vine won\u2019t be fully developed. But vines don\u2019t die immediately from phylloxera, so there might be a five year handover period. It could just work.<\/p>\n
![\"OLYMPUS](\"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/P1010003-500x333.jpg\")
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Mac says he is learning a lot from seeing how his vines have adapted to the vineyard sites. An ex-employee of his is now doing a PhD on epigenetics and vine age. Are vines adjusting to the particular patch of dirt that they find themselves in? It\u2019s an interesting question.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve just had the finest vintage I have ever had,\u2019 says Mac. \u2018A few years ago I was pulling my hear out. It\u2019s a bloody interesting time to be in the Yarra.\u2019 He\u2019s now completed 10 years of his solo project. He\u2019s shifted his emphasis from valley floor vineyards by letting a couple go and taking on some new ones. He\u2019s also more relaxed about letting each site and vintage express itself. \u2018When we started, winemaking was outcome driven,\u2019 he says. \u2018We wanted to make wines that were elegant. Now, because of the strength of our key sites, I don\u2019t worry where the wines will end up. The outcome will take care of itself if we do everything right along the way.\u2019<\/p>\n
Mac has some interesting things to say about picking. There\u2019s no easy way to determine whether grapes are \u2018ripe\u2019 or not. On one site, he was ready to pick Pinot Noir because the tannins and acidity seemed just right, but there were no flavours in the grapes. But he picked anyway, and it turned out to be the Pinot with the most flavour and intensity in the winery. All the flavours were bound when they were in the grape, only to be revealed during the winemaking process. The key factors for him are the vitality and the tannins. He cites a two day difference in picking date in Woori; the earlier picked wine was vital, the wine made from grapes picked just two days later was dull.<\/p>\n
In warmer sites with his Pinot Noir he has been using more stems. After experimenting (trials are ongoing) he says he favours hand destemming (to protect the stems) and then adding the stems back, which seems to give the best results.<\/p>\n
We tasted some wines, although it was clear that Mac doesn\u2019t think they are all his best. He found 2013 a very hot year, and cautioned me that this isn\u2019t the most representative sample of what he\u2019s up to now. But they still tasted pretty smart.<\/p>\n
![\"OLYMPUS](\"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/P1010002-500x333.jpg\")
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Mac Forbes Woori Yallock Chardonnay 2013 Yarra Valley, Australia<\/strong>
\nTextured and fine with lovely pear, peach and citrus fruit, with just a hint of minerally matchstick. Lovely purity here with nice texture and real finesse. It may be from a very warm year but it is balanced and harmonious. 94\/100<\/p>\nMac Forbes RS16 Riesling 2013 Strathbogie Ranges, Australia<\/strong>
\nThe pressings weren\u2019t used this year. Mostly fermented in large oak (Stockinger). Very floral, rich and pure with textured fruit and a bit of sweetness. Lovely generosity and purity here, with silky lemony fruit. 92\/100<\/p>\nMac Forbes RS33 Riesling 2014 Strathbogie Ranges, Australia<\/strong>
\nVery pretty with melon, grapefruit and a bit of spice. Lively, intense and floral with a hint of ginger spice (skin derived). So lovely. 93\/100<\/p>\nMac Forbes Pinot Noir 2013 Yarra Valley, Australia<\/strong>
\nFresh and a bit peppery with a hint of ginger, and sweet focused berry fruits. Nice juicy, sappy style that\u2019s very drinkable. 91\/100<\/p>\nMac Forbes Coldtsream Pinot Noir 2012 Yarra Valley, Australia<\/strong>
\nThis is the only lower Yarra vineyard Mac works with now. Supple, sweet red cherry fruit with nice detail and precision, as well as some raspberry freshness. Detailed and fine, showing depth and freshness, even though it is from a warmer site. 94\/100<\/p>\nMac Forbes Hugh 2011 Yarra Valley, Australia<\/strong>
\nNamed after his father, this is a Bordeaux blend made from a vineyard in Gruyere that Mac started working with in 2007. \u2018This is the blend that built the Yarra,\u2019 says Mac, \u2018and no one shows respect to it. People say you can\u2019t make medium-bodied Cabernet any more. This is a lovely wine: fresh, gravelly and a bit spicy with a lovely mix of red fruits and black fruits, with sweet blackcurrant and a nice greenness in the mix. So elegant. 94\/100<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mac Forbes was in town so we lunched at 28:50 in Maddox Street. I\u2019ve long been a fan of his wines, and wrote about him at length\u00a0here. But I can\u2019t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[366,85],"class_list":["post-12013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia","tag-australia","tag-yarra-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12017,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12013\/revisions\/12017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Mac](\"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/P1010006-500x333.jpg\")
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