Community Review

d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne 2013

Australia, Australia

Community Score: 4.4/5
Community Reviews: 5

Price: $21.95

Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.5%

Drink: 2013-2016

Bottle size: 750 ml
Winery: d'Arenberg

Mymi Thesingingsommelier rated this wine as 87/100 with the following review:

In 1912, Joseph Osborn purchased vineyard land after being told by a doctor that his son Frank’s poor health would benefit from life on the land. Francis Ernest (‘Frank’) Osborn then left medical school, choosing to forsake the scalpel for pruning shears and went on to marrying Helena d’Arenberg in 1920. Hence the name of the property!
Now on its 4th generation, with chief wine maker and viticulturist Chester d’Arenberg Osborn, the winemaking processes of the past have been maintained, capturing the unique small-batch character of the wines and the true flavour of the McLaren Vale region.
All grapes, red and white, are basket-pressed. The reds are still traditionally fermented with the grape skins (caps) submerged in open wax-lined concrete fermenters utilising the age-old technique of foot-treading, yes for real!
Chester believes in minimal interference to preserve quality. All of their wines feature the foot trod/basket pressed logo as a 'badge of honour' for the hard work that goes into producing their wonderful wines.
Now owners of multiple vineyard sites, each with its own characteristics and personality, all of them thriving with no fertiliser or herbicide, minimal to no irrigation and no soil cultivation.
D’Arenberg is universally known for their oddly named wines and that bold red stripe on the bottle but it is worth mentioning that they produce over 60 different wines that vary in style from white, red, fortified, sparkling to dessert!
The Money Spider Roussane is named after a sea of little spiders that covered the first crop from the 2013 vintage! Apparently, if you are kind to the spiders, they will bring you luck in the form of $!!!
A classic Rhone varietal, Roussanne is not common in the New World but if you like unoaked, flavourful whites, you must try this one!
In the glass, it is a lovely silvery yellow.
It is vivid on the nose with zesty aromas of dried apricot, white flowers, pineapple gummies and a little preserved lemon.
On the palate, it is dry, rich and dense with flavors of apricot jelly, a little almond and nutmeg. Its low acidity level makes it a real danger to finish the bottle and wonder where the wine went!
A beautiful sipper for the warmer days or enjoy with sweet and sour shrimp or Thai mango rolls with tamarind dipping sauce!

Read Natalie's Full Review

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