Love a Great Story? Here’s One!
Story Wines came highly recommended by my wine buddies. In particular the ‘Super G’ GSM. The ‘Super G’ is a play on the Super Tuscans found in Italy. I’ve finally got my hands on one, and it’s a winner. But first, what is a Super Tuscan?
A Super Tuscan is an Italian wine rebellion sticking it to the man, that’s what it is. NO to conformity! NO to the traditional wine classification system! A Super Tuscan instead is its own blend of any grape varietal, like Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon, that did not necessarily originate from its own Tuscan appellation. It knows it is super, and it has won many accolades since its inception in the ’70s.
Enter a tongue-in-the-cheek moment with The Story’s very own Super “G” (Grampians) GSM blend. It’s a wine made just outside the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne with grapes sourced from the Shiraz-dominated Grampians, about a 3 hours drive west of Melbourne. Fortunately, strict classifications aren’t present in Australia. New world wine regions aren’t bound to limiting laws like in Italy or France. It just happens to be that Shiraz, is THE grape of the Grampians with very few other cultivars present in the area.
The Story ‘Super G’ GSM is a blend consisting of 58% Grenache, 36% Syrah, and 6% Mourvèdre (GSM) all from this region.
Tasting
This wine is a delight to drink. It’s light- to medium-bodied, but has a fiery personality. There’s a burst of cherries, pomegranate and blueberries, black pepper, and roasted nuts. It has a lot of ripeness and complexity but is not overly robust. I love the moreish spice, earthy and smoky finish.
Very complex and great value for money: Red cherries, pomegranates, blueberries, roasted nuts, black pepper, spice.
The Story Wines Vintage
The 2022 Vintage was a cool and rather late one in the Grampians. The slower ripening period gave the wine more grip, more red fruit, and peppery, earthy notes. This GSM blend has staying power. It should mature really well, although serving it straight away at around 14°C – 16°C with an hour of decanting is perfect.
The Grampians has a moderately cool climate thanks in part to its elevation and influence from the Southern Ocean. A 3-hour drive from Melbourne makes this a great weekend getaway spot. The hilly, mountainous terrain is beautiful. Summer is characterised by warm to hot days, but the nights are cool to cold. It gets very cold in winter.
Vinification
“Grenache and Mourvèdre are destemmed and Syrah is fermented with some whole bunches so that the final cuvee is around 10% whole bunches this year. Natural ferments and around 3 weeks on skins with pump-overs every second day. We generally use an ‘infusion’ style, restricting manual manipulation of the cap to the bare minimum. From there the wine spends 8 months only in a combination of old puncheons, 1000lt oak vat and a couple of older French hogsheads.” 1
Indeed a super blend, and great value for money. It’s a wine you can enjoy across any season.
1. The Story Super ‘G’ GSM 2022 Tasting Notes.
