Kym Teusner was always going to do something with the red Rhône varieties that have made another home in the Barossa, the other side of the planet from their ancestral home. I admire the obvious, but underlying understanding of wine quality that underpins his wine. He’s travelled the Rhône itself, watching the vintage procedures of a large number of makers from north to south, which is perhaps the reason he steers clear of the overcooked characters that are becoming more common amongst modern Barossa reds. He’s also firmly aware of the virtues of old, balanced low-yielding vineyards, whose fruit delivers the brightness and intensity that underpins his reds. And, like the artist who knows when to leave a work alone, Teusner’s wine avoids the more obvious winemaker-derived influences such as oak that is too overt or reduction that becomes too pronounced and dominant. Instead, there is a natural balance and brightness about Teusner’s wine.Not unsurprisingly, Teunser’s philosophy is quite straightforward: ‘To produce only exceptional, affordable wines by being very selective about the fruit that we source from old, well maintained vineyards. These vineyards reliably produce balanced, complex fruit which we guide, with minimal inputs, into wine. Our fruit sources are predominantly family and close friends, which allows us this selectivity in which fruit we vinify.’Jeremy Oliver 23/08/2007
