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The definition of Apéritif is, "an alcoholic drink that is usually served before a meal to stimulate appetite." Well, we would like you to think of this page as an apéritif to stimulate your appetite for 'la belle vie.' All the joyful things of life - food, wine, music and sharing the experience. Check in for regular updates on what is happening at Lost Lake. The viticulturalist and winemaker will bring you reports from the vineyard and winery, there will be stories of gigs, dinners, tastings and awards, plus the occasional wine special. |
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Episode 8. Post vintage wrap - up. May 14th, 2010. The vintage season has passed us once again. The fruit that Matt so lovingly looked after has been picked, crushed, pressed, fermented and turned into wine. The Sauvignon Blanc and the Classic White are sitting in tanks waiting to be bottled, the Chardonnay has been fermented, stirred and topped in its lovely new french oak barrels and the reds are slowly ticking through the last of the malolactic fermentation stage. At first glance it seems like the vintage has been an excellent one. The weather conditions during the growing season have produced wines with lovely varietal characters, firm natural acidity and great structure. The first wines from the 2010 vintage will be available at the end of August, so keep an eye out at your local independent liquor store or join up to the Ammonite Club to receive the seasonal newsletter and alerts on new releases, up-coming events and wine specials.
Episode 7. The 2010 Timber Towns Wine Show. February 5th, 2010.
The "Best Cabernet" and "Best Pinot Noir" of the 2010 Timber Towns Wine Show. Lost Lake took out two trophies at the annual Timber Towns Wine Show held in Manjimup last night. The 2008 Barrel Select Cabernet was awarded "Best Cabernet" while the 2008 Barrel Select Pinot Noir was awarded "Best Pinot Noir". It's a fantastic result that has helped to solidify our belief in the things we do here! So thankyou to all the team who organise the show, to the judges, the sponsors and anyone who has helped along the way!
Episode 6. Recently, in the Lost Lake vineyard... February 1st , 2009 Welcome back to the Lost Lake Vineyard! With bunch count's and crop estimates complete we have a view of what this season will be producing for Lost Lake,
Row 33 of the Chardonnay Block. The pink tape means that this row will be used for sampling when we start testing the maturity levels in a couple of weeks. In other news, the 2007 Single Vineyard Pint Noir has SOLD OUT! For those lucky people who still have some left - enjoy it! If you've missed out, don't worry, the 2008 is also delicious! While we're on the topic of Pinot Noir, the 2008 Barrel Select is due for release very soon, and the 2009 Barrel Select will be going into bottle later in February, along with the 2009 Barrel Select Chardonnay.
If you ever feel like you need to escape, come and visit us here at Lost Lake. Sit down, take a deep breath and pause for a moment as you take in the amazing summertime surroundings of Pemberton.
Episode 5. Hustle and Bustle November 26th, 2009
Episode 4. We'll Spring into the Summer Season with the Fling on The Deck! November 11th, 2009 The rays of the sun have washed away all the cold, damp and grey of the long drawn out winter and replaced it with warm weather and a permanent grin attached to the faces of all the staff at Lost Lake. We have celebrated by cramming every waking moment with one kind of event or another including the re-opening of The Deck Restaurant with a Melbourne Cup Luncheon, another night of music, dancing, food and wine with a performance by Dave Mann, Roy Martinez and Tone Burke, a bottling and some serious work in the vineyard.
Episode 3. Summer's in the air! October 8th, 2009 We have what seems to be a rare break in the weather today! The sky is clear and the sun is shining, giving Matt a chance to get out into the vineyard and Katie to do some painting outside! Its a hive of activity here at the moment as we are getting ready to re-open the deck for lunches. We have a new chef coming down to take over management of the restaurant, an event that has us buzzing with excitement! The first day will be a three course Melbourne Cup Luncheon. There is more information on the restaurant page, or call Yvette in Cellar Door to book a table (08) 9776 1251. We also have a few music events coming up so get onto the the events page for more information.
Episode 2. And the vines are bursting... September 24th, 2009 Well, its been a few weeks since the last episode of Apéritif; a few weeks where day has melted into day and before we are aware, the first month of Spring is almost over and the grapevines are sprouting leaves! The first major event was the New Releases seven course degustation Wine Dinner. It was held here in the Lost Lake Cellar Door on a cold and stormy September evening. Luckily a roaring wood fire, beautiful food and the impressive line up of wines kept the winter chill at bay and encouraged an atmosphere of warm hearted delight. The evening went off with out a hitch, including the first foray into public speaking by our viticulturalist, Matt and winemaker, Katie. We released the 2009 Sauvignon blanc, 2008 Single Vineyard Chardonnay, 2008 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2008 Shiraz, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the ever-popular 2009 Honey Merlot. Each wine was perfectly paired with a succulent course that ranged from scallops to quail and lamb in a wondrous delight of colour, texture and flavour. If you're interested in the new wines then download an order form, track us down at a retail store in Perth or pop into cellar door for a taste!
There has been total mayhem in the winery in the last week and a half! All the 2009 reds have been racked out of barrel, swirled, sniffed, spat and returned to their barrels for a few more months of quiet maturation while the remaining 2008 reds have had their slumber disturbed for the last time and are facing the next stage of preparation for bottling. Its an exciting time of the year when the latest vintage reds have settled down a little and we can assess their potential (as a little side note - the Pinot is looking pretty fantastic) and really get a grasp of the success of the vintage season. The reds are not the only wines that need attention though. The whole family spent yesterday in the winery doing the tirage on the 2009 Amici and the super special limited volume of 2009 Sparkling Chardonnay. Our sparkling wines are made in the Methode Traditionale, that is the original method used in the Champagne region in France. Tirage is the first stage (after fermentation) in the creation of the bubbles; a concentrated yeast and sugar solution is mixed into the base wine and then gravity fed into bottles. The bottles are hand sealed with a bidule (a small plastic cap that catched the yeast lees at disgorging) and crown seal before being stacked in bins for a minimum of nine months. So next time you crack a bottle of Amici spare a thought for the time and effort that went into making the lovely, complex, sparkling wine that we all enjoy so much!
And just a quick word on the vineyard... Despite having the entire monthly rainfall for September in just twelve days the vines are bursting. We look out the window at the soft and fluffy shoots of green and sigh with a mixture of joy and misery at the thought of another season beginning. The subtle haze of green spreading over the vineyard signals the start of the new growing season and warns us that the long hours and hard work of the harvest are just around the corner. In reply we say, "Bring it on!"
Episode 1. No better place to start, than at the beginning. September 3rd, 2009 Welcome to Apéritif. We hope that this page will give you an insight into all the activities at Lost Lake, from the events that we hold through to what is happening in the vineyard and winery. Seeing as this is the first 'episode' I guess a general rundown of the year is in order! First of all we had vintage. It seems so long ago, but in reality we are only just seeing the products of all that hard work! The 2009 Honey Merlot and the 2009 Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc have both been recently released and are living up to the expectations of everyone. The Honey Merlot is as sweet and fruity as ever, while the Sauvignon Blanc is full of delicious tropical fruits and crunchy, lingering acidity. In addition to these wines we will also be releasing a string of 2008 reds and our 2008 Chardonnay at the New Release Wine Dinner, to be held in Cellar door on the 12th of September. Chef Ian Leaning has prepared a sumptuous seven course degustation menu especially for the occasion. Check out the events page for more details. As an extra little piece of encouragement (if you need it) some of the 2008 reds are already catching the attention of wine judges around the country with the 2008 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir receiving 4 1/2 stars and Equal Top of Class in the Nov/Dec issue of Winestate Magazine.
After vintage the next event is the rather hectic period of bottling in mid-July. However, we also managed to squeeze in A Night Out At The Lake; starring Carus Thompson, Andrew Darling and Ben Franz and fronted by the lovely local talent of Anne & Matt Purdy. This was the first 'Lake Experience' and proved to be an enormous success. Anne and Matt were a perfect introduction to the evening and then the trio had everyone up and dancing in a night that shook the Eastbrook area to its soul. For those who missed out, never fear. There are plenty more Lake Experiences to be had. All the details are on the events page. While pruning seemed to stretch on forever this year (some say because of the rain - an average of 7.27mm a day), it was finally finished with the help of all the Lost Lake team and a few new friends from Taiwan. By the end of July, Matt was able to slash, sweep and mulch the vineyard until not a blade of grass was out of place. Now we are all sitting back and begging the early-bursting buds to hold off for just a few more weeks... Which brings us up to date. There are plenty of activities and events planned for the coming months at Lost Lake so we hope to see you at one of them!
And to finish off, a quote that embodies our feelings and passions here at The Lake, "In Europe we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also a great giver of happiness and well being and delight. Drinking wine was not a snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me as necessary." - Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
PO Box 218 Pemberton WA 6260 Phone (08) 9776 1251 Fax (08) 9776 1919 Email info@lostlake.com.au |
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