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Helen’s Hill ‘The Nemesis’ Arneis 2011

Vintage: 2011

Style: Dry, lightly oaked white

Country: Australia 

Region: Yarra Valley 

Overview: Arneis is known as the ‘Little Rascal’ in Piedmont as it is a difficult variety to grow. It is as ‘Little Rascal’ to me because every time I type the word Arneis I, without fail, always spell it Arnies and then, through some kind of Pavlovian response I have to yell “Get to the chopper!” It’s a nightmare for me and anyone who is around me at the time.

Arneis is a variety made famous by the Piedmont region in Italy and can be made in a number of ways, typically fermented in stainless steel and then left on ‘lees’, the sediment left by yeast at the end of the fermentation process, this lees contact adds texture to the wine. It can also be fermented in oak to give it a bit more body and complexity. This Arneis was made in the latter style with another dimension of complexity granted by a ‘Wild Yeast’ fermentation. Wild Yeast is not some kind of crazy party animal as the name would suggest but the natural yeast that lives in wineries which can impart some very interesting characters that you can’t get from typical cultured yeast (depending on the species present sometimes Wild Yeast can be unpredictable).

The gamble has paid off for this wine. It is one of the better Aussie Arneis I have tried. Before reading the tasting notes please take a moment to think of the people around me at the time of writing this review.

Tasting note: A funky nose, pear and toasty oak. Pear on the palate, almonds, creamy with subtle oak integration. A very good food wine. Don’t bother cellaring this wine, enjoy it right now!

Final Say: GET TO THE CHOPPER! And buy this wine. $30 bucks a bottle and a great alternative to Chardonnay

Score: 17.5 out of 20

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Jack Davis