It’s a long way from the mighty Cube dominating the expanse of vines in South Australia’s McLaren Vale to the tiny Terminus Hotel tucked tidily on a corner in Sydney’s very urban Pyrmont.
But one man can set both of them ablaze with his wisdom, wit and wines.
We were delighted to be invited to a Winter lunch upstairs on the enclosed and warmed terrace of this gem of a pub. The food was great—more on that later—but the wine list was dramatic.
The walls of the room were lined with dozens of classy ‘cartoons’ in a burst of colours and styles from the pens and brushes of different artists. It was hard to pick a common link—unless, of course, you knew who was running the show.
The link is d’Arenberg wines. The Ringmaster is Chester Osborn.
Confused? 85 cartoons have been commissioned so far. They mostly appear on some of the lesser-known d’Arenberg wines with charming titles such as ‘The Money Spider’, ‘The Peppermint Paddock’, ‘The Noble Mud Pie’, ‘The Broken Fishplate’, ‘The Eight Iron’, ‘The Laughing Magpie’, and ‘The Bamboo Scrub’.
Believe us, they all make perfect sense when you hold and read the label on the bottle in your hand, having just tasted it from the glass in front of you.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to waltz our way through all of them.
In fact, none of those charmers were to tease us on this day.
The Red Stripe Brigade
We were there for the most serious of the d’Arenberg lineup.
The Red Stripe Brigade.
Specifically for the launch of ‘The Dead Arm’ from 2019.
This is not a gruesome murder mystery. It refers to a fungal disease that sometimes attacks grapevines. It can knock out one half of the vine, leaving the other half to produce more intense, more complex, more flavourful fruit, which shows up in your glass.
Flavourful. The Dead Arm certainly is. Over many vintages, its devotees have come to know its deep and dark power. “Heroic” is a word used by the Halliday Wine Companion to describe it.
We start the day standing and chatting with a glass of d’Arenberg Pollyanna Polly sparkling white, made in the Champenoise method from chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier.
It is a shy pale lemon colour but very happily bubbling with hints of citrussy sherbet. A lovely whoosh with a tingle of acid. A most refreshing sparkler.
They seated us and brought platters of Sydney rock oysters with apple and raspberry mignonette, a selection of Italian cured meats, cheese, pickles, and toasted ciabatta.
We are not ready to drink the hero reds yet.
We are deliciously delayed with The Dry Dam Riesling 2017 and The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay 2021.
The Riesling is from museum stock. It shows the benefits of age for this grape, German in origin but handsomely rehomed in South Australia. It is a glowing pale gold. A classy, confident nose with the hint of kero we like. A breathtaking mouthful filled with fruit still fresh and fine.
The Chardonnay is from the same clone that starred in Pollyanna. It, too, has generous flavours blossoming with ripe white peaches and a touch of passionfruit.
A whole fish appears next, slashed to reveal white flesh and buttery sauce resting beside fennel and citrus salad.
Then the hero dish: roast lamb shoulder with red wine jus, salsa verde and seasonal vegetables. And a bowl of duck-fat roasted potatoes.
A corner pub? This is superb dining.
Bring on the reds!
There are nine d’Arenberg reds
Three bottles each from the 2019, the 2015 and the 2010 vintages.
The Ironstone Pressings (a Grenache, Shiraz Mourvedre blend)
The Coppermine Road (a straight Cabernet)
The Dead Arm (100% Shiraz)
Full tasting notes on each of these nine wines would be a little overwhelming, but we can sum up what you should see with one of these bottles in front of you.
All three will have a touch more complexity and power than comparable wines from other districts. The magic of McLaren.
The Ironstone is one of the first in this country of this classic Rhone blend.
It will be dark crimson red. Full-bodied, weighty but supple and elegant.
The Coppermine a touch deeper than your average cab; glows with flavour edged with decent tannins and decent oak.
The Dead Arm is a very bold Shiraz, dark, rich fruit, powerful but with elegance.
Over the ten years, you can see the effects of ageing. A rounding, not a softening. A comfortable and confident settling of the youthful exuberance.
And they all have many more years in them.
During the course of the meal, Chester stands to discuss the wines. He is a relaxed but precise presenter of firm facts wrapped in colourful impressions. His memory is extraordinary. Talking of a vintage ten years ago, he says, “In that week, the Adelaide Hills had 6 inches of rain, we had zero. The next week, they had four, and we had two. Which meant of course ….”
He could probably give you the names of the many thousands of vines in the vineyards in his care.
Some might call him a polymath, some a Renaissance man. I’m not sure of the modern term for someone who seems to have his own speciality so well covered but has the drive and skill to produce and conjure magic on other fronts.
He was one of the foundation members of Australia’s First Families of Wine in 2009 where he is currently serving as chairman. There is quite a story, quite a lot of stories, behind these twelve companies. Too many to put in this column, but it’s well worth a look at www.australiasfirstfamiliesofwine.com.au
He is designing his own line of colourful casual clothing. He is wearing one of the shirts on the day.
He has written a book of poems, one for each of his wines.
He designs chunky silver jewellery. Some of it is on his wrist and fingers today.
He is working on a SciFi novel.
Apart from his prodigious wine output, his most important contribution to the Australian universe may well be The Cube.
Seeming to hover, it rises in edgy blocks, cheekily off-centre but sturdy as a mountain. It appears as panels of blue and white, slashed with random diagonals that, on closer inspection, reflect the sky and the vine-rich earth.
People travel from all over the country to see the d’Arenberg Cube. Overseas visitors find it is one of the most comprehensively informative wine structures in the world. Wine, food, graphics, entertainment, history and knowledge are all inside.
You should drop by someday. You may meet the man, and you will certainly feel his presence in his wines.
Take a taste before you go.