L'enclos du Tertre
Franklin River, Great Southern, Western Australia
Winemaker: Clémence Haselgrove
L’Enclos du Tertre is the passion project of notable WA grape growing and winemaking pair, Clemence and Lee Haselgrove.
They were the powerhouse duo behind the award-winning wines of Forrest Hill for many years, now they have their own project.
These L’Enclos du Tertre wines have been exceptional from the get-go. At the centre of it all is a dry-grown organic vineyard in Frankland River that was planted in the 1980s. Lee, one of WA's best viticulturalists tends these old vines. Clemence crafts the wines with a deft touch.
This is a producer to keep a close eye on. The wines are made in very small amounts and are disappearing into the cellars of those in the know at lightning speed.
They were the powerhouse duo behind the award-winning wines of Forrest Hill for many years, now they have their own project.
These L’Enclos du Tertre wines have been exceptional from the get-go. At the centre of it all is a dry-grown organic vineyard in Frankland River that was planted in the 1980s. Lee, one of WA's best viticulturalists tends these old vines. Clemence crafts the wines with a deft touch.
This is a producer to keep a close eye on. The wines are made in very small amounts and are disappearing into the cellars of those in the know at lightning speed.
2017 L’enclos du Tertre Riesling
SEBASTIAN CROWTHER | MS
Lifted fruit aromas that lean heavily towards the citrus. While there is the usual suspect, lemon citrus, the nose does move into a much more interesting mandarin and orange oil. Behind this some stone fruit, white nectarine and green apple. There is a depth, a savoury element that brings nuttiness towards a firm rocky minerality. This is Riesling the way I like it. Texture and flavour. There is plenty of acid driving this wine. It sits straight, but supported by green crunchy apple, lime zest, pink grapefruit and again white stone fruit. Lots of power here. It's an impressive wine.
MIKE BENNIE | 97 POINTS
If you are a lover of fine riesling, or indeed fine Australian white wine, you should be familiar with L’enclos du Tertre. Clemence and Lee Haselgrove are formidable as a grape growing and winemaking duo. This wine comes from a single, lovingly-tended vineyard (planted 1980-ish) from Frankland River in Western Australia. Texture, particularly phenolic grip, is important in their winemaking, and this wine again shows how judicious handling of skins imparts detail and complexity in delicate, refreshing strata of riesling. Even if you don’t read below, this release is outstanding. Here’s a new benchmark.
The perfume is seductive in its delicate portrayal of citrus (various), floral characters (various), faint musk, mineral-like slate and wet pebble notes. It’s gorgeous to sniff on. The palate is where the fireworks and ‘oh my’ moments are. Coiled, precise, exceptionally long, flavours rush yet linger, and are cupped gently in a building pucker of train track chalky-mineral filigree. You could read that sentence as nonsense words, so to boil it down, this is as detailed-feeling as white wine gets even though each sip feels light and fine. The succulence and freshness is kept in mind with each sip. Wow. More please.
2016 l’Enclos du Tertre Syrah Grenache
SEBASTIAN CROWTHER | MS
You can tell this wine is serious from the first sniff. It doesn’t reveal all in a moment, tight and dense initially. As it sits in the glass, fruit of a very attractive ripeness come to the fore. There's a strong core of red fruits, plum, just ripe raspberries and dark Amarillo cherry that front dark fruits, blackcurrant and plenty of spice. It's compact and concentrated on the palate while still remaining elegant. Medium to full bodied, certainly not over handled. Sleek and elegant. Beautifully handled oak, layered and subtle. Theres a real polish to the tannin, tight knit and full of class. Remarkable wine.
MIKE BENNIE | 94 POINTS
From a single site planted somewhere in the 1980s, dry grown, loved by viti/winemaker couple/combo Clemence and Lee Haselgrove. It’s another step forward in their narrative arc, away from the shackles of working for others, now on the path to fine tuned grape growing and expressive wines of special places in Great Southern, WA. Fascinating, fine wines emerging here.
This has restraint and elegance written all over it. At first a head turn for its quiet presence. Time in glass, bottle open, more is revealed, more beauty too. Texture is by and large the main message – tightly bound in a sheath of pleasing, lacy tannin, there’s a core of dark, pepper-and-herb-spiked fruit that sits brooding beneath. Power and grace hand-in-hand. The perfume is a mesh of spice, faint woody notes, a touch of sweet earth, sarsaparilla and dark berries. The volume grows as the wine opens. This is a wonderful wine.
2016 l’Enclos du Tertre Cabernet Sauvignon
SEBASTIAN CROWTHER | MS
This is Cabernet that immediately, on the nose, show a wine of restraint and elegance. Don’t get me wrong, they are some wonderful cabernet characters here, but measured. The fruit has been picked at perfect ripeness. Retaining an intriguing red fruit character. Black fruit, of blackcurrant & black plum support and a solid listing of non-fruit descriptors. Tobacco, bay leaf, cedar, and thyme. A wonderful core of elegant fruit. Very well handled oak lends a supporting role, never coming in the way of the natural fruit character. They run parallel and compliment precisely. Again, fine and well managed tannin. Such detail and precision to them. This is classy stuff.
SEBASTIAN CROWTHER | MS
Lifted fruit aromas that lean heavily towards the citrus. While there is the usual suspect, lemon citrus, the nose does move into a much more interesting mandarin and orange oil. Behind this some stone fruit, white nectarine and green apple. There is a depth, a savoury element that brings nuttiness towards a firm rocky minerality. This is Riesling the way I like it. Texture and flavour. There is plenty of acid driving this wine. It sits straight, but supported by green crunchy apple, lime zest, pink grapefruit and again white stone fruit. Lots of power here. It's an impressive wine.
MIKE BENNIE | 97 POINTS
If you are a lover of fine riesling, or indeed fine Australian white wine, you should be familiar with L’enclos du Tertre. Clemence and Lee Haselgrove are formidable as a grape growing and winemaking duo. This wine comes from a single, lovingly-tended vineyard (planted 1980-ish) from Frankland River in Western Australia. Texture, particularly phenolic grip, is important in their winemaking, and this wine again shows how judicious handling of skins imparts detail and complexity in delicate, refreshing strata of riesling. Even if you don’t read below, this release is outstanding. Here’s a new benchmark.
The perfume is seductive in its delicate portrayal of citrus (various), floral characters (various), faint musk, mineral-like slate and wet pebble notes. It’s gorgeous to sniff on. The palate is where the fireworks and ‘oh my’ moments are. Coiled, precise, exceptionally long, flavours rush yet linger, and are cupped gently in a building pucker of train track chalky-mineral filigree. You could read that sentence as nonsense words, so to boil it down, this is as detailed-feeling as white wine gets even though each sip feels light and fine. The succulence and freshness is kept in mind with each sip. Wow. More please.
2016 l’Enclos du Tertre Syrah Grenache
SEBASTIAN CROWTHER | MS
You can tell this wine is serious from the first sniff. It doesn’t reveal all in a moment, tight and dense initially. As it sits in the glass, fruit of a very attractive ripeness come to the fore. There's a strong core of red fruits, plum, just ripe raspberries and dark Amarillo cherry that front dark fruits, blackcurrant and plenty of spice. It's compact and concentrated on the palate while still remaining elegant. Medium to full bodied, certainly not over handled. Sleek and elegant. Beautifully handled oak, layered and subtle. Theres a real polish to the tannin, tight knit and full of class. Remarkable wine.
MIKE BENNIE | 94 POINTS
From a single site planted somewhere in the 1980s, dry grown, loved by viti/winemaker couple/combo Clemence and Lee Haselgrove. It’s another step forward in their narrative arc, away from the shackles of working for others, now on the path to fine tuned grape growing and expressive wines of special places in Great Southern, WA. Fascinating, fine wines emerging here.
This has restraint and elegance written all over it. At first a head turn for its quiet presence. Time in glass, bottle open, more is revealed, more beauty too. Texture is by and large the main message – tightly bound in a sheath of pleasing, lacy tannin, there’s a core of dark, pepper-and-herb-spiked fruit that sits brooding beneath. Power and grace hand-in-hand. The perfume is a mesh of spice, faint woody notes, a touch of sweet earth, sarsaparilla and dark berries. The volume grows as the wine opens. This is a wonderful wine.
2016 l’Enclos du Tertre Cabernet Sauvignon
SEBASTIAN CROWTHER | MS
This is Cabernet that immediately, on the nose, show a wine of restraint and elegance. Don’t get me wrong, they are some wonderful cabernet characters here, but measured. The fruit has been picked at perfect ripeness. Retaining an intriguing red fruit character. Black fruit, of blackcurrant & black plum support and a solid listing of non-fruit descriptors. Tobacco, bay leaf, cedar, and thyme. A wonderful core of elegant fruit. Very well handled oak lends a supporting role, never coming in the way of the natural fruit character. They run parallel and compliment precisely. Again, fine and well managed tannin. Such detail and precision to them. This is classy stuff.
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