About
"The ochota barrels tale began on a surf trip, late 2000 along the Mexican west coast in a Volkswagen campervan. A final destination after traveling some of the world’s best wine and surf regions, Taras and Amber Ochota conceived the idea to make super premium wines back home in South Australia.
The concept was to concentrate on the zenith variety of Mclaren Vale (Grenache) and the Barossa Valley (Shiraz), find an exceptional old vineyard site in each region and create plush, small batch, single vineyard wines.
With the winery situated in Lenswood, and steep, high altitude, cool climate, north facing burgundian cloned Chardonnay over a rock base of quartz and ironstone, at 550 meters above sea level......hello!!!?
“My idea is to embrace that natural acidity, which is basically from picking early. With that you get lower alcohol than your typical Australian wines. Wines that have energy. Taking a holistic approach to making wines that have an energy, that have a vibrancy. Wines that ‘pop’ when you put them in your mouth!" Taras Ochota
With the untimely passing of Taras Ochota in 2020, Amber Ochota has taken the reins and is forging her own path with Ochota Barrels.
2024 Summer Release
2024 Weird Berries in the Woods
lychee, tangelo blossom, lavender, meyer lemon and manuka honey can be detected far from the glass
bone dry with full texture and a crisp finish
rose petal infused lemongrass entry followed by chalky, mandarin skinned texture, forming a foundation for the jasmine and ginger infused nervy acid line which finishes long and bright
pH – 3.29 T.A. – 6.1 Alc. – 11.9%
picked from a single vineyard in the adelaide hills, peramangk country, in early autumn
pressed direct to seasoned french oak with full solids
no additions besides minimal so2
2024 Slint Chardonnay
a stunning vineyard with a high altitude of 550m, planted in the 1980s, in the heart of the piccadilly valley
a tightly wound cool climate chardonnay which leads with mouth-watering grapefruit and nectarine
mealy granny smith apples and a fine tuning of nougat and honeysuckle spice sets the foundation for the almost nettle like svelte texture
aromatically evolving between, bee’s wax and meyer lemon rind, the palate is taut and precise and finishes long with powerful elegance
2024 adelaide hills chardonnay
2994 bottles produced
pH – 3.26 T.A. – 6.2 Alc. – 13.1%
hand picked march 13th, pressed with full solids straight to a mix of seasoned and virgin burgundian barrels
indigenous yeast fermentation
2024 Surfer Rosa
ethereal pale salmon pink with iridescent vibrancy is the telltale sign of restrained and elegant red fruits
the spice infused nose lifts with lingonberries and charcuterie
the palate entry is full, but has a savory line which is supported by a lively snappy texture reminiscent of persimmon beads and cranberries
the finish is dry with lingering ripe strawberries
best serve chilled with your favourite people and some cats
pH – 3.29 T.A. – 6.2 Alc. – 13.1%
organically grown old vine grenache from a single vineyard, grown by rino in the onkaparinga hills, mclaren vale, kaurna country with 3.5% gewurztraminer to give aromatic pop
handpicked whole bunches, crushed into press, then racked four days later for indigenous fermentation to kick off
no additions besides minimal so2
filtered to retain natural malic acid
2024 The Green Room Grenache
this one just keeps giving….
lifted spice, plum compote and a herbal thread of thyme with white pepper, entwine the strikingly fragrant bouquet of bouillon
the palate entry is opulent yet nervy with medium bodied savoury (almost pinot like) finely grained textural components resembling pomegranate and lingonberry
bottled in clear glass to encourage the glorious simplicity of what mother nature can provide without interference
pH – 3.52 T.A. – 5.2 Alc. – 11.6%
two handpicks in late summer, from a gorgeous organic vineyard planted in
1946
dry grown by rino…. red loamy clay with ironstone over deep limestone in onkaparinga hills, kaurna country
approx 65% whole bunch, wild ferment
8-12 days on skins, gentle hand plunging once daily
pressed to old french barriques and aged briefly to preserve freshness and energy, no additions besides minimal so2
2023 The Price of Silence Adelaide Hills Gamay
6669 bottles produced
in 1985 three clones of gamay were planted high up in the piccadilly valley, a few years later due to its unpopularity, they were grafted to chardonnay
it wasn’t until 2013 that taras convinced his grower mate sam to chainsaw off the chardonnay grafts and bring back canes from the gamay rootstock evolving from there, cuttings were taken of these three clones and grafted on established vines in sam’s quartz-laden woodside vineyard, planted on a former gold mine, a crop picked in 2019, bushfire in 2020, a harvest in 2021, and vines finding natural balance in 2022
a tightly wound classic example of gamay which shows medicinal fragrance, savoury spiced red currants that has a polished mineral palate that is lithe, dense yet elegant in its long and pure finish
handpicked early april, sorted into a series of small fermenters with partial carbonic maceration
pH – 3.30 T.A. – 6.7 Alc. – 12.5%
2024 A Forest Pinot Noir
a strikingly floral nose of crushed petals and stems sets this liquid’s framework… garrigue and nordic forest undergrowth taunts damson fruit, pain d’epice and subtle peaty elements into a convincing show of rusticity
the delicate sappiness holds the taut, yet compact and textural palate in a state of flux, whilst tarry red currants and slightly meaty components enfold long with a savoury egress… through the experience a medicinal quality flutters, reminiscent of billie hoke, which cannot be ignored by the further travelled
once opened, this wine will move considerably after day one with more flamboyant adjectives that will make this tasting note seem 101 standard issue
2024 adelaide hills pinot noir
5640 bottles produced
pH – 3.56 T.A. – 5.2 Alc. – 12.3%
clones 114/115: D5V12: MV6 from sam virgara’s vineyards
open top fermented in micro batches
gently hand plunged and whispered to seasoned barriques and puncheons
no additions beside minimal so2
2024 Wheres the Pope? Syrah
a fuller, more serious syrah this year… comes leaping from the glass, enticing you in, the tightrope of freshness and rich round flavours play together meet cordite intensity
… black olive and crushed autumn leaves
elegance and deliciousness
pH – 3.83 T.A. – 4.7 Alc. - 12.3 %
glorious, crunchy whole bunches of organic onkaparinga hills shiraz, planted on schist and clay in 1996
the first fruit of vintage picked this year
pressed straight to seasoned french oak for 5 months indigenous yeast with no additions besides minimal so2
2024 Botanicals of the Basket Range
so…. this vintage, we once again crushed some delicious grapes from our mate’s vineyards up the road in peramangk country … the children and I then took our little baskets and wandered around our garden, picking organic herbs, flowers, fruits and leaves… we submerged these into a continuous ferment throughout vintage
…. this wine is a true taste of vintage 2024 and summer here in basket range
…. some of the organic botanicals infused this year were…. lavender…. rose petals…. wormwood…. bay leaves…. meyer lemon zest…. thyme…. grapefruit zest…. spearmint…. lemon balm…. Rosemary…. sage…. lemon verbena….
this years fruit was pinot munier, pinot noir, gamay and gewurztraminer
pH – 3.42 T.A. – 5.7 Alc. - 12.7%
a favourite to make, a favourite to drink
treat like a wine or over ice like a vermouth
infused with a bouquet garni of homegrown botanicals
unfined and unfiltered, minimal use of SO2
2024 Control Voltage Chardonnay
a selection of our favourite micro parcel of chardonnay from this vintage
days of tasting, thinking, retasting
holding it in its mouthwatering state is the complexity of brioche and white flesh stone fruits are the layered textural elements from batonnage and restrained input from virgin oak
2024 adelaide hills chardonnay
596 bottles produced
pH – 3.11 T.A. – 7.3 Alc. – 13.7%
handpicked mid-march, pressed with full solids straight to burgundian barriques
indigenous yeast fermentation
weekly batonnage
unfined and filtered to retain natural malic acid
no additions besides minimal so2
24 Fugazi
and its back…
this was the first wine made back in 2008 when taras and amber started ochota barrels- a tiny parcel of grenache picked up in the back of the kombi van and named fugazi for the band that was playing
produced from 77 year old dry grown bush vines on the blewitt springs ridge- tiny berries and a miniscule yield from an incredible vineyard
the taut nervous tension of compact red currents and satsuma plums fills the mid pallet with mouth watering red berry intensity
finely grained tannins position this svelt, fleshy and measured weight of forest cherries and persimmons into a long succulent and savoury finish
2024 mclaren vale grenache
pH – 3.7 T.A. – 4.8 Alc. – 13.1%
2370 bottles filled
north facing unirrigated bush vines, planted in 1947 on ironstone and gravel infused red clay
handpicked early march
pressed to seasoned (5-10 year) French barriques for 6 months
(Ochota Barrels - Gamay Garden / www.ochotabarrels.com)