Liquid Library welcomes to the folio;
L.A.S Vino by Nicolas Peterkin
2024 Winemaker of the Year. Ray Jordan .W.A. Wine Review
2023 Halliday Wine Companion – Dark Horse Winery of the year
Australian Financial Review
'Drinks that break rules, defy expectations, revive lost ideas. Blending grapes that have never before been inside the same bottle and combining flavours and techniques in previously unimagined ways'
About
‘Using luck, art, and science (L.A.S.) we aim to make absolutely delicious, delectable, desirable drops and to discover new flavours in the world of wine. Based in Margaret River, Western Australia, our mantra is minimal intervention with maximum flavour and where possible we aim to work with growers using sustainable, organic and biodynamic vineyard methods. We hope you enjoy drinking the wines as much as we enjoyed making them.’ - Nic Peterkin
2024 Current Releases
2023 Albino PNO
Vineyard
The pinot noir vineyard is situated three kilometres from the Indian ocean on granite gravelly loam soils. The vines are planted on a gentle south facing slope that rolls down to the Willyabrup brook. The 40 year old vines are not only some of the oldest but also some of the only remaining pinot noir vines in Margaret River and we feel very grateful to be able to make wine from them. The vineyard a high density planting consisting of two seperate clones, leading to vines that yield less with more concentrated and flavoursome fruit.
Winemaking
The fruit was hand picked, chilled overnight and hand sorted prior to being lightly cold pressed as whole bunches, very gently over a few hours. The juice was left to naturally settle prior to a wild fermentation in french barriques and clay amphora. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were fermented and matured separately. The wine matured in vessel for 9 months with fortnightly lees stirring prior to blending and bottling.
Taste
Delicate, elegant and balanced with plenty of flavour and texture. Layers of complexity on the palate with flavours of pomegranate, grapefruit, lychee, guava and a hint of sea salt.
Winery
Variety: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Time: 9 months
Closure: Diam 10s
Fining: None (Vegan Friendly)
Alc: 13.5%
Vessel: 84% Barrique, 16% Clay
Vineyard
Soil: Gravelly loam
Elevation: 80m
Sub Region: Willyabrup
Vine Age: 42 Years
Vines: VSP High density, N-S
Sea: 3km away
Sorting: Hand pick & bunch sorting
Review by Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
'A layered, complex and textural wine, with a dry but soft mouth-feel. It's deliberately not fruity/grapy: an outstanding rose style'
95 Points #1 Rose from Margaret River 2023
Review by Ray Jordan
'The indelible Nic Peterkin stamp is all over this thoroughly captivating rose style. Aromas of cranberry and pomegranate with a little cherry and spicy grapefruit. The palate is textured with a fine vibrant acidity.'
96 Points
2023 C.B.D.B. ‘Chenin Blanc Dynamic Blend’
Vineyard
A certified organic and biodynamic site at the northern end of the cape. For the previous few years the vineyard has been completely unkept and unpruned with no trellising. The vines sprawl everywhere, and pigs, geese, guinea fowl and cows roam free. The site faces north with a little creek running through the middle of the vineyard. Native flowers and plants grow under the rows with no herbicides or pesticides sprayed and no cultivation. The vineyard is dynamic in every sense; biodynamic, characterised by constant change, full of attitude, energy and new ideas and may be a force that stimulates greater change within viticulture.
Winemaking
The fruit was hand picked and showed varied levels of ripeness through the vineyard and crop, chilled overnight and hand sorted prior to being lightly cold pressed as whole bunches. The juice was left to naturally settle prior to a wild fermentation in mature french barriques and amphorae. This year we hand picked and de-stemmed a portion of the chenin, it rested on skins for 3 days absorbing flavour and texture prior to pressing direct to barrel for a natural fermentation. No malolactic fermentation and fortnightly lees stirring prior to being bottled with no fining and a light filtration.
Winery
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Vessel: 90% Barrel 10% Amphorae
MLF: No , fortnightly battonage
Time: 10 months
Closure: Diam 10s / Wax
Fining: None (Vegan Friendly)
Sorting: Hand pick & bunch sorting
Skins: 30% 3 days.
Alc: 14%
Vineyard
Soil: Gravelly loam
Certification: Organic/Biodynamic
Elevation: 100m
Sub Region: Yallingup
Vine Age: 36 years
Vines: Wild, planted N-S
Sea: 2.5km away
Review by Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
'Pastry/baked apple pie, honey, apple turnover aromas, leading into a tremendously intense and concentrated palate loaded with rich fruit. There's a semblance of sweetness in the middle but it's clean and dry at the finish. Nutty barrel ferment influence shows but it's subtle. A spectacular chenin blanc.'
96 Points
2023 Chardonnay
A new wine from the team at L.A.S. Vino. All of the fruit has been hand-picked, and cold pressed as whole bunches. The fruit is sourced from several vineyards in Margaret River. 90% gin-gin / 10% clone 3. One vineyard located in Willyabrup, one in Metricup and one in Treeton. The fruit fermented and matured in barrique (5% new) and went through a partial mlf with fortnightly lees stirring, prior to blending and bottling.
Huon Hooke review - The Real Review
WINE OF THE WEEK
'Nic Peterkin has produced two more expensive chardonnays from the 2023 vintage— Metricup and Wildberry Springs—but I thought this one offered outstanding value.
Nutty, nougat, wheaty, honeyed aromas, butter joining in with time in the glass. Complex yet understated. Medium-long, harmonious finish. A superb wine in a slightly lighter style than the single-vineyard chardies.'
93 Points
The Wine Front review by Mike Bennie
'Fleshy, textural thing, this. Full flavour, lots of energy, persistence too, sweet spices stain the palate and a roll call of stone fruits, gingery spice, some nougat elements and a touch of sugared almond. Delicious, is the message. Potent and pretty with presence and a sense of power. Done well.'
93 Points
2023 Chardonnay 'Wildberry Springs'
Vineyard
Sitting in the heart of Willyabrup, growing on rich gravelly loam soils, this 30 year old vineyard is immaculate, with no vines out of place, its almost perfect. It took a few years of begging to be able to pick fruit from this vineyard. Planted by John Durack, who’s family were the first to bring cattle over the top end into the Kimberly. A single vineyard wine, this year we received fruit from a new part of the vineyard which had more clonal gin-gin giving a richness to the wine that we haven’t seen in previous vintages.
Winemaking
The fruit was hand picked, chilled overnight and gently pressed as whole bunches with only the free run juice fermented. The wine was racked off sediment to ferment in quartz amphora of different size and shape along with barriques. These differences in the shape, size and porosity of vessel provide complexity in fermentation kinetics and flavour. 30% of the wine was fermented in new oak. The wine matured in vessels for 10 months where it went through a partial malolactic fermentation with regular lees stirring prior to blending. The wine was not fined but went through a light filtration prior to bottling.
Taste
Purity is the word that I think every time I try this wine. Purity, tension and elegance. Pure flavours of Willyabrup chardonnay, peach lemon, lime, green apple, a touch of cream and a hint of flint. The wine will age gracefully for 10 years if cellared correctly.
Winery
Variety: Chardonnay
Vessel: Amphora 50% /Oak 50%
MLF: Partial, fortnightly battonage
Time: 10 months
Closure: Diam 10s / Wax
Fining: None (Vegan Friendly)
Sorting: Hand pick & bunch sorting
Alc: 13.5%
Vineyard
Soil: Gravelly loam
Elevation: 80m
Sub Region: Willyabrup
Vine Age: 30 years
Vines: VSP planted N-S
Sea: 5km away
Picks: Singular hand pick
Clones: 100% gin-gin
Review by The Real Review (Huon Hooke)
'Generous smoky/flinty reduction overlying ripe grapefruit aromas —a classic Gin Gin clone wine. Superb fruit: very regional and very Gin Gin. Powerful flavour teamed with refinement and penetrating length. A real finesse chardonnay and quite superb.'
96/100
The Wine Front review by Mike Bennie
'Fermented in amphora and barrels, half and half. Of the oak, 30% is new. Gin gin clone, for the clone spotters. Lees stirring employed. A very lively chardonnay, set to medium weight, a strong sense of minerality running through the wine. Scents of ozone, sea spray, margaritas with salt rims, tonic water and bay leaf. A beauty to sniff on. Flavours sway between limey margaritas, tonic, sweet lemon and light gingery spice. It's got this pleasing saline, talc and briny chew to it too. Really good drinking here.'
95/100
2023 Chardonnay 'Barrels of Metricup'
Vineyard
The third time making wine from this incredible, certified organic vineyard in the heart of Metricup, Margaret River. Twenty three year old 'gin-gin' chardonnay grown in a sandy loam topsoil over a mottled clay subsoil. (In contrast to Willyabrup's dominant forest loam soils with mottled granite).
Winery
The fruit is hand picked, chilled, hand selected and then whole bunch pressed prior to fermentation in ten barriques, two of which were new. The wine undergoes a full malolactic fermentation with fortnightly lees stirring prior to maturation for 10 months in barrique prior to blending. The wine is bottled un-fined with a light filtration.
Wine
A complete contrast to the 'Wildberry Springs' chardonnay due to ; sub-region, soil, climate, and fermentation vessel. A wine made with certified organic fruit and treated in the winery ‘organically'. Due to where the vineyard sits in lattitude the days are warm and the nights are cool due to the pure afternoon breezes flowing off the Indian ocean. This impacts the wine. It has warmth, weight, richness and flavour but also an incredible freshness with flavours of citrus, lemon, lime, curd, peach and stonefruit.
Winery
Variety: Chardonnay
Fermentation: Natural
Vessel: 228L Barriques (20% new)
MLF: Yes, fortnightly battonage
Time: 10 months in oak.
Closure: Diam 10s / Wax
Fining: None (Vegan Friendly)
Sorting: Hand Pick & Bunch sorting
Alc: 13.5%
Vineyard
Soil: Sandy loam and clay
Elevation: 80m
Sub Region: Metricup
Method: Certified Organic
Vine Age: 26 years
Vines: VSP
Sea: 12km away
Picks: Singular hand pick
Review by The Real Review (Huon Hooke)
'Fragrant spicy peach, grapefruit and wheaty bouquet; lively acidity refreshes the palate. Generosity allied with finesse. Superb now and should build more complexity with age. A full-bodied chardonnay with a nicely balanced touch of grip.'
94 Points
2022 The Pirate Blend
Vineyard
Portuguese varieties in Margaret River are rare. So rare that the 40 year old vineyard that we source fruit from, (originally planted to make port), is one of only three small vineyards within the appellation. This is one of the reasons that make it such an interesting and exciting wine to make. The vines are planted on gravelly loam soils on a north east facing slope overlooking Geographe bay. The blend is comprised of three Portuguese varieties: Touriga Nacional for structure, depth and flavour; Tinta Cao for aroma and finesse; and Souzao for colour and acidity.
Winemaking
The fruit was picked by hand, chilled, then bunch and berry sorted. The individual berries were partial crushed and co-fermented for 20-30 days in open fermenters with regular hand plunging prior to pressing. The wine matured in oak for 18 months and was left to settle naturally in stainless steel for a further 2 months prior to bottling.
Taste
Ruby red in hue. The wine displays notes of sweet spice, cinnamon, clove, plum compote, blueberry and dark chocolate. Soft silky tannins with an exotic mix of red berry fruit sweetness and cocoa on the palate. Long, complex and an intriguing finish.
Why The Pirate blend? Pirates were the outlaws, the one’s who broke the rules, the fighters, the one’s who lust after life with gusto. They drank with a passion that was truly magnificent. For pirates liquor was the saviour; it soothed the heat of the sun and made the dark nights brighter. This blend is an ode to those salty sea dogs we left behind and those still sailing. Those willing to break the rules and live a life according to nothing but passion and the pursuit of personal desire.
Winery
Varieties: Touriga Nacional (65%), Tinta Cao (32%), Sousou (3%)
Vessel: 225l oak barrels
Time: 18 months
Closure: Diam 10s / Wax
Fining: None (Vegan Friendly)
Alc: 14%
Production: 350 doz
Vineyard
Soil: Gravelly loam
Elevation: 80m
Sub Region: Yallingup, Margaret River
Vine Age: 40 years
Vines: Lyre System
Sea: 2km away
Picks: Two hand picks, 10 days apart
Sorting: Hand pick & bunch sorting & Berry Sorting
Review by Ray Jordan
'Peterkin has taken a deft approach to gently coax the delightful fragrances and flavours from these varieties. So many things happening on the nose with spicy, cloves and light plum with a subtle chocolate coating. It's such a vibrant high energy wine with bright fruit flavours lifting from the palate.'
95 Points
The Wine Front review by Mike Bennie
'A slurpy, rollicking ride of red berries, mulberry compote, dark chocolate, panforte, dried herbs, ground mixed nuts and toasty spice elements. Go forth! Has a touch of that sense of liquified Xmas pudding, though not with the ribald sweetness, here decidedly dry, somewhat chewy, still quite plush and rich, but with train tracks of tannin tightening screws. Feels good to drink .'
93 Points
2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard
A wine that has taken ten years of thought and a tireless search for the right vineyard. A wine that expresses the essence and beauty of Margaret River while providing something new to the landscape. We wanted to create a truly unique Cabernet or nothing at all. Working with a distinctive vineyard from Yallingup. A certified organic and biodynamic site at the northern end of the cape. The vineyard is left to its own devices, unkept and unpruned with no trellising. The vines sprawl everywhere; as pigs, geese, guineafowl and cows roam free. The site faces north with a little creek running through the middle of the vineyard. Native flowers and plants grow under the rows with no herbicides or pesticides sprayed. It is one of the only certified biodynamic vineyards in the region.
Winemaking
The fruit was hand-picked and cooled, followed by bunch and berry sorting by hand. This led to an almost black caviar appearance of fruit in the fermenters. The fruit was naturally fermented as whole berries in large format barriques for 30 days. Plunged by hand and left to ferment at ambient cellar temperature prior to pressings direct to same barrels in which it fermented. Matured in large format barrels with a small proportion (10%) of the wine being left on skins for 12 months for depth and favour. The wine was then settled naturally in tank for three months prior to bottling with no fining and a light filtration.
Taste
Dark rich fruits, mulberry, dark cherry and plum. An electric, eccentric and eclectic wine with a full gamut of notes to tickle the taste buds and stimulate the senses. A wine that can be put down and comes into its own by decanting the wine will age gracefully for 30 years if cellared correctly.
Winery
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vessel: 500L Oak barrels (10%new)
Time: 12-13 months
Closure: Diam 10s / Wax
Fining: None (Vegan Friendly)
Sorting: Hand pick & bunch sortingc& Berry Sorting
Alc: 14.5%
Production: 92 doz
Vineyard
Soil: Gravelly loam
Elevation: 80m
Sub Region: Yallingup, Margaret River
Vine Age: 32 years
Vines: Sprawl, N-S
Sea: 2km away
Picks: Singular hand pick,
Organic: Certified Organic
Biodynamic: Certified Biodynamic
Review by Ray Jordan - The West Australian Wine Guide
'Loads of dark fruit from this warmer vintage are captured with a deft touch to present with life and vibrancy. The nose displays a complex weave of dark fruits. The palate is quite plush and textured with layers of dark chocolate, rich dense fruits and a little leaf. Firm chalky tannins and well managed oak hold the core through to the finish.'
96 Points
Review by Aaron Brasher - The Real Review
'A vibrant, deep, dark red and youthful in the glass. Fragrant and lifted aromas of blackberry, bramble, mulberry, dried herbs, violets, cedar, wild thyme and lead pencil. Full-flavoured, mouth-filling and really pure and precise in flavour. Lashings of concentrated, brambly black fruits along with anise, briar and graphite. The tannins are shapely, granular and deliver fabulous mouth-feel and texture and the acidity is snappy and bright. A lovely example of Margaret River cabernet.'
95 Points
(Image: L.A.S Vino / www.lasvino.com)