Logan Wines in Orange shows a new side of Australia

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Peter Logan’s father Malcolm began planting vines in Orange 22 years ago and was then one of only five wineries in the area. 2016 marks the family’s twentieth vintage and Peter is the second-generation winemaker. Today there are about 50 wineries in Orange, which the attentive reader notices is ten times more than twenty years ago. The reason for the increase is of course the conditions that Orange offers.

Peter explains the three most important aspects of Orange’s terroir like this:

– Cool nights and mornings thanks to the high altitude vineyards situated at 600-1000 m some 250 km west of Sydney.

– Sunny and dry days thanks to the desert region in the inland west of Orange.

– Relatively rich, volcanic soil in Orange and reddish clay with quartz stone and gravel in nearby Mudgee.

All Logan wines are naturally fermented and, where appropriate, gently barrel aged to underline the expression of the origin in the finished wine.

Peter Logan of Logan Wines, Orange, Australia
Peter Logan of Logan Wines, Orange, Australia, copyright M Karlin

2015 Logan Weemala Pinot Gris

“Weemala” means “beautiful view” in aborigine language and represents the largest volume portion of the production. The wine is slightly pink after skin maceration of 25% of the wine for one month. The aroma is spicy and aromatic of pears and stone fruit with a light barrel tone. Good, natural acidity and great length with some bitterness from the skins at the end. Pinot Gris has become the third most widely planted white grape in Australia after chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. ~16 euro

2014 Logan Chardonnay

The “Logan” series is handcrafted wines in smaller quantities. The main character is yellow apples and some barrels, with nectarine and grapefruit too. Half of the wine was fermented in 500 l barrels. The wine is blended each year from steel tanks and barrels in slightly varying proportions. An elegant wine in French style with good balance. ~18 euro

2015 Logan Weemala Pinot Noir

The high altitude and sun exposure gives the grape a thicker skin in Orange. The wine has a classic pinot noir fragrance with barrels, strawberry, wild strawberries, spice and a slight volatility. A good structure with fine acidity and more tannins than normal, which is not in any way negative. Very good value for money. ~16 euro.

2013 Logan Weemala Tempranillo

The grapes are grown in Mudgee that also has a cool climate at an altitude of about 600 meters. It offers an aroma of red fruit, herbs, cherry and cherry stones, like a modern Tempranillo. It is medium-bodied with generous tannins and a little rustic. It has matured in small barrels, of which about 10-15% was American oak. ~16 euro

Peter Logan wines, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo
Peter Logan wines, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Tem, copyright M Karlin

2012 Logan Cabernet Merlot

The wine has a nose of raspberries, black currants, spices with a certain “dustiness”. It is not quite medium-bodied with a good acidity and some tannins. A Bordeaux blend (46% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 14% cabernet franc) from Orange has apparently very much in common with a Cabernet Franc from the Loire. No. 79348, 189 SEK

2013 Logan Shiraz

A slightly cooler shiraz nose from the New World with blackberries, herbs, plum and red fruit is followed by a cooler taste more like a syrah from the Old World. Elegant wine with good acidity and tannin structure. ~20 euro

2013 Logan Ridge of Tears Mudgee Shiraz 564 m

Gravel soils in Mudgeee give a fairly similar wine with aromas of red berries and a little more oak character thanks to more small barrels, a little more tannins, a bit heavier, but still elegant. ~27 euro

Peter Logan wines, Shiraz, Bordeaux blend
Peter Logan wines, Shiraz, Bordeaux blend, copyright M Karlin

2013 Logan Ridge of Tears Orange Shiraz 870 m

300 meters higher up in the volcanic soil and more large barrels with the same vinification the shiraz transforms into a lighter and finer wine with the same family trait. ~27 euro

The three shiraz wines show in a very clear way how Peter Logan express the differences in terroir available in Orange and Mudgee with Australia’s blue signature grape. He manages to express the terroir in the other wines, but it is not as evident as with the three-shiraz wines from the same year. But all are still very good wines at a very affordable price.

Mikael Karlin writes för BKWine Magazine on wine tastings and wine events in Sweden.

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