Amen Break Chardonnay

In 1968, a little known funk and soul outfit called The Winstons recorded ‘Amen Brother’. In the middle of the song (which by the way is very very cool- but it never achieved commercial success when released), the drummer, Greg Coleman, plays a short solo, or drum break. This 6 second, 4 bar piece of drumming genius is known as The Amen Break.

The Amen Break has become the most sampled drumbeat in musical history. It has been used by a huge diversity of artists, such as NWA, David Bowie, Public Enemy, The Prodigy, Aimee Winehouse, Carl Cox and Oasis.

It is considered the foundation rhythmic beat for the much of the electronic musical genre (Trip Hop, Drum ’n Bass, Jungle, Psych Trance etc.) that exploded in the late 80’s and early 90s of last century.

There is a world of information regarding the Amen Break available on the web- have a look, you will be surprised how many popular (and obsolete) pieces of music you’ve listened to, danced at and lounged about with that feature the Amen Break.

Vineyards

Quarry Ridge Vineyard is planted on the site of an old bluestone quarry, 550m above sea level near Kilmore, 100km north of Melbourne in the beautiful Victorian Highlands.

These vines are now nearing 30 years old, and produce a small crop of concentrated fruit each year. This is a cold place, so crops must be low and farming must be exact. The vineyard is monitored daily in the weeks leading to harvest, then picked at the moment acidity, sugar and flavour are in balance.

Vinification

All harvest is done by hand, the winemaking is simple but precise.

Fermentation is in used French oak hogsheads. Naturally occurring vineyard yeasts conduct the fermentation, and the wine matures in contact with these same yeasts for up to 12 months before bottling.

Tasting Notes

The palate is very concentrated, with fig, pear, wet stones, and a hint of mealy phenolic at the finish. Acidity is bright and frames the palate beautifully. This is a totally modern, thoroughly authentic expression of cool grown, high altitude chardonnay.