The Vintage Journal - Cloudburst

This eJournal explores the history and early years behind one of the most unusual stories of the last twenty years - Cloudburst from Margaret River

ANDREW CAILLARD MW

VINTAGE JOURNAL – GREAT ESTATES SERIES –

CLOUDBURST

CONTENTS

Cloudburst

Will Berliner

Cult or Phenomenon?

Viticulture or Gardening?

Preserving Nature

Vinestock Material

TASTING NOTES

Cloudburst

Margaret River

cloudburst , a sudden, very heavy rainfall, usually local in nature and of brief duration. Most so-called cloudbursts occur in connection with thunderstorms. In these storms there are violent uprushes of air, which at times prevent the condensing raindrops from falling to the ground. A large amount of water may thus accumulate at high levels, and if the upward currents are weakened, the whole of this water falls at one time. Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 Oct. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/science/cloudburst.

CLOUDBURST

Cloudburst is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. It is one of the most unusual wine stories of the last 20 years. Establishing a vineyard, making wine and creating a brand of significance require years of hard work, imagination and commitment. Typically, it takes decades to build the authenticity and credibility required to reach the higher echelons of the ultra-fine wine scene. Yet vigneron Will Berliner, an American “blow-in”, has achieved the cusp of international recognition in a more compact time frame. In many respects he has unwittingly caught a wave that has carried him much further than anyone imagined. Despite its name, Cloudburst is not an overnight downpour of success. Although luck has played its part, there are many underlying reasons why it has done so well. Asides from the virtues of the Margaret River’s geography, climate and soils, the most important dynamic is Will Berliner, who grew up surrounded by nature, and whose inquisitiveness and love for plants began at childhood. The intricacies and subtleties of establishing a vineyard demand experience and different outlooks. Finding a direction with winemaking style also requires a degree of trial and error. Will Berliner has picked up these skills by working with winemakers, learning on the job and networking the wine trade. When Cloudburst swept the Margaret River Wine Show of almost all its trophies and shocked the wine world in 2013, it was the end of an apprenticeship and the beginning of new horizons. Over the last 10 years, Cloudburst has become a household name among key sommeliers, wine critics, wine trade figures and collectors .

Cloudburst

Will Berliner Will Berliner, who is married to Australian nurse Alison Jobson, settled in Western Australia during the early 2000s to live closer to his wife’s family. They soon purchased a 100-hectare virgin block of land without much ambition, except to: belong to a place with large parts of nature intact, where elemental forces and ocean, wind, rock and tree still had a presence. The original intent was to build a house on the land, near Caves Road, which ribbons in a south–north direction parallel to the Indian Ocean a few kilometres away. There were initial plans to grow a stand of avocado trees to block out car headlights, but a local agronomist encouraged Berliner to plant wine grapes. The first advice was to plant a large vineyard with rows nearly 300 metres long. But for this to occur, the property would have to be landscaped and the natural flow of the land altered to optimise plantings and improve drainage. The paradox of destroying nature and then introducing sustainable practices bothered Will Berliner. Although the science and economics were sound, the advice went against many principles of conservation and ecology. But the idea of planting a vineyard became a personal obsession. Berliner had a long history in the organic space, having run an organic restaurant back in the seventies, grown his own organic food for decades, and studied plants and herbal medicine. It comes as no surprise that the brief was to manage the land and vineyards organically from day one, while taking some inspiration from biodynamics, bringing to bear long day-to-day experience with organic production. Berliner, at this time, knew very little about wine and enrolled in a long-distance course in viticulture and oenology at University of California, Davis. He also purchased Cabernet and Chardonnay wines from around the world to understand the reference he would be working with. The list is a yawn of classics from Bordeaux and Burgundy, which can only be obtained by the resourceful and the connected. But of course, understanding the fine wine aesthetic is the foundation of a traditional wine education. In addition, the Margaret River region is particularly well known for its dynamic and creative wine community. Many vineyards are managed using sustainable principles , a frame of reference that is

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increasingly narrowing as new technology and environmental values shape the narrative of grape growing. These experiences, combined with fanatical research with academics, winemakers and wine trade people , fast-tracked his knowledge and skills.

Cloudburst

Cult or Phenomenon? I first heard of Cloudburst after its 2013 Wine Show fame and made a point of visiting the vineyard and getting a bearing on its progress soon after. In the late 1990s, I had been unwisely dismissive of the cult wine scene. Wines like Clarendon Hills Astralis and Chris Ringland were garnering extraordinary demand at auction from collectors during this time. They had been championed by American wine critic Robert Parker and were regularly getting very high scores. I believed that their stars would shine only for a short while, but this proved not to be the case. Many have become a permanent feature of Australian fine wine , with a strong following among collectors. By the time Cloudburst arrived on the scene, the cult wine explosion was pretty much over and the natural wine movement was in full sway. Cloudburst’s story is appealing to sommeliers, wine critics and collectors , because its story is about nature, the beauty of wine and the goodness of nurture. There is also drama and physicality about working a vineyard, capturing the elements and creating something unique and special. In 2019 I took some collectors around Margaret River to visit the region’s finest winemakers. The itinerary included a stopover at the Cloudburst Vineyard. On our way to Margaret River , one friend said: There is no way I will buy Cloudburst – far too expensive for what it is. Two hours later, he bought three dozen wines for his cellar at over $350 a bottle. This perhaps highlights the charisma of Will Berliner, the genius of the vineyard site and the presence of the wines. Ultimately , Cloudburst is a phenomenon, born from a feel for nature, fidelity of site and a quest for meaningfulness. It belongs to the same genre as Le Pin, Bibi Graetz or Pingus. These are micro producers where the power of nature and the force of personality have left an indelible mark on the fine wine landscape. They have all become trusted wine brands within a small circle of wealthy collectors and drinkers who believe in the magic of fine wine and a great backstory. Their success is based on their smallness and uniqueness. For Margaret River, Cloudburst is a fascinating addition to the fine wine scene. It is inconsequential in size , yet powerful in character. The sounds and speckles of nature carry with the wind and the light. Standing in the middle of the vineyard, I could

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Cloudburst

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Cloudburst

throw a stone or my voice beyond any of the vineyard’s extremities. The production is so minimal that it is only available in a few corners of the fine wine universe. Yet its presence is of enormous significance to the cause of fine Australian wine. Viticulture or Gardening? In another age, the Cloudburst vineyard would be described as a wine garden. All the work is done by hand and the only wheels that go up and down the rows belong to wheelbarrows. The work is relentless. The vines are tended along ecological principles and borrow from ideas proposed by Rudolf Steiner, JI Rodale and others who worried about the use of chemicals in farming. Although his practices appear to be from Steiner’s biodynamic playbook, Berliner’s methodologies are quirky and difficult to pin down. For those who believe in verifying work practices, he is an infuriating maverick, but for those who follow philosophy and history, his ideas are a mosaic of works and days going back to the agricultural revolution of the 18th century and Roman times. The Cloudburst vineyard is highly unusual in its size and arrangement. A small postage stamp-sized plot of roughly 1.4 hectares was cleared by hand and then close-planted at 1m x 1m – equating to something like 12,000 vines per hectare. The vertical shoot positioned vines are also trained with extremely low trunks, a vine architecture which is extremely unusual in Margaret River. The vineyard, which is unirrigated, is worked mainly by Will Berliner and a handful of workers who assist him during key periods, especially pruning and harvesting. When walking through the vines, the topsoils are spongy, deep and full of worms. The ground has risen half a metre in 20 years, and the wooden stake trellising has seemingly sunk into the earth. These soils lie above deep, free-draining, gravelly loams. Berliner talks whimsically about the vines and how they interact. He believes that a subsoil ecosystem has been established where the root systems are all interconnected and in conversation with each other. He suggests that when he prunes a vine, the cut is felt by the whole vineyard. Conversely, the growth and ripening of the grapes are an act of unison.

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WARDANDI BOODJA – Saltwater People’s Country Land carefully attended to for countless millennia. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Wardandi People, and pay respect to their elders, past, present and emerging, as we care for this country. MARGARET RIVER WINE REGION The Margaret River Peninsula enjoys a Mediterranean climate featuring mild, wet winters and warm dry summers. The Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge runs the length of the peninsula and is comprised of ancient granite dating two billion years. The decomposed granite has formed iron rich clay and granitic gravel loams, low on organic matter, ideal for grapes. Southwestern Australia is a Biodiversity Hotspot home to thousands of unique species of plants including towering Karri trees, amongst the tallest trees in the world. Cloudburst vineyard is situated on the inland slope of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge within sound of the sea. The vineyard is perfectly aspected with regard to sun and

MARGARET RIVER WINE REGION STATISTICS LATITUDE 33.9509° S LONGITUDE 115.0738° E HEAT DEGREE DAYS 1600 GROWING SEASON AVERAGE RAINFALL 51.8 mm MEAN JANUARY TEMPERATURE Max 26.6°C Min 13.9°C

wind exposure. Protected from extreme winds by ancient Marri eucalypts, the vineyard connects to the Indian Ocean through pristine “A-class” bushland. Cloudburst land is pristine and has always been free of chemicals. The vines are own-rooted, non-irrigated, and non-cultivated.

DENSITY 10,000 vines per hectare.

VARIETY Chardonnay Cabernet Malbec

BLOCKS 1. Shakti 2. Elixir 3. Prasad 4. Ambrosia

13. Vishnu 14. Laksmi 15. Brahma 16. Sarasvati

17. Shiva 18. Parvati

5. Amrita 6. Nirvana 7. Buddha 8. Nectar

9. Krishna 10. Prana 11. Radha 12. Ganesh

Margaret River

Cloudburst

Southern Ocean

These perspectives are seemingly quirky, but they are deeply held views, formed by years of observation, research and nurture. Ultimately Will Berliner’s eco-organic approach is about creating life and energy in his vineyard and his wines. His hands-on work in the vineyard and ability to communicate his purpose has captured the imagination of many fine - wine drinkers around the world. The winemaking is hardly a part of the narrative. It’s all about the vineyard, the root systems and the soils. His approach is informed by his past as much as by the science and philosophies of the present.

Preserving Nature Yale-educated Will Berliner is an American entrepreneur with a science background and a mystifying curriculum vitae connected with outdoor adventuring and forestry. At college, Berliner studied island ecology and became an expert on the behaviour and habitats of the marsh raccoon and moose on islands off Georgia and Lake Superior. Although steeped in the science of forestry and ecology-related biology, his understanding of

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Grapes grow naturally on my properties in New England. They are in mulchy soils and climb neighbouring trees for light. I saw that the only soils like that in Margaret River were found in the denser, older growth (actually, second growth), forests and I wondered if I could recreate that. I also was experiencing the extremes of the Australian environment, particularly the heat and wind and dryness. My soil is particularly bony, and I thought that if I cultivated it and opened it to the sun, I would dry it out further, as well as cook whatever was living there. So, I decided not to cultivate but rather to mulch, in order to build up soil tilth and microbial life. Will Berliner, Cloudburst Despite the intent to farm with nature, invasive species are a particular challenge in Margaret River. Kikuyu grass from South Africa is about the first stumbling block. Local dairy farmers like this grass because it is a great insurance against drought, but its rapid spread can hamper vine growth and root development. Most vignerons prepare their vineyards with sprays, but Berliner chooses to rid himself of these grasses by depriving the ground of light (using plastic sheeting) and hand weeding. This type of work, while fine for a postage stamp-sized plot, is very difficult to achieve with large-scale vineyards. It takes years to prepare the ground , and requires deep pockets and long hours. The Cloudburst vineyard is also worked by guinea fowl and geese , which are employed to the natural world gradually shifted from the logical to the philosophical and the spiritual. With conviction and confidence, Berliner developed: a personal imperative to preserve the natural, the earth’s wild spaces, and the wild spaces within each of us . Although this sounds quite esoteric, Berliner owns a large tract of undeveloped forest in New Hampshire and a farm in Maine , in the US , his own personal effort to give nature breathing space.

Cloudburst

get rid of weevils and snails. These birds are vulnerable to opportunistic foxes, however, and so they have to be put safely into a fenced-off compound in the evening. This is a common problem in Margaret River. The importation of European fauna and flora have created long-term challenges. It even works the other way: most vineyards in the area must be netted to avoid destruction of the crop by silvereyes and Australian ringnecks. Either way , the pattern of work is focused on growing the best wine grapes possible. Will Berliner says: A healthy soil retains moisture, is nutrient rich, and alive with beneficial organisms supporting the vitality of the plants. We use homeopathic preparations, fish and seaweed emulsions, biodynamic-style composts, rock dusts, mulches, and cover crops. These vineyard practices are also reinforced by the close planting of unirrigated vines without rootstocks on land that has never been treated with chemicals in a region with incredible biodiversity. Vinestock Material The vinestock is classic Margaret River material and was sourced from local vignerons along Caves Road. The cabernet sauvignon plantings are a mass selection of the highly regarded and historic Houghton Clone. Typically , the wines possess beautiful colour, purity and tannin vigour. The chardonnay derives from the Gingin clone , which has been massively successful in these parts. The wines have superb richness of flavour, texture and natural acidities. These two clones are accidental foundations of Margaret River’s success and also from the bulk of plantings at Cloudburst. While malbec was brought into Western Australia as early as the 1850s, the vinestock is of more modern origins. The inky density, volume and fine grainy tannins are highly valued by local vignerons and often used as blending material, but at Cloudburst it has become a standout variety in its own right. Winemaking is typically traditional and laissez-faire. The chardonnay is picked by hand and whole - bunch pressed before racking into a combination of new and seasoned new oak barriques. Wild yeasts spontaneously kick off fermentation , and malo-lactic fermentation

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Our practice of careful observation continues in the winery. We work with nature and offer only minimal interference with natural processes. Utilizing wild ferments and intervening as little as possible, we let the grapes fully express themselves as they transmute into wine. Will Berliner, Cloudburst

Cloudburst

occurs naturally as well. The wine is kept on lees to build texture and complexity, but battonage is irregular. Sulphuring is kept to a minimum but ensures stability and freshness during the maturation period of around 10 months. Will Berliner aims to preserve the fruit purity in the wines , and matches his techniques to suit the character of the vintage. New oak can be as little as around 35% or as high as 100%. But it never seems to dominate the fruit in any given year. The style is generous and complex , with creamy freshness, fine al dente textures and bell-clear acidity with the character of the Gingin clone writ large. The cabernet sauvignon is batch vinified, using familiar Australian retro-modern techniques. The fruit is destemmed and hand sorted before being gently transferred into small open fermenters. Within a short period, spontaneous fermentation takes place. Some partial whole-bunch fermentation also occurs, bringing another layer of fruit complexity. Regular hand plunging is typical, starting at roughly three times during a 24-hour cycle and then reducing as the alcoholic fermentation comes to an end. The wine at dryness is then pressed and racked into 100% new oak where malo-lactic fermentation follows in the Spring. Will Berliner likes his Cabernet to stay in oak for around 20–22 months to allow the elements to integrate and the wine to develop volume and complexity. The barrels are all stored in cool conditions and remain untouched, except to monitor progress, throughout the maturation period.

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TASTING NOTES

2020 Cloudburst Chardonnay Margaret River

G 97

Pale colour. Fresh grapefruit, nectarine, marzipan, vanilla aromas with flinty nuances. Generous and creamy with supple pure grapefruit, nectarine, white peach, grilled nut flavours, fine loose - knit/ lacy textures, very good mid-palate volume/ roundness and long quartz-like indelible acidity. Al dente/ chalky finish with vanilla, light marzipan notes. Classic in dimension with lovely pure fruits, high tensile freshness and mineral complexity. Should develop beautifully. 13.5% alc Drink 2024–2032 2019 Cloudburst Chardonnay Margaret River G 96 Pale gold colour. Intense lime. Grapefruit, apricot aromas with grilled hazelnut, vanilla notes. Gorgeously seductive wine with ripe apricot, nectarine, grapefruit flavours, marzipan light pastry, honey nuances, fine slinky/ chewy textures, superb mid-palate viscosity and fresh linear acidity. Finishes minerally and long. Quite forward and mouth - filling. Delicious to drink now and will probably keep for a while . (Screw cap will preserve it . ) Idiosyncratic and unusual , but great. There is a hint of botrytis, but this adds another layer of complexity. Only 2288 bottles made. 13.8% alc Drink now–2026 2018 Cloudburst Chardonnay Margaret River G 95 Pale - medium colour. Intense marzipan, yellow peach, grapefruit aromas with lanolin notes. Well concentrated grapefruit, lime flavours, fine slinky al dente/ hint grainy textures, well-balanced vanilla, marzipan oak notes and fresh pure crisp acidity. Very good energy, richness and vigour. 13.5% alc Drink now–2030 2019 Cloudburst Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River G 96 Deep crimson. Blackcurrant, black cherry chinotto, violet aromas with hint vanilla notes. Pure blackcurrant, blackberry, aniseed, hint liquorice flavours, fine lacy firm structure, lovely inky density and underlying marzipan, vanilla, mocha notes. Finishes chalky/ chewy firm with black cherry liquorice notes. Lovely pure fruit characters with sinewy notes. 13% alc 2024–2034

Cloudburst

2018 Cloudburst Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River

G 98

Medium - deep crimson. Beautiful intense violet pure cassis aromas with espresso herb garden notes. Classical Cabernet wine with lovely pure blackcurrant, blackberry, dark plum flavours, flowing fine - grained textures and underlying roasted chestnut vanilla oak. Finishes velvety firm, and minerally with superb inky length. All the elements are perfectly integrated. The perfumed notes, inky textures, buoyancy of fruit and gentle vigour make it surprisingly delicious to drink now, but some extra bottle age will bring more complexity. Fascinating and fabulous. 95% cabernet sauvignon, 5% malbec. 2888 bottles made. 13.4% alc Drink now –2032+ 2017 Cloudburst Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River G 95 Deep colour. Intense and pure cassis, violet, chinotto aromas with some dark chocolate notes. Supple with blackcurrant, Parma violet flavours, some chinotto, cola notes, fine powdery/ grainy tannins and underlying roasted chestnut, hint marzipan notes. Finishes chocolaty and minerally with hint leafy notes. Very well-balanced wine with lovely density, purity and precision. 93% cabernet sauvignon 7% malbec 13.1% alc Drink now– 2035 2016 Cloudburst Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River G 98 Deep crimson. Intense blackcurrant, praline, truffle, vanilla aromas with some tobacco leaf notes. Inky deep and crystal clear with pure blackcurrant fruits, fine grainy textures, superb density, attractive mocha vanilla oak notes, and some Parma violet nuances. Finishes grainy firm and minerally. Still elemental but balanced with superb precision and torque. Brilliant. 12.5% alc Drink now–2034 2018 Cloudburst Malbec Margaret River G 94 Medium - deep crimson. Intense dark plum, blackberry, brambly aromas with roasted chestnut mocha praline notes. Lovely dark plum, blackberry, dark chocolate flavours, fine plentiful firm bittersweet tannins with attractive mid-palate richness and mocha, crème brûlée notes. Finishes chocolaty firm and minerally. Delicious. The grapes are destemmed, and hand sorted prior to open-top fermentation. The wine is pressed to barrel without extended maceration or extra skin contact. Matured primarily in new French oak for 18–21 months. 1200 bottles made. 13.4% alc Drink now–2028

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2017 Cloudburst Malbec Margaret River

G 96

Deep crimson . Fresh lead pencil, blackcurrant graphite aromas with some praline/ violet notes. Inky - textured wine with blackcurrant, elderberry fruit flavours, fine graphite, hint leafy firm tannins, some vanilla, roasted chestnut, marzipan note. A sturdy muscular finish with Parma violet notes. Very expressive and individual. 13.6% alc Drink now–2035 Cloudburst Margaret River’s Cloudburst, founded in 2008 by American ecologist and entrepreneur Will Berliner, is without comparison in the world of Australian fine wine. Its Lilliputian scale, audacious idealism, imaginative design and ecological zeal place this quirky yet magnificent obsession into a league of its own. Cloudburst represents the zeitgeist of our times , where prestige is underpinned by scarcity, uniqueness and beauty. There are few single - wine estates in the world that are so full of paradoxes and mystery. Even Cloudburst’s storybook debut is an improbable tale. Although luck has played its part, track record and vineyard character are tangible successes. Cloudburst’s availability through La Place de Bordeaux highlights its rarity and appeal within the international community of wine collectors.

Cloudburst

Margaret River Location: 33°55’S Altitude: 40–227 metres Climate: Mediterranean & Maritime

Margaret River lies in the south - western corner of Western Australia. It is surrounded to its north, west and south by the Indian and Great Southern Oceans , which moderate temperatures during the summer months like an air conditioner. Regular winter rainfall, warm dry growing conditions and free - draining red gravelly loams give the region a unique terroir. The vineyard is located only a kilometre from the Indian Ocean and adjoins the Cape Naturaliste–Cape Leeuwin National Park. According to First Nations people , the Margaret River area, the Land of the Saltwater People (Wadandi Boodja) , is one of the oldest places of human occupation on the Australian continent. Evidence suggests that people of the Noongar Nation lived at Devil’s Lair cave as far back as 48,000 years ago. The story of European settlement begins only in the early 19th century , and Margaret River first appeared as a placename in 1839, some 10 years after the foundation of the Swan River Colony, the nascent beginning of Western Australia. Although grapevines were planted during the 19th century, modern viticulture began in 1967. The region is famed for its high-quality age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines. They are some of the most collectible and highly prized wines in the Australian wine market and beyond.

Copyright © The Vintage Journal 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the author and copyright holders.

Cloudburst

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About the Author Andrew Caillard MW is the author of several books including Penfolds: The Rewards of Patience (six editions), Imagining Coonawarra, A Travel Through Time (the history of leading Spanish winery Marques de Riscal) and co-authored educational books Australian Wine and A Taste Around The World of Wine . The Essence of Dreams (the history of the Mornington Peninsula’s wine industry) will be published in 2022. Andrew has also written a definitive history of Australian wine with plans for publication in 2023. The Vintage Journal draws on research, experience and tasting expertise gathered during over 40 years working in the secondary market, the corporate retail world, the wine media, film and painting.

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