Gant & Co: stylish wines from Margaret River, Western Australia
Website: https://www.gantandco.com.au/
Matt Gant is an Australian winemaker known for his brand First Drop, which he made for 15 years before selling his half of the business in 2021. He’s also a partner in a Douro project, Quinta da Pedra Alta, which I’ve reviewed here. Now he has a new venture in Margaret River, Western Australia, called Gant & Co.
Matt’s wife Claudia’s father, Graham Lloyd, planted a vineyard in Karridale, in the south of the Margaret River region, back in 1998. It’s 25 hectares in all, and half is planted to six clones of Chardonnay (Gin Gin, 5, 95, 96, 76, 277), with smaller plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Arneis, and Albarino. There are also small plantings (5%) of reds: Cabernet Sauvignon (4 clones – 125, M191, M337, Houghton), Merlot, Malbec and Touriga Nacional.
Claudia worked here but then travelled to the Barossa, and while working at St Hallett she met Matt. They travelled widely, but then returned to Australia in 2011 to start a family, and although they were based in Margaret River, Matt split his time between here and the Barossa while he was still involved in First Drop. Now he’s making wines from the Karridale vineyard, and I was happy to have a look at them.
Matt says: “As a reminder, the vineyard has always been farmed holistically, with minimal sprays and soil health a primary focus. Our intention is to grow wines that reflect the purity and energy of our beautiful site in Karridale, in the deep south of Margaret River, just 15km from the cooling influence of the Southern Ocean. The resulting wines are produced with a light touch. A simple, sensitive approach (e.g. gentle handling, indigenous fermentation, ‘sur lie’ maturation) guided by timely intervention.”
THE WINES
Gant & Co ‘Gant & Cia’ Alvarinho 2024 Margaret River, Australia
Single cane. Shoot thinned. Young trial block. Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 10 months. Perfumed and refreshing. 12.5%. This has some lemon and apricot notes on the nose, and then a core of taut citrus fruit on the palate. Juicy and a bit stony with high acidity. This is quite compressed and taut, with a lovely acid line. Really tight. 90/100
Gant & Co ‘Fume’ Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Margaret River, Australia
Dual cane. Minimal intervention. From the prized Block 13. Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 10 months. Savoury and textured. 12.5%. This is taut and stony on the nose with focused citrus fruit. The palate is bright and has good acidity, with subtle nutty hints under the pear and citrus fruit. Compressed and taut, with the potential for development. Juicy and alive. 90/100
Gant & Co Chardonnay 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Dual cane. Shoot thinned. Leaf plucked for dappled solarisation. 54% Gin Gin (Block 3); 46% 95 (Block 12). Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 9 months. Restrained, with line and length. 12.5%. This is tight, restrained, stony and mineral with some pear and citrus fruit, with lovely precision. Subtle oak here, and an emphasis on the focused fruit, showing a mineral streak. Compressed and unfurled. 92/100
Gant & Co ‘Karridale’ Reserve Chardonnay 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Dual cane. Shoot thinned. Leaf plucked for dappled solarisation. 67% Gin Gin (Block 1); 37% 96 (Block 12). Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 12 months. Textured Karridale Chardonnay. 12.5%. This is taut and focused with some spicy, savoury mineral notes supporting the compressed pear and white peach fruit, as well as some lime. There’s a touch of oak, with almond and cedar notes, but they integrate well. Juicy, fine and linear with potential for further development. This is so youthful, but it’s really good. 94/100
Gant & Co Semillon 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Spur pruned. Leaf plucked. 100% Semillon (Block 6). Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 15 months. Structured and complex. 12.5%. There’s a chalky, crystalline edge to the pure citrus fruit with some smoked grapefruit character. Zesty and alive, this has keen acidity but also some attractive texture. Bright and linear. 92/100
Gant & Co ‘Gant & Cia’ Touriga Nacional 2024 Margaret River, Australia
Single cane. Shoot and fruit thinned. One bunch per shoot. Dry grown. Young trial block. 10 months sur lie in hogsheads and barriques. I’ve been making Touriga Nacional in Australia (Barossa, McLaren Vale and now Margaret River) since 2002. This is the best expression yet. Perfumed and delicious. 13%. A deep, vivid colour, this has a taut nose that’s quite floral with sweet raspberry and cranberry fruit, as well as a hint of greenness. The palate has freshness, some tartness and really appealing supple raspberry fruit, with some crunchy tannin and good acidity. Such freshness here. 93/100
Gant & Co Malbec 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Dual cane. Shoot and fruit thinned. Leaf plucked. One bunch per shoot. Dy Grown. 87% Malbec (Block 9) 13% Cabernet Sauvignon (Block 8). 15 months sur lie in hogsheads and barriques. Vibrant, juicy, spicy. 13%. This is so bright and juicy, with some generous cherry and strawberry fruit hemmed in by nice acidity and a bit of grippy structure. This has nice grip and focus, with some green notes bringing out the vibrant fruity notes. Really successful. 94/100
Gant & Co Cabernet Malbec 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Single cane. Shoot and fruit thinned. Leaf plucked. One bunch per shoot. Dy Grown. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon (Block 8 – 60% Houghton (black), 20% 191 (blue), 5% 337 (perfumed), 5% 125 (leafy) 10% Malbec (Block 9). 15 months sur lie in French oak barriques (20% New). Modern Margaret River. 13%. This is so supple and refined, with real energy to the bright blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, with some nice green notes. Some crunchy tannin as well as pure, bright, juicy fruit. Taking early picking to the extreme, but this has massive potential for development in bottle, and it’s approachable now if you like your wines focused and crunchy. 93/100
Gant & Co Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Dual cane. Shoot and fruit thinned. Leaf plucked. One bunch per shoot. Dy Grown. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (Block 8 – 32% Houghton (black); 32% 337 (perfumed; 24% 125 (leafy); 12% 191 (blue)). 15 months sur lie in French oak barriques (32% New). Claret. 13%. This is beautifully focused with a gravelly edge to the blackcurrant fruit, with a nice savouriness. It’s grainy and has a nice savoury edge, a hint of greenness, and brilliant balance between the fruit and the savoury structure. Compressed and taut right now, but with real purity and the potential for development. It’s stony and fresh on the finish. 94/100
Gant & Co ‘Karridale’ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Margaret River, Australia
Dual cane. Shoot and fruit thinned. Leaf plucked. One bunch per shoot. Dy Grown. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (Block 8 – 50% Houghton (black), 40% 337 (perfumed); 10% 191 (blue)). 15 months sur lie in French oak barriques (50% New). Perfumed Karridale Cabernet Sauvignon. I love the aromatics of Cabernet. 13%. This is quite wonderful with beautiful blackcurrant fruit on the nose, complemented with spicy blackcurrant bud and gravel notes. The palate is concentrated but very fresh with firm structure and good acidity, showing a core of sweet blackcurrant fruit. Fresh and expressive, but with the stuffing to go the difference. Quite tight and structured right now, but so promising. 95/100
Older notes
Gant & Co Sur Lie Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. 70% Semillon (Block 6), 30% Sauvignon Blanc (Block 13). 12 h skin contact. Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 9 months. This is bright and textural with lovely lime, mandarin and cherry fruit, with a nice acid streak as well as pure fruit. Covers the whole flavour spectrum, with some richer notes, and a chalky, mineral edge to the bright, juicy fruit. Great balance here. 91/100
Gant & Co Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. Block 13. Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 9 months. There’s just a hint of oak here, which meshes well with the fruit, as so often happens with oaked Sauvignon. Slightly smoky, grapefruit notes with a hint of acacia and sandalwood, and lots of ripe pear and lime as well as some carraway seed. Bright like a margarita on the finish, but there’s some breadth and depth on the mid-palate. Such a stylish take on a classic style. 93/100
Gant & Co Chardonnay 2021 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. This is really focused and lively with intense pear and pineapple fruit, as well as a touch of green apple. There’s some oak in the mix adding some spiciness, but the core here is crisp lime and pineapple, with lots of acidity keeping the richer flavours in good focus. 93/100
Gant & Co Chardonnay 2022 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. 56% Clone 95/96 (Blk 12); 44% Gin Gin (Blk 1 and 3). Barrel fermented and matured sur lie for 9 months. Great balance to this wine which shows bright pear, citrus and white peach fruit with some nut and spice from subtle oak. Shows nice restraint with a slight savouriness adding a counterpart to the vivid fruit. Restraint and balance are the keywords here. 91/100
Gant & Co 467 Twenty Four Rd Blk 12 Chardonnay 2022 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. Blk 12 was planted with Clone 95 in 2003 with an E/W orientation. Barrel fermented in French oak puncheons (50% new) and barriques and matured sur lie for 9 months. Understated, fine and quite elegant with a touch of vanilla and peat smoke, as well as a core of sweet pear and white peach fruit. Complex and layered, but not overly concentrated, with space in the mix for everything to have its place. Fine nuts and even a touch of honey, too. 92/100
Gant & Co 467 Twenty Four Rd Blk 3 Chardonnay 2022 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. Blk 3 was planted with Gin Gin Clone in 1998 with a N/S orientation. Barrel fermented in French oak barriques (33% new) and matured sur lie for 9 months. Juicy, bright and vivid with some lime notes as well as a bit of apple and pear richness. There’s some oak influence, too, with cashew and cedar spice framing the bright fruit. Fresh, quite taut and slightly mineral with a crystalline edge to the finely spiced fruit. Could develop in interesting ways. 93/100
Gant & Co Nouveau 2022 Margaret River, Australia
11% alcohol. An unusual blend of Semillon, Merlot and Muscat: Matt’s version of a palhete. 58% Semillon (Block 6), 38% Merlot (Block 3B), 4% Muscat (Block 14). 100% whole bunch co-ferment. 4 months sur lie in demi-muid. Rose and hibiscus floral notes with some crunchy pomegranate and cherry fruit, rather biting on the finish, and even some notes of turmeric. So interesting and vital with red fruits and juicy acidity. A hybrid red and white with an oriental-style spicy twist. 92/100
Gant & Co Jeune 2022 Margaret River, Australia
12.5% alcohol. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot. “Dry grown ‘Loire inspired’ red blend meets ‘luncheon claret’”. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon (Block 8) 38% Malbec (Block 9) 12% Merlot (Block 3B). 10 months sur lie in demi-muid and barriques. Sweetly aromatic with some strawberry, raspberry jam and a hint of cinnamon. The palate is juicy and ripe with sweet strawberry character. Very approachable with a nice spicy edge and a touch of bitter orange peel. 90/100
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