Exclusive UK Agents for Flowstone:
The Might of Margaret River
Flowstone is the creation of Stuart Pym who has enjoyed a long and illustrious wine career spanning some 30 years. I first came across Stuart’s wines when he founded Suckfizzle in 1996 and then Stella Bella in 1999. In 2013 he handed over the Stella Bella winemaking reins and moved to flowstone in a permanent capacity and we’ve been tracking down him and his wines ever since. Stuart is a perfectionist and his attention to detail is quite extraordinary, resulting in perhaps the best wine(s) made in Margaret River today. Accolades have come in thick and fast including the prodigious winner of James Halliday’s Best New Winery, 2015 and of course, receiving 97 points for his 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, which is the highest score achieved for this varietal. Stuart has a deep understanding of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, which and personally, are his best wines. His craftsmanship is clearly displayed in each and every vintage with all varietals nodding firmly to their French counterpart. His Chardonnay’s sit shoulder to shoulder with great Burgundies, his oak aged Sauvignon Blancs are textural, nervy and are simply incredible with 4-5 years bottle age. James Halliday aptly describes Stuart’s Sauvignon Blancs as “A salute to the late Didier Dagueneau” which is some tribute... His Cabernet Sauvignon is handpicked from a dry grown vineyard in Wilyabrup, which was planted in the late 1970’s and all enjoy expensive French oak treatment. These wines are precise and elegant but do require 5 to 10 years to unlock
their true potential. Respectfully to those Francophile’s who recoil from Australian wines, in short, Flowstone wines are very special indeed and it would be such a shame for you miss out.
Availability:
Sadly, quantities are strictly limited, which is the direct result of the size of Stuart’s individual plots and his obsession with perfection. The maximum produced to date is a miserly 430 cases for his 2015 Sauvignon Blanc to a microscopic 75 cases for his 2009 Queen of the Earth Chardonnay. We have listed production quantities for each and every wine being offered. We have listed production quantities for each and every wine being offered(*We acknowledge the discrepancies between our figures and
those stated by Halliday. Our figures are direct from Flowstone & are 100% accurate)
Museum Stock:
We desperately wanted to offer some of Stuart’s older wines, which he kindly agreed to. Given the above, we have prepared several mixed-museum cases
(1 x bottle of each vintage) which is a wonderful way to personally witness how these great wines develop with age. Moreover, many of these wines are unavailable in the world market.
Pricing:
It is a real privilege to be exclusive agents for Flowstone, which has the added benefit of preferential pricing. We firmly believe that wines offered by Flowstone punch well above their weight and I struggle to find many comparisons in terms of quality to price.
Delivery:
All wines are available for immediate delivery however; I would ask for restraint (in terms of opening your first bottle). These wines have been on a long journey and do require a month or two to settle before you enjoy.
Scores:
Like you, we have not sampled each and every wine / vintage. At this time, all notes / scores are listed from James Halliday. I will add my own views over the coming months.
The pleasure Flowstone will give to wine lovers is immeasurable. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have and I look forward to swapping tasting notes over the coming months. Cheers, Stu
2015 Flowstone Sauvignon Blanc
95 Points - James Halliday
Fruit off a Karridale single vineyard, the whole-berries pressed to old barriques and a (600l) demi-muid for 11 months with lees stirring. From that a wine that is palate-focused and free of the nervy pressures of immediacy has been created, says winemaker Stuart Pym. This is intensely flavoured, high-toned and complex: imagine crushed gravel, Chinese tea-smoke, and lemon verbena with crackling acidity yet texture galore.
or buy a case and save up to £24.00
Flowstone Museum Vertical Sauvignon Blanc
Includes 1 bottle of the following:
Flowstone Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Flowstone Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Flowstone Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Flowstone Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Flowstone Sauvignon Blanc 2011
2014 Flowstone
Sauvignon Blanc
97 Points - James Halliday
Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in used oak and demi-muids with staves, matured for 11 months in oak, plus 15 months in bottle. The complex, vaguely smoky/charry bouquet shifts around radically on the super-intense and complex palate, with citrus and snow pea doing battle with ripe citrus and guava/lychee tropical fruits, the latter prevailing. A salute to the late Didier Dageneau.
2013 Flowstone
Sauvignon Blanc
96 Points - James Halliday
Hand-picked from a single vineyard in southern Margaret River, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in used oak barrels and one new 600l demi muid, 11 months maturation in oak followed by 18 months bottle maturation. Gleaming straw-green, it has the hallmark complexity and depth to its fusion of tropical fruit with cashew and toasty oak.
2012 Flowstone
Sauvignon Blanc
97 Points - James Halliday
Follows closely in the thoroughly unorthodox, but brilliantly successful, ?11 inaugural release: barrel fermentation and 11 months oak maturation, then 18 months in bottle prior to release. The synergy between the grape and the vinification, orchestrated by winemaker Stuart Pym, is spectacularly successful; the flavours are a Joseph's Coat of complexity, yet indivisible. Zesty acidity means the wine will outlast almost all other sauvignon blancs.
2011 Flowstone
Sauvignon Blanc
97 Points - James Halliday
This wine breaks all the accepted rules/wisdom. Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, barrel-fermented in used barrels; matured for 11 months with some lees stirring; once bottled it is held for 18 months' further maturation. Glowing straw-green; it is a truly remarkable wine, with rapier-like intensity and prodigious length to its display of nectarine, gooseberry and citrus before the flinty acidity on its finish. 280 dozen made.
2013 Flowstone Chardonnay
96 Points - James Halliday
From a single vineyard in Karridale, hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (20% new), mlf, matured for in oak for 11 months, plus 30 months in bottle. Karridale is in the southernmost (coolest) part of the Margaret River, but the youth of this wine is nonetheless amazing - as it has been in prior vintages. No single fruit flavour dominates, nor is the oak particularly obvious, it's just a very good chardonnay.
or buy a case and save up to £24.00
Flowstone Museum Vertical Chardonnay
Includes 1 bottle of the following:
Flowstone Chardonnay 2013
Flowstone Chardonnay 2012
Flowstone Chardonnay 2011
Flowstone Chardonnay 2010
2012 Flowstone
Chardonnay
94 Points - James Halliday
Handpicked Dijon clones 95 and 96 from a single vineyard at Karridale, whole bunch-pressed, wild fermentation and 11 months maturation in French barriques (20% new), plus 30 months in bottle. 360 dozen made. Trembles on the brink of unripeness, but is pulled back by the complexity built into the wine. Will always be Corton or Chablis, not Meursault or Montrachet.
2011 Flowstone
Chardonnay
96 Points - James Halliday
Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (15% new), with natural mlf; 11 months in oak. Gleaming green-gold; the cashew/walnut complexity of the bouquet carries through to the palate, but here takes second place to its intense pink grapefruit core. Awesome second-tier wine.
2010 Flowstone
Chardonnay
96 Points - James Halliday
From a single vineyard in Karridale, the southernmost and coolest part of Margaret River; hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (15% new), with natural mlf; 11 months in oak with occasional lees stirring; after bottling cellared for 30 months prior to release. Still pale, bright straw-green; the bouquet has a nutty complexity to the core of pink grapefruit, the palate a bright replay of the bouquet except for the racy, minerally acidity.
2014 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay
96 Points - James Halliday
Margaret River and Chardonnay go hand in hand, but the expressions of this variety across the region are many and varied. The Flowstone Queen of the Earth Chardonnay is from one tiny patch of vines in the southern reaches of the region. It has complex aromas of beurre bosc pears, stonefruit, brioche, nut-meal, hints of honeysuckle and creamy lees notes. The palate is dense, focussed and intense - perfectly aligning the fruit and oak. The oak, lees contact and mlf give additional complexity. There is great texture and length, and a chalky acid to finish. The palate has great power and focus, but is not fat or heavy. This is a serious Chardonnay of substance and moment.
or buy a case and save up to £36.00
Flowstone Museum Vertical Queen of the Earth Chardonnay
Includes 1 bottle of the following:
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay 2014
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay 2013
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay 2012
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay 2011
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay 2009
2013 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay
97 Points - James Halliday
From the home vineyard at Forest Grove planted '04, hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (50% new), mlf, matured for 18 months, plus a further 24 months in bottle. I'll bet every vine receives personal attention; as each year passes, the style of the Flowstone wines becomes more clearly marked. Here it is the depth and texture of the fruit, mlf and oak in measured support for each other that establishes the special quality the wine has (not to mention 2 years cellar maturation).
2012 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay
96 Points - James Halliday
The second (1.3 tonnes) vintage from the home block, hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French barriques (50% new, 50% 1yo), matured for 18 months, plus a further 24 months in bottle, 90 dozen made. A beautifully detailed wine, all its components perfectly lined up, flowing seamlessly across the palate, stone fruit tempered by just-so citrussy acidity, the oak absorbed.
2011 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay
97 Points - James Halliday
From the 0.5ha planting in ?04, hand-picked; fermentation and mlf in French oak (50% new); 17 months in barrel; once bottled, held for 36 months before release. Counterintuitively, elegance and finesse, rather than complexity, define the character of this wine, and underwrite its extreme length. A quite beautiful display of perfectly ripened chardonnay vinified by a master.
2009 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth Chardonnay
97 Points - James Halliday
The first crop from the 0.5ha planting in '04, hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed; fermentation and mlf in French oak (50% new); 17 months in barrel with occasional stirring; once bottled it is held for 36 months before release. The mouthfeel is exceptional, almost succulent, and yet full of activity as the oak and mineral components also find the taste receptors; the length of the palate is awesome. 75 dozen made.
2013 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth
Cabernet Sauvignon
96 Points - James Halliday
From a dry grown vineyard in Wilyabrup, planted in the late '70s. Hand-picked, open fermented for 17 days then heads to French oak barriques for 3 years, and once bottled allowed to relax for 15 months. What a wine. Complex yet refined with florals, cassis and warm earth, full-bodied but long and pure with svelte tannins. Only 92 dozen made.
or buy a case and save up to £36.00
Also available by the Magnum
@ £83.90 per magnum
2012 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth
Cabernet Sauvignon
97 Points - James Halliday
From a dry-grown Wilyabrup vineyard planted late '70s, hand-picked, open-fermented, 17 days on skins, matured in used French oak for 3 years. Excellent colour; a suave Margaret River cabernet with all its bolshie cabernet tannins now in the role they will play long term; the bouquet has some elusive violets, the mouthfeel and overall structure picture perfect, the flavours of cassis and bay leaf enough to melt a pinot lover's heart.
Also available by the Magnum
@ £88.95 per magnum
2011 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth
Cabernet Sauvignon
97 Points - James Halliday
Hand-picked from a single dry-grown vineyard in Wilyabrup; open-fermented in 1-tonne pots, 17 days post-fermentation maceration, matured for 3 years in new French barriques, plus 15 months bottle age, 9 dozen made. Briefly tries to hide its beauty, but has to let the rivulets of cassis caress the tongue and cheeks of the mouth, supported by persistent, but extraordinarily fine, silky tannins.
2010 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth
Cabernet Sauvignon
95 Points - James Halliday
From a single dry-grown vineyard in Wilyabrup planted in the late ?70s; hand-picked, open-fermented and macerated for 3 weeks thereafter; pressed to new French barriques and left there for 3 years; 85 dozen made. The result is a wine that nods to the Right Bank of Bordeaux, with foresty/savoury notes at ease with the autocratic black fruits of cabernet.
2009 Flowstone
Queen of the Earth
Cabernet Sauvignon
97 Points - James Halliday
From a single dry-grown vineyard in Wilyabrup planted in the late '70s; hand-picked, open-fermented and macerated for 3 weeks thereafter; pressed to new French barriques and left there for 3 years; 85 dozen made. Stuart Pym regards this vintage as an all-time classic, and this wine supports that view, the fruit so intense it has absorbed the oak without demur; there is a juicy quality to the fruit that gives the impression of sweetness - which is not. Pure magic.
2012 Flowstone
Cabernet Sauvignon Touriga
91 Points - James Halliday
70/30%, fermented separately in open-fermenters, the cabernet remaining on skins for 17 days, the touriga for 9 days, matured in French oak (20% new) for 24 months, plus a further 24 months bottle age. Stuart Pym has got his teeth into this bone, and isn't about to let go. It's got flavour, texture, structure, a point of difference - what it doesn't have is the finesse or logic of his other wines.
or buy a case and save up to £24.00
2011 Flowstone
Cabernet Sauvignon Touriga
95 Points - James Halliday
A 70/30% blend separately made, but using similar steps: open-fermented in 1-tonne pots, cabernet 14 days post-fermentation maceration, touriga 11 days, pressed to French barriques (20% new) for 24 months, blended with a further 2 years in bottle, 350 dozen made. This is left field, but irresistible with its array of cedar, spice and cassis in utter harmony, each flattering the other.
or buy a case and save up to £24.00
2010 Flowstone
Cabernet Sauvignon Touriga
96 Points - James Halliday
The cabernet comes from a 25yo vineyard in Wilyabrup, the touriga from a 35-year-old patch of vines in Yallingup. The parcels were separately open-fermented, and thereafter spent 2 years in French oak (20% new); once blended and bottled, the wine was held for 2 years prior to release. While the Queen of the Earth Cabernet Sauvignon makes no secret of its autocratic provenance, this is an immediately and unequivocally joyous blend of cassis and small red fruits, its tannins fine and soft.
or buy a case and save up to £24.00
2009 Flowstone
Cabernet Sauvignon Touriga
95 Points - James Halliday
The cabernet comes from a 25-year-old vineyard in Wilyabrup, the touriga from a 35-year-old patch of vines in Yallingup. The parcels were separately open-fermented, and thereafter spent two years in French oak (20% new); once blended and bottled, the wine was held for 2 years prior to release. Some colour development; a super-elegant, medium-bodied wine, with supple blackcurrant/black cherry flavours, fine-grained tannins and great length. 250 dozen made.
or buy a case and save up to £24.00
2015 Flowstone
Shiraz Grenache
95 Points - James Halliday
50% shiraz, 48% grenache and 2% mourvedre, the shiraz crushed and destemmed for open fermentation, the grenache and the mourvedre were 100% whole bunch open-fermented and foot-stomped; the shiraz was pressed at 6 degrees baume to finish fermentation in used oak; matured for 7 months in used barriques and puncheons, 230 dozen made. Vivid crimson-purple colour beyond east coast shiraz grenache blends; the energy of the blaze of red fruits on the palate is utterly compelling, and creates the long finish and aftertaste, underlined by superfine tannins.
2014 Flowstone
Shiraz Grenache
95 Points - James Halliday
75/25%, the shiraz crushed and destemmed for open fermentation, the grenache whole bunch and foot-stomped for 3 weeks, thence to barrel, the shiraz was pressed mid-ferment to barrel to complete its fermentation and 7 months' maturation. Has an utterly enticing array of berry flavours, spices and wild herbs, the latter helping to lift and cleanse the palate.
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