On the eigtheenth day of Christmas my wine rack gave to me a Mac Forbes Pretty Young Things EB15 Syrah Nouveau 2015

An underground winemaker doing all the right things when it comes to wine.
Mac Forbes is a winemaker based in the Yarra Valley. Mac sources his grapes from 3 of his own vineyards, along with partnering vineyards in the area.
Mac’s really distinguishing trait is his approach to wine making – minimal intervention.

Mac Forbes himself  Credit: http://www.macforbes.com.au

What is minimal intervention?

It’s basically not interferring with the grapes in the wine making process. That means dumping the grapes into the barrel and letting them ferment, with limited use of pumps to move the wine around. It also means not adding things like acid and yeast, and only adding small quantities of sulfer. Most wineries add these ingredients to balance out the wine, and enable longer preservation.

Minimal intervention is very much about ‘why mess with the grapes, if you’ve already got the best grapes around?!’

The other brilliant thing about Mac’s wines is that you won’t find a tasting note on his bottle. Rather than influence your taste, he prefers you to make up your own mind.

“We have chosen not to provide traditional tasting notes for any of our wines. Our wines hopefully capture vineyard life and vitality. As such the wines are constantly evolving. The only tasting notes that matter are yours.” http://www.macforbes.com

Mac Forbes Cellar Door located right in town in Healesville

So here’s my take on his Pretty Young Things EB15 Syrah Nouveau

Featuring a deep plum colour, the flavours are very much like fruits of the forest, with blackberries and blueberries popping out. Not big on tannins, but instead is rather silky, with a smooth finish, just like a Sunday morning.

Until next time winos,

Cheers