“Chris Pfeiffer’s daughter Jen was four years old when she accompanied her parents to an auction for a then-vacant building in Waghunyah, Victoria. “I can remember how cold the floor was, and being incredibly bored,” she told me recently.
Rutherglen was in a dismal state: Lindemans’s had closed its Corowa fortified winery (across the Murray River, on the NSW side). Seppelt was also turning its back, selling off vineyard land in pieces, and the old Seppeltsfield Distillery plus a couple of hectares of adjoining vines.
Chris Pfeiffer had been the winemaker/manager of the Corowa winery, and had decided to accept the redundancy package rather than transfer to another part of the firm’s business. Thus he had enough money to buy the distillery, start establishing the “brood stock” (very old muscat and Topaque), refurbish part of the building for making table wine and eventually introduce a cellar door.
Life went on for Jen. At university she enrolled in science-law (because she didn’t know what else she wanted to do). Almost accidentally, work experience at Brown Brothers and overseas travel in France and Portugal added to her winemaking experience. On her return there was an option of joining the family business and she did so in 2001, still with no certainty that this would become a lifetime job. There was no Eureka moment, but in 2005 she became de facto chief winemaker, albeit with Chris ever able to give advice when needed.
Jen has the same self-set mission as any good winemaker: “To make better wines than I have ever made before”. In 2010 she did spectacularly well; Pfeiffer Wines won the trophy for Most Successful Exhibitor at the 2011 Victorian
Wines Show, Trophies for the 2010 Merlot and the 2010 Shiraz, and top gold medals for the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, NV Grand Topaque and NV Classic Topaque.
Overall, the 2011 year showered Pfeiffer with eight trophies, 16 gold medals and 15 silver medals. Bronze medals? Too many to count.
A blend of two parcels, one feremented in stainless steel to conclusion, the other pressed to American and French oak halfway through fermentation. Bright, clear crimson; particularly notable for its elegance and fragrance; light-to medium-bodied, but very long; fresh cherry fruit, controlled oak and tannins. 14.5% alc; screwcap
95 points; to drink to 2025
2010 Pfeiffer Cabernet Sauvignon
After a cold soak of four days, fermentation took place in two stainless steel fermenters; one of these was split two-thirds of the way through fermentation, with the standout portion transferred to new French oak hogsheads for the conclusion of fermentation. Excellent crimson-purple; has an expressive, varietal bouquet with blackcurrant/cassis to the fore; the medium-bodied plate is long, silky and very well-balanced, new oak making a contribution, the tannins fine-grained. 14.5% alc; screwcap
95 points; drink t0 2020;
The Weekend Australian Magazine February 11-12, 2012 – Article By James Halliday
