Red to Brown Wine Review

Wine Wars - Episode 1: A Vinous Hope

2012-02-21T21:44:00.001+11:00

A short time in the future, in a galaxy not that far away, two diametrically opposed wine making factions face off in a battle that will decide the future of wine consumption in the galaxy:

LINK: Wine Wars - Episode 1: A Vinous Hope

Yelland and Papps 2009 Divine Mataro (Sample)

2012-02-12T15:22:00.002+11:00

RedtoBrown’s first exposure to the Yelland and Papps Divine range of premium wines was the 2008 Divine Shiraz - an ambitious wine and a very good result given the vintage. The 2009 Divine range has been expanded with a Grenache and Mataro joining the Shiraz.

The 2009 Divine Mataro is a dark, brooding, yet at the same time, smooth, opulent and seductive wine. It is made from hand-picked old bush vine fruit that was yielding fruit in the 1880s. On the nose, black tarry fruit does a slow dance with turned earth and complex spice. The palate has layers of blood plumb, blackberry, earth, tar and liquorice, with a chocolate / mocha seam that runs from beginning to end. The tannins are fine while still being robust, the old French oak a subtle support player. adding structure. It finishes with a dark earthiness without excess alcohol heat or tannin.

If I were not tasting (as opposed to drinking) this wine, it would not have lasted the day – such is its lure. However, as we trend to do with the red wine samples, I came back to this wine over several days. On days two and three, the fruit became a bit more prominent, and on day five, the tannins had retreated further, yet the structure and poise remained. To sum it up, it did not fall over by the time the bottle was finished. The wine was drinking well after 5 days, fruity, savoury and structured, suggesting it will age superbly. So convinced with this, I put my money where my mouth is – a bottle of this is now in the cellar and will not be coming out for a long time.

Yelland and Papps have made a truly impressive wine here. It is great to see Australian wineries in multiple regions releasing increasing numbers of wines in this mould: hand-picked, carefully sourced and sensitively crafted, wines that have a personal touch and that speak of place. It is becoming clichéd to say this type of thing, though the quality of the Yelland and Papps Divine Mataro justifies it.

Rating – 96 pts
R.R.P - $100

ABV 14.8
Closure - Screwcap
Website - http://yellandandpapps.com/

BROWN (RB)

2009 Quilty Petit Verdot (Mudgee)

2012-02-09T20:20:00.010+11:00

You rarely find a straight Petit Verdot, but when you taste a wine like this you kind of wonder if there shouldn't be more. As a late ripening grape with high natural acidity, it would seem well suited to some of our warmer wine regions. Maybe it can become a bit of a signature grape for Mudgee?

Lovely smelling wine with the distinct aroma of violets, along with berries and some nice choc-oak. To drink, those beautiful berry fruits are balanced by that trademark acidity and hints of appealing earthiness and bitterness, making it both highly drinkable and also food friendly. Balance and length are there. I think it will be better in a couple of years time to. Very nice wine.

Rated:
+

RRP: $22
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.quiltywines.com.au/

Red

2010 De Iuliis Sunshine Vineyard Semillon (Hunter Valley)

2012-01-28T23:54:00.006+11:00

Well this is the fourth 4 Star white wine I’ve reviewed in a row. I’m not sure if there is anything significant about this, other than the fact I’m drinking some fantastic white wine at the moment.

The thing that marks this Semillon out from its peers is a funky soy sauce-like note that is there on both the bouquet and the palate. I’m not sure if its vineyard or vintage related, but regardless it added plenty of savoury appeal to the wine. That being said it otherwise presents as a classic young Hunter Semillon. Strong citrus flavours, prominent acidity at this early stage, and hints of an earthy minerality, all lend to a wine that can certainly be enjoyed in its youth with seafood. It also has lovely balance and proportion, and excellent length. Drinking it over a few days you get a nice sense of the weight and texture this wine will build over the next decade.

Whether you’re wanting something to drink now or are looking for something to cellar, you can have your cake and eat it to with this little number.

Rated:

RRP: $25
ABV: 10.6%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.dewine.com.au/

Red

2009 Yalumba "The Virgilius" Viognier (Eden Valley)

2012-01-21T13:35:00.007+11:00

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, and Viognier are three white wines I rarely seek out. A standard offering from these three varieties doesn’t do much for me. However, I would also say that the best examples of any variety can be both impressive and enjoyable, regardless of your natural preferences and biases. And so it is with this wine. In fact it’s close to being the best Viognier I have had.

It’s a tidy $50 a bottle, but there is plenty of love and care that has gone into it. From Yalumba -

Hand-picked grapes were whole-bunch pressed directly to barrels, and the juice handled with passive oxidation. The wine was fermented in mostly mature French oak barriques by a population of naturally occurring and differing species of yeast indigenous to the environment of the vineyard. In these wild ferments each yeast played a small and subtly different part in the development of the wine, creating layers of richness, complexity, fine textures and flavours. After fermentation the wine was aged on lees with regular batonage for 11 months to further heighten the palate weight and increase the complexity and flavour generosity. At blending only the finest barrels were chosen for the final wine.

The wine lives up to the spiel. It’s got a bit of varietal apricot generosity, but keeps this often blousy aspect with Viognier in check. There’s a beautiful ginger spice that pervades throughout, while in the background notes of melon, musk, florals, and dried herbs add further appeal. Fine acidity and a bit of phenolic grip provide lovely texture. Once again that spice is there on a long, refined finish.

It should age nicely over the next 5 years, but is good to go now with a bit of air. A cut above.

Rated:

RRP: $50
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.yalumba.com/

Red

2011 Scott Fiano (Adelaide Hills)

2012-01-17T20:41:00.013+11:00

If you had asked me a week ago where to go for a good Australian Fiano, I would have said Coriole, maybe Oliver’s Taranga, and then have been stumped for much else. I can now add Scott Wines from the Adelaide Hills to that list. I initially tasted it blind in amongst a line up of 35 other whites, courtesy of wine scribe Mike Bennie, and it really stood out then, and only subsequently improved upon retasting over a couple of days.

This is a wine of nice weight and richness of fruit that remains taut and trim all the same. It tastes of melon and pear, lovely spice, and some appealing herbal notes that really add to the wine. Crisp acidity, a sense of minerality, and that bit of viscosity, all give it a texture that distinguishes it from more run of the mill white wines. A great length of finish rounds it all off.

This 2011 Scott Fiano is terrific and worth seeking out if you want to see what we are capable of with this Southern Italian variety.

Rated:

ABV: 13.5%
RRP: $26
Website: http://www.scottwinemaking.com.au/

Red

2010 Vasse Felix Chardonnay (Margaret River)

2012-01-11T21:20:00.004+11:00

I’m a big fan of Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon, but have never been overly enamoured with their Chardonnay. This 2010 Chardonnay may turn the page on that view however.

I could drink quite a lot of this, especially as a Chardonnay that can be picked up for $20-$25. It needs a bit of air to show at its best, and once it does it reveals ripe peaches and grapefruit, spicy oak, and a beautiful creaminess. All of this though comes across in a restrained manner, and nothing is overdone. There’s a nice texture and grip to the wine through the mid-palate before it finishes off with good length and cleansing acidity. Nice flow, plenty of yum factor, and enough interest and complexity to keep a wine nerd like me happy. I ummed and ahhed between 3.5 and 4 stars, but in the end I really like this wine.

Rated:

RRP: $25
ABV: 12.5%
Website: www.vassefelix.com.au

Red

Why are imported wines in Australia so expensive?

2012-01-07T09:11:00.013+11:00

For a couple of years now the Australian dollar has more or less been at parity with the USD. As it relates to the Euro, it means we can buy products from Europe with the same level of purchasing power as the American consumer. As I’m writing this article $1 AUD buys 0.80 Euro, and $1USD buys 0.79 Euro. That makes it very easy to compare the costs of imported European wine in both Australia and the US, and as such I am consistently amazed and disheartened to see what a difference there is in what an American pays for a Barolo, Bordeaux, or Burgundy as compared to what we pay. Below are some examples with more or less average prices in each country -

I’ve tried to pick a reasonably random selection of European wines. Different countries, regions, and producers. I’m sure there can be argument over whether the price I have for each wine is truly the average in each country but they would be arguments about $5 here, maybe $10 there. What the above charts shows is a consistently more expensive price for the Australian consumer. What explains this difference? In a word, tax. On an imported wine in Australia there are the following taxes

5% Duty
29% Wine Equalisation Tax
10% GST

Apparently occasionally there is another 5% from customs for “transport and insurance”. I can’t profess to know too much about US taxes, and there may be some non-tax related factors at play, but it is quite obvious when looking at the chart that taxes are the main difference in the cost of European wines in Australia as compared to the US.

At 29%, the main issue is the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET). It’s a controversial tax even in terms of its effect on local wine, but when it comes to imports it is ultimately a protectionist tax that makes imports more expensive relative to local wine. Local wines are subject to the 29% WET tax, but local producers are also entitled to a rebate of 29% on the wholesale value of their wine sales. An imported wine just has the 29% tax applied, with no rebate. The ultimate effect is that local wines are cheaper than imports on a like for like basis. (As an aside, at a local level, this is also an example of wonderful bureaucratic waste and tax inefficiency. We’ll tax your product at 29%, have that money cycled through a bureaucracy with all the embedded costs that come with that, and then we’ll basically give you that money back to you as a rebate.)

As with any protectionism it’s ultimately counterproductive and wasteful in the long term. Australia has become a prosperous nation over the past 3 decades in large part because of our reduction in tarrifs. Australia has among the lowest level of tarrifs and protectionism of any OECD country. Unfortunately some patches still exist. One ridiculous example is the luxury car tax, which sees a 33% impost on top of any imported car worth about $55,000 or more. Another is the WET.

People will talk about supporting local industry, but the wine industry shouldn’t be protected. It should survive and thrive on its own merits.

The quality and character of a segment of Australian wine at present is fantastic. However, there is still plenty of uninspiring gear out there. Greater competition from imports would in fact only be a good thing for even further improving the quality of wine we produce. Imagine a world without this irrational WET tax. The imported wines we drink would be significantly cheaper. Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Barolo all significantly cheaper. If I’m an Australian winemaker producing a Cabernet, Pinot, or Nebbiolo, in order to compete with these imports, I’m going to have to ensure I have a compelling story, compelling wine, or ideally both. Uninspiring wine is more likely to be squeezed out.

I appreciate that there are real people at the end of this equation. Wonderful, passionate wine people, who make great wine, and who are struggling in this time of oversupply and a strong Australian dollar. The rebate might be the only thing currently keeping them afloat. However, coming back to my earlier point about the reduction in protectionism in Australia over the past few decades, individuals would have suffered with each industry where tariff cuts have occured. And yet the long-term result has been a massive positive for this country. I see it as being no different in the long term for Australian wine. Moreover, in 2012, there is a quality, uniqueness, and confidence with Australian wine that should not require government subsidy or protection.

And on the other side of that coin, many importers are doing a wonderful job in bringing in some fantastic and unique wines. Wines that provides both a reference point and a point of difference. At the end of the day, all anyone should ever ask for is a level playing field, and as such we should be paying a lot less for imported wine.

Red

* Postscript: To perhaps clarify my position further as to what the alternative might be to WET, I believe that if there has to be a tax of this sort then some kind of volumetric tax would be a far better set up for both local producers and imports. I've touched on this in the comments section, but it is worth another entire piece in itself.

Red's Xmas Wines

2011-12-29T19:27:00.005+11:00

Time with family, gorging on wonderful food, and imbibing great wine. That is what Christmas is to me and it’s a time of year I always look forward to. This year has been no exception.

Jacquesson Cuvee no. 734 Champagne – Disgorgement 2 quarter 2010 – Drinking beautifully with fine acidity, strawberry fruit, and a beautiful creaminess. Power and finesse.

2006 Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs Champagne – A nice change up from the Jacquesson and of equal quality. More taut and with more prominent acidity. Lovely citrus and yeasty flavours. Great length.

Both Champagnes were a hit and while different, people generally found it difficult to split the two

2008 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling – not sure if this is a representative bottle as it was surprisingly developed and forward, compared to when I had this a year ago. The toast, honey and kero that often come with an aged Riesling were already apparent on this occasion. As such it was actually drinking beautifully, having moved into a more generous stage of its life, and was consumed with great gusto. I will be interested to see what future bottles bring to the table

2009 Freycinet Pinot Noir – the great thing about this wine is that it works for both pinotphiles and punters. Around the table at Christmas lunch it was universally enjoyed, and yet undoubtedly this wine had the balance, length, and inherent complexity to age beautifully. Enticing aromas of dark cherry, spice, and forest floor lead to a generous yet refined palate that doesn’t let up through a long finish. Loved drinking this, and envisage loving my other bottles over the next decade. With succulent Turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce it was just the ticket.

2006 Charles Melton Grains of Paradise – I’ve had a lot of great Barossa Shiraz of late, that finds that balance between the inherent power it brings to the table and a sense of restraint and elegance, and personally I’m loving it. This is yet another example. Relatively medium-bodied within its style, there is an intoxicating cedar and spice to this wine that really won me over. Beautiful fruit flows through a long finish. Superb.

Morris Cellar Reserve Grand Liqueur Muscat – liquefied dark chocolate. Yes it’s much more than that, with some lovely nutty notes providing some balance, but the overall impression is one of complete decadence. It went wonderfully well with a plum pudding, and afterwards I needed a nap . . .

Red

It's still early in my Bordeaux journey . . .

2011-12-20T21:28:00.008+11:00

I’m yet to drink a lot of top Bordeaux, namely because on any regular basis I can’t afford it. While a one off splurge of $200-$300 for a bottle of wine might be fine, doing it on any regular basis or buying half a case of something is not really a sane amount of money for me to be spending, especially if I want to buy wines from other wine regions as well.

In spite of this, I have always wanted to drink more top Bordeaux, and this year through a number of different opportunities and tastings, I’ve drunk far more fantastic Bordeaux than ever. A few First Growths, in Latour and Mouton Rothschild, and a number Second Growths like Rauzan Segla and Montrose, and some right bank stars like Chateau Vieux Certain, have all been in the mix. Below is a collection of thoughts and notes from some of these different tastings

- High acidity – while I’d read about it, and experienced it to some extent previously, I’ve nevertheless loved the high levels of natural acidity in Bordeaux wines I’ve tried of late. Some 15 year old Bordeaux that i tried greatly impressed me with an acidity that was still very prominent (in a positive way). While the ageworthiness of Bordeaux is legendary, it has been nice to actually experience the acidity upon which this is based. As impressive and ageworthy as many Australian Cabernets from places like the Margaret River and the Coonawarra are, it is perhaps more evident to me now than it has been previously why the very best Bordeaux goes that extra mile.

- Savoury profile – with Australian wine the prominence of fruit is almost never in doubt. What is in question, and what sorts the wheat from the chaff, is whether there is a savoury complexity to compliment that naturally powerful fruit. With Bordeaux it more or less seems to be the opposite. A savoury flavour profile is almost a given, with classic tobacco, cigar box, and pencil flavours very much the norm. What is more variable is the generosity of fruit. For me the better Bordeaux are predominantly savoury but nevertheless have beautiful fruit in tow.

- 2009 vs 2010 – 2009 has been lauded by a number of prominent Bordeaux critics, including Parker and Suckling, as near enough to the finest vintage of their lifetimes. The 2010 vintage has also gained plenty of praise as a wonderful vintage, but at this early stage seems to be playing second fiddle to 09 in terms of reputation. I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting where I was able to try a number of right bank wines from both vintages. The two highlights of the tasting were the 09 and 10 of the Chateau Vieux Certan from Pomerol and Chateau Pavie Macquin from Saint Emilion. For me the ‘10s were actually the better wines. Both vintages looked very impressive, with the 09’s quite rich and powerful. The 10’s however looked fresher and more balanced. In particular the 2010 Chateau Pavie Macquin looked stunning. It’s admittedly a very small sample to be drawing conclusions about these respective vintages, though they would seem to align with descriptions that I’ve read, with 2010 being considered by many to be a more classic vintage than the riper 2009.

Some tasting notes on some aged Bordeaux

1996 Chateau Montrose – Saint Estephe (65% Cab Sav, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot) - this is a wine that feels fully integrated, but is still very primary, and has many years in front of it. It has a beautiful, floral nose along with some amazing exotic spices. To drink it is a bit of “wow” wine, with beautiful cassis fruit, fantastic drive through the mid-palate, and impressive length. Some lovely secondary notes of sweet leather indicate where this wine is heading.

1996 Chateau Rauzan Segla – Margaux (54% Cab Sav, 41% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Cab Franc) - A beautifully balanced wine. It’s a touch less expressive and powerful than the Montrose, but no less impressive. Great tannins. Lovely tobacco notes linger on a long finish.

1996 Chateau Haut Batailley – Pauillac (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc) - At 15 years of age this wine has a wonderful intensity of primary fruit that just puts a smile on your face. Not without a sense of elegance and restraint this is nevertheless a rich and tannic Bordeaux. Leather and cigar box adding beautiful savoury complexity. Many years ahead of it.

As discussed at the beginning of this post, cost is the only issue with these wines, however, I have seen enough, particularly in the past year or so, to know I should be making the occasional strategic splurge with these most ageworthy of wines.

Red

2010 Henry Fessy Beaujolais-Villages

2011-12-17T13:39:00.011+11:00

When purchasing a $15 Beaujolais-Villages all I’m really hoping for is a light, enjoyable quaffer. This wine, however, delivers a whole lot more than this.

The Fessy family have had wine interests in Beaujolais since 1888. They’ve obviously had some success since that time, currently producing Beaujolais from all the main Crus in Beaujolais as well as this Villages wine. Speaking of which, having had a look at the technicals, there is an average vine age of 50 years for this wine, and the fruit is hand picked and sorted at vintage. It’s perhaps not surprising then that it has more to offer than just as a quaffer.

An expressive nose of dark cherry, flowers, and spice is particularly enticing. While still being a light red wine, on the palate there is more power and fruit richness than one might expect from a Beaujolais-Villages. There is a nice line of acidity and lovely latent earthiness that emerges as the wine breathes, opens up, and delivers a savoury, sour cherry finish.

You can do the whole chilled Beaujolais thing with this wine this summer if you want, but you’ll get more out of it if you let it breathe and warm up a touch. And indeed you could pop it in the cellar for a few years if you wanted to. The florals might be a give away, but I’d hazard a guess that this would often be mistaken for a decent Pinot Noir in a blind line up.

A great value wine and the winery’s logo is a bloke with a tash. What more could you want?

Rated:

RRP: $15
ABV: 12.5%
Website: http://www.henryfessy.com/

Red

Red's Top 5 - 2011

2011-12-13T19:38:00.005+11:00

I can’t quite believe it’s that time of year again. The Silly Season is in full swing, so it’s time to have a crack at my top 5 wines for the year.

As with last year, my criteria remains the same: my Top 5 consists only of wines that I have sat down and tasted over at least a couple of hours and ideally over a couple of days, more often than not with food. The more I taste, drink, and assess wines, the more I am convinced that wine needs to be granted time in order to be fairly assessed and commented on. While a quick assessment may sometimes tell you all you need to know, often it does not, and some of the more interesting wines require contemplation to come around to their way of thinking.

My Top 5 are not necessarily my 5 highest rated wines (though they all have scored well), but more importantly they are wines that I found genuinely memorable and enjoyable. At a time when we increasingly embrace newer varieties, and newer styles of wine, the thing that has struck me is how “traditional” my Top 5 is (the Westend Aglianico excepted). Included are a Barossa Shiraz sourced from multiple growers, a rich style of Yarra Chardonnay, and finally perhaps the least fashionable of all, a Coonawarra Cabernet. As much as anyone, I’m a fan of all the exploration happening in Australian wine (I dream of a benchmark Australian Nebbiolo), but I think sometimes people need to be careful that in their rush to proclaim “cool-climate” this and “biodynamic” that, that the baby isn’t thrown out with the bathwater when it comes to traditional Australian wine styles that are done well. In alphabetical order, my top 5 wines are

2010 Head Brunette Syrah – Northern Rhone meets the Barossa Valley in the best possible manner with this superb single vineyard Moppa shiraz from Alex Head. Complexity plus, and will benefit from time in a cool cellar.

2002 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz – A wine I only tasted a week or so ago, but it was just so good that it bumped out some other worthy contenders. While different from the Head Brunette, it has many similar traits in that is a relatively restrained and elegant rendition of a Barossa Shiraz that is built to age. Many years in front of it.

2005 Tarrawarra Reserve Chardonnay – A chardonnay reaching its peak. Generosity matched with restraint, power match with elegance. If someone wanted me to the show them what great Chardonnay is (and I wasn’t prepared to fork out for Grand Cru Burgundy), then this is a wine I would put in front of them.

2008 Westend Calabria Private Bin Aglianico – the cheapie in the Top 5. For $15 you get character, flavour, rusticity and importantly some rippling tannin. A revelation for me as a Riverina table wine. Loved drinking this, and everything is there to suggest it should age nicely over the next 5 years as well.

2001 Wynns Black Label Cabernet – One of the first wines I cellared a number of years ago, and this was the 3rd bottle of 6 that I have consumed. I tasted it over 4 nights, and while it was beautiful from the get go, it got better and better during that time. Cork permitting, this will continue to age and improve over the next decade. Wynns Cabernet almost seems to defy vintage and winemaker at times in its ability to age gracefully, and this less than heralded wine is a wonderful case in point.

Some very notable mentions – 2009 De Iuliis Steven Shiraz, 2010 Head Old Vine Grenache, 2011 Henschke Julius Riesling, 2010 Hoddles Creek Chardonnay, 2002 Houghton Jack Mann, 2006 Pio Cesare Barolo, 2009 Sorrenberg Chardonnay

Red

Scarborough 2010 Blue Label Chardonnay

2011-12-11T16:57:00.003+11:00

The Scarborough winery in the Hunter Valley devotes considerable attention to Chardonnay, arguably the global king of white grapes, though a second class citizen in a region (justifiably) dominated by Semillon. Still, they manage to produce very reliable, regionally expressive, modern interpretations of Chardonnay in a variery of styles.The Blue Label is the entry level, accessible wine in this range.
It smells and tastes of subtly spicy ripe peach and yellow nectarine fruit (the fruit flavours being what I like to call the Hunter 'fruit salad' flavour), though on the palate there is also a nicely balancing squeeze of lemon and a hint of lemon zest. Overall there is generous fruit flavour at the front and mid palate, a velvet like texture, finishing gently with some spicy old oak and subtle smokiness.

Good value for money and a nice example of a modern classic hunter Chardonnay: it has the flavour and the fruit, the oak is not overdone, though present, and there is enough zing to make it a refreshing wine to drink with several different dishes. Despite the arctic weather on the east coast of Australia at the moment, it's summertime, drink up.

Rating: 90pts+ (+ is for dinner party versatility and its ability to make a Sauvignon Blanc drinker understand they can get their ‘fix’ plus so much more without resorting to their white wine of choice).

ABV: 13.0%
Price: $20
Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au/

EDIT: In light of this interesting article on Australian Chardonnay styles by Huon Hooke in a major Australian broadsheet newspaper (link: here), I would specifically note that this wine is on the leaner side of ripe. It may be a symptom of trying more and more of the modern Australian Chardonnays that are in the leaner, 'Chablis' style that I refer to the 'ripe fruits' in this wine. Compared to the derided 'Dolly Parton' 1980's era oaky tropical chardonnay, the Blue Label is more on the taut and trim side of things. However, it is not anorexic (a fate befalling more Australian Chardonnays as the lean trend mentioned in the article continues to gather pace). For the price, I maintain it would be a popular choice for many, especially who like the 'just right' category of fruit to acid/lean balance.
RB 13/12/11

RedtoBrown News EXCLUSIVE - Broken Hill International Wine Show launched: “Set to revolutionise the Australian wine industry"

2011-12-06T23:07:00.003+11:00

Last night the Broken Hill Chamber of Wine and Food Commerce, in conjunction with the Far West Alternative Wine Growers Collective announced that a new annual wine show would be held in the historic mining town, starting next year. The event, officially titled ‘The Broken Hill International Wine Show’, is scheduled to be held at the same time as the Sydney Royal Wine Show in February of each year.

The Broken Hill International Wine Show
is set to boost tourism in 'The Silver City'

The concept is the brainchild of former wine marketer and freelance wine judge, Johan Trambly-Churchill. At the official launch, Trambly-Churchill was excited by the possibilities the wine show offered the town and Australian wine drinkers. “This is a real win for Broken Hill. I commend the winemaking pioneers in this town for supporting me in pursuing my vision”. Trambly-Churchill outlined his plans for the event in an introductory 15 minute sound and light presentation. Included were a history of wine making in Broken Hill and interviews with the owner of the one wine bar in the town. Trambly-Churchill also revealed that the Broken Hill International Wine Show would have 35 different classes of wine that receive a trophy. As an added extra, 25 special awards would be distributed amongst the trophy winners, for unique classes such as "best young semillon, not from the Hunter, paired with sautéed scallops" and "best single site, 100% whole bunch, cool-climate syrah".

Trambly-Churchill claimed the Broken Hill International Wine Show would also revolutionise the way wine shows are judged in Australia with a unique judging panel concept. “Organisers of this wine show realised that there are issues with wine shows when age-worthy wines of pedigree from a great vintage don't even win a bronze medal, while wines from the riper, cheaper, or "quaffer" category wines are awarded a trophy. To combat this tendency, we developed the ‘Galena Tasting Panel Method™’. It will really shake up the wine judging world”.

Such was the excitement following last night's presentation, several wine
corporations had already submitted samples to be entered into next year's Wine Show (inset)

Trambly-Churchill elaborated slightly on the ‘Galena Tasting Panel Method’ in his presentation, noting that when assessing the entrants, each tasting panel would taste 140-150 wines a day, with a Chairman of Judges and an international judge brought in to adjudicate when there was a disagreement. In response to a question from the audience querying how this new method differed from the traditional show panel system, or how anyone could possibly taste that many wines in a day and be confident in their assessments and scores, Trambly-Churchill was quite vague, mumbling something inaudible that referred to ‘The Galena Stone’ making the final decision on all Trophies, before ending his response by stating that further details on the judging method would be released closer to the date of the wine show.

The mysterious Galena Stone had yet to be identified when this article went to print,
though some wine exporters believe they may have found it (inset).

As the finale to the presentation, Trambly-Churchill announced an Australian Wine Show first – the introduction of a ‘Rhodium medal™’ for best wine in show. Following the presentation, Trambly-Churchill noted that the organising committee had toyed with the idea of a platinum medal for the best wine in show, but "platinum medals have already been awarded in the past”. Trambly-Churchill also highlighted the impact of the new medal. “The focus groups we surveyed liked the idea of a ‘Rhodium Medal™’ and we think it will make our wine show really stand out”.

When asked why the Broken Hill International Wine Show was occurring at the same time as the Royal Sydney Wine Show, and whether this would have an impact on the popularity of the event, Trambly-Churchill was bullish. “I am confident that this wine show will stand up to any held in Australia. February is a relatively quiet month for wine shows, but on every weekend in February we still had one or more clashes with a notable wine event. We had to make a call on which one to go up against in February, and the Royal Sydney Wine Show was our choice. We did not want to clash with the Cootamundra, Condobolin, Katherine or Mt Isa wine shows, and holding it one week later in March would then bring us into conflict with the Karratha and Derby wine shows – all of these events are highly influential, so we settled on the clash with Sydney”.

Those in the know believe the upcoming Karratha
Asia-Pacific Wine Show will unearth some real gems

Though the representatives from major wine corporations refused to comment at the launch, it is expected that the Broken Hill International Wine Show will receive thousands of entries from wineries eager to possibly have the new Rhodium medal placed on their bottles. One wine executive who asked not to be named was quoted as saying that the wine show would improve sales of wine in the troubled $5-15 bracket, and could also be used to shift some aged material. “We love these wine shows, despite them being a bit of a lottery. If the public keep buying wines based on the ‘bling’, we will keep submitting them to be tasted amidst 1000’s of other bottles – it is a lottery with nice dividends, money for jam. Literally”.

2002 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz (Barossa Valley)

2011-12-05T20:23:00.008+11:00

This wine represents Barossa Shiraz at its best. It is a refined and elegant rendition of the style of wine that nevertheless lacks nothing in terms of generosity.

The Stonewell Shiraz is Peter Lehmann’s top wine and 2002 was a fantastic, yet cooler vintage in the Barossa. The fruit was sourced from a range of smaller growers.

This is a wine that is now fully integrated, with hints of secondary flavours apparent, and years in front of it. It has a beautiful bouquet of exotic spice, dark fruits, chocolate, and hints of leather. This bouquet creates high expectations, and the palate delivers. Beautiful fruit, mid palate drive, fine tannins, and fantastic length. It has a lovely emerging earthiness, that adds a wonderful sense of texture as well.

The 2002 Stonewell Shiraz will do the next decade in a canter (cork permitting), and where it peaks is likely to depend on your preference for primary fruit vs secondary, savoury characters. A wonderful wine.

Rated:

RRP: $90
ABV: 14.5%
Website: http://www.peterlehmannwines.com/

Red

2009 SC Pannell Syrah (Adelaide Hills)

2011-12-01T22:36:00.006+11:00

I’m a fan of Stephen Pannell’s wines, but this one didn’t really work for me.

It starts off well with a floral, attractive nose with notes of plum, oak, and wet earth. On the palate however, it never quite came together. There was some nice fruit and ok length, but there was some bitterness and sourness that kind of had it a bit all over the place. Now I like a bit of bitterness and sourness in my wine, but in this example it just didn’t win me over. Ok wine.
3 stars

Rated:

RRP: $25
ABV: 14%
Website: http://www.pannell.com.au/

Red

Eden Valley vs the Adelaide Hills: 2011 Henschke Julius Riesling vs the 2011 Henschke Lenswood Green's Vineyard Riesling

2011-11-26T11:31:00.007+11:00

Henschke’s own notes indicate that these two Rieslings will age for 20 years. I’m a fan of such a confident statement, but is it a knowing confidence or more a positive optimism?

I lined these two wines up on a Friday night and tasted them over 4 nights. Each wine got better over that period of time. With the Green's Vineyard, I'd suggest the 20 year call is a tad optimistic, however the Julius is an absolute standout, and should age beautifully.

2011 Lenswood Green’s Vineyard Riesling (Adelaide Hills) – RRP: $25 - this is an enjoyable riesling that will drink very well with fish and chips over the next couple of summers, and should age reasonably well also. It’s quite broad through the palate, but is underpinned by prominent acidity, and strong citrus flavours that push through a good finish. It improved nicely over a few days. 3.5 stars +

2011 Julius Eden Valley Riesling – RRP: $33 - On the 4th night this wine was drinking absolutely beautifully, and certainly lends credence to the 20 year cellaring claim. Tasting it next to the Lenswood, it was clear that this was the superior wine, presenting a much more refined and elegant Riesling. It has a classic Eden Valley nose of lime, apple blossom, bath salts and slate. The same flavours flow along the palate in a very linear, refined manner, underpinned by a beautiful unforced acidity. Detail and persistence are there in spades. A special for the cellar. 4.5 stars

The price difference between these two wine is a reflection in the difference in quality between the grapes that go into these two wines, and it sits well with me. The Lenswood is very good, but with a bit more money you get a world class Riesling in the Julius. The wines also fit nicely within my overall impression of Riesling from the two different regions. Adelaide Hills riesling is often very good, but rarely great, while Eden Valley, in my opinion, produces Australia's greatest expressions of this noble grape.

Red

2011 Lark Hill Gruner Veltliner (Canberra District)

2011-11-21T20:03:00.009+11:00

As an emerging variety here in Australia, it is interesting to contemplate where Gruner Veltliner might be in 10 years time. It finds greatness in Austria. Can it do the same in Australia?

Given the well documented struggles of Riesling to gain mass appeal in Australia, despite being arguably the noblest of white grapes, I find it hard to conceive of Gruner Veltliner, with its Riesling like characteristics, gaining broad market acceptance. Nevertheless, in the hands of committed, small producers like Lark Hill, I can see the variety gaining a loyal following. Moreover, given their impressive first few efforts with this variety, there’s every chance that with some vine age, Lark Hill will end up producing some truly memorable Gruner Veltliner.

I really like the length and texture of this wine. It drives nicely through the palate, showing some fruit richness through a long finish, all the while providing a lovely sense of minerally grip. It tastes of lime, melon, hints of white pepper, and an interesting celery/vegetal note. Others may find that celery note a touch confronting, but it appealed to me. The acidity, balance and length of this wine are excellent, and suggest it should age well. A very good wine.

Rated:

ABV: 12%
RRP: $40
Website: http://www.larkhillwine.com.au/

Red

RedtoBrown Wine News Exclusive: Barack Obama Endorses WBMwinemagazine’s #Top100WineTweeters Concept

2011-11-17T11:11:00.001+11:00

November 17, 2011 - 8:51PM.

President Obama casts a friendly eye over the media throng in Canberra

Canberra: US President Barack Obama last night surprisingly endorsed WBM Wine Magazine’s concept of a Top 100 Australian wine tweeters list. Obama, who last night was attending a parliamentary dinner hosted by the Prime Minister Julia Gillard was candid with RedtoBrown reporters when asked about the list. “I love the idea and love Australian wine. In fact, I have known about Australian wine for some time now. My Grandmother would bring home bottles of Aussie wine like Lindeman’s Bin 65 when I lived in Hawaii. She would sit on the porch drinking a glass while I dreamed of change the USA could believe in. I hold those memories dear, and to this day my aides keep me abreast of all the developments in the Australian wine industry”.

Obama is famous for harnessing the power of social media, and as such, is well-versed in assessing the merits of the WBM Wine Magazine’s Top 100 Tweeters concept. In between slices of Australian lamb, washed down with Coonawarra cabernet, Obama praised the WMB Wine Magazine initiative.

“The concept of a top 100 list on Twitter is fresh, untried - I mean, who has seen a top 100, top 20, top 5 list on Twitter in the last 5 years?. It channels and promotes all the positive elements of new media – narcissism, sycophancy, self-absorption, vested interest to gain more exposure and increase company/winery revenue – I like it”.

Obama also stated he was an interested observer of the #Top100WineTweeters hashtag conversation that was occurring when he landed in Canberra on Wednesday afternoon. “I saw people discussing the top 100 list while I was on my way to Parliament House and it brought back memories of when I was trying to make a name for myself in the cut-throat Chicago political system. I liked the chutzpah of the tweeters – largely industry reps and wineries - nominating their friends to be on the list and the others who openly stated their tactics for being placed on the list. Blatant and singular self-promotion once worked for me at a local Democrat Convention, so it all brought a smile to my face”.

Obama was non-commital when asked if he had ever attempted the ‘Mollydooker Shake’

Obama was so positive about the Top100 Wine Tweeters idea that he feared news of the list may overshadow the announcement of a new joint facility in Darwin. “Posting 2500 US Marines in Darwin is big news, but the potential of this list to influence the wine world may put my announcement in the shade – yet another example of the intelligent and original use of social media tools”.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard refused to be put on the record when questioned by RedtoBrown, though it was noted that she was slowly making her way through a bottle of Victorian cool climate Syrah on the night.

2010 Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley)

2011-11-13T17:36:00.002+11:00

I’m an unabashed fan of this winery, and loved the barrel samples I tasted of this wine last year - http://redtobrownwinereview.blogspot.com/2010/07/hoddles-creek-estate-2010-vintage.html

So with that positive bias disclosed, the 2010 edition of Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir is a beauty.

With some air the bouquet becomes increasingly expressive and sexy. Lovely aromas of cherry, sap, spice, along with a touch of stalkiness. To drink there is drive and persistence to this wine. Flavours of sour cherry, rose petal, spice, and a hint of bitterness are delivered with beautiful palate weight and fine tannins. The finish doesn’t waver. The word that keeps coming up in my notes on this wine is moreish. It’s a serious, structured wine that will undoubtedly age well, and yet with a bit of air its more than drinkable now, and that moreishness makes it difficult to keep your hands off.

At $20, this Pinot Noir has no peer in Australia in my opinion. 4 stars

Rated:

RRP: $20
ABV: 13.2%
Website: http://www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au/

Red

2009 Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay (Margaret River)

2011-11-10T21:46:00.010+11:00

Drinking this wine left me with a feeling of being unfulfilled.

To explain, Cullen’s Kevin John Chardonnay has been one of Australia’s most lauded Chardonnays over the past few years. Almost without fail, reviews from critics are glowing and scores are very high. Given the wonderful quality of Australian Chardonnay generally this is no mean feat.

This wine is also aiming high, being one of Australia’s most expensive Chardonnays at an RRP of $105 a bottle.

Finally 2009 was for most producers a fantastic vintage in the Margaret River. Cullen winemaker, Vanya Cullen, has labelled it the “Mozart vintage” with all the white and red wines being in perfect harmony and balance.

So when it came time to celebrate my recent completion of my Masters degree, and the meal was going to be a chicken dish, this was the wine I decided that I wanted to splurge on. Given the price, the reputation, and vintage, I hoped the wine would give me one of those wonderful wine vinous experiences.

The wine starts off with tropical, pineapple aromas that soon blow off to reveal a classic Chardonnay nose that’s mealy, nutty, and creamy along with strong grapefruit notes. There is complexity here no question. The palate finds a lovely balance between the generosity of its beautiful fruit and a refined line of flavour, and pushes through to a long, savoury finish. Lovely acidity and a nice bit of texture complete an impressive wine. The one issue I had was that the spicy oak seemed to sit somewhat apart from the fruit on the back palate, though I can see this integrating with time.

I drank it over two days. I decanted it. I drank it both slightly chilled and also at room temperature. I tried to do the wine justice. In the end, the impression I came away with is that this is a quality Chardonnay in need of some more time to come together. Unfortunately, however, at no point over the two days did it surge to greatness or give me that “wow” moment.

The time that this wine will spend in people’s cellars may well make a fool of this tasting note and score, but for mine this 09 Kevin John Chardonnay is a fraction off the greatness that the combination of price, reputation, and vintage implies. A very good wine but I wanted more. 4 stars +

Rated:
+

RRP: $105
ABV: 13.5%
Website: http://www.cullenwines.com.au/

Red

Face-Off - 1998 Tarrawarra Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley)

2011-11-06T01:26:00.001+11:00

Introduction (Red): The ageability of Australian Pinot Noir is something that continues to impress me, and I think it’s only a story that’s going to build as an increasing number of our Pinots sail into their second and even third decades.

My first experience with aged Tarrawarra Pinot Noir was the 2001, which I had earlier in the year at a Tarrawarra dinner hosted in Sydney, and in amongst some fantastic competition it was my wine of the night. It was a seductive Pinot right in the groove with plenty of years in front of it.

Red: The 1998 is perhaps not quite at the level of the 2001, but is still a very good wine and drinking very well at 13 years of age. Funnily enough it reminded me a bit of aged Hunter Shiraz, or put another way, it reminded me that aged Hunter Shiraz starts to look like Pinot.

A lovely aged nose of cherry, pot pourri, caramel oak, and leather. It still has some lovely fruit on the front palate, but then very quickly moves to more secondary notes including earth, tobacco, and sour cherry. It’s finishes with good length and there’s still some fine tannin in support. It’s eminently drinkable and fantastic with food. It could be cellared for a few more years, but I think it’s more or less at its aged peak now.

Brown: I echo Red's comments about the 2001 Tarrawarra Pinot - it was a standout wine on the night of the tasting. Given our mutual enthusiasm for that wine, I was interested to see how the 1998 compared.

Bottle variation may have been at play with my sample, but I did not pick up the same level of fruit on the palate. The nose of the wine I tasted was quite complex, and a definite strength: Primary fruit had given way to somewhat aged characteristics, including wild mushroom, moist earth/soil, forest floor, with a subtle liqueur cherry scent.
On the front palate and to a lesser extent, the mid palate, there was some nice black cherry, all spice, leather and earthiness. The back palate was a bit disjointed, with slightly astringent acidity and possibly alcohol heat at the finish.

Given how alluring the nose of this wine was, I would suggest for this particular bottle it may have been at its peak a few years earlier when the fruit would be more prominent/ in balance at the finish. Still, it settled down with more air, and was a solid wine.

Closing Comments (Brown) It is promising that Tarrawarra wine maker Clare Halloran managed to produce a Pinot that has survived 13 years (when many of its vintage/era could have fallen over after 4 years). The quality of the 2001 Tarrawarra adds further weight to the opening introduction from Red about the increasing age-worthiness of Australian Pinot. While I would be surprised to see an Australian Pinot emphatically reach its 30^th year, I find it increasingly difficult to rule it out based on this teenager from 1998.

2008 Juniper Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Margaret River)

2011-11-05T15:00:00.007+11:00

I’ve written previously how I think Juniper Estate is moving into the upper echelon of Margaret River Cabernet, and that at $45, recent vintages of this wine will come to be viewed as relative bargains given time - http://redtobrownwinereview.blogspot.com/2010/10/juniper-estate.html

A bottle of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon I had over a few days just reinforced this view. A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1.5% Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in French Oak, 50% of which was new.

Within the context of Margaret River Cabernet, this is medium bodied and elegant. It’s a beautifully structured wine that is keeping its cards close to its chest at the moment, but the latent complexity is there. Over 3 days it revealed flavours of blackcurrant, chocolate oak, spice, pencil shavings, gravel, tobacco, and earth. These flavours are moulded by fine, yet mouth filling tannins, and a lovely acidity. The wine stretched out over time to provide a wonderfully persistent and savoury finish. If I can resist I’ll wait until 2018 before opening my next bottle. 4.5 Stars

Rated:

RRP: $45
ABV: 14.5%
Website: http://www.juniperestate.com.au/

Red

2009 Pattes Loup Chablis 1er Cru Montmains

2011-10-29T14:39:00.012+11:00

Pattes Loup, which was only established in 2005, is getting a lot of positive press in the world of Chablis, with Antonio Galloni having this to say this about the winery – “Simply put, these are some of the most groundbreaking, intensely captivating wines being made in Chablis today”.

Montmains is a south-east facing Premier Cru site in Chablis. The soils are composed of light, sandy topsoil with the Kimmeridgian (limestone-rich) subsoil that defines Chablis more generally. Apparently this Premier Cru also has a unique micro-climate, though as much as this unique microclimate is referenced with Montmains I’m yet to read anything that discusses what this micro-climate is or what impact it has on Chablis from this site. Any thoughts or comments on this point would be appreciated.

It’s a slightly fuller, richer Chablis than I might have expected, though this is probably a product of the 09 vintage. The thing that stands out however, is the wine's length. From go to woe, it never wavers, and has fantastic persistence. Lovely flavours of lime and peach are matched with some spice and floral notes, and all underpinned by that classic chalky minerality which is typical of Chablis. The balance and length suggests that this will age nicely, but the richness of flavour makes it’s pretty approachable now as well. Very nice wine. 4 stars.

Rated:

ABV: 12.5%
RRP: $60
Importer: www.eurocentric.com.au
Website: www.pattes-loup.com

Red

The turning of the Worm . . .

2011-10-27T09:43:00.004+11:00

The past 12 months have represented a turning point when it comes to international opinion of Australian wine.

You may have watched political debates where the audience have handsets that produce a graph of viewer approval, which can look sort of like a worm inching along, rising and falling in response to the debate. For much of the noughties the worm headed south and well and truly into negative territory, as Australian wine came to be viewed internationally as industrial, alcoholic, and uninteresting. However, just in the last 12 months the worm has ticked back in the right direction. It is still a long way from positive territory, but it is a start. All of a sudden there are positive things being written and discussed about Australian wines by international commentators and critics. Whereas 3 or 4 years ago an opinion piece on Australian wine was invariably all about the negatives and stereotypes, now you can read pieces from British and American wine writers who are excited about what is coming out of this island continent.

The latest and perhaps strongest example of this is James Suckling's two week tour of Australia. The thing that I have liked most about his trip is the length, depth and breadth of what he is doing. As opposed to just visiting for a specific event, or one particular region, he’s covered 4 States, and multiple wine regions over a fortnight. His positive findings in terms of some of the wonderful wine Australia is now producing, may be self-evident to passionate wine people here in Australia, however, it is also very apparent that the message he is conveying in terms of the interest, quality, and character of Australian wine, is being heard for the very first time by many consumers overseas, particularly in the US.

The message that Suckling and other international commentators are beginning to deliver is that Australia is producing wines of moderate alcohol that express a true sense of place. The reality is that this has always been on offer with Australian wine if you knew where to look. These types of wineries were, however, in the minority in the recent past, and the international perception of Australian wine certainly didn’t allow this view of Australian wine much of a look in. Now, however, these types of Australian wines can be found without huge amounts of effort or knowledge. There are seemingly a multitude of wineries from every significant Australian wine region, producing unique, terroir driven wines. Seeing a winery like Mac Forbes in 2010 producing 6 different Pinot Noirs from 6 different sites in the Yarra Valley, is perhaps a somewhat extreme, yet also perfect example of this trend. Some great reviews by Mike Bennie of these wines are up on the www.winefront.com.au

The naughties will be remembered as somewhat of a nadir for Australian wine. Criticism and tough times in any industry, however, often result in greater levels of innovation and a push for quality, and this is what we have seen in Australian wine, particularly over the past 5 years. I’ve previously written about how positive trends around the expression of site, vine age, clonal selection, organic/biodynamic practices, and screwcaps, are all leading to a golden age in Australian wine in the coming decade http://redtobrownwinereview.blogspot.com/2011/04/beginnings-of-golden-age-in-australian.html

For this renaissance to ring true however, it requires critical acclaim to provide support and succour for the great efforts of our winemakers. It now looks like this acclaim has moved beyond just Australian commentators (who rightly or wrongly could always be accused of parochialism when it comes to their own wines), and is being taken up by prominent international critics. I’d best buy up for my cellar now, while there is still so much amazing value out there.

Red

2009 Sons of Eden Kennedy Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre

2011-10-23T16:03:00.000+11:00

I have to be upfront and admit that I have a vested interest in this wine – I tasted the old vine Grenache and Mourvedre that went into the Kennedy GSM when it was maturing in the barrel in Spring 2009, and from that point on was looking forward to trying the finished product. That trip to the Barossa Valley involved us visiting several wineries, including Sons of Eden. The warm hospitality from people like SoE viticulturist Simon Cowham helped motivate me to develop this blog (co-opting ‘Red’ in the process). However, fond memories do not a good wine make, so on to the 2009 Kennedy GSM:

Based on the wines tasted to this point, 2009 was a surprisingly good, if low yielding, vintage for Grenache in the Barossa Valley. To back this view up, the 50+yr old vine Grenache and Mataro are the winners in this wine. They add a nice mix of juicy, spicy black cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant flavours, with the 40% of Shiraz providing some chocolate, black fruit support without dominating. There is a nice, earthy smooth tannic kick at the finish, combined with more lingering, clove, allspice and red fruit flavours.

There is a nice, voluptuous harmony to this wine – sweet fruited without being stewed or overdone. The Kennedy is listed at 14.5% abv, and could well be higher, but it is not overly noticeable.

The Kennedy is a moreish and approachable wine that will please many. A wine to be enjoyed, not contemplated. It is drinking nicely now and will do so for a few more years. As with other juicy GSMs, this wine can be served at below room temperature to maximise the fresh Grenache fruit in the wine, or served at room temperature in the middle of winter for some cold weather comfort!

Rating: 90pts
RRP: $22
ABV: 14.5%
Website http://www.sonsofeden.com/

2011 Lark Hill Viognier (Dark Horse Vineyard)

2011-10-18T22:14:00.000+11:00

Lark Hill have been making some impressive wines recently, and their 2011 Viognier is a surprisingly good one. It is a fresh, juicy, yet textural wine (with a slatey minerality). It has the characteristic Viognier apricot and ginger spice, though the apricot flavours are not overpowering or of a dried apricot nature, and the ginger is fresh, flowing through from the nose to the back palate. The wine finishes with lingering and pleasant smokey ginger spice. Lark Hill have managed to avoid the phenolic harshness, high alcohol and flabbyness I find in a fair few Australian Viogniers (ABV is only 12.5%). This would match niecly with a wide variety of foods (in my case, some five spice roast duck in an asian style orange sauce).

Rating: 91 pts
ABV: 12.5%
RRP: $25
Website: http://www.larkhillwine.com.au/

2010 Head Brunette Syrah (Barossa Valley)

2011-10-16T21:50:00.010+11:00

Put simply, this wine is awesome. I tasted it over 3 days and it just got better and better in that time. From a single vineyard in the Moppa sub-region of the Barossa.

It’s beautifully perfumed and aromatic. It has a bouquet that continued to evolve and at various stages produced notes of blueberry, chocolate, lavender, citrus, five-spice, and a savoury meatiness.

To drink it’s an almost perfect rendition of a balanced, restrained style of Barossa Shiraz. Which is to say it still has a power and richness to it, but it’s all kept in check with lovely natural acidity, and low-ish alcohol. There’s a wonderful complexity of flavour, with many of the same flavours as on the nose, along with a hint of steminess that adds rather than subtracts from the wine, and a lovely earthy minerality. The flow and length of the wine along the palate is a thing of beauty.

It’s a beautiful wine now with a bit of air, but will undoubtedly be better in 5-10 years time. Everything is there to suggest it will age a lot longer to. $45 and worth every penny. Loved it. 4.5 Stars

Rated:

ABV: 13.8%
Website: http://www.headwines.com.au/

Red

Cork. To buy or not to buy . . .

2011-10-15T16:21:00.005+11:00

The Cork vs Screwcap debate is a well trodden path within wine circles. If it’s not apparent from what I have written then I am very firmly in the screwcap camp. Eschewing all the real and pseudo debates in this area, my reason for being pro-screw cap is very, very simple. I literally cannot remember the last time I opened a screwcap sealed wine that had a closure issue. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but in reality it’s few and far between. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about cork. I reckon my cork issue rate is at least 10%. That is, at least 1 in 10 cork sealed wines that I consume (or at least attempt to) have some sort of issue. Very mild TCA, obvious TCA, and oxidation are all issues I encounter all too often.

And yes, wines under screwcap age. I’ve had numerous 5 year through to 13 year old screwcap wines, and they are aging wonderfully. People who argue otherwise may as well be arguing that the earth is flat.

All of which leads me to an ongoing dilemma of mine. Whether to purchase cork sealed wines or not? Firstly, I do buy cork sealed wines. Possibly my favourite wine is Barolo, and therefore there’s no avoiding purchasing cork closures there at this stage (though the first good Barolo producer that uses screwcap will win my hard earned).

My issue, however, is more in Australia, where screwcap is now the dominant closure and no one bats an eyelid when opening a screwcap wine. It has become the norm. Despite this, there remains wineries that continue to use cork, and predominantly these are for premium wines. Whereas you’d struggle to find a $20 Australian wine under cork nowadays, jump up to $50 or more, and they are far more prevalent. Of course this seems to me entirely counterintuitive. Making a premium product and sealing it with a closure that has a higher failure rate doesn’t make much sense to me.

In any case, at these price points you get some of the more interesting and desirable Australian wines. Often single site wines that represent a winemaker’s best efforts. It might be, for example, a Pinot Noir that I love the sound of. With the wonderful development of Pinot in this country in the past two decades, however, there is more than just one $50+ Pinot that I lust after. They are now numerous, and with a monthly wine budget that I try to be reasonably disciplined about (not always successfully), unfortunately I can’t purchase all of them and therefore have to make decisions. As a result, a wine’s closure has become a key factor in helping me decide what wine I buy. I might be trying to make a decision between two exciting Victorian Pinot producers. If one is under screwcap and the other under cork, then that will make my decision a much easier one.

Now, if a winery wants to bottle their wine under cork for historical, romantic, or export reasons I can completely understand this. But why not give consumers a choice? Bottle half under cork and half under screwcap. If people still want to buy wine under cork they can, but I’d of thought that within Australia at least the screwcap allocation will sell out a lot more quickly than cork. Moreover, doing this consistently over say a decade or so, would enable a winery to genuinely determine which closure is the best for their wine. Quite often when I ask a winemaker why they are still using cork (in a polite manner), I get a somewhat testy and emotional response. Now I’m all for passion and emotion in wine, but in this instance I’d rather hear a response along the lines “We bottled a small batch of wines under screwcap for 5 years, and at the end of it, we still found cork to be the better closure for our wines”. Even if I still might disagree, I’d respect this response a lot more than the throw away lines you normally get.

Greatness in any field involves leaving no stone unturned. Not at the very least exploring how screwcap works with your wine, is a step back from this endeavour.

Red

A few 2011 Hunter Valley Semillons

2011-10-09T10:04:00.003+11:00

My aunty, who lives in Canberra, was telling me the other day that she found a 1973 Rothbury Estate Semillon in a corner of her cellar. She reckoned that it was probably the first serious wine that she bought and cellared back in the early 70s. One might expect that in 2011 this wine would be way past it, but having carefully pulled the cork, what she instead found was a beautifully fresh, yet complex Hunter Semillon. It’s amazing to think how long the better, current day Hunter Semillons will cellar under screwcap.

Brown and I have a bunch of Hunter Semillons to review and below is an initial trio -

2011 Pepper Tree Tallawanta Semillon ($28, 11.5% ABV) – I don’t often think of young Hunter Semillon as elegant, but this wine certainly provides that sense. It has a lovely unobtrusive acidity, and some nice texture and grip. Citrus, florals, and with a hint of honey it finishes with impressive length. One for the cellar. 4 Stars

2011 Thomas Braemore Semillon ($28, 11.5% ABV) - I loved the 09 and ’10 vintages of this wine, but not so much this wine. Its length and clean acidity mark it out as being of impressive pedigree, but the tropical fruit profile and some grassiness reminded me a little too much of a Sav Blanc in terms of flavour profile. I tried it again after a couple of days and the tropicals had happily subsided to some extent. Definitely a wine that needs some time to see its best. 3.5 Stars +

2011 Tulloch Semillon ($16, 11.3% ABV) – This might be the lowest scoring of this trio, but it is the most enjoyable to drink now, and perhaps the most easily identifiable as a Hunter Semillon. If you find yourself sitting in front a plate of Sydney Rock oysters this summer or next, crack this open and enjoy. Fresh, crisp, and with prominent acidity, it has lovely ripe citrus flavours and a good length of finish. It might surprise in the longer term but it’s open for business now. Great value. 3.5 Stars

Three quite different wines, and in the broader scheme of things, all very good value. The Tulloch is for now, while the Thomas and Pepper Tree should be popped in the cellar. I’m not sure if either of them will do 38 years like the ’73 Rothbury, but then again, betting against the Braemore or Tallawanta vineyards is a brave thing to do.

Red

2006 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino

2011-10-04T23:08:00.010+11:00

Argiano is one of the oldest estates in Montalcino, with the villa having been established in 1581. From what I can gather there has been wine production in some form or other since that time. Wonderful history.

2006 was a good, yet warmish vintage in Montalcino and this is reflected in this wine. It starts with a very seductive nose. Notes of cherry, mocha oak, sweet earth, leather and tobacco all revealed themselves over two days. A lovely bouquet no question. To drink it’s medium to full bodied, and still predominantly primary and tannic. Ripe cherry fruit gives way to notes of spice, liquorice, and earth. I’d of thought it would age well, but there is just a suggestion of alcohol heat on the finish. Barely noticeable, but it’s there. It will be interesting to see where this wine is in 5 years time. I’m hoping the beautiful fruit and inherent complexity wins out, but it might just be that the alcohol does. A very enjoyable wine to drink now regardless.

Rated:

ABV: 14%
RRP: $60
Website: http://www.argiano.net/

Red

Squirrels and Woodchips: Autotune and the Over-use of Oak in Wine

2011-10-01T13:37:00.003+10:00

“This is anti-autotune, death of the ringtone

This ain’t for Itunes, this ain’t for sing-along

I know we facin a recession

But the music yall makin gonna make it the great depression”

Jay Z – D.O.A (Death of Autotune)

I am more a fan of indie guitar music, but Jay Z has a point in D.O.A – the proliferation of songs filled with autotune is not a promising trend for music, especially any musician aiming for some form of artistic credibility.

Personally, I see the overuse of oak in wine as the oenological equivalent to over use of (or in my view, 'any' use of) autotune in the production of music: if the fruit was top quality, the wine would likely be just as good with the oak turned down a few notches. If the fruit was poor quality, no amount of oak will ever fully mask this fact. As with 99% of autotune-heavy music, neither style of wine will live long in the memory, and if it does, it is likely to be for the wrong reasons.

For those not familiar with autotune, it is the computer voice tuning/pitch assistance program that enables even the tone deaf to sound bearable when recorded, and can be tweaked to create a ‘unique’ vocal effect. Musical sadists like T Pain and the Black Eyed Peas have embraced the software, and music has not progressed artistically one iota as a result. Luckily, in the years since Jay Z downloaded on autotune not many artistically credible musicians (across multiple genres) have embraced autotune in the same way as T Pain.

There was consternation in the wine cellar when cult contract wine maker Brice Dickenson suggested their wine could have used a little more new American oak.

Ironically, unlike music with autotune, the wine industry seems more inclined to drown a wide range of different wines - excellent, underrated, average and ordinary - in a layer of oak. Perhaps the lower incidence of death by autotune vs death by oak at the above average to elite level is due to the added production options when making music compared to wine.

The tragedy with overuse of oak in wine is that many wineries inflict it upon their best grapes: their reserve crop. If I had a dollar for every time I tried an estate wine that was far superior to the more expensive liquified oak tree reserve, I would be a millionaire (ok, maybe if I had $150k for every time). Somehow I cannot see Paul McCartney in the studio wanting to add an electronic autotune robot voice to the verses in Yesterday (noting Yesterday was his Beatles, not Wings era), or Kurt Cobain insisting he have his grungy growl in the chorus of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' soar like a chipmunk as in Cher's horrendous autotune defining song, ‘Believe’.

“Do you believe in wine without oak? I can taste some fruit in this glass,
but really can’t taste it strong enough”

I am not saying every winery does this –unless rudely oaked wine is their house style, the elite winemakers get it right more often than not depending on the fashion of the day. Furthermore, in some very lucky vineyards it is harder to make a bad wine than a good/great one.

Unfortunately, I have had too many glasses of (relatively) expensive, cellared, over oaked wine; the fruit trying valiantly to peep through in its death-throes. In these situations, I cannot help but think that there are many similar wines out there that could have been timeless classics, were it not for too much tinkering with the oak meter.

For our non-Australian readers, the Australian wine industry has battled its oak (and acid) demons for some time now. You need only compare a late 1990's/early 00s (Parker Points aspiring) Hunter Valley Shiraz with their equivalents being made today to realise how much of a positive difference reducing the amount of new oak had made to the wines. The Region’s ‘voice’ is heard, unaccompanied and solo: infinitely more enjoyable and long lasting without the wine equivalent of autotune smothering it. This example is one I would love to see more often in some other regions.

The Black Eyed Peas inspect one of their many low-yielding, biodynamically grown Pinot and Riesling vineyards in between recording of their new autotune-lathed album.

At the lower end of the wine market, it is all out marketing and stylistic warfare. We have wine companies marketing non-vintage fruit and herb infused cooler as wine, low calorie fizzy alcoholic grape juice as wine, and the topic of this post, cheap, sweet, heavily oaked (chipped) reds and whites.

At this end of the wine and music market, the use of oak and autotune is not so much of a tragedy as a lazy lost opportunity. The $5-$15 wine segment is as much awash with sugary sweet wines as it is heavily oaked wines – most commonly in combination, though there are more than enough straight out sweet wines.

As with the lower end wine market, the music industry is overflowing with sugary sweet pop and RnB songs that chart one week and are forgotten the next. The music is generic, the style derivative, the attention span of the listener fleeting, and the cultural impact of the song, negligible.

Part of me would love to see smarter, well-crafted throw-away pop songs being produced, or a higher percentage of intelligently conceived, quaffable wines released.

One is, stupid, cynical, sickly sweet, infantile and supposedly attractive to the 25- 35 year old female demographic. The other is David Beckham

However, in this segment of the music and wine markets, autotune and heavily oaked wine is merely one of a multitude of problems facing both industries and the topic of a much longer conversation (to be held with a glass of oaky Cabernet in hand and the dulcet, autotune-affected tones of the Black Eyed Peas playing in the background. Not.)

2011 Lark Hill Riesling (Canberra District)

2011-09-26T22:40:00.001+10:00

I increasingly enjoy Canberra Riesling. It provides a nice change up from my Eden Valley and Clare Valley staples. This 2011 Lark Hill has an expressive, floral nose of apples, citrus, and a note of slate. It drinks in a very unforced manner, with clean acidity and a nice line and length of flavour. The finish is all citrus. A nice wine that should be better with a bit of time in bottle. 3.5 Stars

Rated:

RRP: $30
ABV: 11.5%
Website: http://www.larkhill.com.au/

Red

2008 Gros Tollot Les Fontanilles (Minervois, France)

2011-09-23T21:36:00.016+10:00

Cicero and Pliny the Elder were apparently big fans of the wines from Minervois, so as a lover of ancient history it only makes sense that I try a few more wines from this appellation.

Minervois lies between Carcassone and Narbonne. Carignan used to be the dominant grape here, and maybe that’s what Cicero was drinking after addressing the Roman Senate, but these days Minervois reds are also blended with Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault et al.

Anne Gros and Jean Paul Tollot are well known Burgundy winemakers who have set up a winery in Minervois. Rather than me writing about them and their site in Minervois, I think this video tells their story well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01mMytKTXwU

The wine itself is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault. It has an appealing nose of berries, chocolate, some leather, and a touch of funk. To drink it’s medium-full bodied, and would go really well with some game meat. It has bright fruit, a real juiciness and a hint of that chocolate before turning predominantly savoury, with notes of dried herbs and a nice salty minerality running its length. Fine tannins frame it all very nicely. It's drinking well now but should also develop some more complexity over the next 5 years. Really enjoyed this.

Rated:

RRP: $60
ABV: 14%
Website: http://www.anne-gros.com/
Importer: www.eurocentricwine.com.au

Red

Downfall of a Cult Californian Winery

2011-09-17T22:48:00.005+10:00

Earlier this year legendary wine critic, Robert Parker, announced that he would no longer be covering California, and would be focusing solely on Bordeaux and the Rhone. Responsibilities for California have been passed to Parker's associate, Antonio Galloni. One Californian winery was not particularly happy with this news . . .

Warning - there are a few four letter words coming your way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lIvGuCPZOc

Red

Teusner 2010 'The Gentleman' Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2011-09-12T22:07:00.003+10:00

Teusner’s ‘The Gentleman’ Cabernet Sauvignon appears to be the Cabernet sister to the Riebke Shiraz – same price point, similar labelling, but also similar bang for your buck? Let’s take a look:

Subtle liquorice/ aniseed, molasses, allspice and largely black fruits on the nose,. Ripe black fruit on the palate, initial cola flavours, yet finishes with a savoury herbal/dark chocolate note, a degree of alcohol heat and pleasantly surprising length. The tannins are ripe and soft, medium to full bodied and a nice intensity and a silky mouthfeel.
(Almost predictably), at around $18-22 per bottle, this is another promising, good value release from Teusner, alongside the excellent ‘The Independent’ Shiraz Mataro and Riebke Shiraz ranges. They are a winery on top of its game from a wine making and wine marketing perspective.

Rating – 90points / 3.5 Stars
ABV – 14.5%
RRP: $18-22
Website: http://www.teusner.com.au/

2009 Sorrenberg Chardonnay (Beechworth)

2011-09-10T23:58:00.006+10:00

I love Beechworth Chardonnay and on a value for money basis, Sorrenberg’s is arguably the best of them. As with most Beechworth Chardonnay it undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation, which generally gives the wine a generosity and creaminess that very much agrees with me.

It starts with an expressive, rich nose of peach and spicy oak. Then to drink it is bang on. It has a wonderful balance between fruit and savoury flavours, and then creaminess and minerality in terms of texture. The thing that really marks this wine out though is this beautiful streak of lime juice that runs its long length. It’s a point of difference and gives the wine that bit of an X factor. Give it a good decant and its drinking beautifully now, but ideally leave it in the cellar for another few years yet. Vying with the 05 Tarrawarra Reserve Chardonnay as my Chardonnay of the year thus far. Wonderful wine.

Rated:

RRP: $49
ABV: 14%
Website: http://www.sorrenberg.com/

Red

Organic & Biodynamic wine tasting

2011-09-06T07:00:00.005+10:00

There is an increasing trend in the world of wine towards organic and/or biodynamic vineyard management. By and large I am happy to drink organic, biodynamic, or conventional wines and just assess what I see in the glass. Many people engaged in the debate, however, either dismiss many of the ideas, particularly around biodynamics, or conversely are very passionate in support of these two vineyard approaches, and are generally of the belief that organic/biodynamic wines are inherently superior to more conventionally made wines. A tasting at the Oak Barrel in Sydney, where Gilles Lapalus from Sutton Grange in Bendigo and Eric Semmler from 919 Wines in the Riverland, took us through a number of organic/biodynamic wines, was a great opportunity to explore and discuss this trend towards organic/biodynamic vineyard management.

To first define what each approach is (at least as far as I understand it). Organic wines are simply wines made from grapes where no chemicals, herbicides, pesticides etc. have been used in the vineyard. This organic approach is meant to result in a healthier vineyard, better grapes, and ultimately better wine. To me anyway, it makes perfect sense, and I’ve seen it in other agricultural products like chickens, tomatoes etc. They just generally taste a bit better than their conventional counterparts. The other consideration with organics is the longer term health of a vineyard. While maybe the occasional use of some chemical agent in a vineyard mightn’t ultimately be that detrimental, their consistent use year after year, over decades, must surely start to affect the health of a vineyard and therefore the quality of grapes it can turn out, at least in comparison to an organic approach. Ultimately, I don’t actually see much that is controversial in organic wine, other than it could present vineyard management challenges in a tough vintage when disease is more likely.

Biodynamics is altogether more controversial and much harder to define. To simplify it is organics with a cosmic and spiritual bent. Its starting point are the writings of Rudolph Steiner, and generally result in a more holistic approach to vineyard management. A lot of the more obvious aspects of biodynamics focus on composting and preparations that tie in to some extent with organics, however tend to go a step further into some somewhat obscure practices. The most famous of which is Preparation 500, which involves burying a cow’s horn full of manure in the vineyard in winter, and then digging it up in spring to release a whole bunch of apparently helpful microbes into the vineyard.

After that biodynamics moves into some of its more controversial aspects such as working in sync with moon cycles. Semmler from 919 wines, claims that the key determinant to his vines ripening are the moon cycles. While heat and the season obviously play a major role, Semmler says that the moon moving into a waxing cycle will bring on the ripening he requires to pick, rather than a heat wave or any other factor.

It’s probably quite easy to be cynical about these things (and to be honest I’m still a bit of a sceptic). The thing, however, that I will say in defence of those that practice biodynamics (at least those that I have met), is that they are far from the imagined airy fairy hippies dancing naked around their vineyards. Often they are pragmatic, experienced vignerons who have worked in both conventional and organic/biodynamic vineyards over many years. Experience has shown them what they believe to be a better approach.

So to some of the highlights of the evening -

2010 “919” Vermentino (Riverland)
Vermentino loves the heat and would seem a good grape to be growing in the Riverland. This is a white wine that offers a point of difference. Green apples, citrus, spice and a lovely creaminess. It has a nice sense of texture and grip. Would be fantastic with white meats.

2009 Ngeringa Pinot Noir (Adelaide Hills)
This is an understated Pinot Noir that really sneaks up on you. Light, fresh, and savoury with some lovely sour cherry. It never loses focus, and has a very long finish. Lovely Pinot.

2009 “919” Tempranillo (Riverland)
Once again this wine offers a point of difference. It has a nose of dark cherry and liquorice all sorts. It’s a rich and powerful wine, but retains a sense of balance with flavours of cherry, earthiness and some lovely tannin. Nice

2009 Dard & Ribo Hermitage Rouge (Rhone Valley)
This is such a fresh and sexy wine. Its characterised by beautiful juicy fruit and is dangerously easy to drink. Lovely berry fruits and spice. Mellifluous. Would buy and drink a lot of this if it wasn’t $100 a bottle.

2006 Sutton Grange Syrah (Bendigo)
This wine is a tannic beast, and I love it all the more for it. It has a beautifully perfumed nose with a nice touch of funk. The palate is one of plush dark fruit, spice, and those amazing tannins. If Bendigo Shiraz can ever look like a Barolo then this wine is it.

These wines were undoubtedly wines of character, interest, and terroir. I really enjoyed tasting through such a line up. Did they, however, strike me as inherently better or more enjoyable than a line up of perhaps more conventionally made wines? Not necessarily. The trend towards organics/biodynamics I view as a positive one, but at the same time as just one element in amongst numerous others vineyard and winemaking inputs that go into producing the wonderful end product.

Red

2008 Masciarelli Montepulciano D'abruzzo (Italy)

2011-08-28T21:44:00.012+10:00

I don't often drink Montepulciano D'abruzzo, but everytime I do I tend to enjoy it. I find it combines lovely juicy fruit with with just a nice bit of rusticity, and so it is with this wine.

An expressive nose of red fruits and a nice touch of leather. To drink it's medium bodied, and went well with a mushroom pasta dish. Bright red fruits are joined by earth, a bit of funk, and some tobacco. There's a lovely sour cherry finish to. Altogether a very satisfying and enjoyable drink.

Rated:

RRP: $25
ABV: 13.5%
Website: http://www.masciarelli.it/

Red

Aged Cabernet Dinner

2011-08-22T22:03:00.011+10:00

It was the middle of winter, and Brown and some other good friends were over at our place for dinner, so it was time to pull out some big guns. Aged Cabernet/Bordeaux blends that is.

The four wines that Brown and I pulled from their cool places in the cellar were -

2001 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra, $30)
2001 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon (Tasmania, $90)
2001 Chateau Franc Mayne (St Emilion, Bordeaux, $75)
2002 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon (Great Southern, $105)

At a decade or so old, we thought it would be a great time to see how these 4 wines were travelling. Initially we tasted blind. Tasting through the four wines the Wynns was my favourite in the blind line up showing beautiful fruit and nice tannins, while the Domaine A was also impressive in a more savoury manor. The Chateau Franc Mayne came across as a bit dilute in comparison, while the Jack Mann was initially quite subdued.

We then consumed the wines over dinner, during which time the Jack Mann and Franc Mayne opened up and fleshed out a touch, however, by the end of the dinner the Wynns and Domaine A were still the stand outs. Then a funny thing happened . . . the dinner finished and there was still plenty of wine left in each bottle! Admittedly only 3 of the 6 people were really drinking any great amount (and Champagne and Port bookended the dinner), but in any case I think it must be a sign of us slowing down. The upside was I was then able to taste the 4 wines at my leisure over the next few days, which ended up being a very good thing. While the tasting on the night would have had me writing about at least two very good wines, the chance to taste over a few days has me proclaiming 3 great wines. Below are my notes from this extended tasting -

2001 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon – This is a wine that I buy every year regardless of the vintage and critic reviews. Factoring in history, cellarability and importantly price, could this be Australia’s greatest wine? A lovely ripe, long Cabernet. Beautiful blackcurrant fruit, mint, and earthiness. It’s still nice and tannic, and over the course of 4 nights lengthened through the finish and became increasingly savoury. Super wine and with careful cellaring and cork permitting I see no reason why this won’t be even better in 5-10 years. 4.5 Stars

2001 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon – An identifiably more savoury wine than the Wynns and indeed very Bordeaux-like. The nose is quite seductive, smelling like an old chesterfield complimented by lovely blackcurrant. Beautiful ripe fruit on the front palate is soon joined by leafiness, earthiness, spice and sea salt, all providing a wonderful sense of texture through a long savoury finish. Genuine complexity. Fine, yet persistent tannins frame the wine beautifully. Once again this wine drunk well and improved over 4 nights. 4.5 Stars

2001 Chateau Franc Mayne – As a wine that is 90% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc, it would obviously seem a bit like the odd one out in this line up, but it nevertheless had quite a lot in common with the Domaine A. While this wine fleshed out with more air, it remained the lightest of the 4 wines. There’s some nice blackberry fruit but the wine is predominantly savoury, with some Cab Franc grassiness and sea salt coming through on the palate. Throw in some drying tannin and this is a wine that definitely needs food to be seen at its best. Nice wine. 3.5 Stars

2002 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon – If this tasting over 4 nights was a horse race, then the Jack Mann would have been very slow out of the gates and looking rather disinterested initially. Mid race it would have picked up the pace to be in contention, before storming home in the final straight to just pip the Domaine A and Wynns at the post. This is superb Cabernet, and very much reminds me of other Jack Mann’s that I have had. It has a dusty, leafy nose of berries, black olive and lovely oak. The palate is tannic, powerful and just beginning to demonstrate more secondary, savoury characters. Plush fruit gives way to some nice leafiness and earthiness, before delivering a long, drying tannic finish. Needs another 10 years and who knows how long it will go after that. 4.5 Stars

This tasting provided a fantastic vignette into age-worthy Australian Cabernet. All three Australians are wines of character and terroir. The Domain A and Jack Mann are expensive, but given both the complexity and ageability on offer they can more than justify their price tags. On the other hand if budget is a consideration then on any value for money basis the Wynns Black Label is as good a Cabernet as this country has.

Red

2009 Tarrawarra K-Block Merlot (Yarra Valley)

2011-08-14T21:33:00.010+10:00

I like the idea of this wine. It comes off an elevated, north facing site in the Yarra of much potential that had long been planted to Pinot Noir, but that was never altogether successful. In trying to better match site with variety, the K-block was replanted in 2006 with Merlot.

Anytime a winemaker in Australia looks to make serious Merlot it has me interested. We’ve generally made a good fist of other varieties, which are often synonymous with specific regions. Thus far, however, good to great merlot is still very much a patchwork in this country, and as yet not something that is as easily regionally identifiable. Clare Halloran at Tarrawarra is one of number winemakers around Australia currently looking to change this.

The wine itself is very much a savoury style of merlot. It has lovely plum fruit that is complemented by spice, some herbal notes, and well integrated oak. Nice line and length. It finishes with drying tannin and goes well with food.

The one issue with the wine is that which is common to many a red wine from the Yarra Valley in 2009, and that is smoke taint, the result of the tragic bushfires in that year. With this wine it’s initially not noticeable at all, but over the course of 3 days it became more evident. Not to the point that it was overwhelming, but rather just a touch distracting on the finish.

A good wine and 3.5 stars, with the suggestion that it is drunk sooner rather than later. I look forward to seeing what Tarrawarra can do with this wine from a great vintage like 2010.

Rated:

RRP: $35
ABV: 14.5%
Website: http://www.tarrawarra.com.au/

Red

Yelland and Papps 2009 Devote Old Vine Grenache

2011-08-09T22:48:00.000+10:00

Small volume, hand crafted, old vine Grenache is Yelland and Papps’ strongest suit and in 2009 they have once again produced a top quality wine.
Familiar raspberry, cherry, vanilla and old oak-infused allspice mesh smoothly together on the nose and follow through to the palate. There is a vibrancy to the fruit that was not as evident in the heatwave vintages of 2007 and 2008 and a pleasant earthy stalkyness appears on the finish.

For all of the promising űber-savoury, ‘striving for complexity’ Grenache coming out recently this wine is comforting, enjoyable, flavoursome yet still contemplative. The best of both worlds.

Rating:

/ 93pts

Price: $32
ABV: 14.5%

Website: http://yellandandpapps.com/

2002 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec (Clare Valley)

2011-07-31T22:20:00.010+10:00

Wendouree is a winery whose wines I've always wanted to drink. Producing wine from an historic vineyard, planted in 1892, Wendouree have positively eschewed all modern forms of communication and marketing. They still don't have a website. All their wine is sold through a mailing list, that is far from obvious or easy to get on, and yet they don't seem to have any issue selling all their wine. Moreover, it seems that almost as long as I have been reading about things vinous, I've been reading James Halliday's "iron-fist in a velvet glove" description of these age worthy wines. The other point of interest is that are plenty of Wendouree knockers out there, or at least people who think Wendouree wines are not all they are cracked up to be, so to some extent it's a polarising winery.

I've tasted Wendouree a couple of times at tastings, but this 2002 Cabernet Malbec was the first bottle I've consumed. A tasting I had of the 2008 Cabernet Malbec at the Langton's tasting last year put me firmly in the pro-Wendouree camp. It was one of the standouts in amongst an amazing line-up of wines.

The 2002 was one of those wines that upon initial tasting was arguably a touch disappointing (bearing in mind how much anticipation is built into opening a Wendouree), but improved with air, and then by that final few mouthfuls a couple of hours later, it had begun to show the potential that is part of the Wendouree promise. It's a wine that definitely needs many more years in the cellar before it shows its best. It presents as a powerful Cabernet with blackcurrant, mint, oak, and some aged polished leather notes. To drink it has lovely ripe and rich fruit, balanced by some nice spice and earthiness. The signature tannins are still prominent and the wine finishes long and strong. The complexity of the wine is still largely latent, but time will be a friend to this wine. Very good now, potentially great with time.

Rated:
+

Red

Savaterre (Beechworth)

2011-07-21T21:04:00.004+10:00

The drive up to Savaterre is the kind you picture when imagining a special vineyard (maybe you don’t imagine special vineyards or driving up to them, but as a wine tragic it’s a regular day dream of mine). Off the main road you take a left onto a steep dirt track that heads up for a 100 metres or so to the top of a hill, from which you get a glimpse of a pretty special panorama. You then continue along an undulating road for a few more hundred metres, until arriving at the winery and vineyard, where you are presented with a commanding view of the hilly surrounds, including site of the snow-capped Australian Alps in the distance. It almost feels like a Piemonte vista (in a very Australian way). Rather than Nebbiolo, however, it is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that do the talking here.

Keppel Smith, owner and winemaker, was actually a policeman in the suburb I grew up in as a kid in Sydney. I was a pretty well behaved kid, however, and Lane Cove is a pretty safe and uneventful suburb, so our paths had not crossed until my visit to Savaterre.

In leaving Sydney and pursuing his wine dream, Smith engaged in a search across Australian wine regions for the perfect site to grow Pinot and Chardonnay. In overlaying a soil map with a topographic map, he found his mark in Beechworth. A cool, elevated, south facing site, sitting on buckshot gravel. The land itself had also been been sought out by other winemakers, however, the farmer there had not been willing to leave. Smith, however, managed to convince the farmer to sell his site by letting him keep a corner of the land on which he could continue to run some animals. And so the land was acquired and the Savaterre vineyard planted in 1996, with the first wines being produced from the 2000 vintage.

Since that time both the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have built up formidable reputations, with the Chardonnay having recently been added to the Langton’s classification. While there I tried the 2008 vintage of both wines.

The 08 Chardonnay is a good’un. It’s powerful, yet refined. Rich yet textural. It has a lovely nuttiness and excellent length. In the current debate about “natural” wine and levels of winemaker intervention, Smith’s approach is very much one of minimal intervention (without wanting to wear the “natural” tag). A part of that approach is allowing his Chardonnay to run its natural course through 100% malolactic fermentation. He posits that anything less than 100% Malo is interventionist and a move away from a natural expression of site and grape. It’s a view I’m inclined to agree with.

The 08 Pinot is equally impressive. I tried it while at Savaterre and then also had it over a couple of nights once home. It’s made with 100% whole bunch, and results in a beautifully aromatic Pinot Noir. It smells of cherry, five spice, a hint of sweet oak, and some lovely dried herbs. It’s savoury and structured on the palate, with a lovely sense of texture. Without food it might almost appear too savoury and a touch stalky, but with some duck breast it just drinks beautifully. It’s a Pinot that demands good food. There’s some good drive and intensity through the mid-palate, before delivering a long finish. Fine tannins and acidity are all nicely integrated. It’s probably 3-5 years from drinking at its peak, and cork permitting, should age for a number of years after that.

A beautiful site, a winemaker committed to expressing that site, and two very impressive wines. Great stuff.

Website: http://www.savaterre.com/

Red

2010 Dominique Portet Fontaine Rose

2011-07-14T21:45:00.005+10:00

This looks to be the first Rosé I have reviewed on our blog. I enjoy Rosé, but rarely love it, and while there has been an interesting trend towards Rosé in Australia that is “pale, dry, and textural”, these wines still by and large fail to get me overly excited.

The 2010 Dominique Portet Rosé, however, is one of the most enjoyable Rosé’s I have had. My wife and I polished off the bottle with relish over the course of an evening. For my tastes, it’s perfectly balanced between fruit and savoury flavours, with berries and cherries up against some lovely nutty notes and a hint of bitterness. It’s all underpinned by a fine acidity and a fantastic persistence.

It’s pale enough, dry enough, and textural enough for anyone who wants to contemplate and appreciate their Rosé, but also shows enough pure fruit sweetness and ease of drinking that it can be simply washed down and enjoyed as well. Great stuff. 4 Stars

Rated:

RRP: $20
Website: http://www.dominiqueportet.com/

Red

Face-Off: TarraWarra Estate 2004 and 2008 Reserve Chardonnay

2011-07-10T22:09:00.000+10:00

The RedtoBrown Wine Review appreciates a nice bottle of Chardonnay. This noble grape is on the upswing, following the Kath and Kim ‘Cardonnay’ backlash and the seemingly irresistible rise of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. Part of this renewed interest in Chardonnay is a result of some very nice leaner (some might say meaner) examples entering the market that have countered the sunshine in a bottle stereotype. Personally, I am just as enthusiastic and excited by what I would term the ‘evolved’ style of chardonnay in Australia that balances robust but controlled fruit flavours with intelligent use of oak (good quality, and a smaller percentage of it new).

In recent years, TarraWarra Estate under winemaker Clare Halloran has produced several examples of this relatively lighter, balanced style of chardonnay. The wines Red and I have tried in the past have been generous, though not overwhelming, flavoursome yet structured.
On 22 June this year we were lucky enough to try two of the TarraWarra Estate Reserve Chardonnays at the TarraWarra Cellar Club Dinner. Tasting notes, Face-Off style are below:

2004 Reserve Chardonnay (13.4% abv, $60 rrp)

Red: A lovely Chardonnay that is drinking at its peak now. It has a generous Chardonnay nose, with some nice nuttiness. Time has seen this wine develop a beautiful richness on the palate and it was perfect with a rich chicken dish. If I’m nitpicking I felt the spicy oak has never quite truly integrated with the fruit, but ultimately this doesn’t detract from the enjoyment that it delivers. 4 stars

Brown: The 2004 is drinking very nicely indeed. There is some evident oak on the finish, though it does not detract from the evolving fruit flavours and developed rich creamy texture. Having enjoyed a magnum of the 1998 Reserve a full 11 years after release, I would not be surprised if the 2004 is still drinking well in several years time. In saying that, it is near its peak (for my tastes), so personally, I would be drinking up.
91Pts/ 4 Stars

2008 Reserve Chardonnay (13.4% abv, $60 rrp)

Red: This is an impressive Chardonnay that I think will rival the great 05 given time. It’s still reasonably tight, but everything is there. Lovely grapefruit. Lovely spicy oak. Just enough creaminess to let you know where it’s going with time. Great structure and length. Everything in balance. It provides plenty of satisfaction right now, but give it a few more years and it will take things up another notch again. A beautiful Yarra Valley Chardonnay. 4 Stars ++

Brown: The 2008 Reserve is made in a familiar TarraWarra Estate style: a style as noted in the introduction that I am a fan of. It has youthful power, balancing grapefruit and lemon pith fruit flavours with cashew nut creaminess, French oak-driven spice and fresh acidity. It is easy to drop the ‘B’ word (balance) in relation to this wine. The wine is not flabby, rather fitting its suit snugly; it is a relatively youthful wine that is drinking well now, but will clearly develop further flavour, complexity and texture. In 2013/14 it will be crying out for some oven roasted chicken to accompany it. 93pts/4 stars

Golden Ball and the 2005 Gallice (Beechworth)

2011-07-03T09:11:00.010+10:00

I was having an argument (a friendly one) with a winemaker the other week who was arguing that Cabernet Sauvignon is not a noble grape because most of the time it is blended with one of the other Bordeaux varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot etc. Being the Cabernet lover that I am, I stood up for my beloved grape pointing to the great Coonawarra Cabernets that are often 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Moreover, I see the blending that typically occurs with other varieties as a path to greater consistency in terms of both structure and complexity, rather than necessarily the source of it.

This conversation was symbolic of a general lack of love for the Cabernet grape in Australia at present. It’s become a daggy grape almost. Go to a Coonawarra tasting and you’ll be by and large surrounded by baby boomers and the war generation. Gen X and Gen Y will be scarce on the ground. Taking a bottle of Cabernet to a dinner party doesn’t win you any kudos either.

Which is a long winded way of getting to the fact that in meeting Golden Ball’s winemaker, James McLaurin, I met a kindred spirit who loves his Cabernet, and is similarly bemused by its apparent lack of appeal at present (that he is thinking of planting Nebbiolo is another big tick, being my other favourite grape). Beechworth is perhaps not immediately obvious as a place for great Cabernet, but as I discovered, Golden Ball are making a good fist of it.

The Golden Ball property was originally owned by McLaurin’s parents, before he bought it off them and planted a 5 Acre vineyard back in 1996. Since that time he has built a reputation for an impressive Shiraz. He is also currently making a Chardonnay from the Smith Vineyard from the 2010 vintage, which is looking very smart in barrel. For all this, however, his main focus is Cabernet. Golden Ball’s flagship wine is the Gallice, a Cabernet Sauvignon that is blended with some Merlot and Malbec.

While there I got to try a number of barrel samples of what will end up going into the 2010 Gallice. Interestingly, McLaurin looks to build further structure and complexity with different picking times and different oak treatments. The fruit that will go into the Gallice was picked in two lots, eight days apart. While perhaps riper, there was no hint of over ripeness in the later picked grapes, which I guess is a testament to the excellent, cooler 2010 vintage. The fruit across both picks is then not only put into new, 1 year, and 2 year old oak, but is also put into barrels made by different coopers. McLaurin enjoys talking and trialling different barrels, and it was interesting to see the subtle differences that two different coopers would have on the same parcel of fruit. Many of the individual samples I tried looked fantastic, and worthy of a good wine in and of itself, and in blending these many various elements Golden Ball should be able to produce an impressive 2010 Gallice.

So to the 2005 Gallice, which I tried over 2 days. This is the kind of wine I find tremendously enjoyable and satisfying to drink. It smells of blackcurrant, eucalypt leaves, chocolate and pencil shavings. It’s medium to full bodied, and presents with lovely ripe fruit on the front palate, before becoming predominantly savoury, with some appealing earthiness. Lovely drying tannin shapes the wine before finishing long with a just a hint of food-friendly bitterness. It’s drinking beautifully now, should do so for the next 5 years, and quite possibly a lot longer. Classic Cabernet. 4 Stars

Rated:

RRP: $55
Website: http://www.goldenball.com.au/

Red

2010 Head Old Vine Grenache (Barossa Valley)

2011-06-25T13:11:00.011+10:00

This is the best Grenache I have had.

Admittedly, I’ve not yet had the pleasure of a Chateau Rayas, or some of the other European benchmark Grenache. But of my own experience across Spanish Garnacha, Southern Rhone Grenache, and our own home-grown Grenache, this 2010 offering from Alex Head stands tall. It comes off an 80 year old vineyard from the Greenock sub-region in the Barossa.

This is a wine that needs plenty of air and time. It had a stalky bitterness on day one that I found a touch distracting, but by days two and three it had integrated and become part of the complex whole that is this fantastic wine. It smells beautiful. It’s perfumed and floral, with lovely berry fruit and spice. To drink it is perfectly ripe and balanced. Lovely sweet berry fruit on entry before turning more savoury the further it moves along the palate. Texture, intensity and weight all give the wine a sense of gravitas, and yet it retains a lightness of touch throughout. Fine, yet persistent acidity and tannins are evident, but not obtrusive, making it a wonderful food wine. A long finish tops it all off. To do the wine justice it needs to be left alone for at least a few years, and everything is there to suggest this is a Grenache for the long haul.

Apparently it’s all sold out now, but if you manage to find it around the traps, it’s worth paying above its RRP for. My score kept going up over the 3 days. 4.5 Stars.

Rated:

RRP: $35
ABV: 14.5%
Website: http://www.headwines.com.au/

Red

A bottle or two in Beechworth . . .

2011-06-20T23:10:00.010+10:00

Artisan is a word that gets bandied about with regards wineries and wine regions, but if ever there was a wine region in Australia where it is apt, then it would be Beechworth. It’s dominated by family owned wineries and vineyards. Of the 20 or so wineries, only 4 have a cellar door, and to a large degree each one follows it own tune. It represents a quite different experience to that which one might experience in the Yarra, Barossa, or Hunter Valleys. I spent a couple of very enjoyable days in Beechworth last week, and as I’d hoped, it reinforced the positive impression I have of the region’s wines (it also happens to be a beautiful place with some fantastic food).

Beechworth sits at the very beginning of the westerly approach to the high country on the Victorian side of the border. Most vineyards sit between 300-550 metres in elevation and on a granite soil. It’s broadly a cool climate region, though there are quite significant differences depending on elevation and site. The sum of this terroir are some pretty special wines. The majority of vineyards are along a few kilometre stretch to the west of the town itself, and include Giaconda, Castagna, Savaterre, and the Warner Vineyard, representing an amazing concentration of quality wine. Like a number of other wine regions in Australia, it had a history of wine production in the 1800’s, which then gradually died out during the 1900’s. The modern revival of Beechworth, however, started with Smith’s Vineyard in 1978 and then Giaconda in 1980. Sorrenberg planted in 1985 and then the revival gathered pace during the 90s with the establishment of wineries like Savaterre, Golden Ball, Castagna, and Battely.

If this emergence of Beechworth in the past couple of decades has an identity, then it centres on Chardonnay, and within that identity the focus is on Giaconda, who produce a Chardonnay that has generally been considered a benchmark wine in Australia over the past couple of decades. It’s the wine more than any other that brought Beechworth to the attention of wine lovers in Australia. Beyond Giaconda however, there are also fantastic Chardonnays from the likes of Sorrenberg, Smith’s Vineyard, and Savaterre. Importantly, this identity is more than just the grape variety, and is as much a style of Chardonnay as well. It might be an overused term but this style could be said to be Burgundian. Beechworth have eschewed the trend over the past 5 years towards lean and taut Chardonnays in Australia, and all four Chardonnays mentioned above go through 100% malolactic fermentation (or near enough) and generally extended lees contact. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t steeliness and tension to these Beechworth Chardonnays, for there definitely is, but there is also a generosity and creaminess that results in a style of Chardonnay that I personally love. While there, I tasted the 08 Savaterre, 09 Sorrenberg, and ’10 Smith’s Vineyard out of barrel (which is actually being made by Golden Ball as sadly Smith’s have closed their winery). All three were very smart wines, and across 3 quite different vintages, served to highlight the quality of Beechworth Chardonnay.

Now while Beechworth Chardonnay might have a clear identity and style, the same cannot be said for their red wines. The red wines are of undoubted quality, and some are arguably benchmarks in Australia for their style, but there is nevertheless a surprising diversity of varieties within a small area. Within a few kilometres of one another you have the Giaconda Warner Shiraz, Castagna Sangiovese, Savaterre Pinot Noir, and the Golden Ball Cabernet Blend. I’m not sure I can think of anywhere else that is producing excellent examples of four such different varieties within such a small area. Elevation and site location certainly play their part in the decision by winemakers to focus on different varieties. Savaterre’s Pinot is planted at over 500M on a southwest slope, while Golden Ball’s Cabernet is on a warmer site at 350M and facing north west. I got to taste both wines while there and was equally impressed. At the other end of Beechworth there is also the impressive Sorrenberg Gamay, and there’s even an exploration of Nebbiolo occurring at present, with Giaconda recently releasing a 2008 Nebbiolo, and Golden Ball looking at planting Nebbiolo as well. I guess this highlights the artisan nature of the region, in the sense that everyone is doing their own thing.

A part of me would like to see Beechworth focus on one or two varieties/styles of red wine and strive towards producing a recognisable world class style. However, given many of the sites have only been planted for a decade or two, and that there a number of micro-climates, it’s perhaps not surprising that there is this diversity and still plenty of trial and experimentation. Terroir is broadly speaking the one common denominator, with most sites on a granite soil that delivers a five-spice note that comes through on many of these red wines. Beyond this there is not really a discernible style or variety that dominates when it comes to Beechworth reds. It’s a smorgasbord, but a quality one at that.

Further to this theme, you get the sense that the best is yet to come from Beechworth. Vineyards are being refined, new sites of high potential have been planted of late, different varieties are being tried, and most producers have moved to some form of organic/biodynamic management of their vineyard. Moreover, most vineyards still have plenty of maturing to do. There are some fantastic wines being made at present, but it’s easy to conceive of many of these wines going up another notch again with another decade of knowledge and vine maturity.

One final thing that really struck me during my visit is that Beechworth seems to be the last bastion of cork in Australia. If screwcap vs cork was a war, and you viewed a battlefield map of Australia, Beechworth would be the final stronghold of cork, surrounded by a sea of screwcaps. The majority of wines I tried while there came from cork sealed bottles. I’m not sure why Beechworth producers have generally eschewed the more reliable closure, though in Australia there is still a tendancy to place your most premium wine under cork (something that is counterintuitive to my mind), and many Beechworth wineries only really do premium wines, without having your standard entry level offering. If you are someone who still prefers cork then Beechworth has plenty to offer.

Beechworth is well worth the visit. Even if you’re not as into your wines, the Ned Kelly pies and lamingtons from the Beechworth Bakery make it well worthwhile. But if you are then you’re in for another treat altogether. I’ll be reviewing a number of these wines in the next few weeks.

Red

2009 Yelland & Papps Devote Greenock Shiraz (Barossa Shiraz)

2011-06-11T21:46:00.006+10:00

While 2009 was not a perfect vintage in the Barossa, given that early heatwave, it ended up being a lot better than initial reports suggested. This wine more or less reflects this, having a touch of warmth, but otherwise being a damn good Shiraz.

It has an expressive nose of berries, musk, oak, and spice. It smells fresh. It tastes pretty fresh as well with some beautiful berry fruit on the front palate. There’s some reasonable focus here to with a nice line and length, never letting it get too broad. Some lovely spice and malt. Plenty of yum factor and on a cold winter’s night with a T-bone steak this was the perfect match. That touch of warmth would make me question its long-term potential, but right now it’s drinking beautifully and should do so for the next few years. A step-up from the 2008.

Rated:

RRP: $32
ABV: 14.5%
Website: http://yellandandpapps.com/

Red

The Amateur Wine Blogging Community - The Big Karoake Bar in the Virtual Sky?

2011-06-09T00:15:00.002+10:00

It is becoming quite common to find an internet post or twitter comment that is critical of the emergence of wine blogs. The increase in the number of wine blogs is analysed by critics and defenders alike. This analysis leads to sometimes repetitious, sometimes unique and original debates on the positives and negatives of this form of wine communication (noting many would disagree wine blogs represent such a thing).

Generally I am interested, and at times amused by the discourse, and I hope this has been conveyed to some extent in the non-wine review posts on RedtoBrown (by both Red and I). If you want to read a constructive, well-written article on this topic, particularly from the perspective of what I would term a 'professional-standard' wine blogger, I would strongly recommend "Should Blogging Get a Flogging" by Patrick Haddock (aka ‘WiningPom’ on Twitter). The post below is a slightly abstract ‘interpretation’ of the discourse mentioned above with an intentional focus on the amateur, or "amateur but hoping, wishing for professional status" wine blogs.

The Amateur Wine Blogging Community - The Big Karoake Bar in the Virtual Sky?

On many levels, writing about wine online is a bit like singing at a Karaoke bar. It is easier to sing the songs when everyone else is joining in on the action, but when you are forced to sing solo, some songbirds fly the coop. This is often the case if you are in a room of close friends or complete strangers. For one reason or another not everyone is prepared to sing at the top of their lungs in this situation out of embarrassment or a desire to avoid being ridiculed.

Like singing in the group karaoke song, commenting on a wine in the comments section of a wine website can reduce the embarrassment or focus on your opinions. One can comment on a wine and have their voice heard to a point, but the comments are in the context of a review and other people’s opinions and comments – not a solo statement that puts your opinion front and centre. Not every lover of wine feels the need to comment on wine online. Those that do tend to express themselves in the form of a personal wine blog.

"Islands in the stream, that is what we are"

For the karaoke singers and wine wine writers who are confident enough to belt out a solo rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ or post articles about wine in a blog like the one you are (hopefully) still reading, there is no guarantee the quality of both will even be of a tolerable standard. Alas, with both forms of expression (dare I call it ‘entertainment’) there are many who feel they are producing ‘art’ of a professional standard that should be shared far and wide (well -beyond the walls of the RSL or the confines of a sporadically visited wine blog).

Only the most deluded of both groups would maintain their output is first class every time– and if it is, they are in the minority. For many, many more people, wine blogs range from being a fleeting hobby to a long term (if part-time) passion to which considerable spare moments are allocated. At both extremes, only the most desperate or deluded are thinking they ‘coulda been contenders’ On the Waterfront style if they havent taken concrete steps to leap into the wine writing world in a serious way yet write as if they expect to receive the same kudos as wine writers (paid and unpaid) who have.

In many ways, the contestants on Masterchef mirror this point: if they were serious about cooking they would have undertaken an apprenticeship years ago instead of trying to break into the food industry soley off the back of Masterchef. The same applies to the wine blogger who makes no moves to work at vintage or gain wine qualifications yet still harbours the desire to break into the wine world.

"I coulda been a contender, I coulda been a paid wine writer.
I coulda produced wine promo vids like James Suckling.
Now I am a wine blogging nobody, a bum.
Do you have a dime? I need to pay my monthly internet bill"

Unlike Karaoke, wine writers and commentators are not forced to read an amateur wine blog. If you are stuck in the bistro of the local RSL or inner city pub and the Karaoke competition fires up, said punter can leave the venue or willingly endure the noise until you finish your chicken parmigiana. With a wine blog, if you are a wine connoisseur, a Master of Wine, a paid wine writer etc and accidently stumble on a poorly written example, you are one click away from safety. I cannot stress this point enough - it seems in many cases, the critics of wine blogs rarely read them (for clearly stated reasons based on the perceived quality of the content) yet also seemingly do not want them to exist in the first place either.

Kenny sings on Wine Blogging: "You gotta know when to hold'em,
know when to fold'em, know when to walk away, and know when to click that mouse and
switch to a paid wine website instead".

The motivations for this form of ‘wine writing consolidation advocacy’ are varied, but part of me cannot help but think it is due to the inexorable dilution of the paid wine writers craft – not the democratisation of wine writing per se, but the dilution and diversification of wine writing, wine communication and wine expression that is paradoxically both bad and good for the wine industry.

Just as a pitch-perfect rendition of ‘My heart will go on’ during a Karaoke night will not change the music world one iota (though it might make the night of the Newtown RSL Bingo crew), the writings of an amateur wine blogger will rarely affect the wine industry. The inference that people are starting up wine blogs to match the quality of printed wine publications, receive thousands of free wine samples, make money and make an impact seems to be an assumption made more by the critics than the advocates. A fraction of these outcomes would be ample reward for most wine bloggers who are doing what they do out of a personal passion, not an alterior commercial or narcissistic motive.

"Aww Hans Blix! How many times do I have to tell you:
My amateur wine blog will not eat into your Wine Spectator circulation figures!"

In conclusion, will wine blogs take over the wine writing world? Highly unlikely. Will they form an at-times interesting and engaging niche in the wine communication and wine appreciation discourse? They already have, and this is an upwards trend. Will they ever represent the wine equivalent of Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie Duets? If they do, I will not linger long on that wine blog!

Post intended for debate/pondering/instant closing of the Explorer Tab. Thoughts and comments welcome.

2008 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon (Margaret River)

2011-06-08T22:03:00.005+10:00

I loved the 2007 of this. I think the 2008 is of the same quality but not at quite the same level of enjoyment at this early stage. These two wines are a good microcosm of these two excellent Margaret River vintages, both being excellent but with the 07s being the more approachable at this stage.

On the nose there is more leaf and less gravel than the 07, along with some lovely aromas of violets, blackcurrant, and chocolate oak. The overall impression is one of savouriness on the palate, and the good acidity and grippy tannins give the wine an excellent texture. Chocolate oak is there again in support. A great food Cabernet that is going to age a treat. I’m looking forward to lining up this wine next to the 07, when they’ve both got a decade under their belts.

Rated:

ABV: 14.5%
RRP: $35
Website: www.vassefelix.com.au

Red

2009 Moppity Vineyards Shiraz

2011-06-05T00:28:00.000+10:00

One of a few wines I tried while flying to Argentina on holiday. This was served blind with me only knowing it was an Australian Shiraz. In the relaxed, high altitude holiday atmosphere it smelt like it could have been a Barossa or South Australian wine. Rich blue and black fruits and vanilla and spice on the nose, ripe blue, black spicy fruit with sweet oak, and resultant grippy ripe tannins on the palate.
While not all over the shop, the wine finished in a flavoursome flurry. When playing my own in flight guessing game, I decided this was either a relatively restrained Barossa Valley/Eden Valley Shiraz with some non-pepper spices or a ripe Canberran (because of the clove spice).

When the big reveal occurred (me discretely peeking at the wines on the trolley!) I was not surprised when it was outed as a Hilltops – in hindsight (a glorious thing for many wine writers) it had a similar ripeness and juiciness as the 2009 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz I had tried a few months previously. All in all, a ripe wine that will please many, though may not be to the liking of those seeking a cool climate/delicate ‘syrah’.

Rating: Not Rated (on holidays!)
ABV: 13.9%
RRP: $24-25
Website: http://www.moppity.com.au/

2004 Allandale Semillon (Hunter Valley)

2011-06-02T21:24:00.009+10:00

This is a Hunter Semillon that at 7 years of age is drinking beautifully, and will only get better over the next 5 years, and under screwcap, possibly a lot longer.

All the elements of a good young Semillon are still evident with citrus flavours, good acidity, and also a lovely minerality. The elements of an aged Semillon also have really started to emerge with some rich honey and toast notes coming to the fore, giving the wine body and weight. It finishes long with a lovely sense of texture. Textbook Hunter Semillon. Loved it.

Rated:
+

RRP: $30
ABV: 11.5%
Website: http://www.allandalewinery.com.au/

Red

The Cerebral Hedonist

2011-05-29T20:57:00.008+10:00

Pleasure is the only thing to live for. Nothing ages like happiness.
~ Oscar Wilde

What takes your fancy? That which is cerebral, or that which washes over you in waves of hedonistic pleasure? This could be a more general question about your attitude to life, but is also a relevant question with wine.

For anyone who drinks wine, from the casual drinker to a devoted tragic like myself, the concept of a hedonistic wine is probably pretty self-evident and something most of us have experienced. In a very broad sense, it will be a flavoursome wine whose charms will be immediately apparent.

That being the case, what is a cerebral wine? This is perhaps less evident. When someone talks or writes about a wine being “cerebral”, to me it signifies that it is first and foremost a wine of structure. A cerebral wine might seemingly lack flavour in comparison, but rather has you thinking about things like its shape, its fine line of acidity, its powdery tannins, its sense of texture. For the more casual wine drinker, these concepts might seem a bit abstract. Moreover, if you’re drinking a “cerebral” wine, especially in its youth, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about and why it warrants a $60 price tag. Conversely there is many a wine lover who go a bit gaga over this type of wine, as something worthy of contemplation and potential future greatness.

Of course, it’s not an either or proposition. While a wine might have a bias towards one of these broad traits, it will very often have a reasonable amount of the other characteristic as well. And indeed there are good wines that really don’t exhibit either trait, and fit into a more luncheon claret type mould. However, arguably the greatest wines are both cerebral and hedonistic. In the same way that great classical music stirs both the purist and the public, and some great films can not only be enjoyed, but also appreciated, a great wine for me sits on a bedrock of structure worthy of contemplation while also enabling you to sit back and savour its layers of flavour. It delivers the best of both worlds.

The interesting thing for me are those wines that have a predominance of one trait in youth, and then engender the question as to whether they will ever exhibit enough of the other trait to become a great wine. An ageworthy and complex wine. For a wine that might be described as hedonistic in youth, there is always the question as to whether it has enough balance and structure to really develop and improve with time. Barossa Valley Shiraz is perhaps the most obvious example in Australia of a style of wine that has typically sat on the hedonistic side of the fence. When drinking a young Shiraz from this region, more often than not its charms are immediately evident, and there’s generally no shortage in pleasure that this style of wine brings to the table. What is less evident is whether leaving a bottle of Barossa Shiraz in the cellar for 10 years or more will see it much improved. Will the structure of the wine enable it to age well, and indeed is there enough inherent complexity there to warrant ageing it for that long. For the very best Barossa Valley Shiraz the answer is absolutely yes, but for the majority I would argue that it is debatable, and that the greatest amount of drinking enjoyment is to be had in the first 5 years. The question for which there is often a fluid answer, is how to tell which of these wines will be the former, and which will be the latter.

Conversely, there are wines that seemingly have the structure of a great wine, but in their first few years of existence you are forced to question whether they will ever generate enough flesh or flavour to provide real drinking pleasure. They are wines whose grapes might well be picked on the under-ripe side of ripe, and whose acidity is rather prominent. They are wines that will often be treated in a rather gentle way in the winery, with for example a lesser percentage of new oak (or no new oak at all). They are often challenging wines that require thought as to where they are heading given time. The new vogue of lean Australian Chardonnays in many instances fall into this category. I’ve reviewed a number of Chardonnays on this site, where I’ve appreciated the structure of the wine, but have nevertheless questioned whether they will ever build enough flavour and generosity for my tastes. Lets hope they do, as it’s arguably one of the most enjoyable things in wine appreciation to see a wine go from one of structure and promise in its youth, through to something complex and enjoyable over 5, 10, or 15 years.

In my cellar I have wines that cover all these permutations. Wines that give great drinking pleasure now, but that I have an inkling may also go the distance. Wines that are somewhat austere and unyielding, wines of structure, but that I believe will blossom with time. And finally wines that would seemingly enable you have your cake and eat it to, drinking well now but with everything in place to age with confidence. Only time will tell how these different styles of wines ultimately age and develop. My hope is that they will all age well and help me embrace my inner cerebral hedonist . . .

Red

2009 Kirrihill Single Vineyard Tullymore Vineyard cab Cabernet Sauvignon – Clare Valley

2011-05-25T14:42:00.000+10:00

I was a fan of the 2008 edition of this so was keen to try the 2009. Tasting it upon opening, it smelled and largely tasted of blackcurrants, blackberries, menthol, mint and freshly turned soils/earth. On the palate the tannins stood out – they were grippy, a bit bitter and dominated the wine in the middle and back palate (even for a tannin fan like me). On the finish there was considerable cedery oak.
On the second and third days the fruit was more prominent, a bit of black plum was present and generally more fruit sweetness, and less intense dustyness and tannins.

One to cellar for a few years to allow the tannins to soften, not as good as the 08 edition, but pretty nice value for the price- a considerable step up in terms of complexity and structure from the entry level Kirihill Cabernet as well as many other Australian Cabernets in the $13-17 range.
Rating

/ 89pts + ('+' for being a cheap single vineyard wine that will get better in the cellar).

Price: $16.95
ABV: 14.5%
Website: http://www.kirrihillwines.com.au// and http://winexpress.com.au/

2004 Bodega Catena Zapata - D.V Catena Cabernet

2011-05-23T19:46:00.000+10:00

One of the (many) wines tasted during my relaxing holiday in Argentina. :-)

Faded crimson in colour, with brickish red on the rim, a nose of menthol, salted liquorice, cassis and x factor pong I can only put down to site/ bottle age.
The wine is ripe- varietal without knocking you over. Cassis on the nose follows through on the palate, the texture is velvety in an almost warm climate Australian Cabernet way. Tannins are fine and understated, and French oak (80% new) has been largely absorbed.

Reasonably intense and fruity at the start, it drops away quite quickly in a classic doughnut cabernet way, and though it does not finish with a whimper, there is minimal length. On the finish is a herbal, leafy bitterness that adds a bit of interest and steers this away from sweet fruit bomb territory, though there is some acidity on the finish that is a bit harsh (especially if you are sensitive to it). The longer it was opened the more the acidity stood out as not being properly integrated or prominent, possibly as a result of the wine being in the process of falling over.

While not a bad wine, there are superior Australian and New Zealand Cabernets to be had locally at the same price. Furthermore, if you were buying an Argentinean red, Malbec would definitely be my preference based on what was tasted in-country.

Rating:

/ 88* possibly 2 years past its best.

ABV: 13.5%

RRP: $30 (retail in Argentina)

Website: http://www.catenawines.com/

Odds & Sods . . .

2011-05-21T15:49:00.004+10:00

Some random tasting notes from wines I’ve had over the past few weeks

Dal Zotto Prosecco Pucino NV – $19 - King Valley - This is not far off challenging Brown Brothers NV as my go to inexpensive sparkling. Plenty of generosity in the apple and citrus flavours along with a lovely creaminess here, but this is nicely balanced by savoury notes and a nice acidity. Very enjoyable drinking and you could do worse than to have the Dal Zotto as your house sparkling. 3.5 Stars

2009 Cono Sur Pinot Noir – $9 - Chile - This wine delivers everything you could realistically hope for from a $9 Pinot. Its varietal and provides good, easy drinking. It smells of cherry and raspberry, while also having a hint game meat. On the palate it tends more towards sour cherry with some nice spice in support. Used about a third of the bottle for duck dish I was cooking, and then drank the rest with the meal. Simple pleasures. 3 stars

2009 Kangarilla Sangiovese – $20 - Mclaren Vale - This is a wine that is both true to its region, while also being varietally correct. It tastes like both the grape variety and the terroir have had an equal input into the end result. It’s got the cherry, acidity, and drying tannin bit (Sangiovese), while also having the rich, ripe, chocolate bit (Mclaren Vale). Enjoyed drinking this, and reckon it would be a real crowd pleaser to. 3.5 Stars.

Red

2010 Tim Adams Riesling (Clare Valley)

2011-05-14T22:28:00.006+10:00

I’ve not been a huge fan of a number of 2010 Rieslings from the Clare Valley. They’ve tended to be a bit broad and tropical for my tastes. Happily, the Tim Adams mostly avoids these traits.

To smell it has that classic floral bouquet with aromas of citrus, apples, and slate. The same flavours flow through onto the palate along with some lovely spice. There is some generosity of fruit, but this wine is largely defined by its refined acidity. While I’ve always been quite partial to a battery acid-like young riesling, I’m increasingly appreciating Rieslings whose acidity is less overt, while being no less insistent. This is one of those wines. Excellent length of finish as well.

It should age a treat over the next 10 years, and under screwcap, for possibly a lot longer.

Rated:
+

RRP: $20
ABV: 11.5%
Website: http://www.timadamswines.com.au/

Red

2008 PHI Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley)

2011-05-11T21:45:00.004+10:00

I’ve read on a few occasions that Lusatia Park Vineyard, in the upper Yarra Valley, is a site of “Grand Cru” potential. The 2006 of this wine was possibly the best Australian Pinot Noir I’ve had and at least in that instance seemed to justify the hype (http://tinyurl.com/2bboowo).

The 2008 is a Pinot of complexity and potential, but coming from a less than perfect vintage, I’m not sure it will quite scale the heights of the 06.

As with the 06, the 08 performs a lovely dance between sweet and savoury. It’s seductive and complex. Cherry, liquorice, sap, spice, orange peel, smokiness, and truffle all reveal themselves over time. There’s a hint of appealing bitterness and a lovely sense of minerality as well.

There’s great mid-palate intensity and drive, but over the two nights I tasted it, it never quite finished as convincingly as I would have liked. It’s a very good wine, and if a few more years in the cellar can see it better integrated and longer, then it may well fulfil the potential that this special vineyard offers.

Rated:
+

RRP: $60
ABV: 13.0%
Website: http://www.phiwines.com/

Red

Some Sexy Italians . . .

2011-05-08T21:08:00.005+10:00

The old and the new are both exciting in Italian wine at present. Iconic regions of pedigree like Barolo are seemingly producing as wonderful wines as ever, while numerous less well known regions, like Mt Etna in Italy, are just starting to gain cachet in the world of wine. Below are two wines that I’ve really enjoyed while out and about of late.

2001 Gastaldi Barolo – Retail RRP - $90 – Consumed at 121 BC, a wine bar in Sydney. Of the classic tar and roses flavour profile for Nebbiolo, this is very much tar dominant. It’s from the Serralunga d'Alba commune and accordingly is a powerful and tannic rendition of Barolo, even at 10 years of age. It opened up nicely over 2 hours, revealing increasing savoury complexity with time. Tremendous length on the finish. I’d love to see this wine in another 10 years.

2006 Benanti Rosso di Verzella Etna – Retail RRP - approx $45 – Consumed at Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney for our anniversary dinner ($88). Mt Etna. As both a volcano I’ve been reading about since high school Ancient History, and a volcano that is also still very active, it is a fascinating place to be growing wine (a random lava flow at vintage must pose the odd difficulty). That it is a high altitude, cooler climate site in Sicily, making wines from unfamiliar grapes like Nerello Mascalese just adds further interest. This wine is a blend of 80% Nerello Mascalese, and 20% Nerello Capuccio.

When I try a new varietal or style of wine for the first time, I find it natural to try and reference it against wines I’m more familiar with. My initial assessment is that this wine was something akin to a cross between a Cabernet Franc and a Nebbiolo. The reality though is that it was none of these things and was both complex and unique. It had a sense of weight but was light on its feet. Good acidity with a nice touch of grip, all lead to a lovely sense of texture. Flavours included cherry and plum, earth, tar, and a touch of barnyard funk, and finally an appealing herbal grassy note. A great food wine and the seal of approval from the Missus. My first Etna and it certainly won’t be my last.

Red

2009 Teusner The Riebke Shiraz

2011-05-04T21:53:00.000+10:00

The Riebke is Teusners entry-level Shiraz and comes from grapes grown in the Ebenezer sub-region in the northern Barossa. In the last 4 or so years it has been a wine that has been good value for money(and has been a RedtoBrown favourite for several years).

When tasted in late April 2011, the 2009 Riebke was more developed than on previous tastings. The wine still had the spicy blackberry and plum, though there were some stewed fruit, blackberry cordial and fruitcake flavours present that were not as prominent/I didn’t notice in the past.

The Riebke is juicy and accessible and made in a popular (though not a sell-out) style –the tannins are understated and silky/slithery and oak is a silent partner in the business. The finish is sweet, but still relatively restrained – importantly, it does not exhibit cloying sweetness or dried prune/dead fruit characteristics that can sometimes befall Barossa Shiraz from warmer/heatwave vintages.

If I had a criticism I would say it lacked the vibrancy that existed with examples tasted nearer to release and those from previous vintages of the wine.

Overall, the 2009 Riebke Shiraz is a good value proposition for those who like their Shiraz ripe, juicy and accessible, though drink up soon as I fear the stewed, fruitcake flavours might become more prominent.

Rated:

/ 89pts

ABV: 14.5%
RRP: $18-20
Website: http://www.teusner.com.au/

Sydney's Wine Bar Awakening

2011-05-01T09:18:00.006+10:00

The wine bar scene in Sydney has taken off in the past couple of years. There seems to be a new exciting bar of vinous intent opening every other month, and as such it’s a great time to be a wine lover in this town.

Of course this wasn’t the case for a long time. Up until a few years back Sydney’s bar scene was largely devoid of interesting, intimate places to go for a drink. Prohibitive licensing costs meant that for a bar to be economically viable it had to be bringing in a reasonable volume of patrons. The result was an array of uninspiring drinking barns. In Sydney we were forced to look in envy at the fantastic bar scene in Melbourne. There during the mid 90s, licensing and planning laws had been brought in that encouraged the development of a vibrant small bar scene in the CBD. Visiting Melbourne at any point in the last decade, especially if you had a local to show you around, was to be able to immerse yourself in those interesting, intimate watering holes that Sydney lacked.

The turning point in Sydney, however, was the change in licensing laws in NSW in 2008, which saw the introduction of a $500 small bar licence for venues that seat 120 people or less. Since then there has been an ever expanding number of small bars opening up in and around the CBD. Many of these small bars are wine bars or wine focused. Ash St Cellars, De Vine, Love Tilly Devine, Time to Vino, and Wine Library, are all examples of interesting wine bars that have opened up since 2008.

Perhaps my favourite amongst this ever expanding and eclectic group, however, is 121 BC, a wine bar and cellar that has recently opened in Surry Hills. Entry is a from side street and what greets you is a small, longish room, with a simple, yet sleek design. The point of differentiation though, is the cellar off to the side. This cellar is a long, narrow room with a wall of Italian wine. There is a wonderful range from all over Italy, at multiple price points, including plenty of wine in the value range. There’s no wine list as such (although there are wines by the glass on a blackboard), and the idea is that you can wander into this room, peruse the shelves (take your time, I know I do each time I go in there), and choose a bottle to consume. If you want to take the bottle home you can, though if you want to drink it at the bar there is a $15 corkage.

Given the initial prices are more than reasonable, it’s very well priced all things considered. Moreover, the more expensive the wine you are having the better value it becomes in relative terms with that corkage staying the same. As a lover of Barolo, it’s great to see a number of sub $100 Barolo available (a rarity with any wine retailer in Australia), but what’s even more amazing is that you then only have to pay an extra $15 to consume it in a bar setting. While you may be thinking that paying $100 for any wine in any setting is expensive, it is nevertheless rare to see a bottle of Barolo in a bar or restaurant in Australia for anything less than $150, and as such 121 BC delivers some wonderful value. Whether I’m wanting to scratch a Piemonte itch, or explore wines from an Italian region that I’m less familiar, this wine bar has plenty to offer.

The running of the bar and cellar is all overseen by Giorgio De Maria, a Piemonte native, and a genuine and engaging host. Despite that fact he’s inevitably busy running the bar, he loves chatting all things wine, and last time I was there he even took time to draw a map of Piemonte and we got talking all things soils and sub-regions. A fascinating conversation for a wine tragic like myself.

While I’ve chosen to focus on 121 BC, a similar type of review could be written for many of the other bars mentioned above, with each having a point of difference, generally some delicious food, and most importantly, interesting and eclectic wine lists.

While there are perhaps other factors at play that have also encouraged this growth in small bars, it’s amazing to think what a difference a simple law change has brought about in the space of a couple of years. In reducing the barriers to entry, Sydney is now reaping the benefits with an increasingly vibrant wine bar scene. What was fairly bleak a few years back is now flourishing. Long may it be so.

Red

2007 Scarborough Shiraz (Hunter Valley)

2011-04-24T11:13:00.009+10:00

I tasted this wine alongside the 09 De Iuliis Steven and 09 Pepper Tree Coqunn. Stiff competition to be up against, especially when Scarborough are better known for their Chardonnay and Semillon. To Scarborough’s credit, however, it performed well and served to highlight what a good vintage 2007 was for Hunter Shiraz.

Tasted over 4 nights, it was initially a touch disjointed and primary fruit dominant, though on days 2 and 3 it had integrated nicely. Then by day 4 it had become distinctly “huntery” with notes of earth and leather coming to the fore.

To the specifics, it smells lovely with aromas of cherry, musk and some nice oak. On the palate it’s medium bodied, well balanced between fruit and savoury flavours, has some lovely spice, and delivers a long sour cherry finish. I initially gave it 3.5 stars on Day 1, but the wine’s subsequent performance over 4 days warranted a nudge. 4 Stars and a big tick of approval from my wife as well. It should drink nicely over the next 5 years.

Rated:

RRP: $25
ABV: 13.5%
Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au
Source: Sample

Red

2008 Westend Calabria Private Bin Aglianico (Riverina, NSW)

2011-04-21T07:06:00.005+10:00

Aglianico is sometimes referred to as the Barolo of the South (Italy that is), and this wine would seemingly support that notion,with real echoes of the Nebbiolo grape, except that it’s not from Campania, but rather the Riverina in NSW. At the price I would have been happy with an enjoyable, if slightly different quaffer. As it turned out I got a wine of substance and genuine interest for $15.

There’s a slightly brickish colour to this wine, but don’t let that put you off (or with any wine for that matter). It has an enticing, floral bouquet with aromas of cherry and strawberry. As it opens up, it also begins to show some more savoury, tarry notes. The palate is one of grip and texture, and is decidedly savoury. It feels substantial without being overly heavy, and tastes of sour cherry, liquorice, tobacco and some meatiness. It looked a touch disjointed on day one, but by day two it was drinking beautifully.

I really enjoyed drinking this, and everything seems in place to suggest it will age well over the next five years, and possibly longer. Early doors, but this wine will certainly be a contender for Red’s Top 5 in 2011. Stunning value.

Rated:

RRP: $15
ABV: 14.0%
Website: http://www.westendestate.com.au/

Red

2010 Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay (Yarra Valley)

2011-04-17T22:36:00.009+10:00

I’ve consumed a superb pair of value wines this weekend. The first of these was an Aglianico which I’ll write about soon, and the other was this 2010 Hoddles Creek Chardonnay. Having tasted this in barrel last year and talked it up then (http://tinyurl.com/24osofq), I’m probably not entirely impartial with this wine, but given that my wife and I ended up fighting over the dregs, it's fair to say that it won us over! It captures everything I like in modern Australian Chardonnay without going too far down the lean and mean path.

The nose presents that expressive and lovely marriage of oak and fruit that make Chardonnay so, so appealing. Grapefruit, peach, milkiness, nuttiness, and cloves are all there. Moving onto the palate, what I love is this wine’s weight. It’s got richness and power, but keeps everything in check, retaining a sense of elegance. Spicy oak, fine acidity, and some phenolics give this wine a lovely texture to. Wonderful length and persistence in spades are there to finish it all off. Ripper wine.

With a bit of air its great now, but I’ll be putting a couple of bottles in the cellar.

Rated:

RRP: $22
ABV: 13.2%
Website: http://www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au/

Red

2009 Tarrawarra Chardonnay (Yarra Valley, Tumbarumba)

2011-04-14T22:50:00.006+10:00

2009 was a tough, smoke taint affected vintage in the Yarra, and accordingly this wine has seen an addition of Tumbarumba fruit to the tune of 45%. It’s a multi regional blend that’s worked out pretty well I reckon.

This is a good value Chardonnay that’s for drinking over the next couple of years. It strikes that nice balance between being quaffable while also having enough complexity and structure to be worth contemplating. It tastes of peach and citrus, has some nice barrel work evident with lovely cloves and spice, and displays a nice touch of creaminess. Good acidity underpins the wine and there’s some appealing citrus pith through the finish. 3.5 Stars.

Rated:

RRP: $22
ABV: 13.5%
Website: www.tarrawarra.com.au
Source: Sample

Red

A tale of two vineyards: 2009 De Iuliis Steven Shiraz & 2009 Pepper Tree Coquun Shiraz

2011-04-11T22:14:00.011+10:00

RedtoBrown was sent these two wines as part of a recent Hunter Valley ‘tweet-up’. I was very impressed with both, and a subsequent trip up to the Hunter gave me an opportunity to visit the two wineries in question, and talk to the respective winemakers, Jim Chatto at Pepper Tree and Mike De Iuliis.

In the end, what I came away with from this visit more than anything, was a sense of excitement about the prospects for two historic vineyards. Both of these sites had been somewhat neglected in recent years. Now, however, through the intervention of these two Hunter winemakers, they are set to see a renaissance and produce some wonderful wines.

The first of these vineyards is Tallawanta. It was planted in 1920, and despite a history of producing great fruit, had fallen on lesser times, and indeed was due to be mothballed until Jim Chatto stepped in to take up the lease at the end of 2009. The other is the Steven Vineyard, which was planted in the 60s by Lindemans, and had been the source of the Lindeman Steven Shiraz. As with Tallawanta, it had been less than fastidiously looked after of late. De Iuliis then also stepped in at the end of 2009 to take over this vineyard.

The thing that struck me was that the two respective wines that came from these two sites, the 2009 De Iuliis Steven Shiraz & 2009 Pepper Tree Coquun Shiraz (Tallawanta Vineyard), were made prior to these two gentlemen gaining control of the vineyards, a period in which they were receiving less than meticulous care. Despite this, the two wines are very impressive. I tasted them over five nights, and both integrated and developed beautifully during this time. They are wines undoubtedly for the long haul. This ultimately is testament to the inherent qualities of these vineyards, the quality of the vintage, and the intelligent treatment of the fruit from Chatto and De Iuliis.

The exciting thing is that Tallawanta and Steven in 2009 were like Porsches that hadn’t been fine tuned for many a year - still capable of wonderful things, but certainly not delivering at peak performance. Now, however, they are under more watchful gazes. From the 2011 vintage we should start to see the effects of greater care and attention in both vineyards. I tasted barrel samples of both wines from the 2011 vintage, and while still very young and somewhat difficult to assess at this early stage, they are looking full of promise.

Considering that it will probably take a few more years of effort in these vineyards to see them realising their full potential, it’s exciting to think of the quality of wine that will be produced in future vintages.

A final thing to note is the high levels of natural acidity that fruit from Tallawanta and Steven produce. Both of these wines have a lovely, insistent acidity upon which their longevity will be built. Talking to Chatto about this, he reckons the best sites in the Hunter have always produced fruit with high levels of acidity, and all that is needed to retain this acidity is to not leave the fruit on the vines for too long. To me this is a major part of the Hunter’s appeal, that as a sub-tropical region it is able to produce wines that are acid driven, and hence very age worthy. Indeed Chatto claims that he’s more likely to need to add acid to wines he makes from Coonawarra and Wratonbully (relatively cooler regions), than to his Hunter wines.

2009 De Iuliis Steven Shiraz – $40 - Line and Length. No, I’m not talking about Glen McGrath’s style of bowling, but rather the style of wine. It presents a refined and well defined line and length of elegant, medium-bodied Hunter Shiraz. While it’s very enjoyable now, it’s undoubtedly built for the long haul. Lovely flavours of cherry, violets, earth, meatiness, and just a hint of vanillan oak. A classic Hunter “Burgundy” in the making. 4 stars ++

2009 Pepper Tree Coquun Shiraz – $45 - This Shiraz has a different feel compared to the Steven, and highlights the difference between wines that can be savoured and enjoyed when single vineyards are ably expressed. This wine has a darker fruit profile, some interesting notes of pepper and mint, and some lovely oak that integrated well with time. While it’s still in medium bodied territory, it’s more towards the full bodied side of the ledger. It has a nice bit of mid-palate richness before delivering a long finish of lovely sour cherry flavours that are supported by fine, drying tannins. In fact, that finish just got longer and longer over the 5 nights. 4 stars ++

I sometimes shake my head at my own change in attitude towards the Hunter Valley. 5-10 years ago I had a fairly lukewarm view of wines from this region. This was to some extent ignorance on my part (or at least a fairly narrow palate at that stage), but it was also a period in which Hunter wine reached somewhat of a nadir, producing often less than inspiring wines. What then happened gradually during the noughties, was an effort by vignerons to better care for and express their vineyards, as well as work more judiciously in the winery. These efforts continue apace, as evidenced above, and to my mind make Australia’s oldest wine region also one of its most exciting.

Websites:
www.peppertreewines.com.au
www.dewines.com.au

Red

2009 Tinpot Hut Sauvignon Blanc (Malborough, NZ)

2011-04-09T20:43:00.015+10:00

If you enjoy your Malborough Sauvignon Blanc then you'll almost certainly enjoy this. Personally its generally a style of wine I struggle with, though there's no question this is a good wine.

This wine lacks the pungency of some Sav Blancs, which to my mind is a good thing, and smells of melon, passionfruit, and a touch of grassiness. On the palate there is a nice balance between ripe generous fruit and a fine line of acidity. It finishes with good length and a touch of minerality. A good wine in its style. Drink over the next couple of years.

Rated:

RRP: $22
ABV: 13.0%
Website: http://www.tinpothut.co.nz/
Source: Sample (http://www.winexpress.com.au/)

Red

The Next Frontier of Australian Wines?

2011-04-07T10:49:00.001+10:00

This article was originally published on the Wine Communicators of Australia Blog - http://blog.winecommunicators.com.au/

The Australian wine industry Catch 22: To be unable to innovate leads to wine-making and wine industry stagnation. However, if we stop focusing on what we do well and concentrate on diversifying using alternative varieties that have their own history in their home country, Australia may lose its wine individuality and become even more of a globalised, homogenous wine producing nation. Can a middle ground be reached and if so, has it already occurred?

The next frontier of Australian wine is one where wine makers and wineries ply their trade from a position of self confidence, not self doubt, and advertise this fact in an innovative and non-traditional way. There are positive signs already, though structural and historical factors prevent Australia from realising its wine making potential.

The Australian wine industry at the moment is like a city that has reached its geographical limits and is suffering growing pains: important far reaching decisions need to be made.

Does Australian wine expand into new territory (new markets, new varieties, new styles), does it reinvigorate or consolidate what it already has (previously successful wine styles, varieties, markets) or does it try to strike a balance between the two? Regardless of the choices made by the wine industry, it will not succeed if these decisions are not made in a self confident and innovative way.

What is meant by ‘self confidence’ aside from basic definitions? – self confidence on the new Australian wine frontier is the confidence to make some mistakes in the short term trying to push the boundaries of wine excellence with the aim or aspiration to hit the highs in the long term. Take risks, try new things, have the courage to maintain and improve on traditional methods. This is has all been said before, but most importantly, the wine industry must have the self-confidence to stick with it.

In harnessing the emerging self confidence in Australian wine, the new wine information paradigm must be fully utilised. The wine maker, winery, vineyard or vintage narrative, combined with new media-assisted word of mouth is one of the key methods the Australian wine industry should use to forge a new frontier. The era of the hegemonic wine critic passing down wine style commandments from on high is coming to an end: Information is becoming more diffuse, readily accessible, and generic yet ironically also more niche. Wine consumer sub cultures, can now access more than enough information to enable them to make commercial decisions on the products they want to consume. The more innovative, versatile, agile, unique and quirky Australian wine becomes (breaking from the critter wine stereotype in the process); the easier it will be to promote this innovation using the new information paradigm.

I smile when I see an Australian winery taking a risk. If the risk works they are praised, if it fails, they wear some criticism. I applaud the wine risk takers and the innovators. In the brave new wine world, the more risk takers and skilled story tellers Australia can produce, the better-off Australian wine will be. The new frontier awaits.

The beginnings of a Golden Age in Australian wine? Future Alternative Varietal Icons

2011-04-04T22:03:00.013+10:00

This article was originally published on the Wine Communicators of Australia Blog - http://blog.winecommunicators.com.au

For all of the negative press around Australian wine in the past few years, I can’t but help think this is in fact the most exciting time in Australia’s modern wine history. I think there are a number of factors at work at present that are resulting in some genuinely remarkable wine being produced, and that these same factors will lead to an even greater number of world class wines in 5-10 years time. These factors includes -

A greater understanding and exploration of site – with each passing year there is a greater emphasis that wineries and winemakers place on understanding and expressing single sites. There are more and more single vineyard wines coming onto the market each year, and these are some of the most interesting and expressive Australian wines I’ve tasted.

Vine Age – Whether you are looking at exciting, upcoming regions like Macedon, Tumbarumba, and Tasmania, or more established regions like the Yarra Valley and Margaret River, many of the vines and vineyards in Australia are still very young. Generally speaking vignerons talk about vines needing about 20-30 years before producing the kind of concentrated, complex fruit they are after. In many regions around Australia the vines are yet to reach this mature age.

Clones – Australian winemakers have a better understanding of different vine clones than ever before. Put simply, different clones of grape variety perform and taste different. Some of the less than successful experiences with Australian wine can in some part be put down to clone selection (or lack thereof), but this is now beginning to change.

Organics/Biodynamics – regardless of one’s thoughts on the extent to which one should be fully organic or fully biodynamic, what the growth in this type of viticultural practice signals to me is that vignerons care about the health of their vineyard more than ever. In paying this level of attention in the vineyard, the quality of the fruit they produce will undoubtedly continue to improve.

Screwcaps – Kind of like climate change deniers, each passing year further pushes cork advocates further to the margins. Wines that have been 5-10 years under screwcap are ageing consistently and with a very small percentage of closure issues (at least compared to cork). In the next decade we will be drinking many a beautifully aged Australian wine.

Alternative Varietals

The factors discussed above all deserve an article in themselves, but one final factor that I think is very exciting, and what I wanted to focus on, is the explosion of alternative varietals in Australia in the past decade. By “alternative” varietals I am simply referring to grape varieties that have not been a mainstay in Australian wine production. There are some doubters, who would argue that many of these varietals can only be truly successful in their native environments in Europe. However, to my mind, when I cast forward 10 years, I’ve no doubt we will be able to talk about a number of iconic Australian wines that are made from such grapes.

Whether it’s Gruner Veltliner, Nebbiolo, Fiano, or Sangiovese, there are an ever increasing number of alternative varieties in Australia. Many wineries, both old and new, have at least one alternative varietal in their wine range. Some wineries may be doing this as much to meet trendy consumer demand as anything, but many, if not most, however, seem to be approaching their foray into alternative varietals with intent and ambition. Without wishing anyone ill, I think many of these attempts will be unsuccessful, at least in so far as producing truly great wine. Many regions will ultimately show themselves to be unsuitable or at least limited for a certain grape variety, and mistakes will inevitably be made with varietals that vignerons are less familiar with. However, for all these potential issues, some attempts will be successful, and there’s every chance that in a decade’s time we will have world class alternative wines coming from particular sites or regions, and indeed at that point we will stop referring to them as “alternative’.

Nebbiolo

In particular I have high hopes for Australian Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. In terms of Nebbiolo, many have made the case that the terroir in and around Barolo in Piemonte, Italy, is so unique, and that Nebbiolo is such a finicky a grape variety, that somewhere like Australia will never produce great Nebbiolo. My personal experience suggests otherwise. There are seemingly 3 regions really striving to produce great Nebbiolo in Australia – the Adelaide Hills, Heathcote, and the King Valley. The most impressive I’ve yet had from these regions is the 2007 SC Pannell Nebbiolo. It’s a wine that could hold its own amongst many a Barolo. The thing that really made me sit up and take notice with this wine, beyond its inherent qualities, was that it is only the 3rd vintage of this wine off 10 year old vines in the Adelaide Hills. Where might future vintages of this wine be in another decade, when the vines are 20 years old, and the viticulturist and winemaker have another 10 years of understanding the vineyard under their belts? I think it’s safe to say there’s a bright future for this wine. Indeed the same type of story could be told for other producers of Australian Nebbiolo like Pizzini, Arrivo, and Luke Lambert. All up, there is more than enough promise being shown at a very early stage of development to suggest we will be talking about a great Australian Nebbiolo in 10 years time.

Sangiovese

Sangiovese has been more widely planted than Nebbiolo thus far, and there is plenty of decent Oz Sangiovese out there. Is there an iconic, world class Australian Sangiovese yet? I’d argue not, though we’re perhaps not far off either. Castagna Sangiovese from Beechworth, and from all reports the Coriole Vita Reserve Sangiovese (a wine I’ve not tried), are certainly starting to make a case. One Sangiovese, however, that I think we may all be talking about in 10 years is the Greenstone Sangiovese. From a vineyard in Heathcote planted in 2005, the 2007 Greenstone Sangiovese is a superb first up effort. When I tasted it last year, there is no way I would have assumed it was such a young wine in all respects. It managed to be beautifully balanced between tasting like a Sangiovese as well as expressing a sense of place. It’s amazing to think where this wine might be with some more vine age.

As with Nebbiolo, there will be some failures, and some sites that are ultimately limited in the Sangiovese they can produce. But such is the promise of a number of these wines, that it’s hard not to envisage an iconic Australian Sangiovese in the not too distant future.

There’s many an exciting Australian wine being made at the moment, and the greater exploration and understanding of terroir, increasing vine age, better clone selection, and more organic/biodynamic practices, all point to the emergence of a golden age in Australian wine during the next decade. These very same factors will see alternative varietals occupy an increasingly prominent position. In the same way that we saw the arrival of world class Australian Pinot Noir during the noughties, I believe we will see iconic Nebbiolo and Sangiovese emerge over the next decade.

Red

1994 Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Shiraz (Hunter Valley)

2011-03-29T22:39:00.009+11:00

All roads seemingly lead to the Hunter Valley for RedtoBrown at the moment. Hunter Valley tastings, samples, and tweet-ups have been a focus in the past couple of weeks, and as it so happens I’m heading up to the Hunter this weekend for a mate’s wedding. Staying on message I thought I’d talk a bit about the 1994 Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Shiraz, which I had a few weeks back with Brown and our much better halves.

When a wine is 17 years old I’d generally err on the side of caution when considering whether to decant for a while before drinking. If you decant for too long with an aged wine you might in fact miss its best moments, before it starts to slowly decline. So this was given a quick decant before it found its way into our glasses. As it turned out, I shouldn’t have been so conservative, as this Hunter Shiraz has plenty of years in front of it, and I’m sure it would have been better on day two, had we not polished it off in the one evening.

The dominant aroma on the nose initially was some characteristic Hunter leather along with some chocolate oak. As it opened up over the next couple of hours however, notes of cherry, earth, and black olive came to the fore. A lovely aged Hunter bouquet. The palate was defined by a spine of quite prominent acidity from which everything else flowed. It’s medium-bodied, wonderfully food friendly, tastes of classic Hunter sour cherry and earth, and finishes with fine, drying tannin. It’s not incredibly complex, and I could quibble about oak being a tad too prominent here, but there’s an appeal and persistence to this wine that’s hard to resist. Cork permitting, it would not surprise me to see this still drinking well in another 10 years time. 4 Stars.

Rated:

Website: www.mountpleasantwines.com.au

Red

Go Chard or Go Home - Hunter Valley Chardonnay Tasting

2011-03-27T23:08:00.001+11:00

The Hunter Valley is synonymous with Semillon - Australia’s finest, most age worthy Semillon at that. It also happens to be the birthplace of modern Chardonnay in Australia, a lesser-known fact. To showcase what the Hunter Valley can do with this most noble of varieties, on 15 March in Sydney, the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association organised a sizeable single blind tasting of 17 Hunter Valley Chardonnays.

The tasting provided all involved with a solid introduction/reaffirmation of what makes good quality Hunter Valley Chardonnay so appealing: a consistent number of wines with flavours of largely yellow and white stone fruit, some leaning more to green melon, others fig, and less commonly some citrus flavours. The use of oak in most of the wines was evident, though was generally well considered and in balance with the fruit, leading to a creamy cashew nuttiness and subtle spice that did not overpower.

One obvious point of difference on the night was the 2009 Polin Polin Tudor Chardonnay. It had crisper acidity than the norm, more citrus flavours and a subtle almost Riesling-like minerality. Other wines in the line-up, including the 2009 Tyrrell’s Vat 47 was framed by nice acidity and finished surprisingly restrained given the primary fruit on show.

The 2009 Scarborough White Label (reviewed previously on this site) was of typically high standard and an example of sensitive use of quality oak to maximise the end result – typical Hunter Chardonnay fruit profile with the intelligent use of nice oak adding a spicy restrain and complexity to the wine. The 2009 De Iuliis Limited Release was another wine that stood out for its oak/barrel driven complexity with a nice spicy smokiness adding interest.

After tasting the 17 wines, it was clear that the Hunter Valley produces chardonnay in a broadly recognisable style (a riper style with nice stone fruit and sometimes fig flavours, creamy spicy oak and slight tropical fruit in the warmer vintages). However, the tasting also reinforced what we have found in the past – Hunter winemakers are successfully varying the regional chardonnay style, producing appealing ‘point of difference’ wines in the process.

Thanks must go to the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association for organising the tasting (which in included a Shiraz vertical that will appear on RedtoBrown in upcoming weeks as well) – an enjoyable and educational event that effectively showcased what the Hunter Valley has to offer.

Website: http://www.winehuntervalley.com.au/

2007 & 2008 Rosby Cabernet Sauvignon - A Tale of Two Vintages (Mudgee)

2011-03-22T23:03:00.007+11:00

I’ve previously written about the unique Rosby vineyard in Mudgee, and the interest and value it offers in producing single site wines for $18 a bottle (http://tinyurl.com/ybvol4r). The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is an especially impressive wine, from a good Mudgee vintage, and I’ve got a fair few put away in the cellar (http://tinyurl.com/y67f25b).

The 2007 and 2008 vintages, were however, pretty tough in Mudgee. 2007 was a particularly hot vintage, while 2008 was a vintage with plenty of rain and subsequent problems with vine disease. So I was interested to see what Gerry Rosby could manage to produce in these difficult vintages. As much as a single vineyard wines provide character and interest, they are also subject to the vagaries of vintage. The differences in vintage, if not too extreme and well managed in the vineyard, can be embraced and enjoyed. There is always the possibility, however, tough vintages will produce tough single-vineyard wines. Happily in the case of these two wines it is the former that is the case.

2007 Rosby Cabernet - Rosby Cabernets are generally a medium-bodied affair, and while this wine stays within that range, it is fuller bodied than other vintages. It has an inviting, rich nose of dark-fruits, coal, earth, and some lovely oak. On the palate the wine has a reasonable line and length, and nice tannins, but despite this decent structure it comes across as a wine that will drink at its best over the next couple of years. It tastes of dark fruits and earth, along with some nice licks of chocolate and liquorice. 3.5 Stars

2008 Rosby Cabernet – This wine initially sat in marked contrast with the 07, presenting itself more like a traditional claret, being on the lighter side of medium-bodied. On the nose it had site typical plum, an interesting black olive note, and tasteful oak. It was obvious that the oak treatment had been judicious given the lighter fruit profile from the vintage. On the palate the acidity is more prominent and it tastes of red fruits, sour cherry, and earth. There are some lovely, persistent tannins through the finish. It held up well over 3 days, and indeed fleshed out a bit. I’d suggest this will age nicely over the next 5-10 years. 3.5 + Stars

Two very good, but quite different wines, all the result of vintage variance. Site specific plum and earth flavours are evident in both, but there are also significant differences. The 2007 is for drinking now, while the 2008 is perhaps the more interesting wine and the one that will get better with age. I now look forward to the 2009, which happily was a very good Mudgee vintage.

Rated: 3.5 Stars/3.5 Stars+
RRP: $18/$18
ABV: 13.5%/13.5%
Website: www.rosby.com.au

Red

2009 Scarborough White Label Chardonnay (Hunter Valley, Sample)

2011-03-19T16:19:00.005+11:00

This 09 White Label sits right where I like to see Hunter Chardonnay. It doesn’t resile from its region or roots, being a generous Chardonnay with prominent oak in its youth, and yet there is enough restraint shown to mark it out as a class act.

Melon, grilled nuts and lovely French vanilla oak are prominent on the nose. On the palate it builds and unwinds nicely after about an hour in the decanter, at which point it delivers pure Chardonnay goodness. There’s a generosity of citrus and melon flavours, along with some lovely creaminess. This is supported by spicy oak, fine acidity and a long finish with an appealing citrus pith note.

The oak should integrate nicely over the next 3-5 years, at which point it will drink beautifully.

Rated:

ABV: 14.0%
RRP: $30
Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au

Red

2007 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone (Rhone Valley)

2011-03-13T23:07:00.007+11:00

Your enjoyment of this wine will largely depend on your tolerance for a bit of barnyard pong in a wine. For me it works nicely, but for others it might be a bit distracting. Either way its definitely a wine that needs a good decant.

Once it has opened up it actually has a lovely nose of blueberry, some meatiness, a nice floral note, and said barnyard pong. It drunk perfectly as a casual food wine over a Sunday night bowl of Capellini Bolognese. It’s well balanced between nice berry fruit and a savoury, drying impact. It’s not especially serious or structured, but provides plenty of enjoyment and a point of difference. It should drink well for a few more years.

Rated:

RRP: $18
ABV: 14.0%
Website: http://www.saintcosme.com/

Red

2005 Tarrawarra Reserve Chardonnay (Yarra Valley)

2011-03-09T19:55:00.004+11:00

This is a superb Chardonnay, and right down my alley stylistically.

It’s a worked Chardonnay of generosity, and yet ultimately one of restraint. It has a classic nose of grilled nuts, melon, spice, and a lovely milkiness. With a bit of air and close to room temperature, it drinks beautifully. It has tremendous length. You can savour the texture and flavour long after you’ve swallowed. It tastes of melon and citrus, has a lovely spice and nuttiness, and is rounded off by a beautiful touch of creaminess. All of this is underpinned by a fine, yet unwavering acidity. Like many great wines it manages to demonstrate power and elegance all at once. Drink anytime from now through the next 5 years. 4.5 Stars.

Rated:

RRP: $50

ABV: 13.5%

Website: http://www.tarrawarra.com.au/

Red

Mourvedre Tasting: Hewitson Old Garden Vertical

2011-03-06T14:01:00.007+11:00

The Oak Barrel in Sydney puts on some of the most engaging and interesting tastings in Sydney at present, and a Mourvedre tasting last week was no exception. The tasting included a vertical of Hewitson’s Old Garden Mourvedre from the Barossa Valley, as well as two French examples from Bandol, and two Spanish Monastrell. This seemed pretty well timed given my recent rant about the importance of our old vines, one example of which is the 1853 Old Garden vineyard from which the Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre is sourced.

The more I drink Mourvedre (or Mataro or Monastrell depending on your language or preference), the more I want it to be a part of my cellar. The best examples are well structured, tannic wines that balance dark fruits with varying degrees of spice, a gamey meatiness, earth, and leather. It’s a style and flavour profile that really appeals to me.

The wines tasted on the night were -

Bandol, France

2001 Domaine Tempier Cuvee Cabassaou – $185 - One of the most famous wineries from Bandol in the South of France, and by reputation one of the world's great producers of Mourvedre. Happily the wine lived up to the reputation being my wine of the night, which was a reflection of its uniqueness, as much as its undoubted quality. In my notes I’ve got “liquefied roast wild boar”. It’s as gamey a wine as I’ve had, but in an entirely positive way. It’s a relatively medium-bodied and elegant example of Mourvedre and is beautifully structured. Lovely tannins are still prominent at 10 years of age, and it has the balance to age for a number of years. This would go brilliantly with some roast game meat. Loved it.

2004 Domaine du Gros Nore Red – $85 - Not quite as impressive as the Tempier but still very good and in fact only half the price. An interesting bouquet of dark fruits, polished leather, and an appealing note of orange peel. Plush fruit on the palate is balanced by leather flavours and grippy tannins. Very enjoyable.

Spanish Monastrell

2002 Primitivo Quiles Raspay Tinto Brut Alicante – $55 - Something had gone wrong with this wine as it came across like a poor example of a Banyul or some other savoury type of fortified.

2004 Bodega Enrique Mendoze Estrecho – $80 - Really enjoyed this. Savoury, complex bouquet of earth, tar, some lovely liquorice, and a touch of barnyard funk. There’s excellent length and grip on the palate with some beautiful varietal spice. Probably the best Monastrell I have tried.

Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre Vertical

1998 – Dean Hewitson’s first attempt with this wine is looking great at 13 years of age. It has a lovely nose, with a nice hint of barnyard along with dark fruits, earth and a hint of game. The palate is balanced and supple with lovely fruit still evident, tasty spice, and a hint of that barnyard again. Could drink a lot of this, but unfortunately apparently not even Hewitson have stocks of this wine left.

2002 – $70 - There is a lovely intensity of fruit and savoury flavours here. It’s well structured with good length, and is still nice and tannic at 9 years of age. Plenty of time in front of it.

2003 – $60 - The least impressive of the Old Garden’s on the night, and a reflection of a tough vintage as such. Still a good wine, and typical of the vineyard, but suffered when compared to its more impressive brethren.

2004 – $60 - There is an interesting and appealing floral note on the nose, along with dark fruits and just a hint of oak that has all but been subsumed by the wine. The palate is superb, showing balance and length in its beautiful fruit, spice, and liquorice. Plenty of years in front of it.

2005 – $65 - My favourite Old Garden on the night, and my 2nd favourite overall after the Tempier. It had an expressive nose, with a lovely balance between oak and fruit on the one hand and savoury aromas of earth and leather on the other. There’s a great intensity and drive on the palate that leads on to the long, long finish. Beautifully structured and should do another 10 years in a canter.

2006 – $68 - This looked a touch subdued on the night but is of undoubted quality. Relatively medium-bodied, there’s an elegance and balance to this wine that is impressive. Once again there is lovely spice and a nice touch of meatiness. This needs to be put in a cool cellar for a number of years.

2008 – $80 - The flashiest of all the wines on the night with some sexytime caramel oak on the nose. Not surprisingly it had plenty of admirers at the tasting. Lush, primary fruit and oak dominate the palate at this stage, along with the trademark spice. Just a hint of the savoury flavours that will come with age. Should be good with time and a very good result considering how tough the vintage was in the Barossa.

One thing that I have read in plenty of reviews about the Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre, is that obvious oak is evident in its youth. What is apparent from doing a vertical like this is that while the oak is indeed flashy when young, it does integrates with time, such that by the time you get to 8-10 years of age there is no discernable oak, and that oak input has instead become an integrated part of the complex bouquet and palate. The vertical was also an excellent exposition of the effects of vintage on a single vineyard wine. While there is a commonality with all the Old Gardens, each wine has it own distinct personality courtesy of each specific growing season.

I think the Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre has a stature and significance such that it doesn't need to be compared to other examples of this varietal, and yet we can't help but do this type of comparison, as much because it as an enjoyable exercise during which one learns a lot. So in comparing the Hewitson Old Garden with the Spanish and French examples, the best of the Old Gardens compare very well. Stylistically, the Old Garden has much in common with wines like the Gros Nore and Estrecho, in being structured, tannic Mourvedres that have a nice balance between fruit and savoury flavours. Age is kind to these top examples of the variety, regardless of the country of origin, with complex spice, game, earth, and leather coming to fore, and providing a real sense of enjoyment and difference. The outlier in one sense was the Domaine Tempier, which pushed the boundaries of game meatiness in a wine, but did so beautifully, and as such was the standout on the night.

With all the social media driven wine campaigns about at the moment, I wonder if there is room for a “Mourvedre May” or “Mataro May”? With the onset of colder weather, when meals like roast venison come into their own, it might be just the trick . . .

Red

2007 Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz (Hunter Valley)

2011-03-02T22:54:00.007+11:00

Yet another wine that demonstrates the importance of giving a wine plenty of air and time before passing judgement. Initially I was a tad disappointed with this wine, if only because I had high expectations from this label from as good a vintage as 07 in the Hunter. By the end of the second day however, it had come together very nicely and all concerns had been dispelled.

Rosehill is to my mind a floral, feminine expression of Hunter Shiraz and the 07 is very much of this ilk. An inviting nose of lifted floral aromas, warm earth, and cherry, leads on to a medium-bodied palate with lovely texture and drying tannin. Excellent line and length of cherry fruit with good grip. Tasty.

If you would like to try a low-ish alcohol, medium-bodied, aged, Hunter Shiraz, you could do far worse than to put this wine in the cellar for 5-10 years. Lovely wine.

Rated:

RRP: $35

ABV: 13.5%

Website: http://www.mountpleasantwines.com.au/

Red

2006 Pio Cesare Barolo (Piemonte, Italy)

2011-02-28T20:09:00.010+11:00

Sticking my nose into this wine instantly took me back to my visit to Barolo. It had a classic nose of roses and cherry, with some lovely earthiness and notes of polished wood. Unfortunately I don’t get to stick my nose into enough Barolo. While it’s reasonably priced when you’re in Italy (this wine would roughly be $50 when there), once it gets to Australia it pretty much doubles in price thanks to the costs in bringing it out here (understandable), but also because of the taxes on imported wines (protectionist and ultimately counterproductive). I decided to open, however, one of the 3 bottles I had bought for the Open That Bottle Night - http://www.openthatbottle.net/ -
an event that gives me the excuse to open an expensive bottle of wine without the requisite special occasion!

The wine smelled beautiful, as Barolo is wont to do, but then the palate was all class as well. In Barolo terms, it is medium-bodied and not overly tannic, and in that regard it is quite approachable now. However, to be drinking it now is to be drinking it years before its peak. It is a superbly balanced and structured wine with everything in its right place. It’s predominantly savoury, with drying tannins, but also has some lovely cherry fruit and that beautiful lick of liquorice that is Barolo to a tee. It’s all underpinned by a fine acidity. It’s a wine that feels like the complete package and just needs to be given a numbers of years in a cool cellar to express itself.

I was initially 4 stars with a “+” sign for the future on this wine, but as I had the last few mouthfuls on the second day of it being opened, it delivered that intensity and persistence that mark it out as something a bit special, so I decided to give it a nudge.

4.5 stars.

Rated:

RRP: $100

ABV: 14.5%

Website: http://www.piocesare.it/

Red

Royal Sydney Wine Show - 2011

2011-02-24T23:06:00.004+11:00

Anyone who follows wine shows would realise that they come up with some strange results. I can partially understand this. Tasting in groups, in a very short period of time, and the inevitable palate fatigue that comes with tasting multiple wines, will inevitably lead to some slightly odd results. However, even accepting all that, the results I see each year at the Royal Sydney show are bizarre and generally at all odds with how the same wines are critically reviewed in other contexts. This year’s Royal Sydney Wine Show was true to form in this regard. Some less than impressive wines won Gold Medals and even trophies, while plenty of superb wine didn’t even merit a Bronze.

In any case I shouldn’t complain too much as the show affords me with an opportunity to taste an amazing range of quality Australian wine. Generally speaking I was most impressed with the Semillons and the Cabernets this year, with numerous wines showing beautifully.

Semillon

This was probably the one varietal where the Show results came close to approximating the quality of the actual wines. With a couple of different classes on show I was able to taste Semillons from 1999 through to 2010. The best examples have years ahead of them. Several vintages of Tyrrell’s Vat 1, Thomas Braemore, Meerea Park Alexander Munro, and Mount Pleasant Lovedale all impressed. I haven’t previously had many Lovedales, but tasting through a number of different vintages highlighted to me the outstanding pedigree of this vineyard and wine. It certainly tastes like it’s from somewhere, and the texture with this wine is lovely. It might be an expensive Hunter Semillon, but all things considered I think it warrants it.

Cabernet

The quality of Cabernet coming out of the Margaret River shone through here. Cape Mentelle, Voyager, Juniper Estate, and Vasse Felix all had several vintages of their premium Cabernet on show, and more or less across the board they presented beautifully. I’ve previously mentioned how much I was looking forward to trying the 08 and 09 Juniper Estate (http://redtobrownwinereview.blogspot.com/2010/10/juniper-estate.html), and this was my first taste of both, and there was certainly no let down. Both looked great. Quality, complex Cabernets. From 2007-2009 it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any of the above wineries. Of course many of these wonderful wines didn’t even warrant a bronze apparently.

Heading a bit further South down to Great Southern I tasted my wine of the day in the 2008 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet. This wine actually got a deserved gold medal. It tasted like a Jack Mann and a very, very good Jack Mann at that. I found it hard to wipe the smile off my face as I tasted this wine. Power with restraint, a balance between the fruit and savoury flavours, tannic impact and great length. No spitting here. A wine to save your pennies for.

The other Cabernet I was very impressed by was the 08 Lindeman’s St George from the Coonawarra. A beautifully structured single vineyard wine with rippling tannin, I need a few of these for the cellar as well. It’s great to see the revival of this wine.

All up a great day of tasting. The trick is to ignore medals and instead focus on maker and vintage.

Red

Hawke's Bay Tasting - Spitbucket at Coast Restaurant

2011-02-23T07:49:00.005+11:00

How to make Hawke’s Bay Cabernet sexy? A significant challenge for any marketer in Australia I would imagine. New Zealand and Pinot are somewhat synonymous and fashionable, but NZ and Cabernet are not. Moreover, Cabernet is positively uncool as a varietal in Australia at the moment. Pinot is trendy, Shiraz is ubiquitous, and everyone’s talking about the wonderful turnaround in Australian Chardonnay. In the Twitterverse there has been a Rose Revolution and a Summer of Riesling. However, Cabernet kind of sits outside a lot of the discourse about wine in Australia at the moment.

This is something I find a bit incongruous given I continually find Australian Cabernet as impressive as any other variety that we do, and indeed I’m as impressed with Hawke’s Bay Bordeaux blends as I am with any other red wines from New Zealand. However this doesn’t seem to be a view held by many and is seemingly well illustrated with the just released New Zealand wine liftout/magazine from Decanter magazine where Hawkes Bay Cabernet barely rates a mention. Fortunately Dan Coward (http://spitbuckets.wordpress.com/) and Poppy Greeson (http://www.coastrestaurant.com.au/) are not of this view and organised a great Hawke’s Bay tasting at Coast Restaurant in Sydney last week

The tasting started off with some Hawke’s Bay Syrah. There’s plenty of critical acclaim for these wines, but to be honest, apart from a couple of exceptions, I’m yet to be really impressed by their Syrah. This possibly reflects a bit of ambivalence on my part for cool-climate syrah. I often find a bitterness and/or stalkiness in these wines that doesn’t quite work for me. Funnily enough I don’t mind a bit of stalkiness and bitterness in my Pinot, but in Syrah it's rarely my thing.

We then moved on to the Bordeaux varietals at which point the interest and appeal of the wines increased and indeed found a crescendo with the final two wines of the night. All of a sudden I remembered what I love about Hawkes Bay. Beautifully balanced Bordeaux blends that are generally medium-bodied but that don’t lack for anything in terms of intensity and grip.

My favourite of the final two, and my wine of the night, was the 06 Newton Forrest Cornerstone Cabernet Blend. It had a complex, savoury bouquet that had an appealing whiff of varnish. On the palate it had a beautiful intensity of savoury flavours, lovely tannins, and a touch of leafiness. A quality Cabernet with just a bit of an X-factor to it.

The other wine was the 07 Trinity Hill The Gimblett, which for me was just a whisker behind the Cornerstone. It was in a richer, more fruit forward style, reflecting a greater Merlot component, but was of undoubted quality. Lovely blackcurrant and plum flavours, excellent quality oak, and nice tannins in support. It should age nicely.

Hawke’s Bay Bordeaux blends may be a bit of a tough sell at the moment, but I do hope the region continues to focus in this area, because to my mind it is one of the New World’s most impressive styles of wine.

Red

1998 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling (Clare Valley) - Cellar Release

2011-02-20T20:52:00.009+11:00

This wine is as good an advertisement for screwcaps as I’ve tasted.

James Halliday’s review of the wine back in 1998 gave the wine a score of 90 points and a drinking window until 2008. He described it as a “classic in the making which is quite certain to achieve significantly higher points when mature”. I’m not sure it has quite reached classic status, but time has indeed been good to this wine and its travelled well beyond 2008.

I tasted this at Glass in the Hilton Hotel in Sydney. I rarely care about the colour of a wine, but this Riesling had a beautiful bright golden hue. The nose was appealing, yet reasonably restrained with some toasty marmalade like notes, and just a whiff of petrol. On the palate the first thing that struck me was the vibrant acidity. It defines the wine beautifully. This acidity is balanced by developed, toasty, citrus flavours along with a touch of honey. Lovely drinking. The balance and structure of the wine suggests it could go on for another 5 years at least, though as it’s not a Riesling of amazing complexity I think it’s probably drinking at its mature peak now.

The thing that excites me is that this is typically a safe and sound Riesling that can be picked up for under $20 upon release, and hasn’t typically had any claims to greatness. And yet under screwcap it is showing beautifully at 13 years of age. What this means for many of the more premium Rieslings that have been under screwcap since the early to mid noughties will undoubtedly be a joy to uncover in the coming decade.

Rated:

RRP: $45
ABV: 12.5%
Website: www.richmondgrovewine.com

Red

2008 YarraLoch Stephanie's Dream Chardonnay (Yarra Valley)

2011-02-16T23:44:00.003+11:00

There have been 96 point scores left, right, and centre for this wine, so I was pretty excited to try it. It’s from the 2008 vintage in the Yarra Valley, which was initially called by some as a bit of a heat affected vintage, but from which I’ve subsequently tasted plenty of fantastic wine.

Straight off the bat it had an expressive, complex nose of smoky, spicy, nutty grapefruit, with a touch of coconut cream. The palate, in contrast, is somewhat understated at present. It presents as refined and balanced with excellent length. There’s a touch of creaminess on the mid-palate and an appealing bit of bitter pith through the long finish. It’s a quality Chardonnay, no question, and yet it left me wanting more of something . . . weight, intensity, grip, not sure but it’s a sense I have with plenty of Oz Chardonnay at present. Is the quest for elegance resulting in a loss of character? The optimist in me hopes that these types of Chardys will blossom at about 5 years and beyond, at which point my quibbles will prove to be ill-founded. 4 Stars for now and “+” for a few years down the track.

Rated:
+

RRP:$45
ABV: 13%
Website: http://www.yarraloch.com.au/

Red

Australia's Old Vines - Our Unique Inheritance

2011-02-13T22:23:00.011+11:00

(1850s Cirillo Estate Old Vine Grenache)

“Narrative is what Australia will have to develop in order to regain its rightful place on the shelves and, especially, to acquire the respect that its best wines deserve. Australia never delivered a narrative. Instead, they confused a cheap price with a good story”

Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator, 1 Feb 2010

But we do, we do, we do have a narrative . . . it’s just that we haven’t quite articulated it to ourselves, or to anyone else for that matter.

When considering a wine, a sense of history is just about as important to me as a sense of place (though happily the two are often inextricably linked). I'm a lover of history more generally and I bring this interest of mine to the way I look at a wine, a winery, a wine region, and just trends in the wine world more generally. This sense of history can provide me with both incredible inspiration and excitement in my wine journey, and at other times disappointment and frustration. History generates much of the romance that exists in wine. It also generates a narrative.

I think there are a number of great stories that Australian wine can tell, many of which are modern narratives, but one area in which we are particularly blessed are our old, gnarly vines. Australia has numerous vineyards that were planted in the 1800s that are still producing quality grapes today. Vineyards I'm aware of include -

Barossa Valley

1843 - Freedom Vineyard – Shiraz (possibly the oldest Shiraz/Syrah vines in the world currently producing the single vineyard Langmeil Freedom 1843 Shiraz)

1847 - Moorooroo Vineyard – Shiraz (currently goes into the Schild Estate Reserve Moorooroo Shiraz)

1847 - Turkey Flat – Shiraz (grapes from this vineyard go into the Turkey Flat Shiraz)

1850s – Cirillo Vineyard - Grenache (oldest Grenache vines in the world and make the single vineyard Cirillo 1850s Grenache)

1853 - Old Garden Vineyard – Mourvedre/Mataro (oldest Mourvedre/Mataro vines in the world that make the single vineyard Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre)

1860s - The Grandfathers Block – Shiraz (the oldest block in Henschke’s Hill of Grace Vineyard)

1875 - Kalleske Vineyard - Shiraz (produces the single vineyard Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz)

1888 - Kalimna Block 42 – Cabernet Sauvignon (possibly the oldest Cabernet vines in the world and in great vintages goes into the single vineyard Penfolds Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon)

Hunter Valley

1867 - Old Patch Vineyard – Shiraz (produces the single vineyard Tyrrell’s Old Patch Shiraz)

1879 - 4 Acres Vineyard – Shiraz (produces the single vineyard Tyrrell’s 4 Acres Shiraz)

1880 - Old Hill Vineyard – Shiraz (goes into the Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz)

Nagambie Lakes

1860 - Tahbilk – Shiraz (produces the single vineyard Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz)

The Grampians

1866 - Concongella Vineyard – Shiraz (produces the single vineyard Best’s Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz)

Mclaren Vale

1892 - Block 6 – Shiraz (produces the single vineyard Kay Brothers Block 6 Shiraz)

Langhorne Creek

1891 – Metala Vineyard – Cabernet Sauvignon (grapes go into the Metala White Label Shiraz Cabernet)

Quite a list, and I’d hazard a guess there are a few more that I’m unaware of. These vineyards are not just amazing simply because they are 120-170 years old. Indeed with such old vines there is no guarantee they will produce good fruit. However, in this case virtually all these vines are producing fantastic wines. Whether you are looking at the Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre, the Tahbilk 1860 Shiraz, or the Tyrrell's 4 Acres Shiraz as examples, you are tasting single vineyard wines that are great performers regardless of the age of vine (but also because of their age).

They are then all the more remarkable because they are pre-phylloxera vines. Phylloxera was of course the plague that swept through the vineyards of Europe, wiping virtually all the vines out there from the 1860s-1890s. While Phylloxera did reach here in the 1870s, Australia was to some degree spared, and as such we have this unique inheritance. A concentration of pre-Phylloxera vines that seemingly no other country has.

To my mind this should all be clearly documented, celebrated, and promoted. Instead it’s all a bit under the radar at present. At a time when Australian wine is still being questioned for it’s supposed lack of personality and terroir, and indeed narrative, we’ve got this amazing story that’s not expressly being told. We’re like a boxer constantly being hit with jabs who doesn’t quite understand he has this big overhand right that will put paid to that incessant jabbing.

Maybe there is a document somewhere that lists all the vineyards that are say 100 years old, or were planted in the 1800s, but I’m yet to find it. And while individual wineries and sites do indeed highlight their old vineyards, it’s still not something that’s well understood more broadly. The vast majority of wine consumers both in Australia and abroad would have no idea about this wonderful aspect of Australian wines. There is the Yalumba Old Vine Charter (www.yalumba.com/library/YalumbaOldVineCharter.pdf), which is heading towards what I am talking about, but I’m not sure it’s moved much beyond relating to the wines Yalumba produces.

This old vine inheritance has to be part of the narrative Australia puts forward to both its consumers here and overseas. For the Barossa alone it is stunning to think that you could go there and taste wines from arguably the oldest Cabernet, oldest Shiraz/Syrah, oldest Mourvedre, and oldest Grenache vines in the world. If this was promoted to anyone with the slightest sense of history and a love of wine it should be like drawing moths to a flame. If you go to the Hunter Valley you can visit Tyrrell’s, a family owned winery established in 1858, and try their two single vineyard wines from the 1800s, the 4 Acres and the Old Patch. If drinking a glass of Tyrrell’s 4 Acres Shiraz doesn’t provide one with a sense of history and weight beyond just enjoying what’s in the glass, then I don’t know what will.

Of course this is only one part of what I believe to be a very exicting time in Australian wine more generally, and there are many stories to be told. But this part of the story, that of ancient vines, is truly unique, not well known by the broader public, and directly answers the challenge as to whether Australia produces wines with both a sense of place and narrative. It deserves to be heard.

Red

P.S. If anyone has a comprehensive list of Australia’s pre-phylloxera vines I’d love to see it (or let me know of any vineyards I’ve missed out on in my own list)

2010 Clonakilla Riesling (Canberra)

2011-02-09T21:53:00.003+11:00

Having been overseas for most of January I’ve missed much of the Summer of Riesling http://www.summerofriesling.com/ , however I’ll endeavour to attend some of the remaining events in the next week or two.

This has a floral nose of citrus, talc and an appealing note of aniseed. It seemed a touch disjointed on the palate initially but with some time and moving towards room temperature it came together nicely. Excellent line and length of generous flavor, that’s supported by a clean and prominent acidity, and a nice touch of minerality. It has just a smidgen of residual sugar, which isn’t necessarily always to my tastes, but it works pretty well here. Quality Riesling, and a nice departure from my Eden Valley and Clare Valley staples.

Rated:

RRP: $25
ABV: 12.5%
Website: www.clonakilla.com.au

Red

2007 Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz (Grampians)

2011-02-06T19:24:00.011+11:00

The Hunter Valley, the Barossa Valley, and the Grampians sit at the top of my personal Shiraz tree. All three regions produce quite different styles of Shiraz, and yet all hold immense appeal for me. Grampians Shiraz generally displays a wonderful balance between the generosity and plush fruit of a warm climate Shiraz on the one hand, and the savouriness and spiciness of a cool-climate Shiraz on the other. This 07 Billi Billi fits right into this mould.

It’s great value and the kind of mid-week Shiraz I want to drink on a regular basis. It straddles the line nicely between being eminently gluggable, while also having enough grip and complexity to make it worth contemplating. It has a nice line and length of beautiful, regional plummy flavour, along with some spiciness and a touch of eucalypt in support. Really enjoyed drinking this and it should continue drink well for the next few years. 3.5 Stars.

Rated:

RRP: $15
ABV: 14.5%
Website: www.langi.com.au

Red

2005 Huadong Merlot (Shandong, China)

2011-02-03T07:54:00.006+11:00

Huadong is one of the largest and most prominent wineries in Shandong Province.

I bought this bottle while in Qingdao, and consumed it with some good friends we were staying with. It had quite a promising nose of berries and plums that tended towards being a bit jammy, along with a bit of spice and a savoury tobacco leaf note. If the palate could’ve matched the nose it would have easily been the best Chinese wine I had had. Unfortunately the palate was a bit of a let down. It still drank reasonably well, and worked as a serviceable quaffer. Those same fruit flavours were evident, though it lacked length or intensity.

Had it cost half the price I would have thought it to be ok value. As it was I thought it to be a good example of Chinese wine at present - on the improve, but at the present overpriced and lacking complexity.

Rated:

RRP: 180 RMB/$30 AUD
ABV:?
Website: www.huadongwinery.com

Red

A Sino Symposium: Wine in China

2011-01-31T08:12:00.012+11:00

I lived and worked in Shanghai for 5 years from 2002 to 2007. It was a fantastic time to be in this decadent town as it grew at breakneck speed and emerged as a global city. The only real drawback for me personally was my inability to pursue my love of wine during this period. During the time I was there, there really wasn’t much of a wine scene to talk about. Most Chinese wine that could be purchased was not worth seeking out. Some decent overseas wine could be purchased in the large Western supermarkets that exist in Shanghai, but the range was very limited, and the price was typically double what you might pay for the wine in Australia. There weren’t any wine bars. Some interesting and quality wine could be had at some of the top Western restaurants but the mark up was ridiculous. As such 2002 to 2007 marked a significant hiatus in my wine journey.

Now, three and a half years later, my wife and I have just come back from a 3 week holiday in China. It was our first time back there since returning to Sydney in 2007. For my wife it was a chance to see her family who are in Sichuan, while for me I still have plenty of friends up there so it was a great chance to catch up with them. While we were pretty busy and did lots of travelling in between cities and provinces, I did also get a chance to look at how the wine scene has changed, through the time we spent in Shanghai, Beijing, as well as a visit we made to Qingdao, the capital of Shandong province, which is the largest producer of Chinese wine (and indeed where Chateau Lafite is developing a vineyard).

The wine scene in China

You have possibly read about the explosion of Chinese purchasing top global wines, in particular Bordeaux. Auctions in Hong Kong have seemingly come to fetch some of the highest prices globally for rare wines. Chateau Lafite placed the Chinese symbol for 8 on the 2008 Lafite, and apparently the auction price rose by 20% overnight. This rise in Chinese interest in wine is also now evident within China as well. The change in a place like Shanghai has been remarkable. Wine bottleshops and wine bars are evident throughout the centre of town, where 3-4 years ago they didn’t exist. Within these vinous locations, moreover, good ranges of quality wine can be found. Beijing is similar though perhaps not to be seen in quite the same numbers.

In Qingdao, there is a pretty impressive Wine Street that was opened in 2009. The street has about a dozen different wine retailers. These stores all have slightly different focuses, with one for example selling solely French wine, some selling solely Chinese wine, and some selling a combination of local and imported wine but with perhaps a focus on Chilean wine for example. On this street there is also a wine museum, which was actually a very impressive venue. You walk down a tunnel that takes you a fair way underground and there is then a labyrinth of displays and presentations that is very informative and well set out.

(The entrance of the Wine Museum in Qingdao)

This wine scene, whether you be in Shanghai, Beijing, or Qingdao, is dominated by red wine with apparently about 85% of the wines China imports being red. For many Chinese people, wine is red wine. They have their own sorts of golden and straw coloured alcohols, so to drink wine is to drink something red. What will be interesting to me is how that percentage changes as it becomes a more knowledgeable wine drinking market. The reason this interests me is that to my mind a lot of Chinese food doesn’t actually go that well with wine, and yet in a sophisticated wine market matching food with wine is a common behavior, even if it’s as simple as matching white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. However, a lot of Chinese food is heavily flavoured and overpowers most wines. At the same time a Chinese meal normally has multiple dishes on the table at one time, of often very different flavours, textures, and meats. Picking a wine to go with such a meal can be a bit of a challenge. There are some obviously successful matches, like Pinot Noir and Beijing Duck, but I would argue that they are the exception rather than the rule. If the Chinese start to make specific matches, like matching Riesling with a Shanghai style fish dish, then perhaps we will start to see the percentage of white wine increase. If however, it all proves a bit difficult, as I have often personally found, then red wine may remain dominant, as a drink that is consumed somewhat separately from local food.

It would also be fair to say that the wine scene is dominated by French wine. This is perhaps understandable given France’s primacy in terms of reputation as a wine producer, but the French have also definitely made a concerted effort to reinforce this. The French expat community in Shanghai for example, is now the second largest only behind the Japanese, and a significant number of them seem to be in some way involved in exporting and marketing wine in China. That being the case, how is Australia doing?

Australian Wine in China

From the get-go it became apparent that we are doing in China what we have seemingly failed to do in places like the UK and US. Excellent Australian wines can be found in the bottle shops and wine bars. Indeed I think the bottle shops in Shanghai have a far better selection of Australian wines than do most London bottle shops. I was in London in May of 2009 and was generally depressed at the crap that represented Australia wine on the shelves of most wine retailers. In contrast, of the 5 or 6 bottle shops I walked into in Shanghai I think there was only one Australia wine that I would classify as a critter wine, while the vast majority were from good Australian producers that I would happily buy in Australia. Cape Mentelle, Dalwhinnie, and Shaw & Smith are examples of wineries that were well represented.

(A somewhat blurry photo of a range of Cape Mentelle wines in a Shanghai bottle shop)

In the couple of wines bars I went into there were similarly good Australian options to choose from. The only place where the selection of Australian wines was less inspiring was unsurprisingly in supermarkets. However, even then it was more a case of shelf space with Penfolds and Jacob’s Creek, which perhaps while less interesting, still represents Australia well in my opinion, as opposed to wines I’ve never heard of with pictures of wombats on the label (of which there were a few, but they were far from prominent).

So Australian wine seems well positioned in China at this early stage of the game, though I didn’t necessarily get the feeling that we are making the concerted effort that the French are. As yet it is by and large an unsophisticated wine market that has a broadly favourable opinion of Australian wine, and is mostly unaware of the criticism of Australian wines for being over oaked, too alcoholic, and lacking personality. In any case if a local in Shanghai has read or heard a bit about this negative view of Australian wines there is every chance they'll find wines that show this stereotype to be a falsehood.

Local Produce

So Australian wines are shaping up well in China, but what of the local produce? Well, if there’s not any Chinese wine in your cellar you needn’t be overly concerned at this stage. It’s not that there isn’t decent wine being produced there, because there is, it’s just that it seems overly expensive and not especially complex at this stage. It’s certainly on the improve, but generally I get the feeling that China is about a decade away from producing wines that you would go out of your way to purchase. That statement, however, needs to be qualified with the acknowledgement that I didn’t get to try nearly as many Chinese wines as I would have liked, the reasons for which I explain below.

The cost of Chinese wines is stunning given their general lack of pedigree and the comparatively low production costs. I’d go into a wine bar, keen to try some local fare, only to end up ordering a glass of Australian wine because it was half the price of the Chinese wine and I knew it to be something I’d enjoy. I did bite the bullet on a couple of occasions and fork out the extra money for a local wine, but was generally a tad disappointed with what was in my glass.

Another issue I found was the lack of tasting opportunities at wine venues. When I visited the Wine Street in Qingdao that I mentioned above, I was quite excited as I thought this might be my opportunity to taste a large range of Chinese wines, even if I had to pay a bit for the tastings. Alas, of the dozen or so stores I went into, not one offered wine by the glass, let alone a free tasting, and all that was offered was to purchase wine by the bottle.

After this unsuccessful effort, we went to the museum on the same street. We had been told that when we got to the end of the museum tour we would get to taste some wine. I assumed it would be something local, instead it was some non-descript Chilean Cabernet!

(While in Qingdao, I also went to the brewery that produces this famous Chinese beer. The brewery has a strong German heritage . . . )

We also inquired about going out to some of the wineries themselves in Shandong province, but it seemed as though one was making a slightly strange request, and that the wineries weren’t really set up to receive visitors. It all seemed a bit too difficult.

I guess this comes back to my original comment that China is as yet an unsophisticated wine market. Most people are buying wines based on apparent reputation and high price tags, and the importance of being able to taste wine before purchasing is not yet appreciated. As such there is very little opportunity to taste a lot of local wine unless you want to buy a bunch of wine at $30 a bottle, $50 a bottle, and a lot higher.

You might question how Chinese wineries selling overpriced wine could be viable, let alone successful, but when you see the number of super wealthy locals paying $1 million for their 2nd Bentley (the tarrifs on imported luxury cars in China are ridiculously high) then paying $50 or $100 for a wine is probably not an issue. Nor for that matter is forking out $10,000 for a rare Bordeaux.

For all this, it became apparent to me from the wines that I did actually try that the quality of Chinese wine had improved since I first tried some examples in 2002 and 2003, and I’ll review an individual wine that I had in a separate post.

All in all an interesting time to visit China from a wine perspective. Their consumers are already starting to make their presence felt in the world of wine, and its hard to see this trend reversing. It’s very conceivable that at some point we will see a Chinese Robert Parker, who through their reviews and taste preferences shapes the way wine is made in certain parts of the world. There’s also no reason not to believe that there aren’t special terroirs in China that won’t produce world class wines that we will all clamour for. In both cases however, I’d suggest that it’s still another decade or two away from occuring.

Red

Wickhams Road Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010

2011-01-29T23:41:00.003+11:00

When you are relaxing on a lazy Saturday you can sometimes have lapses of concentration - like opening your one and only Wickhams Road Mornington Peninsula Pinot instead of one of the two Wickhams Road Gippsland Pinot Noirs you have at home. Nevermind, another order may have to be on the cards :-)

The 2010 Gippsland Pinot was reviewed (and enjoyed) by Red here, and the Mornington Peninsula version is also on the money (a bargain price of $16 at that). This is an accessible wine that is not a shameless sweet populist. Varietal juicy red fruits (including strawberry, some rasberry) are nicely balanced with a sappy element that is pleasantly bitter without straying into vegetal territory. There is minimal/no residual sweetness nor excess alcohol heat. The mouthfeel is soft and generous, though not flabby. It finishes with surprising persistence. This is still probably in its developmental stages, and I can see it settling further in the bottle and gaining more focus and zing. At the moment it is a relatively generous yet still restrained, highly enjoyable Pinot that should please many. For $16 how could it not?

Rating:

/ 90 pts

RRP: $16
ABV: 13.2%
Website: http://www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au/

RedtoBrown Update - Red is Back!

2011-01-25T15:48:00.000+11:00

Reports have surfaced that one half of RedtoBrown has returned from a 3 week wine research trip in China (eg: a holiday). Well, wine wasn't the primary aim of the holiday, but Red has promised RedtoBrown that there will be a few articles posted on the Chinese wine scene and maybe even a few tasting notes on some Chinese wines. I am particularly intrigued to see if any rip-off bottles of Penfolds (Prenfolds/Pennfolds, etc) was consumed and whether it tasted like wine.

As for me, with Red back, I may now have time to expand on some thoughts about the language of wine reviews and why a term like 'barnyard' or forest floor' are acceptable terms for non wine nerds/wankers.
:-)

Brown's Belated Top 5 for 2010

2011-01-24T14:01:00.005+11:00

In December Red posted his Top 5 Wines for 2005 (link), and I have finally jotted down some 2010 highlights of my own. The wines have been shortlisted based on their enjoyment factor. There were more complex, expensive, expressive wines consumed in 2010, though many of these were at tastings / conducted in a tasting (as opposed to drinking) setting. All of the wines below were accompanied with a nice meal, except for #5 which is not a wine, and was not 'consumed' while eating :-)

Top 5 Wines consumed / Wine related events for 2010:

#1 - Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2006 – Yarra Valley
This wine is made in a style that I love – it has oak, a creamy grapefruit flavour profile, and packs some punch, yet does not go overboard: A bit of a halfway house style. This was the perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken with chicken liver, thyme, garlic and rosemary stuffing. The 2 remaining bottles will be opened and enjoyed in the next few years.

#2 - Thomas Sweetwater Shiraz 2007 – Hunter Valley
Thomas wines in the Hunter Valley is one of the premier up and coming wineries in NSW. Andrew Thomas’s single site range of white and red wines are doing a great job of highlighting the differences in terroir that exist in the Hunter, and are also dispelling some of the myths about what defines Hunter Valley wine. The Sweetwater was an effortlessly enjoyable wine – sweet red fruit and approachable tannins, juicy and fulfilling. It is the lighter, more easy going partner to the 07 Kiss Shiraz - a fantastic wine that will live for 25-30 years with ease. Exciting times in the Hunter.

#3 - Toolangi Pinot Noir 2006 – Yarra Valley
The Toolangi Pinot Noir was blind tasted in one of our Face Offs (link) and acquitted itself very well. I had tasted a bottle of it before and after this tasting and on all occasions felt it was a wine that punched above its weight (especially when going up against more expensive Pinots from Mornington Peninsula and New Zealand). With Hoddles Creek/Wickhams Road and DeBortoli releasing top quality though affordable Yarra Pinot (vintage conditions permitting), the Yarra Valley is increasingly able to produce good quality Pinot Noir for under $20. I hope to see that trend continue in 2011 and beyond.

#4 - Teusner Independent Shiraz Mataro 2009 – Barossa Valley
This is one of those wines I have yet to ‘taste’ and take detailed notes - it is too delicious and moreish. The Independent (and Teusner winery in general) represents all that is good about the Barossa Valley and little of what it sometimes is criticised for: Oodles (or, dare I say a ‘gobfull’) of red and black fruit, some chocolate, but not of the bitter kind, nicely balanced oak and tannins, and a relatively savoury and restrained finish.
For less than $20 this wine represents bang for your buck on a scale that makes me shake my head and smile at the same time – give me one of these over 3 bottles of industrial mass produced red wine 130% of the time.

#PS - The 2008 and 2009 Dog Strangler were also highlights of 2010, as were a few of the Barossa Valley Grenache and Mourvedre released in the last year from producers who focus on these varieties. A very promising trend for the Barossa Valley.

#5 - James Suckling Promotional videos
I loved these videos, probably irrationally and disproportionally. They remain a highlight of my wine year in 2010, and worthy of a top 5 position. As noted in my rambling analysis of the videos (here) I am hoping James takes them to an absurdist/surrealist level and creates more of his ‘art’ for my amusement.

As an aside, I thought I would briefly stray into ‘foodie’ territory and list 3 memorable meals (served with wine) for the year. Going to Tetsuya’s in the month prior to it losing a Good Food Guide toque was an interesting, if inconsistent experience (I still question that decision and put it down to Terry Durack wanting to shake things up). The wines served at the Tetsuya’s degustation were almost 100% Australian – quite rare for a fine diner, and interesting in light of the #allforonewine 'drink Australian' initiative that has been so controversial in January.
Other finalists that didn’t make the cut include a night at Restaurant Balzac (in the year they too lost a toque!) and one of the many simple fish and chips meals we had at the beach in early 2010 (accompanied invariably by an Eden Valley Riesling).

Top 3 Restaurant/Cafe meals for 2010:
#1: Sepia (Sydney CBD) – For once I went to a restaurant on the rise, not suffering a Good Food Guide setback. Was lucky to have booked Sepia 2 months before it received a well-deserved second toque in the Good Food Guide, and experienced a consistently high quality meal with above average service. Of particular interest, the wine list for the degustation was 90% international, quite quirky and well-matched to the food – a chance to try new wines I rarely taste and the other side of the #allforonewine coin.
PS: There may already be a backlash against it, but the Sepia Forest Floor desert has to be seen/consumed to be believed. I still have a hankering for it 4 months after going there!

#2: District Dining (Surry Hills) - Number 2 on the list primarily for the pork belly in lime salt (accompanied by a Shaw and Smith Chardonnay) and the lovely evening that was had. If we can see more restaurants in Sydney serving this type of share plate food I will be happy. Will have to go back here in Winter and with friends.

#3: Nancy’s Bacon and Egg Rolls (Randwick) – Nancy’s is one of our regulars in the North Randwick area, and we probably consumed too many of their bacon and egg rolls in 2010. The tangy aioli, melted gruyere cheese and semi sun dried tomatoes add a twist to a usually predictable formula. The roll is a Panini sourced from Sonoma bakery, and it is all matched with lashings of bacon and a drizzly egg – yum.

Bring on more fine wine and nice food in 2011!

Fact or Fiction: More than 5 primary flavour descriptors in a wine review = wine bullshit?

2011-01-21T17:48:00.001+11:00

As is the case with most topics on wine, there is a 3000 word treatise waiting for me to post on the topic of wine writing bullshit, and all the associated reasons behind why this term exists in the first place.
Irony being a wonderful thing, I am probably contributing to this topic at the moment (to add to the collective mass of wine writing bullshit, look out for a comparative analysis on wine wankers and wine snobs coming soon).

However, to focus on the second fact or fiction question (first one is here), it is a relatively narrow and qualified one: if you read a wine review that has more than 5 primary flavour descriptors do you tune out, become angry or condemn it as being wine bullshit?

If your answer is 'fiction'/5 descriptors is fine, would you draw the line at 10 descriptors? 15? If your answer is 'fact'/5 descriptors is too much, to quote You Am I, how much is enough? 3? 2? a generic 'tastes like red/white wine'?

Interested to hear your thoughts on this as there are many variables (Grange vs Yellowtail = considerably different number of flavour descriptors, etc), and I have not even mentioned how many descriptors should be used to define a wines nose/bouquet.......

Margan Shiraz 2007 - Hunter Valley

2011-01-18T16:13:00.001+11:00

The 2007 Margan Shiraz has a big H Hunter Valley nose of earth, leather and red berries. The flavours on the palate are predominantly in the red fruit spectrum with some nice dark plum, spice and the distinctive Hunter Valley earthyness that adds character and charm. The acidity is pleasantly sour/tangy (especially on the finish), the tannins chalky and less prominant than when I tasted another bottle in early 2010. Given the vintage and the development in between tastings, this should age nicely for a while yet, though it is drinking very well now.

/ 89+Pts

ABV:13.5%
Price: $20-25
Website: http://www.margan.com.au/

2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz Cabernet Merlot

2011-01-16T19:27:00.003+11:00

Edit: After reading a set of reviews posted by Andrew Graham on his Australian Wine Review blog (see the reviews and comments HERE), I did a quick browse of my own scores for certain wines. Looking at this review, it is painfully obvious that I over-rated it. At RedtoBrown, we have tended to post reviews of wines we rate above 85. For me personally, I do not want to spend my (increasingly limited) spare blogging time savaging a wine when I can praise, or critically asses a much more interesting, challenging wine (or try and produce some wine satire that invariably misses the mark, while drinking an interesting wine :-) ).

Nevertheless, I have written up notes on a few wines that I did not enjoy, partially to discuss the style of wine in question or query the judgement of the winery/corporation in releasing certain wines (see the Rosemount Botannicals post (LINK) for arguably my most strident, negative review).

I did not enjoy this wine. It did not grow on me. It is made in a style I am not a fan of (a style foreign wine drinkers and critics think of when discussing Australian red wines). Looking back on the tasting notes, and my thoughts on the 2 bottles I tried 6 months apart, a rating of 86 points/3 stars is wildly inaccurate, and has to be addressed. The new, more accurate (in my view) score is below. Apologies for the flip flop; I do not have the time or desire to re-taste some wines I have my doubts on (and largely, I am happy with the calls made on most of the wine notes posted), but this one had to be addressed.

PS - thanks to Andrew Graham for leading the way in posting notes that are an honest view of what ones palate is telling them and not a complex calculation of fashion, wine trends, expectation and cliches.

I will have to come out first by stating that as an Australian, I had never heard of the slang term ‘mollydooker’ being used to describe left handed people until the winery of the same name stormed onto the scene in a rush of Parker points around 2005. If forced to offer up an Australian slang term for a left hander, ‘cackhanded’ would be my pick. Though not a national or personal emergency if it happened, the winery may be partly responsible for convincing Americans that we walk around our outback towns calling left handed people mollydookers.

In much the same way, Parkerised wines like the Mollydooker Two Left Feet have for some time been convincing Americans that Australia makes two styles of wine – the very cheap critter variety (Yellowtail, Koala Blue, random labels most Aussies will have never heard of) and the 90+ pointed Robert Parker blockbuster fruit bombs. Unlike the use or misuse of Australian slang, this perception, whether true or imagined, is definitely not the reality, and is not healthy for the Australian wine industry.

To set the scene, the wine being reviewed, the Two Left Feet is black-purple in colour. Following a ‘Mollydooker shake’ as instructed, its sweet nose of liqueur black fruit and tobacco enmeshes with spirity, pure alcohol fumes. There are porty black fruit flavours on the front palate, leading to bitter dark chocolate (both from heavy oak and fruit) on the middle and back palate, finishing in a crescendo of more bitter dark chocolate, porty black and some blue fruit, salty hard liquorice and a hit of powerful alcohol heat. The wine is not structurally out of control, though the alcohol is out of balance with everything else.

On day two, with ample time in the decanter, the flavour profile had not budged – if anything, the alcohol was more prominent. 2007 was a difficult vintage in the McLaren Vale, which would explain the harsh, bitter tannins evident (quite common in many of the MV Shiraz and Cabernet I have tried from that vintage), and might also explain the very high alcohol level that dominates the wine. However, this wine has obviously been made in a certain style regardless of vintage conditions, and it shows in the glass.

On reflection, the 07 Mollydooker Two Left Feet fits the pantomime villain description you see in wine forums criticising the style of Australian wines highly rated by Robert Parker and Wine Advocate. Unlike some of the Australian wines Parker rates highly, this wine conforms to many of the stereotypes: high alcohol clearly evident (16%abv, but more like 18%), porty, liqueur black fruit, difficult if not impossible to match with any food and too much to drink by itself (or to have more than one glass in one sitting). Yet this style of wine still sells in America, albeit in reduced quantities and for reduced prices.

However, there is hope. The way Australian Chardonnay has evolved since the ‘Sunshine in a glass / Dolly Parton’ era shows that the style of wine being made by wineries previously blessed with ‘Parker points’ could evolve in time, turning down the alcohol levels by several degrees, selecting fruit that is less over-ripe, and reining in the use of new (mostly American) oak.

Furthermore, the introduction of Lisa Perrotti Brown as the Asian/Australian rep for Wine Advocate (and noting her relatively high scores given to some Hunter Valley Reds early last year) suggests that such a move may actually be rewarded and not punished by Wine Advocate in the future.

Whether the aforementioned hope is realised, and whether wines made in the style of the Two Left Feet evolve accordingly remains to be seen. However, in light of the milieu the Australian wine industry finds itself in, it would be of assistance if this was the case.

Rating:
77 points (formerly 3 stars, 86 points)

ABV:16%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mollydookerwines.com.au/

2009 Yelland & Papps Delight Shiraz Grenache (Barossa Valley, Sample)

2011-01-15T22:11:00.000+11:00

This is an enjoyable, fruit-driven wine that would go very well as a quaffer over this summer. The thing to note though is that it is a wine on the sweeter side of things. It is in no way confected or forced, but fruit sweetness is evident. The nose smells of freshly crushed berries, and is very appealing. On to the palate it provides lovely, smooth drinking. There's a nice line and length of flavour with berries, sasparilla, chocolate and spice. Fine tannins are in support. Normally I like a bit more of a savoury aspect to my wine, but this nevertheless provided plenty of enjoyment, which is the primary aim of the Delight range, and a recurring feature of many Yelland and Papps wines. 3.5 stars.

Rated:

RRP: $19
Website: http://yellandandpapps.com/

Red