Red's Top 5 - 2013

 

 

2013 has been a quieter wine year. Between the day job and a 1 year old son, there isn’t nearly as much time left over for vinous pursuits. That being said there has still been a reasonable amount of consumption, and some real highlights. As ever, this list is not necessarily the 5 highest scoring wines, but the 5 most memorable. These are wines that really stood out and whose tastes still lingered in the memory months after having been imbibed. In alphabetical order -

 

2008 Bindi Original Vineyard Pinot Noir (Macedon) – In an environment of ever increasing interest and quality when it comes to Australian Pinot, and a couple of very good vintages of late in many of the Pinot regions (2010 & 2012), this stood out above them all. At 5 years of age it has really started to hit its stride and should drink beautifully over the next 5 years. Generosity, elegance, and complexity all in one.

2009 Domaine Tempier Bandol (Bandol, France) – Given its relative scarcity, Mourvedre tends not to be a regular part of the drinking diet, but when I drink a good one I wonder why I don't make more of an effort. This wine matches perfectly ripe fruit with those appealing gamey, earthy Mourvedre characteristics. Beautiful, prominent tannins. Should be at its best in another 5 years or so.

2010 Marius Symphony Shiraz (McLaren Vale) – McLaren Vale Shiraz would rarely sit in any favourite list for me. This is not a comment on quality, simply a flavour profile that’s not generally to my liking. The Marius vineyard, however, is a unique bit of dirt in this region that is producing remarkable wine. The 2010 undoubtedly displays regional richness, but there is also a freshness and savouriness to match, and beautiful mouth puckering tannins to boot. Such prominent and quality tannins, the result of a long maceration, mark it out as unique amongst Australian Shiraz.

2012 Mesh Riesling (Eden Valley) – I’m always partial to Eden Valley Riesling, and then when you combine a great vintage like 2012 with the gun winemaking duo of Jeffrey Grosset and Robert Hill Smith, there was always a danger this wine would end up in my top 5. It’s incredibly primary and vinous at this stage, and can be enjoyed as such, but the length and latent detail and complexity will see this wine evolve beautifully over the next decade and beyond.

2011 Oakridge 864 Funder and Diamond Vineyard Drive Block Chardonnay (Yarra Valley) – Not exactly a sexy name, but certainly a sexy wine. Intensity, energy, and length, all within a fine boned framework that will flesh out over the next few years. Great Yarra Valley Chardonnay and a superb addition to the 864 stable.

 

All these wines have found homes in my cellar, and I look forward to drinking and reviewing them as the years roll on.

 

Red

We need more GIs: Tasmanian Wine

Well no I am not talking about Greg Inglis, though if we could clone him to help my struggling NRL team the Tigers, I wouldn’t say no. In this instance I am talking about Geographical Indications, which formally identify wines as originating from a region or locality. Specifically, I’m thinking of Tasmania, which simply has one GI for the whole of the state.

I’ve been meaning to write this piece for a while, and as is often the case these days, a twitter conversation a little while back provided the motivation I needed to actually better articulate my thoughts. The discussion was between a number of Tasmanian winemakers, and the debate basically boiled down to those who thought brand Tasmania had served them well and that consumers weren’t necessarily ready for change, and those who think it’s well past time for Tasmania to join the rest of Australia in highlighting and celebrating the diversity that is on offer from specific regions and sub regions.

Of course Tasmania has plenty of people excited. It is an area of huge vinous potential. Sparkling wine and Pinot Noir are the standouts. One of the key things it lacks, however, is any real distinction and delineation between regions. For other states, names like Barossa, Yarra, and Hunter are well known beyond just the world of regular wine drinkers. And they are known for specific styles of wines. If you asked the average wine drinker to name a Tasmanian wine region, however, I think they would struggle. Maybe it hasn’t appeared to be necessary because Tasmania is perceived as a small state in land mass and therefore referring to a wine as being from Tasmania has been seen to be distinction enough. Maybe a couple of decades ago that was sufficient given how nascent the industry was at that point, and indeed a positive from a marketing perspective in the sense that Tasmania is viewed as the clean, green state.

In 2013, however, it is far from sufficient. From a viticultural perspective, Tasmania is a huge region. Its landmass can easily overlay an area in Victoria from Geelong, up to Heathcote across to Rutherglen, and down to Gippsland. No one would ever seriously discuss these 4 wine regions in the same breath, beyond the fact that they happen to be in one state, given that they all produce distinctive wines. The fact we now actually have identifiable regions in Tasmania just reinforces this. Wine Tasmania talk of a wine trail that includes Coal River, Huon, and the Derwent in the South. There are the east coast wineries around Freycinet. In the north, proximate to Launceston there is the Tamar Valley, while there are another lot of wineries around Devonport in the northwest. Now I don’t propose that these should necessarily be the GI’s. There may be better, more logical configurations, and I’m nowhere near versed enough in the geography and intricacies of Tasmanian wine to offer up strong views on the specifics of the GIs. Suffice to say a cursory glance at a map, and knowledge that Tasmania is not one large flat tundra, is enough to tell you that one GI for the entire state is not enough.

This isn’t to say that you go from one extreme to another, and have to completely ignore brand Tasmania. Far from it. There’s a positive association with almost any produce that comes from Tasmania, and wine is no different in this regard. But ultimately saying your wine comes from Tasmania doesn't provide much more distinction than producing a wine of Victoria, South Australia, or any other state. To continue the comparison with Victoria, the second smallest state, try talking intelligently about Victorian Pinot Noir as a whole. It's a bit of a meaningless exercise. Break it down however by Yarra Pinot, Mornington Pinot, Macedon Pinot etc. and you start having a meaningful conversation and meaningful differentiation. Consider the sub regions of Red Hill, Merricks, and Tuerong in the Mornington Peninsula and there is a real level of interest and understanding that comes with your drinking. This increasing regional and sub-regional articulation has happened through the rest of Australian wine in recent times and it has been an entirely positive development. There’s no logical reason to my mind why this shouldn’t happen with Tasmania.

There are those who believe that Tasmania will end up making some of Australia’s greatest wine. Undoubtedly vine age, and greater winemaking experience will go a long way to this potential realisation. Greater regionalisation needs to be a part of this march as well.


Red

Red's Top 5 - 2012

It has been an interesting and enjoyable year in wine. Brown and I have produced an increasing amount of the satire we love doing. It’s a lot of fun to do and some of these pieces have generated what we consider to be an amazing amount of traffic to the blog. At the same time we are seemingly getting less invites to wine events, and certainly no more samples than we were getting a year ago. Maybe we are being taken less seriously because of the satire, or perhaps there are some thin-skinned people out there, but as a duo who sits outside the industry it has been an interesting trend to experience. Regardless, the satire will continue!

As with last year, the 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, all with food. These are wines I have imbibed, rather than just tasted. They are not necessarily my 5 highest rated wines (though they all have scored well), but more importantly they are wines that left an impression and that I loved drinking. In no particular order -

2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Asili – Barbaresco, Italy - I’m going to single this out as my wine of the year. Supple and elegant, yet powerful and complex. Dare I say it, ethereal! It delivered an experience that was everything I want from Nebbiolo, everything I want from Barbaresco, and indeed everything I look for in great wine. Years in front of it.

2006 Marques du Murrieta Rioja Reserva – Rioja, Spain - This makes my list as it was my breakthrough wine with Rioja/tempranillo. I’ve admittedly not tried a lot of tempranillo, but that which I have had over the years generally left me pretty underwhelmed. This on the other hand had me giving out high fives. Sexy, yet serious. Succulent, yet structured. Great now, though will age well over the next 5-10 years.

2010 Ochota Barrels Fugazi Vineyard Grenache – Mclaren Vale - Simply put this is awesome Grenache. It bears testimony to the vintage, testimony to Mclaren Vale as a region for Grenache, and of course to Taras Ochota who is turning out some awesome wine. Perfumed, pure-fruited, and complex.

2010 PHI Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley - there are some superb Yarra Valley Pinots from the 2010 vintage, and this is one of the real highlights. I have high hopes that in 10 years time the bottles I have of this in my cellar will turn out to be the kind of profound Pinot people often rave about when it comes to Burgundy. Initially seductive, beautifully structured, and ultimately savoury, this is a beautiful Pinot Noir.

2011 Scott Fiano – Adelaide Hills – A wine that stood out in a blind line-up of about 40 white wines, and only got better over a few days of tasting. One of those wines that completely validates the exploration of “alternative” varieties in Australia. Lovely richness and viscosity is underpinned by a crisp acidity and a sense of minerality. It delivers a triumvirate of generosity, texture, and restraint that sets it apart from so many other white wines. Great drinking.



Red

On wine descriptors . . .

I was at a dinner with colleagues when I described a wine as smelling of tomato bush. Some of my more interested and engaged colleagues stuck their noses into the wine and picked up the same aroma. Others just thought I was being my typical wine wanker self (which I undoubtedly was!). The question that then came as to how a wine should be described. Below is an explanation and elaboration on my answer to that question (and a more sober one at that) . . .

In whatever way works for you. As long as your descriptors are a faithful interpretation of what you have tasted, I personally think there is no issue in describing a wine as simply as you want or with as much complexity and as many descriptors as you’ve uncovered. How different people react to your description or style of tasting note, is of course another question. There’s no doubt that wine can evoke flavours and aromas that are quite specific and unique. Moreover, a wine of great complexity can elicit numerous aromas and these descriptors can evolve over time. How you choose to capture and describe these elements, however, is completely up to the individual.

That’s my conclusion for those not interested in a wine-tragic debate about the nature of descriptors and tasting notes, but for those that are read on . . .

While in the Hunter Valley earlier this year, I went with my wife to the Hunter Valley Gardens. Not the kind of place I would normally volunteer to go to, but it was surprisingly good and enjoyable, and worth the visit if you are in the Hunter (and want a break from wine tasting). Anyway, one of the gardens is a rose garden that has probably 30 or 40 different roses. Walking around it, I was amazed how different the fragrance was for each different type of rose. Not only did red roses smell different from white roses, yellow roses, and from purple roses, but there are many different types of red rose, white rose etc. and a Marlena red rose smells discernibly different to a Lincoln red rose.

Anyway, this experience solidified in my mind some thoughts I’ve had for a while now on tasting notes and the descriptors that people use when describing wine. The reason my rose experience is important is that you will see plenty of tasting notes that talk about “floral” aromas, or more specific references to a wine smelling of roses for example. Now for most people, whether they be just the average wine drinker or even a professional wine critic, referencing rose-like aromas in describing a wine would appear quite specific and detailed. Some would even argue that it is wine wankery to get into that level of detail. And yet I could see a Don Burke or even your local florist easily being able to nominate a specific type of rose when smelling a Barolo or any other wine with those type of aromas.

This will be the case with many other wine descriptors. “Grassy” is a common descriptor, looking to describe aromas or tastes that equate somewhat to that of grass. Most of us as kids having eaten grass at some point, and regularly smelling grass, it would seem quite a specific, detailed, and more than adequate descriptor. However, if I’m Les Burdett, or someone else who specialises in curating lawns, ovals, golf courses etc. I’m sure grassy would be seen as a very broad term. Couch grass, Bermuda grass, Red Fescue all have different tastes and aromas.

Of course, the most infamous descriptor in wine is the term minerality. Controvesial because people debate what the source of this minerality is, as well as whether it actually an appropriate descriptor. Wine writer Philip White has argued that you need to be far more specific in describing which mineral you mean, given that there are so many minerals. Is this actually the case?

At the end of the day there is an almost infinite level of detail and complexity you could get into with any wine descriptor you choose to use. Any expert in the field of flowers, plums, tobacco, rocks, or earth could easily provide a far more detailed and arguably accurate descriptor, and each of us will have an area where we naturally can discern aromas and tastes at a more detailed level just given our life experiences and interests.

So does this behoove wine writers to become far more knowledgeable and accurate in the fields from which you draw most of your descriptors? You could do, but I think this is entirely impractical, and not necessarily desirable.

Descriptors can and should be the subject of debate and discussion when looking at a wine, however, they should never be the subject of proscriptive comment, whether it be someone critiquing a term that is supposedly too specific and fanciful, or someone decrying the lack of specificity in your descriptor. I think less is generally more when it comes to descriptors, but ultimately it’s a case of each to their own, and indeed each wine to their own.  Looking back through my own tasting notes, for some wines I have used 6 or 7 quite specific descriptors, while occasionally I have written tasting notes with not a single specific flavour or aroma descriptor (and this has been for some quality, complex wines). I come back to my original statement, which is that as long as your description is faithful to what you have tasted, it doesn’t really matter how many descriptors you use, or the level of detail that your descriptors are at. Sometimes, you don’t even have to use descriptors at all.


Red

Artifice . . . whither the winemaker?

Artifice. It’s a word that I’m pretty sure was sparingly used a few years ago in wine writing. Now it’s seemingly everywhere. Every second wine writer or commentator is using it in reference to winemaking input. An example below from a winery’s website is the kind of comment that has become common place

“no more than the bare essentials of winemaking artifice and intervention.”

What’s the definition of artifice? From the Oxford dictionary, “clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others”. From the Cambridge dictionary “(the use of) a clever trick or something intended to deceive”. Not exactly flattering, so to my mind if you are discussing winemaking artifice it’s not really a positive comment on the wine or the winemakers efforts. Using artifice to describe winemaking that does indeed trick up a wine and perhaps make it appear more impressive (at least in the short-term) than it is in reality makes sense to me. The issue I have is that it has come to be used more and more to simply describe winemaking input. And while wine insiders might kind of understand what is being said, I’ve got no doubt that the average consumer understands artifice in its proper usage, and would be unlikely to view it as a positive description in a tasting note. Moreover, the inherent implication of using artifice to describe any kind of winemaking input, is that "natural" wines are the only truly authentic wines (being without artifice). This is pretty binary and to my mind an unhelpful view of wines and winemaking.

One wine writer wrote of a premium Margaret River Chardonnay “Lots of winemaking artifice involved here – needs time, but this should be fascinating to watch as it evolves”. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. A wine with a lot of artifice is unlikely to evolve well at all. I’m sure what this wine writer is actually referring to is fairly standard winemaking, in that this Margaret River Chardonnay sees a fair bit of new oak and undergoes partial malolactic fermentation. Well, to me this is more than legitimate winemaking input, not some attempt to trick up a wine. These are the same winemaking techniques that many of the greatest white Burgundies undergo. If it must be argued that this is indeed artifice, then a Chardonnay needs to be aged in a neutral stainless steel and undergo no malolactic to be regarded as without artifice (a sad, sad world if that is the definition of Chardonnay that isn’t tricked up).

While I understand the reaction to the very real artifice of many industrial Australian wines over the past couple of decades, it’s disappointing to see an overreaction that has the word bandied about and seemingly diminishes the entirely positive contribution of many passionate winemakers. Without wanting to define specifically what techniques are of artifice (everyone will have their own personal matrix), if someone states that a wine that goes through reverse osmosis to reduce alcohol, and then has some tannin chucked in, is a wine of artifice, then that to me would make some sense. But winemaking decisions about stems or no stems, how much new oak, lees stirring, levels of malolactic fermentation etc. are to my mind not winemaking artifice. To argue that they are, is to say there is something disingenuous about these inputs. For many winemakers, however, there’s not a hint of deception in any these decisions, but rather choices as to what will in their opinion produce great wine. They might bugger up one of these inputs and produce an unbalanced wine, but that’s another point entirely.

This may all be considered English language semantics on my part. Perhaps, but I think there are still plenty of wines out there that ought to be called out for their artifice, and that the affect of the term shouldn't be lessened by incorrectly applying it to all and sundry. To do so diminishes the efforts of many passionate winemakers endeavouring to make great wine.


Red

Barbaresco Tasting @ 121BC

When I spent a few days in Barolo in 2009, I visited Barbaresco almost by accident. There was so much to see and do in a few days that I had planned just to focus on the “King” of Italian wines, rather than venture across to the domain of the “Queen” in Barbaresco. Someone had highly recommended Sottimano as a winery to visit however, and I booked an appointment with them before I even realised that the winery was actually in Barbaresco. As it turned out I was very glad my wife and I made this detour, as it was a fantastic tasting we had with Sottimano. It smashed any notions I may have had that Barbaresco was any less worthy of my time and wine appreciation than Barolo (especially when price is considered). Since then I’ve continued to be impressed by the Barbaresco that I’ve had the opportunity to drink, and the 2004 Produttori Del Barbaresco Rabaja that I shared with Brown on New Year’s Eve was one of the best wines I’ve had in the past year.

A Babaresco tasting at wine bar 121 BC in Sydney provided a great opportunity to gain further insight into the wines of the region. It was matched by some absolutely superb regionally influenced food that made it an altogether memorable tasting. All wines were served blind initially. I’ve slightly edited my notes (in italics) from the night for readability.

Flight 1 – matched with Carne cruda di manzo, artichoke, walnut, and parmigiano

Wine 1 – 2009 Moccagatta Buschet Chardonnay – a nice surprise to see a white wine first up. Straight away I’m thinking Chardonnay, though as ever with Italian whites you have thoughts as to whether it might be some obscure variety you’ve never heard of. Nice oak, ripe fruit and some lovely creaminess are evident, though its not without restraint. Nice length to finish.

Wine 2 – 2009 Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo – strawberries and a bit of burnt rubber on the nose. A bit of a rustic feel to this wine, some nice sour cherry and a hint of bitterness. Better with a bit of air. Thinking it’s a Langhe Nebbiolo but a bit unusual.

Wine 3 – 2008 Ca’du Rabaja Langhe Nebbiolo – Comes across as a more standard Langhe Nebbiolo offering. Perfumed nose, roses, and a hint of that burnt rubber again. Nice depth of sour cherry fruit and lovely tannins. Very good.

Wine 4 – 2009 Sottimano Langhe Nebbiolo – Stands out as the wine of the flight. A Barbaresco? A beautifully perfumed nose with classic hints of tar. Beautiful fruit on the palate with notes of liquorice and tar. Great length and tannins. The reveal shows it to still be a Langhe Nebbiolo rather than a Barbaresco, but given the quality not surprised to find out the producer is Sottimano.


Flight 2 – 2007 Barbaresco matched with Chestnut soup, Toma della Rocca

Wine 5 - 2007 Produttori del Barbaresco – A ripe strawberry nose, and that ripeness comes through on the palate, being generous and warm with some lovely spice. Pretty accessible but lacks a little of the structure I’d like to see with a Barbaresco.

Wine 6 - 2007 Taliano Michele Barbaresco – disjointed and needs time. Time in the glass saw it flesh out a bit but still a long way off being accessible. There’s some good fruit and complexity there so would be interested to see this again in 5 years time.

Wine 7 - 2007 Castello di Verduno Barbaresco – a bit closed on the nose but the palate reveals a wine of real quality. Lovely fruit, ripe tannins, and excellent persistence, this is a wine of real balance. Should age very nicely.

Wine 8 - 2007 Traversa Staderi Barbaresco – the wine of the flight, and perhaps unsurprisingly this is the one wine that sees barriques as opposed to the traditional big format Slavonian oak. Personally I prefer to see slavonian oak used, but for a young Barbaresco, french oak tends to produce a more approachable wine. A seductive nose is matched by a beautiful palate with a distinct earthiness and lovely tannins. A beautiful barbaresco that is good now or in 10 years time.


Flight 3 – 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco from the following vineyards – Ovello, Rabaja, Asili, Montestefano – matched with Rabbit Agnolotti (which was an amazing dish)

Wine 9 – 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello – Ovello is a west/south west facing sight at an altitude of 220-280 metres. An understated yet perfumed nose. On the palate – lovely liquorice, beautiful tannin, and a long, warm (in a good way) finish. Plenty of yum factor and should be better again in another 5 years.

Wine 10 – 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja – By reputation one of the greatest Barbaresco vineyards. A South-West facing site that is renowned for a muscular expression of Barbaresco. A bit of funk and burnt rubber on the nose along with some notes of liquorice. On the palate this wine is marked out by its beautiful spice. It’s still very tannic, but the beautiful fruit is more than up to it. This wine has years in front of it. This is Barbaresco. Thinking that either this or wine 1 is the Rabaja.

Wine 11 - Produttori del Barbaresco Asili – Rivals Rabaja in reputation but is famous for a more elegant expression of Barbaresco. My wine of the night. It has an amazingly supple and elegant entry before building in power and complexity through to a lengthy finish. Wow. Elegance and power at once, the beautiful fruit and tannins have largely integrated. Complexity plus. Once again years in front of it. That elegance is surely Asili.

Wine 12 – Produttori del Barbaresco Montestefano – Montestefano, which sits on a steep, south facing site, is often referred to as the Barolo of Barbaresco, producing a typically powerful and tannic wine. As with wine 10 there is a bit of funk on the nose along with some spice and liquorice. It’s still very tannic and a bit disjointed. Some air saw the fruit build but it’s a big barbaresco and needs some more time in the cellar. Good but perhaps the lesser of the 4 wines in this flight.

Flight 3 was a real highlight, with Rabaja and Asili, in particular, strutting their stuff. A great exposition on the influence and interest that terroir brings to wine. Same vintage, same producer but four distinctly different wines.

None of these wines are cheap, but in the context of great imported red wines you could purchase, Barbaresco represents some fantastic value. Langhe Nebbiolos are generally around the $30-$40 mark. The "entry-level" Barbaresco tend to weigh in at around $70. Then we get to the single vineyard wines. Rabaja and Asili are unquestionably grand cru vineyards, that produce wines of wonderful complexity that can age for three, four, sometimes five decades. The Produttori del Barbaresco wines from these great sites can be bought for a bit over $100. A lot of money no question, but nowhere near what you’ll pay for any rough equivalent from Burgundy, Bordeaux, or even Barolo in many cases. Depending on your budget, all three tiers of wine are worthy of exploration and drinking.


Red

Bloodwood Wines and the 2006 Maurice (Orange)

In his 1980 thesis on site selection, Stephen Doyle identified Orange as the site in NSW with the greatest potential for cool climate winemaking. The thesis, which he did while at Roseworthy college, focused on the central tablelands. During my visit to the winery, Doyle showed me the actual document itself, which demonstrated a fantastic level of detail in researching many potential sites in NSW. Produced on a typewriter and with a myriad of hand drawn graphs and charts, it was from a different age, and yet remains highly relevant today. His ultimate conclusion was that the area to the immediate west and north-west of Orange offered the greatest potential in the Central Tablelands, and that Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay would likely be the star varieties.

With his thesis done, Doyle and wife Rhonda decided to make the dream a reality. They found the site they were looking for on sloping gravel soils. These ancient soils were what Doyle was after, in particular because he believed they would ensure that the vines didn’t grow with too much vigour. Having found the right site, the Doyle's planted the first vineyard in Orange in 1983 and Bloodwood was born. Looking at the photos from 1983 it looked a very tough and Spartan beginning. A genuine pioneering adventure, but one that has blossomed beautifully in the ensuing 30 years.

The first vines planted were red Bordeaux varieties. As part of his thesis, Doyle looked at historical patterns in terms of temperature and rainfall across numerous sites in the Central Tablelands. Not only did Orange look to be the best site in NSW from this perspective, but there were also striking parallels with Bordeaux in these patterns, with the one point of difference being a drier autumn for Orange. Gravel soils and a similar weather patterns to Bordeaux don’t of course inherently mean Orange will make great wine. The proof ultimately is in the bottle, but 30 years of refinement at Bloodwood has I believe proven Doyle's orginal thesis correct. There is some impressive Cabernet to be had here.

Upon arriving at Bloodwood, my wife and I got to help Doyle pump over his Cab Sav and Cab Franc that he had picked about a week earlier. He lets indigenous yeast do its work, and the pump over is

meant to try and keep that yeast healthy. Having had a taste of both varieties they looked excellent. Great colour, lovely ripeness, and none of the greenness I might have presupposed with this wet 2012 vintage. As it turns out the later ripening Cabernet grapes were not overly affected by the deluge in February, and the beautiful weather in late March/early April has seen some very nice fruit come in.

While there I also tasted the Merlot Noir (Doyle insists on Merlot being called by its proper name), Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2006 Maurice. All these bordeaux varieties were impressive wines, with a savoury bent, and the tannin and structure to age nicely. There was also a very impressive 2008 Shiraz, which if tasted blind I would have picked as being from the Northern Rhone. The highlight, however, was the Maurice.



2006 Bloodwood Maurice ($36)

This wine comes from a selection of the best barrels of red from the vintage, and hence the blend is always somewhat different. The name is a tribute to legendary Hunter winemaker, Maurice O’shea, who made a wonderful habit of blending the best barrels from not only his vineyards, but also from further afield. Doyle simply looks amongst his own 8 hectares.

The 2006 is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit of Cab Franc, and also a touch of Shiraz and Malbec I believe. It’s a savoury, medium-bodied Cabernet that drinks beautifully. It opens with an appealing nose of cedar, tobacco, dark berries, and a hint of eucalypt. To drink it presents a refined line and length of flavour that starts with lovely fruit before turning predominantly savoury. Acidity and fine tannins provide a nice sense of texture and grip. The sense of balance to this wine and the fact that it drank increasingly well over 3 days should see it age gracefully for the next decade. I love the fact that this is the current release of this wine. It is more than affordable as well, given the time and care that has gone into it. 4 Stars +

ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.bloodwood.biz/
 
 
Red

Cabernet Franc to become Orange’s calling card . . .

Well, I might be overstating the case, but the most impressive red wines I tried while in Orange over the Easter long weekend were all Bordeaux varieties with Cab Franc in the mix. The standouts were -

2006 Bloodwood Maurice – A Cab Sav that included some Cab Franc pressings in the blend

2008 Canobolas Smith Alchemy – a blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc, and Shiraz

2009 Phillip Shaw No. 17 – 50% Merlot, 40% Cab Franc, 10% Cab Sav

2010 Ross Hill Cabernet Franc – 100% Cab Franc

I was keen to focus on the region’s red wines while there and get a sense of where things sit. I have a reasonable appreciation of Orange whites, in particular Chardonnay. Moreover, if you put a gun to my head and asked me to choose a New World Sauvignon Blanc to drink I would actually choose Orange as my go to region. On the other hand I haven’t had too many standout Orange reds. In fact I have had plenty of disappointing red wines from Orange over the years. More recently wine critic, Gary Walsh, made the comment that the region’s reds were a contender for the wooden spoon in Australia. Perhaps a bit harsh, but similar thoughts had crossed my mind.

A few days in the region gave me a more concentrated crack at the regions red wines. As a result I’m much more positive and optimistic than I was, particularly when it comes to Bordeaux varieties. The above 4 wines I have highlighted, across 4 different vintages and 4 different winemakers, demonstrate to me that there is potential greatness in the region’s reds. These are wines of character and interest that will almost certainly age well. Perhaps significantly, these four wineries represent some of the oldest wineries in the region, and hence have had time to get things right. They are not however, in the majority, and there are undoubtedly broad issues of site and clone selection, vine age, and winemaking experience that hinder quality more generally, but another decade may well do wonders for the overall quality emanating from Orange.

Can Bordeaux blends or indeed Cab Franc itself become a calling card for the region? I reckon the potential is there but it is probably not the easiest sell. Firstly Bordeaux blends are not exactly trendy in the Australian wine market, and secondly there seems to be an almost automatic association in Australia with cool climate regions and either Pinot Noir or Shiraz, not necessarily Cabernet.  However, one only has to drink Domain A Cabernet Sauvignon or Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1, to know that our cool climate Bordeaux blends can be world class. Promoting and selling cool-climate Cabernets is not exactly a marketers dream (at least not in 2012), but I think it might be where greatness lies for red wines in Orange. A great conversation I had with Bloodwood winemaker Stephen Doyle, just reinforced this notion, and I will look at the Bloodwood story in some depth in a separate post.

Orange Cabernet . . . I’m not sure how easily it rolls off the tongue, but I certainly think it can roll generously down our palates if focus and attention is afforded this style in the coming years . . .


Red

A week with Jim Chatto and the Pepper Tree crew (Part II) . . .

(In my previous post I focused on vineyards and the 2012 vintage during my week with Pepper Tree. This post I look more at the winery and their chief winemaker, Jim Chatto)

The Pepper Tree story and situation is an interesting one. Having started in 1991, it’s a winery that doesn’t have the history that a Tyrrell’s or Mount Pleasant does. Nor does it perhaps have the name or cache of some of the newer breed of Hunter wineries. Moreover, Pepper Tree make wines from the Hunter, Orange, Coonawarra, and Wratonbully, not an approach that necessarily gains kudos in an age in which people are increasingly looking for greater focus and greater regional specialisation. The corollary of this is that Pepper Tree is a medium sized winery that hasn't had a strong image or brand name within wine circles. And yet over the past 5 years, they’ve increased sales by 20% year on year, the quality of the wines have undoubtedly improved, and I think the Alluvial Semillon and the Coquun Shiraz are fast becoming Hunter benchmarks. So in a tough period for many Australian wineries, Pepper Tree is a quite uniquely positive story.

Jim Chatto, chief winemaker at Pepper Tree, has been the driving force behind this improvement of Pepper Tree’s fortunes, and is I believe beginning to make some truly great Australian wine. In taking over the show at Pepper Tree 5 years ago, he was taking control of a portfolio of wines that were arguably overpriced and underperforming. He has since turned this around and Pepper Tree wines have received wide acclaim in the past few years. Improving things in the winery, including cleaning up a problem with Brettanomyces, as well as both accessing better vineyards and improving things in those vineyards, have all led to better wines. Looking through the history of Pepper Tree wines reviewed by James Halliday (which go back to a 1993 Pepper Tree Frost Hollow white!) there are 39 wines that have received 94 points of more. Of those wines, 29 have come since the 2007 vintage. Moreover, there has been plenty of acclaim from other wine critics for Pepper Tree wines of recent vintages. The two wines that arguably stand out are the Alluvius Semillon (off the Braemore vineyard), and the Coquun Shiraz (off the Tallawanta vineyard). Neither wine quite has the history to sit in the lexicon of great Hunter wine just yet. But based off the past few vintages I can see that both wines are on track for a place amongst their peers given a few more vintages of similar quality. If that is the way things do pan out over the next few years, then I think Pepper Tree if perhaps never becoming a trendy label, will at least become a name synonomous with benchmark Hunter wine.

The other part of the Chatto winemaking story is his own Pinot Noir vineyard in Tasmania. He has a passion for Burgundy, and this little plot will be the outgrowth of that. He spent a number of years finding the site he wanted, eventually settling on a warm site 5 years ago that is one of the most southern vineyards in Tasmania. He was looking for latitude rather altitude. It has been planted with a number of different Pinot clones and 2012 will be the first vintage where he makes wine from the vineyard. It’s his personal long-term wine project. Given how long he took to find his site, the length of time he has waited to produce his wine, and the quality that can be seen in his winemaking more generally, it will be a Pinot Noir I follow with keen interest.

Back to Pepper Tree, and the portfolio starts with a $15-$18 varietal range and goes through to single vineyard wines in the $40-$50 range. In having such a portfolio, Chatto's winemaking ranges from the commercially made through to premium wines where less intervention and expression of site are the aim. Those in the varietal range are likely to see more winemaking as such. Fining and filtration, acid adjustments, concentrate, enzymes etc. All of which may be viewed as untrendy winemaking, but to me makes perfect sense for your cheaper, commercial wines, where consistency and flavour are going to be more valued by the consumers who will buy the wines than notions of authentic site and vintage expression (not that these are mutually exclusive ideals). Importantly these wines can be pretty good to. I tasted the 2011 Chardonnay, a blend of Orange, Wratonbully, and Hunter fruit, just before it was about to be sent off for bottling, and it had a balance and elegance to it that would happily see me handing over $18 for it. I also got to try it pre and post filtering, and the post-filter sample tasted slightly cleaner and better. For someone looking for an affordable and good drinking Chardonnay, this post filtering example would likely be the more appreciated outcome.

The wine I was most directly involved with, also in the varietal range, will become the 2012 Semillon Sav Blanc blend. If it’s a brilliant wine for the price, it will have obviously been the result of a bit of “Red Love”. If it’s not . . . then blame Chatto. Jokes aside, the Semillon for this wine came off the Quayle vineyard in the upper Hunter. The fruit when it was harvested was largely ripe, but had small pockets of greenness in it, which Chatto says he doesn’t mind for a Sem Sav Blanc blend (conversely he likes to make sure his straight Semillons achieve full ripeness before picking). The Sav Blanc will actually come from NZ (apparently even with transport costs it is cheaper to get good quality Sav Blanc from NZ than it is to source it from somewhere like the Adelaide Hills or Orange). It’s one of their top selling wines, and from a commercial perspective as important as any of their more premium white wines. I got to taste the fruit before it came off, crushed the fruit when it came into the winery (at night and in the rain . . . hardcore), tasted it as juice, racked it between tanks, and made the yeast preparation to kick off the ferment. Sounds like I did quite a bit, but in reality I will have had very little to do with end product, but just the fact that I was involved makes me very keen to see how it turns out once released later this year.

The wines with minimalist winemaking if you like, are the single vineyard wines. Wines like the Coqunn Shiraz. A single vineyard wine off Tallawanta, which in recent vintages has not required any acid additions, uses a neutral yeast, goes into large format oak (mostly old), and might see some minor fining and/or filtration just depending on the vintage. Gentle winemaking, but there’s no attempt by Chatto to make a “natural” wine, but rather a practical approach to making wine that best expresses its site. And on this point, I get the sense from Chatto and a number of other Hunter winemakers who I talked to while in the Hunter that week, that not many of them are not about to jump on the “natural” wine train. Given the history of the Hunter with Brett, and the fact that they’ve got to the point in the past 5 years where the Brett problem has largely been cleaned up, I don’t think Hunter winemakers are about to let their wines run their “natural” course. That being said, Chatto, and indeed many Hunter winemakers are keen to show off their great vineyards and make wines that are true to their site. To do this they are engaging in low intervention, yet pragmatic winemaking. Wines like the Coquun Shiraz and Alluvius Semillon are fantastic examples of this.

Beyond the things I gleaned about winemaking, the other thing I gained an appreciation of during the course of the week was just how much cleaning goes on in the winery. Cleaning grape bins, cleaning the destemmer, cleaning the press, cleaning tanks, sulphuring barrels. There is a constant and consistent process of cleaning whatever it is you’ve just been using. As much as there is the interesting side to winemaking, there is the equally important and time consuming effort to ensure everything in the winery is clean.

There were no winery mishaps while I was there, apart from one early morning when I got a faceful of Chardonnay. We were pumping the 2011 Chardonnay into a truck to go off to bottling when the hose sprung a leak and afforded me a chardonnay shower. If I wasn’t fully awake beforehand, I certainly was afterwards. Had it been captured on video it would have made for a good Youtube post.

A big thanks to Jim for giving me this opportunity, and a special thanks also to Luke, Leon, Joe, and Todd for showing me the ropes and putting up with all my questions. All up a great week.


Red

A Week with Jim Chatto and the Pepper Tree crew (Part 1)

I drink a lot of the stuff, write about it, and have pretty strong opinions on wine, so I’ve thought for a while now that I should get my hands dirty and do a bit of vintage work. I’ve spent plenty of time in wine regions, in vineyards, and in and around wineries, but of course this is not the same as actually being involved in turning grapes into cherished vino.

And so it was that I organised with Jim Chatto, chief winemaker at Pepper Tree, to spend a week in the winery in late Jan/early Feb, at the early stages of what has proved to be a very challenging vintage in the Hunter Valley. I traversed vineyards, helped crush grapes, and cleaned tanks. I learnt lots, helped out where I could, and drank some very nice wine in the process. All up it was a great week.

This post I will just concentrate on the vineyards and vintage itself, while in my next post I will look at Pepper Tree and working in the winery.


Vineyards

During the course of the week I had the chance to accompany Chatto as we walked and tasted through a number of great Hunter vineyards that Pepper Tree sources fruit from, including Tallawanta, Braemore, Steven, Trevena, Coombe Rise, and then also Quayle in the upper Hunter (there was also a sneaky trip into Lovedale but we’ll keep that one quiet). Having previously tasted many wines from these sites, and indeed written about some of these vineyards, it was great to actually kick the dirt, taste the fruit, and just gain a better understanding of where these wines come from.










(Jim Chatto tasting through the Quayle vineyard in the upper Hunter)

The first thing that stood out to me during my vineyard wanderings was the obvious difference in the taste of the fruit between the vineyards and even within vineyards. For those that taste grapes regularly, this difference might appear to be bleedingly obvious, but without having previously had the chance to taste grapes from multiple sites in a compressed period of time, it wasn’t necessarily apparent to me that the differences would be so evident. A Semillon grape from Braemore tastes distinctly different from that of Tallawanta, Coombe Rise etc. The unique character and typicite of a site can be readily discerned. This enlightenment was similar in a way to lining up a whole bunch of wines from the same region and tasting through them. The distinct differences between individual wines or indeed vineyards becomes more evident when viewed next to one another.

At a more detailed level, it was interesting to identify blocks or sections of vineyard that produced different flavours. Tallawanta vineyard was planted in 1920, sits on red soils, and produces beautiful old vine Shiraz. It straddles a small, gentle hill, and as such has both east and west facing slopes. There’s a great intensity to the fruit here. Tasting both slopes, however, it was immediately evident that the western slope was much more advanced and better tasting this vintage, having benefitted from whatever afternoon sun had been afforded it during this cool and wet vintage. In a hot vintage this would likely be reversed with the eastern slope looking better, benefitting from the protection it is afforded from the afternoon sun. This gives Chatto a level flexibility across different vintages to ensure fruit of the appropriate quality goes into one of his top wines, the Coquun Shiraz.

Another comparison of interest was that between Braemore and Trevena. Braemore, planted in the 1960s, is synonymous with great Hunter Semillon, and is considered by many something of a Grand Cru in the Hunter. Trevena, on the other hand, was planted in the 1920s but doesn’t have the profile that Braemore or many of the other great Semillon vineyards in the Hunter have. Braemore and Trevena sit side by side on the same alluvial flat, with only a small dirt road separating them. If someone had told me that the whole area was Braemore I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, as there are no obvious terroir differences between the two sites. And yet tasting through the two vineyards it was evident that Braemore had better tasting fruit, and apparent why Braemore has risen in the wine lover’s consciousness in the past decade, while Trevena has perhaps not. The difference wasn’t huge, but it was there. The reason for this? I don’t think it has much to do with soil or aspect, as there is not much to obviously pick between the two in that regard. However, they are owned and managed by different vignerons, and looking at the respective vineyards it is quite obvious that Braemore is a site that receives a lot more love and care than Trevena at present. If Trevena can receive a bit more attention in the next decade there would appear no reason it can't come to be considered one of the Hunter's top semillon vineyards.

And on this point, the Trevena example serves to highlight that as much as the Hunter Valley has done a great job in elevating and promoting wonderful single vineyard wines, there is still upside in plenty of the vineyards. There are older vineyards, like Trevena, that still need more work, while there are also younger vineyards that are just starting to come into their own. Chatto has recently released a 2010 Shiraz from the Tallavera vineyard, an elevated site in the Mount View area. It is his play on a Tyrrell’s 4 Acres style shiraz, has received some great reviews, and I’ve got a bottle here that I will review shortly. The key thing for me however, is that they are only 15 year old vines up at Tallavera. One would imagine that the vines are only starting to hit their straps now and that the quality of fruit produced will continue to improve with time. In the Hunter, some further vineyard care and time should give voice to an even greater number of complex, ageworthy wines than already grace wine lovers cellars.

Excitingly, for lovers of the trinity of wine, vineyards, and maps (I can’t be the only one!), there is work being done on a comprehensive Hunter Valley map, that overlays soil type, with both subregion, and vineyard. Given its history, the Hunter perhaps understands as much about its sites as any region in Australia, but there is still insight and knowledge to be gained and it will be great to see this map produced.


2012 Vintage

The above was perhaps a big picture view on Hunter vineyards, but how were things looking for this vintage? Well it’s a mixed bag. Most of the fruit I tasted in late Jan/early Feb was fantastic, and in fact Chatto made the comment that it was some of the best tasting Hunter fruit he had had. The cool summer had allowed for a long, slow ripening of flavours to develop. However, on the other side of the coin it has also been a wet vintage, and rained for much of the week that I was there. There has continued to be on and off rain since that time. The full story has of course yet to be played out, but this will be a variable vintage. Some vineyards had more or less been written off while I was there, because of the rain, including the Tallavera Shiraz, while other vineyards still had that beautiful tasting fruit hanging at the time. It will be a site and winery specific vintage. Chatto’s regular refrain was that he had to hold his nerve and be patient. There was some great tasting fruit out there, but pick too early in fear of the rain and any wine you produce will likely taste pretty green. Of course the flipside, and the fear for all winemakers, is that you might push your luck with the rain and end up having not much fruit at all.










(A wet looking Steven vineyard)

I think whites will generally be pretty good, with many sites being picked before the rain could do too much damage, and all reports are that there is some very good Semillon in the making. The reds on the other hand have been a struggle with rain coming at exactly the wrong time, which is a shame for many reasons, not least of which is that there was some beautiful Shiraz in the offing. It’s not been a complete write-off like the 2008 vintage in the Hunter for reds, and Chatto managed to pick some shiraz off Tallawanta, but plenty of vineyards have not been picked. Many Hunter winemakers are sourcing fruit from outside the Hunter to make some red wines for the vintage. Of the Hunter Shiraz that has been picked, I very much doubt that the fruit that will end up going into premium wines, and potentially the beneficiary will be some of the entry level wines.

I guess in some ways it would have been nice to have seen a vintage where the weather had been perfect, and beautiful fruit kept rolling through the door for the whole week I was there, but in some ways this was perhaps the more educational experience. A tough vintage, with tough decisions to be made in both the vineyard and the winery. For a marginal, yet great wine region like the Hunter, this however, is often the way.


Red

Why are imported wines in Australia so expensive?

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.

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

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

The turning of the Worm . . .

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

Cork. To buy or not to buy . . .

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

Organic & Biodynamic wine tasting

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.



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Savaterre (Beechworth)

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/


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A bottle or two in Beechworth . . .

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.


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