Category Archives: Wine review

Bay of Fires Pinot Gris 2011 $24.69–$36.50 Lower and upper Derwent and Coal River Valley, Tasmania Yeah, right, we thought as we read the press release. James Halliday must be losing the plot – giving the chairman’s trophy at the Tasmanian Wine Show to a pinot gris. How could a second-tier variety knock off the state’s superb pinot noirs, chardonnays and rieslings? We called for a sample. It came. Halliday nailed it – in the sense that Bay of Fires 2011 expresses the flavours and texture of pinot gris about as well any winery could. It won’t knock pinot noir and chardonnay off the top shelf. But it shows Tasmania is the right place for this occasionally brilliant variety.

Madfish Shiraz 2009 $14.95–$17 Great Southern and Margaret River, Western Australia Madfish is a second label of Amy and Jeff Burch’s Howard Park, with wineries in Margaret River and Denmark and extensive vineyard resources across south-western Western Australia. Like so many Australian wineries that make more expensive, cutting edge wines, quality trickles down the line to entry-level products. In Madfish shiraz we enjoy ripe-berry and shiraz varietal character, with the lovely spicy, savoury accent and firm, tight tannins typical of the Great Southern region.

Angullong “The Pretender” Savagnin 2011 $25 Angullong vineyard, Central Ranges, New South Wales Angullong, on Orange’s southern border, has been trialling several lesser-known varieties, including savagnin (thought to be albarino when planted), tempranillo, vermentino, sagrantino and sangiovese. Theirs is a surprising full-bodied expression of savagnin, leaning to citrusy and savoury flavours, with a rich texture and just a touch of alcoholic heat in the dry finish. The style is well removed from the more overt fruit flavours we see in most Australian whites, but retains the familiar cleanness and freshness.

Bloodwood Chardonnay 2010 $27 Bloodwood vineyard, Orange, New South Wales Peter Doyle writes, “This chardonnay is made from grapes grown on the region’s oldest chardonnay vineyard, planted in 1984 with much bemusement from neighbouring farmers”. Coming on to two years’ age, Doyle’s new release looks fresh and young – its vibrant acidity and restrained but delicious melon-rind varietal flavour revealing its cool-climate origins. The varietal flavour easily keeps its head above the barrel-derived characters. Indeed, these simply make a scrumptious wine even more interesting. The wine will probably drink well for another decade.

Main Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2010 $55 Main Ridge Estate vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria What separates a so-so chardonnay from one costing $55? It starts with the quality of the grapes – meaning an appropriate climate, site and vine age, backed by diligent vineyard work to achieve perfect grape ripeness. Then comes the winemaking – a tricky affair with chardonnay as the techniques (barrel fermentation, secondary malo-lactic fermentation and prolonged ageing on yeast lees) all have the potential to overwhelm the grape flavour. In Main Ridge, the winemaking inputs support the glorious grapefruit and nectarine varietal flavours on a plush but very fine, buoyant and ethereal palate. It’s an exceptional wine capable of extended bottle ageing.

Main Ridge Estate Half Acre Pinot Noir 2010 $70 Half Acre vineyard, Main Ridge Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Nat and Rosalie White’s flagship red reveals a subtle, sensuous, ever-changing face of pinot. The style evolved over many decades (vineyard planted in 1975) as the White’s constantly fine-tuned vineyard management and winemaking techniques. From 2007 on, the pinots were not only wild-yeast fermented, but bottled without fining or filtering – as Nat learned to produce bright, clear wines in barrel. Some of the insights to achieve this came from visits to Burgundy, pinot’s heartland. On opening, the 2010 appears tight and tannic; then, over time, the beautiful layers of pinot fruit characters come through on a supple, deeply layered, sensuous palate, framed by those fine, firm tannins.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 22 February 2012 in The Canberra Times

Madfish Western Australia Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 $14–$17 Semillon adds considerably extra depth and dimension to sauvignon blanc – a blend developed originally in the sometimes profound dry whites of Bordeaux. This blend of 60 per cent sauvignon blanc and 40 per cent semillon (from Great Southern, Margaret River and Pemberton) reveals some of that magic at a modest price. Both varieties contribute to the capsicum/mown grass/passionfruit fruit character and zesty freshness. And semillon adds the backbone and texture that give a satisfaction seldom encountered in straight sauvignon blanc. Madfish is a second label of Amy and Jeff Burch’s Howard Park Wines, with operations in Margaret River and Denmark.

Cape Mentelle Marmaduke Margaret River Shiraz 2010 $14–$19 Cape Mentelle – founded by David Hohnen but now part of Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton – produces Marmaduke from estate vineyards in Margaret River’s Wallcliffe and Karridale sub-regions. It’s made for current drinking – meaning the plummy, spicy varietal fruit flavours are to the fore in a medium-bodied palate. The tannins are soft and easy, and a savoury undertone adds greatly to the wine’s appeal. While it’s ready to drink now, there’s sufficient flavour intensity and tannin to see Marmaduke through three or four years in the cellar.

Curly Flat Macedon Range Pinot Noir 2009 $48–$54 Curly Flat Macedon Ranges Chardonnay 2009 $42–$47 I recall in February 2009 Philip Moraghan rushing from a Mornington Peninsula pinot conference back to the Macedon bushfires. Fortunately, Curly Flat escaped damage and produced sensational wines despite the seasonal heat. Either of these could stand against the best in Australia – the chardonnay for its delicate yet intense flavours, tight acidity and beautiful use of oak to add flavour and textural complexity. The pinot, slightly more alcoholic and fleshy than the 2008, offers layers of delicious flavours with a very fine, firm backbone of tannin to see it evolve over many years.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 19 February 2012 in The Canberra Times

Capital Wines Reserve Shiraz 2010 $52 Kyeema vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales Capital Wines is about to release its Frontbencher Shiraz 2010 ($25) – with today’s wine of the week to follow in March. The former is simply delicious – a fine-boned, spicy shiraz to enjoy now, and, to me, the best yet under the label. The Reserve wine, from the Kyeema Vineyard (established 1982), goes to another level – although it needs more bottle age or a good splash in the decanter. This is elegant, spicy, cool-climate shiraz of a very high order.

De Bortoli Yarra Valley Syrah 2010 $33 Dixon Creek, Yarra Valley, Victoria There’s a unique cut and thrust to this wine, setting it apart from any other Australian shiraz. The cool growing climate (four east-facing blocks of De Bortoli’s Yarra vineyard) drives the style. But harvesting time, gentle fruit handling, winemaking and maturation techniques all contribute to the layers of flavour and texture. The intense flavour combines vibrant, fresh berries, cool-climate white pepper and a note of stalkiness, probably a result of including whole bunches in the ferment. The structure is lean and tight, even sinewy, but with a lovely suppleness.

Hungerford Hill Shiraz 2010 $35 Hunter Valley, New South Wales Hunter reds like this were once called “Hunter Burgundy” – a salute to their medium body and silky texture, which bore some style resemblance to Burgundian pinot noir. Michael Hatcher’s latest vintage captures that classic old style in a clean, bright modern way. It’s a gentle, juicy red, focussing on delicious, vibrant fruit flavours, supported by the district’s distinctive tender, silky tannins. This provides great drinking pleasure now and I suspect that a few years’ bottle age will add regional earthy and savoury characters.

Riposte The Dagger Pinot Noir 2011 $20 Adelaide Hills, South Australia Winemaker Tim Knappstein describes the 2011 vintage as, “one of the most difficult in my 50 years of winemaking. The grapes for our ‘Sabre’ pinot noir did not meet my criteria so the wine was not produced. Fortunately, despite the challenges, ‘The Dagger’ pinot noir came through with good results. It will be an interesting year for the wine media as the 2011 red wines come up for review”. Indeed, The Dagger measures up. It’s a lighter style of pinot, featuring strawberry-like varietal character, a rich texture and a pleasing thrust of acidity and fine tannins.

Mud House Pinot Noir 2010 $21.85–$29 Golden Terraces Vineyard, Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand The two Mud House pinots reviewed here reveal a comparatively burly side of pinot – quite a contrast to Tim Knappstein’s elegant Riposte style. Led initially by Felton Road, the very dry Central Otago region (45 degrees south and around 350 metres above sea level), offers a unique environment for pinot noir. Mud House’s entry-level blend provides a good-value introduction to the regional style – full, plummy and ripe and backed by firm, savoury tannins.

Mud House Estate Golden Terraces Pinot Noir 2010 $32–$36 Home Block, Golden Terraces Vineyard, Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand This is slightly deeper coloured than Mud House’s cheaper pinot and may challenge the palates of those accustomed to Australia’s generally softer styles – but that’s what regionality is all about. The fruit flavours are ripe, like dark plums and black cherries, and very concentrated. Mingled with very firm tannins and an underlying savouriness, this creates a bold, assertive style of pinot – all of which may sweeten up and become more silky and supple with bottle age. However, not having tried a bottle-aged version, we’ll have to wait and see.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 15 February 2012 in The Canberra Times

PHI Heathcote Syrah Grenache 2010 $35 About five years ago the De Bortoli and Shelmerdine families launched the PHI label, for wines made by Steve Webber (husband of Leanne De Bortoli) from fruit grown in Shelmerdine family vineyards. The original releases – chardonnay, sauvignon and pinot noir – came from the Lusatia Park Vineyard, Yarra Valley. This new wine – “our first attempt at a Southern Rhone style blend”, says Webber, combines shiraz (= syrah) and grenache from the Shelmerdine’s Northern Heathcote vineyard. It’s a delicious, juicy, spicy, vibrant wine, cut with fine, savoury tannins – the beautiful fruit flavours completely masking its 14.2 per cent alcohol content.

Mr Riggs Adelaide Hills Montepulciano 2009 $25 Italy’s montepulciano grape (unrelated to the Tuscan town of the same name) is best known in the Abruzzi region, on the Adriatic coast. In the rolling hills leading up to the Apennines, it produces, at its best, dark, ripe, full-bodied, tannic, savoury reds. Leading producers, like Dino Illuminati (imported by Woolworths), bring out the best in the variety. Winemaker Ben Riggs sources his grapes from a warm site between Kersbrook and Williamstown in the Adelaide Hills. It’s a big, ripe, plummy, rustic style with herbal and spicy tones and loads of soft tannin – well suited to hard cheeses, like pecorino Romagna, or roasted red meat.

Yalumba Y Series South Australia Viognier 2011 $9.49–$15 Yalumba pioneered viognier in Australia, acquiring cuttings from Montpellier France in 1979, propagating these cuttings, and then establishing 1.2 hectares on the Vaughan vineyard, Eden Valley, in 1980 – probably Australia’s first commercial planting of the variety.  The modestly priced Y viognier delivers on all those years’ experience. The variety’s naturally viscous texture, firmness and lush, apricot-like flavours form its heart. But the winemaking adds layers to this – in particular through controlled oxidation, indigenous yeast fermentation and maturation on yeast lees for a few months afterwards. The wine combines apricot- and citrus-like flavours on a fresh, richly textured, bone-dry palate.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 12 February 2012 in The Canberra Times

Four Winds Vineyard Riesling 2011 $17 Four Winds vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales This gold medal winner from the 2011 regional wine show could easily pass as a Mosel. The low alcohol (10 per cent), delicate lime-like flavour and high acidity move it way beyond the spectrum of flavours we normally see in Canberra. Just as Mosel vignerons do, winemakers Bill and Jaime Crowe arrested the fermentation, allowing residual grape sugar to mollify the tart acidity. The 13 grams per litre of sugar doesn’t register as sweet – it simply fleshes out the mid palate, creating a delicious tension between the fruit flavour and acidity.

Tintilla Estate Tarantella Sangiovese Cabernet Merlot Shiraz 2009 $30 Pokolbin, Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales If you’re in the lower Hunter Valley, Tintilla’s a must-visit, not just for the wine but also for the estate-grown verjus (made from green-harvested sangiovese), vinegar and olive oil. It’s a bright, medium-bodied red, starting plummy and fruity, then bringing in deeper, earthy, savoury flavours and delicious, dry, savoury tannin – a wine to enjoy with savoury, food laced with roasted tomato, olives, capsicum and anchovy.

McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2007 $60 Lovedale Vineyard, Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales Maurice O’Shea selected the Lovedale vineyard site (next to Cessnock airport) in 1939, planted the vineyard in 1946 and made the first semillon from it in 1950. Over the years successive McWilliams winemakers, starting with O’Shea, made magnificent, long-lived semillons from the site. Released at five years (this one was harvested on January 15 2007), by which time Lovedale has emerged from the intense, austere, lemony phase and began to show greater body, texture and a hint of honey. The very fine, harmonious 2007 shows this classic, idiosyncratic style at its best. Should cellar for many decades in the right conditions.

Mount Eyre Three Ponds Shiraz 2009 $24.95 Mount Eyre Vineyard, Broke, Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales This shiraz – made by highly regarded Hunter vigneron, Rhys Eather – comes from a vineyard at Broke (one valley away from Pokolbin). The vineyard was planted in 1970 by Neil Grosser and today belongs to the Iannuzzi and Tsironis families. It’s a gentle, medium bodied red with subtle, earthy, spicy, plummy fruit flavour and the Hunter’s signature, soft, tender tannins. It’s a modest (for Australia) 13.5 per cent alcohol. It slips down very easily now, but there’s a depth and complexity here to see it through a decade, perhaps more, in the cellar.

Hill-Smith Estate Chardonnay 2010 $23.95 Eden Valley, South Australia The Eden Valley, slightly north of the Adelaide Hills on the Mount Lofty Ranges, produces beautiful riesling but is generally seen too warm to match the elegant chardonnays of its southerly, cooler neighbour. If not at chardonnay’s cutting edge, Hill-Smith 2010, presents a juicy, lovely, more-peachy face of the variety, backed by the smooth texture of wild-yeast fermentation and oak maturation.

Yering Station MVR Marsanne Viognier Roussanne 2009 $25 Yarra Valley, Victoria This is a blend of three Rhone Valley white varieties, all fermented and matured in five-year-old, 225-litre French oak barriques. The older oak contributes no detectable woody flavours, instead allowing controlled oxidation that makes the wine more complex and contributes to its silky texture. Marsanne (50 per cent of the blend) contributes the generally citrusy flavour, while viognier and roussanne between them inject notes of apricot and honey and some of the smooth texture. This is a full but subtle wine of unique appeal.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 8 February 2012 in The Canberra Times

Helen’s Hill Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 $30 Helen’s Hill “old block” vineyard, Coldstream, Yarra Valley, Victoria Helen’s Hill, established in 1997, is an elevated 60-hectare Yarra property, with 44.5 hectares under vine and a winery producing under two labels – Ingram Rd and Helen’s Hill. When they established the vineyard, the owners paid great attention to matching grape varieties to soil types and microclimates – successfully, judging by this wine. There’s a floral high note over the ripe, cherry-like varietal aroma. The cherry character follows through on a ripe, juicy palate, with earthy, savoury undertones and firm but velvety tannins.

Yangarra Estate Cadenzia 2010 $28 Yangarra Vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia Some years back, a number of McLaren Vale producers adopted the name “Cadenzia” to promote its blends of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre. Yangarra’s version, based on grenache from old bush vines planted in 1946, offers generous, ripe flavours in a supple, fleshy palate, cut by the savoury, firm tannins of mourvedre. The 100-hectare Yangarra vineyard, consisting of 35 blocks, is located in McLaren Vale’s Blewitt Springs sub-region.

Yalumba Y Series Shiraz 2010  $9.49–$14.95 South Australia Wineries around the world use animal-derived products to soften their wines. These “fining” agents include egg white, casein (dairy) and isinglass (fish). In a vegan-friendly move, Yalumba’s Y Series wine now come free of these products, meaning a little more grip in the whites and perhaps a rustic bite to the reds. The latest shiraz delivers full, ripe, vibrant, plummy shiraz flavour, with a spicy note and a good load of drying, slightly edgy tannins.

O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2011 $17.50 Grace family vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley, South Australia David O’Leary and Nick Walker produce two Clare rieslings, one from the Watervale sub-region, the other from the cooler Polish Hill River, nine kilometres away. In the cool 2011 vintage we prefer, by a small margin, the Watervale wine. It appeals for its intense, pure, delicate, lime-like varietal flavour and racy, fresh, drying acidity. It’s an aperitif wine now, with the bracing acidity to handle the briny attack of oysters; with bottle age the texture and fruit flavour will build, making it suited to a wider range of foods.

Capital Wines The Whip Riesling 2011 $19 Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales Canberra’s 2011 rieslings need bottle age. They have flavour. But as the lovely Whip riesling demonstrates, the flavour’s still pushing through the austere acid of the cold season. I find the Whip a little too austere to enjoy in its own right now, although all that acidity and lemony varietal flavour work well with salty, savoury and fatty foods (fish and chips, for example). But the powerful riesling flavours underlying the acidity ought, with time, dominate and push the mature wine higher up the star-ratings.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne $75–$85 Champagne, France Family-owned Louis Roederer shows, deliciously, why real Champagne remains the benchmark. It has the assertive pinot flavour and structure more typical of a vintage Champagne, with a unique and lovely elegance, freshness and lightness – courtesy of the chardonnay component. There’s nothing hit and miss about this. It gets back to great grapes from the company’s highly rated vineyards, skilled winemaking and blending – including the use of two-to-five-year-old reserve wines – and a minimum three years’ maturation in bottle. This was our favourite of several New Year’s eve NVs.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 1 February 2012 in The Canberra Times

Capital Wines The Abstainer Canberra District Rose 2011 $19 As a show judge I’ve copped my fair share of rose classes – line-ups of wines ranging in colour from pale onion skin to lurid lipstick pink; from cloyingly sweet to achingly dry; and from flabby soft to searingly acid. The better ones, of whatever shade, display fresh fruit flavours, rather than just sweetness, and finish clean and fresh, whether slightly sweet or very dry. The Abstainer, made from early-picked cabernet franc and a touch of merlot, sits at the pinker end of the spectrum and delivers the lovely floral, fruity high notes of cabernet franc, a savoury grippy undercurrent and a refreshing dry finish.

Capital Wines The Swinger Canberra District Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $19 O’Leary Walker Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $16.50–$18 “I’d like to say it’s selling like hotcakes”, writes Capital Wines’ Jennie Mooney, “but it’s more than that, it’s selling like sauvignon blanc”. Here we see two contrasting styles of the white variety currently sweeping all before it. The Swinger (from Lawson Vineyard, Hall) presents a fuller bodied, off-dry, citrusy, still quite tart fresh face of the variety. O’Leary Walker (from the O’Leary Vineyard, Oakbank), at just 11 per cent alcohol, is more aromatic, featuring an intense passionfruit-like character that carries right through a delicate, herbaceous, bone dry palate – finishing with the brisk intensity for fresh lemon juice.

O’Leary Walker Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $22 This is an exceptional cabernet, sourced from two Clare sub-regions – the Doctor’s block in the cool Polish Hill River area; and 50-year-old, dry-grown vines at Armagh, near Clare township. Winemakers David O’Leary, Nick Walker and Keeda Zim the wine undergoes a spontaneous ferment in small vessels, hand plunging the cap and pumping juice over to break up the cap and control the temperature. A post-ferment maceration on skins helps soften the tannins before the wine’s pressed off into new and used oak barrels for maturation. The result is a deep coloured, aromatic wine of pure cassis-like varietal aroma and flavour, rich mid-palate and firm cabernet tannins.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 29 January 2012 in The Canberra Times

Man O’ War Dreadnought Syrah 2009 $45–$50 Eastern Waiheke Island, New Zealand Waiheke Island, to the east of Auckland, lies at about the same latitude as Bendigo, Victoria, and Naracoorte (just north of Coonawarra), South Australia. The three regions, though, produce starkly different cool-climate shiraz styles – probably driven by significant climate variances. The flavour alone suggests Waiheke as the coolest site. The intense, white pepper character of Man O’ War syrah (shiraz) suggests very cool ripening conditions – barely warm enough to struggle across the ripening line. But having done so, it’s a glorious example of fine-boned, supple, silky-textured shiraz.

Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz 2010 $16–$19 Padthaway, South Australia There’s nothing like a masked tasting to strip away the pretence of wine, allowing a modestly priced red like Jip Jip to rate in the Sydney International Top 100 – and earn a “Blue Gold” medal for its compatibility with food. Sourced from the Bryson family’s 170-hectare estate at Padthaway, and made by Ben Riggs, Jip Jip leads with appealing floral high notes. These come through, too, on a delicious fruity, supple, mid-weight, softly tannic palate. It’s a lot of fun to drink right now and should hold for several years.

PHI Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 $65 Lusatia Park Vineyard, Woori Yallock, Yarra Valley, Victoria PHI is a joint venture, established in 2005, between Leanne De Bortoli and husband Steve Webber (winemakers) and Stephen and Kate Shelmerdine, grape growers. PHI pinot comes from selected rows of vines on the Shelmerdine’s elevated Lusatia Park vineyard, in the cool south-eastern edge of the Yarra. Webber makes the wine at De Bortoli winery, Yarra Valley. PHI 2010 made history in November 2011 as the first pinot to carry off the wine-of-show award at the National Wine Show. The name PHI means perfect harmony and balance – and the wine delivers it. This is great pinot noir by any measure.

Seville Estate The Barber Pinot Noir 2010 $16.95–$22 Yarra Valley, Victoria Even the cheapest of Seville Estate’s three pinot noirs rates very highly in the pinot stakes. It’s sourced from “30 year old vines off the original Morgan’s vineyard”, declares the black label. Good winemaking captures the lovely flavours of this fruit in a medium to deep coloured wine of enticing perfume, plush, black cherry varietal flavour, silky texture and fairly firm tannic backbone. We found a little more to like every time we returned to the bottle. It should evolve well with another five or six years bottle age, perhaps longer.

Yalumba Y Series Pinot Grigio 2011 $9.49–$14.95 Multi-regional blend, South Australia In the great Australian tradition, Yalumba sources grapes widely for its outstanding Y series blends. Pinot grigio sourcing extends in some years to the Barossa and Eden valleys, Limestone Coast, the Adelaide Hills, Northern Adelaide Plains and Riverland. Winemaker Louisa Rose says the cooler areas provide the aromatic high notes and warmer areas body and texture. A wild-yeast ferment also contributes to the texture. She says the 2011 comes mainly from the cooler Limestone Coast, Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills regions – creating a wine with pear-like varietal aromatics and a richly textured, off-dry, savoury palate.

Jeir Creek Viognier 2010 $30 Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales Rob and Kay Howell’s cellar-door only viognier captures the variety’s unique, lush, juicy, apricot-like flavours – without descending into the oiliness or hardness that often mars the viognier experience. Rob Howell says he fermented and matured the wine in new French oak barrels. Too much new oak can overwhelm viognier. But in this instance the water-bent oak’s subtle, spicy flavours complement the vibrant, fresh fruit. The wine’s available at the cellar door, Gooda Creek Road, Murrumbateman or at www.jeircreekwines.com.au

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 25 January 2012 in The Canberra Times

Brokenwood Beechworth Pinot Gris 2011 $20.89–$25 We’re seeing excellent pinot gris from the 2011. The variety prefers a cool climate and in vineyards that avoided the fungal diseases of the cool, wet vintage, varietal flavours really sing. This version, from Brokenwood’s Indigo Vineyard, Beechworth, compares pear-like and citrusy flavour with just a hint musk. The full, richly textured palate is soft, but exceptionally vibrant and fresh. A tiny kiss of residual sugar (5.3 grams a litre) adds subtly to the richness, making the wine suited to quite rich foods such as terrine, pate and, as Brokenwood suggests, foie gras.

Capital Wines Canberra District

What is merlot? Is it dry or sweet; soft or firm? Few varieties create more confusion, a fact not helped by the misidentification in Australia of cabernet franc as merlot, just as the variety gained some momentum. It’s a key variety of Bordeaux, more often than not blended with others, but capable of standing on its own as rich, but elegant, with abundant, sometimes firm, tannins. It’s a specialty of Capital Wines – the Backbencher revealing a plummy, elegant, soft face of the style; and the flagship, from the Kyeema Vineyard, showing greater power and chewier tannins – but nevertheless an elegance as a great and unique Canberra red.

Stefano Lubiana Collina Chardonnay 2008 $60 WOW! We decanted Collina a couple of hours before enjoying it, slowly, with a meal. It’s an extraordinary chardonnay, giving more weight to my belief that our finest chardonnays are destined to come from Tasmania. An intensity of varietal fruit flavours (grapefruit and white peach), both generous and ethereally fine, put this in the top ranks of Australian barrel-ferment and matured chardonnays. Winemaker Steven Lubiana says the vineyard site is rocky and gravelly, “providing plenty of sun, and just enough miserable soil for a plant to put down its roots and maintain a tenuous grip on life”. It’s available at www.slw.com.au

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012 First published 22 January 2012 in The Canberra Times