Chris Shanahan: Wine review — Eldridge Estate, Rosedale Wines and d’Arenberg

Eldridge Estate Mornington Peninsula North Patch Chardonnay 2010 $30
Winemaker David Lloyd writes that he and wife Wendy produce just 800 cases of wine a year from their Mornington Peninsula estate – including this beguiling chardonnay. David supports the new ABC (always buy chardonnay) – a club bound to thrive were all chardonnays this good. The wine’s a lovely, bright, green-tinted lemon colour with the juicy, fine, citrus and white peach flavours of cool-grown chardonnay. The fruit’s at centre stage, but it’s supported by the subtle aromas, flavours and textured derived from fermentation and maturation in oak barrels. It’s available at www.eldridge-estate.com.au

Rosedale Wines Chook Shed Barossa Shiraz 2009 $12
Rosedale sources fruit from its vineyard on the south-western rim of the Barossa Valley, stretching from Greenock to Sandy Creek. It takes only a sniff and mouthful of Chook Shed to see these are good vineyards, managed by Syd Kyloh, and that winemaker Matt Reynolds, knows what he’s doing. This is a generous, plump red, offering ripe, sweet-cherry varietal aroma and flavour, with a touch of earthiness and spice and typically soft Barossa tannins. This is our first encounter with Rosedale and we’re very impressed as it offers true regional, varietal character and great drinkability at a modest price.

d’Arenberg McLaren Vale

The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2010 $8.95–$11.95
D’Arry’s Original Shiraz Grenache 2009 $14.99–$20

d’Arenberg’s Stump Jump reds, including this earthy, rustic, firm blend of grenache, shiraz and mataro, often find themselves in the retail price war cross hairs. We particularly like this blend. It offers good value when fully priced and becomes a bargain when it’s discounted below $10. d’Arry’s Original, combining shiraz and grenache, without mourvedre, provides more fragrant, softer drinking – in this vintage featuring aromatic high notes of grenache, back by richer, earthier shiraz. d’Arry Osborn introduced the blend 40 odd years ago, labelled, at the time as ‘burgundy’. The style ages very well despite its easy drinkability now.