Chris Shanahan: Wine review – Corte Carista, Hardys and Seppelt

Chianti Classico (Corte Carista) 2012 $9.99
Aldi’s Tuscan import takes us well away in style from Australian wines made from the same grape variety, sangiovese. It’s medium bodied, taut, bone-dry, earthy and savoury with sour-cherry-like fruit characters in the aroma. On the palate this cherry-like flavour wells up through tough, pervasive, savoury tannins. It fits the Chianti Classico specification, albeit in a pleasantly rough and rustic way. Last time we tried one of these, a withered little cork snapped in half as we coaxed it from the bottle. The cork survived the operation this time.

Hardys Tintara McLaren Vale Shiraz 2013 $18.90–$28
Hardys, now part of Accolade Wines, began as a Tintara, McLaren Vale, producer in nineteenth century. The Tintara label reflects those roots. The 2013 vintage provides an opulent, drink-now expression of the regional shiraz style. The deep, crimson-rimmed colour suggests a strong wine with youth vitality. The aroma and palate confirm this with full, ripe, vibrant fruit flavours, reminiscent of ripe, black cherries. Behind the fruit flavours we detect dark-chocolate and other savoury characters weaving through the smooth, soft tannins.

Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnay (Henty, Victoria) 2013 $23.75–$27
The Drumborg vineyard, planted by Karl Seppelt in1964, lies a little to the north of Portland on Victoria’s southwest coast. The cool, maritime climate presented huge viticultural challenges in the early days. But over the decades its managers coaxed ever better fruit from the site, culminating in elegant, charming wines like Jaluka chardonnay. The very good 2013 shows us an intense, fine-boned face of modern Australian chardonnay from a very cool climate. Delicate, grapefruit-like varietal flavours underpin a complex, barrel-fermented wine. Possibly the best value for money chardonnay made in Australia.