Hungerford Hill Classic Tumbarumba Pinot Noir 2014 $26–$36
An Anzac weekend sweep through Batlow and Tumbarumba turned up several appealing wines. Batlow, of course, makes apple cider, while Tumbarumba, originally planted to vines for sparkling wines, now makes appealing, elegant table wines, too. Tumbarumba’s Café Nest–movie theatre offers fresh local produce, some grown on site, and several local wines by the glass. The selection is negotiable, so we negotiated pinot noir and chardonnay, Tumbarumba’s two specialties. The area’s grape growers sell mainly to out-of-district winemakers, including Hunter-based Hungerford Hill. Theirs is a comparatively, full, ripe style of pinot, though still medium bodied and very gentle on the palate.

Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard On the Fly Chardonnay 2013 $25
Despite living in Canberra and managing the Quarry Hill vineyard, Richard Cottam finds time to tend the Tumbarumba vineyard he established 25 years ago. The two-hectare vineyard, located on a 40-acre block previously owned by his father, and grandfather before that, provided the grapes for this delicious chardonnay, enjoyed at Tumbarumba’s Café Nest. Cottam left the winemaking to Adrian Brayne. The wine shows the bright, intense grapefruit- and nectarine-like varietal flavour of cool-grown chardonnay, set in the rich texture derived from barrel fermentation and maturation. For stockists see mounttumbarumba.com.au.

Coppabella The Crest Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2013 $20–$26
Jason and Alecia Brown’s lovely chardonnay relieved a poor meal at the Tumbarumba Motel. We expected fresh local food and wine by the glass. It’s what the visitor centre promised, and what we’d enjoyed at a winemaker dinner there some years earlier. It wasn’t to be, alas, but the chardonnay and a Hilltops shiraz took our minds off the food. The chardonnay, from the Browns’ 70-hectare Coppabella vineyard, showed the zesty, mouth-watering fruit flavour of the variety grown in this cool climate, and fleshed out by use of oak fermentation and maturation.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2016
First published 8 May 2016 in the Canberra Times

Clonakilla Canberra District Pinot Noir 2015 $55
Until 2014 Clonakilla blended its pinot away into other wines. But now it stands on its own, albeit in tiny quantities made from 777 and 115 clones Tim Kirk planted recently, and an unidentified clone his father John planted in 1978. The wine shows the ripe flavours and round, delicious fruit of the warm 2015 season. Winemaking influence can be tasted in an underlying earthy character, and felt in the very smooth, slick texture. The overall impression is of richness, ripeness and softness, but not at this stage the soaring perfume and firm, fine backbone we see in the best of the breed.

Thorn-Clarke Sandpiper Barossa Shiraz 2015 $13.95–$19
David Clarke and family own two vineyards in the warm Barossa Valley and two in the adjoining Eden Valley, to the east. The two regions form the Barossa Zone. The warmer Barossa Valley vineyards produce red wines, while the cooler Eden Valley produces both whites and red wines. The entry-level Sandpiper shiraz combines fruit from across the family’s vineyards. The fermentation technique captures the aromatic, fruity character of shiraz in the full-bodied, ripe, juicy style of the warm region. Round, soft tannins add to the texture of a generous, drink-now red.

West Cape Howe Western Australia Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $15.20–$17
In this delicious dry white, winemaker Gavin Berry combines fruit from two Western Australia’s areas: the vast Great Southern district (principally Mount Barker and Frankland River) and Margaret River. Winemaking in stainless steel tanks and early bottling aims to capture the fresh, fruity and distinct character of the two varieties. Herbaceous and tropical fruit flavours of the sauvignon blanc combine happily with the lemongrass-like semillon in a zippy, medium-bodied white made to drink young. Berry writes, “The season was particularly strong for sauvignon blanc. Moderate temperatures near harvest saw the delicate aromatics and fine acid structure preserved in the fruit”.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2016
First published 1 May 2016 in the Canberra Times