Turkey Flat Mourvedre 2010 $32
Turkey Flat vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia
In 1847 Johann Fiedler planted shiraz on the southern slopes of Tanunda Creek. In 1865, the Schultz family bought the site and 125 years later, fourth generation Peter Schultz and wife Christie became winemakers as well as grape growers. Today they grow, make and bottle the wine on site, not far from the still-productive 1847 vines. The very late ripening mourvedre (aka mataro or monastrell) thrives in the valley floor’s hot, dry conditions making this unique spicy, earthy, savoury red with its distinctive, mouth watering, dry tannin structure.

Helm Half Dry Riesling 2012 $25
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW
Ken Helm rates 2012 the vintage of a lifetime – a belief supported by his stunning botrytis riesling reviewed two weeks ago. His Classic Dry and Premium rieslings are to be released later in the year and he’s just released this semi-dry version. Its voluminous, citrus-like aroma and rich palate belie the modest 10.3 per cent alcohol. The rich, citrusy varietal flavour and acidity wrestle a little on the palate at the moment. But from past experience these will harmonise with another few months in bottle.

Peppertree Elderslee Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $42
Elderslee Road vineyard, Wrattonbully, South Australia
Until the mid nineties, Wrattonbully, known at the time as Koppamurra, consisted of a few isolated vineyards. Its similarity to the adjoining, time-proven Coonawarra region and lower land prices prompted large-scale planting to feed the red wine boom. As the vines mature, we’re seeing some excellent wines, including this beautiful, juicy cabernet sourced from a favoured site on Pepper Tree’s 100-hectare holding. This is an elegant, supple cabernet with a tasty interplay between the fruit and high-class French oak. Made by Jim Chatto.

Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 2011 $26.59–$33
Kooyong and Ballewindi vineyards, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Today’s two Kooyong pinots represent two interpretations of the variety by winemaker Sandro Mosele – the more savoury, earthy, firmly structured Estate wine versus the younger, simpler Massale with its fresh, primary fruit flavour. It’s paler coloured than the Estate wine and still has a savoury, sappy current under the bright, fresh fruit. The palate is brisk and fresh relying on both acid and fine, slightly tart tannins for structure.

Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir 2010 $36.85–$3
Teurong, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
We love a pinot with a solid backbone of tannin and savoury as well as fruity flavours. Sandro Mosele’s latest Kooyong Estate delivers all of this. It’s an harmonious, intensely flavoured, elegantly structured pinot, the fruit flavour reminiscent of dark, ripe cherries but with a deep, earthy, savoury undertone. Some of the structure and savouriness probably comes from Mosele’s decision to increase the total oak maturation time from 16 to 20 months, six to ten months of that in 6,300-litre foudres following a period in 220-litre barriques.

Chapel Hill Bush Vine Grenache 2010 $30–$35
McLaren Vale, South Australia
This excellent follow up to the fleshy 2009 vintage, captures the rich, earthy flavours of old McLaren Vale bush vines (vines grown as individual bushes, without trellising), planted in 1926, 1952 and 1967. Winemakers Michael Fragos and Bryn Richards say they hand picked the grapes and made the wine in small batches in open fermenters “to facilitate a long, slow, gentle extraction”. Subsequent maturation in older French oak hogsheads further ameliorated the tannins. The result is a pure grenache featuring the earthiness and pronounced tannins of the vintage – with a background of spice.

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

Tyrrell’s Lost Block whites – $13.29–$18.99
Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Hunter Valley Semillon 2011
Tyrrell’s Lost Block range presents high quality regional-varietal combinations at fair prices, trimmed dramatically on occasion by retail discounting. The sauvignon blanc comes from the comparatively cool Adelaide Hills. And the particularly cool 2012 vintage produced fresh, herbal and tropical-fruit varietal flavours at quite at a modest 12 per cent alcohol. It provides a subtler, less in-your-face drinking experience than the Marlborough versions. The delicate, bone-dry semillon pleases with its unique lemongrass-like flavours and light, zingy freshness – delicious company for salads, cold cuts and delicate seafood. The alcohol level is just 11.5 per cent.

Tyrrell’s Lost Block reds – $13.29–$18.99
Limestone Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Heathcote Shiraz 2010
In the nineties, the Tyrrell family expanded beyond their Hunter base, establishing a vineyard at Heathcote, Victoria, and acquiring an interest in the St Marys Vineyard on the Cave Range, about 15 kilometres west of Coonawarra. Though excluded from that illustrious appellation, the wines from St Marys, including Lost Block Cabernet Sauvignon, bear a striking resemblance to Coonawarra’s, with clear, ripe-berry varietal character and elegant structure – in this instance approachable and ready to drink now.  The Heathcote shiraz is true to regional style, too – medium bodied, with plummy, spicy, savoury varietal flavour and soft, fine tannins. (Bruce Tyrrell tells me, “we own 60 per cent of the St Mary’s vineyard in conjunction with the Mulligan family who own the balance of 40 per cent and the brand”).

Campbells Bobbie Burns Rutherglen Shiraz 2010 $19.95–$22
Campbell’s 41^st Bobbie Burns shiraz comes mainly from 50-year-old vines on the Bobbie Burns vineyard, the Rutherglen site first planted by the Campbells in 1870. It’s a generous, comforting red, but fine boned and not at all in the blockbuster style sometimes associated with the warm Rutherglen region. The colour’s medium, bright and youthful. And the aroma and flavour are all warm-climate shiraz – ripe, earthy and savoury. Abundant, soft tannins support the fruit, adding texture and a bit of bite to the finish. It’s a really good, easy-drinking, regional wine at a fair price and has proven medium-term cellaring potential.

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

Mount Horrocks Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $30–$38
In this beautiful, elegant cabernet, winemaker Stephanie Toole demonstrates the great finessing of Australian regional wine styles now underway. Clare Valley makes good cabernet. But more often than not in the past they’ve tended to be on the burly side. Nothing wrong with burly on a cold winter’s night. But Mount Horrocks lifts the style to a higher level, delivering even more drinking pleasure. The pure varietal perfume and flavour, the rich, balanced palate and, in particular, the silk-smooth tannins put it way above the pack. O’Toole sources the fruit from a single vineyard on her estate.

Heggies Vineyard Eden Valley Riesling 2011 $16.90–$24
Heggies sits in the Hill-Smith family’s portfolio of wine brands that also includes Yalumba, Running with Bulls and Oxford Landing. In this case the vineyard is the brand as all wines bearing the Heggies label come from the Heggies vineyard, located at 550 metres above sea level. Peter Gambetta made the 2011 from several riesling blocks on the vineyard, harvested between 30 March and 5 April. It’s a delicate but intense riesling, the flavour leaning to the lemony end of the varietal spectrum. The lightness, delicacy, lemony flavour and dry, zesty finish make it a great aperitif. Should age well, too.

Barwang Hilltops Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $15.20–$20
Can any region enjoy a “humble reputation” and still produce “some of the country’s best regional reds”. Confused by McWilliams press release, we poured our glasses, drank deeply and confirmed our faith in Hilltops as a very good cabernet-growing region and Barwang as one of its leading producers. The 2010 seems less fleshy than the 2009 and more firmly tannic. But it’s still rich and varietal and the stronger tannins simply reinforce the cabernet experience. Because it’s so widely distributed and holds strong appeal, retailers often discount it, so watch for the specials.

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

Stefano Lubiana Tasmania Estate Chardonnay 2010 $48–$50
The best chardonnays have a unique weight and beauty – full bodied but elegant and demanding ever another sip. They’re wines to savour slowly, like the contrasting Tyrrell’s Vat 47 1996 and Lubiana 2010 we compared at Chairman and Yip recently. The first a glorious old white, delivered freshness and maturity at the same time; and Lubiana, vibrant and youthful, showed the intense citrus-and-melon varietal flavour of cool grown chardonnay, supported by the structure and subtle flavour of barrel fermentation and maturation. Steve Lubiana writes, “the wine is produced entirely from vines grow on our biodynamically managed Granton vineyard [20 km north of Hobart]”.

Grant Burge Fifth Generation Barossa Pinot Gris 2012 $17–$19
Grant Burge Fifth Generation Barossa Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012
When a cold season like 2012 comes along even the warm Barossa (including the Eden Valley) makes decent wines from pinot gris and sauvignon blanc – aromatic varieties better suited to much cooler regions. Which makes me wonder what happens to the wine when the hot seasons return. All the more reason to enjoy these two while we can, I suppose. The pinot gris delivers clean, fresh, citrus and pear-like fruit flavours, medium body and a rich, smooth texture. The sauvignon blanc seems all citrus-like fruit, leaning more to semillon than sauvignon blanc.

Grant Burge Fifth Generation Barossa Shiraz 2010
Grant Burge Fifth Generation Barossa Cabernet Merlot 2010
Compare these delicious reds to the Burge whites reviewed above, and a few sips will reveal why the Barossa’s reputation rests mainly on reds, principally shiraz. The whites are nice and give value. But the reds, especially the shiraz, look exciting at the price, which might dive even lower should Coles and Woolworths run with them. The shiraz presents full, ripe, juicy fruit flavours and fleshiness, complete with the Barossa’s signature, tender, plush tannins. The winemakers haven’t intervened too much – just enough to ensure the full Barossa experience. The lovely cabernet merlot, with its leafy varietal notes suggests sourcing from the cooler Eden Valley sub-region.

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

De Bortoli Windy Peak Shiraz 2010 $12–$14 – wine of the week
Heathcote, Victoria
Sometimes less is more. And that’s what makes three-star Windy Peak wine of the week. It isn’t over-oaked. It isn’t over extracted. It isn’t tricked up in any way as some cheaper wines can be. It simply delivers what it says on the label – shiraz from Heathcote, Victoria. We expect and get something from that regional-varietal combination: a medium-bodied dry red with bright, spicy, shiraz flavour and a soft but savoury bite of tannin – a satisfying wine to enjoy now. Sarah Fagan, from one of Cowra’s grape-growing families, makes the wine at De Bortoli’s Dixon Creek Winery, Yarra Valley, under tutelage of chief winemaker, Steve Webber.

Tar and Roses Tempranillo 2011 $18.99–$24
Heathcote and Alpine Valleys, Victoria
The 2010 vintage Tar and Roses showed the concentrated fruit and strong tannins of the season. The style shifts markedly in the cool 2011 vintage, emphasising bright, fresh fruit character, a fleshy but mid-weight palate and soft, though dry and persistent tannins. Winemaker Narelle King writes, “Despite the challenges of a wet 2011 vintage we are extremely happy with our 2011 tempranillo. An extra parcel of Heathcote young-vine fruit was included to complete the blend, filling out the mid palate with ripe red fruits”. Tar and Roses Heathcote Shiraz 2010, released with the tempranillo, shows the power and savouriness of 2010, in a fine-boned Heathcote way.

Tim Adams Cabernet Malbec 2007 $23–$25
Clare Valley, South Australia
Tim Adams served his winemaking apprenticeship under Mick Knappstein at Clare’s Leasingham Winery. Decades later he returned to buy the historic site from Constellation Wines. In the intervening years, though, Adams had established his own Clare Valley brand. And included the range is this blend of cabernet and malbec, inspired by Leasingham’s legendary Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec. It’s a full-bodied, tasty combination, as malbec fleshes out cabernet’s slightly hollow mid palate, inserting its own dark-berry flavours, floral aroma and abundant tannins. The extra few years’ bottle age makes it all the more satisfying.

Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2009 $85
Coriole Vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Mark Lloyd makes this wine, dedicated to his father Hugh, from a block of shiraz planted in 1919. The old, deep-rooted, unirrigated vines produce wines of remarkable colour and flavour concentration. Despite its dense colour, powerful flavours and mouth-coating tannin, Lloyd Reserve remains approachable – a big, juicy, savoury, earthy, harmonious red of great individuality. It’s the sort of wine to savour in its own right – say with a chunk of Silo bread and nothing more. Grandeur needs affirmation, not company.

Holm Oak Arneis 2011 $25
Home Oak Vineyard, Tamar Valley, Tasmania
Piedmont’s arneis grape makes wine with what we might politely call a subtle flavour. This no doubt prompted winemaker Rebecca Duffy to fiddle around with it in the winery – leaving grape solids in the ferment, fermenting a portion with wild yeast in barrels, followed by malolactic fermentation. The resulting bone-dry, savoury white leads with the feral, leesy, yeast-derived aromas and flavours, with a more subtle kernel of melon-like fruit underneath. It’s a unique and pleasing dry white if you love ‘em dust dry and savoury.

Holm Oak Chardonnay 2011 $30
Holm Oak Vineyard, Tamar Valley, Tasmania
In 2007 Rebecca and Tim Duffy planted a hectare of chardonnay to two different clones of chardonnay – one for the “mineral and citrus” character it gives to wine, the other, from Canada, for its “floral and aromatic” character. In the cool 2011 vintage the combination leans more to grapefruit-like varietal flavours with a touch of peach. Fermentation in a mix of new (30 per cent) and older French oak barrels, and partial malolactic fermentation, added textural richness to what is an incredibly good wine from such young vines. It’s a delight to drink now, should age well for three or four years, conservatively, and contains just 12.7 per cent alcohol.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 11 July 2012 in The Canberra Times

Penfolds Bin 311 Henty Chardonnay 2011 $40
Penfolds Bin 311 is partly a spin-off of the “white Grange” project of the early nineties that created Yattarna Chardonnay as the company’s flagship white. But Bin 311 also owes much to the Seppelt winemaking culture, in particular the Drumborg vineyard, established by Karl Seppelt in 1964. The vineyard, in Victoria’s very cool Henty region, near Portland, produces superb chardonnay. In the particularly cool 2011 vintage this chardonnay gives Bin 311 an intense, grapefruit-like varietal flavour and bracing, taut acid structure. Fermentation and maturation in older French-oak barrels fleshes the wine out nicely.

McWilliams Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $8.55–$12
The label’s daggy, but the wine inside the bottle’s terrific – thanks to clever fruit sourcing and blending. For less than $9 on special, you get the ripe, cassis-like berry fruit flavours and fine but firm structure of good-quality cabernet sauvignon. It’s a multi-region blend, drawing excellent cabernet character from Coonawarra, South Australia, the largest component, backed by material from Hilltops, NSW, and Heathcote, Victoria. Fruit from the Riverina’s high-volume, low-cost vineyard helps keep the price down. The wine won a gold medal at the 2011 Sydney Royal Wine Show.

Xanadu Margaret River Next of Kin Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $18–$20
What more do you get by moving from the $10-ish McWilliams Hanwood cabernet to the $20 Next of Kin? Not double the quality – but you’ll certainly enjoy the shift in style and the greater finesse and brightness of the Margaret River wine. It’s a seductive drop, luring us in with the lovely, sweet perfume of its fruit. It then takes from one glass to another with the delicious brightness of the fruit on the palate and elegant, refined structure. Xanadu sources the fruit predominantly from Margaret River’s Walcliffe sub-region. Matured in French oak barrels, 30 per cent of them new.

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

Freeman Rondinella Corvina Secco 2008 $30
Freeman Vineyards, Hilltops, NSW
In 1999 Dr Brian Freeman established near Young several blocks of vineyards totalling 40 hectares. He included in the vineyard rondinella and corvina, the red varieties behind Verona’s famous red, Valpolicella, and its illustrious offshoot, Amarone, made from dried berries. A decade ago Freeman launched his own interpretation of the Amarone style, made from fermenting raisened grapes (dried in a neighbour’s prune dehydrator) with whole berries. Like the originals from Verona, the wine’s pale coloured but powerful and well removed in style from mainstream red drinking. The aroma’s earthy and savoury, with fungal and bitter cherry notes. These come through too on an elegantly structured palate with delicious, sweet and sour cherry-like flavours. The fruit sweetness quickly gives way to strong, savoury drying tannins.

Soumah Chardonnay 2011 $33–$35
Butcher family vineyard, Gruyere, Yarra Valley, Victoria
The Butcher family owns vineyards in the Gruyere-Coldstream sub-region of the Yarra Valley and created the acronym Soumah (south of the Maroondah Highway) as its brand name. Wines released under this label include Savarro (savagnin blanc), pinot noir, pinot grigio and shiraz. And the Butchers have plans to make nebbiolo and brachetto. The chardonnay sits at the delicate end of the varietal spectrum at just 12 per cent alcohol, perhaps reflecting the unusually cool 2011 vintage. The wine displays delicate grapefruit varietal flavours, pleasantly supported by spicy oak and the textural richness derived from barrel fermentation and maturation.

Greywacke Pinot Noir 2010 $45
Southern Valleys, principally Yarrum vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand
Winemaker Kevin Judd took Marlborough to the world with the stunning wines he created for Cloudy Bay, pinot noir included. The same class reveals itself in Judd’s Greywacke wines. The latest pinot noir, a blend of components made from various clones, delivers beautifully ripe, cherry-like varietal character – tinged with the subtle stalky character of whole-bunch fermentation. The palate’s silky smooth and quite firm tannins provide the structure and finish to go with the deep, sweet fruit flavour.

A. Retief Shiraz 2009 $28
Winbirra vineyard, Gundagai, NSW
Winemaker Alex Retief sources grapes from growers in Canberra, Hilltops and Tumbarumba, but makes this wine from his parent’s vineyard near Wagga, in the Gundagai wine region. His parents planted the vineyard in 1997, it was certified organic in 2003 and biodynamic in 2005. Retief writes, “On what used to be quite compact hard ground, you can now dig up handfuls of rich brown soil that is teeming with soil”. Whatever they’re doing in the vineyard, they should keep doing as this wine reveals juicy, ripe and spicy fruit flavours layered with soft, easy-on-the gums tannin.

De Bortoli Windy Peak Cabernet Merlot 2010 $11.40–$14
De Bortoli vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria
De Bortoli recently revamped its big-value Windy Peak range, brightening the labels and focusing on regional varietal wines linked to food suggestions – in this instance slow cooked garlic and rosemary lamb shanks (recipe on windypeak.com.au). It’s a brilliant wine at the price, featuring the sweet fragrance and delicate berry flavours of cool-grown cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The palate’s rich but not heavy, elegantly structured and a sensible 13 per cent alcohol. It’d be very easy to drink too much of it.

McWilliams Hanwood Estate Chardonnay 2009 $7.95–$12
Riverina, Tumbarumba, Hilltops and Hunter Valley, NSW
Alpine Valleys, Victoria; and Margaret River, Western Australia
Chardonnay sales must be slow at McWilliams. Why else would they be offering a three-year-old, drink-now commercial style? However, thanks to the screw cap and some pretty fancy fruit sourcing, the wine still drinks very well. Riverina fruit forms the base of the wine, but the other little bits and pieces, especially the ten per cent of the blend from Tumbarumba, give it the flavour intensity, structure and legs to hang in there. It’s a bright and fruity style, quite full, round and peachy, but not fat; and still with fresh, bright acidity. As I write Dan Murphy’s offer it at $7.95 each as part of a six bottle buy.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 4 July 2012 in The Canberra Times