Innocent Bystander Yarra Valley Pinot Gris 2011 $20
Innocent Bystander Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2011 $25
Winemaker Steve Flamsteed writes, “2011 was a cool, wet and challenging year. White varieties revelled in the cool conditions and those growers who avoided late season moulds by careful vineyard work, produced some of the best fruit we have seen since our first vintage in 2000”. Flamsteed’s pinot gris and chardonnay display the lean and tight but tasty character of the season. The pinot gris shows varietal pear-like flavour and savoury, dry finish. The medium-bodied chardonnay reveals the more citrusy end of the chardonnay flavour spectrum, backed by a silky, smooth structure and lively, bone-dry finish.

Voyager Estate Girt by Sea 2010 $19–$24
As several of Margaret River’s top cabernet blends now push to $100 or so, Girt by Sea delivers an affordable and delightful, drink-now expression of the region’s great red specialty. Blended principally from cabernet and merlot (usually with a splash each of shiraz and malbec), it’s a rich but elegant, fine-boned red, based on just-ripe, mulberry-like varietal flavour, with an attractive overly of cedar and tobacco-like character that seems to come partly from the oak and partly from the varietal blend. The 2010 vintage seems a little more intense than the lovely 2009 – a classy wine indeed at this price.

Yalumba Running with Bulls Wrattonbully Tempranillo 2011 $17–$20
Yalumba makes two tempranillos under its Running with Bulls label, one from the warm Barossa Valley, the other from the cooler Wrattonbully region, several hundred kilometres to the south – between Coonawarra and Padthaway, on the Limestone Coast. The 2011 wine, made by Sam Wigan, is medium bodied, savoury and soft, though packed with tannins. The savouriness and tannins set the wine apart from mainstream, fleshy Australian styles, making it good company with savoury food or roasted red meats. Tempranillo, a Spanish red variety, performs well in a number of Australian wine growing regions.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 27 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Shiraz Cabernet 2009 $45–50
Barossa (shiraz) and Coonawarra (cabernet), South Australia
I don’t believe any Australian cross-regional blend equals the symbiotic pairing of Barossa shiraz with Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon. For example, few wines in the world equal Penfolds Bin 60A 1962, the legendary Max Schubert blend that upstaged Grange. The new Jacob’s Creek may not challenge Bin 60A, but it captures the beauty of the combination: generous, soft Barossa shiraz gives mouth-filling flavour; Coonawarra cabernet provides the wonderful, elegant structure. It’s beautifully balanced and therefore a joy to drink now, but has the depth to age well for many years.

Yarrh Shiraz 2010 $25
Yarrh Vineyard, Yass, Canberra District, New South Wales
Fiona Wholohan’s shiraz presents a lighter side of Canberra’s already medium-bodied red specialty. The colour’s pale and bright and the aroma’s exoticically peppery and spicy – deep inside cool-climate shiraz country. The pepper and spice flavours flow through to a lean, taut, finely structured palate – where the bright fruit, lively acid and fine tannins delivery a clean, dry refreshing finish. The style should pair well with savoury or high-protein food.

Cullen ‘Cullen Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 $35
Margaret River, Western Australia
Vanya Cullen’s new releases include two sauvignon blanc semillon blends – one from the Cullen vineyard, the other from the family’s Mangan vineyard. They’re both partially barrel fermented and matured (half the blend for the Cullen vineyard and one-fifth for Mangan). And there’s more new oak in Cullen than Mangan. The Cullen vineyard wine absorbs the oak, though it’s noticeable, adding texture and subtle vanilla-like character to the racy, lemony/grassy palate. It should age well for several years. The marginally fuller, rounder Mangan maintains the grassy character on a still bracingly fresh palate.

Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 $35.15–$50
Coonawarra, South Australia
This is a particularly robust vintage (the 28th) for St Hugo, winner of a trophy and five gold medals. It’s deep, dark and powerful, with concentrated ripe-berry varietal fruit flavour, seasoned by leafy and minty notes. The powerful fruit and firm, tannic structure point to a long cellaring life – a given for St Hugo in most years. Winemaker Bernard Hickin writes, “it’s a riper Coonawarra style from a warm-end vintage – should cellar well for 10–15 years”. If you’re looking for pedigreed memento for a special event in the future, St Hugo offers great value as it’s widely discounted.

Xanadu Next of Kin Chardonnay 2010 $16–$20
Margaret River, Western Australia
Alas, the Rathbone family recently slapped a for sale sign on their Australian wineries (Xanadu, Langi Ghiran, Parker Estate and Yering Station). Let’s hope the new owners maintain the amazing standard achieved during the Rathbone stewardship. Take, for example, this appealing, modestly priced chardonnay. A combination of stainless steel and oak fermentation captured the bright, citrus and melon varietal flavours. The barrels added subtly to the aroma, flavour and texture without overwhelming the juicy, delicious fruit flavour. It’s ready to drink now.

Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2009 $14.25–$20
Blue Pyrenees vineyard, Pyrenees, Victoria
From the 177-hectare Blue Pyrenees Estate (established 1963) comes this humbly priced, appealing red. The winemakers leave the supple, spicy, regional shiraz flavours at the centre of the wine – unburdened by any obvious winemaking inputs. It’s medium bodied and ripe, soft tannins support the succulent fruit. Winemaker Andrew Koerner says the wine comes from “parcels of fruit grown on low-yielding exposed vines which results in intense flavours [and] soft tannins”.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 23 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Kilikanoon Watervale Mort’s Block Riesling 2012 $19.95–$22
Kilikanoon owns about 500 hectares of vines in South Australia, including the six-hectare Mort’s block at Watervale, southern Clare Valley. Mort Mitchell, father of Kilikanoon winemaker Kevin Mitchell, planted the block about 40 years ago. The old low-yielding vines are hand pruned and the fruit hand harvested. Even in the cool, wet 2011 season they produced the goods – a delicate, lean, taut, plank-dry, lemony riesling of amazing vitality. The lemony tartness makes it a good match with fish – much like a squeeze of lemon. The combination of tartness, delicacy and intense underlying fruit flavour suggest good medium to long-term cellaring, too.

Wicks Estate Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $18–$20
In Australia, king cabernet lives in the shadow of shiraz. But it remains our number two red wine variety and arguably the best companion of all with roasted red meats, thanks to the interplay protein and the variety’s firm tannins. The two cabernets reviewed here today reveal different ends of its flavour spectrum – the riper, fuller, fleshier warm-climate style from Langhorne Creek; and the leafier, medium-bodied style from the cool Adelaide Hills. The leafiness and finer tannins in Wicks Estate add interest to the underlying ripe, juicy berry flavours.

Lake Breeze Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $21.85–$23
Langhorne Creek lies a little to the south of McLaren Vale, near Lake Alexandrina – a warm region moderated by cooling lake breezes. The area’s rich, fleshy reds – included in many popular blends such as Wolf Blass and Jacob’s Creek – gave it a reputation as Australia’s middle palate. Lake Breeze cabernet demonstrates this attribute deliciously. It’s pure cabernet in aroma and flavour, differentiated from the same variety grown in other regions by the sheer juicy opulence of the palate. It’s irresistible – a view supported by gold medals it won at the Adelaide, Sydney and National wine shows.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 20 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay $130
Derwent Valley, Tasmania, Henty, Victoria, and the Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Penfolds releases Yattarna alongside Grange and its other top-end reds. However, Grange, and the accompanying retail price war, invariably upstage Yattarna. It’s a beautiful chardonnay, driven by the intense flavour and elegant structure of fruit from some of our coolest growing regions – principally the Derwent Valley, Tasmania, and the old Seppelt vineyard at Drumborg in Victoria’s Henty region. Winemaker inputs from barrel fermentation and maturation on yeast lees add another layer of complexity in an exceptionally graceful white with considerable cellaring potential.

Penfolds Reserve Bin 10A Chardonnay 2010 $70–$95
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
The “white Grange” project of the early nineties pushed Penfolds quickly up the chardonnay learning curve, to the benefit of the entire group’s wines. It also produced this exciting spin-off from the Adelaide Hills. The winemaker inputs show through on the first sniff and mouthful – a flinty note derived from maturation on yeast lees in new oak barrels. This character meshes with the zingy, grapefruit-like varietal flavour and taut, acidic structure. The wine tastes very young at two years and should evolve well for another four or five.

Wicks Estate Shiraz 2010 $14.25–$20
Wicks Estate vineyard, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
This gold medal winner from the Royal Adelaide Wine Show offers absolutely delicious drinking right now. Estate-grown and made, it shows the ripe-berry, spice and medium body of cool-grown shiraz – the fresh, juicy, berry flavours, in particular, light up a gentle, completely seductive palate. The winemaker says, “the elegant fruit and tannin structure will reward careful cellaring”. This may be true. But it’s hard to imaging the wine every being more charming than it is now, just bristling with fruit.

Chalmers Vermentino 2011 $25
Chalmers vineyard, Heathcote, Victoria
The Chalmers family operates a 650-hectare nursery and vineyard at Euston, New South Wales, embracing over 80 varieties and 150 clones. In 2009 they established Italian varieties on an 80-hectare site they’d acquired in 2008 near Colbinabbin, Heathcote, Victoria. Their first vermentino (white) from the new vineyard shows great promise. It offers more body, flavour and savouriness than other examples of the variety I’ve seen. At a recent tasting it drew mixed, mainly favourable, reactions as it’s well removed in flavour from our mainstream varieties.

Shaw and Smith Pinot Noir 2010 $48
Shaw and Smith vineyard, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Better known for benchmark chardonnay and shiraz, Shaw and Smith steps decisively into top-shelf pinot territory with its 2010 vintage. The colour’s pale and brilliant and the mid-weight, supple palate reflects the seductive, fruity aroma. It’s very Australian in its pure, vibrant, varietal, fleshy fruitiness – and oh so easy to quaff now. But there’s substance, too, in the strong tannin structure, range of fruit flavours and underlying savouriness. Every mouthful reveals something new.

Zonte’s Footstep Canto di Lago Sangiovese Barbera 2010 $14.95–$20
Langhorne Creek, South Australia
Like the name, the wine combines bits of Italy and Australia. A 50:50 blend of the Italian varieties sangiovese and barbera, Canto di Lago (song of the lake), brings together the sweet, brisk, piquant, summer-berry flavours of barbera and the firm, fine savoury tannins of sangiovese. The same blend made in Italy probably wouldn’t much resemble this all-Australian effort. It reflects Langhorne Creek’s unique growing, cooled by breezes from nearby Lake Alexandrina, and a modern Australian approach to winemaking – capturing pure, clean grape flavours, sealed in with an hygienic screw cap.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 16 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Tarrawarra Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2010 $19–$22
Tarrawarra Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2010 $19–$22
Tarrawarra’s estate-grown and made chardonnay and pinot provide delicious, subtle drinking at a fair price. The pinot, made from four different clones and matured a variety of French oak, opens a little shyly on the nose. But the palate immediately delivers gentle, vibrant fruit flavours, supported by fine, silky tannins – real pinot that blossoms and becomes more aromatic with a little exposure to air. The chardonnay, too, focuses on varietal fruit flavours, reminiscent of citrus and melon. But time in barrel and on yeast lees backs the fruit with a creamy, smooth texture.

Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Bush Vine Grenache 2010 $30–$35
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.

Kilikanoon Clare Valley Barrel Fermented Semillon 2011 $20
Semillon thrives across Australia and comes to us in many forms, including the classic, long-lived, unwooded Hunter Valley versions, the slightly fatter unwooded Barossa style and the herbal, elegant, partially oak fermented Margaret River blends with sauvignon blanc. In the Clare Valley, several makers, including Kilikanoon, ferment and mature semillon in oak barrels – adding extra dimension and body to the lemony, pleasantly tart varietal character of the grape. In the particularly cool 2011 vintage, this means considerable focus on the lemony-tart bit, relieved by the clever but not intrusive barrel contribution.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 20112
First published 13 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Moorilla Estate Muse Pinot Noir 2010 $48
Tasmania
Under David Walsh’s ownership, Moorilla Estate (founded 1958) gained not only the Museum of Modern and New Art, but a new winemaker and a complete revolution in its vineyard and winery management. The changes were under way when I visited winemaker Conor van der Reest at Moorilla in 2009. With the 2010 Muse pinot, van der Reest brings home the bacon. This is a glorious, completely irresistible pinot. It flourished on our tasting bench for four days, revealing layers of aroma, flavour and texture.

Moorilla Estate Praxis Chardonnay 2011 $30
Tasmania
Moorilla’s Daniel McMahon writes, “Praxis is selected for upfront fruit intensity with softness to the structure after tasting all the barrels after six months.” Moorilla’s more expensive, potentially longer-lived Muse wines spend another year in barrel. Praxis 2011 chardonnay’s inviting, clean, fresh citrusy varietal aroma leads to a shimmering, vital palate. The wine’s high natural acidity accentuates the intense but delicate flavours and gives a beautifully clean, fresh, dry finish. We’ll review the Muse chardonnay next week.

Fox Creek JSM Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc $21.85–$24
McLaren Vale, South Australia
This original, clever blend, based on shiraz, uses the two cabernet varieties to add different dimensions. First impression is of a highly aromatic red with buckets of slurpy, sweet, juicy fruit on the mid palate. The aromatic high notes come, presumably, from the cabernet franc component. And the big, soft palate and soft tannins start with shiraz. However, two cabernets affect the palate, too – cabernet sauvignon tightening up the structure and adding mint and chocolate notes. The cabernet franc adds a racy element. It’s made to drink now.

Innocent Bystander Mule Shiraz 2010 $30
Paxton’s Gateway vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Well-known McLaren Vale grape grower, David Paxton, established the Gateway vineyard early last decade and completed its conversion to certified biodynamic in 2011. Paxton sells fruit from the vineyard to Yarra-based Innocent Bystander for their new single-vineyard range, comprising viognier, sangiovese and this shiraz-viognier blend. It’s a richly textured but fine-boned, silky style combining bright, ripe fruit flavours with underlying McLaren Vale savouriness. The blend is 96 per cent shiraz with four per cent viognier.

Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $49
Pedestal Vineyard, Margaret River, Western Australia
Elevation provides a highly aromatic, pure expression of the cabernet sauvignon grape – capturing a spectrum of its varietal characters. Ripe, sweet berry flavours give the wine a sweet supple core. But a leafy, herbaceous note pushes through, saying, ahem, I’m a cabernet – an indisputable fact brought home by the solid by soft tannin structure. The Pedestal vineyard is located at the highest point of Margaret River’s Wilyabrup Valley. Pedestal Wines is a partnership between Greg and Kerilee Brindle and Larry and Edwin Cherubino.

Evans and Tate Classic Shiraz Cabernet 2010 $13–$15
Margaret River, Western Australia
Now part of McWilliams Wines, Evans and Tate Classic offers big-company reliability, correctness and value – if not excitement. The wine’s aroma reveals a floral, sweet-fruited side of shiraz. This bright fruitiness comes through, too, on the palate. But here a little cabernet astringency kicks in, adding grip and an elegant structure suited to this medium-bodied style. This is an extension of the “Classic” range, a term originally used in the eighties in conjunction with light, crisp, blended white wines. Notable early adopters were Wolf Blass and Evans and Tate.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 9 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

All Saints Estate Rutherglen Marsanne 2010 $18.70–$22
The Rhone Valley white varieties seem a better bet than chardonnay for full-bodied dry whites in warm regions like Rutherglen. All Saints makes two versions – the richer, fuller, barrel fermented Family Cellar ($30) and this stainless steel fermented version featuring the variety’s bright citrus flavours. Early picking means a comparatively low alcohol content (12.2 per cent) and less of the viscous, oily texture the variety sometimes displays. The creamy texture behind the vibrant fruit comes from a brief period in barrel on the yeast sediment left by its big brother, says winemaker Nick Brown.

Moorilla Tasmania Praxis Pinot Noir 2011 $30
I visited Moorilla in late 2009 during a period of transition – reflected in the varying quality of wines on tasting, some pre-dating new winemaker Conor van der Reest’s arrival. Shortly after our visit, owner David Walsh opened his Museum of Old and New Art on the same site. And three years on, the wines reflect all the vineyard and winemaking changes van der Reest had in train in 2009. His Praxis pinot delivers a pure, intensely aromatic expression of the variety, laced with the delicious, telltale stalky character of whole-bunch fermentation. The intense fruitiness continues on a vibrant, silky palate, inviting another mouthful.

Seville Estate Yarra Valley The Barber Chardonnay 2010 $18–$20
Seville’s Barber range complements its estate-grown wines while still offering an expression of Yarra Valley flavours. The 2010 chardonnay, made from both contract and estate-grown fruit, presents pure, tingly cool-climate varietal flavours (citrus and melon rind) in a bright, refreshing drink now style. It has good mid-palate richness and texture, but the focus never moves from the zesty fruit. Made by Dylan McMahon. This is a great example of the finessing of Australian chardonnay styles over the last twenty years – growing it in the right places, capturing the varietal flavour and not overwhelming it with winemaking tricks.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 6 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Collector Reserve Shiraz 2011 $58
Kyeema and Fischer vineyards
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales
The first 2011 Canberra shiraz to hit the tasting bench sets the bar very, very high indeed. Showing the cool season, it’s a lean, elegant style, backed by intense, pepper and red-berry varietal flavours and succulent tannin. Decanted, splashed and tasted over several days, the wine retained its brilliant colour and beautiful freshness – yielding layers of flavour. It’s definitely one for the cellar. Winemaker Alex McKay says because of pent-up demand (there was no 2010) he’s releasing it early – in the first week of July. He’ll release the cheaper Marked Tree Shiraz 2011 in August.

Collector Lamplit Marsanne 2011 $32.95
Fischer and Rosehill vineyards,
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales
Like the Ravensworth marsanne reviewed here recently, Alex McKay’s Lamplit points to Rhone Valley white varieties as better bets than chardonnay for Canberra vignerons. It’s a pleasing and sophisticated wine – savoury, richly textured (but not fat) and underpinned by a gently, citrusy varietal flavour, subtly meshed with a pleasing character derived from barrel ageing on yeast lees. The slightly fuller and rounder (but now sold out 2010) indicates benefits from bottle ageing – and that this could be a slow and graceful evolution. McKay says both wines underwent full malo-lactic fermentation, adding texture, and the 2011 contains a splash each of viognier and roussanne.

Peter Lehmann Wigan Riesling 2006 $28.49–$32
Eden Valley, South Australia
Peter Lehmann’s glorious aged riesling comes from “a single vineyard from the southern end of Eden Valley, with an elevation of some 500 metres and shallow rocky soils”, says winemaker Andrew Wigan. He rates the 2006 season, “one of the greatest white wine vintages the Barossa has ever seen”. We can’t argue. It pours a glowing, green-tinted, pale golden colour; the aroma reveals the pleasing toasty overlay of bottle age on the deep, delicate lime and lemon varietal flavours. It’s a beautiful wine – a delight to drink now and likely to provide pleasure for another decade or more.

Punt Road Chemin Syrah 2010 $39
Block 5, Napoleone Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Kate Goodman’s striking red pushes the boundary on Australian shiraz. Its medium body, fine structure and peppery, spicy flavours are givens of the Yarra’s cool climate. But the winemaking techniques – including a wild yeast ferment and 100 per cent whole-bunch fermentation – introduce their own textures and flavours to the wine. The inclusion of whole bunches (which means stems), enriches the tannin structure while inserting a notably stalky aroma and flavour. This is intriguing and distracting at the same time, drawing us back again and again for another mouthful. Before long the bottle’s empty and we conclude Kate’s onto a winner.

Kangarilla Road The Veil Savagnin Blanc 2011 $20 500ml
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Winemaker Kevin O’Brien created Kangarilla’s pleasantly tart take on the idiosyncratic vin jaune wines of France’s Jura region. The wines, matured in oak barrels under a film (or veil) of yeast, take on a savoury, tart, nutty character reminiscent of sherry. O’Brien’s richly textured wine delivers the zesty freshness of savagnin, with a light, tart, savoury sherry-like overlay. It’s a delicious and original aperitif style, more subtle than sherry and a more modest 13 per cent alcohol.

Red Knot by Shingleback Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 $11.39–$15
Davey Estate Vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia
That the discounters frequently trim the price of Red Knot is a sure sign of popularity. And popularity, in this instance, proves that Australia’s savvy palates know a bargain when they see one. This is a great example of modern Australian winemaking – starting with good fruit, principally from the Davey family’s Shingleback vineyard, then capturing the varietal flavour structure in the winery. It’s a ripe, juicy, fruity, fresh, flavoursome, lovable, red made to enjoy now.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 2 May 2012 in The Canberra Times

Knappstein Clare Valley Shiraz 2010 $17–$22
We tasted Knappstein Clare Valley 2010 alongside the contrasting Alex McKay Canberra District Collector Reserve Shiraz 2011 ($58, reviewed in next Wednesday’s Food and Wine). Knappstein delivers the full, ripe, juicy flavours of the warm Clare Valley – a big, round, soft expression of shiraz ready to enjoy now and for another four or five years. Collector, on the other hand, showed the intense peppery flavours, medium body and lean, taut structure of a very cool Canberra vintage – a coy, succulently tannic wine needing time to reveal its layers of flavour.

Jacques Lurton The Islander Kangaroo Island The Red 2008 $20
Like Spike Milligan’s a bit of a book and a book of bits, Frenchman Jacques Lurton’s budget wine seems a bit of a red and red of bits – combining malbec, cabernet franc, co-fermented shiraz and viognier and grenache. In the French context this could be a Bordeaux-Cahors-Rhone Valley blend. On Kangaroo Island, however, the varieties happily cohabit, producing this rich, easy drinking red. Malbec leads the flavour and structure of a clean, fresh wine, with quite a firm spine of savoury tannins that leave a satisfying bite in the finish.

Chateau Vaugelas Corbieres 2009 $15.99
Corbieres, a sub-region of France’s massive Languedoc-Roussillon wine growing area, produces rich, warm, earthy wines, based on the red variety, carignan. In this Costco import, carignan, grenache and shiraz contribute 30 per cent each to the blend, and mourvedre the final 10 per cent. It’s deeply coloured, with a bright crimson hue. The aroma suggests bright, fresh ripe fruit – a promise delivered on the lively, full palate. Savoury, earthy flavours sit behind the fruit, matching the earthy, firm, dry finish of this solid, warm-climate red. Nice wine, dear Costco, but how about screw caps for the Australian market?

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