Rutherglen Estate Savagnin 2010 $16.95
Rutherglen, Victoria

Like other Australian winemakers Rutherglen Estate planted the Spanish white variety albarino only to learn that the CSIRO, source of all our stock, had been given savagnin by the Spanish supplier. Savagnin is the non-muscat clone of gewürztraminer and to smell and taste the two is to be puzzled why they have identical DNA but taste so very different. This is a lovely, bone dry, low alcohol white with floral aroma, vibrant, citrusy palate, rich texture and savoury finish.

Leogate Early Release Reserve Chardonnay 2010 $25
Brokenback Vineyard, Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales

Bill and Vicki Widin recently acquired the beautiful Brokenback vineyard, located at the foot of the Brokenback Range. They bought part of it from Foster’s and part of it from Tyrrell’s, thus reuniting what had originally been a single vineyard acquired by Rothbury Estate in 1969. Read the full story at www.leogate.com.au as you sip this delicate but full-bodied chardonnay. It’s deliciously varietal, spritely and fresh but still has a subtle background complexity from partial maturation on yeast lees in oak barrels.

Maipenrai Pinot Noir 2008 $27
Sutton, Canberra District, New South Wales

What an exciting pinot – the best I’ve seen from Canberra, and at three barrels probably the smallest production wine likely to be reviewed in this column. Yep, just three barrels “made up of fruit from our MV6, 777, 114 and 115 clones”, writes winemaker Brian Schmidt. Maipenrai delivers most of pinot’s great features: limpid colour; high-toned perfume, combined with varietal fruit, savouriness and a hint of stalkiness; similar fruity, savoury, stalky flavour; luxurious, silky texture; and a decent line of tannin holding it all together. See www.maipenrai.com.au

Leasingham Schobers Vineyard Shiraz 2006 $62.50
Schobers vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia

Some readers might recall Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz 1994, winner of the 1995 Jimmy Watson trophy – a solid wine, big on fruit, tannin, colour and oak. It was sourced from the Schobers vineyard. Later, under Steve Pannell, the style evolved considerably, resulting in a clearer expression of the vineyard’s vivid fruit and subtler, more complimentary use of oak. The limited release 2006, made by Kerri Thompson and Simon Osicka, is a wonderfully polished, elegant wine, capturing deep, bright, sweet, ripe, spicy shiraz flavours completely integrated with subtle oak. It’s looking young and fresh at five years, but won’t appear again under the Leasingham label.

Leasingham Schobers Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $62.50
Schobers vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia

What on earth will the new owners of the Leasingham brand do? They own the name but not the winery or key vineyards like Schobers that stood behind the brand. They might taste this glorious cabernet as they ponder the future of a brand stripped of its roots. There’s a touch of mint in the evocative, pure cabernet aroma – a note that comes through, too, in the lively, juicy flavour of this elegant, fine, deeply flavoured wine. The Schobers vineyard, however, is carrying on under the ownership of Canberra’s Jim Murphy and Michael Phelps, with wines being made by O’Leary Walker, Clare Valley. Future vintages will appear under their new Schobers label.

Fox Gordon Princess Fiano 2011 $16–$20
Adelaide Hills, South Australia

There’s an interesting style contrast between this fiano (a variety from Campania, Italy), grown in the cool Adelaide Hills, and the warm-grown version from Rutherglen Estate reviewed last week. Fox Gordon’s version, made by Tash Mooney, offers greater concentration of fruit flavour and a particularly racy, acid backbone. It’s savoury and, in the Italian style, packs a piquant bite in the finish. Mooney makes this one for Coles’ Vintage Cellars and 1st Choice chains.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Capital Wines Canberra District

• The Backbencher Merlot 2009 $25
• The Senator Chardonnay 2009 $22

Capital wines is a partnership between the Moody and McEwin families with Mark Moody in the vineyard, Jennie Moody in the marketing department and Andrew McEwin in the winery. Both of these wines come from their Kyeema vineyard, Murrumbateman. The merlot, though slightly paler than the sublime $46 reserve version, offers a terrifically fragrant, pure expression of the variety with a lovely core of plummy fruit flavour. The vibrant Senator chardonnay features fresh melon rind/ melon and peach varietal flavours with a touch of oak and a lively, refreshing acidity. It’s a lovely and simply poohs all over sauvignon blanc.

Z4 Wines Canberra District

• Zoe Riesling 2010 $16
• Zane Shiraz 2009 $19

Z4 is a merchant brand owned by Canberra wine marketers Bill and Maria Mason. I’m not sure if their wines or kids came first, nor if their given names, all beginning with Z, reflect the character of the wines they’re named after. The vinous versions of Zoe and Zane, both from the Four Winds vineyard and made at Canberra Winemakers by Rob Howell and Greg Gallagher, offer fair value in the Canberra regional style – the riesling fresh, crisp and reasonably dry and the shiraz savoury and medium bodied. You’ll find them in Canberra retail outlets and on restaurant wine lists.

Katnook Founder’s Block Coonawarra Riesling 2009 $18

A peculiarity, and blessing, of a white wine boom several decades ago is the considerable area of riesling planted in Coonawarra – an area noted more for red wine than white. Wine companies trying to be all things to all people often threw a little of everything into the vineyards. Riesling not only survives there, but also produces healthy yields and makes delicious wines at comparatively modest prices. Katnook, from the heart of classic Coonawarra, benefits, as well, from a couple of years bottle age – adding richness and texture to its zesty and still ultra fresh, light and delicate citrusy varietal flavour.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Capital Wines The Frontbencher Shiraz 2009 $25
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales

Winemaker Andrew McEwin sourced fruit for the Frontbencher from Kyeema Vineyard, Ellenvale and Barton Estate. It shows the same touch of class we’re seeing in so many Canberra 2009 reds – a great depth of vivid berry fruit flavours. And in the style long established by McEwin, there’s a generous dollop of tannin forming a chewy, satisfying matrix with the fruit. This’ll help it through a few years in bottle. But it also means you’ll need to glug a bit of air into it to reveal the lovely fruit now.

Rutherglen Estate Fiano 2010 $21.95
Rutherglen, Victoria

A number of Australian vignerons, mainly in hotter regions, now grow fiano, a white native of Italy’s warm, dry Campania region. Rutherglen Estate’s well made 2010, its third vintage, gives a good impression of what to expect from the variety. It’s clean, fresh, zesty, richly textured and dry. The varietal template says to expect “herbal, nutty, smoky spicy notes and hazelnut”. I found herb and spice and touch of pear, a pleasant savouriness and a quite grippy, pleasantly tart finish. This is a long way from our usual fare, but it’s unlikely to be the next sauv blanc.

Capital Wines Kyeema Vineyard Reserve Merlot 2009 $46
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales

It’s not a case of move over shiraz. But Kyeema’s 2009 merlot confirms that Canberra has a second red variety in the very top league. It’s the latest and probably the best from a long line of distinguished merlots made by Andrew McEwin from the Kyeema vineyard. The colour’s limpid, the aroma’s alluring and the palate’s elegant, albeit firmly tannic. But crack the nut of tannin and revel in the kernel of pure, juicy, plummy merlot underneath. It needs a good splash in the decanter before drinking now. But Kyeema will best be enjoyed after another five or six years bottle age.

Black Jack Chortle’s Edge Shiraz 2008 $18
Bendigo, Victoria

It’s dark and big and bold and ripe and juicy and fifteen per cent alcohol. But belying its mammoth size, it’s spicy and savoury and very much in the cool-climate shiraz aroma and flavour mould – a true and big-value example of the Bendigo style. Chortle’s Edge, made by proprietors Ian McKenzie and Ken Pollock, comes from the Turner’s Crossing vineyard, Bridgewater, and Fielding family vineyard, North Harcourt, within the Bendigo region.

Main Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2009 $55
Main Ridge, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Hemingway’s description of wine as “one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection” captures Main Ridge chardonnay – a wine brought to its current beauty over many decades by Nat and Rosalie White. The combination of vineyard work, aimed at perfecting berry flavours, and sensitive winemaking, aimed at capturing flavour and building texture, deliver a full, silky, delicate chardonnay that demands, always, just one more sip. It’s a beautiful wine and from experience, evolves well in the cellar.

Lanson Champagne Brut NV $65
Champagne, France

Most Champagne houses put their base wines through a malo-lactic fermentation, a process that reduces total acidity and softens the wine. There’s good reason to do this in a cold region where austerity in wine is the norm. Because Lanson elects to block this process, their wines present a pleasantly tart but still delicious face of the region. I find it too acidic to enjoy on its own; but well chilled with food it comes to life as a great refresher and teasing foreplay to something more substantial.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Wilson Polish Hill River Riesling 2010 $24

We found this wonderful drop on the wine list at Starfish Deli, Bateman’s Bay, and enjoyed it with fish and chips – a happy combination. It’s from the Wilson family’s stony, low-yielding vineyard in the Clare Valley’s cool Polish Hill River sub-region. It appeals for its pure, intense, lime-like varietal flavour and refreshingly acidic but very delicate finish. Winemaker Daniel Wilson says the vineyard lies on hard, stony ground and the spindly, thirty-plus year old vines consistently deliver powerful riesling flavours. He added that a new distribution arrangement means we can now find it in Canberra and on the south coast.

Rioja Crianza (Solar Viejo) 2007 $27–$30

This savoury red, from Spain’s Rioja region, is imported by the Wingara Wine Group, owners of Katnook Estate, Coonawarra. It’s 100 per cent tempranillo, unaided by the region’s usual blending partners garnacha and graciano. Fourteen months in oak and about a year in bottle brings it to an appealing stage of maturity. Rather than the plump, bright fruitiness we’re used to in Australian reds it’s aromatic but lean and savoury with a fine, firm backbone of tannin, releasing teasing bursts of fruit flavour. It drinks beautifully now and should hold its appeal for another few years.

Yarra Loch Yarra Valley Arneis 2010 $25

Annoyingly in this age of regional marketing the Coldstream, Yarra Valley, grape origin isn’t included on the label. That quibble aside, it’s a beautiful wine, with punchy, herbal aroma and rich, vibrant, juicy palate with zesty, refreshing acid backbone and dry finish. Winemaker David Bicknell fermented the wine partly in oak, partly in stainless steel – the combination giving great purity as well as body and structure. It weighs in at a modest 12.5 per cent alcohol. Arneis, meaning little rascal, is a white variety of Italy’s Piedmont region.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris 2008 $24
Wamboin, Canberra District, New South Wales

Ruth and Steve Lambert use the French “gris” rather than Italian “grigio” and back it with a wine in the Alsacian style. The colour’s a deep yellow and fresh, pear-like varietal flavour rises above a viscous, smooth, moderately sweet and warmly alcoholic palate. The viscosity and residual grape sugar set this style apart from the crisp dryness of more mainstream varieties. The body, sweetness and a little kiss of tannin make it good company for robust food, for example grilled salmon.

Best’s Thomson Family Shiraz 2008 $150
Great Western, Grampians Region, Victoria

Why not celebrate Valentine’s day at home, enjoying home-cooked food and savouring a luxurious red. Thomson Family shiraz, sourced from vines planted in 1867, offers a profound savoury, firm expression of the variety – a wine of rare dimension for long cellaring. Its softer, more voluptuously fruity cellar mate, Bin O Shiraz 2008( $65), might be an even more-seductive-now option. It’s sourced from estate vines planted in the late nineteenth and mid twentieth century.

Taittinger Prelude Grand Crus Champagne $130

There’s a lovable elegance and creamy richness to the Taittinger Champagnes. And with the non-vintage Prelude blend comes an extra flavour dimension and pure magic that has little to do with winemaking technique. The key is grape quality – in this instance top-notch material from some of the Champagne region’s greatest vineyards, pinot noir from the Montagne de Reims and chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs. What a lovely, gentle, elegant Valentine’s treat.

Main Ridge Estate Half Acre Pinot Noir 2009 $70
Mornington Peninsular, Victoria

Sex and wine share a sense of anticipation driven by sensual cues. And if any wine can be sexy, surely it’s pinot noir. No other variety seduces so completely – the shimmering, limpid, crimson colour; the sweet, floral, musky, earthy, savoury aroma; and the juicy, slurpy, slippery, firm-but-tender flood of liquid on our palates. Indeed, for the sufficiently temperate, there’s every hope of enjoying both in one night. Our Valentine’s choice is the demure but ultimately naked pleasure revealed in Main Ridge 2009.

Riposte The Sabre Pinot Noir 2009 $29
Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The Sabre, delivers pinot seduction at a realistic price. Like its impressive $20 cellar mate, the “Dagger” 2010, reviewed last month, it’s made by Tim Knappstein. Where the Dagger offers delicious, upfront, drink-now pinot flavour, The more tightly coiled Sabre needs time to unwind. Over time the fruity, savoury, spicy pinot flavours push through the firm but fine backbone of tannin. The Sabre won the pinot trophy at the Adelaide Hills wine show.

Tim Adams Botrytis Riesling 2010 375ml $31
Clare Valley, South Australia

This is another deeply sensuous Valentine’s wine, suited to sinfully creamy, stinky, veiny, runny cheese, perhaps mixed with honey, perhaps scooped out and slurped down with Silo bread. It’s very sweet, as the style should be. But the intense, lime-like varietal flavour and searing acidity keep it fresh, balanced and interesting for glass after glass. Tim Adams made it from late picked, very ripe, botrytis-infected riesling grapes from his Ireland’s Vineyard.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

d’Arenberg The Money Spider McLaren Vale Roussanne 2009 $17-$19

d’Arenberg, The Vale’s master of the Rhône Valley red varieties grenache, shiraz and mourvedre, some years back turned its hand, with equal panache, to the white varieties, marsanne, viognier and roussanne. The shy roussanne appeals strongly in the 2009 vintage. The aroma and flavour are reminiscent of stone fruit and honey. The palate begins juicy, full and smoothly viscous. But it’s also dry and savoury with a pleasant, subtle twist of tannin to finish. In its northern Rhone home, roussanne is normally blended with other varieties, but in Money Spider it stands comfortably alone.

Kingston Estate Padthaway-Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010 $12–$14

In this blend Bill Moularadellis combines the full, ripe-melon and nectarine character of chardonnay from Padthaway (about two hours drive north of Mount Gambier) with tangier, citrus-like material from the cooler Adelaide Hills. It’s tasty, inexpensive and always tempting to come back for another sip as the wine’s complex and interesting but also bright, fruity and refreshing. Clever use of oak and contact with yeast lees added texture and subtle flavours as a backdrop to the vibrant varietal flavours.

Cotes-du-Rhone (M. Chapoutier) 2008 $15–$18

This is what a French country wine should be about but often is not – clean, tasty, pleasing to drink, realistically priced with flavours reflecting region and variety. Chapoutier’s blend combines grenache and shiraz from the Drome, Vaucluse, Gard and Ardeche in the southern Rhone Valley. It’s medium bodied, with spicy, earthy grenache leading the nose and palate and shiraz adding grip and structure. It’s not as fleshy or as in-your-face fruity as comparable Australian blends, but that’s only to do with individual style, not quality. What a terrific, distinctive drink at a fair price.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Ashton Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2008 $40
Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The highlight of a recent meal at Sabayon Restaurant was Ashton Hills Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir 2008. Alas, it’s sold out says winemaker Stephen George. But its cellar mates, Estate 2008 and Reserve 2008 ($60) are still available. The seductively high-toned Estate wine captures the juicy, plush, sexy, naked beauty of this great variety. And the slightly more coy Reserve needs to be stripped back, layer by layer – revealing a glorious, even profound Australian pinot.

Coldstream Hills Single Vineyard Chardonnays $28–$35
Rising and Deer Farm vineyards, Yarra Valley, Victoria

In 2009 winemaker Andrew Fleming applied similar winemaking techniques to two batches of Yarra grapes – one from the high, cool Deer Farm vineyard, the other from the lower, warmer Rising Vineyard. The wines express the distinctive flavours of grapes ripened at different temperatures: full, ripe nectarine and peach from the Rising Vineyard and lean, taut grapefruit from Deer Farm. Of course, this is all in the context of rich, barrel-fermented chardonnay.

Mount Riley Pinot Gris 2010 $17.99
Marlborough, New Zealand

Mount Riley is a 100-hectare vineyard and winery owned by the Buchanan family. Their pinot gris presents the variety’s off-dry, richly textured face. It’s modelled on the originals from Alsace France and quite a contrast to the taut, bone-dry, Italian-inspired Chapel Hill reviewed last week. This Marlborough version captures varietal pear-like aromas and flavours and there’s plenty of acid, plus a twist of tannin, to offset the pleasant, low-level sweetness.

M. Chapoutier Domaine Tournon Syrah 2009 $16.99
Victoria, Australia

Following French “domaine” tradition, Michel Chapoutier sources fruit for his Australian wine from Tournon’s vineyards in Heathcote, Beechworth and the Pyrenees, Victoria. Unusual for an Australian wine it’s matured in stainless steel and concrete tanks – no oak at all. This leaves spicy shiraz at its heart – medium bodied, subtle, supple and plush, with a convincing line of fine tannin for structure. This and Chapoutier’s Crozes-Hermitage, reviewed below, could well serve as proxies for the general  Australian and French styles – the first plush and fruity; the second, lean and elegant.

M. Chapoutier “La Petite Ruche” Crozes-Hermitage 2008 $26.99
Crozes-Hermitage, Rhone Valley, France

Don’t fret too much about the fancy name, Crozes-Hermitage is just a grape-growing town in France’s northern Rhone Valley famed for its shiraz (or “syrah” in French). The wine’s medium coloured and intensely aromatic – featuring the distinctive pepper-like character of cool-grown shiraz. The pepper comes through, too, on a sinewy, savoury, beautifully elegant palate with its underlying kernel of sweet berry flavours and fine, gripping finish.

Quarry Hill Shiraz 2008 $18.50
Canberra District, New South Wales

Dean Terrell’s Quarry Hill vineyard sells grapes to Alex McKay for his Collector brand. With this connection, it made sense for Terrell to hire McKay as winemaker for the Quarry Hill label, too. In 2008 that resulted in a vibrantly fruity, medium bodied shiraz with a fine, firm backbone of tannin and noticeable touch of oak. It’s an appealing, drink now red sitting high in the three-star range. This is a vineyard to watch. Outstanding value.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Binbilla Hilltops Good Friday Shiraz 2009 $25
Binbilla is a tiny, hand-tended vineyard near Young, owned by Gerard and Bez Hines. Nick O’Leary makes the wine and describes the 2009 as a “leaner style” than the typical Hilltops shiraz. He picks the grapes comparatively early, “when the vines are healthy, before the leaves turn yellow” – thus capturing the fruit at its vibrant best, before it shrivels. The result is a fragrant, lively, bright, medium bodied shiraz with a firm, fine, silky, tannic structure. It’s wonderful to see so much innovation and excitement in Canberra’s backyard. Watch this vineyard. See www.binbillawines.com

Wignall Albany

• Pinot Noir 2009 $31
• Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $18.50

At only 35 degrees south and just 33 metres above sea level, Albany ought not be cool enough to make good pinot. But high humidity helps retain varietal aromatics. And, says Rob Wignall, the “Albany doctor”, whistles in from the Antarctic, dropping afternoon and nighttime temperatures dramatically, further enhancing varietal flavour. It shows in Wignall’s highly aromatic, vibrant 2009 – a deliciously fruity drop probably best enjoyed in the first five years from vintage. Likewise the 2010 sauvignon blanc delivers clear but subtle varietal flavour in a distinctive zesty but soft way. See www.wignallswine.com.au

Bourke Street Canberra District

• Pinot Noir 2010 $21
• Chardonnay 2010 $21

Local winemakers Alex McKay and Nick O’Leary launched their Bourke Street brand last year with a lovely Canberra District shiraz 2008. They recently added to the range pinot noir and chardonnay, sourced mainly from Bob Knight’s high-altitude, low-yielding vineyard. While on the light and elegant side, the pinot shows good varietal character and has the flavour depth and structure to be taken seriously. The chardonnay is a notch better again. It’s on the tight, lean side, but packed with delicious nectarine and grapefruit varietal flavour – barrel fermentation and maturation added subtly to the texture and complexity. Both wines are bargains.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

Thirst Riesling 2010 Bottle $28, Glass $6.50
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales
Hot, thirsty and running early for dinner, we paused for a cold riesling at Thirst Wine Bar and Eatery (West Row, Civic). Winemaker Nick O’Leary says grapes for the wine came from several vineyards at Murrumbateman. He says it’s a blend of various components, including material not suited to his own brand. It’s racy, tasty, vibrant and dry – good enough to sip on its own, as we did, and perfect with Thirst’s Thai food. Full marks to Thirst for selecting and offering its customers such a delicious, inexpensive local specialty.

Bourke Street Shiraz 2009 $19–$21
Yass Valley and Hall, Canberra District, NSW and ACT
This will be one of the great red wine bargains of the year – a juicy, vibrant, spicy, medium-bodied shiraz from Canberra’s outstanding 2009 vintage – made by two of our leading winemakers, Nick O’Leary and Alex McKay. The pair buy grapes together, principally for their own brands, Nick O’Leary and Collector Marked Tree. They blend Bourke Street from components not suited to those brands. Clearly, these were of extraordinary quality in 2009. O’Leary says the grapes came from Wallaroo Vineyard, Hall, and the McKenzie vineyard, Yass Valley.

Tower Estate Riesling 2010 $23.80–$28.00
Windmill Vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley, South Australia
Tower Estate was a vision of the late Len Evans and a fitting site for his extraordinary wake in 2006. A visit to the Hunter Valley cellar door gives an insight into Evans’ quirky creativity. And a taste of Tower wines reveals another Evans’ legacy – a commitment to stellar quality. He would’ve loved this pristine, intense, lime-like dry riesling, sourced from Chris and Darry Honey’s Windmill Vineyard at Watervale, Clare’s southernmost sub-region.

Chalmers Sagrantino 2008 $32
Euston, Murray Darling Region, New South Wales
Sagrantino, originally from Umbria, Italy, tends to make powerful, tannic reds, suited to madmen, heroes and Godzilla. But the Chalmers family’s version stops short of sucking the water from your eyes – tempered, temporarily, by its bright, sweet fruit, before the sturdy, mouth-drying tannins kick in. They also offer a dry, savoury barrel-fermented rose version (Sagrantino Rosato 2010, $22) with an assertive, but not aggressive, tannic tweak to the finish.

Chapel Hill Il Vescovo Pinot Grigio 2010 $22
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
When making whites from this mutant of pinot noir, Australian winemakers generally use “pinot grigio” for dry, austere styles made in the north eastern Italian mould, or “pinot gris” for richly textured, sometimes sweet expressions modelled on those of Alsace. In this version winemaker Bryn Richards really captures pinot grigio’s elusive varietal aroma and flavour. It’s a pristine, lively, shimmering, dry style with a mouth watering, savoury finish.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir 2008 $49.90
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Peter Gago made Penfolds’ first Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir in 1997. Since then it’s evolved considerably in style from sturdy Penfolds red to a fine, deeply layered, top-shelf pinot. It’s made in the original open fermenters at Magill Estate – the same ones Max Schubert used for Grange. In this case they’re cradle to a substantial pinot – highly aromatic and varietal, intensely flavoured, fleshy, vibrant, silky textured with an exotic undertone of “stalkiness”, derived from whole grape bunches included in the ferment.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011

d’Arenberg McLaren Vale “The Cadenzia” Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre Tempranillo Cinsault 2008 $22–$25
d’Arenberg’s seductive blend contains four of the 13 varieties permitted in the reds of France’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape region – and throws in Spain’s tempranillo, too. The blend contains roughly equal portions of grenache, shiraz, mourvedre and tempranillo and just a hatful of cinsault. No single variety stands out. Instead we have a medium bodied dry red that’s subtle, soft, flavour packed and easy to drink. But it’s also savoury and complex with satisfying red wine structure – and it’s oh, so hard to screw the cap back on once it’s opened. It captures McLaren Vale’s generous flavours without the heaviness sometimes associated with our warm areas.

Coriole

• McLaren Vale Sangiovese 2009 $22
• McLaren Vale Barbera 2008 $30
• Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo 2008 $35

Mark Lloyd’s Italian varieties offer a flavour world far removed our usual menu of shiraz, cabernet and pinot noir. The limpid sangiovese appeals for its medium body, savoury flavours and taut, grippy tannins – such a good combination with char-grilled meat of all kinds. The barbera startles with its vivid crimson colour and high-toned aroma – always reminiscent of summer berries, but in this warm vintage resembling very ripe mulberries. The palate is soft and round, but not without a tannic twist to finish. The deceptively pale nebbiolo offers deep, earthy flavours, tightly bound with firm, lingering, drying tannins.

• Pikes Clare “Traditionele” Valley Riesling 2009 $17–$23
• “The Merle” Riesling 2009 $33–$38

“Traditionele” and “The Merle” present slightly different, but dry, faces of Clare riesling. “Traditionele” is the softer of the two, being less acidic but still vibrantly fresh with pure, citrusy varietal flavours. It’s slightly rounder and fuller flavoured than “The Merle” but still, clearly, its sibling. “The Merle”, shows the more acidic, dry austerity of Clare’s Polish Hill sub-region. And hand-in-hand with that goes an extraordinarily intense-but-delicate lime-like varietal flavour – setting it apart from ordinary rieslings. Both have the capacity to change in pleasing ways with cellaring. But “The Merle”, I suspect, will still make us smile thirty years from now.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2011