Hewitson Barossa Valley Miss Harry 2007 $22
Meet Miss Harry, the softest, easiest going of Dean Hewitson’s wine family, an extraordinary line up of the Barossa’s time-proven red varieties – grenache, shiraz and mourvedre.  Miss Harry combines all three. She’s built on fragrant, juicy grenache, backed by solid rich shiraz and spicy, firm mourvedre (aka mataro). Dean fermented the three varieties separately, finishing off the ferments in old French-oak barrels, where they matured on yeast lees for fifteen months. The result is a vibrantly fruity but complete and mellow red offering extraordinary quality for the price. Miss Harry includes fruit from vines dating back to the late 19th century.

Hewitson Barossa Ned & Henry’s Barossa Valley Shiraz 2007 $26
It’s labelled ‘shiraz’ but in fact contains a small portion of mourvedre (less than 15% or it’d have to be labelled ‘shiraz mourvedre’). The mourvedre is an important addition as it moves the wine into new territory – from robust but soft and tender Barossa shiraz into a more spicy, savoury zestier style. It’s built on Barossa shiraz’s ripe, chocolaty fruit flavours, but there’s a   unique, racy edge to Ned & Henry’s which may be partly attributable to the use of French oak, not just to mourvedre. Whatever’s behind the flavours, it’s an exciting wine at a fair price.

Hewitson Barossa Baby Bush Mourvedre 2007 $28
Hewitson Barossa Old Garden Mourvedre 2007 $70
Back in 1853 Friedrich Koch planted mourvedre vines on a sandy site at what we now call Rowland Flat, in the southern Barossa Valley. Koch’s descendents still hand prune and harvest those extraordinary old vines (each an individual bush) and the fruit goes to ‘Old Garden’. It’s a magnificent, powerful-but-elegant red that’s seamlessly absorbed its maturation in new French oak barrels. The delightfully named ‘Baby Bush’ shows a fruitier, less complex face of the variety. It’s made from a younger vineyard (planted with cuttings from the old vines) and matured in older barrels previously used for ‘Old Garden’. These are great gems (and wonderful to drink). See www.hewitson.com.au

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Glandore Hunter Valley Shiraz 2007 $20–25
Today’s wines are the first I’ve seen from Glandore Wines, established in 2004 on the site of the former Rothbury Estate Brokenback vineyard, Pokolbin. It’s a new company but there’s a distinguished provenance to the shiraz. Winemaker Duane Roy says it’s from a block of vines, planted in 1967, on the Howard family’s Somerset vineyard, Pokolbin. The late Len Evans favoured the site and in the late 1990s I had a hand in marketing a Somerset shiraz made by Len and Keith Tulloch for Vintage Cellars. The 1997 is still drinking well. Glandore 2007 is classic supple, soft Hunter shiraz with an appealing spicy-oak note.

Glandore Hunter Valley Tempranillo 2005 $28–35
Glandore’s tempranillo comes from Will Britten’s decade old vineyard in the Hunter’s Broke/Fordwich sub-region – a valley over, but a world apart, from Pokolbin. Like the shiraz, a portion of the wine is fermented in upended 500-litre barrels (puncheons) and consists of numerous small batches. There’s a robust core of delicious ripe fruit and a lick of sweet oak, offset beautifully by assertive but ripe tannins. These exceptional wines are available through www.glandorewines.com Duane Roy tells me that Glenn Howard recently planted tempranillo on the Somerset Vineyard, Pokolbin – a promising sign for this Spanish variety. Duane’s also sourcing shiraz from the Canberra District this year.

Mitchell Clare Valley Semillon 2007 $22
Mt Horrocks Clare Valley Semillon 2008 $27
Clare semillon can be extraordinarily delicious – and totally unlike semillons from the Hunter or Barossa valleys. Hunters tend to be low alcohol, unoaked, austere when young, then honeyed and toasty with age. Barossa produces a notably fuller style and, in recent years, the best have been unoaked and finer than in the old days. But the leading Clare styles, like Mount Horrocks and Mitchell, are oak fermented and mature on yeast sediments. This builds textural richness and flavour complexity in the wines without detracting from the beautifully fresh, focused lemon-like varietal flavour. By a small margin I favour the Mitchell wine, perhaps because of the extra year’s bottle age.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Brindabella Hills Canberra District Riesling 2008 $18–20
There’s a big difference between a quick sip of a wine and downing the whole bottle over dinner. Few wines hold your attention to the last drop. But this one did over a plate of superb south coast oysters at Aubergine Restaurant, Griffith, last week. Its shimmering freshness, delicate fruit and taut, mineral-dry finish matched the briny-fresh oysters perfectly. Winemaker Roger Harris rates 2008 as the best yet from his 20-year-old vines. There’s still a little left at cellar door ($20 a bottle, $18 in dozens) and around the trade. This is a brilliant wine and a great bargain.

Mitchell Clare Valley

• Watervale Riesling 2008 $22
• McNicol Riesling 2005 $42

If you’ve heard of aged riesling but not had the pleasure, try Andrew and Jane Mitchell’s magnificent, just released McNicol Clare Valley 2005. It’s from a higher, cooler site than their Watervale riesling. Indeed, tasting both 2005s together revealed the flavour differences of the two sites – the Watervale being slightly plumper and more mature, but still juicy and fresh; the McNicol brisk, intense and concentrated with long cellaring ahead of it. The Watervale 2005 is no longer available, but its stunningly good successor, the 2008, is still in the trade and at cellar door. This is one of our great riesling estates.

Mitchell Clare Valley

• GSM 2005 $22
• Peppertree Watervale Shiraz 2006 $27
• McNicol Shiraz 2001 $45
• Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $27

Mitchell’s red offerings show the traditional face of the Clare Valley in the shiraz and cabernet and a clever, clever, satisfying adaptation in the GSM. No, it’s not grenache-shiraz-mourvedre, but grenache-sangiovese-mourvedre – an unoaked blend based on the fruity, supple opulence of grenache, tempered by savoury, tannic sangiovese and mourvedre. The young shiraz is pure, ripe, vibrant and varietal with an appealing sweet depth; the older McNicol retains freshness and varietal flavour, but it’s overlaid with that special spicy, savoury, mellow depth of bottle age. The five-year-old cabernet might put a few Margaret River and Coonawarra makers on notice. These are all robust but graceful regional reds.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Riposte ‘The Stiletto’ Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris $22–$26
Barwang Tumbarumba Pinot Gris 2008 $17–$20
Pinot gris, a clear or yellow or golden or grey or pink, long-tamed mutant of pinot noir, comes in so many styles – bone dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet or sweet – it’s almost impossible to define. But the most intensely flavoured, possessing so-called classic ‘nashi pear’ varietal character, invariably come from cool growing regions. These two, from the elevated Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills districts, deliver crystal clear varietal flavour at the dry end of the pinot gris spectrum. The Barwang is pure, taut and delicious. But the Riposte offers another dimension and rates as my best yet Aussie expression of the variety. The Riposte brand is owned and made by Tim Knappstein.

Barwang Hilltops Shiraz 2007 $17–$20
Barwang Hilltops Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $17–$20
The nearby Hilltops region produces slightly deeper, fuller-bodied reds than cooler Canberra. But the two styles sit comfortably together as we saw at last year’s regional wine show where reds from both districts won gold medals. Barwang Shiraz 2007 (one of those gold medallists) has strong, peppery varietal flavour and sturdy, grippy tannins – a satisfying drop at a modest price. The cabernet, too, is full-blooded with blackcurrant-like varietal flavour, a leafy hint and the even sturdier, grippier tannins of the variety. The Barwang vineyard, established by the late Peter Robinson in 1969, belongs to McWilliams and the winemaker is Andrew Higgins.

Angove Long Row Chardonnay 2007 $8–$10
The tasty benefits of cross-regional blending show in Angove’s budget-price Long Row chardonnay. By combining cheaper, less flavoursome grapes with more intensely flavoured material from areas like Wrattonbully, Padthaway and Mount Benson, the makers strike the correct value to quality ratio. It’s a rich, crisp and lively wine with unmistakable melon-peach-chardonnay flavour and touch of oak. Drink up now as it’ll lose its vibrant edge with age.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $33–$50
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2006 $40–$60
The bargain-basement pricing’s gone, but these are world-class wines with proven long-term cellaring ability. Bin 407 – sourced from Robe and nearby Coonawarra on the Limestone Coast, Langhorne Creek and the Barossa Valley – is as ripe, graceful and pure an expression of cabernet as you’re likely to find. It’s lovely to drink and sure to evolve well. Bin 389 from the Barossa, Langhorne Creek, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale regions is fuller and more powerful with a chewier, more assertive tannic grip than the Bin 407. It’s harmonious, despite the power, but needs a few years in the cellar.

Punt Road ‘Airlie Bank’ range $15–$20
The drink-now range of the Napoleone family’s Punt Road winery includes Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Chardonnay 2007, Pinot Noir 2007, Shiraz Viognier 2007 and Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006 – all from the Yarra Valley. There’s an appealing fine-ness and elegance across the range from the brisk, citrusy sauvignon to the rich, fresh, refined chardonnay to the zippy, fruity pinot to the fragrant, peppery, supple shiraz viognier to the dusty, fine-grained cabernet merlot. These are really delightful regional varietals – terrific stuff from winemaker Kate Goodman. See www.puntroadwines.com.au for more info.

West End Canberra District Riesling 2008 $13.50–$15
West End Richland Cabernet Merlot 2008 $10.80–$12
West End 3 Bridges Durif 2007 $20–$23
Bill Calabria’s West End Estate at Griffith, NSW, produces a wide range of wine styles including some of the Shaw Vineyard Estate Wines from Canberra. I’m assuming that’s the source of West End’s own keenly priced Canberra Riesling, a pleasing, floral, fruity and delicate style for current drinking. Richland Cabernet Merlot is full of primary, grapey flavours a touch of warming alcohol and a background, mildly astringent bite of tannin. The hugely fruity Durif (a cross of shiraz and peloursin) is layered with soft tannins and has an aftertaste reminiscent of Pascal blackcurrant jubes – something to love or hate.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Penfolds new release reds $23–$34

• Bin 138 Barossa Valley Grenache Mourvedre Shiraz 2007
• Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2007 
• Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2006 

This year’s release of Penfolds reds has been a demure affair. The customary retail price wars seem to have given way to stock pictures, tasting invitations and nary a price in press ads. We’ve not yet seen the $15.75 slash-and-burn of just two years ago. But prices tumbled from a recommended retail of $33.99 to around $23 (by the case) – at present – at which they offer seriously good value. The quality’s exciting. And time-proven cellaring potential across the range is even more reliable now that they’re all under screw cap. There’s a Penfolds thumbprint to each wine; but there’s individuality as well, starting with the juicy Bin 138 blend.

There’s a base of lovely, fleshy grenache in Bin 138. But mourvedre (aka mataro) and shiraz add a spicy, earthy note and the fine, ripe, persistent tannins that mark the Penfolds style. It’s delicious to drink now but should alter enjoyably over at least another decade in bottle. Bin 128 shows cooler fruit origins in its elegant structure and underlying peppery/spicy shiraz flavours. But there’s a tannic austerity, too, and a pleasing savouriness that seems to come from both the fruit and the French oak. The fruit versus tannin tension in this too-young (but superb) wine will resolve with a few years’ bottle age.

Bin 28 is the deepest coloured of the three wines, reflecting the origin of its fruit from the warm Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale regions. It was named for the Kalimna Vineyard, in the northwestern Barossa, original source of Bin 28 and still source of much Grange material. There’s a juicy, chewy, ripe-black-cherry richness to the fruit and it’s layered with firm, grippy tannins, in the Penfolds mould – like a matrix of fruit and tannin. It’s big, solid, harmonious and built to enjoy across the decades. Like Bin 138 and Bin 128 it’s a wine of unusual dimension and pedigree for $23.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

d’Arenberg The Stump Jump white range $9–$12

• McLaren Vale Riesling, McLaren Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2008
• McLaren Adelaide Hills Lightly Wooded Chardonnay 2008

We’re normally spruiking the virtues of d’Arenberg’s reds (like the delicious $25 Love Grass Shiraz). But their new Stump Jump whites deserve a nod at the price – especially if the retailers get stuck into them. They’re all as fresh as new season apples and true to their varietal labels. The riesling’s generous but light, tending more towards the floral, drink-now style; the sauvignon blanc’s chalky dry with bracing, fresh acidity; and the chardonnay has a peachy richness without being fat or heavy. No doubt the cool-grown Adelaide Hills component tempers the sauvy and chardy. Great value.

Tahbilk Nagambie Lakes Marsanne 2008 $15–$17
Lovely old Tabilk, on an anabranch of the Goulburn River in central Victoria, put marsanne on the drinker’s menu in Australia. The late Eric Purbrick established the style using marsanne vines dating from 1927. His grandson Alister extended the plantings and fine-tuned the long-lived style. It’s more vibrant than ever as a young wine but still undergoes the same lovely transformation with age – from zesty, lemony, white peach flavours in youth to a richer, honeyed, (some say honeysuckle-like) character with age. The modern wines, with less tannin and screwcap rather than cork seals, will probably prove better and more reliable in the long run than the wines that built Tahbilk’s reputation.

Anvers ‘The Warrior’ Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2005 $47
Brothers in Arms Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2005 $44 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $50

‘The Warrior’ presents a sinewy, taut, savoury face of shiraz. It’s a deliciously executed and seamless blend from three very different South Australian regions – see www.anvers.com.au. The Brothers in Arms wines come from brothers Guy and Tom Adams, owners of the legendary Metala Vineyard, made famous from 1932 by Jack Kilgour’s great Saltram wines, later re-badged as Metala, a name still used by Foster’s today. The shiraz is a powerful, supple, sweet-fruited red. It’s lovely now but almost certainly age well for a decade or more. The equally plush cabernet shows the typical mint-like notes and juicy flavours of the region as layers of drying, grippy tannins.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Tar & Roses Heathcote Tempranillo 2007 $24
Tar & Rose Priorat D.O. (Spain) Miro 2006 $49
Don Lewis (former Mitchelton winemaker) and Narelle King (a protégé of Don’s) make the Tar & Roses wines here and in Spain. Tempranillo (a Spanish variety) seems well suited to Victoria’s Heathcote region and shows real class in this example from the 2007 vintage. It’s dense and vibrant with juicy, ripe fruit flavours and persistent real-red tannins – distinctive and powerful but not heavy. The Spanish red (predominantly grenache and carinenena with a little shiraz, cabernet and merlot) is beautifully fragrant with a deliciously harmonious, fine palate that belies its 15 per cent alcohol – one bottle won’t be enough.

Tar & Roses Central Victoria Pinot Grigio 2008 $18
Pinot grigio (aka pinot gris), a mutant of pinot noir, can be sweet, dry (or somewhere in between), watery, grey, golden or pink.  The majority are bland. But occasionally a winemaker captures the pear-like varietal flavour with the rich texture and backbone you’d expect from pinot – something Don Lewis and Narelle King achieve in this modestly priced drop. It’s just lovely to drink now and makes an interesting change from riesling, sauvignon blanc, semillon or chardonnay. It’s sourced from the Strathbogie Ranges, Nagambie Lakes and Sunbury, Victoria.

McKellar Ridge Canberra District Shiraz Viognier 2007 and Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2007 $24
In a district of small makers, McKellar Ridge is a small, small winemaker, handcrafting batches of wines from the Point of View Vineyard, Murrumbateman. It’s not that easy making tiny batches as there’s no big pot to tip the mistakes into. But if winemaker Brian Johnston makes mistakes, it’s a well-hidden secret as the quality’s been consistently good and the prices modest. Brian’s latest shiraz viognier’s in the taut, fine Canberra style with an assertive vein of spicy oak biting through the very good fruit. There’s nice fruit in the cabernet, too, but it’s offset by the grippy tannins of the variety. They’re attractive, elegant wines and should be even better in 6–12 months.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Robert Stein Mudgee Riesling 2008 $25
A few sips on one of those recent 40-degree days and it was first in best dressed for the rest of the bottle. It’s an irresistible and exceptionally brisk, refreshing riesling, weighing in at just 11.5 per cent alcohol and with the refreshing qualities of fresh, chilled lime juice.  The label doesn’t give the precise origin – and the website seems to be mute as well – but the high acidity and intense, fine, lime-like varietal flavour suggest a cool region – perhaps from one of the more elevated sites in the vicinity of Mudgee.  It’s won several trophies and gold medals and it’s available from the winery at www.robertstein.com.au

Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay 2006 $46, Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2006 $57, Clare Valley Gaia 2006 $52
Some time back Clare Valley based Jeffrey Grosset spread his wings to include in his range a couple of wines from the much cooler Adelaide Hills – a little further south of Clare on South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges. His barrel fermented chardonnay is in the modern taut, zesty complex style and has the capacity to mature gracefully for four or five years. Grosset’s pinot is deceptively velvety, juicy and easy to drink now. But from past experience will take on more complex earthy, gamy flavours with a few years bottle age. Gaia -– a cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot blend – is my favourite of the three. It’s powerful but smooth with the pleasing astringency of cabernet. Should age well in the long term. See www.grosset.com.au

Main Ridge Estate Mornington Half Acre Pinot Noir 2006 $62, Acre Pinot Noir 2006  $52
Nat and Rosalie White are just about out of these two ultra-fine, intense pinots so they’re rationed to three bottles a customer. But if you’ve a taste for fine, ethereal, pure pinot noir, then this is as good as it gets in Australia – see www.mre.com.au. And the 2007s, due for release in May are another notch up in quality. Indeed, in two days of tasting at Mornington recently it became clear that Australia is right up there with the best of the new world producers. We now have pinots of the highest calibre, coming from Mornington, Yarra Valley, Macedon, Gippsland and Tasmania.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Wicks Estate Adelaide Hills Riesling 2008 $15
Heemskerk Coal River Valley Riesling 2008 $40
Here are two contrasting and lovely rieslings from the 2008 vintage. The Wicks Estate Wine is not as austere as you’d expect from the cool Adelaide Hills. It’s invitingly aromatic, in riesling’s citrus-like way, with a soft, deliciously fruity and very fine, crisp palate. It’s a bargain at $15 cellar door – see www.wicksestate.com.au. Heemskerk, from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, near Hobart, offers a contrasting expression of riesling – one with a bracing, steely, acidic spine that’s offset by an intensity of fruit flavour and a subtle texture.  It’s a Foster’s brand. Hopefully you’ll have more luck than I did trying to enter www.heemskerk.com.au.

Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2006 $40
You’ve probably read by now that sauvignon blanc overtook chardonnay as our biggest selling white style a few months ago. It’s a great quaffer, but to me it’s one of the most boring varieties of all. However, sometimes in tandem with semillon it’s a bit more attention grabbing and satisfying. Following the Bordeaux style, Cape Mentelle, combines the two varieties, including in the blend components that’ve been fermented in French oak barrels. The resulting wine retains the pungent varietal character of sauvignon. But the semillon and oak-ferment makes the aroma and flavour more complex and adds greater texture and depth to the palate.

d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2007 $9–$11
d’Arenberg The Footbolt McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006 $16–$20
Wirra Wirra McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Merlot 2007 $18–$23
By the way, don’t be surprised to see any of these big-value reds even cheaper. A big wine surplus continues to feed into the retail price brawl, dragging prices ever lower. The predominantly grenache Stump Jump’ is the lighter of the three – a vibrant but earthy and dry medium bodied red to enjoy now. ‘The Footbolt’ offers good old juicy, savoury McLaren Shiraz flavours with a full, velvet-smooth palate. The vibrant ‘Church Block’ leans towards leafy and ripe-berry cabernet flavours – the little touch of astringency making it good company for roasted and barbecued red meats.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009