Brindabella Hills Canberra District Riesling 2008 $18–$20, Shiraz 2006 $22.50–$25
Roger and Faye Harris’s delicious, lime-like riesling has at last been recognised in a top-tier wine show – the 2008 recently winning gold in Canberra’s International Riesling Challenge. The wine was also rated by the judges as one of the best ten Aussie rieslings in the show. And at the Canberra Regional Show in September, the Harris’s 2006 shiraz won silver, and went within a hair’s breadth of winning gold. Although it’s from one of Canberra’s warmest sites (on the edge of the Murrumbidgee Valley), it’s still cast in the fine, supple, district mould – a style that’s rich but subtle and all to easy to drink.

Alinga Four Winds Vineyard Canberra District Riesling 2008 $16, Shiraz 2005 $16
These are grown and made at Four Winds Vineyard by Graeme Lunney. He established vines in1998 and 1999 at the beginning of Hardy’s decade long dabble in the area, but now sells to other makers as well as making his own wine. They’re both multiple medal winners, with success at the recent regional show, Cowra, the NSW Small Winemakers Show and the International Riesling Challenge – no golds yet, but silver and bronze in these events is impressive. The riesling is in a full, round, soft style. It’s juicy and fresh and ready to drink now. Graeme’s shiraz is in the fine-boned Canberra style. It’s spicy and savoury but fleshy with fine, soft tannins.

Majella Coonawarra Shiraz 2006 $28, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $28 and The Malleea 2005 $66
These reds, from Prof and Tony Lynn’s vineyard, rate consistently amongst the best of the region.  The shiraz is lovely, but I’d love to see the Lynns follow Wynns example and back off a little on the oak – let the elegant fruit flourish completely. The cabernet is classic Coonawarra. It’s a world-class example of the variety but costs only fraction of the price you’d pay for a Bordeaux of comparable quality. The 2006 seems a little less ripe than the 2005, but it’s got Coonawarra’s wonderful strength with elegance. And Malleea 2005 is sensational – beautifully ripe with shiraz generosity, cabernet structure and Coonawarra elegance.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Mitchell Clare Valley – Riesling 2008 $22, Peppertree Shiraz 2006 $25, McNicol Shiraz 2000 $40
Keep the 2008 rieslings rolling. They’re delicious. And with Andrew and Jane Mitchell’s there’s always an extra textural richness to go with the pure, delicate varietal flavour. Lap it up while you can. The reds, too, are distinctive, combining Clare richness with an elegant structure. We loved the vibrant and fruity 2006 Peppertree at a recent tasting – the first bottle to be emptied afterwards. And the McNicol is rare treat: a mature, warm, inviting red that combines freshness with the mellow, earthy flavours that come with age. For screw-cap doubters it’s proof that reds mature perfectly under this seal.

Pikes Clare Valley – Traditionale Riesling 2008 $23, The Merle Riesling 2008 $38
The 2008 rieslings continue to show their credentials with these two rippers from Neil Pike. Neil writes that he sees the 2008s as “the best riesling wines we have made since the fabulous 2005 vintage”. ‘Traditionale’, sourced from Clare sub-regions Polish Hill, Watervale and Sevenhill, provides pure, soft, delicate drinking right now – it’s great value. “The Merle”, from Pike’s vineyard in the cooler Polish Hill sub-region, presents a more intense, taut face of Clare riesling – a wine of exceptional finesse and delicacy with long-term cellaring potential as well as drink-now appeal.

Teusner Barossa Valley – Riebke Shiraz 2007 $22, Joshua GSM 2007 $27, Albert Shiraz 2006 $47
Kym Teusner’s ‘entry’ red, named for the Riebke brothers, grape growers from Ebenezer in the northern Barossa, delivers the pure, drink-now pleasure of fragrant, spicy, soft shiraz. Its cellar mate, Albert, puts considerably more oomph in the Barossa experience with its dense, crimson-rimmed colour and matching deep, ripe, concentrated flavours, laced sympathetically with charry oak. There’s a savoury element and it’s tannic, but in the soft Barossa mould. Magnificent is not an exaggeration. Joshua combines grenache, mourvedre and shiraz in a slightly lighter coloured blend that leads with the distinctive, slightly musky perfume of grenache and charms with the fine, savoury, spicy magic of the blend.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Grant Burge Moscato 2008 $16–18
Grant Burge Barossa Valley Filsell Vineyard Shiraz 2006 $30–35
Formally it’s muscat-blanc-a-petite-grains, but in the Barossa they call it white frontignac, or fronti. In Italy it’s moscato, a name increasingly adopted by Aussie winemakers as they emulate the light, zesty, grapey, sweet, ‘frizzante’ style made in Asti, Piedmont. Grant Burge’s stunning new package captures the light, fresh, grapey mood of the wine – an appealing drop that threatens to bring sweetness back into fashion. It contains just 8.5 per cent alcohol. Burge’s red is the more familiar face of the Barossa – a powerful, deeply layered shiraz sourced from the ninety-year-old vines of the Filsell vineyard, located near Williamstown, in the valley’s south.

Pirramimma McLaren Vale Stock’s Hill Shiraz 2005 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $13–15
Johnston’s Pirramimma, one of the great old names of McLaren Vale, has significant vineyard holdings. This and its long experience enable it to stomp all over the big companies’ turf with these wonderful, satisfying mid-priced Stock’s Hill wines. They’re not Vale heavyweights for the cellar– although Pirramimma makes those as well – but tasty, regional reds tailored for early drinking. The shiraz is fragrant, fruity, soft and medium bodied with an attractive touch of supporting oak; and the cabernet’s firmer and more assertive. Both are from the excellent 2005 vintage and have the extra complexity of a few years’ bottle age.

Brands Coonawarra Blockers Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $22–25
Brands Stentiford’s Block Coonawarra Shiraz 2003 $70–76
It looks like there’s a lighter hand at work in the McWilliams-owned Brand’s winery. Coonawarra’s fine fruit and elegant structure shines through in these lovely wines, without the distractions of excess tannin or oak. The latter, in particular, blemished some past vintages of the potentially sublime Stentiford’s – made from a small stand of northern Coonawarra vines planted in 1896. The Brand family first released an individual wine from this plot in the 1980s. The practice continues under McWilliams’ ownership and in the 2003 we see the wine’s unique intensity and elegance. The cabernet doesn’t scale the same heights but gives the Coonawarra experience at a fair price.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2008 $27–30
Mount Horrocks Watervale Cordon Cut Riesling 375ml $35
Today’s selections are all top-end examples from the extraordinary Mount Lofty Ranges 2008 riesling crop – a vintage marked by 15 consecutive days of temperatures over 35 degrees. Fortunately, the riesling crop came in very early, ahead of the heat and looks to be the best since 2002. In a recent masked tasting, Stephanie Toole’s Mount Horrocks impressed for its pure, fine, lime-like varietal flavours. This is an exciting wine with long-term cellaring potential as well as drink-now appeal. Stephanie’s little sweetie, too, delivers, pure lime-like varietal flavour but with a plush texture and lovely interplay between sweetness and brisk acidity.

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2008 $25–30
Leo Buring DWL18 Leonay Watervale Riesling 2008 $36–40
Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling 2008 $32–36
In a line-up of comparatively austere young rieslings these three were the plumpest (comparatively), though with zesty acidity. Jeff Grosset’s seemed the most advanced of the three and ought to drink well in the short to medium term. Petaluma, though very rich, has a finesse to it that suggests good cellaring, though there’s no need to if you love young rieslings. And Leo Buring Watervale edged ahead of the other two with its lovely perfume and racy, deeply fruity palate. It’s a classic – irresistible now but capable of cellaring.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2008 $40–44
Leo Buring DWL17 Leonay High Eden Riesling 2008 $36–40
These were the two most austere wines of our tasting – that is, their grippy, high acid suggests a few years’ cellaring before consumption. Under that acidity there’s terrific fruit flavour that’ll blossom as time goes by. At the moment, though, that zingy, taut structure makes them aperitif wines best served with light, fresh, cold food – oysters would be good. As our masked tasting demonstrated, some people will prefer the Buring wine, others the Grosset. I rated the Buring a little ahead for its pure, restrained varietal aroma and beautifully intense, if austere, palate.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Madfish range: Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008 $15–18; Moscato 2008 $17–22; Pinot Noir 2007 $16–19; Carnelian 2006 $19–24
Madfish, the second label of Jeff Birch’s Howard Park Wines, has been one of the great successes of the last decade. It works for Jeff. But more importantly it delivers tonnes of flavour and value for drinkers – especially as both large and small retailers seem to have adopted it. And that means regular discounting. The latest Sauvignon Blanc Semillon sits on the herbal/pea-pod edge of sauvignon’s ripeness spectrum. With its zingy taut, dry palate it’s good as a refresher on its own or with food. The new Moscato (only 5.5% alcohol) is sweet, crisp and grapey. The pinot’s medium bodied but savoury and Carnelian is a huge, chocolaty, dry mouthful.

Rusty Fig Bermagui Verdelho 2008 $23 and Albarino 2008 $25
Gary Potts and Frances Perkins grow verdelho, albarino, tempranillo and graciano on their tiny vineyard near Bermagui on the south coast. Their tremendously good sense in hiring Roger Harris of Brindabella Hills as winemaker, gave them a head start in the quality stakes. I’ve not seen the reds (due for release next year) but the whites are outstanding. Verdelho can be a plain-Jane, but this one’s excitingly aromatic with a brisk palate and passionfruit-like tang. The Albarino is more citrus and melon but restrained with a chalky, savoury dry finish. Wines can be ordered by the mixed dozen at www.rustyfigwines.com.au

Ten Minutes by Tractor Mornington Peninsula Wallis Vineyard Chardonnay 2006 $55 and McCutcheon Vineyard Chardonnay 2006 $55
These two beautiful chardonnays come from individual vineyards (each ten minutes by tractor from the winery) on the high, cool Main Ridge sub-region of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. They’re subtly different wines, made by identical processes, but reflecting the fruit flavours from the Wallis and McCutcheon – the former being just a tad more restrained and brisk than the latter.  They’re barrel-fermented using indigenous yeast then matured in identical barrels for 13 months.  They emerge as pale, bright wines of great finesse, complexity and rare flavour concentration.  They’re made by Rick McIntyre and Martin Spedding. See www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Helm Canberra District Classic Dry Riesling 2008 $28
Helm Canberra District Premium Riesling 2008 $45
Jeir Creek Canberra District Riesling 2008 $22
At this year’s regional show we finally saw Canberra riesling hitting the quality level that’s been talked about but not often achieved. From 22 wines we awarded three gold, two silver and seven bronze medals – all but one from Canberra, with one to a wine from nearby Hilltops region. Ken Helm one two of the golds with his beautifully made, juicy and ready to drink, Classic Dry and the lean, taut Reserve – one to enjoy for many, many years. Rob and Kay Howell’s Jeir Creek grabbed the third gold medal with their deliciously fresh, intense estate-grown riesling. See   www.helmwines.com.au and www.jeircreekwines.com.au

Chalkers Crossing Hilltops Shiraz 2005 $25
Nick O’Leary Canberra District Shiraz 2007 $26.95
We awarded six gold medals in the shiraz classes at the regional show – three each to the Hilltops region (Young) and Canberra district. This is unquestionably the standout variety of the region, offering world-class quality at modest prices. The fragrant, plush, Chalkers Crossing 2005, made by Celine Rousseau, topped our honours list, winning trophies as best shiraz, best red of the show and best wine of the show. But there were rich pickings throughout the shiraz classes, including Nick O’Leary’s seductive 2007 from Murrumbateman and the supple Dionysus 2007

Hungerford Hill Dalliance Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2004 $24–30
High, cool Tumbarumba grows outstanding pinot noir and chardonnay for sparkling wine. Hardy’s have used it in their top blends for years and now have a Tumbarumba label that follows on from their old Kamberra brands – past stars of the local wine show. Last year it was Kosciusko Wines turn to win the sparkling trophy. And this year the baton passed to the Kirby family’s Hungerford Hill’s ‘Dalliance’, another Tumbarumba blend of pinot noir and chardonnay.  Pinot sets the tone with its rich, fine flavour and firm backbone. But the wine’s delicate, too, and has that lovely complexity that comes from ageing on yeast lees.  See www.hungerfordhill.com.au.

Copyright  © Chris Shanahan 2008

Montrose Mudgee Stony Creek Chardonnay 2007 $19–24
Montrose Mudgee Black Shiraz 2006 $24–29
In December 2006 Bob Oatley and family, founders of Rosemount Estate, bought Orlando’s Mudgee vineyards and its winery, founded originally as Montrose Wines by Carlo Salteri and Franco Belgiorno-Nettis in 1974. Historically, and among the new releases, the standout wine is the intense, fine and delicious barrel-fermented Stony Creek Chardonnay. It’s looking more polished than ever under the new owners and long-time winemaker James Manners. Black Shiraz seems more spicy and varietal than in the past and less of a blockbuster. But it still has those tight, firm Mudgee tannins, albeit if not as tough as in earlier releases.

Montrose Mudgee Rosé of Barbera 2006 $$19–$24, Pietra Sangiovese 2006 $21–$26, Omaggio Barbera 2006 $21–26
The original Montrose winemaker, Carlo Corino, planted the Italian varieties nebbiolo, sangiovese and barbera back in the seventies. These appeared in various guises over the following decades, sometimes straight, more often blended. Nebbiolo didn’t work. But Corino’s successor, Robert Paul made some appealing wines from the other two varieties. These are the first under the new owners. The barbera rosé is bone-dry and therefore right out of the mainstream – but OK as rosés go. The red barbera seems more on the money – medium bodied, savoury and taut. The paler sangiovese is even tighter and grippier with a touch of alcoholic heat.

Jacob’s Creek Riesling 2007 $8–11
Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling 2006 $23–32
The basic Jacob’s Creek Riesling rates consistently as one of the best value for money whites on the market. It looks, smells and tastes like riesling – in the crisp, not-quite-dry Aussie mould. A high proportion of pedigreed fruit gives it a special touch of class not normally encountered at this price – and that’s partly attributable to riesling’s never-quite-fashionable status. Steingarten is at another level altogether. It’s intensely aromatic and flavoursome, but oh-so-delicate. It’ll probably drink well for twenty or thirty years if well cellared. It comes from the Steingarten and other vineyards in the hills just to the east of Jacob’s Creek in the Barossa Valley.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz 2007 $8.50–$21
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael Shiraz 2005 $69–$76
The price range of $8.50–$21 a bottle for the 2007 Shiraz is not a mistake. You’ll find single bottles in convenience stores at the higher price. And the $8.50 was a Dan Murphy (Woolworths) reaction to a 1st Choice (Coles) advertisement at a slightly higher price. The disparity says a lot about the sorry state of Foster’s wine division (owner of Wynns). Whether or not the price will be seen again, I don’t know. But this is a lovely, supple, fine-boned shiraz that’d be good value at $21 on the way to a dinner party. The more usual specials prices of $13–$15 are bargains.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $22–$32
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Messenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $35–$39
There’s a subtle new fragrance and finesse to the Wynns reds in recent vintages. It’s more apparent in the John Riddoch and Michael wines below but shows, too, in ever-reliable ‘Black label’. This is textbook cabernet with its ripe-berry flavours and firm structure – in Coonawarra’s unique, deep, concentrated style. I don’t think you can buy a better red with proven long-term cellaring potential at this price. ‘Messenger’, from a vineyard in southwestern Coonawarra, is lighter bodied than ‘Black Label’ with a distinctive high-toned fragrance and particularly elegant, concentrated palate. Pity the back labels show Coonawarra village in the wrong location.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael Shiraz 2005 $69–$76
Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $69–$76
These wonderful Coonawarra flagships disappeared for a few vintages. But in a superb tag-team effort between winemaker Sue Hodder and viticulturist Stuart Sharman (and their teams) they returned in toned-down but not diminished style. The shiraz, in particular, shed some of its oak, allowing the variety’s fragrance and spiciness to shine. This was more apparent in the 2004 vintage, but holds true for the more opulent 2005. It’s an impressive wine, although upstaged by the brilliant John Riddoch. Isn’t that the fate of shiraz vis-à-vis cabernet in Coonawarra? Yes, it’s a big price tag. But it’s entirely justified for a powerful, balanced and elegant cabernet of this cabernet.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Lake George Vineyard Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008 $21.99
This is the first of the 2008 releases from Lake George vineyard. Made by Alex McKay, it’s a blend of semillon from old vines on the original vineyard and sauvignon blanc from the Hillbrook vineyard, on the escarpment, and Hall. Alex says they’re all mature vines, ten to twenty years old, and this accounts for the terrific length of fruit flavour. At just 11.5 per cent alcohol, this is a delicate, aperitif-style featuring attractive lemon and passionfruit-like flavours and tangy, refreshing lively acidity. Lake George owners, the Karelas family, recently purchased the neighbouring Madew property and opened a cellar door (open Friday to Sunday) under the grapefoodwine restaurant.

Grove Estate Hilltops – Semillon 2007 $19, Wombat Way Viognier 2007 $20
Grove Estate at Young first grew grapes in 1886. And the current partners – Mark Flanders, Brian and Sue Mullany and the Kirkwood family – established a little over 40-hectares of vines after buying the property in 1989. They sell grapes to various winemakers, but have wines made for their own label in Canberra by Long Rail Gully’s Richard Parker and Clonakilla’s Tim Kirk. The light, fresh and lovely semillon’s my favourite of the whites. But there’s a handy oak-fermented chardonnay and the exotic, dry Wombat Way Viognier, sourced, as the name suggests, from a vineyard near the village of Wombat.

Grove Estate Hilltops – Nebbiolo 2006 $30, Cellar Block Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2006 $38, The Partners Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $30
Grove Estate’s greatest strength, though, is its reds. These are superb wines and include one of Australia’s most successful shots at nebbiolo, Piemonte’s noble but difficult red variety. The pale, limpid colour belies its heady fragrance and deep, savoury intense flavour. It’s not as fiercely tannic as the originals from Barolo and Barbaresco, but it’s firm and dry, nevertheless. The cabernet, too, is beautifully perfumed and clearly varietal. It’s big and alcoholic, but generous, rather than hot, and well balanced. The shiraz viognier, the most luxurious of the three, has high-toned varietal aromatics and a deep, supple palate with the pronounced lift of viognier.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz 2006, Grenache Shiraz 2007, Shiraz Cabernet 2007, Merlot 2007, Cabernet Merlot 2005 $9–$11
My pick of these always-reliable reds is the shiraz, described in a breathless and silly press release as ‘a great example of a big hearty red’ but more aptly, on the back label, as ‘a medium bodied wine’. That’s Jacob’s Creek to a tee – tasty but medium bodied, true to varietal flavour and with sufficient structure to be real reds. They’re tremendously good value and as easy to drink on their own as they are with food – a key to their international success, says winemaker Philip Laffer. These are benchmark multi-regional blends delivering flavour at an affordable price.

Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Merlot 2007, Shiraz 2007 $7–$9
Jacob’s Creek uses cross-regional blending to achieve the right price and flavour. But the Hill-Smith family’s budget range, Oxford Landing, comes from a large, single estate on the Murray. It’s big enough to provide considerable flavour and structure variation amongst the popular grape varieties. And it’s fifty years since Wyndham Hill-Smith established the vineyard – sufficient time to learn its peculiarities intimately. The zesty, sauvignon blanc, with its clear, varietal passionfruit-like flavours is, to me, consistently the best budget version of this style in Australia. The fragrant, silky shiraz reveals its touch of viognier. And the lean, savoury merlot makes an excellent pizza wine.

Climbing Wines Orange Shiraz 2006 $19–$21
Climbing, from nearby Orange, comes from the comparatively new (for Australia) school of fine-boned, peppery, spicy, cool-grown shiraz. If our big, generous, warm-grown versions still hold the widest appeal, there’s plenty going, too, for those from Canberra and the cool regions surrounding it, and other high-altitude or southerly locations in Australia. Made by Philip Shaw (former chief winemaker at Rosemount) and Debbie Lauritz, 2006 Climbing is an aromatic, spicy/savoury red with a lively palate and a fine and silky texture. The bling count on the label is an impressive three gold, two trophies, one silver and two bronze medals. Someone likes it.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008