Rochford Macedon Ranges Chardonnay 2006 $27, Pinot Noir 2005 $33, Pinot Noir 2006 $33
Rochford is one of the better signposted vineyards in the cool Macedon region. That’s a pity, because its cellar door is in the Yarra Valley. The wines show the region’s general suitability for chardonnay and pinot noir. The chardonnay is taut, subtle and intense with the grapefruit-like varietal flavour of a cool area. It’s the value pick of the bunch. The 2005 pinot, too, is taut and subtle, with fine but firm tannins. It’s thoroughly enjoyable from first sip to last – if not quite up to the best from the region. The 2006 shows pure varietal character but, to me, lacks mid-palate sweetness.

Shaw Vineyard Estate Canberra District Semillon 2006 $20, Cabernet Merlot 2006 $22, Shiraz Cabernet 2006 $22 and Shiraz 2006 $22
Shaw’s is one of Canberra’s larger vineyards, planted initially to supply Hardys. It’s come a long way since then and the cellar door is now a must-visit, offering outstanding wines at modest prices. And there’s even better to come. The current offerings include a lovely, delicate semillon; a supple, elegant cabernet merlot 2006; a fine, peppery, stylish shiraz cabernet (my favourite); and a lean but lovely shiraz 2006 with distinctive, cool-climate white pepper flavours. There’ll soon be an intense, elegant cabernet sauvignon 2006 joining the list; and in the future there’ll be two ‘reserve’ wines – a cabernet blend and shiraz viognier blend.  Take a drive to Murrumbateman or see www.shawvineyard.com.au

Heredos de Argueso Manzanilla 375ml $14
Heredos de Argueso Las Medallas Manzanilla 375ml $15
Heredos de Argueso San Leon Classica 375ml Manzanilla $19
Manzanilla, from Sanlucar de Barameda, Spain, is the most delicate member of the sherry family. It’s very pale in colour, with sherry’s distinctive tang, but comparatively low in alcohol (about 15 per cent) and beautifully delicate. This trio reveals the spectrum of aromas and flavours that come with increasing age in barrel under the fine film of ‘flor’, or yeast. They’re all made from the palomino grape. The spectrum ranges from definitely sherry-like but with youthful, fresh fruit to even more sherry-like plus greater finesse (about 5 years’ age), to very fine with a lovely nutty finish in the ‘Classica’, age 9–12 years. Imported by Bibendum Wine Co phone 03 8415 0070.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Williams Crossing Macedon Pinot Noir 2006 $22–$25
Curly Flat Macedon Pinot Noir 2005 $46–$52
After a long search for a location suited to pinot noir and chardonnay growing, Phillip and Jenifer Moraghan established Curly Flat in Victoria’s elevated, cool Macedon region in 1992. They hit pay dirt pretty quickly and their wines now sit comfortably with the best in Australia. The fragrant, silky pinots are particularly impressive – and after recently paying thirty-five pounds or more for mediocre Burgundy in England – in my view they’d knock the socks off competitors anywhere. Williams Crossing (from barrels that didn’t make the cut for the Curly Flat label) is phenomenal at the price, while the flagship offers a profound depth of savoury pinot flavour. See www.curlyflat.com

Brindabella Hills Canberra District Aureus (Chardonnay Viognier) 2007 $22.50–$25
Brindabella Hills Canberra District Shiraz 2006 $22.50–$25
In a case of Rhône meets Burgundy, Roger Harris blends tank-fermented viognier with barrel-fermented chardonnay to produce a delicious, fresh, richly textured dry white. While chardonnay tempers viognier’s opulence, the plush, apricot-like flavour of viognier remains unmistakable in the wine. It’s juicy and ready to drink now but I suspect that it’ll fatten up with age. So drink up. Roger’s 2006 shiraz seems richer and deeper than his fragrant, elegant 2005. 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.

Redman Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $30–$35
Bill Redman arrived in Coonawarra in 1901 and bought land there in 1908. One hundred years late his grandsons, Bruce and Malcolm Redman, make a distinctive, elegant style of Coonawarra cabernet from their vines at the northern end of the famous terra rossa strip. It’s a style that closely maps the seasons. And if it’s a little lighter and less ripe than the wines made by some of the neighbours, it’s never been unripe either – just consistently limpid in colour with fragrant, varietal, berry aroma and elegant palate. With most wineries releasing 2006 vintage wines, Redmans is notable for holding back for a year or two, giving us something that’s ready to enjoy – even if it has the legs to cellar.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Ravensworth Murrumbateman Riesling 2008 about $18
Clonakilla Canberra District Riesling 2008 $25–$30
After the frost-ravaged 2007 vintage, the prolific and good 2008 vintage brought smiles of pleasure (and relief) to our local vignerons. These are two very good examples of what’s in store from our district. While they have similarities in purity of varietal expression, they have significant differences as well.  The Ravensworth wine is slightly rounder and softer than the Clonakilla, making it more suited to current drinking (though it will age well for a few years). The Clonakilla appears to be more taut, with a brisk acid backbone that carries the lovely fruit flavour across the palate – and should age very well. See www.ravensworthwines.com.au and www.clonakilla.com.au

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2007 $25–$30
Clonakilla Murrumbateman Syrah 2006 $75–$85
Clonakilla Ballinderry Canberra District 2006 $35–$40
Clonakilla’s shiraz from Hilltops (Young, NSW) has the juicy richness of pulped, ripe black cherries – a generous, chewy wine that’s certainly the big-value pick of winemaker Tim Kirk’s current line up. Ballinderry, a cabernet sauvignon–cabernet franc–merlot blend, with its core of ripe berry fruit and taut-but-soft tannins, is elegant and lovely and deserves to be quietly reconsidered away from the shirazes one day.  Syrah 2006 is Tim’s shot at the Hermitage (Rhône Valley) style. From the Clonakilla vineyard and made much like the shiraz viognier flagship (but without viognier), it’s an extraordinary drop indeed, a very pure, intense, peppery/savoury expression of shiraz.

Ravensworth Murrumbateman Shiraz Viognier 2007 about $30
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2007 $75
Clonakilla O’Riada Canberra District Shiraz 2007 $35–$40
These are all shiraz–viognier blends from the frost ravaged 2007 harvest. Tim Kirk says that he lost over ninety per cent of his crop, reducing production of the flagship Shiraz Viognier to just 150 dozen – and prompting the production of the ‘O’Riada’ a blend from the Long Rail Gully, Barton Estate, Dean Terrell and Fischer vineyards at Murrumbateman and Sue Williams’ vineyard at Hall. It’s a fragrant, fine, soft and elegant style. Bryan and Jocelyn Martin’s Ravensworth is terrifically savoury, spicy and rich – in the fine Canberra mould – and gives great value. Clonakilla, however, keeps its mantle as the model of its style. This is pure class. Pity there’s so little of it.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Petaluma Coonawarra 2005 $65 (cork sealed)
The warm season produced a comparatively big, ripe Petaluma, albeit in the elegant Coonawarra mould. It’s a blend of 60 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 30 per cent Merlot with, for the first time, five per cent each of petit verdot and malbec – all from the Evans and Sharefarmers vineyards, northern Coonawarra. It’s a wine of considerable substance – one that reveals layers of flavour and texture. Twenty-two months in new French oak seems to have given the wine lift, life, mellow tannins and flavours that harmonise completely with the fruit. With a pedigree going back to 1979 and two top vineyards behind it this is a reliable buy.

Brands of Coonawarra Patron’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $76 (screw cap sealed)
Don’t confuse this with the old ‘Patron’s Blend’ as that’s now called ‘Eric’s Blend’. The new Patron’s is a straight cabernet sauvignon  (the old one combined four varieties) and it’s extraordinary. It’s a beautifully fragrant combination of cedary oak and perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon. In its fragrance, fleshiness and ripeness it reminds me of Chateau Margaux, although not in its exact aromas and flavours. The palate’s luxurious and vibrant but still pure cabernet in its expression, including the firm but silk-coated tannins.  I wouldn’t quibble about the price. This is a sensational wine with long-term cellaring potential. You wouldn’t find a Bordeaux to match this quality anywhere near price.

Moss Wood Margaret River
Moss Wood Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $85.50 (screw cap)
This is another Australian blue chip and it’s in glorious form. Like the Coonawarra wines above, it’s a perfectly ripe expression of cabernet without any of the leafy green notes that sometimes take the edge off otherwise top wines. But it’s more than cabernet. The combination of great fruit, skilled winemaking and maturation in high-quality oak produced a wine that’s vibrant and fruity at the core but with another flavour and aroma dimension as well. It’s less fleshy and fragrant than the Brand’s wine and less solid than the Petaluma. It has a teasing core of pure cabernet in a beautifully elegant structure.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Dominique Portet Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $24
& Heathcote Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $42
Dominique Portet’s red and white could be from two different planets. The sauv blanc is pure, light, fruity, tangy and varietal but without the razzle dazzle, show-stopping flavour explosion of the Marlborough versions. They’re lovely, of course, but Portet’s wine offers a delicious, toned-down alternative. On the other hand, there’s nothing demure about his Heathcote cab sauv. It’s an extraordinary mouthful of a thing – big, ripe, buoyant and opulent with layers of porty, plush, juicy fruit flavours and surprisingly soft tannins for cabernet. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a cabernet like this. But it was pretty tempting to go back again and again for just one more sip.

Brown Brothers King Valley Shiraz Mondeuse & Cabernet 2004 $39.90
Campbells of Rutherglen Bobbie Burns Shiraz 2006 $22.49
Here we have two contrasting full-bodied reds from northeastern Victoria – a monumental blockbuster built to last until doomsday and a slippery, svelte fruit bomb with seductive, siren song, have-me-now appeal. The Brown Brothers wine is a salute to a style first made by the late John Brown in 1954. We’re all familiar with shiraz and cabernet. But the obscure mondeuse gives the wine an obsidian darkness and adamantine tannin structure, mollified by the other varieties and lengthy oak maturation. It’s a superb, idiosyncratic wine for the long haul. The aromatic, smooth, Bobbie Burns Shiraz is made to put a smile on our faces right now.

Shingleback McLaren Vale Shiraz 2005 $24.95, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $24.95
and D Block Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $59.95
Shingleback owners John and Kate Davey passed through Canberra recently showing off their wares, including the Jimmy Watson Trophy winning Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. These are classy, realistically priced reds with the true warm, savoury richness of McLaren Vale. They’re big, solid, beautifully balanced wines with satisfying mid palate richness and clear varietal definition. The shiraz is ripe, earthy, savoury and soft and now at a red-wine flavour stage beyond just fruitiness. The cabernets, of course, are firmer, but still generous, the Reserve offering more fragrant highnotes and a more elegant structure than the slightly chunkier standard version. See www.shingleback.com.au

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Mulyan Block 7 Cowra Chardonnay 2006 $25; Block 9 Cowra Chardonnay 2005 $25; Cowra Chardonnay 2006 $20; Cowra Viognier 2006 $20
Cowra’s wine reputation was built on chardonnay. A young Brian Croser sourced his first Petaluma from here in 1977, Then in the 1980s Cowra’s ability to efficiently produce big volumes of rich, peachy chardonnay saved Rothbury Estate’s bacon. Now as Peter and Jenni Fagan show with these terrific Mulyan wines,  there’s a seriously good side to Cowra chardonnay – more akin to the 1997 Petaluma and than the mass produced Rothbury wines of the eighties and nineties. These are generous and peachy wines, but young and fresh with the complexities of barrel fermentation and maturation. The oak fermented viognier’s on the mark, too. See www.mulyanwines.com.au

Millamolong of Orange: 24 Goals Riesling $20; 56 Miles Shiraz 2007; Isabelle’s Ghost Merlot 2007 $20; Cumulus Wines Climbing Merlot 2006 $20
These are all from the high, cool Orange area. Millamolong’s star to me is the juicy, ripe, finely sculpted shiraz. It’s close to grape juice than wine at this early stage, but should be absolutely delicious with just a few months bottle age. Their riesling is ok, but other regions do this variety better. The merlot, like the shiraz, is simply too young. And because it has harder tannins, it’s not a drink-now proposition, and there’s no certainty that they’ll be tamed by time. Climbing, too, has merlot’s assertive tannins, but they fit with lovely fruit and form part of the elegant framework of the wine – a delightful drop indeed.

Bay of Fires Tasmania Chardonnay 2006 $36–$38
Tapanappa ‘Tiers’ Vineyard Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2007 $75
These are contrasting top-end chardonnays from Bay of Fires (owned by US based Constellation Brands) and Tapanappa, owned by the Croser, Cazes and Bollinger families. The Tassie wine leads with what some winemakers call a ‘struck match’ character – a winemaking artefact derived from barrel fermentation. This hovers over the aroma and flavour and, to my taste becomes a distraction, albeit minor, in an otherwise, intense, taut and wonderful wine. Croser’s wine, from the Tiers Vineyard (planted 1979) is an altogether more subtle wine – luxurious but with finesse and a seamless integration of the fruit and barrel ferment and maturation elements. It just needs time in bottle.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Domain Day Mount Crawford – One Serious Riesling 2007 $20; Garganega 2007 $20; Viognier 2007 $20; One Serious Merlot 2005 $27
These are new releases from Robin Day’s vineyard at Mount Crawford, at the elevated, cool southeastern edge of the Barossa. The riesling is bone dry and strongly varietal in the ripe citrus end of the ripeness spectrum; viognier is pure, apricot-like and viscous varietal – fresh and not too heavy; garganega (the main variety in Verona’s Soave) is exotic, sappy, dust dry and pleasantly tart – a must-try and truly different from our usual fare; the merlot is elegant, delicious and deeply fruity with seductive aroma and ripe soft tannins to match the lovely fruit. See www.domaindaywines.com.au
Angoves South Australia Tempranillo Shiraz 2007 $14

Tim Adams Clare Valley Reserve Tempranillo 2006 $35
Not surprisingly Spain’s tempranillo adapts well to Australia’s hot, dry conditions, as these two very different versions of it demonstrate. The Angoves blend has aromas, flavours and even a little tartness reminiscent of red berries, especially raspberries. But it’s savoury, too, with fine, drying tannins – a medium bodied casual dining drink. The Tim Adams wine has greater depth and complexity, as you’d hope at $35. There’s an underlying bright red-berry flavour. But there’s a deep, sweet savoury depth to it and a lovely, taut, elegant structure. Unusual for a Clare red it’s a modest 13 per cent alcohol, attributable to the variety’s ripening at low sugar levels.

Tim Adams Clare Valley Reserve Riesling 2007 $35
Tim Adams Clare Valley The Fergus Grenache 2006 $25
This is an unusual riesling, made from very early picked grapes, judged by Tim Adams to be ripe, despite a very low sugar level. The resulting 11 per cent alcohol wine is light, delicate, dry as a plank and alive with mouth puckering, grapefruit-like flavours and acidity. It just makes it over the ripeness line and ought to suit foods that you’d ordinarily enjoy with similarly rapier-sharp wines like Chablis or Sancerre. In contrast, Tim’s ripe, plush, soft and velvety grenache comes drenched in the variety’s floral, musk and spicy aromas and flavours. See www.timadamswines.com.au

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Deakin Estate Chardonnay 2007 $10
Deakin Estate Merlot 2006 $10
These are big-value everyday quaffers from Deakin Estate, part of the Wingara Wine Group, whose holdings include Katnook Estate, Coonawarra. The Deakin wines come predominantly from the Mildura region and offer bright, generous, pure fruit flavours. The chardonnay is in the rich warm-climate peachy style but without the fatness we used to see from this region. It’s fresh and zesty and should be enjoyed now because it will fatten up with age. The merlot offers plummy, earthy chocolaty fruit flavours. Again, it’s bright and fresh and soft, but it’s not too plump in the middle and it has the savoury, dry tannins that give reds such a pleasant finish.

Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2006 $36–$38
Grumblebone Estate Vineyard Southern Highlands Shiraz 2006 $25
Here we have two contrasting cool-climate shiraz styles. The first, from cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith in the Adelaide Hills, is floral, opulent and juicy rich in a fine-boned way. To me it’s the best and slurpiest in the wine’s short but well-charted history. Stylistically I’d put this at warm end of the cool-climate spectrum. On the other hand, Paul Sibraa’s Southern Highland shiraz has an attractive, exotic white pepper aroma characteristic of very cool growing conditions. White pepper often means green, unripe fruit. But in Grumblebone it’s pleasant seasoning in a fine and bright but taut style.

Chrismont La Zona King Valley Barbera 2004 $22
Margan Hunter Valley Barbera 2004 $25
Northern Italy’s barbera produces reds with stunning purple colour, high acidity, exotic fruit flavour and firm, savoury tannins. In these two Australian expressions of the variety, bottle age has taken the stunning edge off the colour and primary fruit flavours while adding more savoury, mature-wine character. Arnie Pizzini’s La Zona is medium bodied with tart-edged black cherry and mature-wine flavours wrapped in soft, persistent tannins. Andrew Margan’s wine from Broke in the Hunter Valley shows earthy, spicy, ripe cherry aromas that carry through onto a brisk, savoury, taut and dry palate with a teasing lick of fruit under the tannins and acid.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Secret Stone Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007 $18–$21
Pirie ‘South’ Tasmania Pinot Noir 2007 $25
The pinot minefield exists wherever the variety grows – from Burgundy to Oregon to New Zealand to Australia. Because it’s difficult and expensive to grow and make, its starting price is higher and the failures, near misses and almost-made-its can blow your budget. Today’s pinot offering, a random tasting of available samples, is representative. At the ‘budget’ end the Foster’s owned Secret Stone gives fair value. It’s a drink-now wine with bright, pale, colour; clean, fresh aroma and mid-weight, brisk varietal pinot palate. In the bigger Pirie ‘South’ you get riper fruit depth and a more solid structure without losing pinot character.

Pirie ‘Estate’ Tasmania Pinot Noir 2006 $38.90
Bay of Fires Tasmania Pinot Noir 2007 $38–$40
Pinot carries a big tannin load that’s not always apparent on first sip, because it’s generally so soft. But sometimes the tannin hits first, as it does in Andrew Pirie’s wine. Then the fruit makes its impression – before the tannins bite again, throwing this fairly big pinot slightly off balance (to my taste) – a small blemish that may disappear over time. Fran Austin’s Bay of Fires has what might euphemistically be called a ‘funky’ character. This could, in fact, be a trace of a sulphide compound or just an earthy pinot flavour – only the lab can tell for sure. That quibble aside, it’s a deep, silky, complex and enjoyable pinot. She’ll perfect this style before long, I suspect.

Lark Hill Canberra District Pinot Noir 2006 $35
Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Fleurieu Peninsula Pinot Noir 2007 $50
After a couple of tough years up on the Lake George escarpment, Lark Hill pinot makes a strong comeback with the 2006 vintage, the first under full biodynamic management. It’s very bright, fresh wine – subtly perfumed, with a palate that builds with each sip, the fruit framed by savoury tannins and carried on an acidic spine. It’s to be released in late winter says winemaker Chris Carpenter. It’s a leap of faith from there to Brian Croser’s first wine from a vineyard planted in 2003 on a cold, foggy 350-metre peak of the Fleurieu Peninsula. This is promising pinot from one of Australia’s most significant wine figures. But Brian, could we please have another few months in barrel next vintage?

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Mistletoe Hunter Valley – Reserve Semillon 2007 $22, Chardonnay 2007 $20, Reserve Chardonnay 2007 $25
When I asked Mistletoe proprietor Ken Sloan for a bottle picture, he said that since he sold wine only direct (cellar door and www.mistletoewines.com) Canberra Times readers mentioning this review could have free delivery to Canberra of 6-packs or dozens. The wines are superb, a particular favourite being the 2007 Reserve Semillon. This is classic Pokolbin semillon, low in alcohol (ten per cent), delicate, lemon zesty and a touch austere at this stage, but already terrific as a bone-dry aperitif. It’ll age for many years. The chardonnay are rich but finely structured, showing barrel-ferment influence, particularly so in the complex, intense reserve version.

Mistletoe Hunter Valley – Shiraz 2006 $20, Reserve Shiraz 2006 $28, Hunter-Hilltops Shiraz Cabernet 2006 $22
With so many $50 plus reds coming onto the market, it’s refreshing to see absolutely top-notch, regional specialties realistically priced. Mistletoe’s Shiraz 2006 (from four Pokolbin vineyard) is ripe and plummy with the Hunter’s earthy edge and very soft tannins – a juicy, restrained red that’s a joy to drink now. It’s Reserve cellar mate comes from a single vineyard is a denser, more powerful drop, but in the same soft, restrained Hunter mould and with the added spicy complexity of new French oak. The Hunter-Hilltops wine is an imaginative blend that works in a surprising way – it seems to be the cabernet rather than the shiraz that fills out the velvet smooth palate.

Black Jack Bendigo – chortle’s edge Shiraz 2006 $18, Bendigo Block 6 Shiraz 2006 $35, Bendigo Shiraz 2006 $35, Bendigo Cabernet Merlot 2006 $25
Ken Pollock and Ian McKenzie offer three variants on the Bendigo shiraz theme, all made in their winery in the Harcourt Valley, just outside Bendigo: the brisk, spicy, drink-now chortle’s edge, sourced from Turner’s Crossing Vineyard, Bridgewater, and Fielding Family Vineyard, North Harcourt; the big, ripe, burly and bold, chunky Bendigo Block 6 Shiraz from a single block on the estate; and my favourite in this vintage, the estate-grown, ripe, plummy, fragrant Bendigo Shiraz. It’s supple, soft and velvety and read to savour now.  The cabernet merlot blend is an attractive, smooth drop, too, but overshadowed by the shirazes.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008