Estandon Heritage Cotes de Provence Rosé 2015 $20 The Cotes de Provence part of France’s vast Provence region, specialises in light, soft rosé, which accounts for the great majority of the area’s wine production. The blush-pink colour and delicate, fruity aroma conjure images of summer haze, soft colours, the aroma of wild herbs and simple, fresh Provencal food. The wine sits light, fresh, round and soft on the palate, with a refreshingly fruity-savoury dry finish. It’s a blend of the red varieties grenache, cinsault and syrah – with a splash of white vermentino. The wine’s blush comes from a very brief maceration on skins before the grapes are pressed.
Katnook Estate Founders Block Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 $17.95–$20 Katnook’s wine connection dates from Coonawarra’s first vintage, when industry founder, John Riddoch, processed his 1896 vintage in Katnook’s woolshed. Though now part of Spain’s Freixinet Group, Katnook wines continue to be made by Wayne Stehbens who had his first vintage there in 1979. Coonawarra’s second largest producer shows its class and versatility with this pure and solid expression of the regional cabernet style. It combines cassis- and black-olive-like varietal fruit flavours on a medium-bodied palate, but through with the variety’s assertive, firm tannins. It’s a roast lamb or steak wine for sure and very satisfying.
Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Victoria Shiraz 2013 $17–$20 The Rathbone family’s Mount Langi Ghiran makes delightfully, peppery, fine-boned shiraz in Victoria’s Grampians region. Wines include one of Australia’s most exciting cool-climate shirazes, The Langi ($110–$120) and Cliff Edge ($27–$32, a more affordable yet still excellent example of the regional style. Billi Billi, the lowest priced of Mount Langi’s red, combines shiraz from the Grampians, Swan Hill and Heathcote. It leans more to bright fruit flavours and spice than the peppery, savoury character of the more expensive wines. But it echoes the house style with its medium body and fine, drying tannins.
Gramp and Son St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 – wine of the week Coonawarra and Barossa, South Australia $55 In the fickle world of corporate wine marketing, St Hugo began life in the 1980s as a Coonawarra cabernet under the Orlando banner. Early this century, it joined cellar mate Jacob’s Creek’s portfolio in a failed bid to add an upmarket layer to the budget brand. Now, a revenant St Hugo stands in its own right, albeit with a nod in subtext to Gramp and Sons, Orlando’s founders. The new release – a blend of Coonawarra cabernet and Barossa shiraz – hits the right balance between fleshy, earthy, soft shiraz and elegant, firm cabernet. It’s a completely satisfying, elegant red with long-term cellaring potential.
Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, South Australia $35 Max’s cabernet continues the Penfolds tradition of multi-regional blending to achieve a particular wine style – in this instance a typically full, chewy cabernet that combines savoury richness with bright fruit and elegant structure. The bright blackcurrant-like varietal fruit and elegance probably comes from the cool-grown Limestone Coast components (Wrattonbully, Coonawarra and Padthaway) – with savour and chocolaty richness from warmer McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley. It’s a bright and fresh modern red, with distinctive Penfolds solidity.
Pikes The Assemblage Shiraz Mourvedre Grenache 2014 Polish Hill River, Clare Valley, South Australia $18–$23 From Clare’s cooler Polish Hill River sub-region, Pikes blend combines summer-berry-like fruit aromas with spice, and an underlying earthy, savoury character. The medium bodied palate reflects the aroma, giving richness without heaviness and finishing with soft, fine tannins. Winemaker Neil Pike writes, “The 2014 vintage was another really good year for shiraz-based reds in the Clare Valley”.
Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Pinot Gris 2014 Ross Hill Wallace Lane vineyard, Orange, NSW $30 It doesn’t get much higher or cooler in Orange than Ross Hill’s Wallace Lane vineyard at 1015 metres altitude. The cool site brings out the varietal character of pinot gris, and winemaker Phil Kerney captures it. He presses juice from whole bunches direct to tank for fermentation by ambient yeasts. The wine is pale and bright, with delicate pear-like varietal aroma and succulent, finely textured palate. Fresh acidity and a little bite of tannin give a clean, drying, savoury finish.
Red Knot Classified Shiraz 2014 Shingleback vineyards, McLaren Vale, South Australia $18.10–$19.95 Shingleback makes a couple of reds for Woolworths under the Red Knot label. “Classified” is a new product in the range, priced at about $6 a bottle above the standard McLaren Vale shiraz. Unlike the standard wine, “Classified” is all estate grown, selected for its greater flavour depth and body and all matured in oak barrels. The result is a very good McLaren Vale shiraz, offering medium-to-full body, rich, clean varietal flavour and solid tannin structure.
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Riesling 2016 Jim Barry Lodge Hill vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia $18.90–$22 Just four months after vintage the Barry family’s riesling’s in bottle and ready to drink. Bottling often mutes riesling, but this one wafts from the glass with exuberant floral and citrus aromas. The equally vivacious palate absolutely sings with the same floral and citrus varietal character. The sheer fruitiness takes the edge off the acidity, and makes for joyous, bone-dry drinking right now. But there’s flavour intensity, delicacy and texture here, too, and this points to good cellaring potential. It’s a wine to give drinking pleasure now in its youth and across the next decade as the flavours change with time.
Sidewood Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2014 $20.90–$25 David Metcalf included Sidewood 2014 in a recent masked shiraz tasting, alongside wines from the Grampians, Victoria, and the Barossa Valley, South Australia. The deep, savoury character of the Grampians wine and the more powerful, chocolaty Barossa, contrasted with the buoyant, sweet-berry character of the Adelaide Hills shiraz. The wine’s juicy, sweet-fruited palate, and attractive spicy undercurrent, pointed to a cool ripening area. The inclusion of whole berries in the fermentation also contributed to the wine’s lovely, pure, fruitiness. It’s soft and delicious and will probably never drink better than it does now.
Calabria Family Wines Hilltops Tempranillo 2015 $15 Griffith-based Calabria Family Wines sources grapes for this wine from the cooler Hilltops region. The region’s depressed grape prices – reflected in established vineyards currently selling at land-only prices (or discounted further for the cost of removing vines) – no doubt partly account for the wine’s modest price. The quality, however, is good and the wine captures tempranillo’s varietal character. The blueberry-like aroma carries through to a fresh, fruity, medium-bodied palate, cut with the variety’s distinctive tannins, which give a savoury edge.
Yering Station Yarra Valley Village Chardonnay 2015 $19.20–$24 The Rathbone family’s Yering Station makes four chardonnays: Little Yering ($14.40–$18), Village ($19.20–$24), Yering Station ($32–$40) and Reserve ($96–$120). There’s a correlation between price and quality, but it’s not a linear relationship, and the lower priced wines offer many of the features found in the top ones. The just-released Village Chardonnay, for example, offers mouth-wateringly ripe varietal flavours, deeply meshed in the pleasing textures and flavour subtleties derived from fermentation and maturation in oak barrels, new and old. Wine club members can buy it for $19.20. But even at full retail price of $24 you get a real drinking thrill for your money.
Mount Majura Graciano 2015, Touriga 2015 – wines of the week Mount Majura vineyard, Canberra District, ACT $29 Winemaker Frank van de Loo’s latest releases show the impact of Canberra’s changing climate. “We’re picking earlier every year”, writes van de Loo, “but it allows us to explore varieties that might previously have been too late-ripening for our climate”. These two Iberian Peninsula red varieties, planted in 2002 and 2005 respectively, were picked on 16 April, two weeks after shiraz. Each offers medium bodied drinking with a distinctive flavour. Graciano’s exotic berry, spice and brisk acid–tannin combo tastes like no other red. Touriga combines fresh berry and savoury characters with a silky texture and fine, firm, drying tannins.
Mount Majura Mondeuse 2015 Mount Majura vineyard, Canberra District, ACT $29 Like Mount Majura’s graciano and touriga reviewed today, Savoie variety mondeuse noire would once have been considered too late a ripener for Canberra’s climate. DNA analysis by Jose Vouillamoz in 2008 discovered mondeuse noire to be either a half-sibling or grandparent of shiraz – explaining why it is sometimes known as grosse syrah (shiraz). Mount Majura’s first release of the variety shows typically dark colour, though the palate is fresh and medium bodied, combining fresh fruit flavours with savouriness and soft but plentiful tannins.
Murrumbateman Winery Riesling 2015 Four Winds vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW $30 In a quiet reboot of one of Canberra’s oldest wineries, Bobbie Makin and Jennifer Lawrence refreshed the label, increased production, and began buying additional grapes from neighbouring vineyards – including Four Winds (source of this riesling). A winner of silver and three bronze medals, the wine offers floral- and citrus-like varietal aromas. Bracing, fresh acidity cuts through a comparatively full-flavoured and dry palate. Watch this winery.
Ross Hill Isabelle Cabernet Franc Merlot 2014 Ross Hill Griffin Road vineyard, Orange, NSW $25 In a blend based on the red wines of Bordeaux’s St Emillion sub-region, winemaker Phil Kerney combines the heady, floral aromas and flavours of cabernet franc and the earthier, fleshy, more tannic character of merlot. It’s an harmonious combination and immediately appealing because of all that perfume and seductive, fleshy fruitiness. Fine, drying tannins give gentle grip and a dry finish to a drink-now wine of considerable character.
Taylors Promised Land Shiraz 2015 Limestone Coast, South Australia $9–$15 Clare Valley based Taylors delivers outstanding value for money with their latest shiraz. At the time of writing it’s on special at retailers for $9 a bottle in case lots. For that price you get a deeply coloured, vibrantly youthful shiraz of mouth-filling, ripe, fleshy flavours and soft, easy tannins. The wine comes from Padthaway and other locations on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, which stretches from the Murray mouth down to Mount Gambier and east to the Victorian border.
Ad Hoc Straw Man Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2015 Margaret River, Western Australia $18–$21 Exuberant and fruity, Straw Man bounces across the palate with the unique passionfruit-like and herbaceous flavours of this Western Australia specialty. A little bit of oak fermentation and maturation fleshed out the palate, adding to its juicy, drink-now appeal. Winemaker Larry Cherubino writes, it “reminds me of dried straw and fresh cut grass”.
Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Champagne $64–$80 Melbourne-based Prince Wine Store imports Pierre Peters’ impressive Champagne and offers it at $80, discounted occasionally to around $64. Few Champagnes at this price offer such stunning quality. Refined, delicate and utterly delicious – with the impressive structure that comes only from prolonged ageing on yeast lees – it’s an all-chardonnay blend from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. This is the heart of Champagne’s chardonnay territory, rated “grand cru”, the region’s highest ranking – and source of great Champagnes such as Krug Clos du Mesnil ($2400) and Salon S ($700). Prince operates stores in Melbourne’s South Melbourne and Essendon, and Zetland, Sydney and sells online at princewinestore.com.au.
Pikes Clare Valley Les Campaneros Shiraz Tempranillo 2014 $17–$20 Winemaker Neil Pike reckons Australia’s old workhorse, shiraz, and Spain’s tempranillo make good companions. Shiraz gives the blend traditional rich flavours and soft tannins, while tempranillo injects vibrant, fresh, ripe-berry character and savoury, drying tannins. Pike made the wine in a drink-now style – meaning lots of juicy, fruity flavours, tannins that give backbone and finish, but not hardness, and a modest alcohol content (for the warm Clare Valley) of 14 per cent.
Ross Hill Lily Orange District Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $20 The Orange region’s cool climate produces comparatively delicate, restrained sauvignon blanc, well removed from the market-leading styles from Marlborough, New Zealand. The Robson family’s new release gives a pure, light, refreshing view of the regional style, with herbal- and citrus-like varietal flavours, a delicate but juicy mid-palate, and zesty, dry finish. Winemaker Phil Kerney says it’s a 50:50 blend from two company vineyards at dramatically different altitudes: Griffin Road at 760 metres, and Wallace Lane at 1018 metres.
Viv Thomson made Bin 0 Claret in 1967 from shiraz vines planted by Henry Best in 1866. Generic labelling as ‘Claret’ was OK back then. So was the use of ‘Hermitage’ as a synonym for shiraz. The magnificent old red was a highlight of Best’s 150th anniversary tasting at Jimmy Watson’s bar, Melbourne, on 8 May 2016. My reviews of two Best’s wines today are based on that tasting. Photo: Chris Shanahan.
Best’s Great Western Foudre Riesling 2015 Best’s Concongella Vineyard, Great Western, Grampians, Victoria $35 In 2012 as Adam Wadewitz handed over winemaking to Justin Purser, a 2500-litre oak vat showed up in Best’s winery, to the surprise of owner Viv Thomson. As best they could, the winemakers scoured the new, woody flavour from the foudre before filling it with riesling juice for a spontaneous fermentation. The resulting wine put a smile on Thomson’s face, removing any trace of scepticism about the new vessel, and became the first of a new riesling style from Best’s historic Concongella vineyard. Skin contact, spontaneous fermentation, and the use of oak rather than stainless steel adds textural richness and subtle flavours to the riesling, which remains lemony, fresh and delicate. It’s a delicious drink, reminiscent of Alsace riesling in flavour and texture, albeit in a more delicate style.
Best’s Great Western PSV 141 Pinot Noir 2014 Best’s Concongella vineyard 1868 block, Great Western, Grampians, Victoria $150 In 1866, Henry Best bought Concongella, a Great Western property, and established vines from 1867. In 1920, seven years after Best’s death, William Thomson bought the business, which is today owned by fourth generation Viv Thomson and his wife Chris. Marking Best’s 150th anniversary in May, Thomson released four remarkable reds including two from a vineyard Best planted in 1868. Within that vineyard, lies a plot of gnarled old pinot meunier vines. And sprinkled among the meunier, are 141 pinot noir vines, believed to be the world’s oldest. Bunches from those vines were sealed and fermented in a vessel for three months before being pressed to barrel for maturation. The result is stunning and potentially long lived – a limpid pinot of great flavour concentration, combining fruit, savour and a firm, fine tannin backbone.
Clonakilla Viognier Nouveau 2016 Clonakilla V and L 2 Block, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW $25–$28 Clonakilla goes against the trend with its popular, fresh, easy drinking viognier – a variety given to heaviness on the palate and slow sales. Winemaker Tim Kirk says to keep Nouveau light and fresh he makes it as he does riesling – gently separating the juice from the skins, using a whole-bunch press and fermenting it cool in stainless steel tanks. The process keeps the wine fresh and bright and captures the variety’s distinctive ginger- and apricot-like flavours. The rich texture and grippy finish add to the wine’s distinctive character. It’s a style to drink fresh each vintage.
Ross Hill Maya and Max Chardonnay 2015 Orange, NSW $20 Oak barrels are in indispensable part of chardonnay making. But using oak barrels adds to the expense – not just in the cost of oak, but also in the extra labour required. Winemaker Phil Kerney builds a complex chardonnay and contains price by using a combination of oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. Maya and Max combines bright fresh, nectarine-like varietal flavour with smooth texture and a funky note from the barrel-fermented material.
Rymill The Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Coonawarra, South Australia $17–$23 From the Rymill family’s extensive Coonawarra holdings, winemaker Sandrine Gimon makes a range of cabernet styles, including the fresh, fruity, drink-now Dark Horse. The aroma and palate show great vitality in Coonawarra’s distinctive ripe, red-berry varietal style. The elegant palate appeals for its juicy, fresh fruit flavour, which is offset by fine, grippy cabernet tannins.
Ad Hoc Avant Gardening Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2014 Riversdale vineyard, Frankland River, Western Australia $17.95–$21 Though comparable in price, Larry Cherubino’s Avant Gardening heads down an entirely different path to Sandrine Gimon’s Rymill Dark Horse cabernet reviewed today. The wines share some of the bright, fresh, aromatic berry character of young cabernet. But there the similarities end. Gimon’s wine remains on the fresh, fruity path, while Cherubino’s goes to darker, grittier places. Malbec no doubt plays its part in Avant Gardening’s deeper colour and firmer tannins. But the different origins – South Australia’s Coonawarra versus the West’s Frankland River – also influence the wines.
St Hallett Western Front Barossa Shiraz 2015 $14.30–$18 Japanese-owned Lion owns the Barossa’s St Hallett Winery and produces several outstanding regional shirazes. Western Front, made for Woolworths (Dan Murphy, BWS, Woolworths Liquor), sits in price between St Hallett Faith Shiraz ($17) and Gamekeepers Shiraz ($12) – two widely distributed St Hallett wines often discounted by retailers. Unlike its namesake, Western Front is designed never to be fought over. The name itself provides camouflage against direct price comparison for the simple reason that no one else stocks it. That’s a prime motive behind exclusive labels. The wine, however, provides absolutely delicious, ripe, juicy flavours with typically soft, easy Barossa tannins.
Chapel Hill The Vicar McLaren Vale Shiraz 2013 $61.75–$75 Only a very small proportion of all wines are suited for long-term keeping – whether for a memento of a special occasion, personal drinking pleasure or as a gift to a wine lover. Chapel Hill The Vicar offers that potential at a fair price considering its exceptional quality. The deep, crimson-rimmed colour suggests a wine of substance – an impression confirmed by the aroma and multi-layered palate. Powerful, fruity and savoury flavours mix with strong but smooth tannins in a harmonious wine that keeps luring the drinker back for another mouthful, despite its youth and power.
Jacob’s Creek Classic Chardonnay 2015 $7.50–$12 It’s late, you’ve been driving all day and there’s nowhere to eat in the small town but the local club. Choose a simple dish like steak and salad and you’ll be well nourished, if not excited. But what wine do you drink from a choice of unfamiliar club labels or Jacob’s Creek? The made-up labels seldom please. But Jacob’s Creek wines generally do the job nicely at a fair price. A recent encounter with Classic Chardonnay at a south coast club provided clear and melon- and peach-like varietal fruit flavour on a smooth, dry, medium-bodied palate.
Eldridge Estate Pinot Noir 2014 – wine of the week Eldridge Estate vineyard, Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria $60 David Lloyd’s wines demonstrate the power of growing grape varieties in the right climate, then mastering vineyard management and winemaking. His 3.8-hectare vineyard, at around 200-metres altitude and 38 degrees south, provides the cool growing and ripening conditions suited to pinot noir. Water on three sides (Port Phillip Bay, Bass Straight and Westernport Bay) further moderates the climate. Lloyd’s 2014, made from six pinot clones, gives us a pure yet savoury expression of the variety. Delicate perfume, vibrant varietal fruit flavours, savouriness and fine, grippy tannins make a complete pinot – one to savour and marvel at.
Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz 2013 Langhorne Creek, South Australia $19–$22 Langhorne Creek lies to the south east of McLaren Vale. Its warm climate, moderated by cool breezes from nearby Lake Alexandrina, produces rich, fleshy, but not heavy crowd-pleasing reds. The region’s pleasing wine styles, comparatively high yields and water availability attracted massive, broad-acre investments during the nineties. Though much of the grape crop goes to anonymous multi-region blends, the locals continue to make a mark with rich, satisfying reds like Bremerton Selkirk shiraz, made by Rebecca Willson whose family owns 120-hectares of vines in the region.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV Champagne, France $66.50–$80 A distinctive richness and delicacy sets Billecart-Salmon apart from the too many ho-hum non-vintage Champagnes. It always surprises because it’s so consistently outstanding. In our latest encounter, at Chairman and Yip, it accompanied some of the best oysters we’ve ever enjoyed: briny, juicy, plump and deliciously chewy. Billecart mingled happily with the tangy flavours, thanks in part to Champagne’s high acidity. But there’s more to it. A bit of pinot meunier in the pinot noir-chardonnay blend plumps out the palate and gives a fresh, fruity taste. Yet it remains delicate and dry, with the unique structure and harmony resulting from prolonged ageing on yeast lees.
Murrumbateman Winery Shiraz 2014 Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW $30 Bobbie Makin and Jennifer Lawrence are the new young team running one of Canberra’s oldest wineries (established 1973). The brand’s been keeping a low profile for some years but we can expect to see more activity now as the pair make wine using grapes from their own and neighbouring vineyards. Then wine shows Canberra’s bright berry fruit flavours and medium body, albeit with a more than typical lick of tannin, some of it oak derived, drying out the finish.
Arrogant Frog Croak Rotie Shiraz 2014 Aude Valley, Languedoc, France $7.90–$13 French winemaker Jean-Claude Mas launched Arrogant Frog in 2005 and now claims global sales of five million bottles annually – with over million of those sold in Australia through its importer, Woolworths. The brand includes two whites, a rose and two reds in addition to Croak Rotie reviewed today. For a modest price you get a flawless, screw-cap sealed shiraz–viognier blend of medium body and fresh fruit flavour. It’s taut rather than fleshy and finishes dry with slightly tough tannins.
Sandalford Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2015 Sandalford vineyard, Margaret River, Western Australia $22–$35 You could pay much more for a chardonnay as good as this. And the quality’s explained by what’s gone into the wine: grapes from mature vines, free-run juice (the finest cut), and fermentation and maturation in a mix of new and older French oak barrels. A full-flavoured but fine-boned chardonnay, it shows juicy, nectarine-like varietal flavour, rich, barrel-derived texture and very fresh, zesty finish.
Peter Lehmann Clancy’s Barossa Red Blend 2013 $11.40–$15 In the wine industry, new ownership or new marketing staff typically spells packaging changes, with the hope of increased sales. It seldom works, especially where the marketer shows little understanding of a brand’s underlying values. It came as no surprise therefore to see Peter Lehmann’s new owner, the Casella family, blast the publicity trumpets for its repackaging of the entry-level Clancy’s label. It seems to me, though, that the Barossa story comes second to the Banjo Patterson Clancy’s theme. However, the medium-bodied, soft wine behind the label offers easy drinking and fair value.
Zind-Humbrecht Terroirs d’Alsace Riesling 2011 $35–$46 On a cool night at Chairman and Yip’s new Barton home, a riesling from France’s Alsace region provided an interesting contrast to Australian styles. At five years the cork-sealed wine showed the deep gold colour of bottle age, but was otherwise fresh and lively with no sign of oxidation or cork taint. Typical of Alsace riesling, the wine’s distinctive, strong, ripe flavour came on a richly textured, slightly viscous palate with a firm, dry bite to the finish. It’s a unique and enjoyable style, suited to the Chairman’s richer dishes, but a little strong for the more delicate ones.
Mount Trio Porongurup Shiraz 2014 $22 The Porongurup range, a half-hour’s drive north of Albany, Western Australia, provides slightly cooler growing conditions than low lying areas in the vicinity – though both share the tug-of-war between hot continental air and cooler sea air to the south. The cooler conditions produce another subtle shade of wine flavours for the vast Great Southern region. Although Mount Trio shiraz weighs in at a hefty 14.5 per cent alcohol, it’s lively and fresh, laden with ripe-berry flavours and not as heavy on the palate as the alcohol level suggests. Bright fruit, smooth texture and soft tannins make for easy current drinking.
Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2016 – wine of the week Florita vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley, South Australia $13.90–$18 The first of the 2016 wines reviewed here comes from the Barry family’s historic Florita vineyard at Watervale, the Clare Valley’s southernmost sub-region. The late Jim Barry bought Florita from Lindemans in 1986. It had been source of many great, long-lived Lindemans and Leo Buring rieslings made by John Vickery from the 1960s. The new wine shows remarkable floral and citrus-like perfume – characters reflected on a fruity, brisk and thrilling dry palate. A modest outlay gives you a lot of drinking pleasure.
Hentley Farm The Stray Mongrel Red 2014 Hentley Farm vineyard, Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, South Australia $26–$30 The Stray Mongrel combines two traditional Barossa red varieties, grenache and shiraz, with zinfandel. The stray in the pack is an early ripening, dark and tannic variety, originally from Croatia (where the oldest of its several names is tribidrag) but better known as Puglia’s primitivo or California’s zinfandel. The wine packs a lot of flavour and character, revealing the lively fruit and aroma of grenache, richness of shiraz and the distinctive grippy, drying tannins of the zinfandel. It’s quirky variation on a traditional Barossa theme.
Hentley Farm The Old Legend Grenache 2015 Hentley Farm vineyard, Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, South Australia $62–$65 Whether in France’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape or the Barossa Valley, grenache generally finds itself blended with other varieties, notably shiraz and mourvedre. On its own it tends to give a strong confection-like character reminiscent of bubble gum. But we now see a number of excellent straight grenaches, including Hentley Farm’s, made by Andrew Quinn. Owner Keith Hentschke believes earlier picking, and a 60–90 maceration of the wine on skins, dumbs down the fruit a little. The result is a bright red wine, harmonising fruit with savoury, spicy and earthy characters. A backbone of fine tannins gives a satisfying grip to the finish.
Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Tahbilk vineyard, Nagambie Lakes, Victoria $17.10–$24 Tahbilk’s long-lived, medium bodied cabernet comes with a mother load of sturdy, grippy tannins that permeate the underlying fruit flavours. Though the sweetness of the underlying minty- and blackcurrant-like varietal flavours offsets the tannin, it remains a wine to tame with age or by serving with high-protein food. Pink, juicy lamb, for example, will strip away the tannin and expose the really lovely fruit at its heart. It offers exceptional quality for the price and has a proven ability to evolve deliciously over many years given cool, stable cellaring conditions.
Mount Trio Pinot Noir 2014 Mount Trio vineyard, Porongurup, Western Australia $20–$22 The Porongurups Range is a granite knob rising from the landscape about half an hour’s drive north of Albany, Western Australia. In the late 19980s, husband and wife Gavin Berry and Gill Graham and partners planted vines there, some of the first in this particularly cool part of the vast Great Southern region. The couple’s pinot captures much of the aromatic, flavour and textural charm of the variety. Delicious, sweet fruit, a touch of savour, and a backbone of fine tannin lift this above many pinots in this price range.
Xanadu Stevens Road Chardonnay Xanadu Stevens Road vineyard, Margaret River, Western Australia $56–$70 Xanadu, the western arm of Rathbone Wine Group, makes several excellent chardonnays, ranging in price from the $14.40–$18 Next of Kin, through the $29.60–$37 Xanadu, to the $56–$70 Reserve and Stevens Road wines. Stevens Road comes from the best rows in a vineyard of that name. Quality is further refined by using only the best barrels in the final blend. Mouth watering and juicy, with dazzling acid cutting through grapefruit- and nectarine-like varietal flavours, it’s a wine to revel in now, though bottle age may add new layers to it.
