Wine review — Xanadu, Hewitson, Montrose, Marchand and Burch, Pol Roger

15 January 2014Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 $30–$35
Margaret River, Western Australia
Xanadu cabernet covered itself with glory at the 2013 National Wine Show. The 2010 vintage won three trophies – as best cabernet, best dry red and champion of the show. And the 2008 won the best mature-dry-red trophy. The wine tastes as good on the dinner table as it does during the fleeting glimpse it gets during show judging. You’ll find the 2010 in bottle shops. But the just-released 2011 matches the quality. We tasted, then consumed the bottle in a masked tasting, alongside Houghton Gladstones 2001 and Cullen Diana Madeline 2003 – beautiful aged Margaret River cabernets the Xanadu will no doubt bear some resemblance to after a decade in bottle. We served the wines with a simple barbecued, butterflied lamb leg – a wonderful combination.

Hewitson Ned and Henry’s Shiraz Mourvedre 2012 $26
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Hewitson Ned and Henry lifted above the other ripe, warm-climate reds on the tasting bench and graduated to the dinner table – where it held our interest through several glasses. I would describe this as modern, restrained Barossa. It retains Barossa ripeness and generosity, but it’s not overripe, it’s modestly alcoholic at 14 per cent and it’s not overburdened by oak or tannin. The fruit is ripe and reminiscent of black cherry – with a spicy, savoury overlay. The soft, smooth tannins harmonise with the ripe fruit, adding length to the clean, fresh finish. In warm weather, refrigerate lightly to around 18 degrees.

Montrose Stony Creek Chardonnay 2012$20–$24
Craigmoor, Chardonnay Park and Woodbrook vineyards, Mudgee, NSW
Mudgee is among Australia’s oldest wine-growing regions. But, in my view, the nearest it has to a regional specialty is chardonnay. Judged on climate – mild rather than cool or cold – you’d expect tasty, early maturing styles. Instead, and especially from the higher cooler sites (source of Montrose), the chardonnays tend to be fine, complex and long-lived. While not at the cutting edge, the wine is subtle and refined, with ripe melon and peach flavour in a matrix with barrel-derived textures and flavours. It delivers a lot of drinking pleasure at a fair price.

Marchand and Burch Cremant de Bourgogne NV $30
Burgundy, France
France’s Cremant de Bourgogne appellation covers a huge tract of the Burgundy region, stretching from Chablis in the north to Beaujolais in the south. Total production, though, is said to be less than one twentieth of the Champagne region’s, to the north. Marchand and Burch, an Australian–French collaboration, provides a fresh, tasty, gentle and subtle introduction to the style. The creamy texture and crisp acidity made a good match with Wapengo oysters at a pre-Christmas Chateau Shanahan tasting.

Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve Champagne 2002 $86–$114
Champagne region, France
We found two Canberra stashes of Pol’s sublime 2002 vintage in Canberra – both in Coles-owned outlets. 1st Choice, Braddon, offered it at $114 a bottle – a fair price when compared to other vintage Champagnes. But Vintage Cellars Manuka marked it down to $86 as part of a six-bottle buy, making it perhaps the best Champagne buy on the market. We put it in a masked tasting alongside Lanson Gold Label 2002 ($50–$62). Both are wonderful wines and Lanson is perhaps the bargain of the year at $50. But Pol 2002 delivered the supreme elegance and harmony savoured occasionally in the greatest Champagnes – a beautiful creation, brought to near perfection.

Capital Wines Kyeema Vineyard Reserve Shiraz 2011 $52
Kyeema Vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW
Capital’s reserve shiraz shows its usual touch of class, albeit in a leaner, more spicy–peppery mould than usual. It’s always one of Canberra’s more brooding, slow-evolving shirazes, requiring bottle age or days of airing to reveal all. But in 2011, the aromatic spice and pepper character and lighter body make it immediately approachable. The spice and pepper give life to the underlying ripe-plum fruit flavours. But I suspect its best drinking will be over the next five or six years, rather then in the decades of a fleshier version from a warmer year.

Beer review — Australian Brewery and Weihenstephaner

15 January 2014Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Australian Brewery Extra hoppy Ale 355ml can 4-pack $14.99
This American-inspired beer – packed in an elegant, slimline can – combines masses of hops aromas, flavours and bitterness with opulent, sweet malt and 5.8 per cent alcohol. It won’t appeal to those seeking a cold drink on a hot day. But it’ll fascinate the hop-obsessed, though the malt–hops harmony needs some work.

Weihenstephaner Pilsner 500ml $5–$6
In a world where pilsner means a thousand different things, Bavaria’s Weihenstephan remains the standout – complex and subtle, featuring lovely hops aroma and flavour, smooth, rich malt and a lingering, dry, perfectly balanced bitter finish. We abstained from it for most of 2013, but returned to it before Christmas. Perfection is hard to beat.

Little Creatures opens Geelong brewery

15 January 2014BeerChris Shanahan

In December, Lion, owned by Japan’s Kirin, opened its $60-million Little Creatures brewery and hospitality facility in Geelong. The facility incorporates historic building in the 1920s art-deco style former Valley Worsted Mill.

The hospitality centre emulates Little Creatures’ highly successful brewery-bar-restaurant facility in Fremantle, Western Australia – making it a must-visit for anyone heading down Geelong way during the holiday period.

Lion plans to brew around 1.25 million cases of beer in the, principally for east coast markets.

While craft beer accounts for a little over three per cent of Australia’s beer market, the category is growing at about 13 per cent a year. Industry sources puts Lion’s share of the market at around 50 per cent, mainly through its James Squire and Little Creatures brands. Now that’s a lion’s share, and I reckon they won’t let go of it.

Wine review — Capital Wine, Kooyong and Brown Brothers

22 December 2013Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Capital Wine The Frontbencher Canberra District Shiraz 2011 $25
Cold, wet conditions greatly reduced Canberra’s 2011 grape crop and resulted in notably lighter red styles than usual. Capital Wine’s Jennie Mooney describes her Frontbencher 2011 as “just a lovely, easy-drinking, pretty shiraz”. That’s a fair summary. Its light-to-medium body, brisk acidity and soft, savoury tannins make fresh Christmas drinking –the flavour being notably more peppery and spicy than normal. Lightly chilled, it should make a particularly pleasant companion to cold cuts, game or fuller flavoured fish dishes.

Kooyong Beurrot Mornington Peninsula Pinot Gris 2012 $28–$31
More often than not pinot gris produces ordinary wines, often propped up by winemaking tricks or residual sugar. Beurrot, from two vineyards on the Kooyong property, certainly relies to some extent on winemaker add-ons. But an underlying, delicate, pear-like flavour tells what there is of the varietal story. The flavour weaves through the richly textured palate – and is joined by a struck-match character, a byproduct of fermentation and maturation for ten months on its yeast lees. A good level of acidity gives the palate refreshing vigour, followed by a pleasantly tart bite of tannin in the finish.

Brown Brothers Heathcote 18 Ninety Nine Shiraz 2012 $18.80
Fourth generation Katherine and Caroline Brown made their mark on this old Victorian family business with the release of the new 18 Ninety Nine range. The range includes pinot grigio, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and this shiraz from Heathcote, Victoria. A gold medal winner at the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge, the wine offers bright, ripe, plum-like varietal flavour with an earthy, savoury note. It’s fresh and lively with spikey, tart tannins offsetting the sweet fruit flavours. This would be another candidate for easy Christmas drinking at a modest price. The dutiful daughters got father, Ross Brown, to sign the back label.

A feast of Christmas beers

18 December 2013Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

The global explosion of craft brewing, aided by our strong dollar, gives us an amazing choice of Christmas beer styles – ranging from merely cold and wet, to complex, or even challenging.

Over the year I’ve tasted many outstanding beers. Some were seasonal offerings, now sold out. But the five-star brews recommended below should still be available at specialist outlets, like Plonk, Fyshwick markets.

For an irresistible American take on the classic, malty, bitter Czech Pilsen style, savour Samuel Adams Noble Pils (355ml $8.40). Also from America, and pole-vaulting to the hoppiest of hoppy heights, is Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Whole-cone IPA (355ml $7.70).

Fullers Golden Pride (500ml $8.40) offers sumptuous maltiness and satisfying bitterness, while fellow Englishman, Taddy Porter (550ml $7.40), provides robust, velvet smooth, sensuous drinking. And below, find one favourite each from Australia and New Zealand.

Coopers Thomas Cooper’s Selection Celebration Ale 355ml 6-pack $18–$20
The party goes on. The commemorative ale Tim and Glenn Cooper released last year to mark Cooper’s 150th anniversary has become a regular offering. The ale is reddish coloured, fruity, with citrusy hops high notes, generously flavoured and finishing hoppy and lingeringly bitter.

8 Wired Brew Co Saison Sauvin 500ml $10
This is a Kiwi take, from the heart of Marlborough sauvignon blanc country, on a traditional Belgian seasonal brew. Pungent, spicy sauvin hops from Nelson, to the west of Marlborough, permeates the rich, smooth, high-alcohol palate, leaving a lingeringly bitter, spicy, hoppy aftertaste. What a classy beer – big and assertive but well balanced.

Wine review — Ten Minutes by Tractor, Topper’s Mountain, Grey Sands, Oakvale, Helm and Stefano Lubiana

18 December 2013Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Ten Minutes by Tractor Wallis Chardonnay 2011 $65
Wallis vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Wallis chardonnay appealed on the tasting bench then moved to the dinner table where we served it masked to wine-savvy visitors. It provoked an initial “Ah, Chablis” response – recognition of its high acidity and lean structure. But as the wine warmed, the cool-climate grapefruit and white-peach varietal flavour blossomed around the acidity. From a very cool and the latest vintage yet at Ten Minutes by Tractor, the delicate, refined Wallis chardonnay held our attention to the last drop. One bottle seemed not enough.

Topper’s Mountain Nebbiolo 2010 $38
Topper’s Mountain vineyard, New England, NSW
Piedmont’s nebbiolo was first mentioned in 1266, making it one of the oldest continuously cultivated grape varieties on the planet. At its best, the wines it makes can be among the world’s finest – pale coloured but highly aromatic, intensely flavoured and very firmly structured. Too often, however, the wines smell lovely, then descend into palate-wrenching toughness. Topper’s Mountain, however, make a most approachable version from their 900-metre vineyard on the western slopes of the New England Ranges, near Inverell. It’s pale coloured, with a warm, inviting, earthy–floral aroma. The medium-bodied palate reflects the aroma and fine but firm, savoury tannins give a unique, taut structure. (See toppers.com.au).

Grey Sands The Mattock 2012 $30
Glengarry, Tamar Valley, Tasmania
Pinot noir’s the dominant red variety in cool Tasmania and likely to remain so. But other red varieties can ripen there, too, given the right sites and attention. Grey Sands provides a good example of what’s possible in this elegant merlot-malbec-cabernet franc blend. It combines sweet, cool-climate berry character with a leafy note (probably from the cabernet franc) on a deeply flavoured, medium-bodied palate, cut with fine, firm tannins. (See greysands.com.au).

Oakvale L’Oeuf Semillon 2012 $40
Ablington vineyard, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW
After several trial attempts in recent years, winemaker James Becker made Oakvale’s first “amphora” semillon in 2012. He pressed early-picked Hunter semillon to egg-shape concrete fermenters for a spontaneous fermentation, with no additions of yeast, acid or enzymes. Becker claims the shape of the vessels “tends to produce a gentle fermentation” and the concrete’s porosity admits tiny amounts of oxygen into the wine. He bottled the wine without fining or filtration. The result is a low-alcohol (8.2 per cent), bone-dry white that’s recognisably Hunter semillon in its lemony zestiness and light body. The affect of the fermentation technique becomes apparent in the texture and gently funky character of the palate. This is an idiosyncratic variation on a classic (and idiosyncratic) Australian regional–varietal combination.

Helm Classic Dry Riesling 2013 $30
Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW
Ken Helm’s Classic Dry won a gold medal at the regional wine show in September. Three months on, it’s probably even fruitier and lovelier than what the judges tasted – a transformation Canberra’s riesling seem to undergo during late spring and early summer. The wine’s highly aromatic, showing both floral and citrus character. These flavours come through on the delicate but intense, bone-dry palate. Its delicacy, flavour intensity and dryness make Helm Classic an exceptional aperitif style for Christmas and New Year. Put six bottles aside, though, and enjoy the wine’s evolution over the next decade or so.

Stefano Lubiana Brut Reserve NV $38–$40
Lubiana Granton Vineyard, Derwent Valley, Tasmania
I’d drink this in preference to most of the cheaper real Champagnes. Why? Because of the appealing depth of flavour, derived from outstanding fruit, and the unique structure, resulting from a 20-month maturation on yeast lees. Chardonnay, comprising four fifths of the chardonnay–pinot noir blend, gives the wine a lightness and grace. But there’s enough pinot to give backbone and an extra flavour depth. The blend is principally from the 2010 vintage, with about one fifth of the total from 2009 and 2008. The wine could easily handle more time on yeast lees – a good indicator of fruit quality.

Wine review — Robert Oatley, Waipara and Bream Creek

15 December 2013Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Robert Oatley McLaren Vale Shiraz 2011 $17.09–$22
We paid just under $22 for Bob Oatley’s shiraz down the south coast, and it’s on special in Canberra at present for $17.09 each in a six-bottle buy. But even at full price, the wine represents outstanding value. It’s made for Oatley by Larry Cherubino, one of Australia’s very talented winemakers. Cherubino’s talent lies largely in letting very good fruit do its thing. In this case McLaren Vale shiraz from the very cool 2011 vintage offers, ripe, spicy, savoury flavours, cut through with soft, drink-now tannins. The just-released 2012 should offer slightly fuller, riper flavours, but in the same general style. I’ll review this soon.

Waipara Hills Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2012 $18.05–$22
New Zealand’s Waipara region sits between Christchurch and Marlborough, in northern Canterbury. At latitude of 43 degrees south (the same as Hobart’s), the area’s climate is ideal for growing flavoursome, well defined pinot noir, like this reasonably priced version. It’s on the lighter side of pinot, but offers pure varietal aroma and flavour and adequate depth and tannin structure to be a real red. The style suits Australia’s warm climate extremely well as it’s not heavy – and offers its brightest, best fruit flavours at around 16–18 degrees, a temperature easily achieved with a short stay in the fridge or ice bucket.

Bream Creek Vineyard Tasmania Riesling 2010 $25
Cool-grown rieslings begin life lean and acidic. But over time their delicious fruit flavours emerge. The time required depends on the individual wine and can be as little as nine months from vintage – as the wine warms up during its first spring and summer. Other wines may take years. Break Creek vigneron, Fred Peacock, therefore holds his rieslings back for a few years. He’s about to move to the 2011 vintage, but the delicious 2010 is still in the marketplace. It offers delicate, Germanic, apple-like flavours, carried refreshingly across the palate by its high natural acidity.

Wines for Christmas drinking

11 December 2013People, Vineyard, Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

While an unrelentingly strong Australian dollar retards exports and drives record levels of wine imports, Australian vignerons respond by making better wines than ever – across an amazing range of styles.

At Chateau Shanahan we enjoy the diversity exports bring. But we’re also content contemplating an all-Australian Christmas wine menu.

This year’s selections include an extraordinary Tasmanian sparkler – mature but fresh after 12 years in bottle; a delicate dry newcomer to the Canberra riesling scene; an opulent, refined Yarra Valley chardonnay; a range of vivid, earthy, Mornington Peninsula pinot noirs; a sublime and elegant Grampians shiraz; and a luscious, unique old fortified from historic Seppeltsfield.

Arras Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blancs 2001 $57–$80
Pipers River and Upper Derwent, Tasmania
A top gold medal and special chair-of-judges trophy at the recent National Wine Show emphasise the remarkable qualities of Ed Carr’s 12-year-old sparkling chardonnay – a superb Christmas tipple. For Champagne buffs the name Salon-sur-Oger conjures images of delicate but powerful and complete sparkling wines made from chardonnay alone – unaided by pinot noir or pinot meunier, the majority varieties in most Champagnes. In good years chardonnay from the Salon sub-region stands alone, creating sublime wines personified in the rare and expensive Krug Clos du Mesnil and Salon le Mesnil. Australian sparkling maker Ed Carr says, “I have always been a fan of this style and to have a 2001 Tasmanian wine for the first release is as close to perfect as one could wish”. Many people, including me, share Carr’s excitement. His subtle and powerful Arras Blanc de Blanc 2001, matured on yeast lees for about a decade, is stunning – and so fresh at 12 years.

Capital Wines Gundaroo Riesling 2013 $28
Lambert Tallagandra Lane vineyard, Gundaroo, Canberra District, NSWIn 1998, Mark and Jennie Moonie planted Geisenheim clones of riesling on a north-facing, protected slope at Gundaroo. They sold the vineyard to Ruth and Steve Lambert in 2004 but in 2013 bought grapes from the vineyard for Capital Wines’ first single-vineyard riesling. Judges listed the wine among the top 100 in the recent NSW Wine Awards. And though the judges awarded the riesling trophy to its softer cellar mate, Capital Wines The Whip Riesling 2013 ($20), there’s a special intensity and vitality to the Gundaroo wine. It’s beautifully aromatic, intensely flavoured and delicate all at the same time. It delivers a lot of drinking pleasure at a realistic price – an aperitif style, suited to lighter foods, including salads and delicate seafood.

Coldstream Hills Rising Vineyard Chardonnay 2012 $42–$45
Rising vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Coldstream Hills, now part of Treasury Wine Estates, produces several Yarra Valley chardonnays – a general blend, a “reserve” version and, in 2012, two single-vineyard wines, “Deer Farm Vineyard” and “Rising Vineyard”. The latter demonstrates the symbiotic relationship between top-notch chardonnay and oak. Winemaker Andrew Fleming fermented then matured the wine in in French oak – 60 per cent of it new. That’s a high proportion and works only if the fruit is up to it and the oak exactly right. It’s a beautiful wine, seamlessly integrating intense, vibrant nectarine-like varietal flavours with spicy oak and all the subtle textural and flavour nuances derived from contact with the barrels and yeast lees. A chardonnay of this grace and opulence requires regal dinner company – fresh crayfish, perhaps.

Montalto Pennon Hill Pinot Noir 2012 $30
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Pinot makes a versatile food companion in a hot Australian Christmas. It sits comfortably with rich seafood, and white and red meats. And lightly chilled (15–18 degrees), it retains its delicate aromatics and fruitiness. Mornington Peninsula is a leading source of the variety. Of five Montalto pinot noirs tasted recently, Pennon Hill appealed for its vivid varietal character and the value for money it offers. It gives the true pinot experience at a fair price. And the three single-vineyard offerings ($65) from various parts of Mornington show a diversity of site-driven styles – and all offer a distinct lift in quality. Teurong, the lowest and northernmost vineyard, shows a dark, savoury and tannic side of pinot; Main Ridge, the southernmost, highest block, displays perfume and suppleness; and Merricks seems rich with firm, savoury tannins.

Mount Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz 2011 $95
Langi vineyard 1963 block, Grampians, Victorian
The supremely elegant Langi shiraz comprises multiple parcels of wine from a block of shiraz planted in 1963, using cuttings from nearby Great Western. It’s a unique expression of Australian shiraz, far lighter in colour than most, and, in a cool year like 2011, it lies on the far end of the spicy, peppery, just-ripe spectrum. That’s a pleasing, teasing place to be, especially when intense, sweet berry flavours offset the lean, spicy, peppery character and fine, grippy tannins. This is indeed a noble wine – one to savour, perhaps, with Christmas duck or goose; or maybe as a course on its own, tempered only by one of Silo’s incomparable white breads.

Seppeltsfield DP38 Rich Rare Venerable $29–$35 500ml
Various locations, including Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Our December 2008 agreement with Europe spelled the end of “sherry”, “oloroso”, “amontillado” and “fino” on our wine labels. So, Seppeltsfield’s former “oloroso sherry” becomes “rich, rare and venerable” – descriptors that have always been apt for this glorious, sweet fortified wine. It’s never better than at Christmas, when we nibble on fresh nuts or finish our meals with traditional steamed pudding or fruitcake. A product of fractional blending through a “solera” system, DP38 offers a luscious, fruity sweetness, profoundly altered by long ageing in old oak barrels. Age gives a distinct yellow–tawny hue to the colour – one aspect of what the Spanish describe as “rancio”. Rancio includes distinct leathery, nutty and marmalade-like nuances resulting from prolonged barrel maturation.

Beer review — Weihenstephaner and Shepherd Neame

11 December 2013Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel 500ml $5–$6.00
Bavaria’s 1000-year-old Weihenstephan brewery makes delicious, complex, traditional beers including this glorious bottle-fermented dark wheat beer. It’s got the dense, abundant head of the style and a harmonious, malty, rich-but-not-heavy palate with the brisk, acidic, dry wheat-ale palate. The strong dollar seems to keeping the price down – the sample bottle cost $5 on special.

Shepherd Neame Premium Spitfire Kentish Ale 500ml $9.00
This is a lovely, satisfying, full flavoured ale weighing in at a modest 4.5 per cent alcohol. The focus is on incredibly rich, silky, treacly malt flavours nicely offset by quite bitter, lingering hops flavours. Serve it at about ten degrees as an attractive cool-summer-evening ale.

Craft beer positions itself with wine

11 December 2013BeerChris Shanahan

Co-director of Melbourne’s three-day Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS), Steve Jeffares, says the event attracted around 12.000 visitors this year. Then in late November, Jeffares invited breweries to participate in GABS 2014 at the Royal Exhibition Building from 23 to 25.

From next year GABs becomes part of Good Beer Week – a Victoria wide celebration of beer, established in 2011. Good beer week claims to have doubled the number of events to over 100 in 2012. And in 2013, reports its website, “Many of Melbourne’s leading culinary lights took part, including the traditional, such as Grossi Florentino and Metteo’s, and the new wave, such as Cumulus Up, Rockwell and Son, Kumo Izakaya and Pope Joan”.

Dramatic, sustained growth in craft beer consumption seems to be steadily repositioning beer as an upmarket beverage deserving of the same attention being lavished on wine.