Seppeltsfield Para 100 year old vintage tawny 1913 $330 100ml, $999 375ml
Seppeltsfield vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Seppeltsfield released its first 100-year-old Para tawny in 1978 – drawn from a barrel set aside by Benno Seppelt in 1878. He instructed the family to bottle it in 100 years. Amazingly, Seppelt’s successors, including corporate and then private owners, continued the practice without interruption. And today, for $40, cellar door visitors can taste the current release (plus the $150 Seppeltsfield Uber Shiraz 2010). For most, tasting a wine freshly bottled after maturing 100 years in barrel, will be a once in a lifetime experience. The 1913 vintage, tasted at cellar door in July, poured slickly into the glass. The tawny and orange colours spoke of autumn leaf and old age; the aroma spelled the comfort of ancient leather furniture, shellac, cedar, soy and burnt sugar; the viscous but ethereal palate reflected the aroma – a luscious, precious glory of a thing, made before the World War I, venerable but still fresh, in its own aged and stately way. (Available at seppeltsfield.com.au).

Seppeltsfield Grenache Shiraz Touriga 2010 $31.50–$35
Seppeltsfield vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Approached from the west, the firsts view of Seppeltsfield is of the gently curving contours of grenache vines, pruned as individual bushes – the largest such plantings in Australia, claim the owners. These vines, along with estate-grown shiraz and touriga, provide the fruit for this delicious, trophy-winning blend. It’s generous, round and soft, in the Barossa mould, with fruit flavours reminiscent of red currant. Grenache and touriga contribute attractive floral highlights to the aroma and lift to the palate.

Oliver’s Taranga Tempranillo 2011 $32
Oliver’s Taranga vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Overall McLaren Vale seems to have weathered the cold, wet 2011 vintage better than the Barossa Valley. Winemaker Corrina Wright called it an “interesting” season, noting that 1974 was wetter. I tasted this wine with Wright on a visit to the winery in July. Wright said this was a very small production of a wine she’s made since 2006. Tempranillo seems well suited to McLaren Vale and, indeed, to a great diversity of Australian regions. This one’s medium bodied, with blueberry-like fruit flavours under more savoury characters and the variety’s distinctively firm but fine tannins.

Turkey Flat Butcher’s Block Marsanne Roussanne Viognier 2012 $19.95–$22
Barossa Valley, South Australia
This white style seems well suited to the warm, dry Barossa Valley. Made from three Rhone Valley varieties, marsanne, roussanne and viognier, Butcher’s Block offers texture and savouriness rather than the aromatics and fruitiness cooler regions do better. Christie Schulz polished the style over the years, treating each of the components separately, including skin contact for the viognier, early picking for the marsanne and later picking and whole bunch pressing for the roussanne – with 50 per cent of the blend matured in oak. It’s a full-bodied, richly textured dry white with subtle, underlying nectarine and apricot-like flavours. Tasted at the winery 27 July.

Rockford Frugal Farmer Red 2011 $20.50
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Like the frugal farmer who wastes nothing, Barossa winemaker Rocky O’Callaghan, ferments grenache and mataro on the skins left over from his rose production – made from the obscure variety, alicante bouchet. The result is a light (for the Barossa), crimson-rimmed, joyous red, brimming with lively, fruity flavours to enjoy right now. Available at cellar door, see rockfordwines.com.au

Wicks Estate Pinot Noir 2012 $18–$22
Wicks Estate vineyard, Woodend, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
In 1999, property developers Tim and Simon Wicks bought a 54-hectare property at Woodside, Adelaide Hills. They planted a 40-hectare vineyard and, in 2004, built a winery large enough for their three winemakers – Tim Knappstein, Leigh Ratzmer and Chris Parsons – to process the vineyard’s considerable grape output, much of it released under the Wicks Estate label. Their first pinot noir, from the excellent 2012 vintage, won a gold medal and trophy at the Cowra show, just as stock moved to retail outlets. Simon Wicks says it sold out instantly at wholesale level. The wine, tasted at the winery, bears a familial resemblance to the excellent shiraz – with a focus on bright, well-defined varietal flavour, medium body and soft, juicy tannins. This is very good pinot noir to enjoy now.

Copyright Chris Shanahan 2013
First published 14 August 2013 in the Canberra Times and goodfood.com.au

Seppeltsfield Eden Valley Riesling 2012 $19.80–$22
After a couple of changes of ownership in recent years, Barossa’s historic Seppeltsfield belongs to four investors, led by winemaker and managing director, Warren Randall. Under an arrangement with former owner, Foster’s (now Treasury Wine Estates), Randall’s group can sell Seppeltsfield table wines only through the cellar door and mail order. However, it distributes the unique and superb Seppeltsfield fortified wines throughout and Australia. And Treasury continues to use the Seppelt brand for table and sparkling wines. Seppeltsfield riesling, under its beautiful retro label, provides the full flavoured delicacy of a great Eden Valley vintage. (Available at seppeltsfield.com.au).

Wicks Estate Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2012 $16.15–$20
In 1999, property developers Tim and Simon Wicks bought a 54-hectare property at Woodside, Adelaide Hills. They planted a 40-hectare vineyard and, in 2004, built a winery large enough to process the vineyard’s considerable grape output. The wines, made by Tim Knappstein, Leigh Ratzmer and Chris Parsons, have been outstanding at the price. On a recent visit to the winery, the 2012 shiraz appealed strongly. It’s of a similar quality and style to the gold-medal-winning 2010 vintage (there was no 2011), offering lovely fragrance, vibrant, ripe-berry and spicy flavours and silky soft tannins.

Tscharke Girl Talk Barossa Valley Savagnin 2012
As cooler areas inexorably dominate production of the crisp, zesty white styles demanded by consumers, some winemakers in warmer areas like the Barossa seek white varieties that make appealing wine in these warm, dry conditions. Damien Tscharke pioneered the Spanish variety, albarino, only to find it was savagnin. Whatever it’s called, though, the variety produces a soft, juicy and smooth textured dry white with a pleasant savouriness setting it apart from, say, sauvignon blanc or chardonnay. For the first time in the very good 2012 vintage, Tscharke fermented a small proportion of the wine in older oak – boosting the wine’s texture.

Copyright Chris Shanahan 2013
First published 11 August 2013 in the Canberra Times

Main Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2011 $55
Main Ridge vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
In a tasting of top-shelf chardonnays from the cold 2011 vintage, Main Ridge stood out from its bonier peers. The shift to leaner, tighter chardonnays in Australia has been overall a good thing, though some wines do seem a little too skinny, especially in very cool seasons. But even in one of the wettest, coolest vintages Nat and Rosalie white manage to keep some flesh on the bone. Theirs is an elegant chardonnay, in the best sense of the word – finely structured and delicate, but with beautiful fruit flavours, a subtle, sweet, caramel-like undercurrent (probably a result of malolactic fermentation) and smooth, silky mid palate and brisk, clean finish.

Prancing Horse Estate Pinot Noir 2010 $65
Prancing Horse vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Prancing Horse vineyard dates from 1990. But after a change in ownership in 2002, writes Tony Hancy, it was “rejuvenated with an extreme pruning regime. Additional clones were grafted into the sit alongside the existing MV6 and great effort went into changing the trellis system from Scott Henry to VSP [vertical shoot positioning]”. Hancy engaged Burgundian biodynamic wine consultant, Pascal Marchand, a soil expert, Professor Yves Herody, and winemaker Sergio Carlei. The team is clearly getting it all right as this is an outstanding pinot, showing intense, savoury fruit flavours and a strong, fine backbone of tannin.

Oliver’s Taranga Fiano 2013 $24
Oliver’s Taranga Vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Put this spritely white in you notebook for spring. Winemaker Corrina Wright, a sixth generation Oliver of Taranga, McLaren Vale, mixes several Italian and Spanish varieties in the family’s extensive plantings of more traditional cultivars. Wright’s fiano, an Italian white variety, is bracingly acidic but also richly textured, with a sweet kiss of residual grape sugar offsetting the high acid. Wright says the very low pH of two needed a little sugar coating. It’s something different and exhilarating for the coming summer.

Paxton AAA Shiraz Grenache 2011 $20
Paxton vineyards, McLaren Vale, South Australia
David Paxton and family operate several vineyards in McLaren. Paxton originally grew and sold grapes, and was involved in establishing several significant vineyards – including Hardys highly regarded Hoddles Creek vineyard in the Yarra Valley. However, the Paxtons moved to wine making a few years back and intend ultimately to process all of their own grapes for the Paxton label. AAA, a delicious, savoury, medium-bodied blend, is their biggest seller, offering the regional style at a fair price.

Seppeltsfield Solero DP117 Pale Dry Flor 500ml $29–$32
Seppeltsfield vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia
That unique Barossa wine estate, Seppeltsfield, sits on a treasure trove of fortified wine, stretching back in an unbroken sequence to the 1878 vintage. The company’s stocks include a solera of this thrilling, salty, briny, tangy fino “sherry” style made from palomino grapes grown on the estate. With an average age of eight years in barrel, it offers a fine and thrilling expression of this Spanish inspired style, so suited to savoury food like olives and anchovies.

Langmeil Eden Valley Riesling 2012 $25
Eden Valley, South Australia
On a cold Barossa day we arrived at Tanunda’s 1918 restaurant ready for a hot meal and cold drink. We asked the waitress for something refreshing, and she delivered Langmeil’s delicious Eden Valley riesling. The shimmering green-gold colour appealed enormously and the thrill carried through to the generous, vigorous, lime-like flavours. It’s a fuller-bodied version of the Eden Valley style, giving great drink-now appeal but without sacrificing vibrancy and freshness.

Copyright Chris Shanahan 2013
First published 7 August 2013 in the Canberra Times and goodfood.com.au

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2012 $28–$32
Heavy rain towards the end of February 2012 destroyed large volumes of ripe, or near ripe grapes in Canberra and surrounding districts. Clonakilla lost much of its Canberra fruit in the event. But, says Tim Kirk, they harvested most of their fruit from the Hilltops region (around Young, NSW), the day before the 200mm deluge arrived. The result is a delightfully rich red combining ripe, dark-cherry flavours with the spice and touch of black pepper we see from cooler areas. The wine’s medium bodied and shows the Clonakilla signature of great harmony and silky, juicy mid palate.

Turkey Flat Butcher’s Block Barossa Valley
Marsanne Roussanne Viognier 2012 $19.95
This is exactly the sort of white Barossa makers ought to specialise in. Made from three varieties well suited to warm, dry regions, Butcher’s Block offers texture and savouriness rather than the aromatics and fruitiness cooler regions do better. Christie Schulz polished the style over the years, treating each of the components separately, including skin contact for the viognier, early picking for the marsanne and later picking and whole bunch pressing for the roussanne – with 50 per cent of the blend matured in oak. It’s a full-bodied, richly textured dry white with subtle, underlying nectarine and apricot-like flavours.

Red Knot by Shingleback McLaren Vale
Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2012 $10.90–$15
The Davey family’s Red Knot range delivers some of the best value for money drinking in the market. Red drinkers twigged to this a few years back, and retailers responded by including the wines among their regular discounts. The wines easily deserve $15 a bottle. But they’re bargains when the price drops closer to $10 – as they were when I wrote this review. The 2012 blend leads with the lovely musk-like fragrance of grenache, supported on the soft and juicy palate by the richness of shiraz and spiciness of mourvedre.

Copyright Chris Shanahan 2013
First published 4 August 2013 in the Canberra Times

Peter Lehmann Drawcard Barossa Shiraz Mataro 2010 $20–$25
It’s hard to believe now that so much of the Barossa’s wine once disappeared anonymously into multi-regional blends. But the area’s recognition as one of the world’s great makers of shiraz, grenache and mourvedre (aka mataro) opens up the palette of wine styles available. Increasing numbers of winemakers now present the product of single vineyards or sub-regional blends. In this instance Peter Lehmann’s Ian Hongell delivers the earthy power of shiraz and mataro from the Barossa’s north-western ridge – a generous, sweet-fruited wine, principally shiraz, with the fragrance, spice and grippy tannins of mataro.

Port Phillip Estate Quartier Mornington Peninsular Arneis 2012 $28
A number of Australian winemakers, principally in Victoria’s King Valley, now cultivate arneis, a white variety first documented in Piemonte, Italy, in the fifteenth century. Port Phillip Estate’s version, from a vineyard at Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, presents a lively, full-flavoured expression of the variety, with unique, sappy, slightly pear-like flavours and savoury, vigorous dry finish. Winemaker Sandro Mosele writes, “[the wine] comes from a 0.61-hectare parcel planted in Red Hill. Handpicked fruit is whole-bunch pressed, tank fermented without inoculation and matured in stainless steel for seven months”.

Cappa Stone Clare Valley Shiraz 2010 $18
Mildura-based Cappa Stone Wine brings in fruit from a number of other wine growing regions, including the Clare Valley, source of this shiraz. Winemaker Donna Stephens, formerly of Clare Valley’s Kirrihill Wines, recently took over at Cappa Stone, though I suspect this wine predates her arrival. For a fair price, it offers a big mouthful of flavour – combining ripe, sweet shiraz, with aggressive, palate-gripping tannins, a little burst of oak and a warm-to-hot alcoholic aftertaste. I’d call it a modern rough red, where bright fruit intersects with angular tannins.

Copyright Chris Shanahan 2013
First Published 28 July 2013 in the Canberra Times