Hunting on Sundays Canberra District Shiraz Cabernet 2011 $22
Sommeliers Travis Cutler  (Thirst Wine Bar) and James Duffell (formerly of Lanterne Rooms) turned to winemaking and came up with this lovely luncheon red from the cold, wet 2011 vintage. Combining shiraz and cabernet, the wine displays the bright berry fruit and spice of shiraz with the leafiness of cabernet. It’s a pleasant and easy-drinking lighter bodied red with soft tannins and devil-may-care drinkability. The quirky label had us smiling as much as the wine did. Perhaps everything tastes good when you’re in the right mood. It’s available at Campbell Liquor Discounts.

Grant Burge Moscato Frizzante and Moscato Rosa 2012 $16–18
Formally the grape name is muscat-blanc-a-petite-grains, but in the Barossa they call it white frontignac, or fronti. But there’s also a red variant plus muscat of Alexandria. In Italy it’s moscato, a name increasingly adopted by Aussie winemakers as they emulate the light, zesty, intensely aromatic, grapey, sweet, low-alcohol ‘frizzante’ style made in Asti, Piedmont. Grant Burge’s stunning package captures the light, fresh, grapey mood of the wine – an appealing drop that threatens to bring sweetness (balanced by crisp, clean acidity) back into fashion. The white version, introduced in 2008, now has a pink companion, Rosa.

Plantagenet Mount Barker Riesling 2012 $19.95–$25
Whatever the Plantagenet winemakers did in 2012, they should keep on doing. This is the most exciting riesling in years. Sales Manager Andrew Charleson describes 2012 as a fantastic vintage but one marked by change. Winemaker John Durham left at the beginning of the vintage; a caretaker winemaker stepped in; and then Kath Oates, formerly of Mud House, New Zealand, arrived to finish the job. Out of all that change, though, came a delicious riesling of intense, lime-like varietal aroma and flavour, with a fresh, powerful-but-fine, delicate palate.

Mitchell Riesling 2012 $19–$22
Mitchell vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley 2012
At 13 per cent alcohol, Jane and Andrew Mitchell’s wine sits towards the bigger end of the Clare riesling scale. However, it’s intensely flavoured, bone dry, refreshingly acidic and has a rich, fine texture that, from experience of past vintages, builds with bottle age. There’s a complexity to Mitchell riesling that Andrew Mitchell attributes to indigenous yeast fermentation. The Mitchell’s established their winery in 1975, have a capacity to crush about 600 tonnes of grapes (about 42 thousand dozen bottles), and produce consistently outstanding reds and whites from mature vines in their now biodynamically managed vineyards. Their dry-grown riesling vines at Watervale, they say, are now 50 years old, a factor in the intense flavour of the wines they produce.

Shottesbrooke Shiraz 2010 $19–$21
Shottesbrooke vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Nick Holmes established Shottesbrooke in 1984 and today makes wine from vineyards he either owns or manages. His 2010 shiraz impresses for quality and price. It’s a generous red reflecting the ripe, plummy, savouriness of McLaren Vale shiraz, cut through by quite firm persistent tannins, with a slight bitterness to the finish. The combination of sweet fruit and tight tannins suggests some cellaring potential – and certainly warrants a good splash in a decanter before serving.

Andrew Thomas Six Degrees Semillon 2012 $22
Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Hunter Valley semillon’s a logical candidate for low-alcohol winemaking. The dry versions deliver ripe flavours but often register at around 10–11 per cent alcohol, considerably below the 12–14 per cent we normally see in Australian whites. Arresting the fermentation before the yeasts gobble up all the grape sugar produces wines of even lower alcohol content. In Six Degrees, Andrew Thomas achieves just eight per cent alcohol and a residual sugar of 36 grams per litre. However, the high acidity of the early-picked grapes offsets the sweetness by injecting young semillon’s typical lemony tartness. It’s a delicious combination.

Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Oakridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 $38 Diamond Creek, Seville and Coldstream, Yarra Valley, Victoria
David Bicknell makes a range of pinot noirs for Oakridge featuring various terroirs of the Yarra Valley – in this instance a blend of material from Seville, Diamond Creek and Coldstream. The handpicked fruit was de-stemmed and the whole berries allowed to ferment naturally, disturbed by only one early pump over early in the fermentation. This method captures the very pure, strawberry-like varietal flavours – although the wine, though young, already shows spicy, earthy and savoury characters. The medium bodied palate reflects the aroma and fine but assertive tannins give the wine serious pinot structure and texture.

Greywacke Late Harvest Riesling 2011 $35 375ml
Ashmore vineyard, Fairhall, Wairau Plains, Marlborough, New Zealand
Former Cloudy Bay winemaker Kevin Judd struck out on his own some years back, exploiting his intimate knowledge of Marlborough’s vineyards. Judd aptly describes this sticky as “an exotic, honeysuckle infused liquid marmalade. And indeed a luscious orange-marmalade-like flavour floods the palate, which remains, nevertheless, delicate and refreshing, thanks to the spritely acidity. The 12 per cent alcohol wine retains 120 grams per litre of residual grape sugar.

d’Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne 2011 $18–$22
McLaren Vale, South Australia
In the mid nineties, the Osborn family, owners of d’Arenberg, planted the Rhone Valley white varieties viognier, marsanne and roussanne. The latter, generally blended with one or both of the other varieties, can stand on its own, as d’Arenberg has demonstrated since 2001, the first vintage. It’s subtler than either of its Rhone siblings, and even in the cold, wet 2011 produced an appealing wine with lemon and honeysuckle flavours and a slightly viscous, smooth, savoury palate.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 28 November 2012 in The Canberra Times

De Bortoli Yarra Valley La Boheme Syrah Gamay 2011 $18–$20
Research commissioned by Woolworths reveals that two thirds of Australians intend hosting Christmas meals in the backyard, enjoying an ever more adventurous range of fresh foods. This calls for light and refreshing wines of the styles reviewed today. The cool Yarra Valley vintage and use of gamay – the grape of grape of France’s Beaujolais region – deliver a vibrant, light-bodied red. A pleasantly tart, stalky character cuts through the fresh summer-berry flavours. And a combination of crisp acidity and smooth, fine tannins finish off a delightful backyard, summer red. Serve lightly chilled.

De Bortoli Rococo Yarra Valley Blanc de Blancs $19.70–$22
Slightly fuller bodied and more complex than the Prosecco reviewed below, though still delicate, Rococo combines barrel-fermented Yarra Valley chardonnay from several vintages. The barrel fermentation and maturation on spent yeast cells in the barrels adds a subtly rich texture to this dazzlingly fresh, spritely, light bodied, dry bubbly. The elegant, rococo-style, enamel-on-glass label contributes an emotional dimension to the wine – a visual cue adding greatly to its enjoyment and sense of occasion it brings.

Brown Brothers Prosecco NV $12.90–$17.90
Banksdale Vineyard, King Valley, Victoria
Italy’s prosecco sparkling wines offer a pleasing light, savoury tartness. They’re usually low in alcohol with a simple, freshness and purity. Like a number of Australian winemakers Brown Brothers embraced the style, planting prosecco vines on its elevated, cool Banksdale Vineyard in Victoria’s King Valley. With many Italian descended families, the region has become a hot spot for Italian varieties. Brown’s tank-fermented non-vintage style offers crisp, light, pear-like flavours with a little kiss of sweetness in the background. It’s an appealing, unobtrusive appetiser and could sit comfortably with just about any food, or on its own as an aperitif.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 25 November 2012 in The Canberra Times

Henschke Mount Edelstone 2009 $95–$125
Mount Edelstone vineyard, Eden Valley, South Australia
Ronald Angas planted the Mount Edelstone vineyard in 1912 using cuttings from shiraz vines imported from France by James Busby in the early 1830s. The Henschke family made the first Mount Edelstone in 1952 – a line winemaker Stephen Henschke continues while wife Prue tends the venerable old vines. It’s a real jaw dropper – buoyant, elegant shiraz showing the Eden Valley’s distinctive spicy fruit flavour, with a hint of liquorice, and silk-smooth tannins. The wine has been released under both screw cap and Vino Lok, the glass stopper with a silicon o-ring providing the airtight seal.

Centennial Vineyards Blanc de Blancs NV Brut $29.69–$34.99
Centennial vineyards, Bowral, Southern Highland, NSW
Most bubblies emulating France’s Champagne style combine chardonnay with the red variety pinot noir and sometimes pinot meunier. The pinots add backbone and, in the case of meunier, flesh to the blend. Exceptional chardonnay, however, can stand on its own as it does in Centennial’s beautiful blanc de blancs – the trophy winner at this year’s Canberra regional show. The very cool climate delivers high-acid grapes with intense grapefruit-like varietal flavour – a lean, austere combination that transforms to a delicious, rich elegance after three and a half years’ bottle age.

Veritas Winery Bulls Blood Shiraz Mataro Pressings 2008 $45
Marananga and Dorrien, Barossa Valley, South Australia
The late Rolf Heinrich Binder created Veritas Bull’s Blood in the 1960s, but discovered the magic of old-vine mataro (aka mourvedre) only in the 1980s, says his son Rolf. Thereafter it became the key to this 65 per cent shiraz, 35 per cent mataro blend. Binder says he inherited his father’s love of mataro in Bull’s Blood and makes it “with his voice in my ears”. Binder’s potent blend combines generous, ripe shiraz with mataro’s intense, earthy, spicy character and sturdy tannins – and a sympathetic lick of oak. It’s a unique, big but balanced and satisfying wine style.

Rolf Binder Heinrich Shiraz Mataro Grenache 2009 $32
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Brother and sister Rolf Binder and Christa Deans created Heinrich, named for their father, Rolf Heinrich Binder, in 2001. It provides a soft and aromatic contrast to the sturdy Bull’s Blood shiraz-mataro reviewed today. Binder and Deans say they source about 150 per cent of the fruit they need for Bull’s Blood, but allocate the more aromatic fruit to Heinrich – then add about 20 per cent grenache to boost its perfume. Alongside Bull’s Blood, Heinrich shows its grenache aroma and bright, juicy, soft and spicy palate.

Riposte by Tim Knappstein The Sabre Pinot Noir 2010 $30
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Tim Knappstein’s 2010 Sabre pinot seems more tightly coiled than the more voluptuous 2009. But the delicious fruit flavour’s there, meshed in with layers of smooth tannins that give structure to the elegant palate. Knappstein sources fruit from Lenswood and the Piccadilly Valley, two of the cooler parts of the Adelaide Hills – part of the Mount Lofty Ranges that rise near McLaren Valley, to the south, and form the Eden and Clare Valleys to the north.

Kirrihill Single Vineyard Series Riesling 2012 $16.15–$19
Slate Creek vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley, South Australia
The run of delicious Clare Valley 2012 rieslings continues with this single-vineyard wine, made by Donna Stephens.  It comes from the Slate Creek vineyard at Watervale, towards the southern end of the Clare Valley. Consistent with other Watervale rieslings from the vintage, the wine shows generous, upfront floral and lime character. Such generosity in young rieslings sometimes indicates rapid flavour development – and equally rapid decline. But the 2012s balance the rich flavours with lively acid, indicating the best may develop for some years.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 21 November 2012 in The Canberra Times

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2011 $35.15–$40
Sexton Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Proprietor Phil Sexton offers three single-vineyard Yarra Valley chardonnays – the vineyards managed by Stuart Marshall and wines made by Steve Flamsteed. The wines reflect the fruit flavours of the different sites, some clonal variation and subtle variations in winemaking, including the use of various types of oak. These are beautiful modern chardonnays. Of the three, Sexton Vineyard, near Yarra Yering and Coldstream Hills, appealed most of all. It’s a multi-dimensional wine, based on vivid, luscious nectarine- and grapefruit-like varietal flavour. These thread through a sensuous, slick textured but exceptionally fine, dry palate.

Tertini Reserve Arneis 2010 $35
Tertini Yaraandoo vineyard, Southern Highlands, NSW
The northern Italian white variety, Arneis, is one of few varieties to succeed to date in Julian Tertini’s Southern Highlands vineyard. Low grape yields – about half that of arneis – and low rate of juice extraction, means tiny production. But the quality is excellent. It’s a full-bodied wine with unique varietal flavours – hard to describe, but in my tasting at the winery the words “sappy”, “melon rind”, “pear” and “lemon” – all in a positive vein – came to mind. However we describe it though, it’s thoroughly delicious, the bright fruit flavours backed by the textural richness of partial barrel fermentation.

David Hook Reserve Barbera 2011 $30
Central Ranges, NSW
Italy’s barbera grape tends to make brilliantly coloured reds with bright summer berry flavours, brisk acidity and soft tannins. David Hook’s version ticks all those boxes. But there’s another dimension, too, making this easily the best Australian expression of the style that I’ve tasted. The fleshy but not plump palate, and smooth, silky tannins make this a more complete, satisfying red without abandoning the varietal character. Hook says that it won the trophy at the 2012 NSW Small Winemakers Show for best dry red table wine made from Spanish or Italian varieties.

Andrew Thomas Braemore Semillon 2012 $28
Braemore vineyard, Pokolbin, Lower Hunter Valley, NSW
Andrew Thomas says in 26 Hunter vintages he can’t recall a cooler spring and summer. Despite the cool season, grapes on the Braemore vineyard ripened, albeit a few weeks later than normal, to produce this lean and lively 10.5 per cent semillon. It’s lemony, fresh and taut now, though smoothly textured. But bottle age, perhaps a decade or two, should fatten it with a rich, toasty, honeyed character, in the classic Hunter semillon mould.

Tulloch Vineyard Selection Verdelho 2012 $20
Denman, Upper Hunter Valley, and Pokolbin, Lower Hunter Valley, NSW
Verdelho’s a key variety of Madeira and in Australia easily made the transition from fortified wine production – for which it was originally imported in the nineteenth century – to table wine in our warmer grape growing regions. It provides pleasant, medium to full bodied drinking with a sappy, tropical edge to the fruit flavour. Tulloch’s version slips down easily –unobtrusive, but tasty, zesty and fresh and with typical Hunter roundness and softness.

John Duval Entity Shiraz 2010 $45–$48
Krondorf, Tanunda, Light Pass and Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia
Entity is former Penfolds winemaker John Duval’s shot at an elegant, potentially long-lived Barossa shiraz. He writes, “The 2010 Entity again includes some Eden Valley [part of the Barossa zone] shiraz to help maintain the elegance and style”. At two years, the wine’s a baby – densely coloured with vivid purple rim; vibrant, youthful aroma of ripe dark berries; and a palate rippling with ripe, juicy berry flavours with a touch of spice and underlying savouriness and layered with very fine, soft tannins. Very approachable now, but there’s substance to this wine and it should age well for a decade or more if properly cellared.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2012
First published 14 November 2012 in The Canberra Times