Skillogalee Trevarrick Single Contour Riesling 2012 $52.50 Skillogalee vineyard, Sevenhill, Clare Valley, South Australia Each vintage, Skillogalee’s Dave Palmer makes a number of individual rieslings from various vineyard blocks. Most end up in the blending vat and go to market as the estate riesling. In the exceptional 2012 vintage, however, Palmer bottled a small parcel … Continue reading Wine review – Skillogallee, Ulithorne, All Saints, Peter Lehmann, Domaine Chandon and Lake Breeze →

Logan Apple Tree Flat Mudgee Chardonnay 2013 $10–$13 Mudgee, in the high country about 270 kilometres north-west of Sydney, makes sturdy, tannic reds and surprisingly gentle, tasty chardonnays. Surprising because, in theory, we’d be looking these days for cooler locations for this early ripening variety. But chardonnay arrived there mid nineteenth century and became an … Continue reading Wine review – Logan, Lake Breeze and Domaine Chandon →

Penfolds Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2012 $32–37 Barossa Valley, South Australia After the skinny 2011 vintage, Penfolds Bin 138 returns to fleshy, juicy form in 2012. Though cooler than normal, the vintage provided sufficient heat to ripen the grapes fully – at the same delivering bold, heady, fruity aromas. The proportions of each variety … Continue reading Wine review – Penfolds, Ross Hill, Mawson’s, Andrew Thomas, Angullong and Kirrihill →

Capital Wines The Ambassador Tempranillo 2013 $25 Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW Though volumes remain small, the Spanish variety, tempranillo is perhaps the strongest contender to be Canberra’s second specialty red variety after shiraz. Outstanding examples from Mount Majura, Capital Wines and, from 2013, Quarry Hill, all hit the excitement button. At a recent masked tasting, … Continue reading Wine review – Capital Wines, Quarry Hill, Trinity Hill, Mount Monster, Bleasdale and Forester Estate →

Bourke Street Canberra District Chardonnay 2011 $18.39–$22 Local winemakers Nick O’Leary (Nick O’Leary Wines) and Alex McKay (Collector Wines) jointly make the Bourke Street range, including this impressive chardonnay. Their website currently offers the fuller bodied 2010 vintage, but a friend picked up the 2011 recently in a Canberra retail outlet. The cold vintage shows … Continue reading Wine review — Bourke Street, Skillogalee and Tulloch →

Sancerre (Vignerons a Crezancy) 2011 $16.49 For a different take – in fact, the original – on dry sauvignon blanc, try Costco’s French import from the eastern Loire Valley town, Sancerre. Located at 47 degrees north, this cool region makes lean, acidic sauvignons a world away in style from the brash, fleshy, globally loved versions … Continue reading Wine review — vignerons a Crezancy, Curly Flat and Vinaceous →

La Linea Tempranillo 2012 $27 Adelaide Hills, South Australia If I had to bet the house on one of the so-called “alternative” grape varieties it’d be Spain’s tempranillo. We crush only about 3000 tonnes a year in Australia (equivalent to perhaps 225 thousand dozen bottles) – a mere splash compared to the more familiar varieties … Continue reading Wine review — La Linea, Hoddles Creek, Clairault, Mount Majura, Coriole and Buchot-Ludot →

Moppity Vineyards Lock and Key Reserve Shiraz 2012 $22 Moppity vineyard, Hilltops, NSW Moppity won the most-successful-exhibitor trophy at Canberra regional show, largely on the strength of its Tumbarumba chardonnays and Hilltops shirazes. While isolated show medals mean little, sustained success in different shows invariably points to outstanding quality – a quality confirmed after a … Continue reading Wine review — Moppity Vineyards, Pikes, Greywacke, Mount Majura and T’Gallant →

Eden Road Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2012 $40 Maragle and Courabyra vineyards, Tumbarumba, NSW Canberra’s Nick Spencer made three 2012 chardonnays from Tumbarumba – this blend from the Maragle and Courabyra vineyards, plus individual wines from each site. There’s a family style in their lean, tight, pure flavours; but differences, too, based on the altitude of the … Continue reading Wine review — Eden Road, Mount Horrocks, Tahbilk and Corte Carista →