Bowen Estate Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 $28.49–$35 Doug Bowen tends the vines and daughter Emma makes the wines. The much-loved, distinctive reds sit at the burly end of Coonawarra’s generally elegant style. In the warm 2013 vintage, that means an inky deep, ripe expression of cabernet. Remarkably, despite the wine’s power and richness, it retains … Continue reading Wine review – Bowen Estate, Zeppelin and Heartland
Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Shiraz 2013 Ross Hill Griffin Road vineyard, Orange, NSW $40 A year ago, as the 2014 bubbled along in its small, open fermenter, winemaker Phil Kerney drew samples of the 2013 from the French oak barriques they were resting in. A year on, and in bottle, the wine blended from all … Continue reading Wine review – Ross Hill, Peter Lehmann, El Toro Macho, Howard Park, Lark Hill and Penfolds
Turkey Flat Mataro 2014 $32 Turkey Flat vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia In Spain, where it originated, this late ripening variety is known as monastrell. The French call it mourvedre. In the Barossa most winemakers know it as mataro, though mourvedre gets a nod at times. And at Turkey Flat, writes owner Christie Schulz, “We … Continue reading Wine review – Turkey Flat, Stefano Lubiana, Mitchell, Vin Vale by Shingleback and Penfolds
Capital Wines Gundaroo Vineyard Riesling 2014 $28 Gundaroo, Canberra District, NSW In 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, by now the owners of Capital Wines, they bought grapes from the … Continue reading Wine review – Capital Wines, Eddystone Point, Moores Hill, Grant Burge and Bleasdale
Mt Monster Limestone Coast Shiraz 2013 $13–$16 The Bryson family owns two vineyards, totalling 170 hectares, at Padthaway on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, about an hour’s drive north of Coonawarra. By my estimate a vineyard of that size might produce around 120 thousand dozen bottles in a good year – fairly large production for a … Continue reading Wine review – Mt Monster, Chapel Hill and Tyrrell’s
The maturity and breadth of our local wine industry shows in this selection of the top-10 whites and top-10 reds of 2014. The selection could easily have come from the Canberra district alone, so rich are the pickings from vineyards spread at altitudes varying from around 550-metres to 860-metres above sea level. However, our surrounding … Continue reading Canberra and surrounding districts – top 10 reds, top 10 whites of 2014
As the Australian wine industry moved into another round of takeovers and rationalisation in 2014, Canberra’s vignerons remained many, small and independent. They released probably more outstanding wines in the year than they ever had before, attracting a remarkable flow of wine show gongs. Treasury Wine Estates was the largest takeover target. After months of … Continue reading A year in Canberra wine, 2014
Tulloch Pokolbin Dry Red Shiraz 2013 $20–$25 Tulloch make a number of Hunter Valley reds, including this fruity drink-now version. In this instance “drink-now” means the fresh, vibrant fruit flavours, medium body and gentle tannins appeal enormously and make good current drinking. However, the quality, purity and depth of fruit flavour (and the ever reliable … Continue reading Wine review – Tulloch, Vinaceous and De Bortoli
Robert Stein Riesling 2014 $35 Robert Stein vineyard, Mudgee, NSW At the excellent St Isidore restaurant, Milton, we kicked off a joyous lunch with the delicious Robert Stein riesling. Riesling can be austere when young. But winemaker Jacob Stein backed the natural lime-like varietal flavour of this one with gentle mid-palate texture. The flavour comes … Continue reading Wine review – Robert Stein, Rusty Fig, Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy Moppity Vineyard and Houghton
Bleasdale Frank Potts Langhorne Creek Cabernet Blend 2012 $26.60–$30 Bleasdale cabernet blend honours company founder and Langhorne Creek pioneer, Frank Potts. In 1858, Potts planted vines on the flood plain of the Bremer River, which runs through Langhorne Creek. The area’s mild maritime climate, produces outstanding cabernet, with a distinctive mid-palate fleshiness. Potts’s descendants demonstrate … Continue reading Wine review – Bleasdale, Geoff Merrill and Tahbilk