There’s always a buzz of excitement at the release of a new Grange vintage. It’s a global event now and a confident Penfolds includes in the release its other flagship wines – Yattarna Chardonnay, Reserve Bin Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, St Henri Shiraz, Magill Estate Shiraz, RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz and Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon. This … Continue reading Penfolds releases Grange, St Henri, Magill, RWT and Bin 707
Curly Flat Williams Crossing Pinot Noir 2008 $24–$27 Curly Flat vineyard, Macedon Ranges, Victoria Williams Crossing sometimes outscores its more expensive cellar mate at the annual Macedon wine show. As a judge there on several occasions I’ve consistently marked both at the top of the pack, for the simple reason that they deliver the magic … Continue reading Wine review — Curly Flat, Williams Crossing, Grant Burge, Heartland Wines and Angoves
Curly Flat Macedon Ranges Pinot Gris 2010 $26–$29 Phillip and Jeni Moraghan’s pinot gris sits right at the top of the pile in Australia – a pile comprising largely insipid wines, labelled as either “pinot gris” or “pinot grigio”. But grown in a cool region, like Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, and handled properly, the variety can … Continue reading Wine review — Curly Flat, Heartland and Leconfield
Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2009 $55 Margaret River, Western Australia Our best chardonnays almost invariably show the winemaker’s thumbprint, generally related to fermentation and barrel-ageing options and whether or not the maker allows or blocks the secondary malolactic fermentation (this softens the wines as it converts malic acid to lactic acid). What the best have … Continue reading Wine review — Vasse Felix, Pepper Tree, Kangarillo Road, Tapanappa and Zilzie
In 1967 Wolf Blass winemaker, John Glaetzer, received a load of “beautiful, concentrated” cabernet sauvignon from Bill Potts’ vineyard, Langhorne Creek. Glaetzer turned those grapes into the first Wolf Blass Grey Label Cabernet Sauvignon. Seven years later, inspired by those beautiful grapes, Glaetzer (still working for Blass) made John’s Blend No. 1 Langhorne Creek Cabernet … Continue reading Tasting John’s Blend 1990 to 2006
Eden Road The Long Road Shiraz 2009 $21 Canberra and Hilltops districts, New South Wales There’s a distinct winemaking style at Eden Road under Nick Spencer. The intense, pure restrained wines tend towards austerity in youth – a character notable in the Canberra Riesling 2010, Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2008 and Canberra Shiraz 2009. But the underlying … Continue reading Wine review — Eden Road, Ross Hill, Cullens, Brancott Estate and Innocent Bystander
Kirrihill Single Vineyard series $15.25–$16.95 Clare Valley Slate Creek Riesling 2010 Adelaide Hills Serendipity Pinot Grigio 2010 Adelaide Hills Barton Springs Sauvignon Blanc 2010 There’s great value in these single-vineyard whites made by Donna Stephens. The riesling, sourced from 30-year-old vines in Watervale, southern Clare Valley, offers full, rich lemony flavours with lively, delicate, refreshing … Continue reading Wine reviews — Kirrihill, d’Arenberg and Henschke
Brindabella Hills Shiraz 2009 $30 Hall, Canberra District, Australian Capital Territory Can wine resemble its maker? It’s a far-fetched notion, perhaps. But Brindabella Hills shiraz shares a gentle understatement with its creator, Roger Harris. And the wonderful 2009 vintage seems even gentler and more understated than usual. The aroma’s sweet, fragrant and floral with a … Continue reading Wine review — Brindabella Hills, Simmonet-Febvre, Greywacke, Henschke, Bremerton and Alkoomi
Pizzini King Valley Sangiovese Shiraz 2009 $17.50–$19 Il Barone 2006 $40–$43 Fred and Katrina Pizzini’s vineyards, in Victoria’s King Valley, reflect the family’s Italian heritage. They offer straight Italian varietals, but sometimes blend Italian grape varieties with old Australian favourites, of French origin. These are Italian in style, with an Aussie accent. In the sangiovese … Continue reading Wine review — Pizzini, McWilliams Mount Pleasant, Tim Adams and Grosset
It’s probably hard to imagine fear and trepidation in a wine reviewer’s life. Certainly wine never speaks back, no matter how much we loathe or love it. But wine can be somebody’s life work and sinking the boot in can be, as a colleague once quipped, like saying your daughter’s ugly. Well, the samples arrived … Continue reading Lucy Margaux pinots — sumptuous and lovely