Turkey Flat Butchers Block Barossa Valley White 2013 $20–$22 The Rhone varieties marsanne, viognier and roussanne seem well suited to the warm, dry Barossa Valley, producing in 2013 a notably fleshier Turkey Flat blend than the also loveable 2012. The wine offers texture and savouriness, with underlying apricot-like flavours typical of warm-grown viognier. Christie Schulz … Continue reading Wine review – Turkey Flat, Mawson’s and Printhie
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
Vin De Savoie Le Feu (Domaine Belluard) 2011 $57 The village of Ayze, 450 metres up in France’s Savoie region, is home to Domaine Bulluard’s 12-hectares of the gringet vine. Jancis Robinson writes just 22-hectares of the variety remain in Ayze, with Domain Belluard now the only commercial producer. Robinson quotes 19th century writing on … Continue reading Wine review – Domaine Belluard, Forester Estate and Mount Monster
Ravensworth Nebbiolo 2013 $32 Grove Estate vineyard, Hilltops, NSW Piedmont’s nebbiolo grape teases with a promise, seldom realised, of sublime, elegant reds, supposedly smelling of tar and roses and offering intense flavours coupled with the mighty tannic grip of a blacksmith’s handshake. On the point of despair some 20 years ago, we finally saw the … Continue reading Wine review – Ravensworth, Fox Gordon, Saltram, Scarborough, Wolf Blass and Main Ridge
Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $350 Coonawarra, South Australia Late last year, Macquarie analyst Greg Dring estimated sales of Penfolds wines represented five per cent of the total for parent company Treasury Wine Estates – but comprised around 50 per cent of pre-tax profit. The international strength of the Penfolds brand, built over many … Continue reading Wine review — Penfolds, Combe Farm, Couryabyra, Paxton and Chrismont
Penfolds 2013 release of its much-loved “Bin” wines includes two whites from the outstanding 2012 vintage and nine reds from the 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintages. The reds remain the most traded of any in the country and are the foundation of many Australian cellars. And the whites, though they live in the shadow of … Continue reading Penfolds 2013 Bin releases – 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintages
Chandon Vintage Brut Rose 2008 $27.85–$35 Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania Chandon’s bubbly rosé combines material from the Yarra Valley, King Valley, Goulburn Valley, Strathbogie and Macedon, Victoria; the Adelaide Hills, South Australia; Great Southern, Western Australia; and the Coal River Valley, Tasmania. Winemaker Dan Buckle says it comprises 30 individual cuvees, including … Continue reading Wine review — Chandon, Mt Monster, Sassy, Tahbilk, Jacob’s Creek and Picante Espana
Mt Monster Limestone Coast Chardonnay 2012 $15.95 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. The family manages the vineyards and marketing of its Moorambro Creek, Jip Jip Rocks and Mt Monster brands but they hire Ben Riggs to … Continue reading Wine review – Mt Monster and Capital Wines
Australia’s sparkling wine king, Ed Carr first put bubbles in wine in 1977. Charged with sorting out “some issues with secondary fermentation”, Carr, a microbiologist, joined senior winemaker Pam Dunsford at Seaview’s Glenloth winery, Reynella. “We got through, though I was straight out of uni”, recalls Carr. At the time, Dunsford made the base wines … Continue reading Ed Carr’s slow road south
Innocent Bystander Yarra Valley Pinot Gris 2011 $20 Innocent Bystander Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2011 $25 Winemaker Steve Flamsteed writes, “2011 was a cool, wet and challenging year. White varieties revelled in the cool conditions and those growers who avoided late season moulds by careful vineyard work, produced some of the best fruit we have seen … Continue reading Wine review — Innocent Bystander, Voyager Estate and Yalumba