Eileen Hardy shiraz and Eileen Hardy chardonnay date from 1970 and 1986 respectively. The wines released under the labels since then mirror Australia’s winemaking history. And, like time capsules, each vintage reveals something of the winemaking and viticulture of its time. Collectively they carry a rich history. Eileen Hardy Shiraz 1970 reflected the red wine … Continue reading Eileen Hardy goes south for quality
Man O’ War Dreadnought Syrah 2009 $45–$50 Eastern Waiheke Island, New Zealand Waiheke Island, to the east of Auckland, lies at about the same latitude as Bendigo, Victoria, and Naracoorte (just north of Coonawarra), South Australia. The three regions, though, produce starkly different cool-climate shiraz styles – probably driven by significant climate variances. The flavour … Continue reading Wine review — Man ‘O War, Jip Jip Rocks, PHI, Seville Estate, Yalumba and Jeir Creek
Taylors Promised Land South Australia $10.45 to $13.95 Shiraz 2010, Merlot 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Taylors’ entry-level reds offer a big generous mouthful of clear-cut varietal flavour at a fair price – especially at discount time, which is frequent in the big retailers. At just over a year old the flavours are all grapey and … Continue reading Wine review — Taylors, Moppity Vineyards and Dalwhinnie
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
Price seems always at the heart of any new release of Penfolds much-loved, highly traded bin number wines. Fierce retail battles became part of the landscape from the late seventies, following the collapse of retail price maintenance. In recent years, however, a reticence to be first to cut means a little retail shadow boxing precedes … Continue reading They’ve Bin everywhere — Penfolds releases new reds
d’Arenberg The Money Spider McLaren Vale Roussanne 2009 $17-$19 d’Arenberg, The Vale’s master of the Rhône Valley red varieties grenache, shiraz and mourvedre, some years back turned its hand, with equal panache, to the white varieties, marsanne, viognier and roussanne. The shy roussanne appeals strongly in the 2009 vintage. The aroma and flavour are reminiscent … Continue reading Wine review — d’Arenberg, Kingston Estate and Michel Chapoutier
In December 2010 Philip Laffer handed the winemaking reins of Jacob’s Creek to Bernard Hickin. But Laffer, now 70, retains a globe-travelling role with Jacob’s Creek’s French owner, Pernod-Ricard, giving valuable advice to the company’s winemaking enterprises in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Spain and France. Laffer’s career spans, on a large scale, every imaginable aspect … Continue reading Philip Laffer — wine industry builder and expander
Every five years, Langton’s, a wine auction specialist belonging to Woolworths, updates its classification of Australian wines. Unlike all the other wine-rating systems, based on the judgement of individual palates, Langton’s derives its classification from the volume and value of wine it sells at auction. The rankings are therefore based on perceptions of value and … Continue reading Langton’s classification of Australian wine — the market’s scorecard
Freeman Hilltops Fortuna 2009 $22–$25 Fortuna is a very smart, unusual and lovely blend sourced from five varieties grown on Dr Brian Freeman’s old vines in the Hilltops region. Freeman writes, “It is inspired by the aromatic white wines of two regions of northern Italy – Friuli and Alto Adige, a textural wine crafted from … Continue reading Wine review — Freeman, Henschke and Morambro Creek