Coolangatta Estate Tempranillo 2009 $35 Coolangatta Estate vineyard, Shoalhaven Coast, New South Wales In the Canberra Regional Show 2011, this wine top scored in its class, winning a gold medal and proceeding to the “other red varieties” trophy taste-off. The Canberra gong added to the gold medal and four trophies won in the 2010 Kiama … Continue reading Wine review — Coolangatta Estate, Silos Estate, Cullen, Bathe Wines and Massale by Kooyong →

Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Shiraz Cabernet 2009 $45–50 Barossa (shiraz) and Coonawarra (cabernet), South Australia I don’t believe any Australian cross-regional blend equals the symbiotic pairing of Barossa shiraz with Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon. For example, few wines in the world equal Penfolds Bin 60A 1962, the legendary Max Schubert blend that upstaged Grange. The new … Continue reading Wine review — Jacob’s Creek St Hugo, Yarrh, Cullen, Xanadu and Blue Pyrenees →

Tarrawarra Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2010 $19–$22 Tarrawarra Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2010 $19–$22 Tarrawarra’s estate-grown and made chardonnay and pinot provide delicious, subtle drinking at a fair price. The pinot, made from four different clones and matured a variety of French oak, opens a little shyly on the nose. But the palate immediately delivers gentle, … Continue reading Wine review — Tarrawarra, Chapel Hill and Kilikanoon →

Peter Lehmann Barossa Portrait Semillon 2011 $18 Peter Lehmann Barossa Margaret Semillon 2006 $25.65–$32 In the late 1990s Peter Lehmann winemaker, Andrew Wigan, moved away from ripe, oak-fermented semillon styles to an earlier-picked, fresher unwooded style. The lighter, fresher, lower alcohol wines appealed to wine drinkers. Lehmann recently released two versions of the style. Portrait … Continue reading Wine review — Peter Lehmann, Squitchy Lane and Zema Estate →

Ravensworth Murrumbateman Sangiovese 2010 $21 In the hot, then wet, then cool 2010 season, grape ripening “rushed ahead, then stopped”, says winemaker Bryan Martin. As a result, shiraz struggled to ripen. But Martin’s very small crop of sangiovese (10 barrels) ripened easily. “It was the best fruit in the winery in 2010”, he says. But … Continue reading Wine review — Ravensworth, Juniper Crossing and Oxford Landing Estates →

Mount Trio Great Southern Riesling 2010 $19 Gavin and Gill Graham own vineyards at Porongurup, a small, elevated sub-region of Western Australia’s large Great Southern area. The area excels with riesling and shiraz, but you’ll find all the usual Australian varieties as you drive around. Mount Trio offers a pretty good example of the local … Continue reading Wine review — Mount Trio, Smith & Hooper and Cumulus →

Madfish Western Australia Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 $14–$17 Semillon adds considerably extra depth and dimension to sauvignon blanc – a blend developed originally in the sometimes profound dry whites of Bordeaux. This blend of 60 per cent sauvignon blanc and 40 per cent semillon (from Great Southern, Margaret River and Pemberton) reveals some of that … Continue reading Wine review — Madfish, Cape Mentelle and Curly Flat →