Moppity Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2015 – Wine of the week Moppity vineyards, Tumbarumba, NSW $29–$32 Where chardonnay makes decent but not exciting wines at Moppity’s Hilltops vineyard, in higher, cooler Tumbarumba it’s a happier story. Up here, the grapes ripen fully with intense flavours and high natural acidity. Varietal flavours of grapefruit and nectarine reflect … Continue reading Wine review – Moppity Vineyards, Coldstream Hills, Tellurian, Chapel Hill, Tyrrell’s →

Mount Horrocks Watervale Semillon 2015 $25–$30 Stephanie Toole’s semillon takes us a world away from the more austere, lemony-tart Hunter Valley styles. Picked early, often achieving only 10 or 11 per cent alcohol, and fermented without oak, the Hunter style generally need years to flesh out, then do so delightfully. Mount Horrocks is harvested riper … Continue reading Wine review – Mount Horrocks, Yering Station, Katnook →

Mount Majura Graciano 2015, Touriga 2015 – wines of the week Mount Majura vineyard, Canberra District, ACT $29 Winemaker Frank van de Loo’s latest releases show the impact of Canberra’s changing climate. “We’re picking earlier every year”, writes van de Loo, “but it allows us to explore varieties that might previously have been too late-ripening … Continue reading Wine review – Mount Majura, Murrumbateman, Ross Hill, Taylors, Ad Hoc →

Clonakilla Canberra District Pinot Noir 2015 $55 Until 2014 Clonakilla blended its pinot away into other wines. But now it stands on its own, albeit in tiny quantities made from 777 and 115 clones Tim Kirk planted recently, and an unidentified clone his father John planted in 1978. The wine shows the ripe flavours and … Continue reading Wine review – Clonakilla, Thorn-Clarke, West Cape Howe →

Clonakilla Ceoltoiri 2015 Clonakilla vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW $45 Clonakilla’s push into Rhone Valley wine styles began with shiraz and now extends into varieties once thought to be too late ripening for the Canberra climate. However, in warm seasons like 2015, grenache, mourvedre and cinsault ripen fully and join shiraz in the fragrant, light-coloured … Continue reading Wine review – Clonakilla, Craggy Range, Tate, Yalumba, Jacob’s Creek →

Hardys Bastard Hill Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2013 Bastard Hill vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria $60 Formerly released under parent company Accolade Wines’ Yarra Burn label, this gorgeous chardonnay comes from a single block of the very cool Bastard Hill vineyard. “At something like 32 degrees it’s a hard hill to work on”, says winemaker Paul Lapsley … Continue reading Wine review – Hardys, Domain Day, Eden Road, Stella Bella, Moppity Vineyards, West Cape Howe →

Tim Adams Clare Valley Semillon 2012 $18.05–$22 Wines labelled “semillon”, unaccompanied by the magic words “sauvignon blanc”, appeal to a narrow audience. But there’s no reason why this should be so as the variety offers terrific drinking with distinctive flavour. The light bodied, low-alcohol versions from the Hunter Valley drink beautifully for decades. Tim Adams, … Continue reading Wine review – Tim Adams, Schild Estate, West Cape Howe →

Bleasdale Langhorne Creek Second Innings Malbec 2014 $15.15–$22 Bleasdale, Langhorne Creek’s original winery, used malbec for table wines from 1961 (111 years after Frank Potts established the business). Although long a blending wine, malbec now stands on its own under a number of Bleasdale labels. Indeed, winemaker Paul Hotker writes, “We have recently planted three … Continue reading Wine review – Bleasdale, Kirrihill, Howard Park →