Bourke Street Canberra District Chardonnay 2011 $18.39–$22 Local winemakers Nick O’Leary (Nick O’Leary Wines) and Alex McKay (Collector Wines) jointly make the Bourke Street range, including this impressive chardonnay. Their website currently offers the fuller bodied 2010 vintage, but a friend picked up the 2011 recently in a Canberra retail outlet. The cold vintage shows … Continue reading Wine review — Bourke Street, Skillogalee and Tulloch
Sancerre (Vignerons a Crezancy) 2011 $16.49 For a different take – in fact, the original – on dry sauvignon blanc, try Costco’s French import from the eastern Loire Valley town, Sancerre. Located at 47 degrees north, this cool region makes lean, acidic sauvignons a world away in style from the brash, fleshy, globally loved versions … Continue reading Wine review — vignerons a Crezancy, Curly Flat and Vinaceous
Vintage 2014 seems a song of ice and fire for much of the Canberra region. Frost nipped vine buds in October and intense heat waves followed in January and February. The frost affected many, though not all vineyards. While no one escaped the heat – growers with adequate water are faring better than those without. … Continue reading Game of vines – Canberra’s season of ice and fire
Moppity Vineyards Lock and Key Reserve Shiraz 2012 $22 Moppity vineyard, Hilltops, NSW Moppity won the most-successful-exhibitor trophy at Canberra regional show, largely on the strength of its Tumbarumba chardonnays and Hilltops shirazes. While isolated show medals mean little, sustained success in different shows invariably points to outstanding quality – a quality confirmed after a … Continue reading Wine review — Moppity Vineyards, Pikes, Greywacke, Mount Majura and T’Gallant
Chapel Hill Parson’s Nose McLaren Vale Shiraz 2012 $15–$20 Winemaker Michael Fragos says the mild 2011–12 growing season proved “ideal for maturation and facilitated even flavour and tannin ripening”. The wine reflects the quality of the season with its full body and juicy, ripe fruit flavours. Savoury, firm tannins permeate the vibrant, plummy fruit. They … Continue reading Wine review — Chapel Hill, El Figura and Dal Zotto
Robert Oatley McLaren Vale Shiraz 2011 $17.09–$22 We paid just under $22 for Bob Oatley’s shiraz down the south coast, and it’s on special in Canberra at present for $17.09 each in a six-bottle buy. But even at full price, the wine represents outstanding value. It’s made for Oatley by Larry Cherubino, one of Australia’s … Continue reading Wine review — Robert Oatley, Waipara and Bream Creek
Yalumba Eden Valley Roussanne 2012 $25 Yalumba first worked with the Rhone white variety, roussanne in the 1980s, halted work because of a vine virus, then restarted with fresh material around 20 years later. By then they had 30 years’ experience with another of the Rhone varieties, viognier, and decades of experience with spontaneous fermentations … Continue reading Wine review — Yalumba, Punt Road and Bay of Fires
Picking a top 10 reds and whites becomes increasingly difficult every year as Australia’s wines increase in quality and diversity. This year’s selection represent wines that appealed at first taste, then passed the bottle test – that is, they held our interest all the way through to the last drop They’re absolutely first-rate examples of … Continue reading Top 10 reds and whites of 2013
Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012 $51 Foggy Hill vineyard, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia In 2003 Brian Croser planted three Dijon clones of pinot noir at around 350 metres altitude on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula. Elevation and proximity to the cold Southern Ocean give Croser’s Foggy Hill site a unique microclimate, dramatically cooler than … Continue reading Wine review — Tapanappa, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Quara, Pikes, Tyrrell’s and Truse
Redbank The Long Paddock Victoria Shiraz 2012 $9.50–$13 Redbank won’t reveal exactly which parts of Victoria this attractive blend comes from. But even at the price, there’s no doubting it includes very good material from high-quality producing regions. Its fragrant, ripe and supple, with medium body and spicy, peppery notes derived from cool climate components … Continue reading Wine review — Redbank, Turkey Flat and Brookland Valley