2009 SCHWARZ THIELE ROAD GRENACHE - YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY

Twenty or so years ago, many Australian Grenaches were sweet and jammy, high in alcohol and lacking structure. However, there has been a dimensional improvement in the quality of Australian Grenache and blends thereof in the past decade or so. Yes, they are at the higher end of the alcohol spectrum. Such is the nature of Grenache, whether it be in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale or the southern Rhone. The better contemporary examples of Australian Grenache possess lifted aromatics, often with a spicy and floral edge, a savoury palate and a structure that suggests they should develop well in bottle for a decade, perhaps longer.

Boutique Barossa Valley producer Schwarz Wine Company has been fashioning the Thiele Road Grenache for the best part of a decade. The wine boasts a prototypical Grenache bouquet of kirsch, plum, spice and tar. While there is an initial fruit sweetness on the palate, it quickly moves to savoury, with spicy carrying the finish. Although drinking perfectly well now, it should develop well in bottle for the next several years, building complexity in that time.

While this isn’t a match for the famous 100% Grenache Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas, it displays considerable poise and refinement.

2009 GRENACHE
Producer: Schwarz Wine Company
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $32.00
Date tasted: 15 July 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Inviting nose of kirsch, raspberry, star anise and tar. Dry, at the fuller end of medium bodied, quite savoury in profile, similar fruit characters as on the nose, low acidity. All in all, a well balanced example of modern Barossa Valley Grenache that is in no way jammy or confected. A good effort.
Score: 16+/20

CRAWFORD RIVER - WORLD CLASS RIESLING FROM VICTORIA'S SOUTH-WEST

Any roll call of Australia’s great Riesling producing regions would include the big three – Clare Valley, Eden Valley and Great Southern (Western Australia). Beyond that, it gets rather thin on the ground. Sure, there’s some good Rieslings coming out of Tasmania and the odd good wine from the Adelaide Hills. Then there’s Henty, a little known region not far from the South Australian border in the south-west of Victoria.

Henty is a cool region with a strong maritime influence. Crawford River, founded in 1975, is the region’s pioneer. Riesling aficionados will know the name Crawford River, for it is one of Australia’s ‘grande marques’ when it comes to the Riesling grape, fashioning powerful yet delicate long-lived wines.

The challenging 2011 vintage exemplifies the quality of the site from which Crawford River Riesling is farmed, as well as the skilled hand at work in producing the wine. Although it weighs in at a modest 11.5% ABV, there is considerable restrained power, and a complex array of flavours including lemon peel, mandarin and apple blossom. It is a captivating wine that delivers plenty of pleasure now, but should evolve very well in bottle.

Producer: Crawford River

Variety: Riesling

Vintage: 2011

Region: Henty, Victoria

ABV: 11.5%

Closure: Screw cap

Format: 750ml

Retail price: $39.99

Date tasted: 15 July 2012

Tasting Note:

Pale silvery lemon. Lifted and fragrant nose of Granny Smith apples, lemon peel, fresh grass. Dry, medium bodied, although the palate is quite delicate there is a sense of restrained power, excellent fruit intensity; lemon sherbet, mandarin/tangerine, vibrant mouth tingling acidity. While young, the wine is far from austere. Will develop well, but this is a wine that is already delivering plenty of pleasure, especially for Riesling nuts!

Score: 18/20

HEAD WINES GSM - ONE STEP A-HEAD

Head Wines is one of a large catalogue of younger small producers in the Barossa Valley. The producer draws its inspiration from the Syrahs of the northern Rhône, specifically Côte Rotie. In a relatively short period of time, Head Wines has achieved considerable critical acclaim for its Shiraz.

In this instance, we are having a look at a southern Rhône blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro (Mourvèdre) from the cool 2011 vintage. Sourced from a single vineyard with 100+ year old vines, the wine pours a transparent ruby red. At this very early stage in its life, the wine is rather four square, with modest complexity. There’s bright red fruit on the nose and palate, and a touch of spicy lift.

While it may not be the best Barossa GSM to have ever been bottled, there is little doubt that this wine will benefit from another 12-18 months in bottle to flesh out. At this stage, it is a solid if unexciting wine, but there is some upside to be had, at least in the short to medium term.

2011 HEAD RED G.S.M.
Producer: Head Wines
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2011
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $23.00
Date tasted: 6 July 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Straightforward nose of plum and morello cherry. Dry, medium bodied, quite four square on the palate; again plum and cherry with just a touch of spice lending a modicum of complexity. Medium weight and savoury, but rather unexciting at this point in time. Needs another year or so in bottle to flesh out.
Score: 15+/20

DALLA MIA FINESTRA SHIRAZ - A DEAD SET BARGAIN

Dalla Mia Finstra is a small Yarra Valley operation planted in 1989. Until 2002, the vineyard supplied other producers. Since then, wines have been bottled under the Dalla Mia Finestra label. If this particular wine is any indication, it is a label to follow, particularly if bottles can be found at the bargain price of just $12.

The 2006 Dalla Mia Finestra Shiraz is an elegant and refined Shiraz, supple and silky, just medium in body. Thanks to several years bottle age, it reveals modest complexity in the form of fig and leather, with a subtle overlay of spice. Tasted blind, one would expect to pay around $25 or so for a wine of this quality. Other vintages of the same wine sell for just under $20 direct from the winery. At the purchase price of $12, from a specialist wine retailer, it is a dead set bargain. In this day and age, many wines claim to be bargains, but rarely deliver. Dalla Mia Finestra Shiraz is one such wine that overdelivers.

2006 DALLA MIA FINESTRA SHIRAZ
Producer: Yarrandah Wines
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2006
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
ABV: 13.7%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $12.00
Date tasted: 9 July 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Clean nose of cherry, plum, raspberry, and Asian spices. Dry, medium bodied, elegant and refined, silky polished tannins, characters on the nose carry through to the palate, together with a touch of leather and fig, suggesting development. Good length.
Score: 16/20

2010 DOMAINE RIMBERT ST CHINIAN BLANC - HIGHLY AROMATIC

We have previously looked at one of the outstanding Carignans from Languedoc producer Domaine Rimbert. In this post, we place the spotlight on the domaine’s white blend. It is a blend of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Rolle. In this particular wine, no specific variety is in the driving seat.

What we have is a highly aromatic wine, slightly floral in nature, with distinct notes of pear and apple. Not knowing what this wine is, one could easily place it in Alsace. Indeed, it is a wine that would appeal to those who favour aromatic varieties. As with all wines from Domaine Rimbert, it is a very attractive and engaging wine that has one yearning for more.

2010 ST CHINIAN BLANC
Producer: Domaine Rimbert
Variety: Southern Rhone White blend
Vintage: 2010
Region: Languedoc, France
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $29.99
Date tasted: 8 July 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright lemon yellow. Very open and aromatically expressive bouquet of apple blossom, pear, fresh green apples. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, apple and pear to the fore on the palate which is slightly chalky in texture. Finishes long with balanced acidity.
Score: 16.5/20

SKILLOGALEE SHIRAZ - ONE FOR TRADITIONALISTS

Skillogalee is a well established Clare Valley producer fashioning archetypal regional wines, including one of Australia’s few sparkling Rieslings. The 2008 Skillogalee Basked Pressed Shiraz is cast in a traditional mould. The nose is bold and powerful, revealing blackberry, plum and oak-derived complexity. It is a rich and full bodied wine, full throttle in style.

This is a wine for lovers of traditional gutsy Australian Shiraz, the sort of wine you could imagine sipping alongside a juicy steak straight off the barbecue. While there’s a fair bit to enjoy here, the truth is that Australian Shiraz has progressed these days, with many more elegant, savoury and refined wines available to consumers.

In sum, the 2008 Skillogalee Basket Pressed Shiraz is as honest as the day is long, and even those who prefer their wines somewhat more restrained will probably find the place and the occasion for a bottle or two.

2008 BASKET PRESSED SHIRAZ
Producer: Skillogalee
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2008
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $30.00
Date tasted: 29 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Bold nose of blackberry liqueur, plum, kirsch, liquorice and star anise. Touch of regional menthol. On the nose it is prototypical traditional ‘Oz Shiraz’. Sweet fruited, blackberry, plum, dark cherry, touch of smoky oak, slightly (pleasantly so) sourish on the mid-palate. Fine, imperceptible tannins. Quite warming on the finish, suggesting that the alcohol might be higher than the declared 14.5%. An honest wine for lovers of traditionally fashioned Australian Shiraz – big on flavour, but light on for subtlety.
Score: 15.5/20

1998 ORDLANDO JACARANDA RIDGE - THE MEDALLIST

Jacaranda Ridge is Orlando’s label for its best Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. As such, it is only bottled in exceptional vintages such as 1998. This particular vintage met with considerable show success, which explains why the label is literally festooned with medals and trophies. Notwithstanding its show record, it is a wine that divided opinion, many considering the wine to be over-oaked.

As to the wine, 14 year on from vintage it is still deeply coloured, suggesting relatively little development. The nose is rather muted; regional menthol, earthy notes and a touch of mulberry. Suffice to say, the nose doesn’t quite deliver on expectations. The palate too, is rather underwhelming, revealing little by way of depth or complexity.

Oak doesn’t dominate, and this particular bottle doesn’t seem to have suffered from mild cork taint, nor is it ‘dead on arrival’. It is an uninspiring bottle of a wine that should be giving more. This is a case of a wine that raises more questions than it answers, and the only solution is to crack another bottle and see how it performs.

1998 JACARANDA RIDGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Orlando
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 1998
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 30 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby red, lightening just slightly toward the rim. Plenty of menthol on the nose, together with mulberry and freshly tilled red earth. Dry, medium bodied, mulberry, cassis, again slightly earthy. Not as expressive as one would expect a wine of this level to be, but no issues with the cork. A decent enough showing, but hard to judge where this wine is at presently, perhaps moving from primary to secondary?
Score: 15?/20

RADFORD QUARTZ GARDEN RIESLING - POISED AND REFINED

Radford Wines is the label of Rockford chief winemaker Ben Radford. Radford draws on considerable international experience to fashion wines that are refined and understated, emphasising regional typicity and varietal integrity. As is the case at Rockford, the use of new oak is measured. The estate vineyard in Eden Valley, which is the source for a few of the wines bottled under the Radford label, is biodynamically farmed.

Thee 2010 Quartz Garden Riesling is delicate, poised and refined. Bottled with just a touch of residual sugar, it displays typical regional Riesling characters of citrus and green apples, herbal notes lending a touch of complexity. Although young and with a good future ahead of it, the wine is open and drinking very well now.

2010 QUARTZ GARDEN RIESLING
Producer: Radford Wines
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2010
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $26.00
Date tasted: 1 July 2012

Tasting Note:
Pale silvery lemon. Fresh, aromatically pure nose of grated lemon zest, grapefruit, apples. Steely minerality. Slightly off-dry, medium bodied, very finely honed and chiseled, delicate interplay of lemon and lime citrus, savoury, elderflower/hedgerow notes lend complexity on the finish. Should develop well in bottle.
Score: 17/20

PARKER BROTHERS SHIRAZ - BIG BAROSSA BRUTE

Parker Brothers is a new entrant to the Barossa Valley wine scene, its first vintage being 2007. The brothers in question grew up in country South Australia and adopted the third member of their triumvirate, a Chinese gentleman, in 2006.

The 2008 Parker Brothers Shiraz is a bold and brooding wine, picked super-ripe and fermented to over 15.5% ABV. It is a big bruiser of a wine that wears its heart on its sleeve. The nose speaks of a warm Barossa Valley summer and maturation in new American oak barrels; fruit cake, prune, sweet vanilla, fig and leather.

This is the type of wine the Barossa Valley became renowned for in the 1980’s and 1990’s; big, rich, full throttle, embalmed in assertive American oak. Things have evolved in the past decade, with many different expressions of Shiraz, including some very polished, elegant and refined wines that belie their warm climate origin.

Parker Brothers Shiraz is very much in the big, warm and cuddly camp. It is a wine to snuggle down with on a cold winter’s evening alongside a rich, hearty braise. The oak is quite forward, which may not be to all tastes, and the alcohol is noticeably high. That said, lovers of traditional Barossa Shiraz will find a good amount of pleasure here.

2008 SHIRAZ
Producer: Parker Brothers
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2008
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 15.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 24 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Deep plum red. Bold nose, oak derived complexity, cinnamon, clove, allspice, vanilla, coconut, fig and dark plums, floral notes. Rich, full bodied, plenty of sweet and creamy American oak, which rather overpowers the fruit. Dominant character is of fruit cake. At this point in time, not as interesting on the palate as the nose. Warm alcohol on the finish. One for lovers of full throttle, oaky Barossa Shiraz.
Score: 15.5/20

MERRICKS ESTATE CHARDONNAY - LOVE IT OR LOATHE IT

Established in 1982, Merricks Estate was a relatively early starter on Mornington Peninsula. The property produces four wines; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is also a second label, Thompson’s Lane, for more modestly priced wines.

There’s been rather a glut of Chardonnay on the Penguin’s Palate of late, and here’s another. It is a Chardonnay that will divide opinion. The nose demonstrates up-front barrel ferment characters including roasted cashew and vanilla. The palate too, is suggestive of quite a worked wine, slightly creamy in texture, nutty oak intermingled with stonefruit and fig. Yet, unlike one or two burlier Chardonnays reviewed on these pages recently, all is held in check thanks to well judged citrussy acidity. Moreover, there is a good amount of complexity here, aromatically and on the palate.

Some may find this wine just a touch extrovert, favouring racier expressions of Chardonnay. Yet, even they would have to concede that this is a well made Chardonnay, one that showcases good quality fruit from mature vines, and considerable winemaking nous. While this may be a ‘love it or loathe it’ Chardonnay, one cannot deny that it is a good wine.

2008 CHARDONNAY
Producer: Merricks Estate
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $28.00
Date tasted: 30 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Greenish yellow with golden glints. Bold nose of nectarine, Nashi pear, roasted cashew nuts, fig, honey, vanilla. There’s plenty of barrel ferment derived complexity on show here. The palate is at the fuller end of medium bodied, quite creamy and rich, but held in check by lifted citrussy acidity. There’s a lovely interplay of stonefruit, nutty oak and citrus. Although quite a heavily worked Chardonnay that is slightly ‘Old School’, there’s plenty of complexity here. This is a wine that would divide opinion; would be loved by drinkers of rich, buttery Chardonnay, but detested by those who like their wines taut and wiry.
Score: 16.5/20

PIUZE CHABLIS - JUST AS NATURE INTENDED

Patrick Piuze is somewhat of an interloper in Burgundy. Originally from French-speaking Quebec, he relocated to France in 2000, working several vintages with recognised producers including Olivier Leflaive and Jean-Marc Brocard. In that time, he built up a strong understanding of the terroirs of Chablis, and the necessary network that enabled him to branch out and make wines under his own label, albeit with bought in fruit.

A wide range of Chablis, from generic AC level, several Premier Crus and five of the seven Grand Cru vineyard appear under the Patrick Piuze label. He eschews the use of new oak, even with the Grand Crus, favouring stainless steel and seasoned wood. In the space of three vintages, he has established a considerable name for himself and is a name worth following.

The 2010 Chablis, Terroir de Chichée delivers textbook green apples and lemon, with excellent depth of flavour for its position on the appellation hierarchy. Although not overly complex, there is good typicity and plenty of pleasure to be had here.

2010 CHABLIS, TERROIR DE CHICHÉE
Producer: Patrick Piuze
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Region: Burgundy, France
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 24 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Pale silvery lemon. Bright nose of green apples and lemon, negligible oak influence. Open and full flavoured, green apples and lemon to the fore, together with greengages. Plenty of depth of flavour here, the acidity fine and well integrated. An excellent example of generic AC Chablis.
Score: 16.5/20

MOUNT LOFTY RANGES VINEYARD CHARDONNAY - THE APPLE OF MY EYE

The Adelaide Hills is one of a number of Australian cool climate regions that witnessed an explosion in vine plantings from the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. Unlike more compact regions, it is highly heterogenous, with signification variations in elevation, aspect and macroclimate.

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc perform well in the cool hillslopes of the Piccadilly Valley near Mount Lofty summit, an area that was once dominated by market gardens and apple orchards. Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard is one of many Adelaide Hills producers that emerged around the turn of the millennium. Situated at 550 metres altitude in Lenswood, it specialises in the aforementioned varietals, together with Riesling.

The 2010 Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard Chardonnay possesses expressive aromatics redolent of apple orchards overlaid by a touch of subtle oak, both of which are reflected on the palate. This is a well balanced Chardonnay that should develop more interest and complexity over the course of the next couple of years or so.

2010 CHARDONNAY
Producer: Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 24 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright greenish yellow. Clean nose of crisp green apples, lemon citrus, touch of spicy oak, apple blossom. Aromatically, the wine is quite expressive. Green apples dominate the palate, intermingled with gentle nutty oak. Quite easy going and simple at present, but should develop more interest in bottle over the next 12-24 months.
Score: 15+/20

PARINGA ESTATE CHARDONNAY - THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.

Some may characterise Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay as being restrained, light on its heels and quite taut. While this may be the case for a good number of Mornington Chardonnays, wines that reflect the ‘New Wave’ of Australian Chardonnay, there is the odd example that is most definitely ‘Old School’.

Paringa Estate’s Chardonnay most definitely leans toward ‘Old School’.  It is a richly worked, creamy Chardonnay, certainly not ‘New Wave’ wannabe Chablis. Grown at elevation in Red Hill South, it is winemaker influence that speaks here, in the form of bold nutty oak, butterscotch and rich, creamy malo-induced mouthfeel.

This is a full throttle, in your face Chardonnay that feels just a tad old fashioned. While its component parts are undoubtedly of good to very good quality, one feels that a touch more restraint, particularly a gentler hand in the barrel ferment and malolactic fermentation department, would have produced a more structured and better balanced wine. That said, there are some out there who like this style, and the wine probably fills an important niche for such drinkers.

For this particular taster, the wine was just a bit too much of everything and lacking sufficient acidity to hold things in check. Moreover, at 14.5%, the alcohol is high, and feels so. Given the right food context, the wine might just work, but one glass would be enough.

2008 CHARDONNAY
Producer: Paringa Estate
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 24 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Lemon yellow. Bold nose of grilled hazelnuts, lemon zest, butterscotch. Full bodied, big and buttery, full throttle nutty, creamy, buttery, a touch of lemony acidity just about managing to hold things together. Rich, heavy and worked, ust avoids being oily. Finishes with medium length, the alcohol just a little bit intrusive.
Score: 14/20

JAVILLIER BOURGOGNE BLANC - DELIVERS THE GOODS

Domaine Patrick Javillier is a highly respected white Burgundy producer based in Meursault. The domaine produces several wines including village and Premier Cru Meursaults, a Corton Charlemagne, as well as two Bourgogne Blancs, Cuvée Oligocéne and Cuvée les Forgets.

Counter-intuitively, it is the two Bourgognes that mark out Javillier as a producer of true quality. While many Bourgogne Blancs deliver pleasant drinkability and might develop in bottle for a few years, Javillier’s two wines possess real structure and underlying power, traits that one associates with Premier Crus, not modest generic Bourgognes.

Cuvée Les Forgets, from the under-rated 2008 vintage, displays an attractive nose, and a powerful savoury palate. Although drinking well now, it is a few years from full maturity, cork permitting. There’s plenty to like about this well made, food friendly wine that showcases its Burgundian origin to a tee.

2008 BOURGOGNE BLANC, CUVÉE LES FORGETS
Producer: Domaine Patrick Javillier
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Region: Burgundy, France
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Natural Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $49.99
Date tasted: 24 June 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright lemon yellow with hints of green. Clean lemon-scented bouquet, green apple, minerals, white flowers. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, beurre noisette. Quite structured and powerful for this level. Good length and has the potential develop further.
Score: 16.5+/20