2001 YARRA YARRA RESERVE MERLOT - YES, MORE MERLOT!

Until being hit by the tragic bushfires of 2009, tiny Yarra Valley producer Yarra Yarra was one of Australia’s leading exponents of Bordeaux-styled wines, white and red. The McLean family is in the process of rebuilding, and we look forward to seeing future vintages of these fine, elegant wines.

In the meantime, let’s have a look back at an older vintage of Yarra Yarra Reserve Merlot, in this instance from the 2001 vintage. A decade or so on from vintage, the wine displays signs of maturity on the nose and palate, with suggestions of leather and roasted meat juices. Medium in body, it reflects the elegance one always associates with this fine property. It is a good wine, no doubt, but like most Australian single varietal Merlots leaves one wondering how much more interesting the wine may have been with a judicious addition of the two Cabernets, as in St Emilion.

2001 RESERVE MERLOT
Producer: Yarra Yarra
Variety: Merlot
Vintage: 2001
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 1 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Medium garnet, fading slightly at the rim. Maturing nose of Satsuma plums, roasted meat juices, smoky oak, leathery notes. Dry, medium bodied, savoury, mouthfilling but not heavy or cumbersome; plum, leather and spice. Drinking well now. A good example of Australian single varietal Merlot, but one wonders what a touch of Cabernet could have done?
Score: 16/20

2006 GROSSET POLISH HILL RIESLING - AWKWARD ADOLESCENT

We have reviewed a number of vintages of the benchmark Polish Hill Riesling from Jeffrey Grosset on these pages.  This particular bottle is the first from a case of the 2006. Although seven years old, it remains relatively pale in colour, retaining a youthful silvery green hue.

On the nose and in the mouth, the wine appears to be in a transitional phase between youthful austerity and maturity.  It's like an awkward teenager, in the midst of adolescence, all legs and arms, not totally confident in itself.  The wine is rather subdued, developing weight and volume, the impression of acidity fading slightly, but yet to express the flavour and confidence that goes with a decade or so in bottle. On this showing, it is worth holding a year or two before broaching another bottle. 

2006 POLISH HILL RIESLING
Producer: Grosset
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2006
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 3 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Pale, silvery green. Lifted, perfumed and aromatic, kaffir lime leaf, lime juice, grapefruit pith, touch of honey suggests some development. Weighty, quite voluminous in the mouth. There’s a sense of sweetness though the wine is technically dry. Delicate interplay of lemon and lime citrus, chalky minerality. Slightly subdued at present, suggesting that the wine might need a further 2-3 years in bottle to reveal more depth and complexity.
Score: 16+/20

2001 PETALUMA COONAWARRA - ESSENCE OF TERRA ROSSA

Petaluma is a long-standing Coonawarra label started by Australian wine industry icon Brian Croser. For many years, it has been under the ownership of Lion Nathan, with Croser not involved in the winemaking. Petaluma Coonawarra is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that draws its inspiration from the great wines of Bordeaux and California.

Although Brian Croser long ago ceased his involvement with the wine, choosing to pursue other winemaking activities under the Tapanappa label, Petaluma Coonawarra remains a regional benchmark. As the 2001vintage evidences, it is a thoroughly modern and polished wine. It is also a wine that, in better vintages, has tremendous depth and the ability to age extremely well.

The 2001 Petaluma Coonawarra is only just starting to hit its stride and should still have several years up its sleeve. It is an excellent example of the type of wine that Coonawarra is about, showcasing its terra rosa terroir brilliantly.

2001 COONAWARRA
Producer: Petaluma
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2001
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 31 October 2010

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Intense nose of blackcurrant, dark cherry, plum and toasty oak underpinned by typical Coonawarra earth. Dry, medium bodied, very slick, confident and lush. Velvet smooth in texture, cassis and plum. Modern and vibrant. The best of Coonawarra in a bottle. Very good indeed.
Score: 17.5/20

2005 CHÂTEAU DOISY-DAËNE - HOW SWEET IT IS!

Barsac’s Château Doisy-Daëne is one of a number of Bordeaux properties that falls under the control of Bordeaux University professor and wine consultant Denis Dubourdieu. For those that mightn’t be aware, Dubourdieu is a leading authority on white wine vinification. He widely consults to leading estates in the Bordeaux region. It is fair to say that his white wines, particularly from Château Doisy-Daëne (especially l’Extravagent) and Clos Floridene in Graves, are excellent representations of their type.

There are up to three wines produced at Château Doisy-Daëne in any given vintage; the standard cuvee, generally regarded as a lighter styled Barsac, Doisy-Daëne Sec, a barrel-fermented dry Sauvignon Blanc and, in exceptional years, Doisy-Daëne l’Extravagent, a lusciously sweet wine that receives Rolls Royce treatment from the vine to the bottle.

2005 is universally considered to be a great red wine vintage in Bordeaux, and with good reason. It was a pretty hand vintage (albeit not quite up with 2001 and 2007) for the region’s sweet wines. 2005 Château Doisy-Daëne is very much true to type, quite light on its feet, yet full of flavour, especially sweet tropical and stonefruit. At this stage in its evolution, it drinks very well as a dessert in its own right. It would also be well suited to fruit-based desserts and pastries.

2005 CHÂTEAU DOISY-DAËNE
Producer: Château Doisy-Daëne
Variety: Sweet Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2005
Region: Bordeaux, France
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 7 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Golden yellow. Open and inviting nose of guava, baked apple, pineapple and lemon zest, white peach. Sweet, full bodied, glides over the palate, white peach, baked apple, quince, touch of background oak. Although full bodied and sweet, the wine is quite light on its feet. Not particularly complex at this stage of its evolution, but finishes long.
Score: 16.5+/20

2009 VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE 'LA BINE' - BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY

Valpolicella is one of the world’s most distinctive wines, whether made as an easy drinking Valpolicella Classico, re-fermented over the lees as a Valpolicella Ripasso, an Amarone della Valpolicella, made from raisined grapes, or a sweet Recioto della Valpolicella, produced in much the same way as an Amarone, but not fermented to dryness.

The wines very much suit the food enjoyed in the Veneto region, especially in and around the city of Verona, the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. A ragout of horsemeat, braised in the local red wine accompanied by polenta and served with a glass of strong Amarone della Valpolicella enjoyed in a Veronese enoteca, sits in the mind a decade on. It is hard to imagine a better food and wine match.

This example, a Ripasso from Giuseppe Campagnola, is true to its origin and style. Medium in body, it delivers straightforward black cherry and damson fruit, with just a touch of bitterness. It is an ideal wine to enjoy with a Risotto with Radicchio, Red Wine and Pancetta, the wine providing a perfect counterpoint to the slightly bitter radicchio. While there are more interesting and expressive versions of the Ripasso style to be found, this is a good honest example that delivers on authenticity.

2009 VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE ‘LA BINE’
Producer: Giuseppe Campagnola
Variety: Corvina et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Veneto, Italy
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 7 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Bright cherry red. Direct nose of black cherry, damson and animal fur. Dry, savoury, medium bodied, quite straightforward and uncomplicated; black cherry, plum skins. Good length. Not an exceptional wine by any means, but food friendly, true to type and enjoyable.
Score: 15/20

2008 SPINIFEX LOLA - ONE YEAR ON

Just over a year ago, this same wine was reviewed on the Penguin’s Palate. An additional 12 months in bottle has certainly done the wine no harm as it is literally singing and open for business. A year ago, it was bright and savoury, nicely textured, interesting and pleasant to drink, but not as alive as it is here and now.

Although the Viognier component makes up just 5% of the blend, the Viognier is really driving this wine now, both aromatically and on the palate. The wine is quite richly textured, but not heavy. Being quite rich in texture and with moderate acidity, it most definitely a food wine. Richer seafood dishes, such as scallops and lobster come to mind, though pork could work too.

2008 LOLA
Producer: Spinifex Wines
Variety: White Rhone blend
Vintage: 2008
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 31 October 2010

Tasting Note:
Blend of Semillon (48%), Marsanne (32%), Ugni Blanc (10%), Vermentino (5%) and Viognier (5%). Bright yellow with golden glints. Lifted aromatic nose of apricot, peach, honeysuckle, apple, lemon sherbet and spice. Dry, medium bodied, stonefruit (apricot, peach), honeysuckle. The Viognier component is really to the fore here. Quite rich and textured; relatively low in acidity. Has really transformed and unfurled in the past 12 months. Drinking well now.
Score: 16.5/20

1998 SEPPELT ST PETERES GREAT WESTERN SHIRAZ - HEY ST PETER!

Seppelt Great Western is one of Australia’s iconic wineries. It is the centre for most of Seppelt’s sparkling wine production, as well as Seppelt’s extensive range of Victorian wines. The St Peters vineyard sits immediately to the front of Seppelt’s Great Western winery, and is the source of one of the region’s great wines.

The 1998 Seppelt St Peters Shiraz was released to much acclaim. Fourteen years on from vintage, we are starting to see the reason why the wine was so heavily lauded. It is a typical Great Western Shiraz, with notes of pepper, hung meat and dark berry fruit. In the mouth, it is quite rich and plush, weightier than the wines of Best’s, based just down the road. The tannins have fully resolved, leaving a texture that is plush and welcoming.

This is a wine that showcases Great Western Shiraz, surely one of the world's great expressions of the Shiraz grape, to a tee. Enjoy it now and over the next several years. It’s hard to imagine a better food match than a Steak au Poivre.

1998 ST PETERS SHIRAZ
Producer: Seppelt
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 1998
Region: Great Western, Victoria
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 2 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Bright plum red, fading slightly at the rim. Interesting, slightly evolved nose of hung meat, black pepper, iron, dark plum, floral lift – lavender? Dry, medium bodied, sweet fruited but savoury, peppery, plum, raspberry. Tannins have fully resolved, but there’s plenty of depth here. Very smooth and mellow. Finishes very long. There’s plenty of upside here for further secondary development.
Score: 18/20

2008 'THE WHIP' SHIRAZ - NICE LABEL, SHAME ABOUT......

Living in a wine producing nation, we are afforded the opportunity to bottle wines under a private or personal label. Simply put, like most wine producing nations, we make too much wine, and the surplus has to go somewhere. With the Australian dollar running at a high, off-loading our generic warm climate wines from the inland irrigated regions to unsuspecting bargain seeking Brits isn’t necessarily the option it once was. What better than offering local punters the chance to bottle up a couple of hundred bottles and slap their own label on it? In principle, this is a great idea and a bit of fun, but there is no guarantee that the wine is going to be particularly good.

‘The Whip’ Shiraz is a case in point. It is a wine from South Australia’s Riverland, bottled as a private label, not intended for resale. The wine itself is somewhat jammy and thin, not undrinkable, but not altogether enjoyable. It is Australia’s equivalent of the so-called ‘holiday wines’ one might encounter (or more likely one’s friends and elderly relatives might encounter) while on vacation; perfectly gluggable when relaxing back in the European sun, but horrendous when not imbibed in situ.

There can be plenty of fun to be had with private labels such as ‘The Whip’, though in this case, the best feature about the wine is the label, as the contents are best avoided. Advice from these pages is to taste widely before committing to a large bottling run, and to drink up within 12 or so months of bottling. Grange this is most definitely not!

2008 ‘THE WHIP’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Private label – producer not declared
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2008
Region: Riverland, South Australia
ABV: Not declared
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 30 October 2010

Tasting Note:
Bright cherry red. Alluring bouquet of plum jam, cherry confit, blackberry confiture. Sweet fruited up-front, palate similar to nose, simple and lacking depth, short on the finish, which has a bit of bite, rather like an American Pit Bull on a bad day.
Score: 11/20

1999 YALUMBA 'THE SIGNATURE' - WARM AND CUDDLY

Yalumba’s ‘The Signature’ is one of Australia’s great labels. Produced since the 1960’s, it is an über-traditional blended of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, sourced from the Barossa Valley. As is typical of many of Yalumba's premium red wines, it sees a generous amount of new oak, primarily American. Yet, the quality of the raw material is such that the oak isn’t overly assertive. That said, it helps to be an admirer of rich and oaky warm climate wines if you are to enjoy ‘The Signature’.

1999 was a vintage that, for many, flew under the radar in the Barossa Valley. At the time, it rather sat in the shadows of the much lauded 1998 vintage. While 1998 produced many full throttle wines of great power and intensity, the best 1999’s display greater elegance and harmony. There is indeed, a lot to like about 1999.

This bottle of 1999 Yalumba ‘The Signature’ was the first of a six-pack. Interestingly, the back label suggests drink from release through 2011. However, from this drinker’s perspective, it is wine that is just starting to hit its stride now. The tannins have fully resolved, yielding a wine that is opulent and voluptuous, but not heavy or exaggerated. It reveals layers of creamy dark chocolate married with liqueur cherries, blackberry and plum. This is a wine that is a real crowd pleaser. On the subject of food, it cries out for a hearty braise; Jugged Hare finished with a touch of dark chocolate would be ideal, as would Kangaroo Fillet with a Chocolate Sauce.

1999 THE SIGNATURE 
Producer: Yalumba
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend
Vintage: 1999
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 3 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby, fading very slightly at the rim. Rich chocolate driven nose – Valrhona! Nutty oak, vanilla, liqueur cherries covered with dark chocolate, gentle touch of herbaceousness. Becomes more perfumed with air. Full bodied, velvet smooth, svelte – very sexy, luxurious texture that teases the tongue. Dark chocolate, red fruit, pleasant bitterness on the mid-palate. Long finish. Restrained hedonism. A real crowd pleaser!
Score: 18/20

2011 THICK AS THIEVES CHARDONNAY - ON THE MONEY

We have previously reviewed the 2010 Thick as Thieves Chardonnay on these pages, a wine that certainly hit this taster’s sweet spot. The 2011 vintage follows in a similar vein. 2011 was not an easy vintage in southern Australia. It was an atypically wet and cool year, where getting ripeness, more particularly, uniform ripeness, was not easy. It was a year where diligent vignerons, those that apply their skills in the vineyard, succeeded.

While 2011 has already been derided by certain journalists and some consumers, there is much to enjoy from the vintage’s better wines. We in Australia may look upon a damp and cool vintage as something to be wary of.  However, it is not altogether different to the conditions faced most years in some of the world’s greatest wine producing regions (notwithstanding the influence of global warming).

Although it is dangerous to generalise, it is fair to say that the best white wines of 2011 possess a lovely natural freshness. Where crop levels were modest and fruit selection was rigorous, the wines don’t lack for depth of fruit, nor ripeness. It is true to say that the better reds aren’t necessarily rich or voluminous, but many possess very pretty aromatics and should drink well, at least over the medium term.

The 2011 Thick as Thieves Chardonnay illustrates just how far Australia has come with this noble grape. While it follows the contemporary ‘less is more’ philosophy (modest alcohol, subtle oak, minimal malolactic fermentation), it doesn’t do so at the expense of depth of flavour or character. This is a wine that is in no sense lean or ungenerous. One may detect a certain nod toward Chablis, but first and foremost, it is a high class, refined Yarra Valley Chardonnay, expressing both the region and the relatively cool 2011 vintage. Those looking for butterscotch and popcorn might want to look elsewhere, but for lovers of refined and sophisticated food friendly Chardonnay, there is a lot to enjoy.

2011 CHARDONNAY
Producer: Thick as Thieves
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2011
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $29.99
Date tasted: 17 November 2010

Tasting Note: 
Pale silvery lemon with green tinges. Bright, moderately aromatic nose of honeydew melon, green apple, Nashi pear and lemon citrus. Dry, medium bodied, quite racy, great tension, slight nod toward Chablis here. Taut and racy, but not lean in any sense of the word. Green apples, honeydew melon, oak very subtle and in the background. Citrussy acidity carries the finish which is long and strident. Score: 17+/20

1993 DISZNÓKŐ ASZUESZENCIA – SWEET SURRENDER

Axa Millésimes was one of the many international players (along with the likes of Spain’s Vega Sicilia) who pumped money into the Tokaj region in north-eastern Hungary following the fall of Communism.  After acquiring the great estate Disznókő , it invested a considerable sum in rehabilitating the vineyards, renovating existing facilities and building an architecturally designed winery with a review to restoring the estate and this once great region to its former glory.

In centuries past, the wines of Tokaj were served in the royal courts of Europe, particularly in tsarist Russia. So highly revered is Tokaji the wine, that it even features in Hungary’s national anthem. Find me a 1st Growth Claret that is mentioned in La Marseillaise!

With the influx of foreign capital to Tokaj came a renewed approach to winemaking. Gone was the oxidative style that marked the wines made during the Communist era, replaced by a cleaner, fresher style, reflective of modern winemaking techniques.

1993 was the first great vintage in the post-Communist era; near perfect conditions contributed to heavy botrytis. Roughly twenty years on seemed like a pretty good time to check on a bottle that had been acquired several years earlier, direct from Disznókő. Quite an advanced amber/tawny in colour, the wine displays a combination of fresh stonefruit, marmalade and grilled hazelnuts. The palate belies the wines colour, and is marked by fresh primary fruit, moderate sweetness held in check by searing acidity.

While some sweet wines can be drunk as a dessert in their own right, or perhaps as an aperitif, this is a wine that needs food. While some might lean toward a fruit-based dessert, or foie gras, this is a sweet wine that will more than comfortably handle the likes of duck or goose served with fruit such as apricots or peaches (as is often the case on the continent). Alternately, try it with the best salty blue cheese you can get your hands on; Roquefort would be perfect.

1993 TOKAJI ASZUESZENCIA 
Producer: Disznókő
Variety: Sweet wine
Vintage: 1993
Region: Tokaj, Hungary
ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 28 October 2010

Tasting Note:
Amber verging to tawny, olive at the rim. Marmalade, caramelised orange peel, coffee grinds, roasted hazelnuts. Medium sweet, apricot/peach, muscatel raisins. Moderate complexity, but extremely long on the finish, which is carried by electric acidity. Vibrant, lively and energising.
Score: 18/20

2006 DOMAINE DU VIEUX TÉLÉGRAPHE ROUGE – NOT READY YET….

The Brunier family are major players in the southern Rhône, not just for the much loved Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but for the many other wines fashioned in the region’s various appellations.

As a vintage, 2006 suffers somewhat from being straddled between the excellent 2005 and 2007 vintages in the southern Rhône (though time will only tell how well these vintages, particularly 2007, have performed). On this evidence, there is reason to suggest that 2006 was a pretty successful year chez Brunier.

The 2006 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge is a wine that changed dramatically in nature over the course of a bottle. From the off, the nose was attractive and complex. However, the palate was initially Grenache-driven, pleasant sweet kirsch/raspberry, but not particularly memorable. Over course of a couple of hours, meaty, gamey and savoury characters came to the fore, and a strong tannic backbone emerged.

Based on this bottle, this wine will need at least another 3 years in bottle for the tannins to retreat and for the wine to integrate further. The component parts are there for what should be a very good, if not necessarily exceptional Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It should drink well from 3-4 years hence and hold for at least 5 or so years thereafter.

2006 CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE ROUGE 
Producer: Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2006
Region: Southern Rhône, France
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 17 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet, fading slightly at the rim. Dark cherry/kirsch, damson, game/hung meat, charcuterie, white pepper, menthol, rosemary. Dry, at the fuller end of medium bodied, initially dominated by sweet Grenache fruit, but transforms with air to reveal more meaty and gamey characters. The tannins also emerge with air, providing substantial grip. At present the wine is slightly disjointed, clearly needing at least another 3-4 years bottle age for the tannins to soften and the component parts to come together. Shows promise for a vintage that was wedged between 2005 and 2007.
Score: 16.5++/20

1998 CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE ROUGE - A VERY ERRATIC BEAUCASTEL

Château de Beaucastel is one of the best known of all the great producers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It is the only producer in the appellation to use all 13 permitted grape varieties. While almost all Chateauneuf-du-Papes are Grenache-dominant, filled out the by the likes of Syrah, Mourvèdre and others, Beaucastel is typically Mourvèdre heavy.

Château de Beaucastel is one of relatively few producers to practice thermo-vinification, whereby the grapes are heated up to roughly 70 degrees Celsius upon being received at the winery. This practice is employed primarily for Grenache, which is highly oxidative, and allows for lower amounts of sulphur dioxide to be employed when finishing the wine.

On release, 1998 was heralded as a great vintage in the southern Rhône, one characterised by rich, full bodied wines that had the potential to age very well. The blend for Château de Beaucastel’s 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape in 1998 favoured Grenache, rather than the normal Mourvèdre. When tasted young, within several years of vintage, this wine showed superbly, a near perfect marriage of primary fruit, spice and lifted floral characters. The wine promised much for the future. Less than fifteen years from vintage and it seems that the wine is near full maturity, primary fruit faded, meaty, gamey secondary spice to the fore. Better bottles, such as the one described below, display a good amount of complexity and a modicum of interest, but are simply not as enjoyable as the same wine tasted several years earlier.

A lot has been written about the 1998 vintage in the southern Rhône, many suggesting that a good number of the wines failed to live up to their initial promise. In the case of Château de Beaucastel, a disappointingly high percentage of bottles have been badly oxidized, notwithstanding good storage and seemingly good quality cork seals. Whether this is down to the vintage, Beaucastel’s use of thermo-vinification (and correspondingly gentle application of sulphur dioxide), who can say. Suffice to say, bottles of ‘baby Beaucastel’, 2000 Coudoulet de Beaucastel, a ‘modest’ Côtes-du-Rhône, have performed far better with extended bottle age than the 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

1998 CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE ROUGE
Producer: Château de Beaucastel
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 1998
Region: Southern Rhône, France
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 28 October 2010

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet, bricking at the rim. Evolved nose of tar, roasted spices (clove, aniseed), touch animale, leather, polished wood, olive. Dry, medium bodied, mature, meaty and savoury, touch of cherry. Quite leathery. Secondary characters rather than primary fruit are driving this wine. Drink up.
Score: 16.5/20