2012 GLAETZER DIXON ÜBERBLANC RIESLING - GUT JA?!

When it comes to Australian Riesling, one automatically thinks of the Clare and Eden Valleys and Western Australia’s Great Southern. Tasmania gets short shrift for a variety in which it sometimes excels, proof positive that there is more to the ‘Apple Isle’ than a relatively cool place to produce base wines for decent sparkling wine.

The 2012 Überblanc Riesling from Glaetzer-Dixon is a wine that will raise the pulse of any Riesling-lover. The wine is prototypical Australian Riesling lend additional aromatic lift thanks to its cool Tasmanian origin.

Bottled ever so slightly off-dry, the wine delivers a lovely mix of lemon citrus, green apples and clementines, all cut by a marked thread of acidity. It is a style that works extremely well. Although young, there is plenty of pleasure to be had now, and upside potential, at least for the medium term.

2012 ÜBERBLANC RIESLING
Producer: Glaetzer Dixon
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2012
Region: Tasmania
ABV: 11.4%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $24.00
Date tasted: 4 February 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright silvery lemon. Open and aromatic. Prototypical Australian Riesling nose, crisp green apples, lemon zest, sherbet and talc. Most definitely cool climate. Slightly off-dry, marked line of spritzig acidity, green apples, clementines and freshly zested lemons. Excellent fruit intensity. Lovely, vibrant Riesling.
Score: 16.5/20

2010 HOWARD PARK FLINT ROCK SHIRAZ - KNIGHTS IN RED SATIN...

Howard Park is a doyen of the Australian wine industry. Although its roots are in Western Australia’s Great Southern, it also sources fruit from Margaret River. Proprietor Geoff Burch has also enjoyed a foray into Burgundy, working alongside French-Canadian wine consultant and micro-negociant Pascal Marchand.

Howard Park Flint Rock Shiraz takes us to familiar ground. Part of Howard Park’s regional series, it is a blend of Frankland River and Mount Barker fruit matured in a combination of new and used French and American oak barrels.

The overall impression here is one of finesse and elegance. This is not a warm climate smack you around the chops monster, but a relatively delicate Shiraz. There is an almost Pinot Noir-like texture to the wine in the way it glides over the palate. The fruit profile is in the black fruit realm; damson and black cherry. Noticeable powdery tannin suggests that the wine should cellar well and develop further complexity.

2010 FLINT ROCK SHIRAZ
Producer: Howard Park
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2010
Region: Great Southern, Western Australia
ABV: 14%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $28.00
Date tasted: 26 January 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright garnet. Attractive nose of violets, damsons, black pepper, licorice and tar. Dry, medium bodied, very stylish and elegant – Pinot Noir like in texture. Quite delicate. Powdery tannins emerge with air. Should develop extremely well in bottle.
Score: 16.5/20

EQUIPO NAVAZOS NV LA BOTA DE MANNZANILLA NO. 42 - OH SHERRY......I'M IN LOVE!

Sherry is arguably the most undervalued fine wine in the world. While Classed Growth Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy command four-digit prices, the best Sherries can be procured for well under $100. As the outstanding wines of Equipo Navazos demonstrate, Sherry can happily sit shoulder-to-shoulder alongside the world’s greatest wine when it comes to complexity.

For those not acquainted with Equipo Navazos, they do not make wine per se, but selects and bottles wines from selected bodegas in Jerez and Sanlucar de Barrameda. Thus far, all styles of Sherry have been bottled under the Equipo Navazos label, as well as Brandy de Jerez. In some respects, Equipo Navazos is rather like an independent bottler one sees in the whisky world.

La Bota de Manzanilla displays the traits one has become accustomed to seeing with Equipo Navazos releases. It is at one enormously powerful and concentrated, remarkably complex and refined. It is, by any measure, a ‘fine’ wine; a very adult one at that.

NV LA BOTA DE MANZANILLA NO. 42
Producer: Equipo Navazos
Variety: Fortified Wine - Sherry
Vintage: Non-vintage
Region: Andalucia, Spain
ABV: 15%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $60.00
Date tasted: 24 December 2013

Tasting Note:
Golden yellow. Powerful and complex nose; freshly baked sourdough, grilled hazelnuts, lemon zest, bruised apples. Very dry on the palate, with excellent follow through. A wine to sip and contemplate. Improves with air. Outstanding.
Score: 19/20

2008 MARTINBOROUGH VINEYARDS PINOT NOIR - SETTING THE STANDARD

Martinborough Vineyards is one of the original players in what many would argue is New Zealand’s finest Pinot Noir producing region (though some Otagans may beg to differ).

With the benefit of several years bottle age, the 2008 Pinot Noir from Martinborough Vineyards is looking in good shape. While it is unmistakably New World with generous up-front fruit, there is excellent all round balance and a good amount of complexity to boot.

This is a wine with considerable depth of flavour, rich and plush in texture, yet there is no sense of excess or over-extraction. All in all, it is a good example of just what can be achieved with Pinot Noir in Martinborough.

2008 PINOT NOIR
Producer: Martinborough Vineyards
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Region: Martinborough, New Zealand
ABV: 14%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 12 January 2013

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet. Lifted nose of plums, dark cherry, spice, touch of leathery complexity. Dry, medium bodied, silky texture, unmistakably New World Pinot Noir. Quite rich, but well balanced. Plush and velvety. Good length. Will develop further.
Score: 17.5/20