1995 WENDOUREE SHIRAZ - ICH BIN EIN AUSLÄNDER

Wendouree occupies an exalted position within the Australian wine scene. It produces tightly structured, long-lived wines that blur the lines between Australia and the Old World.

James Halliday sums things up just about right when he describes Wendouree as ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove’. Wendouree’s wines possess immense power and concentration framed by marked tannins, but have an underlying sense of elegance and finesse.

While it is very much its own wine, Wendouree Shiraz gives a nod to the great long-lived Syrahs of the hill of Hermitage in the northern Rhône. Both are powerful, masculine wines built for the long haul, but completely unforced and natural. One certainly wouldn’t mistake Wendouree Shiraz for Rhône Valley Syrah. Up-front mint and menthol confirm its Australian origin. Yet, there is a serious savoury note to the wine, a sense of reserve, that places it outside the conventional Australian wine domain.

Almost 20 years from vintage, the 1995 (Wendouree’s centenary vintage) Wendouree Shiraz, is starting to take shape. Still deep crimson in appearance, it possesses a smouldering bouquet of coal, baked earth and dark fruits. While the structured tannins of youth have melted there is sufficient depth and intensity to suggest a further 10 or more years development potential.

This is not a wine for all. Those accustomed to typical Australian up-front sweet fruit will find little pleasure in this very serious and slightly demanding wine. This is a wine that will appeal to those with a leaning to the wines of the Old World.

1995 WENDOUREE SHIRAZ
Producer: Wendouree
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 1995
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 18 October 2014

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Aristocratic nose of mint/menthol, graphite, coal, smoke, slightly earthy. Dry, medium bodied, savoury and very serious. Not an easy fruit forward wine – savoury sour cherry, tilled earth, cedar, dark fruits. Although the tannins have softened appreciably, there’s at least a decades upside with this wine.
Score: 18.5/20

2012 HEAD GRENACHE ROSÉ - WHOLE LOTTA ROSIE!

Rosé is a wine style that has only recently been taken seriously by Australian vignerons. While rosé is an important category in the Old World, particularly in Provence and parts of Spain, we in Australia have been rather slow in recognizing the commercial potential of rosé.

With Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz and Mourvèdre the backbone of the roses southern France and Spain (with Garnacha aka Grenache), Australia’s traditional warm climate regions (particularly the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale) have the necessary resources at their disposal to produce high quality rosé. However, only a few have incorporate rosé as a key player in their range.

Alex Head is one producer to have treated rosé with the merit it deserves. Head Grenache Rosé is more than a match for most Provence rosés that make it to these shores. Pale salmon pink in colour, delicate on both the nose and palate and weighing in at a modest 12.5% ABV, this is a wine that ticks all of the boxes.

While the wine is only moderately complex, it delivers most things one could want from a quality rosé at under $30 per bottle – elegance, refinement and most importantly, refreshment value. A wine like this is all too easy to guzzle back on a warm summer’s day, especially alongside appropriate food. – salade Niçoise would be perfect!

2012 HEAD GRENACHE ROSÉ
Producer: Head Wines
Variety: Rosé
Vintage: 2012
Region: Marche, Italy
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 18 October 2014

Tasting Note:
Pale salmon pink. Delicate nose of cranberry, redcurrant and lemon zest. Very pretty. Bone dry, medium bodied, savoury – a real food style. Delicate red fruits fill the palate (cranberry, sour cherry). Lemony acidity carries the finish, which is long and fresh.
Score: 16/20

2012 ROSS HILL ‘ISABELLE & JACK’ CABERNET FRANC MERLOT - AROMATIC LOVE

At its best, Cabernet Franc can be wonderfully aromatic and elegant. Appellations such as Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil showcase Cabernet Franc at its best. In Australia, we tend to see Cabernet Franc primarily as a blending variety as part of Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blends.

Too rarely, Australian examples of single varietal Cabernet Franc display the grape’s alluring aromatics. Orange’s Ross Hill is one exception. ‘Isabelle & Jack’ is a Bordeaux Right Bank-inspired blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. While relatively simple, it displays excellent varietal character, particularly in terms of the Cabernet Franc component.

This wine displays attractive grassy aromatics intermingled with red fruits (redcurrant, pomegranate) typical of Cabernet Franc. As mentioned above, it is straightforward and direct, but deserves merit for textbook varietal definition.

2012 ROSS HILL ‘ISABELLE & JACK’ CABERNET FRANC MERLOT
Variety: Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Vintage: 2012
Region: Orange, New South Wales
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $20.00
Date tasted: 11 October 2014

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet in appearance. Open and slightly aromatic nose; grassy, gently herbaceous, pencil shavings, redcurrant. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, gentle tannins. Relatively simple but displays good varietal character in the red fruit vein.
Score: 15/20

2010 SORRENBERG GAMAY - CHERRY BOMB

Beaujolais is a region undergoing somewhat of a revival at present thanks to the efforts of a burgeoning number of talented and dedicated growers. Price inflation in other regions, particularly Burgundy to the north, has also benefited Beaujolais, as consumers seeking value have redirected their buying towards those regions that over-deliver in terms of value for money.

Much of the allure of Beaujolais can be attributed to the affinity between the Gamay grape and the region’s granitic soils. What of Gamay in Australia? Unlike the cool climate darling that is Pinot Noir, Gamay tends to be overlooked by all but a few. In view of its great drinkability and food friendliness, one wonders why it hasn’t been more widely planted.

We have previously looked at the excellent Eldridge Estate Gamay on these pages. When it comes to Gamay in Australia, Sorrenberg is generally considered to be at or near the very top of the quality scale. Biodynamically produced from a relatively mild site in Beechworth, it has the necessary building blocks for success.

The 2010 Sorrenberg Gamay is bang on the money in terms of varietal definition, but is lacking a touch for complexity and general interest at this point in time. It would be interesting to see the same wine in 3-4 years time.

2010 SORRENBERG GAMAY
Producer: Sorrenberg
Variety: Gamay
Vintage: 2010
Region: Beechworth, Victoria
Alcohol: 13.6%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $45.00
Date tasted: 4 October 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright garnet. Open nose of red fruit (cherry, pomegranate, raspberry), slightly smoky. Dry, medium bodied, quite sweet fruited up-front. Relatively simple palate of red fruits. Lively line of acidity carries the finish, which is long and fine. Perhaps it needs more time?
Score: 15.5/20

2012 FATTORIA CORONCINO VERDICCHIO SUPERIORE 'IL BACCO' - SUPER TROOPER

There is a strong case to be argued in favour of Italian white wines as being among the best produced on this mortal coil. Verdicchio is one variety that rarely fails to raise a smile when in the hands of a quality-minded producer. Like many of Italy’s best white wines, good Verdicchio is as much about texture as aromatics and flavour.

The 2009 vintage of Fattoria Coroncino’s Verdicchio Superiore ‘Il Bacco’ was positively reviewed on these pages a couple of years ago. The 2012 release is also ‘on form’, delivering an immensely complex bouquet and palate at a relatively modest price-point.

Be warned, this is not a slimline wine. At 14% ABV, it is ripe and rich and delivers plenty of impact. This is a wine that really shimmers. As with many of Italy’s best wines, white and red, its shows best alongside food. Weightier seafood dishes, chicken and pork would all work well, as would creamy pasta dishes.

For those who haven’t discovered the delights of Italian white wine, look no further than this cracking Verdicchio.

2012 FATTORIA CORONCINO VERDICCHIO SUPERIORE ‘IL BACCO’
Producer: Fattoria Coroncino
Variety: Verdicchio
Vintage: 2012
Region: Marche, Italy
Alcohol: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 3 October 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright golden yellow. Open and immediately complex nose of bruised red apples, grapefruit, crystallised ginger, licorice. Dry, at the fuller side of medium bodied, expansive and full-flavoured palate. Melon, pear, stonefruit, touch of orange zest, quinine. Impact, power and complexity. Anything but a conventional ‘colour by numbers’ sort of wine.
Score: 17/20

2010 CRITTENDEN ESTATE 'THE ZUMMA' CHARDONNAY - NEW AND OLD

Australian Chardonnay has undergone a quantum shift in the past 15 or so years. The brash butterscotch-laden Chardonnays of the 1990’s are dinosaurs of the past, replaced by a more refined style of Chardonnay that is on the whole steelier and more tense. If one is to be critical, some contemporary Australian Chardonnays are a bit mean and lean and could do with more meat on the bones.

Crittenden is one of the established names of the Mornington Peninsula, initially at Dromana Estate and subsequently a stone’s throw away at Crittenden Estate. 2010 Crittenden Estate ‘The Zumma’ Chardonnay, the estate’s flagship white, bridges the gap between new wave and old school Chardonnay.

It delivers a typical Chardonnay bouquet of pear, apple, stonefruit and melon with subtle oak in the background, all of which are reflected on the palate. Gently creamy in texture, there’s something here for those that yearn for Chardonnays of past, though it's far from over the top. While there are a number of things to admire, the wine lacks a touch of drive and lift to elevate it into the very top echelon.

2010 CRITTENDEN ESTATE ‘THE ZUMMA’ CHARDONNAY
Producer: Crittenden Estate
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $50.00
Date tasted: 28 September 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright golden yellow. Prototypical Chardonnay nose of red apples, honeydew melon and pear, grilled nuts. Medium bodied, gently creamy in texture, a ‘new wave meets old school’ style of Chardonnay. Elegant and stylish but just lacking a touch for complexity.
Score: 15.5/20

2001 YARRA YARRA 'THE YARRA YARRA' - I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

The wines of premium Yarra Valley producer Yarra Yarra have featured on these pages on several occasions. Without exception, they have aged extremely well, displaying considerable finesse, elegance and complexity.

If this bottle is anything to judge things by, the 2001 The Yarra Yarra is yet to reveal its full potential. The wine certainly has the building blocks in the shape of bountiful blackcurrant/cassis and forward yet integrated smoky oak. While the tannic framework of youth has all but melted, there is a certain sense of reserve about this wine.

Based on past experience with this producer, one suggests exercising patience – further complexity is likely to develop with time. At this point in time, this pundit is prepared to reserve his judgement and wait another 3-4 years before cracking another bottle.

2001 YARRA YARRA 'THE YARRA YARRA'
Producer: Yarra Yarra
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Vintage: 2001
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 21 September 2014

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Authoritative nose of cassis, graphite and woodsmoke. Medium bodied, soft and approachable, yet slightly confronting! Dry and savoury; blackcurrant and noticeable smoky oak. Although the tannins have resolved, there’s a sense that the wine is holding a bit back at present. Leave for another 3-4 years.
Score: 16+/20