2014 RONCO DEI TASSI 'CLIC' BIANCO - STEP BY STEP

As one of the greatest regions for white wine production, the wines of Friuli are rarely cheap. While this generally holds true, more forward thinking producers have developed entry level wines that give an insight, the first step on the ladder if you will, to the region and its wines.

A three way blend of Friulano, Chardonnay and Riesling, ‘Clic’ Bianco is a bright, fresh aromatic wine that just needs sunshine, good glassware and good company. Textured, fresh and with just a hint of spice, it is an excellent introduction to the exciting white wines of north-east Italy.

2014 RONCO DEI TASSI 'CLIC' BIANCO
Producer: Ronco dei Tassi
Variety: Italian White blend (Friulano, Chardonnay, Riesling)
Region: Friuli, Italy
ABV: 12.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $24.00
Date tasted: 25 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Pale greenish yellow. Direct nose of apple, nashi pear, white nectarine. Dry, soft and plush. Palate follows the nose with a twist of spice lending complexity. Not particularly complex, but typical of the region and very drinkable.
Score: 15.5/20

2015 ARFION SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING ROSÉ - PLANET EARTH

What does one make of a wine made from Pinot Grigio fermented on skins for 18 days and bottled in a funky half litre bottle? Orange red in appearance, earthbound in feel and hard to describe! There’s quite a lot to like here, though its earth, savoury personality and price won’t appeal to all. Plenty of fun, though perhaps best enjoyed as a single glass with the right food.

2015 ARFION 'SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING' ROSÉ
Producer: Arfion
Variety: Rosé (Pinot Grigio)
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
ABV: 11.8%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 19 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright orangey red in appearance. Whiff of strawberry and pear on the nose. Dry, medium bodied and savoury. More earthy than savoury. Hard to describe and hard to define, but by and large it works.
Score: 15.5/20

2014 VASSE FELIX CHARDONNAY - WILD WILD WEST

Vasse Felix is very much a Margaret River veteran. That status hasn’t held it back, as the estate’s top wines under the Heytesbury label are considered to be among the best of their type in Australia.

The standard estate Chardonnay is reflective of the less is more philosophy that has defined Australian Chardonnay in the past decade. Oak is subtle and the there is abundant citrusy acidity by way of structure. While one can have few complaints about the wine, it feels that it is just lacking something to give it a bit of oomph and added complexity.

2014 VASSE FELIX CHARDONNAY
Producer: Vasse Felix
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 12 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright lemon yellow. Open nose of acacia, apple blossom, melon and lemon citrus. Dry and savoury, bright acidity. Bright melon fruit, twist of citrus acidity. Oak is inobtrusive. Unforced modern Australian Chardonnay. Just a touch unexciting.
Score: 16/20

2013 OCEAN EIGHT ‘VERVE’ CHARDONNAY - MODERN GIRL

Since selling Kooyong Estate the Aylward family has established Ocean Eight as a reference point for sinewy, modern Australian Chardonnay and cherry-laden Pinot Noir. A funky Pinot Gris rounds out the range.

From the 2013 vintage, Ocean Eight ‘Verve’ Chardonnay sums up the estate’s philosophy when it comes to Chardonnay. Stylistically, it shares little in common with Australian Chardonnay of old. Instead of tropical fruit and butterscotch we have flinty sulphides, grapefruit pith and green apple.

What sets this wine apart from the many anorexic examples of modern-day Australian Chardonnay is the exceptional fruit intensity and immediate complexity. It won’t appeal to all drinkers being a slimmer and tauter expression of Chardonnay, but there is a lot of class on show here.

2013 OCEAN EIGHT ‘VERVE’ CHARDONNAY
Producer: Ocean Eight
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
ABV: 12.6%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 12 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright greenish yellow. Sulphides up-front on the nose, grapefruit pith, honeydew melon. Medium bodied, lemon/grapefruit citrus, white nectarine. Restrained but not lean, with excellent fruit intensity. Drinking very well now.
Score: 17/20

2014 SORRENBERG SAUVIGNON BLANC SEMILLON - DIFFERENT CLASS

Why oh why don’t more Australian producers play with Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blends? When done as well as this example from biodynamic Beechworth producer, preferably with a judicious touch of new oak, they are absolutely compelling.

There is a lot to like about this wine – the interplay of classy spicy oak, citrusy, slightly herbaceous Sauvignon and melon accented Semillon. Drink it young or keep it a few years and watch it flower in bottle. Great wine and excellent value for money.

2014 SORRENBERG SAUVIGNON BLANC SEMILLON
Producer: Sorrenberg
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Region: Beechworth, Victoria
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 12 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Lemon yellow. Forward spicy oak – nutmeg and clove. Grapefruit pith, guava, lemon zest and green apple. Dry, medium bodied and savoury. Citrus and melon entwined with classy, sauve oak. Lot going on here! Long, fresh and delicious.
Score: 17.5+/20

2015 BROMLEY ‘ALCHEMY’ - PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC

Bromley is the side project of Leura Park winemaker Darren Burke. With the freedom to do what he wants, he has fashioned a wine that is at one compelling and hard to pigeonhole. There is no lack of winemaker input in Bromley ‘Alchemy’ including the use of stainless steel alongside different oak formats.

That it is a blend of primarily Semillon with a dash of Sauvignon Blanc is hardly relevant, for this is a genre defying white wine. It delivers a hint of sulphide-driven funk married with grapefruit pith and a smoky/flinty edge. Think of it as a theoretical crossing of Chablis and Muscadet, though of course it is not either.

Bromley ‘Alchemy’ would make a great wine for seafood and an absolute nightmare for wine options!

2015 BROMLEY ‘ALCHEMY’
Producer: Bromley
Variety: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Geelong, Victoria
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $20.00
Date tasted: 12 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Pale silvery yellow. Sulphides initially, slightly reductive, grapefruit pith, quite smoky (not oak), flinty. Hard to pin down – in a good way! Medium in bodied, taut and dry, green apple, lemon squirt. Good line of acidity. Drink it as you would young Chablis or Muscadet.
Score: 16.5/20

2014 BEST’S CABERNET SAUVIGNON - SIMPLY THE......

Best’s is one of the most loved family-owned wineries in Australia. With a nursery containing some of Australia’s oldest plantings, it is also of great historic importance. Shiraz from this part of the world is among the best in the country, cool climate elegance with depth and body.

Best’s Cabernet Sauvignon is a solid expression of the variety, more red fruit than black. It is a well made wine that will develop well in bottle over several years, but lacks the depth and varietal definition of the better examples of Cabernet from the Yarra Valley, Coonawarra and Margaret River.

2014 BEST’S CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Best’s
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Great Western, Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 11 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson/cerise in appearance. Brooding nose of kirsch, cassis, mint/menthol and oak char. Dry, medium bodied, the flavour profile reflects the bouquet. Chalky tannins provide the structural framework. Solid, though not as compelling as Shiraz from the same address.
Score: 15.5/20

2013 MENDEL ‘LUNTA’ MALBEC - BACK IN BLACK

Argentina has pretty much made Malbec its own. When done well, as is the case with this example, one can see why. In terms of varietal definition it very much ticks the boxes. However, unlike some examples of Argentinian Malbec it isn’t forced or overdone in any way. Yes it is intense, ‘black’ and brooding, but there is a sense of elegance and harmony.

If one was to be hypercritical, the wine is relatively simple, but perhaps that is Malbec when bottled as a single varietal; plenty of ‘grunt’ but not a huge amount of breadth.

2013 MENDEL ‘LUNTA’ MALBEC
Producer: Mendel
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 11 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Opaque crimson. Morello cherry, charcoal and blackberry. Deep, ‘black’ and intense. Fine, slightly chalky tannins. Bold and dark, but with a sense of perspective. A good effort.
Score: 16.5/20

2011 TORBRECK ‘KYLOE’ MATARO - READY TO GO

For one reason or another, Mataro plays third fiddle to Shiraz and Grenache. Perhaps it’s because it lacks the easy fruit sweetness of the other two. Mataro’s natural savoury tannins may also put a few off. Much is the pity as straight Mataro when mature can be a thing of beauty.

Many would say that Bandol is the reference point for Mataro/Mourvedre. That may well be the case. However, when done well, Barossa Valley Mataro can more than match it with its Provencal rival.

The team at Torbreck know a thing or two about Mataro, making Australia’s most expensive incarnation of the variety. At $30 a bottle, ‘Kyloe’ is a relative bargain. Much has been said and written of the damp 2011 vintage in southern Australia. Relatively little has been said of the vintage’s successes. Without a doubt, this is one of them.

Five years on from vintage, it is mature in a very attractive way – meaty, earthy, gamey and savoury. There is a hell of a lot to like here and a reminder on two fronts a) do not write off a vintage and b) this is why we cellar wine, mature examples can be delicious!

2011 TORBRECK ‘KYLOE’ MATARO
Producer: Torbreck
Variety: Mourvedre
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 15.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 10 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby fading slightly at the rim. Meaty and gamey nose, slightly earthbound, floral notes, coffee grinds. Dry, full bodied, savoury, meaty, funky, autumnal. Fully resolved, mature and utterly delicious. Excellent result from a challenging year.
Score: 17.5/20

2010 DOMAINE A ‘PETIT A’ - FASHION

Tasmania’s Domaine A is one of the best sources of Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia. The estate’s Cabernet tends to have a very Bordeaux-like feel to them. Such is the case with the 2010 vintage release of ‘Petit A’, the sibling of the estate’s flagship.

Six years out from vintage, there is still a touch of gravelly tannin. The aromatic and flavour profile of the wine is prototypical Cabernet at its aristocratic best. Classy oak lends structure and complexity. Needless to say, there’s plenty to like here. 

Cabernet mightn't be queen in the fashion stakes at present, but who cares?  When it's good, it's simply wonderful to drink.

2010 DOMAINE A ‘PETIT A’
Producer: Domaine A
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2010
Region: Coal River Valley, Tasmania
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $50.00
Date tasted: 9 March 2016

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Prototypical Cabernet nose of graphite, blackcurrant, tomato leaf and smoky oak. Dry, medium bodied and savoury. Slightly gravelly tannins provide structure. Quite St Estephe like – Bordeaux comes to Tassie!
Score: 17/20

2013 TERRE A TERRE CABERNET SAUVIGNON - EARTH SONG

Terre a Terre is the brainchild of corporate lawyer turned wine importer and winemaker. Xavier Bizot. As son-in-law of wine legend Brian Croser, Bizot has plenty to live up to, but it is fair to say he’s making some very smart wine.

Terre a Terre draws on fruit from a closely planted vineyard in Wrattonbully to the north of Coonawarra. Vinification is pretty standard for the Bordeaux varieties. However, when it comes to vinification, Bizot eschews traditionally favoured barriques, favouring large oak foudres. In the case of this wine, it seems to work, with the fruit to the fore, natural tannins letting their presence felt on the finish.

2013 TERRE A TERRE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Terre a Terre
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Region: Wrattonbully, South Australia
ABV: 14.4%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 9 March 2015

Tasting Note:
Deep magenta. Intense nose of cassis, liqueur cherry, dusty herbs and freshly tilled earth. Dry, medium bodied. Cassis and liqueur cherry up-front moving to cool, dark and savoury on the mid-palate. Powdery tannins coat the mouth on the finish.
Score: 16.5+/20

2015 ELDRIDGE ESTATE PTG - HOT SUMMER NIGHTS

Eldridge Estate, small 3 hectare winery on the Mornington Peninsula, produces some of Australia’s best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and a Gamay that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with many a Beaujolais Cru.

PTG is Eldridge Estate proprietor and winemaker David Lloyd’s wistful take on Bourgogne Passetoutgrains, a modest Burgundian red of Pinot Noir and Gamay. While not as serious has the estate’s ethereal Pinot Noirs, Eldridge Estate PTG is the nigh perfect red wine for summer drinking.

Light, bright and fresh with sappy raspberry and cherry fruit, this is a wine that could happily take a light chill on summers evening. Unlike so many other wines of its ilk, it is savoury, has genuine depth and a modicum of complexity. Light and frothy it may be, do not have any doubt as to the quality of its constituent materials.

2015 ELDRIDGE ESTATE PTG
Producer: Eldridge Estate
Variety: Pinot Noir, Gamay
Vintage: 2015
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 8 March 2016

Tasting Note:
Transluscent cherry red. Fresh nose of cranberry, rhubarb and rosehip. Dry, fresh and lively. Light to medium bodied, lip-smacking red fruits framed by a line of gentle tannin. Perfect summer red. Could take a light chill.
Score: 16/20

2013 GRUETZNER VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON SHIRAZ - TAILOR MADE

We have previously discussed the inaugural release of winemaker turned tailor Tom Riley’s Gruetzner Vineyard red blend. The follow up, from the warm 2013 vintage, is just as good. However, in 2013, the blend favours later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon over Shiraz.

Oak once again plays second fiddle, allowing high quality dry-grown fruit to take centre stage. This is a vineyard that has previously made the cut for Penfold’s Grange, and one can see why. This wine is the essence of Cabernet Sauvignon, with its rich cassis fruit and suggestions of damp earth.

Elegantly constructed, long and stylish, there is plenty to enjoy now. Indeed the fruit rather envelops the structure of the wine, masking the underlying tannins somewhat. A good decade and a half of cellaring will see this delicious wine reach maturity.

2013 GRUETZNER VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON SHIRAZ
Producer: TB Riley Wines
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Vintage: 2013
Region: Apsley, Far Western Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 8 March 2016

Tasting Note:
Deep cherry red. Bright nose of cassis, lead pencil shavings, dried herbs, earthy notes. Medium bodied, savoury, red and blue fruits, the dark personality of Cabernet really comes through. Delicious.
Score: 16.5+/20

2014 IZWAY ‘MATES’ GRENACHE MATARO - SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

Izway Wines is the side project of Torbreck winemaker Craig Isbel and business partner Brian Conway. Across the range, Izway delivers the bold fruit people have grown to expect from the Barossa Valley. To a point, they are full flavoured and generous.

‘Mates’ is a modestly priced blend. In the 2014 vintage, it was a pairing of Barossa stalwarts Grenache and Mataro. From the outset, this is a full flavoured, silkily textured wine that is dangerously easy to drink. Laden with liqueur cherry and plum with exotic spices lending complexity, it is what some might call the ultimate ‘punters wine’!

2014 IZWAY ‘MATES’ GRENACHE MATARO
Producer: Izway Wines

Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2014
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 15%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 7 March 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright cherry red. Inviting floral and spicy nose. Full bodied, sweet fruited up-front, moving to savoury on the mid-palate. Liqueur cherries and plums, exotic Asian spices. Meaty. Good depth and weight. Dangerously drinkable!
Score: 16/20

2014 SYRAHMI ‘DEMI’ SHIRAZ - PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC...

Victoria’s Heathcote region is much-loved by those who favour full-bodied, heady Shiraz. If anything, some Heathcote wines can suffer from being a bit too much of everything – alcoholic, over-ripe and overly sweet-fruited.

Former chef and sommelier Adam Foster produces a relatively restrained style of Heathcote Shiraz under his Syrahmi label. As a producer who doesn’t own vineyard, Foster sources fruit from vineyards in the Heathcote region on a rotational basis. Fruit for his 2014 releases was sourced from the Greenstone vineyard.

‘Demi’ is the entry level wine in the range, and a very good wine it is. Weighing in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, it is far from over the top. Judicious use of whole bunch fermentation and a light hand with oak have produced a wine that is at one poised and polished with a twist of herbal and spicy complexity.

This is a wine that reflects the broader move to lightness, brightness and freshness that is afoot here in Australia. For those that enjoy their wine with food, and like a glass or two of red wine in the warmer months of the year, it is just what the doctor ordered. More please!

2014 SYRAHMI ‘DEMI’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Syrahmi
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2014
Region: Heathcote, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 19 February 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Complex nose of briar fruit, sage, bay leaf and aniseed. Dry, medium bodied, sweet dark fruits up-front, quickly moving to savoury; dusty herbs, spice, fennel seeds. Controlled and restrained – no signs of excess. Well made and good value for money.
Score: 16.5/20

2013 POGGERINO CHIANTI CLASSICO - SO FINE

Chianti comes in many shapes and sizes. Few are better than this example from Poggerino. Organic and biodymamic, Poggerino has established itself as one of the leading producers of Chianti Classico.

The 2013 vintage release of Poggerino Chianti Classico is a model of restraint and elegance. If one is looking for typicity, this is a wine that captures the essence of Chianti and the Sangiovese grape. Dry and savoury, it is medium in body, dark cherry fruit set against earthy tannins and dusty herbs.

It delivers plenty of pleasure for current drinking, especially with protein-heavy dishes such as bistecca alla Fiorentina, but has sufficient depth and structure to develop in bottle for up to a decade.

2013 POGGERINO CHIANTI CLASSICO
Producer: Poggerino
Variety: Sangiovese
Vintage: 2013
Region: Tuscany, Italy
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 21 February 2016

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet in appearance. Alluring nose of cherry, tar, dusty herbs, bitumen, freshly tilled earth. Dry, medium bodied, fine, elegant and restrained. Dark cherry fruit leads the way, very savoury, earthy, dried herbs, fine powdery tannins carry the finish. A model of restraint.
Score: 17+/20

2015 CALABRIA PINOT BIANCO - APPLE OF MY EYE

We have looked at a couple of wines from Calabria’s Private Bin series previously on these pages. Both wines impressed in their ability to over-deliver in the value for money stakes. The Pinot Bianco from the same source also impresses.

Bright, ‘straight from the orchard’ apple blossom and pear aromatics take centre stage in what is a very clean and fresh wine. Complex it may not be, but there is a lot to enjoy here. It would make a great mid-summer wine to enjoy with a Caesar salad, or just enjoy it on its own.

The 2014 vintage release picked up a trophy as the best in its class at the Victorian Wine Awards. This 2015 is even better.

2015 CALABRIA PINOT BIANCO
Variety: Pinot Blanc/Bianco
Vintage: 2015
Region: Riverina, New South Wales
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $18.00
Date tasted: 7 March 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright greenish yellow in appearance. Clean, fresh and direct nose of green apple and guava. Dry, medium bodied, very fresh and lively. The palate follows the nose. Not particularly complex, but very vibrant and ever so drinkable. Good stuff.
Score: 16/20