1998 WENDOUREE CABERNET MALBEC - PATIENCE

Wendouree needs no introduction to followers of Australian wine. Simply put, it is a ‘one of a kind’, producing long-lived, savoury wines that have their own distinctive identity. As many notes on these pages demonstrated, aged Wendouree can be something special – refined yet rustic, delicate yet enormously powerful, savoury and intellectual.

This bottle of Wendouree Cabernet Malbec was broached with great anticipation, but didn’t quite deliver. Aromatically, it was rather reticent, gentle notes of gravel, charcoal and graphite. By Wendouree standards, the palate was slightly sweet-fruited, perhaps a marker of the 1998 vintage.

The tannins of youth have melted back, but we are yet to see secondary evolution of note. One suspects a few more years in the cellar might be needed. Experience suggests that Wendouree wines reveal their greatest pleasure when at or near full maturity.

1998 WENDOUREE CABERNET MALBEC
Producer: Wendouree
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 6 May 2018

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson through to the rim. Restrained nose of charcoal, wet earth, woodsmoke and black fruits. Medium bodied, surprisingly sweet-fruited up-front (by Wendouree standards), tannins have melted away. Dark fruits, graphite and charcoal. Little secondary evolution thus far. Revisit in a few years.
Score: 16/20

2009 CHATEAU FONTENIL - SLICK RICK

Michel Rolland is arguably the highest profile of Bordeaux wine consultants, working with customers world-wide. Rolland has built (deservedly or otherwise) a reputation for a style that is slick, round, oak forward and often Merlot heavy. He has his detractors, but no one can deny his influence in Bordeaux and beyond.

With this in mind, it seemed an appropriate time to check in on the 2009 vintage release from Rolland’s family estate in Fronsac, Chateau Fontenil. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the maker’s signature writ large on the front label, it screams ‘classic Rolland’. Cynics would not be impressed!

To the eye, the wine shows relatively little evolution, reflected on the palate, which has oak (high quality and well judged and fruit) in the driver’s seat. Notwithstanding the warm 2009 vintage, it is compact and elegant, avoiding the excesses that mark so many modern Right Bank Bordeaux wines.

At this point in its evolution, it’s not that complex. However, a lick of powdery tannin on the finish suggests that there is upside for the short to medium term.

2009 CHATEAU FONTENIL
Producer: Chateau Fontenil
Variety: Merlot (90%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%)
Region: Bordeaux, France
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 5 May 2018

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby. Primary nose of blood plum, cassis, oak char and subtle vanilla. Medium bodied, elegant and fine. Compact, gentle dark plum and black cherry, veneer of smoky oak. Quite simple at this point in its development. Gentle powdery tannin on the finish suggests upside over the medium term.
Score: 16/20

2016 ARTUKE ‘PIES NEGROS’ RIOJA - MOVE YOUR FEET

‘Pies Negros’ translates from Spanish to English as black feet. It’s an appropriate name for a wine that is glossy crimson in appearance and leaps from the glass with cherry and plum skin. Indeed, it smells a bit like freshly feet trodden fruit.

That said and done, the wine is relatively light on its feet, weighing in at no more than medium bodied. It is a wine that does what it says and taste like what it smells like – up-front dark fruit with a savoury finish. It’s not that complex, but delivers plenty of character and drinking pleasure.

This particular bottle was very similar to a 2014 vintage of the same wine enjoyed a couple of years ago.

2016 ARTUKE ‘PIES NEGROS’ RIOJA
Producer: Bodegas y Vinedos Artuke
Variety: Tempranillo (90%), Graciano (10%)
Region: Rioja, Spain
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 27 April 2018

Tasting Note:
Bright crimson. Attention grabbing nose of black cherry and plum skin – intense and vibrant at the one time. Medium bodied, flavour-wise the palate follows on from the nose with the same cherry/plum skin quality. Quite simple, but a decent and satisfying drink nevertheless.
Score: 16/20

2017 PARADIGM HILL TRANSITION ROSE - SERIOUS

Rose is arguably the most dynamic category in the Australian wine market at present. It seems that we just can’t get enough of the stuff. Some local vignerons have been rather slow to clock on to the lucrative market for dry rose.

For many years, Paradigm Hill has produced a very sophisticated rose based on estate grown Mornington Peninsula Shiraz. Barrel fermented, including a small percentage of new oak, it is an ambitious wine that is its own animal.

Transition Rose is not a copy of a southern French rose, but a serious, dry table wine that is made for the dinner table. The detailed back label suggests that it could be aged for 10 or more years, though one doubts that many bottles maker it beyond their third or fourth year post vintage before being consumed.

This is a classy rose with its own distinctive personality that proves that better Australian roses can more than hold their own against imports from fashionable Provence and elsewhere in Europe.

2017 PARADIGM HILL TRANSITION ROSE
Producer: Paradigm Hill
Variety: Rose
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
ABV: 11.7%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $38.00
Date tasted: 28 April 2018

Tasting Note:
Pale strawberry pink. Attractive nose of delicate macerated red fruits, subtle spice. Medium bodied, light and fresh, zippy citrusy acidity. Although light on its feet it is a wine that doesn’t lack for depth or fruit. Bone dry and savoury – good dinner table wine.
Score: 16.5/20