2012 TB RILEY ‘GRUETZNER VINEYARD’ SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON - TAILOR MADE

Don’t know where Apsley is? You wouldn’t be the only one. It’s a remote town in far western Victoria, not that far from the South Australian border. It is the home of Gruetzner Vineyard, a relatively cool site that has provided fruit for Penfolds Grange. Being cool and dry, it produces modest yields of small Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that have abundant tannins and good natural acidity.

Now to the maker, Tom Riley is a one-time member of the Penfolds winemaking team turned high-end tailor. Trained as a winemaker, Tom ‘saw the light’ and moving into the more lucrative of cutting the finest cloth. Thanks for us drinkers, Tom still makes a little bit of wine on the side.

Gruetzner Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon from the excellent 2012 vintage is his first effort, and it has a real wow factor. A classic Australian ‘Claret’, Riley’s take on Bin 389 is a real beauty. It sees no new oak being matured exclusively in seasoned oak barrels. The wine displays excellent fruit concentration and plenty of structure by way of fine powdery tannin.

In some ways, this is an anti-Penfolds wine, being the product of a single vineyard, no new wood and notably made without the use of ‘exogenous tannins’. This is a cracker of a wine for the cellar, but patience is needed. Leave for at least a decade.

2012 TB RILEY ‘GRUETZNER VINEYARD’ SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: TB Riley
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Vintage: 2012
Region: Far Western Victoria, Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 31 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Impenetrable crimson. Stern nose of dark fruit, minerals, wet earth, graphite. Medium bodied, silky in texture, blueberry, blackberry, cassis. Very ‘dark’. Savoury. Powdery tannins assert themselves on the finish. Classic dry Australian red executed with aplomb. Needs time – at least 5 years.
Score: 17.5/20

2013 TERZINI PECORINO D’ABRUZZO - ONLY FOR SHEEP

We tend to associate Pecorino with the famous ewe’s milk cheese more than wine. However, it is grown in Abruzzo and Le Marche on Italy’s east coast, producing white wines of considerable style. This particular example possesses lively stonefruit aromatics and a wonderfully textured palate. It is a food-friendly wine well suited to seafood, white meat and creamy pasta dishes.

Pecorino translates to English as little sheep, and we are led to believe that the fruit of the Pecorino vine were favoured by the flocks of sheep driven to lower pastures in Italy’s east. The sheep certainly had good taste, as it makes a delicious wine!

2013 TERZINI PECORINO D’ABRUZZO
Producer: Terzini
Variety: Pecorino
Vintage: 2013
Region: Abruzzo, Italy
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 30 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright golden yellow. Interesting nose of white peach/nectarine, yellow plum. Dry, medium bodied, lovely texture. Flavour profile is the same as the nose – stonefruit. Only downside is a slight suggestion of oxidation – perhaps not a pristine bottle. Still plenty to enjoy.
Score: 16/20

2014 PALACIOS REMONDO ‘LA VENDIMIA’ - HARVEST SONG

Alvaro Palacios, Decanter ‘Man of the Year’ is Spain’s reigning superstar. With interests in Priorat, Bierzo and Rioja, he fashions an eclectic set of wines, l’Ermita being the most famous, ranking alongside Vega Sicilia as a Spain’s greatest wine.

In Rioja, Palacios heads up the family estate Palacios Remondo. While Tempranillo generally takes centre stage in Rioja, Palacios prefers to showcase Garnacha. ‘La Vendimia’, aka ‘the harvest’ is a 50:50 blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo. This is not a super-complex or intellectual wine, but a wine that cries ‘drink me’. Juicy is the best word to describe it.

The 2014 rendition of ‘La Vendimia’ benefits from gentle aeration, so there’s no harm to decant if drinking now. It should flesh out in bottle and continue to drink well for another 2-3 years.

2014 PALACIOS REMONDO ‘LA VENDIMIA’
Producer: Palacios Remondo
Variety: Tempranillo et al
Vintage: 2014
Region: Rioja, Spain
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $33.00
Date tasted: 28 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-ruby in appearance. Open nose of macerated red fruits (strawberry, cherry), aniseed. Lively and vibrant, initially sweet-fruited moving to savoury on the mid-palate. Quite soft and gentle, fine tannins providing texture. Juicy. Good length.
Score: 16.5/20

2015 HAREWOOD ESTATE RIESLING - WALK THE LINE

Westerm Australia’s remote Great Southern region is the home of some of Australia’s finest Riesling, Frankland Estate being its shining star. Unlike Clare and Eden Valley Riesling, the fruit spectrum moves from the citrus grove to the apple and pear orchard. This is certainly the case for the Harewood Estate Riesling 2015.

This is a delicate Riesling, medium in body, bone dry. Initially it’s quite reticent, slowly unfolding in the glass. It grows on one and should develop well in bottle. There’s plenty to like here and, as ever, the price is wallet friendly.

2015 HAREWOOD ESTATE RIESLING
Producer: Harewood Estate
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2015
Region: Great Southern, Western Australia
ABV: 12.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 26 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Pale greenish yellow. Alluring aromatic nose of grapefruit, green apple and pear. Dry, medium bodied, linear acidity provided the structure. Straight out of the apple/pear orchard – definitely not Clare or Eden Valley Riesling. Delicate and restrained, zesty grapefruit acidity drawing out the finish. Grows on one as the bottle slowly empties.
Score: 16/20

2014 SC PANNELL TEMPRANILLO TOURIGA - JUKEBOX IN IBERIA

It would be an understatement to say that Steve Pannell is on a hot streak. Put simply, the man can do no wrong. Winemaker of the year, 2014 Jimmy Watson trophy-winner, the plaudits keep coming. Pannell is deservedly credited with producing wines that are bright, fresh and suited to the contemporary Australian palate.

One such wine is the Iberian-inspired Tempranillo Touriga. Medium in body and savoury in character, this blend is perfectly suited to McLaren Vale’s warm climate and even better suited to the Australian outdoors lifestyle and summer of endless barbecues.

This is a wine that took out the trophy for Best Red Blend at the Royal Victorian Wine Awards, a signpost, if ever, that Australian wine has entered a new era. It is the sort of wine that merits good food and good company, so fire up the barbie and get that marinated leg of lamb on!

2014 SC PANNELL TEMPRANILLO TOURIGA
Producer: SC Pannell
Variety: Tempranillo et al
Vintage: 2014
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $28.00
Date tasted: 24 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-ruby in appearance. Open nose of dark cherry, plum, sarsaparilla, floral notes. Medium bodied, The nose flows through to the palate which is medium in body, fine and supple. Savoury in character; a food style well suited to contemporary Mediterranean cuisine – BBQ butterflied leg of lamb would be a perfect match.
Score: 17/20

2013 CHATEAU GRÉZAN FAUGÈRES ROSÉ - BEAUTIFUL SOUTH

While Languedoc rosé may lack the sexy appeal of Provence, better examples can at least as good as those from its southern French counterpart. This particular wine, from the Faugères appellation, is a class act.

A blend of Cinsault (60%) and Syrah (40%), it delivers attractive aromatics that combine orange zest, apricot pulp and dried herbs allied with typical red fruits. Vibrant and lively, it is a delicious rosé that simply says ‘drink me’. What more can one ask?!

2013 CHATEAU GRÉZAN FAUGÈRES ROSÉ
Producer: Chateau Grézan
Variety: Rosé
Vintage: 2013
Region: Languedoc, France
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Glass Vinolok
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 18 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Pale coral pink. Interesting nose of orange zest, apricot pulp, floral notes. Dry, medium bodied, delicate red fruits, touch of spice, fresh citrus acidity on the finish. Quite a funky rosé – lively, with plenty of personality. A good drink.
Score: 16.5/20

2013 FIEGL ‘VILLA DUGO’ CABERNET FRANC - DIFFERENT CLASS

North-east Italy is best known for its texture, aromatic and spicy white wines, some of which are among the best white wines made anywhere. While reds generally play a secondary role, there are many good examples made from varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Refosco.

We generally don’t associate Friuli with inexpensive, everyday wines. Fiegl is one producer that defies perceptions. Its ‘Villa Dugo’ Cabernet Franc, with a retail price of around $22 per bottle, is a genuine bargain. It possesses perfectly balanced, ripe Cabernet Franc fruit, with no sign of excess or green herbaceousness.

This is a highly elegant, refined and supple wine. It invites one in with attractive aromatics. No more than medium in body, it is restrained. While unmistakably Cabernet Franc, it avoids its herbaceousness tendencies. For those who enjoy understated wines rather than simple, ‘big fruit’, there is a lot to like here.

2013 FIEGL ‘VILLA DUGO’ CABERNET FRANC
Producer: Soc. Agricole Fiegl
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2013
Region: Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $22.00
Date tasted: 16 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet. Attractive nose of blackcurrant, cherry, freshly tilled earth, truffle, pencil shavings, pine resin. Dry, medium bodied, elegant and stylish. Epitome of restraint. Fine, supple and suave with nothing out of place – immaculately balanced. Soft and silky in a Pinot Noir way, but definitely Cabernet Franc. Drink now. Genuine bargain.
Score: 17.5/20

2013 PALACIOS REMONDO LA VENDIMIA RIOJA - SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

Alvaro Palacios is one of the big names of Spanish wine. His Priorat flagship, l’Ermita is one of Spain’s most expensive and lauded wines. Palacios Remondo is his family estate in Rioja. Stylistically, the wines of Palacios Remondo straddle the line of modern and traditional.

La Vendimia is the estate’s entry level wine, a Rioja Joven that sees a mere kiss of oak. Sweet juicy fruit is the emphasis here, and the wine delivers that in spades. Confit cherry and plum are to the fore, with spice lending complexity on the finish. While it may be relatively uncomplicated, this is a wine that scores very high on the drinkability scale. With its upfront fruit, it is very well suited to lightly spiced cuisine such as Moroccan tagines. Delicious!

2013 PALACIOS REMONDO LA VENDIMIA RIOJA
Producer: Palacios Remondo
Variety: Tempranillo, Grenache
Vintage: 2013
Region: Rioja, Spain
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 17 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright cherry red. Attractive nose of berry fruit, touch of vanilla. Sweet fruited, ripe and juicy. Lots to like here – assortment of summer berry fruits. Modern in style, but self assured and rather delicious. The bottle disappeared all too quickly!
Score: 16.5/20

2014 PAULETT POLISH HILL RIVER RIESLING - LEMON

Paulett is a respected Clare Valley producer. When it comes to Riesling, Paulett is one of the few to release a Riesling when semi-mature, an excellent initiative that gives those without a cellar, or the patience to age their wines, the opportunity to see Clare Valley Riesling in its full glory.

The 2014 vintage rendition of the standard Paulett Polish Hill River Riesling is unmistakeably Clare Riesling. Lemon, lime and talc are writ large over this wine. Flavours are moderate in intensity and the acidity is relatively soft, suggesting that it will be a relatively early maturing wine. While there is little complain about, the wine lacks a touch in terms of excitement and wow factor.

2014 PAULETT POLISH HILL RIVER RIESLING
Producer: Paulett Wines
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2014
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $22.00
Date tasted: 15 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Greenish yellow in appearance. Typical Clare Valley Riesling nose of lemon, lime and talc. Dry, medium bodied, moderate concentration. Quite soft acids. Gentle and easy, but lacks wow factor. Likely to be a medium term proposition. Solid.
Score: 15/20

2014 CHATEAU LA GORDONNE COTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ - WHOLE LOTTA ROSÉ

When it comes to rosé, Provence, for many, sets the benchmark. Over 50% of the wine made in Provence is rosé and many drinkers favour Provence rosé over other examples of the style. In recent years, there has been an explosion in the volume of Cotes de Provence rosés imported into Australia, not all of which are particularly compelling examples of the style.

Chateau La Gordonne does pretty much everything one could want of a Provence rosé at $25 per bottle. Pale salmon pink in appearance, it delivers fragrant red-fruited aromatics typical of the genre. On the palate, it is medium in body, with good weight and vibrant acidity which carries the finish.

2014 CHATEAU LA GORDONNE COTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ
Producer: Chateau la Gordonne
Variety: Rosé
Vintage: 2014
Region: Provence, France
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 10 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Pale salmon pink. Typical Provence rosé nose of strawberry and aniseed, floral notes. Medium bodied, dry and savoury. Delicate interplay of light red fruits. Good concentration and palate weight. Better than the 2013 of the same wine.
Score: 16/20