2012 CALABRIA PINOT BIANCO - SOLID AS A ROCK

Calabria Family Wines is the new name for family-owned Riverina producer Westend Estate. While it boasts an expansive portfolio of varietal wines, the most exciting work being done at Calabria is with alternative varietals. The Penguin is particularly impressed by the Calabria Aglianico, the 2010 of which was reviewed on these pages some time back.

While the Pinot Bianco doesn’t quite reach the lofty standards of the Aglianico, it is nevertheless an extremely satisfying wine given its modest price tag (a mere $15). Clean and fresh, with distinctive green apple and honeydew melon characters, it is the ideal wine for those who enjoy a lightly oaked Chardonnay. Medium in body, fresh and bright, with good varietal character and fruit intensity, there is little complain about here.

2012 CALABRIA PINOT BIANCO
Producer: Calabria Family Wines (formerly Westend Estate)
Variety: Pinot Blanc
Vintage: 2012
Region: Riverina, New South Wales
ABV: 14%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $15.00
Date tasted: 24 April 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright greenish yellow. Clean and fresh nose of green apple, pear and honeydew melon. Fruit forward and fairly straightforward. Medium in body, slightly creamy in texture, fruit profile on the palate is much the same as the nose. Simple and direct, but very clean and well made.
Score: 15/20

2006 SPINIFEX ESPRIT - SPIRIT IN THE SKY

Spinifex is deservedly lauded for its southern French-inspired blends. Esprit, a four-way blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Shiraz and Cinsault, is a typical Barossa meets southern Rhône style. It bursts with rich and lush fruit, spice lending complexity on the finish.

All in all, the wine delivers what one expects, with reasonable complexity. While there is a good amount to like now, past experience suggests Barossan red blends such as these can be aged well beyond critics suggested drinking windows, developing considerable aromatic complexity in that time.

There’s plenty to like with this wine in a rich and fleshy, juicy fruit kind of way. Indeed, it’s a superior crowd pleaser. For this particular imbiber, it lacks for a certain je ne sais quoi, an extra layer of complexity that would elevate it from the every day to ethereal.  For those seeking secondary complexity, perhaps time is all that is needed.  Little seems to have changed with the 2006 Spinifex Esprit since it was lasted tasted almost two years ago.

2006 ESPRIT
Producer: Spinifex
Variety: Grenache et al (Mourvèdre 34%, Grenache 31%, Shiraz 30%, Cinsault 5%)
Vintage: 2006
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 26 April 2014

Tasting Note:
Saturated plum red in appearance. Rich nose of blood plums, mulberry, violet, liquorice and exotic spaces. Full bodied, lush and velvet in the mouth. Nice balance of sweet and sour, spice adding complexity on the finish. Does what it says on the label and drinking well now, but has the stuffing for age and potentially develop secondary complexity for 4-5 years.
Score: 16/20

2003 CLONAKILLA SHIRAZ VIOGNIER - SOME LIKE IT HOT....

Clonakilla is one of Australia’s most feted cool climate producers, feted for its Côte Rotie styled Shiraz Viognier. 2003 was a drought year in Murrumbateman and it reflects in the Shiraz Viognier from that vintage. At this point of its development, the wine isn’t revealing a great deal. The bouquet is rather subdued, and lacking the lifted aromatics one tends to associate with the style. Similarly, the palate is rather four-square and direct, belying the this label’s fine pedigree.

Tasting through a bottle of 2003 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, one wonders if it is more 2003 than Clonakilla. Extended airing brings out a touch of complexity, but it also exaggerates tannins on the finish. It may well be the case that this particular bottle was enjoyed at less than ideal point in the wine’s evolution, and further bottle age is all that is needed. One’s main concern is that the tannins on the finish (perhaps the mark of a drought year) fail to resolve.

2003 CLONAKILLA SHIRAZ VIOGNIER
Producer: Clonakilla
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2002
Region: Canberra District, New South Wales
ABV: 14%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 3 May 2014

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson in appearance. Slightly subdued bouquet initially, but opens up to reveal red berry compote, liquorice and just a touch of black pepper. Soft and plush up-front, raspberry and dark berry fruit, camphor and charcoal. Tannins become more prominent on the finish with extended airing. Relatively straightforward at present, and lacks the finesse one associates with this label. May improve with further ageing.
Score: 15.5?/20

2002 LEO BURING EDEN VALLEY RIESLING - FRESH AS A DAISY

At the turn of the millennium, many Australian Riesling producers moved from sealing their wines under cork to screw cap. Anyone who has cellared Australian Riesling (and for that matter Semillon, Chardonnay, Marsanne et al) from the 1990’s for more than 5 or so years would know of the frustration of uneven maturation under cork; some bottles flat and oxidised before their time is due, others pristine and fresh.

2002 was one of the first truly excellent Riesling vintages that followed the wide uptake of screw cap. On evidence of this bottle, the change was well and truly vindicated. On the flipside, lovers of Riesling, specifically mature Riesling, will need to be more patient than ever.

This particular bottle, reviewed previously on these pages (2002 Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling) is clean as a whistle, mid-development and with many years on the clock. It is open aromatically and has fleshed out on the palate, but there are no signs of it nearing full maturity. Purchased at just under $15 per bottle on release, it is a dead set bargain and a vindication of the use of screw cap closures for aromatic whites such as Riesling.

2002 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Leo Buring
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2002
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 3 March 2013

Tasting Note:
Bright lemon yellow with golden glints. Open aromatic nose of kaffir lime leaf, lime/lemon zest, bath salts. Dry, medium bodied, has really filled out on the palate, but there’s a lovely undertow of fine acidity. Right in the slot, but far from fully mature. Excellent length. Should have another decade up its sleeve.
Score: 17/20

2013 BANNOCKBURN SAUVIGNON BLANC - BREAKING THE LAW

When it comes to Sauvignon Blanc, many follow the well worn commercial path. Geelong’s Bannockburn does anything but follow the flock. In truth, it is Sauvignon Blanc in name only. It is a blend, predominantly of Sauvignon Blanc, together with Riesling and/or Chardonnay. In the warm 2013 vintage, winemaker Michael Glover opted not to use any Chardonnay, just a touch of Riesling to lend aromatic lift and acidity.

What makes this wine so very different from the ocean of Antipodean Sauvignon Blanc is not only its rather unconventional blending partners, but also the fact that it is barrel fermented in a combination of new and seasoned French oak and Italian acacia. The influence of wood on the final wine is profound, lending texture, spice and oxygenation.

Bannockburn’s 2013 Sauvignon Blanc is a bold and full flavoured wine that pulls no punches. It shows quite a bit of sulphur on the nose at present, and a generous decant is recommended. By Australian standards, it’s not a conventional wine, indeed, it pushes the envelope. However, we shouldn’t be surprised as the reference point for this wine is not Marlborough nor the Loire Valley, but Friuli in Italy’s north-east, the source of some of the planets most innovative and complex white wines.

This is a wine that will have its supporters and detractors in equal number. For that we should be glad, as the very least wine should do is provoke a reaction, positive or negative. This particular imbiber looks forward to the day when Bannockburn no longer have to label the wine Sauvignon Blanc, enabling them to blend the wine as they like, regardless of the 15% rule.

2013 SAUVIGNON BLANC
Producer: Bannockburn
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc (94%), Riesling (6%)
Vintage: 2013
Region: Geelong, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $32.00
Date tasted: 10 March 2013

Tasting Note:
Double decanted before serving. Bright golden yellow. Initially slightly reductive, but blows off with air. Bold nose of grilled nuts, nutmeg, clove, grapefruit, pear and yellow plum, freshly chopped green herbs. Dry, full bodied, rich and plush. Plenty of flavour – not a ‘wimps’ wine. Lots on show here, though not one for those seeking subtlety!
Score: 17/20

2009 ASHTON HILLS CHARDONNAY - SAY GOODBYE!

Australian Chardonnay has come a long way in past 10-15 years. From the days of so-called Dolly Parton wines to steely and flinty cool climate Chardonnay, contemporary Australian Chardonnay is barely recognisable from the often overworked caricatures of the 1990’s.

While some producers have taken things too far, mistaking leanness for steeliness, the quantum change in style has by and large been extremely positive. It is fair to say that, dollar for dollar, Australia produces the best premium Chardonnay in the world. Yes, the very best white Burgundy remains the benchmark, but it is expensive and has a poor track record of premature oxidation.

Adelaide Hills stalwart Ashton Hills has for many years been the source of Chardonnay of genuine class and distinction. The 2009 release (which this imbiber understands was the penultimate Ashton Hills Chardonnay, the vines having been grafted over to Pinot Noir) is up to the very high standards of this tiny estate.

By contemporary standards, it is a generous Chardonnay, displaying the traits of high quality Chardonnay – ripe, pristine fruit, high class oak and sensitive winemaking. It is an extremely well balanced wine and certainly doesn’t lack for complexity. Previous vintages suggest that it should develop gracefully in bottle for at least a decade.

2009 CHARDONNAY
Producer: Ashton Hills
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $45.00
Date tasted: 2 March 2013

Tasting Note:
Bright silvery lemon with golden glints. Open and inviting nose of honeydew melon, pear and cashew, nutty oak, nutmeg and clove. Complex and attractive. Dry, medium bodied, outstanding depth and volume, intense and powerful. Long finish with all elements in balance. Who needs white Burgundy?!
Score: 18/20

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