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

2007 PAULETT AGED RELEASE RIESLING - WHAT'S MY AGE AGAIN?

The adoption of the screw cap as the closure of choice almost singlehandedly secured the cellarworthiness of premium Australian Rieslings. Anyone who has tasted John Vickery’s Leo Buring Rieslings from the 1970’s knows just how good aged Australian Riesling can be. However, sealed under cork (often of variable quality) the strike rate of prematurely oxidised examples was unacceptably high. Screw cap closures have addressed the issue of cork taint and oxidation in one.

With this in mind, it is perhaps odd that only a handful of producers, Pewsey Vale, Crawford River and Paulett, that hold back the release of one of their Rieslings, only offering them to market when aged complexity emerges.

Paulett’s 2007 Aged Release Riesling illustrates in full the benefits of bottle age. The wine shows excellent mid-palate texture and more than a modicum of complexity. Although it still has a good amount of time up its sleeve, there is a lot to enjoy now. Bravo Neil Paulett!

2007 PAULETT AGED RELEASE RIESLING
Producer: Paulett
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2007
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 13 September 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright yellow with greenish gold glints. Lifted aromatic nose – stereotypical Clare Valley Riesling – lemon/lime, kaffir lime leaf, honeyed notes. Dry, medium bodied, fleshing out on the palate. Flavour profile is much the same as the bouquet, but with excellent intensity and drive. A fine line of acidity provides balance. At a good point now, but should develop further for several years.
Score: 17/20

2013 QUINTA MILÚ ‘MILÚ’ - BANG ON THE MONEY

The past few decades have witnessed a dramatic modernisation of the Spanish wine industry. By and large, this change has been positive, revitalising many DO’s and elevating the quality of Spanish table wines. That said, some of Spain’s greatest and most distinctive wines are its most traditional, ‘old school’ Riojas that have undergone extended barrel and bottle ageing.

Ribera del Duero, to the south of Rioja, is the source of some of Spain’s most ambitious and famous wines, among them Vega Sicilia, arguable Spain’s greatest red wine. There are many would be pretenders to the throne, wines that are picked at the precipice and indulged with the Rolls Royce treatment when it comes to winemaking and oak maturation. Not all examples are successful.

This particular example is a relatively modest wine with no great claims to greatness. Aged for 6 months in a combination of French and American oak, it is a fruit forward expression example of Ribera del Duero intended for early drinking. It succeeds in most areas, delivering impressive balance and textbook varietal character and an undeniable sense of place.

2013 QUINTA MILÚ ‘MILÚ’
Producer: Quinta Milú
Variety: Tempranillo et al
Vintage: 2013
Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 9 September 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright cherry road. Lively, prototypical Tempranillo nose of morello cherry, plum and cola. Floral notes. Medium bodied, suave and silky. Flavour profile much the same as the nose. Well controlled and everything is in place with excellent balance. Relatively simple, but a textbook example of the style. Good length and satisfying depth.
Score: 16/20

2008 ROCKFORD LOCAL GROWER'S SEMILLON - STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

Barossa Valley bastion Rockford is best known for its hearty red wines. In this imbiber’s opinion, Local Grower’s Semillon is the best of its whites. It is a typical Barossa Valley Semillon, rounder and more open than a Hunter Semillon at a similar age, with suggestions of pear, melon and stonefruit.

Six years from vintage, the 2008 Rockford Local Grower’s Semillon is mid-point in its development. The wine has fleshed out and there’s good weight on the palate, but there is upside potential here. One would allow roughly 3-4 years before the wine reaches full toasty maturity.

2008 ROCKFORD LOCAL GROWER’S SEMILLON
Producer: Rockford

Variety: Semillon
Vintage: 2008
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 5 September 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright lemon yellow. Attractive nose of pear, melon and white peach, reflected on the palate which is medium bodied and compact. Suggestions of white flowers and honey add allure and complexity. Acidity is fine and well integrated. Sitting at mid-development with potential to improve further over 3-4 years.
Score: 16/20

2013 VINTELOPER VUWP RED #1 - YOU BELONG TO THE CITY

Vinteloper is a one-man show drawing on fruit from the Adelaide Hills and selected vineyards in other South Australian regions. VUWP, short for Vinteloper Urban Wine Project, is a rather unique project in as much as the wine was vinified in the heart of Adelaide’s commercial office precinct on Grenfell Street.

VUWP is anything but a one-man wine, as members of the public were invited to participate in the winemaking process from foot-treading whole grapes, pressing and transferring the wine to oak for maturation.

As to the wine, it is a ‘one-off’, a blend of Aglianico, Shiraz, Barbera, Shiraz, Graciano and Pinot Noir. Aromatically, the wine very much speaks of the blend, rather than its component parts. Red fruits lead the bouquet together with distinctive stemmy and smoky notes. The palate slightly belies the nose, being quite round and fleshy. All in all it’s a pleasantly rustic drop, not particularly complex but nonetheless enjoyable. It’s the sort of engaging wine we could do with seeing a bit more Down Under.

2013 VUWP RED #1
Producer: Vinteloper
Variety: Italian red blend
Vintage: 2013
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 7 September 2014

Tasting Note:
Mid-ruby. Interesting nose of cranberry, cherry, rhubarb and sour cherry. Stems and woodsmoke. Slightly sappy. Dry, medium bodied, soft and round, brambly red fruits leading to a sour cherry finish. Acidity is initially very prominent, but is enveloped by the structure of the wine as it opens up. Pleasantly rustic.
Score: 15/20

2005 LA RIOJA ALTA VIŇA ARANA RESERVA - STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Founded in 1890, La Rioja Alta is one of the Rioja region’s most traditional producers. It is one of a dwindling number of bodegas that matures its wines for an extended period in American oak bottles and in bottle prior to their release.

Viňa Arana is one of several wines in the La Rioja range, all of which are red. Primarily Tempranillo with a touch of Mazuelo (aka Carignan), it spends three years in American oak and a further two to three in bottle prior to release.

While some may be baulk at the use of American oak with Australian Shiraz and Cabernet, there is little doubt that it can work very well (when judiciously used) with Tempranillo, particularly Rioja. The 2005 incarnation of Viňa Arana delivers and immediately complex nose of spicy vanilla oak intermingled with plum and strawberry. The palate doesn’t disappoint, silky and suave, a model of creamy oak and bright plummy fruit.

This is the sort of wine that one won’t find anywhere else in the wine world. At around or just under $50 per bottle here in Australia, it remains a dead set bargain, particularly given that the current offering in this market is approaching a decade from vintage.

2005 LA RIOJA ALTA VIŇA ARANA
Producer: La Rioja Alta
Variety: Tempranillo et al
Vintage: 2005
Region: Rioja, Spain
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $50.00
Date tasted: 9 August 2014

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby. Alluring and complex nose of sweet vanilla pod, coconut, strawberry, plum, cinnamon and nutmeg. Medium bodied, sauve and silky. Plum flows through to the palate together with vanillin oak and spice. Real flavour and intensity. Tannins make themselves known on the finish, suggesting a bright future ahead.
Score: 17.5+/20

2010 DALWHINNIE 'SOUTH WEST ROCKS' SHIRAZ + 'PINNACLE' SHIRAZ - KING PAIR

Dalwhinnie is the best producer in Victoria’s Pyrenees region, making a stylish Chardonnay, textbook Cabernet Sauvignon and some of Australia’s best Shiraz. Over the past three decades, Dalwhinnie has developed a house style that emphasises elegance and purity above all. Dalwhinnie Shiraz is at one elegant, polished and very fine, the epitome of premium Victorian Shiraz.

South West Rocks Shiraz and Pinnacle Shiraz are two relatively recent additions to the Dalwhinnie line-up. In contrast to the flagship Moonambel Shiraz, both are treated more like Pinot Noir from a winemaking perspective. The wines draw on separate estate-owned sites near the highest point in the Pyrenees.

It is an interesting exercise to look at the two side by side. South West Rocks is without a doubt the more feminine and delicate of the two; a degree lighter in alcohol and the bouquet is all about exotic florals and red fruits. This is a Shiraz for those seeking finesse.

Pinnacle Shiraz is altogether more brooding, powerful and dare I say, masculine, than South West Rocks. Slightly deeper in colour, it boasts a robust nose of asphalt and tar underlined by ground black pepper. There’s a nod toward the northern Rhône here, but it’s definitely more Hermitage than Côte Rotie.

2010 DALWHINNIE ‘SOUTH WEST ROCKS’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Dalwhinnie
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2010
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $90.00
Date tasted: 2 August 2014

Tasting Note:
Deep plum red. Attractive perfumed bouquet of dark cherry, plum, damson, liquorice, star anise, violet and lavender. Touch of mint. Medium bodied, sweet fruited and elegant. Supple and stylish – a very feminine style of Shiraz. Holds up well over a couple of days, which promises a good future ahead.
Score: 17.5/20

2010 DALWHINNIE ‘PINNACLE’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Dalwhinnie
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2010
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $90.00
Date tasted: 2 August 2014

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Bold masculine nose of asphalt, tar, blood plum, game and cola. Dry, full bodied, savoury dark berry-driven palate (plum, boysenberry), charcoal, lead pencil. Fine gravelly tannins carry the finish. Very upright and correct.
Score: 17+/20

2010 NGERINGA CHARDONNAY - I WANNA BE RICH

Ngeringa is a relatively young producer based near the summit of Mount Barker (not to be confused with Mount Barker in Western Australia’s Great Southern region) in the Adelaide Hills. What is now a vineyard was formerly used for growing herbs and flowers for premium cosmetics brand Jurlique.

Ngeringa is 100% biodynamic and boasts an eclectic range that includes usual suspects such as Chardonnay and Syrah, as well as a Nebbiolo and Vin Santo-styled sweet wine. The 2010 Chardonnay from Ngeringa holds up very well, especially for those who don’t mind a touch of ‘Old School’ richness and roundness in their Chardonnays.

Full bodied, and will noticeable but well integrated nutty oak, the wine is in the slot for current drinking. There are better Chardonnays out there, but this is a very satisfying drinking, especially when one is in the mood for something a touch richer and fuller.

2010 NGERINGA CHARDONNAY
Producer: Ngeringa
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Alcohol: 14.0% ABV
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 2 August 2014

Tasting Note:
Bright golden yellow. Open nose of nutty oak, peach/nectarine stonefruit. At the fuller side of medium bodied. Quite full and round – rich Chardonnay that has an almost ‘Old School’ feel about it. Stonefruit and grilled nuts (cashew, hazelnut). A nice match for fish pie. In the slot for current drinking and unlikely to improve further.
Score: 16/20