The Moneyspider 2004 d'Arenberg Roussanne

At lunch we were having a roasted casperti squash with a stuffing of quinoa, chilli, ginger, garlic and spring onion and then it had a tahini and orange mix on the side, and we wanted to try this Roussanne wine from down under and this was our opportunity. It was quite old for a white wine but this still had lots of tropical fruit, a mouth coating texture and a whiff of petrol...... which was a surprise, it had a hint of tropical Oz Riesling!  It had quite a punch of alcohol but it was matched by the juicy fruit. The texture was nearly oily, reminds me of Roussanne from the south of France. And I think it's colour gave its age away along with the petrol aroma.  The length is great and there is a bitterness on the finish reminiscent of Seville Orange.
Score : 86

Deen De Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz Australia

Joined a local wine club last night for a tasting - had a great time, one of the guys, David, had put together a selection of wines to blind taste - and they were all different varietals, this was the first we tasted.
It was a youngish red wine at first glance, ruby with a wide rim, on the nose it was black and red fruits with a bit of a twist, herbal notes, a little stalkiness and some vegetal mushroom, this points towards a wine with a little age. On the palate, again the fruit and herbal notes, the tannins were soft and slightly chalky, good acidity and the alcohol tasted quite high - so I would have guessed somewhere warm.
It turned out to be a Shiraz from South East Australia by Deen De Bortoli Vat 8 I id not guess it correctly, and it guessed southern Italian as it had the stalky nuttiness......
It cost £7.04 from Underwoods in Warwick and I scored it 83

Stanton and Killeen Rutherglen Topaque NV Rutherglen Australia

Stanton and Killeen Rutherglen Topaque NV Rutherglen Australia is a sweet fortified wine made from 100% Muscadelle grapes from Rutherglen in Victoria, Australia.
It is rich, luscious and sticky - yummy!Ooh and it is not sickly..... no fear there.

It is a deep, rich golde garnet and green tints, has aromas of baked nectarine, tangerine all fresh but with a marmalade edge and all mixed up with dried fruit and honey. Tasting it again the citric tangerine comes through, toffee and biscuit also show themselves, the acidity is fresh and the alcohol high - but fits with the style of the wine and feels balanced. A long length and finishing with honeyed oranges - a delight!
I would probably have this with a baked fruit pudding or a fruit tart - or just on its own after a long hard day, cool from the fridge, the perfect unwinder!
You can buy this from Corking Wines at a cost of £11.90.
Score : 90

De Bortoli Black Noble NV Riverina Australia

De Bortoli Black Noble is a Non-vintage wine from Riverina in New South Wales in Australia, it is a lovely deep brown colour that is reminiscent of syrup of figs ( nicely), it has aromas of honey, prunes and some tea and spice mixed in - and I can't wait to try it. On the palate it is rich, silky, lusciously sweet, prunes and figs, espresso coffee, toffee and marmalde all come to mind, layered and complex, but kept fresh by the acidity which balances those sweet notes. The finish is very long and tangy and dry at the end. This wine has made from the Semillon grape which has seen Botrytis Cinera and fermentation has been stopped early by fortifying it, the Solera sytem of maturation is used, 8 years being the average time. 30% new oak is used in the maturation the rest going into barrels previously used for Noble One's maturation. This wine is redolent of Madeira and would suit similar foods, some puddings, but paired with cheese it could be a marriage made in heaven. Yummy - the main word that comes to mind!

It is available at £15.95 from Four Walls Wine Company for a half bottle, but it is rich, luscious, unctious...... lovely to come home to in the fridge after a hard day.
Score : 93

Botrytis Cinerea is a fungus that can infect grapes in the correct conditions, good rot is called Noble rot - the desired one ( the bad one - grey rot results in wiping out the harvest), there are areas in the world that this can happen naturally and one of these is the area around Sauternes and Barsac in Bordeaux left bank.The aszu wines of Tokaji wines are also produced having been affected by Botrytis Cinerea. It needs a temperate climate and ideally early morning mists ( off cool water) and sun later in the day so the grapes are kept dry in those autumn afternoons. Not all grapes will be affected, and some may take longer to mature which is why several pickings - called Tries- are needed to get all the grapes at thier ideal condition.
The fungus affects the skins and feeds off sugars in the grape itself, but also uses about 50% of its water contained in the grape, so overall the grapes sugar concentration increases! Additionally acids are also consumed ( 5/6ths of the Tartaric acid in the grape is consumed). By products that are produced include glycerine ( the chemical which makes the wine feel viscous), acetic acidand a selection of enzymes. Phenolics of from the skins are also consumed so reducing the tannic structure.
Due to the reduction in water content of the grape the juice produced from Noble Rot infected grapes is low - often in the range of 15 hl/ha.

De Bortoli - how they started.
De Bortoli Wines is a third generation family wine company established by Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli in 1928. The couple emigrated to Australia from Northern Italy, from mountain villages at the foothills of the Italian Alps, near the historic town of Asolo.

Their son, Deen De Bortoli, (b 1936 – d 2003) expanded and consolidated the business created by his parents. Deen's children continue De Bortoli's winemaking including icon dessert wine Noble One and the Yarra Valley wines.

McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon 2005 Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia

McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005 comes from the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia and has been cellar aged before release.
A lemon coloured wine with rounded citric aromas including tangerine and lime, there is also a touch of apricot and spiceiness. On the palate there is a slight prickle on the tongue but the overpowering initial feeling is of freshness, green apple, grapefruit pith and a slight hint of greenness from a pea shoot nuance, this is a fresh, zesty wine which despite 7 years age - is youthful, clean and ready to age for some time to come.
Overall the wine is fresh, clean and full of fruit as it opens in the mouth but also has an extra complexity, the texture alone is waxy and delicious, at 7 years old - it tastes youthful and has much time and pleasure to give! Enjoy - available from Sainsburys under their 'Taste the Difference' own label range at an amazingly low cost of £9.99 and also from Majestic at £9.99 if you buy 2.

How the wine was made :-All grapes for this wine were handpicked. They were de-stemmed at the winery, crushed, the must chilled and the juice drained. After 48 hours to allow settling, the clear juice was racked off and warmed to allow fermention - which was slow and cool to help retain the exceptional fruit flavour of this vintage.
The Wine maker is Phil Ryan - we thankyou Phil!

The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest producing wine region, with vines first planted in the 1820’s and is approximately two hours drive north of Sydney and to the northwest of Newcastle. It is based on the catchment of the Hunter Valley River & includes the Upper & Lower Hunter areas.

The Hunter Valley is warm / hot. However, temperature, within broad limits, has nothing to do with quality, but affects only the style. In addition to hot days, the Hunter Valley has relatively warm nights when the physiological processes that ripen fruit can continue. The days are also quite humid, reducing moisture stress and allowing the leaves to keep their pores open longer during hot weather. This allows photosynthesis and growth to continue when, in drier air, it would not. The Lower Hunter Valley around Pokolbin is a little wetter than Broke Fordwich and the Upper Hunter Valley but is closer to the coast and benefits more from cooling sea breezes.

Soils : There are three main soil types in the Hunter Valley. The first is the red clay loam that appears on the hilltops and slopes. Red soils are well-drained and provide a good medium for vines; these are where the best Shiraz is grown. On some slopes you’ll also find chocolate brown podsols which are also good for red wines. You’ll find the third major soil type on the flats along the creek beds where grey sandy loams overlie white or yellow clays. Casuarinas are a good indicator for these soils and this is where whites grow best - mostly Semillon and Chardonnay.  In the Upper Hunter Valley, these soils tend to be a little deeper and grade into black loams. 

Hunter Valley Semillon: Is considered to be a world benchmark wine, it is the stellar white variety in the region. Semillon is at its delicate best when picked early to make a wine of ten to 11.5% alcohol and almost invariably has ripe flavours at low sugar concentrations. This is the style of wine that best responds to bottle age, during which it develops outstanding lemon curd and toasty complexity and becomes barely recognisable from its demure beginning. Most companies release their Semillons when only a few months old when they are crisp and lively with a light body and fresh, lemony and grassy fruit. A few keep some wines for bottle-maturation and release after five years or more when they have deepened in colour, become rounder and softer in the mouth and developed the most brilliantly complex flavours of vanilla and buttered toast.

Brokenwood Semillon 2011 Hunter Valley Australia

Brokenwood Semillon 2011 is from the cool Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. It is a straw coloured with green tints - zesty, some would say pungent wine with grassy, lemon crisp aromas and a florality that I had not expected but did like.
On the palate there is an initial slight spritz which teases the tongue, not unpleasant but disguises the forthcoming pleasure. The grassy, zesty lemon and citric peel continue on the palate with a clean freshing, nervy acidity, it is clear cut and fruity, the finish is long with a lemon curd twist. The silky, waxy texture which develops in the mouth further increases the pleasure of this wine - a well structured, finely tuned wine with generous acidic backbone, satisfying finish and the fine boned etheral texture keeps it charming for longer ( on palate and memory). Great with food, but equally yummy without!
Score : 85 and available form Slurp at a cost of £12.50.

The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest producing wine region, with vines first planted in the 1820’s and is approximately two hours drive north of Sydney and to the northwest of Newcastle. It is based on the catchment of the Hunter Valley River & includes the Upper & Lower Hunter areas.

The Hunter Valley is warm / hot. However, temperature, within broad limits, has nothing to do with quality, but affects only the style. In addition to hot days, the Hunter Valley has relatively warm nights when the physiological processes that ripen fruit can continue. The days are also quite humid, reducing moisture stress and allowing the leaves to keep their pores open longer during hot weather. This allows photosynthesis and growth to continue when, in drier air, it would not. The Lower Hunter Valley around Pokolbin is a little wetter than Broke Fordwich and the Upper Hunter Valley but is closer to the coast and benefits more from cooling sea breezes.

Soils : There are three main soil types in the Hunter Valley. The first is the red clay loam that appears on the hilltops and slopes. Red soils are well-drained and provide a good medium for vines; these are where the best Shiraz is grown. On some slopes you’ll also find chocolate brown podsols which are also good for red wines. You’ll find the third major soil type on the flats along the creek beds where grey sandy loams overlie white or yellow clays. Casuarinas are a good indicator for these soils and this is where whites grow best - mostly Semillon and Chardonnay.  In the Upper Hunter Valley, these soils tend to be a little deeper and grade into black loams. 

From A+ Australia about Hunter Valley Semillon: Is considered to be a world benchmark wine, it is the stellar white variety in the region. Semillon is at its delicate best when picked early to make a wine of ten to 11.5% alcohol and almost invariably has ripe flavours at low sugar concentrations. This is the style of wine that best responds to bottle age, during which it develops outstanding lemon curd and toasty complexity and becomes barely recognisable from its demure beginning. Most companies release their Semillons when only a few months old when they are crisp and lively with a light body and fresh, lemony and grassy fruit. A few keep some wines for bottle-maturation and release after five years or more when they have deepened in colour, become rounder and softer in the mouth and developed the most brilliantly complex flavours of vanilla and buttered toast.

mac forbes Chardonnay 2011 Yarra Valley Australia

mac forbes Chardonnay 2011 from the Yarra Valley in Victoria,  Australia is a cool vintage wine from a cool region, the restrained aromas of apples and zesty fruits with a hint of cheese is redeemed by the zesty acidity and citric appley flavours on the palate, the alcohol (11.8%) merely supports the structure which is streamlined and elegant, it has a minerality that could be described as wet stones.....  and has clarity - a style that has been aimed at and acheived! The finish is long and sharp fruits are present, slightly acidic - but for food - great.
'Chablis'esk' in style.
Score : 84 and is available from Slurp at a cost of £20.55.

Mac's 2011 Yarra Chardonnay is a blend of the declassified barrels, mainly from the Hoddles Creek and Woori Yallock sites in the cooler upper Yarra Valley. These sites are renowned for producing grapes with citrus flavours and high natural acidity at moderate sugar levels. The grapes for this wine were de-stemmed and crushed before pressing. The juice was cold settled overnight before being racked to barrel for fermentation. Post fermentation the lees were stirred every two weeks until spring. The final new oak component of the wine is roughly 14%. Mac has a Europhile approach to wine making: early harvesting, natural acidity, his search for cool sites, and a relative absence of new oak.

The Yarra Valley was Victoria's first wine growing district with a history stretching back 170 years. It is known as the birthplace of Victoria's wine industry. Vines were first planted in 1838 and viticulture spread rapidly through the 1860s and 1870s And is now recognised as one of Australia's foremost cool climate regions, capable of making classic styles from a wide range of varieties. It is located less than one hour's drive east of Melbourne and is currently home to more than 80 wineries and although grows many grapes successfully it is well known for its high quality for production of premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Yarra Valley is one of Australia's coolest regions, with elevation varying from 50 metres to 400 metres. Rainfall is winter/spring dominant, with the summer relatively cool, dry and humid and there is limited maritime influence a small diurnal temperature range reflects the proximity of the sea. Frost is rarely a problem, but can affect the lower vineyards on the valley floor from time to time. A rainfall of 750-950 millimetres and restricted water holding capacity in some soils, irrigation is considered essential − although the extent of its use does vary significantly between producers. Another  point worth noting is that the Yarra Valley is Phyloxera free.

mac forbes - what people say!

“Mac Forbes is one of the young guns of the Yarra Valley; he was winemaker at Mount Mary for several years before heading to Europe, returning in time for the ’05 vintage.” James Halliday, The Australian

“[Mac Forbes] is a young leader of the movement toward bright, fresh Yarra wines from cool sites.” ‘2010 Wineries to Watch’, Wine & Spirits Magazine

“Mac Forbes, good dude and modern day Bourke and Wills for the ‘elusive sites’, has done much for sexing up the Yarra Valley region’s ability to do great things with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He fiddles, he fossicks, he sources, he has nice hair. Who doesn’t like nice hair? Meanwhile, the wine itself is notable for finding that tenuous balance between herbal/cool climate influence and the pure, ripe, expressive fruit component.” Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, March 2011

Paringa Estate Chardonnay 2008 Mornington Peninsula Australia

Paringa Estate Chardonnay 2008 from the cool region of Red Hill in Mornington Peninsula  in Victoria, Australia is a wine with character. It has punchy aromas of tropical fruits and spice, it comes from the warmer 2008 vintage and the tropical elements may be attributed to this.
There is a silky texture on the palate which has apple, melon with a hint of pithy grapefruit especially on the finish, the vanilla and spice intermingle comfortably and there is a developed character which adds butterscotch and honey to the fray - though the wine is dry. The acidity is freshening and the alcohol feels bang on. This beautifully textured wine has a long length with spicey peaches at the end, warm and rich.
The wine making included - 100% destemmed and cold soaked for 1-2 days. Each fermenter was hand plunged 3 times per day. Several days of post-ferment maceration then pressed to tank (1 day) and barrel for malolactic. 50% was aged in new French oak barriques and 50% in 1st and 2nd use barrels for 10 months.
Score : 84 and it is available from Swig at £36.

The Mornington Peninsula wine region lies to the South East of Melbourne and is bounded by Port Phillip and Westernport Bays and so has a true maritime climate which modifies the temperature range and provides relatively high summer humidity hence vine stress is low, sunshine hours are abundant, and rainfall is plentiful during winter and spring, a great growing enviroment.

It also leads to late ripening, a prolonged gentle autumn leads to fully ripe grapes with outstanding fruit flavours, high natural acidity and fine tannins. This is perfect for Chardonnay, but over the last century many have tried to grow grapes here without little success as matching the variety to climate is never more important than here. Here the average vine age is 15 - 20 years. The soil on all 3 vineyards is deep red volcanic clay that allows dry land growing (no irrigation).

About the Paringa Estate

The Paringa Estate was founded in 1984 by Lindsay McCall when he purchased a derelict orchard in 1984 on Paringa Road, Red Hill South. Lindsay continued his day job of teaching while he set about planting the first vines in 1985 - the first vintage was in 1988 and was just a mere 3 tonnes  In 1996, Lindsay gave up teaching to focus entirely on Paringa Estate and making great wines. Twenty-five years on the production is now 200 tonnes and Paringa Estate is one of the most highly awarded wineries in Australia regularly winning gold trophies for their Shiraz, Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay.

Lindsay believes that great wine is made in the vineyard. After struggling with vine vigour in the early years and discovering that the vines needed room to find their natural balance, he implemented the rarely seen Lyre trellis system.  Each vine is split horizontally resulting in two parallel canopies allowing maximum light exposure to both fruit and leaves. The quality of fruit that this produces is second to none.

When it comes to winemaking Lindsay’s philosophy is fairly basic – the aim is to preserve the unique fruit qualities of each variety and allow the wines to express the individual ‘terroir’ of Paringa Estate. The wine processed in small batches - plunging and management of the ferments is all done by hand and most recently, Lindsay has been experimenting with natural yeasts.

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2011 Australia

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2011 from Hilltops in New South Wales in Australia, Clonakilla literally means ‘meadow of the church’ and is the name of the founder’s grandfather’s farm in County Clare, Ireland. Dr John Kirk founded Clonakilla vineyard at Murrumbateman, 40 kilometres north of Canberra. In 1997 Tim Kirk, the fourth of John's six sons, took over the responsibility for winemaking.

The grapes for this Shiraz were selected from three vineyards in the Hilltops district around Young in New South Wales, the Canberra District .s closest neighbouring wine region. Soils are deep red loam over light clay, giving distinctive blackberry and blackcurrant notes to the wine.

The grapes were destemmed and fermented warm together with no bunches. The wine was matured for 11 months in French oak, 15% new. The wine was racked once during its maturation in oak and bottled in late February 2012.

This wine is a medium ruby core with wide ruby rim and with slow legs. The 2011 was a cool vintage and produced elegant fine structured wines ( and not as deep as the norm for this wine). The wine has black and red berry aromas on top of floral notes (violets), followed by a black pepper edge and a certain meatiness. On the palate, savoury ripe tannins enrobe the black berry and red currant flavours, there is fresh acidity  and the alcohol feels low and structural (12%). There once more is a fine floral note and a herbal sandalwood edge, this feels elegant, multilayered and complex on the mouth and the length is long with finely etched flavours. There is a perfumed quality to this wine that hints at a Viognier content - Shiraz Viognier a common mix - but this could be from the cool vintage.

This is available to purchase from Slurp at a cost of £16.95.
Score : 86

Logan Shiraz 2009, Orange, Australia

Logan Shiraz 2009 from Orange in New South Wales, Australia.  Orange - originally known as the Central Highlands, is centred on the slopes of Mount Canobolas where an experimental viticultural station was established at nearby Molong in the 1940s, with vines first planted commercially in 1980.
The region's elevation lying at about 6-800m strongly influences 'the climate' and the area has variable soils. Overall, mild to warm midsummer mean temperatures, seldom rising above 32°C, but offset by cool / cold nights during the growing season to keep fresh acidity in the grapes. Rainfall is predominately in winter and spring with  the three driest months are February, March and April hence irrigation is highly desirable. The strong winds reduce the risk of frost but they also hinder fruit set. Another problem that this area has ( like quite a few in the cooler Australian growing regions)  are flocks of feeding birds – netting is used by some growers as a necessity.
The vines here are 15 years old and planted in rich, deep volcanic soils on the north-facing slopes of Mount Canobolas. After crushing, the grapes were seeded with FX10 yeast.Fermentation was in a combination of small open fermenters which were plunged twice per day and large rotary fermenters, spun twice per day. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in tank before being racked to oak barrels. Maturation was for 15 months in French and Hungarian oak hogshead (300L) and puncheon (500L) barrels (a mixture of new, one, two and three year old).
Logan Shiraz 2009 is a wine to try - it is deep, deep ruby with black tints, and the legs are slow fat and coloured! On the nose luscious, vibrant ripe plums, black cherry and a hint of pepper with mint. Tasting it did not disappoint, the black fruits ( cherry, currant, berry ) are supported wonderfully by the fresh acidity and well defined, ripe, silky tannins. There is a spicey, minty edge to this wine that adds extra complexity and the alcohol feels in balance ( 14%) and well integrated. The length is long and has  spice and ripe fruit end! A deep chocolatey wine that has fresh warmth and feels well balanced, I look forward to trying this over the next 5 or so years.

 

Larry Cherubino Ad Hoc Riesling 2009 Great Western, Australia

Larry Cherubino Ad Hoc Wallflower Riesling 2009 Great Western in the West of Australia, south of Margaret River, a cool climate area.. Larry Cherubino was named by James Halliday 2011 Wine Companion as Winery of the Year, he is careful about how he grows his grapes, canopy management, little intervention and watering selectively as well as picking at night to preserve the quality of the grapes, and he produces a range of wines from delicate whites to heavy hitting reds!Larry Cherubino
After picking the grapes are de stemmed and only the free run juice is used for this wine, natural yeasts are used and a long cool fermentation is allowed - this leads to a good flavour palate.

Great Southern is aptly named, as it is pounded by the Southern Ocean and is renowned for its dramatic cliffs, white sandy beaches and bays and is steeped in the history of early European settlement.  The region is vast and diverse, extending 150 kilometres north to south and 100 kilometres east to west. It ranges from the coastal, maritime subregions of Albany and Denmark to the inland, continental subregions of Mount Barker, Porongurup and Frankland River. In these circumstances it is indeed surprising that there is such a degree of coherence in the wine styles produced

Continental influence takes over as you move inland and temperature variability increase significantly, in general terms the climate of the more northern areas is slightly warmer on the higher sites. Though rainfall is greater and relative humidity increases in the south around Denmark, heat summation and sunshine hours do not change greatly, so careful site selection allows the production of virtually every wine style.

Riesling:  Riesling vies with Cabernet Sauvignon as the most important wine from the region. The wines age superbly, seldom reaching the peak of their development in less than ten years. As well as being crisp and lean in youth, the wines still have intense flavour, typically in the citrus spectrum with an underlay of herbs.
This Riesling was a lovely medium pale straw, the aroma had lime skin, peaches and a little kerosene ( and at 3 years old - I was surprised....) along with a definate mineral edge, this came through again on the palate and the clean fresh zesty fruit had a pithy finish with great length, the alcohol was merely supportive of the delicate and carefully crafted wine, this is a wine that could age well in bottle - and is only part of the way through its journey - Enjoy! It can be found at Wine Direct at a cost of £14 per bottle if buying a case.
Score : 86

 

Phi Pinot Noir 2010, Yarra Valley, Victoria Australia

Phi Pinot Noir 2010 Yarra Valley a wine made by Steve Weber  together with the De Bortoli family in the Yarra Valley and its name derives from 'Philosophy'. The vineyards planted in 1985 and the fruit is hand picked and destemmed and placed in six tonne open fermenters - 15% whole bunches are included. Natural fermentation occurs and the cap receives the occasional plunge toward the end of fermentation. After 20 days on the skins the wine is pressed, settled overnight and gravity filled to French casks (40% new) for 10 months. The wine is then racked by gravity and bottled in early February.
This wine has a lovely transparency - ruby with a hint of garnet that was a surprise, on the nose ripe cherry and a complex array of spices which includes vanilla and ginger. On tasting it - cherry once more but joined by red currants and a wisp of raspberry this is interleaved with tobacco, earth, leather and spices add further complexity, a joy with a long long finish! The oak is carefully used and is well integrated and the whole wine is elegant with sweet decadence and a burgundian feel but with the New World twist.
Score : 92

The Yarra Valley was Victoria's first wine growing district with a history stretching back 170 years. It is known as the birthplace of Victoria's wine industry. Vines were first planted in 1838 and viticulture spread rapidly through the 1860s and 1870s And is now recognised as one of Australia's foremost cool climate regions, capable of making classic styles from a wide range of varieties. It is located less than one hour's drive east of Melbourne and is currently home to more than 80 wineries and although grows many grapes successfully it is well known for its high quality for production of premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Yarra Valley is one of Australia's coolest regions, with elevation varying from 50 metres to 400 metres. Rainfall is winter/spring dominant, with the summer relatively cool, dry and humid and there is limited maritime influence a small diurnal temperature range reflects the proximity of the sea. Frost is rarely a problem, but can affect the lower vineyards on the valley floor from time to time. A rainfall of 750-950 millimetres and restricted water holding capacity in some soils, irrigation is considered essential − although the extent of its use does vary significantly between producers.

Another  point worth noting is that the Yarra Valley is Phyloxera free.

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 Yarra Valley, Victoria

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 Yarra Valley, Victoria made by Phil Sexton established Giant Steps in 2001 from the 30 ha north facing Warramate ranges vineyard planted in 1997 next door to the Yarra Yering site.
The Yarra Valley was Victoria's first wine growing district with a history stretching back 170 years. It is known as the birthplace of Victoria's wine industry. Vines were first planted in 1838 and viticulture spread rapidly through the 1860s and 1870s And is now recognised as one of Australia's foremost cool climate regions, capable of making classic styles from a wide range of varieties. It is located less than one hour's drive east of Melbourne and is currently home to more than 80 wineries and although grows many grapes successfully it is well known for its high quality for production of premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The Yarra Valley is one of Australia's coolest regions, with elevation varying from 50 metres to 400 metres. Rainfall is winter/spring dominant, with the summer relatively cool, dry and humid and there is limited maritime influence a small diurnal temperature range reflects the proximity of the sea. Frost is rarely a problem, but can affect the lower vineyards on the valley floor from time to time. A rainfall of 750-950 millimetres and restricted water holding capacity in some soils, irrigation is considered essential − although the extent of its use does vary significantly between producers.

This wines grapes are hand-harvested, hand sorted and small-batch fermented in open top stainless fermenters with a whole bunch component included for complexity and spice. 12 months maturation in 25% new fine grained French oak. The resultant wine is silky in texture with sweet dark red fruits and spice intermingling on the palate, the dry wine great acidity freshening the fruits and the tannins are gum coating but fully ripe and tasty, the alcohol adds a third dimension but is well integrated and at 13% not noticeable ( and lower than many I have tasted), all of this ontop of the smokey tobacco aromas, sweet spice and red dark cherry nose, with reductive notes on both nose and palate ( which feel in line with the wine itself surprisingly!) - a delight! 

It is available from the Humble Grape at a cost of £17.50 - a steal.

Score : 89

 

Crittenden Estate Pinot Noir 2010, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

Crittenden Estate Pinot Noir 2010, vineyards in Dromana on the  Mornington Peninsula, with a modern winery in Patterson Lakes, approximately 20 minutes north of the vineyards in Dromana which  has the capacity to process 200 tonnes of fruit ( which is at this stage larger than what is needed for Crittenden Estate ). This is a true family run business, Garry Crittenden and his son Rollo run the winery with  other family members involvement and the care taken with this wine comes through when you taste it.
There is an initial candied red fruit aroma which disappears once left for a few minutes, followed by fresh fruits layered with leather, spice and earthy aromas, all this follows through to the palate and this well structured wine has grippy, ripe sweet tannins, acidic backbone enrobed and supported by the well knitted alcohol (13.5%). The fruits include plum, rhubarb abd red cherry all wrapped up in warm sweet spices, the leather and earth nuances are attractive and coax you in for another taste. The length is long, graceful and expressive, earth spice darts in and out of the red fruits, a lovely wine and worth a try if you can get hold of any from Uncorked at a price of £17.95 - a steal!
Score : 86

The Mornington Peninsula wine region lies to the South East of Melbourne and is bounded by Port Phillip and Westernport Bays and so has a true maritime climate which modifies the temperature range and provides relatively high summer humidity hence vine stress is low, sunshine hours are abundant, and rainfall is plentiful during winter and spring, a great growing enviroment.

It also leads to late ripening, a prolonged gentle autumn leads to fully ripe grapes with outstanding fruit flavours, high natural acidity and fine tannins. This is perfect for Pinot Noir and also for Chardonnay, but over the last century many have tried to grow grapes here without little success as matching the variety to climate is never more important than here.

Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir 2008, Tasmania

Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir 2008, Tony Scherer, Frogmore founder, has been an organic farmer since 1974. The wine is made by Alain Rousseau ( from a vigneron family of the Loire Valley France ) at the Frogmore Creek Winery in Penna, Southern Tasmania which sources grapes from the finest cool climate regions in Tasmania. , traditional french methods are used, which include

48-hour pre-ferment soak. Inoculated ferment in 1/2and 1 tonne open fermenters, hand plunged 3-times daily. Then pressed with the skins into stainless steel tanks for completion of primary fermentation. Then transfer into French oak for innoculated MLF before racking off the lees and further barrel maturation.

This wine has the expected hue of a Pinot, medium transparency with a ruby core and a pale garnet rim, the aromas are reminiscent of baked black and red fruits and have a pungent candied sweet aroma.
On tasting it, it has fresh acidity and well integrated alcohol ( 14.5%)  which enrobes and adds structure to this lovely earthy, fruity ( red cherry and cranberry and a touch of the sharpness that one finds in red currants), and all intermingled with spice. The tannins are low, ripe and silky - once more gently supportive without interrupting the enjoyment of this cool climate but definitely New World Pinot! An elegant, stylish wine which I would love to have in my cellar.The length was good with fresh red fruits all the way.
Score : 85


It has won awards - a Bronze, 2010 Tasmanian Wine Show and then (90 points) in the Australian Wine Companion 2011, so a wine worth looking out for.
See Jancis Robinson's Tasmanian 'Tasmania - island of opportunity'. Tasmania is the most southerly point in the world involved with grape growing and wine making - and the thing that is most surprising is the many microclimates that exist on this island with its maritime climate. The west coast is wet, cold and has rainforest scenery with mountainous terrain, the east coast is very dry ( due to the rainshadow from the mountains) and the north coast also has a good climate for grapes, the soil is good for grape production - overall a great place for cool climate grapes! Pinot Noir is the most planted grape, with Chardonnay following in second place with half its weight per annum. The land is being snapped up by many Australian producers as well as international big producers - so watch this space.
The wine surplus much talked about in Australias mainland does not esist here - they can sell everything they produce ( the level of production is about 3% of the Australian production) and the quality is high, little gets exported .
To see Tony Scherer talking on the Tasmanian Pinot Noir at Frogmore Creek - click here.

Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Margaret River Australia

Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is  from Margaret River in Australia has a similar climate and to a certain extent soil distribution to Bordeaux, and like Bordeaux this wine is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon ( low percentage). The grapes are harvested at night to preserve the fruity acidity and this comes through in the wine.  It is very pale with slight green tinge, has floral aromas along with tropical fruits – tinned guava as well as greengager and streaked with minerality, this is a New World Sauvignon Blanc done in a French way.

The acidity is is the right place, zingy and fresh and the alcohol is well integrated and supports the wine helping to give a silky mouth feel which also enhanced by the oiliness of  Semillon. The length is good and has a citric finish after a tropical fruit start. Oak has been used in its maturation but does not overpower the fresh fruit driven flavours, not does the 4 month maturation on its lees.

At a price of £13 this is a nice Sauvignon Blanc,there are some on the market better value, it has a similar profile to the fresh and fruity Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand but with a French twist, and these are often at this price bracket or less though this is more elegant and care has been taken in its making.

GSM Rosemount 2003 McLaren Vale South Australia

GSM Rosemount 2003 from McLaren Vale South Australia was Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2007 and on tasting it you can see why. There is 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mouvedre, Rhone grapes and a blend associated with the Southern Rhone traditionally.

 

This wine has some age - 9 years, and has a deep garnet core with a narrow garnet rim with fast forming but then slow legs, when swirled.
Pop your nose near the glass and you get hit by a real fruit punch, black berry fruits, spice, chocolate and coffee and even a touch of dried fruits ( dates raisins...) and this is all wrapped up in smokey tabacco aromas.
The mouth feel is what you would expect from a high alcohol wine ( 15%), silky and smooth, but the alcohol is well integrated and does not feel out of kilter.
The acidity keeps this fruit bomb fresh, but too a certain extent it feels a little unreal, not in balance with the wine. The tannins are low and ripe, have lost some of their grip with age but still offer some structure to this wine. Flavours abound, dark fruits, licquorice, coffee, chocolate, but all are encapsulated and to a certain extent dominated by the chunky oak. The fruit flavour is starting to fade - aged - and so this wine needs drinking soon, and this could partly explain its imbalance, it needs the fruit content to knit with the oak and the acidity.