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"Wine Australia showcased a "consumer top 20" selection at their London show in
Feb 2010: the idea being an interesting and representative range of styles and
qualities (priced £6 to £27 in the UK), which Joe Public particularly liked
at "recent consumer tastings." I've narrowed this down to my "top dozen," just
to be contrary, succinct and somewhat point-ist (wines rated over 85 only!);
plus added a few brief comments on the other wines..."
Other recent stuff on Australia: "world-class Chardonnays" and 10 new winery profiles ("snapshots
p 6").
fizz
Jansz NV Premium Cuvée, Tasmania
(12.5%) - attractive floral vs bready style on the nose; "sweeter" oatier palate
vs fresh acidity and clean length, although those toasty notes carry through
nicely too. £11.99 87
white
 2008
Ferngrove Riesling, Great Southern WA - quite
classic zesty limey Riesling nose and palate; crunchy and lively vs chalky and
oily mouthfeel. £7.99 87
2008 Plantagenet Riesling, Great Southern WA
- more intense and limey, chalkier style too; very lively and crisp vs oily
palate with classy bite. £10.99 90+
2009 Pewsey Vale Riesling, Eden Valley SA -
more closed up to start with floral peachy notes; softer style perhaps yet still
very Riesling with nice zesty finish and citrus zing. £9.20 87-89
2009 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, Clare
Valley SA - demanding nose and palate, slowly revealing honeyed notes vs crunchy
chalky extract; builds up to very intense, tight and structured mouthfeel with
delicious elegant mineral length. Wow. Difficult to believe average "consumers"
liked this great yet austere wine, but very encouraging to see several Rieslings
being singled out! £19.95 90-92
2007 Paxton Chardonnay, McLaren Vale SA - buttery, nutty, maturing, oatmeal aromas/flavours; lovely balance of rich
cream and lees, maturing fruit vs mineral and still alive. £18.99
90-92
red
2006 Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Pinot Noir,
Tasmania - quite sexy "sweet n sour" Pinot nose, turning savoury on the edges;
toastier spicier palate turning a touch extracted and bitter vs that nice lush
PN fruit. Pity, would've rated it higher otherwise. £14.99 85-87
2006 d'Arenberg the Dead Arm, McLaren Vale SA
- wow! Minty "garrigue" (as they say in the south of France) tones vs very ripe,
lush/dark plum; turns meatier with concentrated big (15%) mouthfeel, finishing
with light wood grain vs grippy tannins vs dark peppery fruit. £26.99 90+
2008 Ben Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz, Barossa
Valley SA - purer herbal juicy vs very ripe black cherry style; chunky solid
texture, concentrated and big (15.5%) mouthful vs spicy fruit. Wow: needs a few
years to mellow, almost too much but carries it off somehow! £19.95 90+
sweeties
2008 Brown Brothers Orange Muscat,
Milawa Vic - very floral orange peel notes with pure sweet Muscat grape aromas;
lush taste vs attractively light, refreshing and quite crisp finish. £6.49
85+
2005
d'Arenberg Vintage Fortified Shiraz
Chambourcin, McLaren Vale SA - meaty maturing nose with dried cherries and plums
vs minty herbal undertones; grip and power vs sweet lush fruit, well made in
this "not everybody's cup of tea" style (I like it). £10.99 89+
Campbell's NV Muscat, Rutherglen Vic -
cooked Madeira-like nose with caramelised orange peel and toffee; layers of
sweetness vs intricate baked flavours, pretty treacly vs cut of 17.5% uplifting
the finale. A one-off. £15 90+
Other wines: these four were finished or missing
or fell off the radar: Jacob's Creek Blanc de Blancs fizz, Pikes the white
Mullet, Gemtree Citrine Chardy and Turkey Flat rosé. And:
Bird in Hand sparkling Pinot (mouth-watering red fruit style although not good value
at £12), Majella Cab Sauv 2005 (nice maturing although a bit old-fashioned and
clunky), Bleasdale sparkling Shiraz (not lacking flavour but too strange) and
Innocent Bystander Moscato (the name says it all: crowd-pleaser but facile). All
rights RMJames, posted 6 April 2010.
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