|
 Yabby
Lake Vineyard - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Robert and Mem Kirby
(of Village Roadshow fame, as in cinema, music and
apparently theme parks too) founded
the Yabby Lake vineyards in 1998, under the watchful eye
of vineyard manager Keith Harris, on land they already owned on the Mornington
Peninsula, south of Melbourne (and have also planted in Heathcote and the
Strathbogie Ranges in central
Victoria); and the company is now run by their "kids"
Nina and Clark Kirby. As you can see from the badly cropped map (my fault), this
wine region is very
maritime being surrounded by the sea (obviously); and its cool climate (by Oz
standards, it really is: those of you who remember Prisoner Cell Block H, might
also remember the grey windy Melbourne weather backdrop in any outside shots.
Must have filmed in the winter!) seems
to suit Pinots (they have 21 ha of Noir and 5 of Gris) and Chardy (10 ha/25
acres) pretty well. By the way, an unusual and informative feature of their website
is listing "chief
viticultural hazards": autumn rain and birds, apparently. I digress: I'm glad I tried these wines at the 2010
Wine Australia London tasting, a bit of a find; and the vineyards are
still quite young, so better things still should follow. Imported into the UK by Swig Wines, and there's a whole page
of worldwide distributors on the site (see below).
2008 Red Claw Chardonnay - nice aromatic oaty leesy nose; subtle buttery
fruit vs tight and mineral palate, lively elegant length.
89-91 £15
2008 Yabby Lake Chardonnay - similar to start although develops wilder lees edges vs
creamy and full flavours/mouthfeel; again lovely crisp length, elegant
structured style. 90-92 £24
2008 Red Claw Pinot Noir - lovely perfumed
"sweet/savoury" nose, dried fruit edges with savoury notes; delicious
pure Pinot style with refreshing bite, although a tad "hot" perhaps on
the finish. £15 88
2008 Yabby Lake Pinot Noir - more delicate,
complex and perfumed; again has that fine "sweet/savoury" fruit and
style, firmer backbone and elegant length. 90-92 £24
www.yabbylake.com
 Wakefield - Clare Valley,
South
Australia
Wakefield is the winery name they use outside of Aus, where they're
known as Taylors I believe (something to do with the clout of a slightly
famous Port brand, I think). Founder and still owner the Taylor family is
also one of Australia's First Families of Wine, a newish association of
leading estates in the style of Europe's "Primum Familiae Vini," I
presume. Anyway, Wakefield is now a pretty big player at 500 ha/1250
acres of vineyards, all in the Clare Valley no less, making a broad
range of wines and price points. Either I was flagging by this point at
the 2010
Wine Australia London event, or I'm biased as I went to St. Andrews Uni...
so I only tasted a couple of their premium reds from this blue
kilt-tinged range. Stratford's Wine Agencies is the UK importer, and
they've now set up a US office in Atlanta.
2004
St Andrews
Cabernet Sauvignon
- smoky dried cassis notes with herbal edges; lush mouthfeel vs solid
tannins, concentrated and extracted vs delicious tobacco and sweet herb
tones. £30 92-94
2004
St Andrews
Shiraz - maturing meaty aromas with
leather, dark plums and spices; complex tobacco tones vs lush black
fruits vs very firm finish still. 90-92
www.wakefieldwines.com
 St
Hallett - Barossa Valley, South
Australia
And not forgetting the Eden Valley too, where they source their
consistently attractive Riesling from. A bordering on legendary name, I guess,
no doubt partly due to that mythical wine, the "Old Block" Shiraz (made
from "60 to 100" year-old vines in Lyndoch, Barossa, plus higher-altitude
Eden fruit), although the other two, less expensive Shirazes tasted
below are equally striking in their own way. You might want to NB the
youthful peppery Touriga Nacional as well; perhaps a signpost that
Portuguese (Douro Valley to be precise) red varieties have a
promising future here, which seems to make sense. The winemaking team is headed
up by Stuart Blackwell and Toby Barlow, assisted by Jeremy Ottawa (centre
of attention in the pic above - must be the haircut - at last year's
Barossa Wine Show: tough luck to the others but I could copy this one
off their blog, but the main site is too "Flash") and Shelley Cox. St
Hallett is also now owned by Lion Nathan group (see
Petaluma below), by the way; and, no, I don't have shares, just
happened to bump into a series of shining wineries all on the same table
at Wine Australia, London Feb. 2010 (lazy, moi. Worthwhile though, no?)!
2009 Eden Valley Riesling - softer
style with lime blossom aromas and juicy mouthfeel, finishing crisp and
mineral. £8.99 87+
2006 Eden Valley Shiraz - offers
creamy berry fruit and subtle concentration, lusher on the finish with
light toasty oak; still firm vs maturing framework, quite elegant
actually. 89
2008 Faith Shiraz - nice dark
blackberry and pepper on the nose; lively fruity palate with chunky
texture, turning savoury too with big vs rounded tannins and attractive
oomph. £10 88
2006 Blackwell Shiraz - darker
richer spicier and toastier; lush mouth-coating texture plus commanding
power then tighter finish with meaty edges. Wow. £13
90
2006 Old Block Shiraz - smoky vs
herbal nose, lush "tar" notes in the mouth; appealing grip and
background wood, big spicy mouthful yet still tight and fine-grained.
92
2009 Touriga - wild ripe
damson with floral peppery edges; nice rich liquorice fruit vs very
solid and fresh backdrop, darker fruit finish vs lively bite. Yum.
87+
www.sthallett.com.au
 Pirie
Estate - Tasmania
Highly qualified and experienced Dr. Andrew Pirie was founder and owner
of Pipers Brook Vineyard in a previous life. After he sold it -
cunningly taking his newly created sparkling brand with him (well, it's
got his name on it after all and is one of Australia's finest fizzes) -
Andrew stayed in northern Tasmania's cool-climate Tamar Valley region,
later becoming head honcho and winemaker at Tamar Ridge. Over the last
five years, he's been selecting fruit from the 30 ha (75 acres) he
manages to create various labels for his eponymous range. And pretty
impeccable it is too, Andrew seems to have real flair for Riesling
and Pinot Noir in particular. Tried and tested at the 2010 Wine
Australia London roadshow:
Pirie Sparkling - tasty / toasty towards Bolly style: nutty and
yeast-lees
flavours/textures vs crisp and elegant finish. Yum. £17
89-91
2008 South Sauvignon Blanc - lively piercing intense grassy green
fruits; oilier and more exotic in the mouth, crisp asparagus touches vs
a bit of weight and good length. £9.50 88+
2008 South Pinot Noir - perfumed cherry fruit with "sweet/savoury"
edges; leaner Burgundy style and a bit tart at the mo perhaps, although
has attractive ripe vs meaty fruit finish. £9.50
87
2007 Estate Pinot Noir - fuller and
more intense, again has subtle yet delicious "sweet/savoury" style;
perfumed fruit with chunkier structure, turning meaty on its wow finish.
£15 90+
2007 Estate Gewurztraminer - quite
lean and zesty style, still pretty crisp and tight for its age with
appealing core of lychee fruit. 87+
2008 South Pinot Gris - juicy spicy
and honeyed too; zesty crisp and intense, pretty authentic and tasty
(dry) Alsace style. 85-87
2006 South Riesling - enticing
developing oily and mineral nose; fading citrus fruit and zest, turning
petrol-y and mature vs backbone of underlying acidity.
88+
2005 Estate Riesling - classy Alsace
"grand cru" type profile and intensity; maturing mineral edges vs
concentration, then tightens up with crisp bite still. Wow.
92+?
2007 Reserve Clark's Botrytis Riesling
- complex spicy noble rot nose, lush honey and marmalade; classy rich
mouthfeel vs elegant bite, pretty fine balance and style.
90+
www.pirietasmania.com.au
 Mitchelton
- Nagambie Lakes, Victoria
Mitchelton was founded over 40 years ago by ground-breaking
businessman Ross Shelmerdine and leading wine consultant
Colin Preece - there wasn't a lot round these parts (90 minutes north of
Melbourne in the middle of nowhere, beautifully set on the Nagambie
Lakes) before they planted vineyards and built the still modern-looking
winery & restaurant (pic). It's changed hands a few times since then,
and Mitchelton is now another member of the fairly exclusive Lion Nathan
club (see
Petaluma, Knappstein et al below and above). Iconic down-to-earth
winemaker Don Lewis finally retired in 2004, succeeded by Ben Haines
who's aided and abetted by viticulturist John
Beresford. I sampled the following at
Wine Australia's 2010 tasting in London:
2007 Viognier - quite wild Rhoney
kinda style with lush and exotic fruit/texture; big and fat mouthfeel,
flabs out a little on the finish though (too old?).
2008 Shiraz - spicy and pure black
cherry nose; quite soft and subtle vs tighter structure underneath, ripe
then spicy finish; quite elegant change. £8.99
87+
2006 Crescent Grenache/Mourvèdre/Shiraz
- creamy liquorice with cassis and cherry notes; quite elegant and tight
on the palate showing mature vs punchy finish, attractive taut style
with gamey edges. £13 87-89
2006 Print Shiraz - concentrated and
vibrant mouthful with subtle oak layering, firm and punchy vs
deliciously rounded. £15 90
www.mitchelton.com.au
Knappstein - Clare Valley, South Australia
The Knappstein "Enterprise Winery & Brewery," as it's
called on their website (yet another flashy "Flash" thing that you can't copy images
from!), was originally set up as a local brewery in the mid 19th
Century, which was reopened in 2006 (I've not tried their lager, anyone
out there know/like it?). As for vines, well, you can blame Tim Knappstein who established the vineyards in 1969
and who obviously found a
good spot, as the wines they serve have always been consistently good.
Current winemaker is Julian Langworthy, and the whole show is now part
of the fairly impressive Lion Nathan group (see
Petaluma below). Apparently, the winery has also been up to some
environmentally friendly goings-on with a local organisation to
"rehabilitate" the Hutt River that runs through Clare. These wines were
tasted at the 2010 Wine Australia London extravaganza:
2009 Hand Picked Riesling (12%) -
floral lime aromas with light tobacco even (what's that about?); fresh
clean and lively mouthfeel, fairly easy style with attractive zesty
finish. £8.49 85
2008 Ackland Vineyard Riesling
(12.5%) - a step or two up: lovely oily mineral nose with complex lime
flavours vs oily notes/texture; great bite with classy tight length.
£10.99 90+
2007 Cabernet /
Merlot - again characteristically
tight, Bordeaux-leaning style; firm and punchy vs cassis and plum fruit
on its quite elegant finish. £10 88
2007 Shiraz - taut and leaner style
of Shiraz showing subtle peppery vs "sweet" fruit; firm framework
layered with dark cherries, nice now actually. £10
87
2006 Enterprise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
- more intricate nose with ripe blueberry, cassis, mint and a light
sprinkling of vanilla; concentrated big palate with nice oomph vs fine
taut tannins, still solid yet turning savoury on its classy finish. £15
90
www.knappstein.com.au
Greenstone Vineyard - Heathcote, Victoria
The people behind this newish joint-venture and the varieties they
decided to plant - mostly Shiraz (17ha/42ac) but a couple of hectares of
Sangiovese and one of Monastrell/Mourvedre thrown in too - perhaps speak
volumes. David Gleave MW, boss of UK importer Liberty Wines,
super-qualified Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini and Mark Walpole,
formerly with Brown Brothers and now vineyard manager of this "project".
According to the blurb, they chose "an outstanding vineyard on the
Heathcote region's red soil," which is definitely an area in central
Victoria (a good trek north of Melbourne) that's nurturing some very
impressive wines. And the future looks bright for Sangiovese here by the
looks of it. Can't wait to try that Monastrell - why didn't they have it
up for tasting at this year's (2010) Wine Australia London event, I
wonder, unless it's being blended in with the Syrah already?
2006 Heathcote Shiraz - dark and lush black fruits with chocolate oak
undertones; tight framework and power vs subtle bite, attractive texture
and a bit of class too. £16 88+
2007 Heathcote Sangiovese - smoky Med nose with ripe Morello cherry
notes, touches of oak although subtle; nice bite of tannins and acidity
even vs maturing dried fruits and toasty oak backdrop.
89+
www.greenstoneofheathcote.com
 Clonakilla
- Canberra District, NSW
Clonakilla apparently means "meadow of the church"
in Irish, named after John Kirk's grandfather’s farm in County Clare who
founded the vineyard and winery in 1971. Lying north of Canberra in New
South Wales, he first planted a smidgeon of Cabernet Sauvignon and
Riesling later followed by Shiraz, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which in
turn was gradually supplemented by more Shiraz and Riesling, Viognier
for the first time and the enlarged Cabernet family. In 1998, John's son
Tim purchased the adjoining 20-hectare/50-acre estate and added yet more
Shiraz and Viognier with olive trees alongside.
As it says on their website, and as you can guess from that fascinating
planting info I just detailed, Shiraz has
performed particularly well here. Excited by what he discovered on a
trip to the great Guigals in the northern Rhone, Tim started putting a
dash of Viognier into their Shiraz from 1992 onwards and claims to be
the first to do this in Aus. The wines may seem rather (or reassuringly
perhaps) dear, but the poor things only produce 9000 cases a year
although are sold in the UK, US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan,
Ireland, New Zealand... so, a couple of cases each then.
This interesting Shiraz duo was tasted at Wine Australia's London bash
in February 2010:
2008 Hilltops Shiraz - quite
seductive spicy cherry fruit, peppery and pure with a wilder side too;
subtle oak coating and rounded vs tight and firm framework. £15
88+
2007 O'Riada Canberra District
Shiraz
- pure minty style with dried cherry and raisin edges; solid powerful
palate with again that taut feel vs wild herb/garrigue tones,
captivating stuff. £27 90
www.clonakilla.com.au
 Paxton Vineyards -
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Pioneering viticulture consultant David Paxton established his own
vineyards in McLaren Vale back in 1979, which have been farmed along
biodynamic lines since 2006 (one of about 30 certified in Aus, although
several others are dabbling and might head that way). He's also a
member, and the only winery in Oz by the looks of it, of
onepercentfortheplanet.org by the way, a non-profit organisation
that receives 1% of their sales revenue, it says, to fund environmental
projects. David's two sons work at the family estate - winemaker
Michael and Ben who looks after cellar door, functions etc - along with
"senior viticulturist"
Toby Bekkers and sales & marketing guy Paul Limpus. And
Loque
the winery dog. Overall, there are five Paxton vineyards: the Thomas
Block, Jones Block, Quandong Farm, Landcross farm and Maslin Vineyard;
totalling 75 hectares or nearly 200 acres. Their UK importer is
Stratford's Wine Agencies and Vinotech Selection in the US
(NJ).
2009 Shiraz rosé - juicy spicy minty style, moving
on to ripe oily red fruits then nice refreshing and crisp bite. £10.99
85
2007 Chardonnay - buttery, nutty, maturing, oatmeal aromas/flavours; lovely balance of rich
cream and lees, maturing fruit vs mineral and still alive. £18.99
90-92
2007 AAA Shiraz Grenache - sweet liquorice vs herbal berry notes;
attractive soft and juicy palate, quite mature and drinking now with
subtle finish. £10.99 87+
2008 Quandong
Shiraz
- rich dark black fruits, spicy and punchy mouthfeel turning
firm and tight; wilder savoury edges vs underlying sweetness vs dry grip
closing up the finish a little. £15.50 88-90
2005 Jones Block
Shiraz
- maturing and meaty vs rich cassis; spicy and tasty palate,
quite elegant and complex, keeps going. £18.99
90-92
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon - minty
cassis with meaty/leather notes; tightens up with quite firm and solid
mouthfeel, powerful and a touch austere at the mo but does show fair
depth. 87
2009 Tempranillo - nice juicy
glugger, dry vs "sweet" liquorice palate; could be good in a few years
(young vines). 83-85
2008 MV
Shiraz
- ripe vs spicy and juicy, again pretty easy compared to some
of the others vs a bit of bite to finish. 83-85
2006 Elizabeth Jean 100 year-old
Shiraz
- complex smoky nose with dark cherry, blackberry and a touch
of vanilla; intense and lush palate vs herbal-edged fruit, punchy solid
vs fine length and again finishing with savoury vs liquorice flavours.
90+
www.paxtonvineyards.com
 Petaluma
- Adelaide Hills, South Australia
And more specifically the Piccadilly Valley, home to some almost legendary Chardonnay vineyards
(as the source of a couple of fine benchmark Chardys); as well as newer plantings of Viognier and Shiraz
elsewhere in the Adelaide Hills, the Clare Valley for Riesling and Coonawarra
for mostly
Cabernet and Merlot. Petaluma was owned, established and
built up to an impressive quality level by emblematic winegrower/maker
Brian Croser, who always seems to have plenty of interesting and punchy things to
say about the Oz wine industry. He sold the winery and brand to Lion Nathan (a large Aus/NZ
brewing & drinks group) a few years ago and has since set up his own
label (Tapanappa), although on evidence of the wines below, standards at
Petaluma haven't dropped. Tellingly perhaps, LNG also owns several other
quality-focused wineries (Knappstein,
Mitchelton,
Stonier, Smithbrook,
St. Hallett) so appears to be committed to this policy. These were tasted at Wine Australia's modestly titled
London show in February 2010 (billed as "World Class Australia"):
2009 Hanlin Hill Riesling - zesty "phenolic"
(those lively aromatic qualities you get from pre-fermentation skin
contact) chalky tones, concentrated vs crisp palate, lively tight finish. Promising.
89-91 £10
2008 Hanlin Hill Riesling - wilder
more intense style, nice concentration with oily vs zesty mouthfeel;
very attractive mix of oily developing fruit vs still tight and long.
90-92 £10
2007 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay - classy toasty buttery vs maturing
complex notes vs tight and refreshing finish; lovely balance.
90-92 £15
2006 Tiers Chardonnay -
toastier yet with lusher fruit and finishing on wilder, yeast-lees edges; again
shows fab mix of maturing and intricate vs tight and long.
92-94 £36
2009 Viognier - subdued yet exotic
fruit with spicy vs creamy notes, firm acidity vs rounded and weighty,
but nicely reined in style; should be very good (a little youthful and
closed up at the mo). 88 £15
2007 Shiraz - peppery with ripe
cassis and quite a bit of vanilla-y sweet oak; attractive texture and
oomph vs spicy/sweet black fruit, closing up on its nice finish showing
more subtle oak integration. 89-91
£15
2007 Coonawarra
(Cabernet/Merlot/Syrah/Petit Verdot) - pretty oaky and toasty with
bitter dark chocolate finish, although it's still tight and looking
young... £20
www.petaluma.com.au
This paragraph contains a few assorted favourites from around Oz, all tasted at Boutinot's trade bash
in the Tower of London (mind your head) February 2007 and mini-profiled in Aug 07:
Cascabel - McLaren Vale, South Australia
2003 Shiraz, Fleurieu region - smoky bacon
notes mingle with peppery tangy fruit on the palate, quite powerful finish. UK
retail approx £15 87
 Taltarni
- Pyrenees, Victoria
2004 T Series
Shiraz/Cabernet
- nice spicy fruit, quite serious at this price. £6.50-£7
85-87
2002 Pyrenees Shiraz - complex maturing
berry fruit with savoury edges, elegant soft palate and length. £12
90
2004 Heathcote
Shiraz - more intense spice
and black cherry fruit, tight palate with fresh finish. £16
90
2002 Cephas (Shiraz Cabernet) - more
chocolate oak and concentration, tighter firmer finish. £17
90
The Lane - Adelaide Hills, South Australia
2001 Reunion Shiraz - quite meaty v dark
fruit backdrop, maturing and soft v attractive dry tannins and powerful finish.
Pricey £20-£22 89+
Tallarook - Upper Goulburn, Victoria
An exciting discovery, Luis Riebl's 'natural' wines are refined yet
occasionally approach 'extreme' in winemaking style; and pretty good value too
considering the quality.
2004 Chardonnay - milky v peachy, intense
with creamy yet fresh and powerful mouth-feel. £9-£10 88-90
2004 Marsanne - quite yeasty and lactic
nose, fat hazelnut fruit, oxidising yet complex and lingering; different. £9-£10
90-92
2005
Roussanne - intense herby tones with
creamy white peach backdrop, quite delicate and fresh. £9-£10
88-90
2006
Viognier - delicate apricot and flowers
on the nose, attractively lively v weighty palate. £9-£10
90-92
2004 Shiraz/Viognier
- attractive herbal tones on perfumed black cherry fruit, elegant and soft v
light grip and power. £9-£10 90-92
Keith Tulloch - Hunter Valley, New South Wales
2005 Semillon - a bit
reduced/funky on the nose, leads on to a tight
closed up palate then subtle waxier finish, not very revealing at the mo. £9.75
87
2002 Kester
Shiraz - very smoked
bacon, savoury v peppery, tangy fruit with fresh finish. Expensive though at £18.50
a bottle.
87-89
 Peter
Lehmann Wines - Barossa Valley
Perhaps better known for classic Shiraz and Cabernet, South Australia's Peter Lehmann
hogged the limelight in 2006 for their white wines, especially Riesling
(although I've always rather liked the Barossa Semillon too). In the
International Wine Challenge, their 2001 Reserve Riesling was awarded Australian
White Wine Trophy and Australian Riesling Trophy (how many trophies do you need
in a competition like this by the way?); and 2005 Eden Valley Riesling a gold
medal. If that wasn't enough, PLW then scooped IWC White Winemaker of the Year
plus the International Wine & Spirit Competition's worldwide Riesling trophy.
“Not bad for a traditional red winemaker from a traditional red wine district!”
chief winemaker Andrew Wigan commented wryly. Anyway, I find the elegant pure
style of their Rieslings very appealing, and these two, sampled in Dec 06, have
around 12% alcohol by volume:
2005 Riesling, Barossa Valley - floral with
oily citrus notes, chalky texture and freshness v maturing fruit roundness.
87+
2006 Riesling, Eden Valley - surprisingly
soft and delicate with nicely intense flowery white peach fruit, zesty extract
and subtle fresh acidity; a little closed up at the moment, yet it's underlying
fine structure and length bode well. 89-91
And this red duo was originally featured under
Previous Wines of the Moment, tasted October 2004:
2002 Barossa
Shiraz (14.5%) - classic traditional style showing rich colour,
viscosity and extract; spicy coconut nose enhanced by lovely ripe black
cherry and currant fruit, complex earthy notes and lightly developing liquorice
& 'tar' nuances too; good concentration and depth of 'sweet' fruit, nice bite of
rounded tannins, smoky finish and long fruity flavour, making the big 14.5%
alcohol not so noticeable. Great if you like this kind of wine: I do but only
with hearty food! 90
2002 Clancy's
Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Barossa Valley
(14%) - touch of complex
volatile earthy notes, also
mint with ripe black
fruits, a hint of spice and a meaty edge too; nice rich cassis fruit supported
by cinnamon oak, powerful firm finish yet also has 'sweetness', then gets tighter
closing up a little. 87+
Auntsfield Estate
- Marlborough,
NZ
Graeme and Linda Cowley are renovating and replanting this vineyard in the upper
Wairau Valley, which had been abandoned for 100
years. The fruit for the Sauvignon, International Wine Challenge 2006 gold medal
winner, was grown near the earthily named "long cow paddock." The Hawk Hill Pinot is named
after magnificent harrier hawks riding the thermal currents over Auntsfield’s
north facing slopes, and was awarded two silver medals (IWC and Decanter World
Wine Awards 2006). Tasted June 2006:
2005 Long Cow Sauvignon Blanc - lovely classic style capturing the best
of Marlborough's climate: purity and intensity of green yet tropical edged
fruit, nice elegance and length v concentration and power.
90+
2005 Hawk Hill Pinot Noir - I found this a bit clumsy when first opened
with charred oak and high alcohol (at least 14.5% from memory) dominating; the
next day it better expressed those hoped-for floral 'sweet and savoury' Pinot
characters, which pulled in the reins a little. Perhaps just too young at the
moment, but I'd prefer much less toasted new oak a wine like this...
87
Mount Donnybrook - Western Australia
Three wines from Western Oz made by Michael Hope for ALDI stores
in the UK and I guess Ireland too, given that the prices are quoted at £6.99 or
€11.99 a bottle? Overall pretty good value for money, although I found the
Shiraz the least interesting (too oaky). Tasted May 2006:
2003
Shiraz (13.5%) - dominated by vanilla oak at first, the day after
opening it showed more savoury characters v spicy black plum fruit, quite
restrained style yet still fairly rich v soft tannins; would be better with less
oak though. 85+
2003
Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) - much less oaky than the Shiraz offering
attractive earthy cassis fruit, ripe soft palate v quite powerful alcohol;
nevertheless, it's also fairly elegant and fine. 88+
2005 Chardonnay (13.5%) - light mealy creamy oak notes with ripe peach
and pineapple; nice 'sweet' fruit v subtle toast and yeast-lees characters, fair
power yet fresh and dry finish. 87+
|
|
Quick A to Z
Auntsfield
Cascabel
Clonakilla
Donnybrook
Greenstone
Knappstein
The
Lane
Peter
Lehmann
Mitchelton
Paxton
Petaluma
Pirie
St Hallett
Tallarook
Taltarni
Keith
Tulloch
Wakefield
Yabby
Lake
Winery snaps 1:
Burgundy
Winery snaps 2:
SW France
Winery snaps 3:
South Africa
Lebanon & Austria!
Winery snaps 4:
Spain
Winery snaps 5:
S & N America
Winery snaps 7:
Rhône & Provence
Winery snaps 8:
Sicily
Winery snaps 9:
Portugal
Winery snapshots: Roussillon
(4 pages)
Winery
snapshots:
Languedoc
(6 pages)
Wines of the
mo
Related links:
Oz Pinot Noir
Clare Riesling
World
Chardonnay
"Consumer top-20" |
