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+
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+