I look forward to tasting the Penley reds each year. They are so drinkable, balanced, seamless and well integrated that even in their youth they delight the senses and especially the palate with their full flavours, smoothness, ripeness and yet also strong backbone, auguring well for the future. Yes they will develop for years to come, but I like the way they come across now. Yes you get some youthful exuberance, some youthful sweetish coconutty oak and some edginess to it, but there clear focus is lineal smooth and just right drinking now. Celebrating 20 vintages is no mean feat and it reflects through the consistency and value that this wine offers each release. Bring me more I say.
Drink to 2018. About $20. 15.0%. 92-93/100 – Excellent.
Howard Park Great Southern Chardonnay 2009
Stunning. Superb. Exceptional. Just right. Spot on. Immaculate drinking. And so on and so on. You get the drift, this is special Chardonnay drinking. Crafted beautifully with the polished Chardonnay fruit making a classy classic entry, elegance and refinement the major hallmarks. Yet with evolving time in the glass, the aromas dazzle even more and bedazzle the senses. Peach melon, a swirl of butterscotch and fresh figs all make their presence felt. The acidity and overall structure however along with subtle lineal spicy oak add overall to its gravitas and poise, ensuring one does not dominate another. Long smooth supple and luxuriant in mouthfeel, the length is so distinct in its counterbalance of flavour and structure and finish. Beautiful drinking and value plus. Try this with lobster mornay. nb This will be released in October 2010.
$38. Drink to 2015. 13.5%. 96-97/100 – Superb/ Exceptional.
Dominique Portet Gippsland Pinot Noir 2009
This is stunning Pinot Noir, one of the best I have tried in ages. I couldn’t tell you the last one I had that smelt and tasted this good. Everything in it just comes together so well. Balance, style and finesse all in one. Fresh strawberries, light rhubarb, invigorating cherries, spicy cinnamon, rose petals and truffle. A clear fruit focus however yet with a spicy edginess, measured subtle oak, light right tannins, a seamless delivery but all in line and sync with continuing flowing stunning Pinot aromas. Ben and Dominique Portet take a bow, this is a classic Pinot Noir in every sense.
About $40. 13.0%. Drink to 2016. 95/100 – Superb.
Little Yering Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2005
Grown and bottled by Yering Station in the Yarra Valley, the blending of the varieties is just oh so spot on. Everything stands out varietally but the synergy of the three delivers a classic blend that is so delicious, food friendly and hits the mark on the drinkability stakes. Moreish, fulsome and lineal in palate delivery, the velvety pluminess tantalises along with blackcurrants and blueberries, this is a bobby dazzler of a red and value plus at that. Try it with thin crusted pizza, prosciutto and mushroom.
About $19. Drink Now. Alc 14.5%. 91/100 – Excellent.
Kay Brothers Amery Basket Pressed Mataro 2008
I like the way this red comes across in an elegant and considered way not as in your face style, but indeed a drinking experience where restraint and a slow release of emerging characters and flavours is the modus operandi here. The savoury fruit dimension rather than sweet ripe warm dark fruit focus is what stands out here. Sure cherries, plums and blackberries make their primary fruit presence felt but they are intermingled with liquorice, dried herbs and coffee oak, seamlessly imparted lineally, not liqueury but ever so slowly and unwindingly so all the way to the end. Very decent drinking at the price. Try it with lamb stew.
Drink to 2018. 15.0%. 93/100- Excellent.
Postcode 2587 Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
What I like about this wine is its immediate appeal and overall drinkability. Its youthfulness counterbalances very well with a sense of palate maturity on the other hand. Classic robust spicy plums and black fruits come through the aromas, countenanced with liquorice, aniseed and dark chocolate. Polished, delicious and pure and spicy and developing to its core roots as Cabernet, I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this red that originates from Kingsvale in the Hilltops region of South West NSW. Made by Rhys Eather of Meerea Park fame, it delivers on all levels. Try with osso buco.
14.5%. About $22. Drink to 2013. 91/100 – Excellent.
Water Wheel Memsie Shiraz Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
I know we talk up consistency, value and quality quite a lot in the world of wine but Water Wheel really represents these principles, time and time again with its range ofwines that are predictably good, well priced and taste like you expect them to. This red Bendigo blend full of classic berry fruit is no exception. Well blended it is dominant Shiraz but the other two red varietals have done their supporting role jobs as well. It drinks a treat.
Those around me left half a glass for me so that I could validate their ooo’s and arrr’s about this affordable and obviously decent Savvy Blanc. No surprises as the De Bortoli’s have been doing this price and quality thing for so long with their wines and even the ones at the lower end of their range still elicits this response. Classic and varietal as well as deliciously drinking, yeh, I can tell what the fuss was about.
Miles From Nowhere Cabernet Merlot 2007 All around me who tasted this at dinner last night commented how smooth balanced and well integrated it was. No surprises given the blending of two classic grape varietals and the purity of the source of the fruit from the renowned Cabernet of the Margaret River. Miles from Nowhere is a relatively new kid on the MR block but the quality consistency across the range and the affordable price of its wines, is going to make it a winery to watch out for. I liked the medium bodiedness of the wine and how it went overall with a range of different food. Oh and viva the Aussie red blend I say. Looking up the price, I see the 08 vintage is now out there which is also probably a sad indictment of how long it takes for me to get around tasting some wines. At $15, it is certainly up there on the list of summer quaffing red.
Bendigo Shiraz is so underrated IMO. I like the way this one makes a statement about its regionality in way that you know will be consistently replicated year in year out. Consistency, regionality, varietal style and quality are all hard things to find in a wine but Turners Crossing is one of those labels, that delivers on all these fronts. Sergio Carlei is the winemaker, Paul Jenkins the owner. The Viognier at 4% makes the blend more pure smooth soft and seamless without affecting the integrity of the wine. The Shiraz characters remain loyal and true. Think blackberries, spicy plums, cherries and blueberries. Concentrated, impressive and stylishly put together, this is a distinctive wine that makes its statement well as a good each bet of drink now, cellar for ten years option. The smoothness and integration of the oak, make it so drink worthy now, the tannins and good solid structure, a longer term hedge. Nice winemaking here folks. And at a value price.
Food Match: grilled pork chops. Alc: 14.8% (seamless though). Price: About $25. Cellar: Now to 2014. Rating: 93/100- Excellent.
Lenton Brae Southside Chardonnay 2008
Ed Tomlinson is the winemaker of this respectable well crafted Margaret River Chardonnay. I love the judicious use of oak, there is new and old in this but it is done so beautifully and the way that the fruit does all the talking yet not so much so that it dominates the conversation, really gets my attention. Light, delicate and fragrant, the aromas are entrancing and charming. Classic nectarine, tangy lemon and melon subsume the senses, with style and grace and deliver onto the palate. Delightful drinking with soft acidity and a light creamy finish that adds to the experience. I think the balance is post on and that’s what really captivates you all the way through. Oh and for around $20, this is value drinking. Good work Ed!
Food Match: bruschetta. 13.5%. Drink: Now to 2013. Rating: 91-92/100 – Excellent.
Tyrrell’s Wines Belford Semillon 2004
Dry grown on the Elliot family vineyard. Brilliantly clear lemon yellow. Complex, vibrant, spicy and attractive on the nose with a glorious intense long ranging set of classic Semillon aromas. A stylish white wine results developing well on one hand yet with the retaining of youthfulness despite its 5 years of age. Medium dry with a lovely mouth feel on the palate, it is ample bodied Semillon, but with no oak and yet it delivers those classic Hunter varietal and regional features. Lemon, limes, grapefruit and apples all make their presence felt. A toastiness still supports in there with the fruit line, along as well with crisp acidity on the finish. This is still in its veritable youth and has ages of cellaring capacity on it. It also has a stack of respectable labels on the bottle for its awards, ones that based on its current drinking, it well and truly deserves.
Food Match: grilled barramundi. Drink: Now to 2014. Alc: 11.0%. Price: About $30. Rating: 93/100 – Excellent.
Robert Stein Riesling 2009
This is up there in the top quality Riesling stakes. From the Mudgee region ofNSW, Robert Stein has crafted this beautifully drinking Riesling that is spot on in all of its dimensions. Classic pure lime cordial, aromatically ripe yet with enough soft refreshing crisp acidity to really set it self off and show off all its attributes. A creamy delicious finish just adds to all the good things about this Riesling. The bottle emptied around me in remarkably quick time, which is always a pretty good indicator of quality, and at this price, it won’t break the bank either. Estate grown and produced at the winery at Mudgee.
This NV sparkling bubbly from the Orlando stable comes across quite decently, at this affordable price. Multi-grape and multi-region – this is a cuvee blend well and truly. The wine snobs might have this written off because of it being mass produced and in the under $10 price however I reckon its worth is well above this and it delivers well in the value stakes. Quite delicate fruit, light tight soft bubbles I wrote but definitely fruit focussed along with a freshness and liveliness. A touch of the fruit sweetness carries then through to a delicious set of lightly creamy flavours – think lemon and tropical fruits, and a lovely overall smoothness. Indeed a couple of bottles of this would not go astray at your Melbourne Cup function this year, as part of some celebratory stimulus, one that wont break the bank.
Food Match: Babaganoush dip and water crackers. Drink: Now. Alc: 11.5%. Price: About $8. Rating: 87/100 – Good.
Miles From Nowhere Chardonnay 2008
The great thing, well one of them, about wine writing is discovering something new from somewhere far away that really does it for you not in an over the top grandiose way but rather in terms of a simple but very good winemaking sense. This Chardonnay from the Margaret River, fulfils today’s wine writing joy for me. This is excellent Chardonnay made very well at a very decent price from a boutique winery in one of the few places in Australia that can claim to make top shelf Chardonnay – the Margaret River. Yes boys and girls I really like this white wine. And at this price, you can try it out for yourself to see if it gives you a similar buzz. Folks, put this winery on the winery watch list – you heard it here first. I love this Chardonnay at all its levels – varietal, regional, balance, fruit style, drinkability and price – no, it’s not worth 100 points but seriously it just comes together in all its dimensions really well and delivers big-time on the QPR. Fruit, oak, acidity, length and balance all in sync is my tasting note, no leave me alone to have another few glasses – no further comment – try and enjoy!
Food Match: Chicken and mango salad. Drink: Now. Alc 13.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: About $15. Rating: 92/100 – Excellent.
Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Red 2007
What I like about Brokenwood is they are prepared to source the grapes for their wines, from where-ever in Australia they can and want to, to deliver the wine making goods. This Cricket Pitch is a dominant Cabernet blend with a fair bit of Merlot and a good dash of Shiraz. It is also a solely South Australian sourced blend with grapes from Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek and frankly whoever put this blend together really knew what they were doing. The synergy of the varieties is just spot on and right on the mark. The Cricket Pitch is not a wine you are going to cellar for years, indeed drink it throughout this summer and its medium bodied balanced drinkability will make it a nice fit as your house red, with an array of warm climate cuisine. Cricket Pitch is about fun and enjoyment, catching up with friends, sunshine, barbeques and the beach – it is an outdoorsy style of wine. I enjoyed the berry fruit aromatics its vibrancy, the smooth fruit all which lingers deliciously and with a light spice that tantalises.
Schild Estate is a Barossa boutique winery that impresses me consistently with its value for money wines that are so highly drinkable. This one is no exception. Dedicated to Alma Schild, the Schild matriarch, this is a very worthy Chardonnay that emanates from estate grown fruit on the Three Springs Farm vineyard. The aromas are just classic peach melon Chardonnay - light and invigorating. A light creaminess then envelopes the senses, tantalising and seducing you every so slowly, delightfully so to try the wine. All things are restrained at this time, with a certain understatedness. The oak is there but not making itself out to be anything strong and heavy. The acidity is soft and supporting of the fruit. Indeed it is the balance, the poise and the overall elegance of this Chardonnay is what impresses both at the front end when enjoying the aromas and at the final end when enjoying the long smooth creamy luxuriant flavours on the palate.
Food Match: Oven baked chicken breast, wrapped in prosciutto. Drink: 2009 to 2013. Alcohol: 14.0%. Price: About $20. Rating: 94/100 - Excellent
Balgownie Estate Black Label Chardonnay 2007
The softness and smoothness of this Yarra Valley Chardonnay is just stunning. As my readers would know I harp and harp on about balance and drinkability and folks may I say this Chardonnay has loads of it. And it has that classic nectarine, melon with underlying citriosity to it with a fine delicate acidic backbone that doesn’t distract from the fruit. The oak is smooth totally integrated and seamless. It drinks every so smoothly on the palate, lightly delicately creamy, but without any overbearing richness, the oak again is in sync and lineal rather than making any form of discernable presence, the fruit is doing all the talking here – pure elegant and with finesse. A warning – this is dangerously easy drinking folks – you will look at the bottle after a seeming glass or two and say who drank the rest ! Try this with seafood risotto – it will not disappoint!.
Drink To 2012. About $25. Alc 13.5%. 94/100 – Excellent, verging on Superb.
