Aussie Wines!

Now THIS is an interesting concept!

OK, so Primo Estate is a winery in the heart of McLaren Vale owned and run by Roseworthy Dux Joe Grilli and his wife Dina. They do some amazing wines including reds, whites, a great sticky and a killer sparkling red in a bottle that’s so big it doesn’t fit ANYWHERE. PLUS (caps overdose) some amazing olive oils. If you see the Primo Estate or Joseph labels, just buy them, you really can’t go wrong.

One of the wines they make under the Primo Estate label is the Shiraz Sangiovese blend called Il Briccone, which sells for about $23 and is a decent drop… grab it anytime you’re having Italian food and send me adoring e-mails for recommending it to you.

But that’s not this wine.

I dropped into Primo with a good friend in January this year and discovered this Tuscan drop. I’d never heard of it. It took me a second to piece it together, but it’s the same blend as the Il Briccone (Shiraz and Sangiovese) made by the same winemaker, but using grapes from Italy rather than Australia. Put the two wines side by side and it’s amazing.

The Aussie wine is a little richer while the Italian drop is a little more earthy. Both are decent wines, but the Tuscan stands out a little more than Il Briccone. A lovely spicy nose from the Shiraz (but quite restrained) with a bit of subtle cherry in the background and some well integrated cedary characteristics, but you really have to search for those. A rich mouthfeel with a slightly dusty, drying finish. Put it with pasta or anything from that neck of the woods and you’ll be a happy chappy. 90 points

Want some? Good luck finding it. It sold out quite quickly, which is a shame because I wanted some for my customers (snooze-lose philosophy at play). However, keep an eye out for future releases of the wine. To stay informed, sign up to their mailing list (check their website).

A good way to find new vineyards is to go into wine territory and ask around.  When I was in the Barossa, a number of people mentioned Murray Street Vineyards but I just ran out of time to check them out.

When I made it back to Sydney, I got in touch with their distributor (Haviland Wines) and was fortunate enough to receive some samples to try, including the 2006 “The Barossa” Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre and Cinsault blend from 06 and the 2006 Shiraz.

Made by Andrew Seppelt (a rather famous name in the Barossa), I can see why the wines are getting a bit of acclaim and they’re certainly quite drinkable.

The Barossa Blend has a decent rich colour, a hint of mint on the nose hiding behind some ripe berry flavours and then a surprising whack of sweetness on the end of it.  It’s certainly a decent wine and will appeal to those who like wines with that bit of sweetness to them, but generally those people don’t really like to spend too much on wine and this wine is $30ish, so I’m not quite convinced that they’re worth that.  Having said that, if you’re trying to impress someone, shell out $30 on a wine that she’ll like and you’ll look good doing it. 88 points

The Shiraz is a bit more interesting, almost elegant for a Barossa.  This elegance is a direct result of the vintage conditions, where they had a series of heatwaves in January and February (the ripening season) which isn’t entirely great for wines and meant slow ripening and some vegetative growth (hence the mint in the Blend). However, they have a great structure to them (the ones I’ve tasted recently anyway) and will cellar well. With this one, it’s certainly very drinkable and a great all-round wine, but it seems to lack a distinctive Barossa element to it. Look, you can belt it down really easily and enjoy it. And, quite amazingly, it holds the 15% alcohol level really really well - you wouldn’t even know it’s that high from the taste. 89 points

They’re decent wines from a difficult vintage and the Shiraz has won some nice awards, including a Blue Gold (judged with food) at the Sydney International Wine Competition, but I’d love to see them from a great vintage to see what they can really come out with.

You have to love people with a sense of humour.  I’d been hearing a lot about the Lethbridge wines from one of my sales reps (James - genuinely nice bloke) and hadn’t had a chance to try any of them, so when I saw this I picked it up for around $27ish.

They make quite a few wines, including the Ménage range (eg the Pinot is called Ménage a Noir… cute).  This is the Shiraz, which is also known as Syrah just about everywhere else in the wine world apart from Australia.  Sourced from Geelong, it’s not a bad little drop.

It’s surprising that it’s 14.5% alcohol because it almost tastes cool in your mouth, similar to the feeling you get when you have a mint, with a nice freshness but without the minty taste.

Deep inky colour. You’ll find a lifted, floral nose that is very fresh and attractive. On the tongue, it’s got some quite intense very dark berry fruits with a touch of tar and perhaps some licorice. Good value, easy drinking, but you need to give it just a little bit of time to open up, so a quick decanting will help. For 14.5%, it certainly doesn’t feel hot in the mouth. There’s a slight, drying tannin to the finish, but it’s nothing to worry about.

All in all, it’s a good wine that is easy to drink and decent value. 89 points

Bendigo is in Central Victoria, about 150 k’s North of Melbourne. Originally a scene of the Australian Gold Rush days, it’s now proving to be a pretty decent area for wine too. It’s mostly famous for the reds of the region, especially Shiraz that can be quite intense.

Balgownie Estate was established in 1969 and was one of the first in the region. The first Shiraz was made in 1972. I picked this one up for $35 and am quite impressed with the value for money.

It’s a deep red in colour, still with a purple edge. That purple colour often indicates a youthful wine that may not be ready to drink yet, but that’s not the case here.

On the nose you’ll find rich red berry fruit, fairly intense without being overpowering and just a touch of spice. The use of oak is quite restrained, so you won’t find a load of vanilla there.

In the mouth, it’s pleasant and about as refreshing as a red wine can be… the 14% alcohol is very well handled and really doesn’t stand out at all. You may also find a flavour in there that reminds you of licorice. The wine is well balanced with just a dash of drying tannin on the back, but literally just a dash, not much at all. There’s a slightly sweeter finish that you’d expect too, but it’s a good thing. I quite like it and I think it’s a great Shiraz for those who don’t want a huge Barossa number or for those who are drinking Shiraz with someone who doesn’t want a hugely oaked or intensely peppered Shiraz. Drink now if you like, but you can get a few more years out of it… although it doesn’t need it. 91 points

Scotchman’s Hill was established in 1982 on the Bellarine Peninsula. Don’t know where that is? Have a look at the map below. This bay is known as Port Phillip Bay, with Melbourne on the northern shore. The land on the west is the Bellarine Peninsula, including Geeling, while the land on the east is known as the Mornington Peninsula (also famous for wine).

This region of the wine world is known for Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay in particular, although some Shiraz is also starting to show up that is of fantastic quality too, although being a cool climate region, the accentuated pepper of these wines isn’t to everyone’s taste. However, some of them are doing really well on the show circuit.

Famous wineries in this area include Paringa Estate, By Farr, Farr Rising, Stonier, Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate, Carlei and Prancing Horse, Moorooduc, Yabby Lake, Lethbridge and Clyde Park, amongst many others. Scotchman’s Hill is also a very recognised label, making top notch wines such as the single vineyard Sutton’s Vineyard Chardonnay and Norfolk Vineyard Pinot Noir, going for about $75ish.

After the single vineyard wines, you’ll find the Cornelius wines, then the Scotchman’s Hill wines (such as this one, for about $37), then the Swan Bay label, and finally The Hill wines. They’re all quite decent and you shouldn’t hesitate to try any of them.

So, this Pinot… it certainly has some vibrancy and some great structure to it, with a lively acid and unmistakable Pinot characters of cherry, spice and perhaps a bit of lighter plum flavours… the winery even suggests beetroot, but I don’t think that’s the best selling point for a wine that you’ll ever hear. There’s a certain earthiness to it, without going over the top. Defintely a decent wine and worth drinking, although it might need another year to let the acid die down a bit to make it much more approachable. All in all, a great drop to put with a dish with a lot of flavour… listen to something lively while drinking it, it’ll certainly get your tastebuds going. 91 points.

One of my favourite wineries sent me some samples the other day.  They’re under the label Cigale, which is French for cicada.  I haven’t yet worked out why they went with that name, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

$20 seems to be the entry-level price point for Barossa Shiraz, and that’s the case with this wine.  Compared to Shiraz from regions other than the Barossa, this punches above its weight in terms of value for money.  Compared to other $20 Shiraz from the Barossa, this is still quite a good wine, relatively elegant without being jammy.  Search a bit and you can find better, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this wine.

Deep purple in colour, indicating a youthful wine.  I find the nose relatively closed and I think decanting would help bring out some of the more subtle elements of the wine.  It’s very easy to drink and quite well balanced, with the 14.6% alcohol not causing any noticeable heat.  A signature perfumed nose from this producer, darker berries, plums and spicy raspberry, it’s a nice drop for the money and a very good Barossa Shiraz for the money.  Look hard and you can find better, but you won’t kick this one out of bed.

90 points

I spent a day with Kym Teusner and the team (special thanks to Dave Brookes) a couple of weekends ago. It was a miserable old day but jesus we tasted some good wines, including some barrel samples of some upcoming bits and pieces too. I’ll write more about those hopefully sometime this week.

This wine is their entry-level red, coming from the Riebke family vineyards up in the northern part of the Barossa. It used to be called the Ebenezer Road Shiraz, but Constellation Wines (used to be Hardy’s) have started to kick up a stink since Barossa Valley Estate uses that term on their labels and is trying to claim a copyright… which, of course, is just a whole bunch of high-priced lawyers trying to justify their high-pricedness. To be diplomatic, Kym has changed the label to read Northern Barossa Shiraz instead.

For a $20ish Shiraz, this one is one of the best around. Great fruit from a family-owned vineyard results in a rich plummy red, with an incredibly dark purple colour. Sure, you can drink it now if you like, but you might like to buy up and give it a bit of time to open up. 92 points.

Kym puts the quality of this wine down to the quality of the fruit, which is a pretty simple formula, but many winemakers go on about minimalist winemaking techniques and letting the fruit do the talking, which is exactly what he does here. A great buy.

I’ve always been a fan of Jasper Hill.  The Laughtons were early producers in the Heathcote region, originally with two vineyards, Emily’s Paddock and Georgia’s Paddock, named after their kids.  Emily’s is mostly Shiraz with a bit of Cabernet Franc while Georgia’s is Shiraz, Riesling and even a bit of Nebbiolo.  These days Cornella’s Vineyard has joined the mix, with a Grenache first produced in 2004.  They produce bugger all wine, only a few thousand cases, and the wines aren’t cheap.  Emily’s Shiraz/Cab Franc (French oak) will set you back over $100 while Georgia’s Shiraz (American oak) is around $80.  The Georgia’s Riesling is about $35-40, so not cheap for a Riesling either.  All vineyards are treating according to organic/biodynamic principles, with minimal winemaker/viticulturalist intervention (including not using Phylloxera-resistant root stock, which is an interesting move).  Their philosophy is that the wines are natural products and their intervention should be minimal.

The reds are particularly difficult to get.  These days, their daughter Emily is making wine with the family… keep an eye out for Occam’s Razor (I will upload my review of that wine soon).  All of the reds are quite typical of Heathcote, quite concentrated and brooding flavours, needing time to settle.

So how is the Riesling?  Well, there’s no missing that it’s a Riesling, with a lovely limey citrus nose, but without the piercing acidity of Clare.  There’s almost something a little creamy to it, with a pleasing viscosity on the palate and a mouthwatering finish without that zesty acid, although it’s certainly evident.  So, if you’re after something that isn’t going to cause reflux all night, then perhaps this is the way to go.  With the complexity on the palate, you might want to put it with food… drinking it by itself might fill you up! 92 points

I picked this baby up from one of my regular bottle shops for $25, just after a nice juicy Shiraz to go with steak.  It’s certainly done the job!

The Sorrento label is made by Serafino wines, by Serafino (Steve) Maglieri.  Does the name sound familiar?  You may have heard of Maglieri wines, a label that he made famous and then sold to one of the big boys.

Steve is famous for his Cabernet Sauvignon, having won a few very prestigious awards for it (check out serafinowines.com.au for all that info).  He started pruning vines and ended up as one of Australia’s more talented winemakers.  As Paul Kelly would sing: from little things, big things grow.

Steve makes four ranges at this winery, the top-shelf Serafino Sharktooth range, the standard Serafino range, the Sorrento labels and the Goose Island wines.  There isn’t a lot of detail about the different labels on the website, so I can’t tell you all that much.  What I DO know is that, for the price, this Sorrento label is looking pretty nice.

You’ll taste typical dark chocolate McLaren flavours, loads of cloves and spices and rich flavours of plum, with just a little heat from 14.5% alcohol and juicy berry flavours in the background, including ripe cherries.  It’s a fruit driven wine (that is, there’s little evidence of oak or other winemaker intervention), without being overly fruity.  It’s certainly gulpable and you shouldn’t hesitate to put this in a glass. 91 points.

Orlando is one of Australia’s biggest companies, responsible for the famous Jacob’s Creek label, as well as Steingarten Riesling, Jacaranda Ridge, St Hugo, Trilogy and the Lawson’s Shiraz. Recently, they’ve downplayed the Orlando name and instead focussed on Jacob’s Creek, so instead of seeing Orlando Steingarten Riesling, you see Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling. The aim of all of this is to entice international buyers, particularly in big markets like the UK, to drink the more expensive wines considering that they know the cheaper Jacob’s Creek brand. Personally, I think it’s a shame because, in my mind anyway, they’re reducing the value of the famous brands, but then I don’t get paid the big bucks to make those decisions.

Anyway, on to this wine. Lawson’s is from a region in South Australia called Padthaway, on the Limestone Coast, south of Adelaide. It is a recognised wine region, but always seems to be in the shadow of the neighbouring Coonawarra region. Named after an early patron of Padthaway, Robert Lawson, this wine comes from relatively youngish Shiraz vines (33 years old). Don’t get me wrong, they’re not incredibly young vines by any standard, but compared to some of the old gnarly bastards in other areas that go back over a century or so, they’re not old. The grapes for this wine are only taken from one vineyard.

Now, this wine is 11 years old at the time of opening, but it’s still got a long way to go in the cellar. It’s incredibly deep in colour and really quite rich on the nose and palate. Very intense bugger, this one. On the nose, you’ll notice that this wine has seen loads of oak with spicy plum and vanilla odours, loads of chocolate and coffee odours and a dash of mint for good measure. On the palate, it’s pretty much exactly the same with drying tannins that still need time to settle down. Add in a bit of cigar box/cedary characters and you’ve got the idea. This isn’t a wine, it’s an experience! Hell of a drop that still needs time in the cellar to let the tannins die down a little more. 96 points.

Over the years, Lawson’s has won 23 trophies and 134 gold medals, according to their website… I can see why.