Aussie Wines!

When you think about Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia, the two major regions are the Limestone Coast (Coonawarra, Padthaway, etc) and Margaret River, with a few producers in Victoria making names for themselves too. I’ve also come across some beautiful Barossa takes on Cabernet too.

In 1965, Dr John Gladstone published a paper about the viability of Margaret River as a wine region. He had noticed the similarities in climate to Bordeaux and Margaret River has become famous for Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends in whites and Cabernet Merlot (and similar, see below) blends in reds, which are the styles made in Bordeaux. Today, famous Cabernet producers in the region include Cullen, Vasse Felix, Leeuwin Estate, Pierro and Moss Wood.

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot (although the exact blend changes from year to year). Along with Cabernet Franc and Carmenere, all of these grapes are genetically related, are present in Bordeaux blends to some extent and blend together quite well. You’re looking for blackberry, blackcurrant, plum and mulberry flavours. They’re often quite delicate styles, particularly when made from cooler climate regions. Some describe Cabernet and its cousins as the royal family of grapes. When they are made well, Cabernet blends can age for decades.

So, this wine is from one of the Margaret River’s most famous Cabernet producers and will set you back around $35-40ish. It’s quite youthful, still with a lovely purple edge to it indicating you could age it for awhile if you wanted, perhaps even 10 years. You’ll pick up notes of mulberry, plums, a touch of vanilla from the oak and perhaps even a little bit of tobacco, but it’s all lovely and elegant rather than overpowering. It has a nice fullish body to it, very soft and velvety and quite slurpable. The flavour hangs around for awhile (nice length) and you might even get a touch of cedar on the aftertaste, also from the oak.

All in all, Amy tastes good! At this price, it’s worth buying a few and putting them in the cellar, but it certainly drinks well at the moment too so you can put them on the table for a nice dinner with some friends and everyone will enjoy it. 91 points.

I’d never heard of these guys and a Google search shows up nothing, but one of the boys at the shop was particularly excited when this wine became available and bought three cases to sell. The reason will become clear in a moment.

Rise is a partnership between two blokes (and I can’t find any information on who they are) who wanted their own vineyard. They’re based in the Clare Valley, the home of Riesling in Australia. The back label has an intriguing reference thanking “The Reverend Riesling”. It took me less than half a second to work out that The Reverend Riesling is none other than Mr Grosset, Australia’s most famous Riesling producer. So it looks like these guys have done well for themselves.

When I first opened up the bottle, some really interesting floral odours flew up my nose… you could almost confuse this with Gewurztraminer, but that’s mostly because it’s really young. Hints of green capsicum, touches of honey and a beautiful acid are evident on the nose. On the palate you’ll find a very intense citrus and grapefruit kind of flavour going on, with a lively acid dancing over your tastebuds and a lovely viscosity too. It’s a beautiful dry style, although a lot of people will pass over any Riesling because they think it’s sweet, which in my mind is a shame.

For $22ish, this wine has a lot happening. I want to see this wine again in a couple of months, if there’s still any left, to see how it has settled down in the bottle. I’d highly suggest buying half a dozen bottles of this and aging them if you can, as they’ll develop more complexity and taste frigging awesome then too. A word of warning though, don’t serve it too cold! You’ll miss half of the beautiful aromatics to it.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris/Grigio with this much flavour, complexity and mouth-watering fruit anywhere near this price. 93 points

Ah Noble One. Ask anyone what the most famous Australian dessert wine is and they’ll almost always tell you it’s Noble One. For those who don’t know, it’s called a Noble wine because the grapes are affected by a fungus called Noble Rot (Botrytis Cinerea), which sucks the water out of the grapes, resulting in a higher sugar content in the grapes prior to fermentation. This means that you can ferment that sugar into a nice amount of alcohol and still have some left over to give you a sweeter style. These wines also are a bit more viscous or thick. Add viscosity and sugar together and you realise why dessert wines are called “stickies”.

So, Noble One comes from grapes in the Riverina area of NSW, which is down south. Generally, this region produces relatively poor wine, often going into casks. It’s not often you see Riverina on a label and go “ooh, better buy that one, this’ll be GOOD!” In fact, it’s not often you see Riverina on a label at all.

However, this wine is proof that decent wine can come from regions that might otherwise be seen as ordinary. Made from Semillon, the wine has a lovely golden colour, with loads of tropical fruits on the nose, passionfruit, pineapple, etc. A nice sweetness to it and perhaps some marmaladey characters, this isn’t as sweet as you’d expect. It’s not sickly sweet anyway, everything seems nicely restrained and well balanced. Great with dessert.

It was originally labelled as a Sauternes when it was released in 1982. They can’t use that terminology any more because the French got a little bit pissed off about using their regional names. However, that’s what a Sauternes is, it’s a dessert wine made in the same way from that particular region of France.

Every single vintage of this wine has won at least one trophy and who knows how many gold medals. It will age well and develop a darker colour, resulting in much more intense fruit flavours, getting closer to muscat in flavour and intensity. In fact, when Kevin Rudd chose to give Pope Benedict the Billionth some Australian wine on his visit recently, he chose this wine. Surely that says something. 94 points for the 2006 vintage. A half bottle will set you back about $35ish.

I met Marco Cirillo a couple of years ago over dinner at a place called Vintner’s Bar and Grill in the Barossa. I hadn’t heard a thing about his wines because at the time, he was quite a new producer and his wine hadn’t been on the market for more than a year.

But he’d been involved in the wine industry all of his life. His family tends some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world (see the picture below). These vines were planted in the 1850’s, making them over 150 years old. There might be a vineyard or two in Spain with older vines, but no one’s proven anything anyway so let’s just claim the record here, shall we?

Of course, vines like this get a lot of attention. Marco had been selling his grapes to the team at Torbreck, who have been doing some pretty amazing things with wine too. But after awhile, he decided to work on the vines himself, literally in his family’s back shed. And he’s had some fantastic results.

Marco Cirillo's 150+ year old Grenache vines

Now, as vines get older, they produce much less fruit, but the stuff that comes out is usually pretty incredible, with much more flavour than younger vines. Plus the vines have lived through 150 or so previous vintages so they’ve seen it all and can stand up to some of the harshest vintage conditions around.

Now, Grenache is usually produced in one of two ways. Some have bubblegum type characters and can be relatively sweet. Others are more earthy, with nice ripe fruit flavours without being super sweet. This is definitely the latter.

When you pour it into your glass, the wine doesn’t look as dark and brooding as many intense Barossa Grenaches. This is because the vines are planted on sandy soil, which from memory is only about 3 metres deep - you tend to get less colour from vines on these types of soils. So you’re left thinking that this isn’t going to be a massive wine.

So stick your nose into the glass… it’s rich and intense, lots of lovely brooding dry fruits on the nose. Amazingly for a 16.5% wine, it doesn’t smell or taste hot, although at least one prominent wine critic will tell you that the alcohol could be balanced better. I disagree and I am usually quite susceptible to unbalanced alcohol levels (eg the Evans and Tate Reserve Shiraz, 2004). I also think that perhaps this wine goes best with food, particularly things like a nice lasagna, or anything Mediterranean really. If you’re worried about the alcohol, then put it with food. Also, at 16.5%, it’ll help you on the road to a successful date… particularly since every person I’ve shared a bottle of this with has raved about it to their friends.

So, Grenache is a wine that a lot of people don’t understand, usually because they’ve tried a cheaper one and thought it was too sweet or too different. But if you like Shiraz, then you’ll certainly like this wine and I would urge everyone to try it. The price of $55 might rule a few people out, but if you ever see a bottle, try it and let me know what you think. 94 points.

I’m very fortunate to have a relationship with the team at Spinifex. Over the last year, we’ve started selling the Spinifex wines in the shop and they’ve been a revelation for my customers and for me. And then the reviews started pouring in… Penguin Winery of the Year, Penguin Wine of the Year (for the 06 Esprit), Pete Schell is one of the finalists for Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year… and many more.

Now, how can a $30 wine pick up wine of the year? Well, try it and tell me what you think. The only problem is that it’s not that easy to find in retailers because they mainly sell to restaurants. There are a few select bottle shops that they deal with scattered around the country.

So, the wine. The easiest way to think of it is as a Rhone blend, so it has Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre in there… plus it has some Cinsault and Carignan in there too. You might not know much about those grapes, but you don’t really need to either. The exact blend changes from year to year depending on which grapes actually turned out well, since different grapes flourish in different weather conditions.

So you’re looking for a lovely spicy nose, with an amazing perfumed essence to it. This perfumed nose is something I’m noticing more and more from the newer Barossa producers, in particular Pete Schell, Sparky Marquis and Chris Ringland. Sure, it’s a 2007 and quite young, but a quick run through the decanter will open it up and reveal some of the more beautiful aspects on the nose too. All the lovely cherry and plum flavours shine through and bewitch your senses.

Then on to the palate. It’s not one of those massive, over the top Barossa styles that we’ve been seeing a lot of over the last 5 years or so… it’s a bit more restrained in body but still full flavoured. Quite intense fruit flavours, bits of spice too. The flavour hangs around for awhile too. Put it with a decent steak, or roast lamb with a rosemary gravy… the perfect match. My personal favourite wine from my current favourite producer. 96 points

I’ve always been a fan of Dean Hewitson’s wines. He has made some fantastic Shiraz, including the L’Oiseau, the Mad Hatter and this one. Plus he has a Mourvedre from some very old vines, amongst a few other bits and pieces. All are great value and well worth buying when you see them.

This one is no exception. From a particular vineyard on the eastern side of the Barossa, with gullies either side. Winds sweep up over the vineyard, reducing temperature in an otherwise warm region.

The colour is dark, inky and still has a purple tinge to it 4 years from vintage. You stick your nose in there and it’s unmistakably Shiraz, with that lovely peppery, spicy nose. Hints of plum and darker fruits going on too, but it’s mostly pepper and spice. Then you take a sip. It’s surprisingly rich for its $25ish price point. Slightly sour plum flavours, dark cherries… then you swallow and you get a whole whack of sweet raspberry on the finish. The alcohol is right up there, 15%, but this certainly doesn’t taste hot at all. The tannins are also extremely well integrated and the oak, also while present, doesn’t cloud the beautiful fruit that shines through this wine.

Great value and well worth picking up, I’m glad I bought this one tonight, just what I needed after a difficult week! 92 points

You know, if I could make wine anywhere in Australia, I’d definitely choose the Barossa. I try to get there as often as I can to check out wines from my favourite region… and yet I’d never heard of these guys until a mate gave me a bottle to try. This wine comes in at around $20 a bottle.

From what I can tell, the Kurtz Family Vineyards grow the grapes that go into this wine… but I can’t find any record of a cellar door and I’ve never seen anything about them when I’ve been in the Barossa, so I was interested to try this and see what it’s like.

The first thing that I noticed was that the use of oak was really quite evident on the nose and even more so on the palate. I prefer my oak a little more integrated into the wine, rather than sticking out like dog’s balls, but it’s not unpleasant at all and it’s certainly not like you’ll get splinters in your mouth drinking this. The wine goes into a mixture of old and new American and French oak, so it’s not surprising that the oak is evident, particularly with the use of American oak, which results in a strong vanilla flavour.

Don’t get me wrong, the wine is certainly drinkable. The nose exhibits that sweet oak and fruit on the nose, while the palate is dense with an almost buttery aftertaste. The tannins could also be better integrated into the wine, as they dry out the mouth after swallowing (or spitting, whatever turns you on)… and I think that the wine will fall apart before the tannins become a bit more tolerable.

So look, I have my gripes about the wine, with the oak and tannins being a bit too obvious for my liking. There are certainly worse wines for $20, but I can’t see myself ordering this one again when there are also many better choices. Having said that, I’d love to look at another vintage of this because I think they have more to offer. 84 points

(Originally written February 2007)

In this case, I’m going to write about the winery, rather than an individual wine, because they’re all outstanding.

When a number of the leading wine writers in Australia were asked which winemakers to keep an eye on over the next few years, most of them mentioned Troy Kalleske. The Kalleske family have been growing grapes for five generations, but it took Troy, the sixth generation to be involved in the family business to actually set up a winery and start making wine under the Kalleske label. With all of that grape growing experience, it’s not surprising that they are working with premium grapes and making spectacular wine.

My favourite are these three reds, but they also make one other red in very very limited supply and a quirky white blend also available, not to mention a dessert wine.

Clarry’s Red Blend - $22

80% grenache, 20% shiraz, this wine is full bodied with a lot of fruit sweetness from the grenache. A high alcohol number which will go with some richer dishes. Osso bucco anyone?

Old Vine Grenache - $45

Another high octane number, 15.5%. Don’t take it out to dinner if you plan on driving home! The old vines mean low yielding fruit, more complex and structured flavours and a certain “wow” factor. If you’ve never tried grenache, or have only tried the quite sweet grenache styles of some producers, then this is worth a go to see just what everyone is raving about.

Greenock Shiraz - $45

Named after the nearby village. Sitting at 15.0%, it’s a big rich juicy number, with lashings of American and French oak. It’s one of those numbers that needs cellaring, but you can drink it now if you like. All of the grapes are sourced from a single vineyard, with cuttings dating back to the 1800’s. Buy it,thank me later.

All are wines from one of the most exciting prospects in the Australian wine industry.

(Originally written February 2007)

Now we all know that Coonawarra is famous for cabernet sauvignon, but what about cabernet’s cousin? Cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot and malbec are all related and are used in Bordeaux blends, so it’s not surprising to see similar blends appear from the Australian cabernet heartland. The Cluny is a fantastic example of what Australian winemakers can do with those grapes and shows why Zema Estate is one of the more famous brands from Coonawarra.

The resulting wine is rich and complex. The bouquet is a thing of beauty, be sure to serve it in a big glass and swirl it around a lot so that it really jumps out of the glass at you. The use of French and American oak gives it that a lingering finish with some hints of vanilla, but these are not overpowering and are in perfect balance with the fruit… look for hints of white chocolate and blueberry. In fact the whole thing is a lot more elegant than many Coonawarra Cabernet blends in the same price range (about $30).

This wine tends to be a bit of a handsell, in that it doesn’t tend to get picked up off the shelf unless we suggest it, but once we get someone onto it, they tend to buy a case or two. It’s not hard to see why, the wine is drinking well now, but will peak in about 5 years and is well worth holding on to if you can. 92 points

(Originally written February 2007)

The winemaker, Adam Marks, came through the shop the other day and we got chatting about all things wine (and cider actually, very interesting cider). He’s one of those real personalities in the trade, a very nice bloke with a good grasp of all things wine and a somewhat insane phobia of barcodes.

If you ever want to see what it’s like working as a winemaker for a day, you can take a trip to the winery and see wine being made. In fact, he’ll even let you join in and have a go. I thoroughly recommend it, although you might end up like this:

That’s Adam… and that purple won’t come off for weeks.

Now, the wines. They come in two basic levels, the “silver chook” label and the stunning “gold chook” shiraz. While we don’t have any of the gold chook in store, we can certainly order some in (around $40 per bottle in the dozen). The wine that we have is the silver chook regional blend, with fruit sourced from Heathcote and Bendigo. The grapes are treated gently, with minimal intervention. The use of whole bunch pressing gives the wine an interesting texture and 12 months in French oak gives it a lingering (but not overpowering) vanilla finish. It’s a mouth stainer, almost blue ink in colour. Look for plum and fruitcake flavours. 90 points

At this price, it’s worth throwing into any mixed dozen that you care to make up.

For more detail: www.bress.com.au Don’t forget to check out the “care packages” that he does.