RIESLINGS
Delatite Riesling, Mansfield, VIC 2005 A$15
Waxed apple, quince, some petrol, some honey, slatey, and all fantastically bound up together and integrated with all components blended perfectly together. A beautifully integrated palate where the freshness (acidity) feels like a true component of the palate rather than an addition, a disciplined chalky austerity that brings vitality, freshly squeezed lime juice, and a fresh lingering finish.
Delatite’s Riesling has become a favourite Aussie Riesling for me - I’d highly recommend it if you like the Aussie style of Riesling. Very good VFM too.
Alkoomi Riesling, Frankland River, WA 2007 A$18
Lemony, feels industrial to me, lifted, pristine. The palate has a strange acidity that feels unnatural/awkward, and an unpleasant finish. Very disappointing, and not at all up to the standard of the 2006 – which I found a very nice wine.
Highlights how significant vintage variation can be in Australia!
Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling 2004 A$25
Pristine, nectarine, some flint, no petrol. The palate is fresh and round in the mouth, a slight touch of r.s., but the palate fades to a kind diluteness in the mid-back palate which lacks flavour, stewed apple finish but the finish is somehow lacking. It proved a difficult wine to match with food too.
Not what I look for in Riesling and quite disappointing.
Tim Adams Riesling Clare 2003 A$24
Nose showing lime juice, cold river stones, some petrol, and belnded florals like the smell of a summer meadow. A minerally palate that's got a nice balance between roundness and tightness.
Great traditional styled Aussie Riesling.
RUTHERGLEN MUSCATS
Morris Rutherglen Muscat NV A$14/500ml
A more complex nose (“all your Christmases in one”) with lifted citrus peel and floral notes as well as the darker notes like dates. The palate is the most rich and viscous (lowest acidity) of the three. It’s incredibly smooth with flavours of saltana flavours. Fantastically complex. My fav of the three.
Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen Muscat Rutherglen NV A$19/500ml
Darkest flavours of the three with treacle, mature Christmas cake and old tea chest, yet with some banana/guava kind of lift. The palate has dried fig, great smoothness, and quite refreshing acidity relative to the other two. Second favourite at the time for me, though if in the mood for the darker flavours then this may be more to my/your tastes.
Campbells Liquer Muscat NV A$23/500ml
More of a zesty citrus nose, with saltana. The palate is fresh in a more zesty way, and is richly sweet and smooth, yet manages to remain light at the same time. Compared to the other two it’s not as well integrated, with more obvious sugar and acid showing. Ironically the most expensive of the three too.
SPARKLING SHIRAZ
Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz Great Western 2005 A$22
Dom. Chandon Pinot Shiraz Coldstream NV A$24
Both enjoyable sparkling reds, even if too fizzy for my tastes. The Seppelt is widely considered the classic cheap Aussie Sparkling Shiraz. It has a lovely core of dark fruit to it, but remains a bit simple. The Chandon is dominated by the Pinot character - it has less dark fruit and relatively strong leather character, and more complexity. Both are light and refreshing. The Seppelt fits the more traditional mould and is perhaps more suitable as a quick sipper. The Chadon doesn’t fit the traditional mould but retains more interest with continued drinking.
REDS
Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir, Southern TAS 2006 A$47
Autumn hedgerow / wet leaves, very plummy, a touch mushroom compost but not enough for me, a touch of spice (like clove without the menthol aspect), subtle well integrated oak, a bit volatile. The palate feels lightish (it’s actually 13.5% abv), flavours of sweet ripe plum with some cherry, sleek tannins that are a tad high for the palate to be able to stand up to them, good well balanced acidity, reasonably elegant, quite silky until the chalky grained tannins hit in the back palate. The finish is just the tannins… and then that’s it, the end.
A softer/gentler styled New World Pinot. It needs a better exit for me, and more multidimensional fruit, and something animally/earthy/funky would help. Nevertheless, it’s easy to drink.
Bay of Fires Pinot Noir, 2007, Tasmania
Murdoch James Blue Rock Pinot Noir 2006, Marlborough
The Bay of Fires has more of a kind of sappy stem flavour but has more intensity. It seemed a touch musky (almost like deer skin) in its reductive funk on first pouring, but with more air it became increasingly like very confected cherry. Both of these wines have some New Worldly flavoured autumnal flavours but the fruit is somehow dull and there’s a distasteful sappy undergrowth character to them too (and I normally love autumnal characters). The palates seem structured around alcohol and glycerine and not much else. Disappointing, especially for the A$40 and A$50, respectively. The Kooyong Pinot Noir is far better than either of these IMO.
Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cab Sauv 2003, Clare Valley A$20
A vibrant nose of fresh blackcurrant bush berries, earth and mint, a very light touch of smoke underneath, and a musky nose that’s almost shitty. Juicy medium bodied palate of funky cassis and with grainy tannins and a reasonable finish.
Hewitson Ned & Henry Shiraz Barossa 2006 A$21
Vibrant fruit - ripe sweet & sour plum, mulberry, vanilla pod without the vanillin, some spice - nutmeg/savoury/not pepper. Well balanced flavours, a smooth and juicy palate.
A “shiny/bright” enjoyable modern style Shiraz.
Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz McLaren Vale 2007 A$23
A dark staining purple. Ripe fleshy plum and spice on the nose. A smooth juicy palate of sweet-ripe boysenberry (like confectionary but not confected), sweet plum, toasty bark-like wood that's quite noticeable but still sits behind the fruit, and moderate silty tannins.
It’s a biggish ultra ripe juicy and voluptuous style of Shiraz.
