Best Buy Wines (April/May 2011)

 

Share

Tweet

$15 and under
2008 Vintage Cellars Chalkboard Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, A$15
The Vintage Cellars Chalkboard range of wines – all priced under $20, most under $15, some under $10 – is a particularly consistent and reliable source of good-value wine, partly because of the calibre of the producers who supply it. This pinot is from De Bortoli, and like that company’s own-label under-$10 Yarra wines, it has surprising elegance and savoury restraint: there’s a touch of dried-herb complexity floating above the bright-red fruit, and some fine tannins on the finish. MA

2008 Littore Family Wines Tempranillo, Heathcote, A$10
The Littore family has been making wines on the Murray near Mildura for three generations. After purchasing the Geelong winery Idyll and establishing the Jindalee label, they built a winery to concentrate their operations there. Tempranillo is doing particularly well in Australia and this medium-bodied example, sourced from Heathcote and the Murray Darling, is delightfully fragrant with violets and lavender, fresh, clean, ripe redcurrant and plum flavours, silky smooth, fleshy texture and a gentle, approachable finish. PF

2009 Heartland Stickleback Red, Langhorne Creek, A$15/NZ$18
Ben Glaetzer makes wines for his family brand plus Mitolo in McLaren Vale and the Heartland wines from Langhorne Creek. Stickleback is Heartland’s entry-level red. It’s based on cabernet sauvignon and shiraz with a splash of dolcetto and lagrein. Showing aromas of spicy dark cherry, blackcurrant and blackberry with a whiff of licorice, it’s generously flavoured with fresh, dark-berry fruits and dense, inky characters. Fine-grained tannins keep things in balance, leaving an aftertaste of spice, cloves and dark chocolate. PB

2009 Salena Shiraz, Riverland, A$15
Salena made headlines when its unknown 2010 Bianco d’Alessano came from nowhere to win Best Wine of Show at the 2010 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. Why don’t we see more shiraz like this from the Murray Valley? It has a medium-full red-purple colour, and attractive cherry and plum aromas, with fruit leading the way, plus a subtle lacing of spice. It’s light- to medium-bodied in the mouth, with soft tannins and all things in proportion. An easy-going red. Drink over the next four or five years. HH

2010 Tussock Pinot Noir Rosé, Nelson, NZ$15
Pure, scented and charming wine with crushed strawberry, red cherry and aromatic herb flavours. It’s off-dry in style but with a pleasantly mouth-tingling, drying finish thanks to a backbone of fresh Nelson acidity that gives the wine vibrancy and energy. This is the second label of Woollaston Estate, although in this case I find the wine superior to its more-expensive flagship equivalent. Pure and focused rosé at a great price. BC

2010 Oakover Wines Chenin Blanc, Swan Valley, A$13
Juicy and emphatically varietal, this lively young chenin blanc reminds you that this grape needn’t always play second fiddle to sauvignon blanc. It’s marginally sweet and slightly confectionary, with a fresh, lightly herbal aroma of peach, melon and honeysuckle backed by suggestions of cloves and spices. Ripe and generous, it’s round and fresh, with a pleasing length of fruit punctuated by a clean, tangy acidity. JO

$20 and under
2006 Tim Adams Cabernet Malbec, Clare Valley, A$20
Tim Adams has been a very busy boy recently, buying the old Leasingham winery from Constellation Wines. Still, he’s had time to delve into the cellar and pull out this absolute beauty. A classic Clare combination of grapes (think Wendouree’s superlative cabernet malbec, grown next door to the Adams place; and the old Leasingham stalwart, Bin 56 cab malbec blend), it’s a deep-purple wine with plenty of sage and eucalypt-lifted black fruit held in check by firm, ferruginous tannins. MA

2010 Rogers & Rufus Grenache of Barossa Rosé, Barossa, A$20/NZ$24
Great Aussie rosé is thin on the ground. So if you make one, you wouldn’t expect wine writers to quibble about anything, not even the story. So I won’t. This is a seriously good Barossa rosé: fresh, lively and juicy with gravelly, pebbly flavours in a lean, tight wine that finishes dry and long. Vibrant and delicious. It’s the kind of rosé that the French do so well on the Mediterranean coast and we dream of making, but rarely do. A personal triumph for Rob Hill Smith. Read the story on www.rogersandrufus.com. PF

2009 Dal Zotto Sangiovese Cabernet, King Valley, A$20/NZ$25
Otto Dal Zotto was born in Valdobbiadene, in Italy’s Veneto wine region. He emigrated in 1967, growing tobacco in the King Valley before planting a vineyard in 1987. Today his sons run the operation, with Michael as winemaker and Christian at front of house. This cross-border amalgam echoes the great super-Tuscans, with the earthy savoury characters of sangiovese and the depth and structure of cabernet sauvignon. Sinewy tannins bind the diverse fruit flavours, leaving a long, lingering finish. PB

2009 Oakridge Over The Shoulder Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, A$20
This is the cheapest of Oakridge winemaker David Bicknell’s many chardonnay labels, but what a wine! The trademark Oakridge delicacy and low-alcohol lightness are there, and the palate has a piercing intensity, tightness and razor-sharp focus. It’s very lightly wooded, and would stand up well beside a village or petit chablis. It boasts a tangy, lively, high-energy palate and is delicious. I’d rather drink it than many chardonnays twice the price. Best within two or three years. Just 12.5 per cent alcohol. HH

2010 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, A$16/NZ$19
This is a first-division sauvignon blanc at a second-division price. The astute buyer may even find it considerably cheaper than the recommended retail shown. It offers concentrated passionfruit and stone-fruit flavours that suggest the Southern Valleys district of Marlborough is the likely source of the grapes that define the style. It has impressive purity and drive supported by accessible, fruity acidity. A delicious drop that delivers everything Marlborough sauvignon blanc drinkers hope for but don’t always get. BC

2010 Tim Adams Pinot Gris, Clare Valley, A$20
A pinot gris of rare focus, freshness and varietal quality that manages to be long and tangy, but also delivers elegance and delicacy. Scented with a floral bouquet of musk, peach and pear, it reveals a whiff of lemon zest. There’s roundness, creaminess and juiciness on the palate, with bright pear, peach and citrus flavours, while towards the finish the wine becomes more savoury and mineral. Underpinned by a fine chalkiness, it finishes with a hint of sweetness balanced by a brittle acidity. JO

$30 and under
2010 La Petite Mort Marsanne, Granite Belt, A$24
Winemaker Tom New, aka the Dirty Minds Wine Co, sourced grapes for this lovely, textural white from the organically farmed Bent Road vineyard in Queensland’s Granite Belt. Old-oak fermented, lees-stirred and with minimal additions, it’s quite unlike the light, crisp Tahbilk style of marsanne and much more akin to the fuller-bodied, mineral-rich marsanne-based whites of the Rhône. New’s 2010 sur lie sauvignon blanc (made in a similar way) is also very good. And the name? Google it. MA

2009 Terra Felix Sagrantino, Central Victoria, A$22
Terra Felix sources fruit from different parts of Central Victoria with winemaker, Terry Barnett, making the wines at Michelton. Sagrantino is a vibrant, extremely tannic variety. It is native to the area around Montefalco in Umbria where it has been cultivated since the 15th century. In its first vintage, Terra Felix seems to have harnessed oak and tannins to produce a robust red with ripe, sweet, brambly blackcurrant flavours, succulent fleshy texture, and the weight and power to match its fine, chalky tannins. PF

2010 Casa Freschi Ragazzi Nebbiolo, Langhorne Creek, A$25
Born into a winemaking family, David Freschi roved the world, making wine in New Zealand and Italy before taking over Casa Freschi after his father Attilio’s death in 1997. David is increasingly focussing on Italian varieties, with this pure nebbiolo made for early drinking. It has perfumes of ripe raspberry and cherry, a hint of licorice, dried herbs, faded rose petals and violets. The palate is fresh and lively with layers of cherry and berry-fruit flavours, supported by full, fine, cleansing tannins and vibrant acidity. PB

2009 Devil’s Lair Dance With The Devil Shiraz Tempranillo, Margaret River, A$25
Dance with the Devil is a new sub-brand from the Treasury Wine Estates-owned Devil’s Lair. It’s all about innovative blends. Shiraz-tempranillo is certainly an unusual combination, but it works. It has an excellent nose of meaty, spicy, cool-grown shiraz combined with an appealing hint of funk. It’s medium-bodied and elegant, fleshy and textural, finishing with balance and harmony. A ripper of a red to drink now and over the next six or seven years. HH

2010 Astrolabe Discovery Kekerengu Coast Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, A$33/NZ$26
From a small, limestone-laced vineyard on the coast halfway between Blenheim and Kaikoura. Kekerengu is an area that shows great promise if the handful of vintages under this label are any indication. Intense, powerful wine with lovely minerality dominating gooseberry and capsicum characters. Quite Chablis-like, at least in terms of minerality and pure, knife-edged acidity, if not general flavour profile. Long and linear sauvignon blanc. Limited production. BC

2010 Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, A$25
This is top class, with a complex, alluring bouquet whose charmingly tropical, peachy and gooseberry-like aromas are backed by floral and herbal nuances plus smoky barrel-ferment notes and hints of charcuterie meats, sherbet and minerals. It’s round and unctuous, with a long, mouth-filling presence of fruit, underpinned by a fine chalkiness. Wrapped in lemony acids, it finishes with a lick of slate. Just the sort of thing that Margaret River does best, but could do with more of. JO

Imports $25 and under
2009 Matane Negroamaro, Puglia (Italy), A$19
Negroamaro was one of the stars at a seminar conducted as part of the 2010 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show: a barrel sample of locally produced negroamaro (from Jacob’s Creek) was praised for exhibiting some of the wonderfully spicy, wild-fruity characters so evident in this terrific-value negroamaro from Puglia. Until more Australian examples hit the shelves, though, you’ll have to try this to find out what all the negroamaro fuss is about. MA

2009 Dopff Riesling, Alsace (France), A$14
The Dopff family have been making wine in Alsace since 1574. The 2009 vintage was exceptional in Alsace and this is a remarkably well-priced riesling, thanks to direct importation by Dan Murphy’s. The 2009 Dopff Riesling is fragrant with wild mountain herbs, elderflower and lemon-blossom aromas, and has pure, fresh lemony flavours that persist and alluring viscosity. There are some mineral notes that are most notable on the finish which is dry and flinty. PF

2009 Château De Caraguilhes Corbieres AOC, Languedoc-Roussillon (France), A$25
Château de Caraguilhes was once a Cisterian Abbey. In 2005 Pierre Gabison took ownership with the aim of building on the organic credibility of theses fantastic wines. The 2009 is a bright, fresh wine yet still carries all the earthy character of a traditional Corbieres. Perhaps the high proportion of syrah (at 50 per cent) helps with the balance of carignan, grenache and mourvèdre. Mulberry, five spice and warm leather with a meaty, muscular palate, this is delicious stuff. PB

2009 Elefante Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Blanco, Castilla (Spain), A$13
One of a number of remarkably cheap, good-value imports from Fourth Wave, this is a blend of macabeo, verdejo, viura and sauvignon blanc, grown in Castile. It has a spiced-honey bouquet, suggesting an oxidatively made wine. That means it’s more complex than the simple-fruit style $13 typically buys in Australian white wine. The palate is light, nicely rounded, fairly short but with attractive flavour and above all, character. Best drunk young. A modest 12.5 per cent alcohol. HH

2009 Domaine de Fondreche Fayard Ventoux, Rhône (France), NZ$25
Robert Parker describes Domaine de Fondreche as “a reference point for what can be done in the Côte de Ventoux” (the appellation was re-christened Ventoux in 2008). Intense, bright berry and spice flavours with an influence of classy oak. The wine has a lovely juiciness that makes it drinkable now, although I sense that it has good cellaring potential. A very New World take on a traditional French style. A grenache-dominant blend that says much more about place than varietal character. It’s truly lovely. BC

2009 Umani Ronchi Montipagano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, Montepulciano (Italy), A$16
Medium-bodied, this finely textured red has a bright, but smoky expression of typical varietal quality. It’s pungent, meaty and initially quite reductive, with deep, dark aromas of plum, cherry and berries backed by nuances of cedar, dark chocolate and briar. Underpinned by a fine, chalky backbone, it’s long and elegant, with a deep, generous presence of blackberry, blueberry and cherry-like fruit, finishing with gentle acids and a lingering savoury aspect. JO

Imports $25 and over
2009 Bastianich Vigne Orsone Colli Orientali Dei Friuli DOC Friulano, Friuli (Italy), A$35
Friulano is a white grape native to the Friuli region (surprise, surprise) of north-east Italy. It’s the grape you’ll most likely encounter in the area’s many bars and restaurants in the form of fairly funky, savoury dry white. Mornington Peninsula winemaker and friulano fan Kathleen Quealy describes that savoury quality as being like chicken stock and I know what she means: this example has a lovely complex, meaty, herbal quality as well as perfumed green and yellow fruit. MA

2008 Jean Marc Brocard Domaine Saint Claire Chablis, Burgundy (France), A$40
Jean Marc Brocard has built up a sizeable holding of 120 hectares of Chablis, not bad for a guy who started out in the ’70s with one hectare of vines. His policy is to allow the site to express itself, so there is minimal intervention in his winemaking. From the very good 2008 vintage, this is a wonderfully complex wine with hints of shale, oyster shell and mineral flavours that are intense and tightly focused, finishing ultra-dry with refreshingly natural acidity. PF

NV Dosnon & Lepage Recolte Noire Champagne, Côtes du Bar (France), A$70
Dosnon & Lepage was created in 2005. It ferments and ages its base wines in old oak casks and releases its Champagnes with low dosage. This wine is made from 100-per-cent pinot noir grapes. The aromatics are of dried pear, citrus blossom and strawberry conserve with a slight smoky edge. The palate is deft with a zesty, mineral character and combines finesse and power, picking up a sweet honeysuckle quality with air. The finish is taut, long and vibrant. PB

2008 Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico, Tuscany (Italy), A$28
Ricasoli’s Brolio castle is one of the oldest wineries in Tuscany and the reputed birthplace of the recipe for Chianti blends that held until the 20th century. It was owned by Hardys in the 1980s. The wines are now better than I’ve ever seen them. This is a typical Tuscan sangiovese-based red wine with smoky, char-oak and walnut aromas, markedly savoury style with sour-cherry flavours and elegant balance. It has abundant flesh, depth and character. Soft enough to drink now, and over the next seven years. HH

2008 Clos de los Siete by Michel Rolland, Tunuyan (Argentina), NZ$42
A blend of malbec (56 per cent), merlot (21 per cent), syrah (11 per cent), cabernet sauvignon (10 per cent) and petit verdot from seven vineyards in the foothills of the Andes, south of Mendoza. Very dense, powerful wine with masses of dark berry, spice, dark chocolate, licorice and classy oak flavours. The malbec component dominates with other varieties adding a subtle undercurrent of complexity. Although it’s attractive now, the wine shows cellaring potential – it won’t have reached a peak in another decade. BC

2009 Castellari Bergaglio Fornaci Gavi DOCG, Tassarolo (Italy), A$39
A rounder, richer and more complex expressions of Gavi whose floral, slightly waxy bouquet of grapefruit and melon unearths a cheesy aspect lifted by a hint of spice and apple. It freshens considerably with breathing, as its palate extends its expression of ripe citrus fruit, becoming quite bright, clear and tangy towards its long and gently acidic finish. It marries weight and texture with freshness and focus, leaving a lasting impression of candied lemon rind and grilled nuts. JO

Wines to cellar
2009 Cullen Mangan Malbec Petit Verdot Merlot, Margaret River, A$44
Since converting her family’s vineyard to organic and then biodynamic farming practices, Vanya Cullen’s wines have become markedly more elegant, natural and unforced; the grapes now reach optimum flavour at lower ripeness, eliminating the need to add acid. These more natural expressions of the Cullen terroir, the reds particularly, benefit enormously from cellaring and decanting: earthy and brooding at first, this will reveal a core of exquisite, concentrated, glossy purple fruit with time. MA

2007 Mount Pleasant Old Paddock and Old Hill Shiraz, Hunter Valley, A$40
This is one of the Hunter Valley’s most historic wines coming from two adjacent vineyards that were purchased by Maurice O’Shea: the Old Hill in 1921 and the Old Paddock a few years later. It’s a magnificent shiraz which underlies just how good the Hunter can be with this variety: bold, ripe blackberry and bramble flavours that are rich, intense and concentrated, smooth and velvety. Its substantial tannins are balanced by its weight, power and bold fruit. Ready to drink in five years but cellar for up to 10. PF

2006 Shadowfax Pink Cliffs Shiraz, Heathcote, A$70
The Shadowfax operation sits under many wine lovers’ vinous radar, which is surprising given the pedigree of their wines and the talent of their winemaker, Matt Harrop. The 2006 is a brilliant wine – with all the density and intensity of Heathcote shiraz yet remaining fine and vibrant. The bouquet is of dark berry, licorice, tar with an underlying earthy minerality. The palate is multi-layered with intense, dark-flavoured cherry fruits, fine-grained tannins and a rich, velvety finish. PB

2009 Brokenwood Verona Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley, A$50
This vineyard, just across McDonald’s Road from the Graveyard and on similar soil, is farmed by Brokenwood. It’s a classic Hunter shiraz, with aromas of spices, earth, smoke and background red fruits, all nicely interwoven so no one characteristic dominates. It’s elegantly proportioned and full-bodied in the mouth, and is nicely balanced and very long. It’s a wine that grows on you as you sip. It will be long lived, and will reward with more complexity and character if cellared. Drink now to 2029 plus. HH

2008 Seresin Sun & Moon Pinot Noir, Marlborough, A$150/NZ$130
Seresin makes four single-vineyard styles of pinot noir and one flagship wine. No expense is spared in the fairly traditional winemaking process which does involve nearly one month’s skin contact before and after fermentation. The wine has impressive fruit intensity and power with plum, spice and dark-cherry flavours, and an underlying savoury influence. It’s a solidly structured wine with firm, dry tannins but more than enough flesh and flavour to handle them. It’s approachable now but will reward cellaring. BC

2010 Pikes The Merle Riesling, Clare Valley, A$38
Dry, austere and rather stylish, this steely, focused riesling reveals a delicious depth of fruit and perfume. Scented with floral nuances of lemon blossom, green apple, lemon pith, lime juice and minerals, it’s long and shapely, unfolding penetrative layers of intense, pithy citrus fruit underpinned by fine, dusty phenolics. Sculpted by a bracingly tight acidity, it finishes with first-rate persistence and balance. Give it at least a decade. JO