Best Buy Wines (Apr/May 2010)

 

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$15 AND UNDER
2009 Peter Lehmann Barossa Blonde, Barossa, A$12/NZ$16
You have probably noticed how Kiwi sauvignon blanc has come to dominate Australia’s bottle shop shelves over the past few years – much to the annoyance and exasperation of many of Australia’s winemakers. This new wine from the ever-creative Lehmann team is an attempt to stem the tsunami from across the Tasman. It cleverly blends riesling, chenin and semillon with a smidge of sav blanc and a lick of residual fruity sweetness to create an attractive, up-front thirst-quencher at a very reasonable price. MA

2009 Yalumba Vermentino, Langhorne Creek, A$15
Vermentino is planted in Corsica, the Languedoc-Roussillon, in Liguria, and on the Tuscan coast, although the most important source for the Italian tourist market is Sardinia. With their vibrant fruitiness and zesty, cleansing acidity, the early-picked styles are well suited to the climate and way of life. Sourced from Langhorne Creek, this is the best vermentino I’ve seen from Australia. It has subtle dried herbs and lavender aromas, delicate fruit flavours, a vibrant, tangy mouthfeel, finishing with zesty acidity. PF

2007 Logan Apple Tree Flat Merlot, Mudgee, A$11
Peter Logan has come up with a winning trifecta. His eponymous label heads the stable, the Weemala selection comes in second, with the value-for-money Apple Tree Flat range hot on its heels. Apple Tree Flat is the name of the hamlet on the Sydney side of Mudgee where Peter and Hannah Logan have opened their swanky cellar door. His merlot shows aromas of juicy, ripe plums, dark chocolate and wild violets supported by equally lush flavours, a hint of exotic spice and a clean, precise finish. PB

2008 Henry’s Drive Morse Code Shiraz, Padthaway, A$10
Henry’s Drive is a fairly recent entry into the Limestone Coast region. The wines have names linked to the postal service, such as Dead Letter Office, Pillar Box Red and Morse Code. It’s difficult to believe a small winery can get a bottle of nicely packaged wine out for a retail price of $10. It’s deep in chocolatey, plummy flavour while the texture is supple and has a chewy density. Okay, so it’s not terribly elegant – but it’s an amazing bargain and anyway, who’s looking for refinement at $10? Best within five years. HH

2009 Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc, Nelson, A$15/NZ$15
Fresh, tangy sauvignon blanc in a pleasantly aromatic and bone-dry style. It’s strongly varietal with gooseberry, red capsicum and passionfruit flavours. A light, supple example of the variety that’s a cut above all others in this price category. Waimea Estates has three quality/price levels of sauvignon blanc – Spinyback is the least expensive brand in their range, although it maintains a high standard, particularly in good years such as 2009. BC

2006 Peter Lehmann Art Series Cabernet Merlot, Barossa, A$12
A very competent wine with true depth of ripe and earthy regional fruit, balance and charm. A cedary, slightly leathery bouquet of dark plums, black and red berries and marginally raw-edged vanilla oak reveals a hint of smokiness. It’s long, round and approachable, with ripe plum and blackberry cabernet flavours given mid-palate presence and suppleness through some rather soft and succulent cherry-like merlot. It finishes with pleasing length and a lingering, fine-grained firmness. JO

$20 AND UNDER
2009 Spinifex Lola, Barossa, A$19/NZ$40
I am a big fan of the vermentino grape – otherwise known as rolle – and I even have a few vermentino vines growing in my backyard. It’s a hardy, warm-climate vine, and joins other flavoursome heat-loving varieties such as marsanne and white grenache, to produce this complex, textural and savoury white. Like the Peter Lehmann Barossa Blonde and Fairbank Rouge I’ve reviewed in the other Best Buy categories, this is an excellent example of the emerging wave of blended wines from creative winemakers. MA

2009 Catching Thieves Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret River, A$17
McWilliams has been quietly getting to know Margaret River for some time, looking to source wines for a quality label at modest prices. They hit the jackpot with gold medals at the 2009 National Wine Show for this white and the 2008 Catching Thieves Cabernet Merlot. The sem sav blanc is the essence of this easy-drinking style; it’s fresh, clean and bright with pure ripe tropical flavours – peach, nectarine, guava, passionfruit – vibrant and mouth-watering. It’s also available in lightweight, soft (plastic) bottles. PF

2007 Zonte’s Footsteps Canto Di Lago Sangiovese Barbera, Langhorne Creek, A$20
Langhorne Creek has an image as an uber-conservative winemaking region. That’s true but Zar Brooks is one of the wine community’s great larrikins. Brooks is also smart and so he embroiled winemaker Ben Riggs into his Langhorne scheme. These are wines with flair and pizazz, as his Italianate varietal blend attests. It opens with spicy aromas of warm leather, cherry seed and dark berry fruits. It’s light-footed with fine tannins and a clean acid thrust to the finish. PB

2009 Thorn-Clarke Sandpiper Riesling, Eden Valley, A$15/NZ$19
Thorn-Clarke is a substantial Eden and Barossa Valley winemaking enterprise owned by geologist David Clarke and his wife Cheryl (nee Thorn). Their Sandpiper range of wines regularly offers outstanding value. This is a fine riesling at a bargain price. Green-lime and nettley straw-hay aromas are bright and clean, as is the palate, where the flavour is intense and lively with acidity that runs from start to finish and contributes to its considerable length. It’s crisp and tangy and finishes clean and dry. Drink now to six years. HH

2009 Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, A$22/NZ$20
This must be Astrolabe’s best sauvignon blanc to date – it’s a long way ahead of the 2008. A combination of fruit from the Awatere and Wairau valleys endows it with the best features of both districts, producing a powerful statement about the Marlborough style. Concentrated wine with a mix of passionfruit, mineral and tomato-leaf flavours. Impeccably balanced, with a lingering finish. Super-serious sauvignon. BC

2009 Henschke Peggy’s Hill Riesling, Eden Valley, A$20
Sourced from several Eden Valley vineyards at an altitude of about 500 metres, this is an austere, tightly focused and long-term expression of what makes this region’s riesling so special. Its fresh, lavender-like perfume of lime juice, peaches, white flowers and sherbet is backed by a hint of minerality. Supple, dry and finely crafted, its palate finishes long, elegant and savoury, with a persistent core of flavour and a lingering hint of chalkiness. Very appealing. JO

$30 AND UNDER
2009 Sutton Grange Winery Fairbank Rouge, Bendigo, A$22
Winemaker Gilles Lapalus’ French heritage is realised in this gorgeous young red blend of cabernet merlot and shiraz. Some of the fruit was fermented using the carbonic maceration of whole grapes, in an attempt to boost the purple colour and fragrant fruitiness of the wine. It’s a technique common to the reds of Beaujolais (where the best vineyards, like Lapalus’, are on granite-based soil), and stylistically that’s where this wine sits: very juicy, very refreshing, full of snappy, crunchy red and black berries. MA

2007 Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz, Langhorne Creek, A$22/NZ$27
The Willson sisters, Rebecca (who has responsibility for the winemaking) and Lucy (for the marketing), run one of Langhorne Creek’s best wineries, the 35,000-tonne Bremerton. There’s a consistency across the reds from the flagship Old Adam to the Tamblyn blend, and all show excellent regional character. The current vintage is up with the best of the Selkirks: vibrant, ripe redcurrant and dark plum flavours; well-integrated vanillin oak; fleshy, almost syrupy texture, before a lively, approachable finish. PF

2007 Harewood Estate Shiraz, Great Southern, A$29.50
James Kellie established his winemaking reputation at Howard Park, and the fruit for his multi-award-winning shiraz is sourced from vineyards in Mount Barker and Frankland River. Drawn from the outstanding 2007 vintage, it’s a spicy interpretation of the variety with lots of dark plum and blackberry fruit flavours, a hint of cinnamon and chocolate bullets. Rich but not heavy, it’s a delightful drink, especially with a traditional lamb roast. Time will be kind – so squirrel some away for five years to see it at its pinnacle. PB

2008 Pooley Estate Grown Riesling, Coal River Valley, A$24
Tasmanian riesling is some of Australia’s finest and most intensely varietal. This one, from a family-owned vineyard in the south of the state, is tremendously powerful and energetic, with pronounced lemon-lime juice aromas and flavours, a lick of sweetness and a very clean, refined yet softly seamless palate. The acidity is perfectly integrated and does not jar. The wine’s balance is excellent and it has that X-factor – deliciousness. Drink now until at least 2018. HH

2009 Felton Road Riesling, Central Otago, A$37/NZ$30
Technically, this is probably a medium-sweet style although the wine appears drier than its 53 grams per litre of residual sugar might suggest, thanks to fine and assertive acidity. I like the tension between acidity and sweetness that elevates it above the Felton Road Dry Riesling (with a similar price). Between them, both wines span a range of food partnerships. Made from organically grown grapes, which are hand-picked and whole-bunch-pressed before fermentation by wild yeasts and extended lees contact. BC

2009 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling, Clare Valley, A$30
Petaluma ticks all boxes with its spectacular 2009 vintage, quite possibly its best season on record. Heady, floral and perfumed, with a musky scent of white flowers, lime juice, green apple and lemon pith, this very refined and naturally balanced riesling reveals layers of crystal-clear fruit underpinned by very fine, chalky phenolics. It’s beautifully focused, with a piercing presence of flavour that streamlines tightly towards a fresh, zesty finish of brittle, citrusy acids. Exceptionally long and classy. JO

IMPORTS $25 AND UNDER
2008 Torres Viña Esmerelda, Penedes (Spain), A$19
Yet another blended wine (there’s a pattern emerging in my Best Buys recommendations this issue). This time the wine is from Penedes in Spain and the varieties are gewürztraminer, moscatel de alejandría (also known in Australia as gordo) and moscatel de grano menudo (AKA the classic muscat grown in Rutherglen). Given that varietal mix, you’d assume the wine is sweet. While it has a very lifted, beautifully floral, spicy perfume, it is clean, refreshing and finishes surprisingly dry in the mouth. MA

2007 Hugel Gentil, Alsace (France) A$24
This is a fabulous Alsatian white that consistently shows what is possible with thoughtful blending of several varieties. Parcels of gewürztraminer, pinot gris, riesling, muscat and sylvaner are combined to show the benefit of the longest growing season in the region in 25 years. The 2007 Hugel Gentil has a delicate spicy nose with fragrant rose petal and lychee aromas, attractive viscous texture, and an apparent sweetness in the mid-palate is balanced by lively acidity finishing with some gewürztraminer spice. PF

2005 Umani Ronchi San Lorenzo Rosso Conero DOC, Abruzzo (Italy), A$25
San Lorenzo is the vineyard name near Osimo, the site of the Umani Ronchi winery, originally established as a co-operative in 1957 but wholly owned by the Bianchi-Bernetti family for more than 40 years. San Lorenzo is made from montepulciano d’Abruzzo, the indigenous red grape of the Rosso Conero region – not to be confused with the name of the ancient hilltop city in Tuscany. It’s a light, fresh red with a sweet cherry fruit nose and a pleasing, soft palate lifted by a cherry-stone character. Serve it lightly chilled. PB

2007 Conti Zecca Sole Dolce Malvasia Bianca del Salento, Puglia (Italy), A$25
Malvasia is a widely planted grape in the Old World but it doesn’t enjoy much popularity in the New World. This is a rich, medium-sweet wine showing some aged development in a positive way. I suspect the grapes were air-dried but not botrytised. Rich honey, candy, vanilla and poached-fruit aromas translate onto a soft, rich, round and smooth palate that’s quite mouth-filling. Good length and late-picked character. It could be served with pungent cheeses or moderately sweet desserts. Drink soon. HH

2008 Bodegas Carchelo C, Jumilla (Spain), A$16
Founded in the early ’80s, Bodegas Carchelo has succeeded in dragging the traditional wine region of Jumilla kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The estate devotes half of its production from nearly 300 hectares to its own label. Dense red with layers of berryfruit, spice and earthy characters plus a rustic edge to remind us that this is not a wine from the New World. A blend of monastrell (40 per cent), tempranillo (40 per cent) and cabernet sauvignon (20 per cent). Serious red at a frivolous price. BC

2007 Domaine de l’Ameillaud Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (France), A$21/NZ$20
Firm and savoury, this spicy blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvèdre (70:25:5) from 40-60 year old vines was fermented in large old concrete tanks and bottled without any oak maturation. Frankly, with such a vibrant spectrum of flavour suggestive of dark cherries, red berries, juicy plums backed by notes of licorice and charcuterie meats, and a pleasingly drying texture, it doesn’t need any. This inexpensive southern Rhône red also offers potential to develop until 2012. JO

IMPORTS $25 AND OVER
NV Drappier Brut Nature Champagne, Champagne (France), A$86
This is not the cheapest Champagne out there at the moment, but it is the most unusual – and, I think, offers good value given its extreme quality and rarity. What sets it apart is the fact that it was made without the use of sulphur dioxide, the preservative commonly added to almost every wine in the world. It is bone-dry and savoury, with wholewheat-wafer and grilled-nut flavours leading on to a pure, clean and refreshing, grapefruit-pithy finish. Stunning Champagne. MA

2007 Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha, Borja (Spain), A$44
This red comes from the cooperative of the town of Borja in North Central Spain. Most grapes in the region are red or rosé (rosado) with garnacha (grenache) making up 75 per cent of the plantings. Borsao’s low-cropping vineyards are about 40 years old and lie between 600 and 700 metres above sea level. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is given about three months in new oak. This wine has dark, brooding aromas; deep, powerful dried herb, plum and leather flavours; and substantial, tongue-coating tannins. PF

2005 Bodegas Muga Reserva, Rioja (Spain), A$55
Isaac Muga established this estate in 1932, which is now in the hands of his three children. The Muga Reserva is 70 per cent tempranillo, 20 per cent garnacha with 10 per cent mazuelo and graciano – aged for six months in large traditional vats, before two years in small oak barrels and a further year in bottle prior to release. Perfumes of sour cherry, rose petal and aniseed. Lively flavours of cherry and dark berries with a background minerality flow over the palate to a long, harmonious finale. This is Rioja at its very best. PB

2008 La Raia Gavi DOCG, Piedmont (Italy), A$32
Gavi is a Piedmontese dry white which carries the DOCG guarantee of authenticity and quality, and is made from the cortese grape. This one has a honey, nut and apple bouquet, with almost a fly-spray overtone probably traceable to traditional high-solids Italian winemaking. In the mouth, it has some richness and concentration, with a slight phenolic grip that doesn’t intrude, and the aftertaste is very long. A quality Gavi of considerable interest. Best drunk young. HH

2008 Willm Reserve Gewürztraminer, Alsace (France), NZ$28
Rich, concentrated and attractive wine with pure, succulent floral, spice/anise and exotic tropical fruit flavours. A medium-dry style – not overtly sweet and with a reasonably drying finish. Although certainly not the greatest Alsace gewürztraminer I’ve tasted, it does represent good value at this price. An appealing wine with character. BC

2007 Domaine de la Madone Armand Despres Fleurie Domaine du Niagara, Fleurie (France), A$35
This is a wine to change your view on Fleurie. From vines upwards of 80 years old on a special south-facing site, Arnaud Despres has crafted a deadly serious, Burgundy-like cru Beaujolais. Scented with ripe Morello cherry, blueberry and raspberry with undertones of molasses, it’s long, very complete and underpinned by a firmish, drying chassis of dusty tannins. Tightly wrapped in a refreshing acidity, it’s savoury and mouth-wateringly persistent, with notes of dark fruit and licorice. JO

WINES TO CELLAR
2009 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling, Henty, A$25
Wine language can be off-putting. Take the words I scribbled down when I tasted this young riesling: “austere, steely and lean”. See what I mean? Why would anyone want to drink something that sounds like it’s going to slice into your tongue? Riesling-lovers, of course, especially those prepared to stash their wines away for 10 years in a cold, dark place, recognise these words as being very positive indeed. Dryness and minerality indicate that the wine simply needs time to build further flavour layers of lime juice and toastiness. MA

2007 John Duval Wines Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre, Barossa, A$38/NZ$48
John Duval has made his small family winery into one of the most accomplished in the country. The fifth vintage of this shiraz (51 per cent), grenache (28 per cent), mourvèdre (21 per cent) blend is sourced from mature vineyards in the Barossa. There are intense briary, brambly, blackcurrant flavours, a seamless integration of fruit, oak and tannins before an attractive dry finish. It has weight, complexity and an elegance: drinks well now but will improve with bottle-age. PF

2006 Curly Flat Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges, A$52
Phillip Moraghan was a well-deserved finalist for the 2009 GT WINE Winemaker of the Year Award. I wrote at the time – “a single-word perfectly portrays Phillip Moraghan – enthusiastic. He sweeps you away with his zeal and energy – injecting the same vigour and verve into his wines”. His ’06 Pinot is a perfect reflection of the Curly Flat style with delicious perfumes of redcurrant and raspberry. The palate shows an intriguing tension with intense savoury fruit flavours, fine mouth-coating tannins and clean acid finish. PB

2009 Pauletts Antonina Premium Polish Hill River Riesling, Clare Valley, A$45/NZ$50
Antonina is Neil Paulett’s reserve-style riesling, and it’s built to last – a restrained, tightly structured, delicate and ultra-refined expression of the riesling grape. The colour is pale, which points towards the anticipated slow-ageing trajectory. The aroma is reserved but subtly fragrant; the taste is gently citrusy and fine, subtle and long, with a trace of grip and excellent balance. It’s a wine that needs a few years to reveal its best. Try drinking it between 2011 and 2020. HH

2008 Craggy Range Calvert Vineyard Pinot Noir, Central Otago, A$75/$50
Truly impressive wine with a wonderful perfumed aroma suggesting red cherry, spice and floral flavours. Powerful, with a drop-dead texture. This has certainly got the X-factor. It is slightly ahead of Felton Road’s wine from the same vineyard and vintage. A magnificent drop, the memory of which haunted me for days after I tasted it. It’s made from hand-picked grapes, 85 per cent of which were de-stemmed before fermentation in open-top tanks using indigenous yeasts. BC

2009 Tim Adams Riesling, Clare Valley, A$22
A marvellously well-balanced, focused and leaner expression of Clare Valley riesling packed with fruit and flavour. Its heady floral perfume scented with lime, lemon, apple and pear precedes a vibrant and enticing palate of excellent length and brightness. Underpinned by the finest of phenolics, it’s very fresh and dry, with a persistent core of fruit tightly punctuated by zesty lime juice acids. Outrageously cheap. JO