Best Buy Wines (Feb/Mar 2010)

 

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$15 AND UNDER
2009 De Bortoli Windy Peak Classic White, Victoria, A$15
A growing number of Australian winemakers are trying to gently persuade us that our fascination with varietal wines – that is, wines made from just one or two grape varieties – is restricting our drinking options, and that blended wines made to a well-defined style can offer great enjoyment at reasonable prices. This classic white is a blend of sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and semillon, with a splash of vermentino, but that’s not important. What’s important is that it’s super-dry, super-refreshing and super-crisp. MA

2009 Tahbilk Marsanne, Nagambie Lakes, A$15
With its 150th anniversary due this year, it’s appropriate to celebrate another of this winery’s achievements: marsanne. There were marsanne plantings made in the 1860s, although the current 40 hectares of the variety only date to 1927. It’s an amazing style – fresh and bright when young yet maturing into a mellow toasty white of great complexity with about seven years of bottle age. The 2009 is vibrant and tangy with intense, cool, tropical flavours and lingering zesty acidity. PF

2007 Banrock Station Mediterranean Collection Tempranillo, Riverland, A$15
Global warming? Climate change? Who knows? What is clearly apparent is that planting grape varieties that respond well to warm growing conditions makes sense in our viticultural environment. So full marks to Banrock Station. This is a very approachable red with a deep colour and bucketloads of juicy dark plum and ripe cherry fruit aromas. The palate is full-flavoured yet quite soft, with lots of mocha chocolate and savoury beefstock and a gentle yet persistent tannin finish. PB

2008 Backvintage Chardonnay, Margaret River, A$13
Backvintage is a private-label company direct-selling inexpensive wines selected by Nick Bulleid MW. This chardonnay has a dominant toasty/charred oak aroma, although it does have lovely fruit intensity underneath. The structure is good, with a deal of strength, supported by some firmness from tannins, which also helps lend it a clean, firm, decisive finish. In the context of Margaret River chardonnay, it’s very good value. HH

2008 Tiffin Hill Pinot Gris, Wairarapa, NZ$12
I don’t expect much from wines under $15, so it was a surprise to find I’d given a healthy rating to a pinot gris with a fairly diminutive price tag. Tiffin Hill is a small family vineyard in the Gladstone area of Wairarapa. This is a concentrated wine with character. Strong nashi pear, root ginger and bready yeast lees flavours are supported by crisp acidity to give a pleasantly drying finish. Extraordinary value for a wine that stylistically is closer to pinot grigio than pinot gris. BC

2009 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling, Eden Valley, A$14
Very shapely, with a streamlined and deeply flavoured combination of luscious fruit. Perfumed with a musky scent of lime juice, lemon rind and white flowers, it reveals a suggestion of bath powder. Long and layered, its succulent expression of apple, pear and citrus flavour has a chalky undercarriage and a refreshingly clean finish of lively acidity. Typically regional, with genuine cellaring potential. As for its price? Low enough for most sauvignon blancs to blush. JO

$20 AND UNDER
2008 Brown Brothers Pinot Grigio, Victoria, A$18
In the 15 years or so that the pinot gris grape has been grown commercially in Australia, there has been confusion over the name and the style. You have probably tasted many wines labelled “pinot grigio” (the name given to the grape in Italy, where it usually makes light, crisp whites) that turn out to be rich and full-bodied (more like pinot gris from Alsace), and a few wines labelled “gris” that turn out to be lean and very dry. This is unequivocally and deliciously grigio: apple-crunchy, fine, refreshing and nutty. Really great value. MA

2008 Teusner The Riebke Northern Barossa Shiraz, Barossa Valley, A$19
Winning the medal for best young winemaker at the 2007 Winemaker of the Year Awards suggested the potential that Kym Teusner has since realised, especially with his grenache blends, Albert Shiraz, and some of the stunners released under his Astral label. Frankly, few things delight more than Teusner’s ability to produce great-value shiraz. Fragrant raspberry and blueberry characters, ripe blackberry and chocolate flavours, generous fleshy texture and pleasing approachability make for gluggable Barossa shiraz. PF

2005 Rymill MC² Merlot Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, A$17/NZ$20
Most value-for-money reds are young and brash yet the latest MC² release from Rymill is already approaching five years of age. It’s a medium-bodied blend at just 13 per cent alcohol and shows little apparent oak. Red fruit dominates the nose with raspberry, red currant and mulberry framed by soft spicy tannins. The palate is soft and gentle but in no way lacking in depth or length. In fact, it’s a great lesson on the maxim ‘less is more’. Highly recommended. PB

2009 O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley, A$18
David O’Leary and Nick Walker are very good at getting their Clare Valley rieslings into the market early. Not only do they beat most of their rivals, but the wines are remarkably approachable and ready to please. This has a haunting lemon-lime fragrance with a herbal edge. There’s a hint of yeastiness that will vanish as it begins to age. It’s rich and fuller on the palate than you might expect, with plenty of strength, and it should age well. Best now to six years. HH

2009 Craggy Range Old Renwick Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, A$30/NZ$20
Fresh, gooseberry-driven flavours of this pure and powerful wine impress me greatly, but its rich mouthfeel and ethereal texture are its star features. Bone dry but with soft acidity giving the wine spine and structure. A successful vintage from a star producer of Marlborough sauvignon blanc. This is a seriously good food wine that benefits from decanting for at least 30 minutes; the wine builds spectacularly in the glass. BC

2008 Seppelt Grampians Chardonnay, Victoria, A$18
Australian chardonnay is back in the hands of people who understand it. Vibrant, enticing flavours of fresh grapefruit, peach and nectarine combine with a measured complement of creamy leesy notes, reductive nuances of smoked meat and a trace of charry oak, but in a way that leaves its juicy fruit entirely uncluttered and driving the wine. It’s long and supple, finishing with a smooth, lingering core of flavour and a bright acidity. JO

$30 AND UNDER
2009 Beach Road Fiano, Langhorne Creek, A$22
This fabulously fragrant white wine won the trophy for best white at the 2009 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (at which your correspondent was chief of judges). The fiano grape originally comes from Italy’s hot south and seems to thrive in many of Australia’s warmer regions such as Langhorne Creek. It even sailed through the fierce heat of late January/early February in 2009 to produce a wine with a superb floral perfume, some grapy richness and a clean, refreshing finish. MA

2009 Robert Stein Riesling, Mudgee, A$25
This family winery, established in 1976, has installed founder Robert Stein’s grandson, Jacob, as winemaker now that he is qualified and experienced (after four years working around the world). It’s not surprising that Stein is a great believer in riesling as the 2008 picked up two trophies, and this 2009 five trophies at three wine shows, including Wine of the Show at Mudgee. It has delicate floral aromas, intense, pure apple and pear flavours, a tight, focused palate and a tangy, off-dry finish that shows impeccable balance. PF

2008 Best’s Great Western Cabernet Sauvignon, Grampians, A$30
When Viv Thomson released his first Best’s cabernet sauvignon from the 1982 vintage, it created quite a stir. At the time, cab sav was a scarce commodity, an absurd notion with today’s glut. This is no fruit-bomb, it’s more in the thoughtful, savoury mould. It’s already showing a complex bouquet with warm, dark berry fruit, all-spice and dried herbs and a touch of cedar. It’s a wine of power and finesse with an energy that lifts it beyond its peers. Although perfectly drinkable now, further cellaring will see it at its best. PB

2008 Woodlands Chardonnay, Margaret River, A$20
This is the cheaper Woodlands chardonnay, much more affordable than the flagship Chloe Reserve Chardonnay but not that much less enjoyable. It’s more fruit-driven and lighter in the oak department, which is no bad thing. Intense grapefruit/citrus aromas, gentle oak giving nutty and mealy overtones. The 13.5 per cent alcohol suggests early harvesting, and the sprightly acidity and all-round freshness support that theory. Acid really drives the palate. Very stylish. Best drunk within four or five years. HH

2009 Forrest The Doctors’ Riesling, Marlborough, A$32/NZ$22
The Doctors refers to owners John and Brigid Forrest (he has a PhD, she is a GP) and the therapeutic value of drinking lower-alcohol wine. Made in the so-called German-style, with fermentation stopped early to produce an alcohol level of only 8.5 per cent and a residual sugar level of 44 grams per litre. This is a delicately luscious riesling in a moderately sweet style, balanced by fine, tangy acidity that builds tension while producing a dry-ish finish. Great aperitif wine offering value at this price. BC

2008 Pizzini Sangiovese, King Valley, A$25
A bright, lively and spicy sangiovese based on a juicy, almost pastille-like presence of sweet maraschino cherry and blackberry flavour. It’s floral, with just a trace of mint and delivers a long, vibrant palate that becomes quite briary and savoury towards the finish. Supported by a genuine presence of fine, powdery tannins, it’s wrapped in a clean, refreshing acidity. JO

IMPORTS $25 AND UNDER
2008 Le Domaine du Moulin Cheverny Blanc, Loire Valley (France), A$24
Food and travel writers Sue Dyson and Roger McShane (contributors to Gourmet Traveller and other magazines) have a sideline business importing small quantities of wines from lesser-known French producers, most of whom grow their grapes organically or biodynamically and use minimal additives (yeast, sulphur etc). This blend of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay provides exquisite summer drinking: a perfect balance of concentrated, grapy fruit flavour and mouthwatering lemon zestiness. MA

2007 Toscar Monastrell, Alicante (Spain), A$15
This monastrell (mourvèdre) is sourced from the Alicante region of south-east Spain and is an excellent example of the kind of everyday reds that the Spanish enjoy at home yet we rarely see. There are brooding, almost briary, aromatics and rich, ripe, concentrated plummy fruit, smooth texture and thick, approachable tannins that enhance the wine’s savoury character. There’s good depth and length that make this a satisfying red. PF

2007 Maison Champy Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Burgundy (France), A$25
Maison Champy was founded by Edme Champy in 1720, but entered a new era in 1990 when three wine professionals acquired the brand. With a Greek oenologist Dimitri Bazas at the press, the Champy wines have a purity of purpose and a gentle winemaking touch that sees them sit nicely between the old and the new. It has delicious, fresh strawberry fruit flavours tempered by a fine layer of silky tannins and delicate thread of acidity. It’s not complex but a nice savoury drink at an extraordinarily modest price. PB

2008 Maître Renard Chardonnay, Burgundy (France), A$25
This is one of several outstandingly good-value French wines imported by former Foster’s marketing man (and before that sommelier) Nicholas Crampton of Fourth Wave Wine Partners. Balance is the key to this lovely Burgundy chardonnay. It’s clean and fresh, with hints of lemon and honey from fruit, and nutty lees-derived scents, while oak is barely noticeable. The palate is fine and tight, superbly balanced and light for easy drinking, but it certainly doesn’t lack intensity. Utterly delicious. HH

2007 Armantes Old Bush Vine Garnacha, Calatayud (Spain), NZ$18
This is the sort of wine that has no doubt inspired southern French grape-growers to overturn Spanish bulk wine tankers and to smash Spanish bottles in their local supermarket. It leaves the best of French reds in a similar price range for dead. Made in Spain’s Calatayud region from 25 to 80-year-old dry-grown bush vines a cool-ish 750 metres above sea level. It’s a rich, mouthfilling red with masses of dense, sweet fruit flavours suggesting fruit cake, chocolate, violets and spice. BC

2008 La Chablisienne Petit Chablis, Burgundy (France), A$25
Surprisingly plump and generous, but beautifully stylish and complex, this rather luscious young Chablis has a smoky bouquet of quince, cumquat and peach backed by notes of charcuterie meat, cloves and ginger, with hints of lanolin and honeysuckle. Brightly lit, it’s long and chalky, with a deep presence of fruit sweetness that becomes quite savoury at the finish. Pleasingly complex and textured, it finishes with a suggestion of struck match. Delicious drinking this summer. JO

IMPORTS $25 AND OVER
2008 La Roche Bussière Prémices, Rhône Valley (France), A$30
Made with a minimum of intervention (the fermentation is spontaneous, and hardly any sulfur dioxide is added at bottling), this is 100-per-cent grenache from terraced vineyards surrounding the small village of Fauçon in the northern part of the Côtes du Rhône appellation. It embodies everything I love about red wines from this part of France: dripping with spices, sappy grape stems and a lifted perfume of wild berries and dried herbs. It’s lively and juicy in the mouth, and finishes with a savoury character. MA

2007 Stefano Massone Vigneto Masera Gavi, Piedmont (Italy), A$29
A fascinating yet rare exotic taste – cortese from Piedmont. The producer is Stefano Massone, which has a 10-hectare vineyard in the Capriata d’Orba region close to the town of Gavi and bears that appellation. Massone produces 4000 cases of cortese. I found it vibrant with bright savoury characters, dry in the mid-palate and needing a complementary dish, perhaps grilled white-flesh fish with a squeeze of lemon. The 2007 Vigneto Masera has good weight, excellent balance and finishes zesty and dry. PF

2007 Panizzi Vernaccia Di San Gimignano, Tuscany (Italy), A$45
Few would consider vernaccia a noble grape, yet it expresses a real sense of terroir when grown on the beautiful slopes that surround the romantic hilltop village of San Gimignano. Aromas of wildflowers and honeysuckle greet the nose with hints of an underlying minerality. The palate is sweet-fruited – nectarine, honeydew melon and cumquat with a hint of spice. There is a surprising textural richness to the wine yet the finish is clean and precise. PB

2007 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Trocken Riesling, Mosel Valley (Germany), A$25
The Ürziger Würzgarten (or spice-garden) is one of Germany’s most famous vineyards. Its wines are fine and minerally, with a thrilling struck-flint aroma and chalky palate. There are floral and baked-apple aromas, too. In the mouth, it’s dry and nervy, and really grows on you as you sip. It’s a properly ripe trocken style, with relatively high (13 per cent) alcohol. A great fish wine, to drink over the next five or six years. Screw-capped. HH

2006 Hospices Catalans Côtes du Roussillon Villages Grenache Shiraz, Roussillon, (France), NZ$26
Made by Scottish Master of Wine Norrel Robertson, from a blend of 80 per cent black grenache and 20 per cent shiraz, grown on vines with an average age of 50 years producing four tonnes of grapes per hectare. This is a satisfyingly rustic red on a relatively grand scale. Masses of dark berry fruit with cracked black pepper and a suggestion of floral/violet characters that are supported by fine, ripe tannins and refreshing acidity. BC

2007 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex, Loire Valley (France), A$110
A typically complex, sumptuous and savoury silex, with a rich underswell of gooseberry and melon flavour that melds together its overt meatiness, waxiness and toasty oak-derived aspects. Scented with waxy notes of dried wild flowers, it’s round and creamy, culminating in a slightly edgy herbaceousness that should settle down. Tightly wrapped by refreshing acidity, it should reveal its best form in two to five years from now. JO

WINES TO CELLAR
2007 d’Arenberg The Cenosilicaphobic Cat Sagrantino Cinsault, McLaren Vale, A$30
In 2009, as chief judge of the Alternative Varieties Wine Show, I gave The Wine to Watch gong to two wines: a magnificent textural, bone-dry fiano from Beach Road and this brilliantly savoury, impressively complex blend of the Umbrian grape sagrantino (from very young vines) with a splash of the southern French grape cinsault (from very old vines). This is surely the first time these two grapes have ever been put together, anywhere. MA

2008 Sandalford Prendiville Shiraz, Margaret River, A$90
This is made from the 10 best barrels from the three best blocks on the vineyard, which was planted in 1970 and remains dry-grown. This is the first time that winemaker Paul Boulden has felt that Sandalford was ready to produce a flagship shiraz to stand alongside the Prendiville Cabernet. It does need time in the cellar to show its best: there’s intense ripe sweet fruit, restrained vanilla, brambles and mulberry flavours, a deep and long, velvety texture and substantial yet fine, ripe tannins. PF

2007 Hurley Vineyard Garamond Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, A$55
The Hurley Vineyard was established by Kevin Bell and Tricia Byrnes in 1998. They produce three individual-vineyard wines: Lodestone, Hommage and Garamond. The pinnacle is the 2007 Garamond, which has a sublime perfume of mulberry, sweet plums intertwined with warm spices, coffee and savoury walnut notes. Full-flavoured yet beguilingly subtle, it already shows the complexity that will lead to a long cellaring future. PB

2006 Bellwether Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, A$50
The 2006 vintage was outstanding for the great red wines of Coonawarra. This one, a new venture for former (Hardy’s) Stonehaven chief winemaker Sue Bell, is built for the long haul. Fruit leads the way; oak is merely a backdrop. The colour is deep, the nose has dark berry fruit and some eucalyptus/mint. In the mouth, tannins tend to dominate at the present: it almost sucks your cheeks in. But they are good, ripe tannins, and all this wine needs is time to mellow a fraction. Cellar for two years and drink for 15 to 20 thereafter. HH

2007 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Block 14 Syrah, Hawkes Bay, A$40/NZ$30
Craggy Range has made a string of award-winning wines under the Block 14 label since 2001. This may be the best vintage yet. A wonderful medley of dark fruit, pepper and violet characters delicately underpinned with fine, ripe tannins. No doubt the producers would argue that neither the (excellent) vintage or (impeccable) winemaking has compromised the wine’s ability to age, but I find it irresistibly drinkable. It represents great value at this price. BC

2006 Best’s Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz, Great Western, A$150
An exemplary Great Western shiraz whose pristine expression of small black and red berry fruit, tightly knit cedar/chocolate oak and dusty, spicy and peppery undertones simply ooze finesse and charm. More savoury and artful than its predecessors, this stylish and seamless wine has plumpness and juiciness, but finishes long and savoury, with lingering charcuterie-like complexity. It’s medium to full in weight and should develop in the bottle for decades. JO