Best Buy Wines (Oct/Nov 2010)

 

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$15 and under
2009 Longhop Shiraz, Mount Lofty Ranges, A$15
The Longhop and Old Plains wines are a side project of Domenic Torzi (of Torzi Matthews in the Eden Valley) and old school mate, Tim Freedland, made from old vineyards on the hot Adelaide Plains. To be honest, until now I’ve found most of the Longhop wines a little on the one-dimensional blockbuster side: heaps of overripe jamminess and not much else. This latest vintage, though, is different. Yes, there is oodles of black fruit but it’s held in check by a savoury, toasty finish. MA

2010 Moppity Lock & Key Riesling, Hilltops, A$15
An unexpected surplus of grapes and the danger of bankruptcy pushed Hilltops vignerons Jason and Alecia Brown into the decision to start an entry-level label. Lock & Key doffs its cap to Jason’s convict forebears and surprises with the quality of its Hilltops fruit from 30-year-old vines on the Moppity vineyard. There’s value across the range especially with the 2009 Shiraz and this trophy winner. The 2010 Lock & Key Riesling has pure lemon grass and lemon zest flavour, is vibrant, fresh and intense with a pleasing dry grip. PF

2008 Beelgara Estate Black Label Shiraz, Clare Valley, A$15
Peter Toohey was a leading Sydney wine merchant before immersing himself in the Beelgara project. Located outside Griffith, Beelgara is a vinous powerhouse delivering high-quality, value-for-money wines with Riverina fruit at the core. However, their premium selections come from traditional regions; in this case, shiraz from the Clare. It’s a rich juicy red with lots of dark-berry fruit aromas with a touch of spice and licorice. The palate is sumptuous with ripe blackberry and blueberry flavours, a sweet kiss of oak and a mild tannin finish. PB

2008 Fox Creek Shadow’s Run Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, A$12
This is stand-out value for money, and it’s not often you come across such a good cheap red from a premium region like McLaren Vale. Medium-bodied, compact and relatively restrained, it has hints of earth and spice and is tight and tidy on the palate, with a backbone of measured tannins. It’s designed to drink young but has a touch more grunt than usual for a $12 bottle of red. 14 per cent alcohol. HH

2008 Rongopai Wines Merlot, Hawkes Bay, A$15/NZ$14
A cheap and cheerful Hawkes Bay merlot from a good red wine vintage. Light and slightly sweet wine with raspberry and wild herb flavours. It’s a simple quaffer at an attractive price. The winemaker has resisted the temptation to try to turn mutton into lamb by giving the wine excessive maceration on the skins and a heavy oak influence. Instead they have made the wine as vintage and vineyard intended – a deliciously charming, fruity and approachable red. BC

2009 Deakin Estate Shiraz, Mildura, A$10/NZ$12
Quite remarkable for a $10 wine. This floral, spicy young shiraz reveals fresh aromas of dark fruits backed by a hint of meatiness, cloves and cinnamon. It’s uncomplicated but generous, delivering length, suppleness and a fine-grained, savoury finish. Unlike so many of its competitors, it’s actually made in a Rhône-inspired style. Even the river regions can reinvent themselves! JO

$20 and under
2010 Whisson Lake Pinot Nouveau Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, A$20
Adventurous winemaker Tom Munro has settled in to life at this mature (quarter-century old) pinot noir vineyard high on a hillside in the Piccadilly Valley. In a good year he produces at least five wines using the one variety, from pale blanc de noir-style rosé to a pitch-black, late-picked amarone-style pinot. This is the first release from 2010 and it’s a cracker: fresh and lively raspberry and cherry aromas, with a lip-smacking freshness and sappiness on the tongue. A lovely, drink-now wine. MA

2008 Bleasdale Second Innings Malbec, Langhorne Creek, A$15
For 160 years, the Potts family has been plying its trade on the flood plains of the Bremer River and in their Langhorne Creek winery. Varietal malbec is rare in Australia, and Bleasdale has been making one for more than 20 years and growing malbec for table wines for 50. The 2008 Second Innings Malbec is ripe and lush, almost syrupy, with rich, concentrated blackberry and bramble flavours that balance its powerful oak and substantial tannins. Robust yet approachable. PF

2009 Freeman Rondo Rosé, Hilltops, A$20
For a quiet former-academic, Brian Freeman is really making a lot of noise with his Australian take on Italian varieties and wine styles. Freeman’s Secco, a red blend of Veneto varieties rondinella and corvina, is a dry savoury red while his white blend, Fortuna, is equally Italianate. His rosé is made from rondinella, as the name implies, with a pale onion-skin colour and spicy cranberry and redcurrant aromas. Its mouthfilling flavours are clean, fresh and pleasingly dry with the depth and length of a much more serious wine. PB

2008 Blue Pyrenees Shiraz, Pyrenees, A$18
Another excellent value-for-money red from Andrew Koerner at Blue Pyrenees, where the reds are always bright and fresh and carry a hint of eucalyptus-mint in their aromas. This one is deep, sweetly ripe and lush in the mouth, with excellent structure and strength, and the backbone to age well – although it’s primarily intended to be drunk young. Very impressive at the price. Drink now and for a good 10 years. 14 per cent alcohol. HH

2009 Weka River Sauvignon Blanc, Waipara, NZ$18
Weka River is a small vineyard on the western side of the Waipara Valley. I have occasionally questioned the wisdom of making sauvignon blanc in Waipara. This wine effectively demonstrated that the region is capable of beating Marlborough at its own game. Pungent sauvignon blanc with a strongly varietal passionfruit, gooseberry and aromatic herb flavours. The wine has attractive fruit purity and a silken texture. Marlborough-style sauvignon blanc at a very competitive price. BC

2009 Kalleske Clarry’s Grenache Blend, Barossa Valley, A$18
A delicious, dry and rather more savoury than usual expression of this classic Barossa blend whose briary, floral perfume of blueberry, redcurrant, juicy dark plum and dark chocolate is backed by nuances of treacle, cloves and cinnamon. It’s smooth and meaty, ripe and forward, with a genuine length of fruit underpinned by silky tannins and punctuated by a bright acidity. One of the best of its kind. JO

$30 and under
2008 Cullen Margaret River Red, Margaret River, A$24
This character-filled Margaret River wine is a canny blend of all five of the red grape varieties traditionally grown in Bordeaux – cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc. It is, not surprisingly, remarkably complex, with dusty red berry fruit, some sinewy, sappy textural twists and plenty of juicy life and length. It also has a haunting dried-herbal perfume that is a hallmark of cabernets and cabernet blends grown in this part of the world. MA

2009 Clyde Park Chardonnay, Geelong, A$30
Situated about 30 kilometres north of Geelong close to the vineyards of By Farr, Farr Rising and Bannockburn, Clyde Park was first planted by Gary Farr in 1979 and has been expanded to 13 hectares since then. It was purchased by Sue and Terry Jongebloed in 1996. The estate produces two chardonnays with the cheaper being my preferred wine: it has oyster-shell complexity, is fresh and vibrant with creamy nougat characters, tight, fine and steely with an ultra-dry slaty, mineral finish. PF

2008 Bellarine Estate Phil’s Fetish Pinot Noir, Geelong, A$27
Peter and Lizette Kenny established Bellarine Estate in 1996 with the goal of producing premium wines on the Bellarine Peninsula. If their latest pinot is any measure of success, they have met these aspirations. The cool, maritime climate imparts a delicacy to this bright, red-berry fruit-flavoured pinot with its underlying minerally edge. The palate is equally soft and fine with sweet strawberry and red cherry flavours and a velvety tannin profile. Look out for more from this label. PB

2009 Fraser Gallop Estate Chardonnay, Margaret River, A$30
Clive Otto, former longstanding Vasse Felix winemaker, is now at Fraser Gallop, a fairly new winery on the hallowed turf of Wilyabrup, which has hit the ground running. Otto knows a lot about how to make fine chardonnay: this is a powerful, concentrated chardonnay with toasty oak inflections and a richly smoky-toasty and stone-fruit laden aroma and flavour. It’s penetrating and long in the mouth, and promises to reward time in the cellar – say up to six years. Just 13.5 per cent alcohol. HH

2009 Two Rivers Juliet Riesling, Marlborough, A$22/NZ$22
Two Rivers is a small quality-focused Marlborough winery making classy wines from grapes grown in the Awatere and Wairau Valleys. This bone dry riesling has strongly varietal lime, lime zest and mineral flavours. Very pure wine with deliciously fruity acidity and an ethereal texture making it accessible now but with good potential. One of the more impressive Marlborough rieslings I’ve tried recently from a vintage that is producing many top examples. BC

2010 Burge Family Winemakers Olive Hill Semillon, Barossa Valley, A$22
No wine style keeps reinventing itself quite as often as Barossa semillon, but I’d be quite happy if Rick Burge held onto this particular recipe! Quite an evolved yellow colour, this subtle, gentle and artfully made semillon has a delicate bouquet of pear, apple, honeydew melon and lemon candy. It’s restrained and elegant, long savoury, with a creamy presence of fruit finishing smooth and fluffy, with a soft, supple acidity. JO

Imports $25 and under
2007 Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, Abruzzi (Italy), A$12
The phrase “I just don’t know how they do it” wafts through my mind as I take another mouthful of this ripper red (geddit? Riparosso... ripper red ...) and shake my head in disbelief that a wine so cheap could deliver so much flavour and satisfaction. This is a terrific, meaty, chewy, gutsy Italian, packed with dark berries and a properly savoury finish. Somebody somewhere along the chain – the grower, the maker, the retailer – must be making bugger-all profit on this. MA

2005 Segura Viudas Brut Vintage Cava, Penedes (Spain), A$20
One of the best reasons to drink cava is its softness and its subtle delicacy. This excellent cava producer is part of the Freixenet group and is based in Catalonia, where most of Spain’s cava is produced. The 2005 Segura Viudas, sourced from the Penedes, is a blend of the indigenous varieties macabeo (67 per cent) and parellada (33 per cent), and is made according to the traditional method. It is very fine and delicate with supple, creamy texture, and a tight, zesty finish that is long and gentle. PF

2008 Aradon Tinto Joven, Rioja (Spain), A$10
Our large retail chains are often chastised for their domination of the wine market. However, size does bestow benefits with Coles’ wine buyers searching the globe for vinous delights. Indeed, this tinto is a real discovery. It’s a 50/50 blend of tempranillo and grenache. The descriptor joven (young) indicating a red bottled within a year of harvest. Indeed it’s youthful, fresh and bright with delicious spiced plum and raspberry flavours and a nice savoury note to the finish. Exclusive to Vintage Cellars and 1st Choice winestores. PB

2008 Feudo Arancio Nero d’Avola, Sicily (Italy), A$22
Nero d’Avola is one of the highest quality red grapes of southern Italy, curiously almost unknown in Australia. This is a fruit-driven, fairly straightforward but generously fruited red from Sicily, smelling of slightly baked, ripe, dark berries, including mulberry, with a faint herbaceous overlay. It has good concentration and length, with ample, slightly chewy tannins, sweetly ripe fruit and a rustic overtone with a touch of thickness. It’s probably best enjoyed within four or five years. HH

2008 Bodegas Vinedos Luna Beberide DOC, Bierzo (Spain), NZ$25
Made from mencia, a grape variety native to Spain that is becoming fashionable. Grown in the Bierzo in the Castilla Leon region, it is a single-vineyard wine made from grapes grown on 60-year-old vines that produce a wine with amazing depth of colour and intense flavours. Big, powerful red with bright red and black fruit flavours plus a mix of spice, licorice, new leather and aromatic herb characters. Perfectly balanced with a dry yet not austere finish. Classy wine offering amazing value at this price. BC

2007 Domaine de Beaumalric Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Beaumes de Venise (France), A$22
Deliciously ripe and luscious, with a punchy, assertive bouquet whose floral, spicy and slightly candied aromas of tropical fruits, almonds, fresh spirit and rose oil rather resembles a fresh white Turkish Delight. It’s warm, smooth and sweet, with a long and unctuous presence of tropical and stone-fruit flavours finishing surprisingly savoury, with warmth and a lingering note of honey. And baklava! JO

Imports $25 and over
2008 Pierre Henri Morel Signargues Côtes du Rhône Villages, Rhône (France), A$28
Sometimes you want to open a bottle of wine and be comforted by the familiar. You want to know that when you bring the glass to your nose, take a sniff and then pour a little on to your tongue, there’ll be no surprises, just the flavours you expect. That’s what this wine did for me: I’m a big fan of the grenache-based reds of the Côtes du Rhône, and this bottle delivers in spades, with plenty of earthy, bright spice, brambly, even slightly raisined fruit, and a rustic, savoury finish. MA

2008 Nigl Kremser Freiheit Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal (Austria), A$37
There’s no question that grüner veltliner is one of the trendiest of white grape varieties and very popular in the finest of restaurants partly because of its exotic rarity and partly because it makes a fine foil for freshly shucked oysters and so many delicate seafood dishes. This is from low-yielding, mature vines in the Kremstal region of Austria and is picked early so it shows intense pear-drop, grapefruit zest flavours, is tight, fine and coiled with refreshing mineral acidity that finishes long and ultra-dry. PF

2007 Pittnauer Pannobile, Burgenland (Austria), A$80
Brigitte and Gerhard Pittnauer represent the new face of Austrian wine. Their winery sits on the edge of the Pannonian Plain, which inspired the name Pannobile used by a group of seven local producers for wines with regional style and character. The 2007 Pittnauer Pannobile is a silken blend of blaufränkisch, zweigelt and st laurent harmoniously interwoven by sweet, cedary oak. It’s intense yet not dense with perfumes of blueberry and raspberry, a fine-boned structure and a long satisfying aftertaste. PB

2008 Grace Chardonnay, Yamanashi (Japan), A$85
The Misawa family’s Grace winery is one of Japan’s quality leaders. Its wines are expensive in Australia, but very well-crafted. The chardonnay is one of the most delicate you will find anywhere; if power is what you want, look elsewhere. But its lightness and subtlety are very Japanese traits, and it is a beautiful wine which would go well with lighter Japanese foods. Aromas are of honeysuckle with a barely perceptible barrel influence; the taste is creamy, soft and well balanced. HH

2007 Domain La Bastide de Michel Oliver Cuvée Antoine Côte du Lubéron, Provence (France), NZ$30
A syrah (80 per cent) grenache (20 per cent) blend made from old vines (20+ years) grown in the heart of the Luberon region in Provence. Aged for 14 months in French oak half-barrels the wine has enough fruit density to handle a fairly solid oak influence. Deep, dark wine with black pepper, damson plum, blackberry and dark chocolate flavours. The texture is voluptuous and silken. Good now but has the capacity to develop well with bottle-age. BC

2008 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Le MD de Bourgeois, Chavignol (France), A$55
Rich and substantial, this concentrated and luxuriant sauvignon blanc mirrors its steep and stony slopes with its assertive mineral texture and density. Scented with white flowers, gooseberry and melon, with undertones of bath powder, it reveals plenty of the herbaceous spectrum of sauvignon flavour, with nuances of asparagus and capsicum. Ripe and juicy, it becomes long and savoury, finishing with freshness and flavour plus a lingering briny aspect. JO

Wines to cellar
2009 Cirillo 1850 Old Vine Semillon, Barossa, A$20
I have a very soft spot for Barossa semillon, especially when it’s as delicious as this one. Picked riper than they do in the Hunter, but still with little or no oak influence, it shows gorgeous lemony intensity balanced by a creamy, satisfying texture and properly dry finish. The Cirillo is also picking up some hazelnutty complexity as it sits in bottle. If you like this, you’ll also like the vibrant and tangy 2010 Olive Hill Semillon from Burge Family Winemakers (also $20). MA

2008 Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, A$50
Its cool Upper Yarra address, north-easterly aspect and dry-grown vines meant that Gembrook Hill was able to withstand the rigours of the vintage's extreme heatwave. The talented winemaking team of Timo Meyer and Andrew Marks tread the fine line between producing a pinot with immediate appeal and one which has the capacity to improve with cellaring. Enjoy its bright, fragrant, wild strawberry and raspberry flavours and lush velvety texture while noting its briary notes, savoury minerality and ripe, fine, slinky tannins. PF

2007 d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz, McLaren Vale, A$65/NZ$65
Chester Osborn is a larger-than-life character. Yet underneath his long curly locks and loud shirts, there is a thoughtful winemaker with a clear vision. The Dead Arm was first made in 1993 with Osborn honing his flagship shiraz with more recent vintages showing fresher fruit flavours, finer tannin structure and better oak integration. The 2007 oozes bright cherry and blackberry fruit flavours spiced with hints of star anise, cinnamon and clove. The tannins are positive yet fine and well integrated ensuring a long cellar life. PB

2004 Santa Rita Triple C, Maipo Valley & Apalta (Chile), A$98
Santa Rita is one of Chile’s largest and best-known wineries, whose chief winemaker Cecilia Torres visited Australia recently. Blended from cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and carmenère, this is a deep, well-structured red with aromas of vanilla, tobacco, raspberry and charred wood, with minty/leafy and other red-fruit touches. Very intensely flavoured, it has an almost chewy tannin structure, fleshy texture and a very long carry. You can drink it now but it is robust enough to cellar for 10 to 12 years. HH

2007 Blake Family Vineyard Redd Gravels, Hawkes Bay, NZ$80
Dense, complex Bordeaux-style red with a trademark seamless texture. A blend of merlot (73 per cent), cabernet sauvignon (18 per cent) and cabernet franc (nine per cent) with an array of berry, spice and savoury characters that linger long after the wine has been tasted. Established in 1981, the vineyard is deliberately cropped very low to concentrate flavours. Accessible now but shows exciting potential. The wine has rapidly achieved cult status. Very collectable. BC

2008 Yarra Yering Carrodus Merlot, Yarra Valley, A$150
Spectacularly varietal, this long, rather closed merlot will become more luscious and assertive with time. Its earthy bouquet of cranberry, mulberry, dark cherry and plum knit tightly with cedar/vanilla oak, while its palate is long and sumptuously fruited, but holds back a brooding core of pure varietal fruit. Supported by firmish, fine and loose-knit and grainy tannins, it’s finely balanced and finishes with refreshing acidity, great length and brightness.JO