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What’s Hot 2008: Australian wines

ARRIVO – ADELAIDE HILLS
2007 Rosato di Nebbiolo, A$26
Arrivo arrived with a bang and a splash when its 2004 Nebbiolo, the label’s first commercial release, won the gong for best wine at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in 2006. Peter Godden and Sally McGill, makers of this delicious and inspiring drop, were embarrassed and delighted when the winning wine’s identity was revealed because they were both among the judging panel (as was I) that had been fawning over their pet project. Justice had been done, though, and the wine has been widely lauded as one of the leading examples made in Australia, born of dedication, talent and commitment to doing it right. They sprang this very handy 2007 rosé on us last year, one of the best in the market, and will add an extended-maceration, reserve-style wine to their August 2008 release. Don’t miss it!

RUDDERLESS – MCLAREN VALE
2004 Mataro, A$40
When Doug Govan bought the Victory Hotel in 1989, he already had a 2-hectare plot of almonds pegged out for a vineyard. He filled the cellar with great Australian wine, ripped out the almonds and then went in search of cuttings from vineyards across the country that were responsible for some of his favourite bottles. He also figured that some graciano, a Spanish native, might be a good prospect in McLaren Vale, so he planted some of that behind the pub too. The first grapes went in the ground in 1999 and the first Rudderless wines were declared in 2004. He’s released a GSM blend and three varietal versions of its components. The GSM is king, but the mataro is a standout.

JAMSHEED – VICTORIA
2006 Great Western Shiraz, A$35
Melbourne resident and winemaker Gary Mills has his heart set on Victorian shiraz but can’t seem to make his mind up exactly which Victorian shiraz. What a happy dilemma he has, making three individual wines, all from the 2006 vintage, and a rosé called José, with their combined saignée juice. The three regional shiraz bottlings are from the Yarra Valley, Heathcote and Great Western, and each has been styled according to its provenance. The cool-ish Yarra wine has a distinctly fragrant side, the young Heathcote vines get a supportive splash of viognier and the old-vine Great Western gets, well, nothing. It doesn’t need assistance – the depth and soul of old vines carries this one to the top of the class.

EDEN ROAD – EDEN VALLEY
2006 Two Trees Grenache Shiraz, A$80
Walking through an airport last year with a bunch of colleagues, I bumped into 2003 Young Winemaker of the Year Medal winner Martin Cooper. Pleasantries exchanged, we walked on and a pal remarked, “Just wait and see what he’s up to!” The wines arrived recently, hot off the press, both from the Eden Valley – one a straight shiraz and one a 50/50 grenache-shiraz blend. There’ll be a swarm of interest around these as Cooper is a talented winemaker and the prices alone will get the trade talking. Both wines draw fruit from the Eden Valley vineyard with some judicious finetuning via small amounts from elsewhere. The blend comes from vines dating from the 1920s and 1970s, while the V06 Shiraz draws on vines planted in the 1890s.

KT AND THE FALCON – CLARE VALLEY
2007 Watervale Riesling, A$35
Having etched a stellar career during her time at the Hardy Wine Company’s Leasingham winery in the heart of the Clare Valley, Kerri Thompson backed herself by setting up her own project with viticulturist partner Steve Farrugia. Her talent can be measured by the quality of the 2007 riesling, a great wine from what will be remembered as a pretty difficult vintage. It captures the pristine, fragrant purity of Clare riesling, full of zesty citrus flavour with a backbone of savoury, crisp-acid crunch. Few other winemakers got even close to this level of precision and quality. There’s a handy little ’07 rosé on offer too, a saignée of the ’07 shiraz that’s quietly maturing for release next year.

LUKE LAMBERT – YARRA VALLEY
2006 Luke Lambert Yarra Valley Syrah, A$35
Luke Lambert started into wine to combine two areas of interest: drinking and science. He went to Wagga to learn the tricks, looked around for a region to make the wines he liked to drink and settled on the Yarra, working at Diamond Valley, Coldstream Hills and now for Melbourne lawyer Justin Fahey at Maddens Lane. He struck up a rapport with the owner of Rising Vineyard, a place he figured could make savoury, fragrant shiraz, modelled on the stuff he likes to drink. Nebbiolo was the other grape that caught his eye. Lambert sources his nebbiolo from Heathcote and has plantings underway that will provide a Yarra version from 2009. There’s also a 2007 vintage reserve shiraz in barrel, fermented as 100 per cent whole bunches. It’s guaranteed to get the neighbours talking.

ADELINA WINES/SOME YOUNG PUNKS – CLARE VALLEY
2006 Shiraz, A$35
Wine packaging is entering new ground with these young punks! Artfully presented with just the right amount of attitude, wine by Some Young Punks is a made-for-young-adults-by-young-adults kinda thing. What’s inside the bottle is decidedly better than most quirky, innovatively packaged wines; they’re clever blends and sturdy varietals bearing names such as Passion Has Red Lips and Naked On Roller Skates. Adelina is the serious companion brand; the fruit is sourced from old vines – the shiraz more than 100 years old – from an estate on Wendouree Road in the Clare Valley. The fact that this wine sells for a paltry A$35 is astounding; you’d better get it while you can because these wines and prices won’t be around for long.

WILLIAM DOWNIE – YARRA VALLEY
2006 Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, A$50
There aren’t too many Australian winemakers that have bathed in the limelight more than this young prodigy of the Yarra Valley has in recent times. Downie, an accomplished hand when it comes to pinot noir, has stepped out from the De Bortoli camp and purchased his own patch of dirt in Gippsland. He’s also signed up to produce a substantial amount of Australian pinot noir (and a few other wines) destined for the US market. Meanwhile, Downie has added a Mornington Peninsula cuvee to partner his Yarra Valley wine, and it looks every bit the part. Together they’re a convincing pair of 2006 pinots, the Mornington wine bringing a bit more chew and depth to the table.

R WINES – SOUTH AUSTRALIA
2005 Big R Cabernet Sauvignon, A$38
Established as a collaborative effort between US-based importer Dan Philips and highly successful Australian winemaker Chris Ringland, this colourful range of wines has been flowing across the Pacific to the US and is now being rolled out in Australia. There are 30-odd wines in the range and they start at a paltry $12 for wines that are pitched into the scrum of south-eastern Australian varietals. Further up the ladder come single regional wines that are honed with a more distinctive style, drawn from small patches of old vines and styled with Ringland’s signature opulence and oxidative handling. The packaging is striking and edgy, and with names such as Bitch, Evil and Pure Evil, they look and sound every bit as striking as they taste.

OAKRIDGE/OVER THE SHOULDER
2007 Over the Shoulder Chardonnay, A$21.50
Just before the Evans & Tate juggernaut headed off the rails for the last time, Oakridge snuck a couple of these Over The Shoulder wines out from the 2006 vintage. They were largely overlooked for two reasons: the swarm of corporate activity and the fact that winemaker David Bicknell was making some of his best wines to date under the estate label and the 864 reserve label. He’s just issued a full complement of six wines, all from the 2007 vintage, and they are startlingly good for their meagre $20 price tag. There’s a bright pinot that almost looks like fragrant Beaujolais, there’s a silky shiraz viognier, a sauvignon blanc, a pinot grigio, a cabernet merlot and a crisply cut, fresh-as-the-day chardonnay.

WORDS NICK STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY ROB SHAW

This article appeared in the April/May 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.