Opened a few interesting wines over Christmas and New Year, as you do. I wrote about some of them in this post http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2013/01/the-stand-out-bargain-of-2012-de-bortoli-deen-vat-5-botrytis-semillon-2008.html
One of my followers asked me why I didn’t review Hunter Valley wines more often. My experience is that you have to pay more than $25 for good Hunters - for example the Tyrrells Bin reds and whites, and the better Brokenwoods – and that other wine areas offer better value. Another reason is that I’m not fond of most of the underdone Semillons that come out of the valley, even if I’m the odd man out here.
So I thought I’d better try some Hunter Valley wines, but Dan Murphy’s selection was remarkably small. Perhaps most Hunter wine is still bought direct from vineyards since its so close to Sydney. Nothing wrong with that but it didn’t help me on this occasion. Still, we have a few Hunters here for review.
BUY
Waipara Hills Pinot Gris 2011 - $16, Dan M’s
We’ll start with a couple of KIWIs for a change. This is a rich Pinot Gris full of ripe pears, peaches and ginger, but balanced. It’s a big smooth almost unctuous mouthful – not unlike Traminer - and 14.5% strong. Would be great with a rich pork dish – pork fillet in cream and mustard sauce, or a pork roast. A Pinot Gris that doesn’t ask for understanding or forgiveness. Don’t keep it for too long, though.
Clifford Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - $13 at Kemenys
I’ve raved about this wine before, and it’s at its peak now: sharply focused if not complex, but with lovely ripe fruit in the gooseberry spectrum and a finish that remains resolutely crisp. Perfect summer seafood wine, will last another 6 – 12 months but won’t improve.
Fraser Gallop Parterre Chardonnay 2011 - $26 at MyCellars
This wine is just over $25 but worth crossing the threshold. Fraser Gallop is an up-and-coming winery near Willyabrup in Margaret River. Nigel Gallop is pretty serious about his endeavour; to prove how serious, he hired ex-Vasse Felix winemaker Clive Otto in 2007. Clive Otto was Australian Winemaker of the Year in Wine State magazine once, and clearly has a lot to offer http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/gourmet-traveller-wine-winemaker-of-the-year-2011-finalist-clive-otto-fraser-gallop.htm
This wine scored 97 points in James Halliday's Chardonnay Challenge 2012; the Penfolds Yattarna 2008 was the only wine to score higher with 98 points. The Parterre is a class act for sure, a touch more elegant than the lovely Mountadam 2010 but there’s enough white peach and classy French oak to make me think of white Burgundy. Lovely now and years in front of it.
Thorn-Clarke Sandpiper Eden Valley Riesling 2012 - $14 at Dan M’s
It looks like the vintage of 2012 has sprinkled fairy dust on every Riesling in South Australia. Sandpiper is Thorn-Clarke's basic range. This wine is less perfumed and flowery than the 2012 Pewsey Vale - it’s on the savoury rather than fruity side, more like a traditional Eden Valley Riesling. It has the length and depth and backbone to improve over a few years too. Not outstanding value, given that you can buy the Pewsey Vale or Jim Barry for the same money. 13%.
Bellarmine Riesling Dry 2010
A wine I recommended a year ago, which has settled into a lovely, refined yet honeyed wine with distinct German overtones – dry Spaetlese comes to mind. Very interesting style, and quite different from the Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings I love. The 2011 is more delicate, judgeing by the 11% alcohol. I haven’t tried it. JH gives it 94. $17 at Kemenys.
Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Riesling 2012 - $6 at Dan M’s
This is not the greatest Riesling around, and my first thought was to put it in the NOT CONVINCED group. At $6, that’s hard to do because the 2012 vintage has even worked its magic on wines of such humble origin (all over SA) and modest price. It’s a bit sweet and a bit simple, but there’s nothing wrong with it for the price, and there’s authentic lime fruit here with length and balance. 12.5%.
Bethany Barossa Chardonnay 2010 - $16 at Dan M’s.
An old Barossa family that used to sell its grapes to the big guys, then set up its own winery in the early eighties when the big guys stopped buying their grapes. I’d had little exposure to Bethany until a wonderful fortified wine called Old Quarry Fronti ($20 at Dan M’s) surprised me last winter, and this Chardonnay did the same thing. Quite restrained for a 3-year old Barossa Chardy, elegant fruit in the white peach spectrum, light touches of nutty oak, all of it perfectly balanced by a long crisp finish. 13%.
Meerea Park Shiraz 2011 - $13 at Dan Murphy
This is the new name of the former Little’s winery at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley. James Halliday tells us that owner and winemaker Rhys Eather is a grandson of Alexander Munro, a leading vigneron of the 19th century. This wine is young and fresh once you let it breathe, but shows some mature touches around the gentle sweet fruit. Lightish in body, not unlike a Chianti, and just as easy on the gums. Perfect lunchtime red, or anytime with Pizza or Pasta. No big future but good drinking for $13. 13%. (the winery gets 5 red stars from JH).
Baron Amarillo Rioja Reserva 2006 - $10 at ALDI
This Rioja from ALDI turns out to be a pretty nice drop for $10. Elegant and sophisticated, with a light Spanish accent, mature but not too developed. Easy on the gums.
Seppeltsfield DP 57 Grand Tokay - $29 at Dan M’s
Yes, it’s over $25 but the bottle is 500ml. This was left over from the last winter, when we lapped it up with dried fruits and nuts and a sweet cheese. Classic Rutherglen Tokay.
NOT CONVINCED
Tyrrells Moon Mountain Chardonnay 2012 - $15 at Dan M’s
Lemon curd fairly leaps from the nose of this wine, a common affliction of our new wave Chardonnays. There’s more of it on the palate along with some hints of green melon. Not much nutty oak here or creamy peaches, and not my kind of Chardonnay. Not a lot of depth here either, and it finishes short. With a bit of luck it will improve for a year or two. 13.5%
Looks like they pay more attention to the PR blurb than the winemaking at Tyrrell’s these days. The website says of this wine: Skillfully (sic) crafted through the amalgamation of fruit and balanced wood handling, this wine has an energy and personality that comes from the dedication of making a perfect example of a Hunter Valley chardonnay.
D’Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2011 – $14 at Dan M’s
I was keen try this after the great 2010. Sadly, this year isn’t in the same class - it lacks depth, flavour and crisp acidity. Nothing wrong with it per se, it just doesn’t hit the right notes for me. May improve in the short term. 13.5%
AIRDE.450 Clare Valley Riesling 2012 - $10 at ALDI
Nothing fundamentally wrong with this one either, and hinting at the quality of the 2012 vintage, but once again it didn’t really excite me or grab me as a standout bargain the way the Annie’s Lane does for the same money. 12.5%
Kalleske Moppa Shiraz 2010
I’d expected more from this wine. Kalleske has a great reputation for Barossa reds, and the ancient family vineyards are carefully managed along organic lines. I bought this $30 wine some months ago for $22, but didn’t get around to tasting it until now. To give the Shiraz a lift, Troy Kalleske uses small amounts of Viognier and Petit Verdot in the final blend.
There’s certainly a lovely fruit sweetness here, with an extra dash of bright cherries and spicy fruit cake, but depth and complexity are a bit light on. Nice mouth feel, soft tannins and balance, just a bit light on for an old vines Barossa Shiraz. 14.5%. NLA. The 2011 is $23 at Dan M’s online.
Audrey Wilkinson Hunter Valley Shiraz 2009 - $18 at Dan M’s
This wine is made at one of the Hunter’s most historic vineyards, bought by the Wilkinson family in 1866. By the early 1900s, following the death of his father, Audrey Wilkinson took over the winemaking at 15 years of age. He made hock, claret and fortified wines which won awards around Australia and were popular in London. Audrey’s motto was It’s all about the taste.
There sure is no shortage of taste here: the dense, deep red colour suggests substance, the slightly pongy, tarry edge on the nose is classic traditional Hunter red. The wine packs a bigger punch than the other two Hunter reds in this post. There’s some sweet fruit here too, but it's on the hot side and the acid isn't as fine as it should be. Maybe it just needs ten years to turn into one of those great old Hunter reds, but I doubt it. 14%.
John Duval Affinis Shiraz Barossa Valley 2010 - $23 at Cellarmasters
This wine was offered to David Jones wine club customers as part of a BEST selection. I suspect it’s made by Cellarmasters for DJs, via complex arrangements – more details here: http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/09/woolworths-and-coles-masters-of-wine.html
Made by John Duval, for many years the chief winemaker at Penfolds before Southcorp bought Rosemount. The wine is deep red in colour, very vibrant and young, smells of red fruits and plum jam. The fruit tastes a bit extracted and jammy to me, there’s an overlay of expensive oak (American and French, 30% new), which isn’t sitting comfortably. It’s a chunky wine, a strange blend of quality touches and sharp edges. I expected more polish from a wine made by a winemaker of John Duval’s calibre. 14%.
Westend 3 Bridges Botrytis Semillon 2010 - $19 at Kemenys
I don’t drink a lot of stickies so I put this on one of my BEST lists, given the rave review from James Haliday (95 points) ... ‘the palate is unctuous and hedonistic, with a long, luscious and pure finish; wonderful value at the price.’ The wine has alos won trophies at the Shanghai International Wine Challenge and the Decanter World Wine Awards. I found a pretty simple sweet wine, which might’ve had more life to it a year ago. The $10 de Bortoli bargain of the year elicited more delighted noises from the dinner table.
AVOID
Madfish Gold Turtle Margaret River Chardonnay - $14 at Dan M’s
A curious wine not recognisable as a Chardonnay. There’s some perfume on the nose but it’s not the kind of perfume we associate with wine – it’s more like the stuff women use to make themselves smell more appealing to the opposite sex. I suspect it’s some kind of fancy aromatic oak, and it clouds the palate as well and obscures whatever else is going on. Over two days this wine didn’t change much, and never revealed its charms. I thought the 2010 Gold Turtle Cabernet Merlot was terrific value but this wine is an aberration.
Tyrrells Brokenback Shiraz 2010
Some call this wine the ‘baby brother to
Vat 9’, arguably Tyrrell’s best Shiraz,
but I suspect Vat 9 would take offence. It opens with a classic
Hunter red nose of old tennis shoes and sweaty socks. Once that clears, the
wine turns out to be remarkably free from complexity, depth, substance or
interest. It’s a lightish red like the Meerea Park,
without the fruit, life, charm and appeal of that one. It just isn’t one of those wines that
makes you come back for more. And over the two days I had it open, it offered less and less.
The ratings this wine gets from other reviewers range from 88 to 90, yet they all say nice things about it. Funny how no one wants to pick a fight with Bruce Tyrrell and call this a pretty poor effort for $15 from a winery with such a big reputation. I’ll give it 4 (86-87) a rating I reserve for ‘a wine best used in the kitchen or in marinades for the BBQ’. My apologies for quoting myself before I’ve become famous.
Kim Brebach
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