Philip Shaw No. 89 Shiraz Viognier 2004

Shiraz Viogniers are all the rage in Australia right now - but not too many of them are grown and produced in Orange, New South Wales like this wine. Distributed by the mamoth Lion Nathan, nonetheless this wine rises above typical commercialized shiraz/viognier blends with a more Northern Rhone like balance of finesse and robustness.

The nose here had coffee, violets, blackberry and boysenberry and was rich and masculine similar to syrah made in Cornas. The palate was nicely balanced, with spice, coffee, chocolate, and blackberry. Overall a masculine wine with firm acidity and without the 'prettyness' (or lightness) you can find in most Aussie shiraz/viogniers.

Very Good+
$40 ($28 on sale) at BCLDB

John Glaetzer 'John's Blend' Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

You don't see too many wines from the Langhorne Creek region of Southern Australia over here in Canada, but I find myself often impressed with the lesser known regions. That said, Langhorne Creek fruit apparently forms the basis for most Wolf Blass wines and is known for its soft and mellow character. In fact, John Glaetzer is the winemaker that put Wolf Blass on the map internationally, and has now set up this project making some pretty fantastic stuff.

The nose on this has tremendous eucalyptus and cedar notes with layers of chocolate and cassis. Indeed, it is a classic aromatic profile for Aussie cabs - but so pure and expressive. The palate is, temptingly, very chocolate-forward in a fondue-like way with cassis, licorice, cedar, and eucalyptus rounding out this full, clean and texturally soft wine. With good balance of flavour and a big, full, delineated structure, this cab is well worth its price. Simply, an extremely enjoyable wine.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$40 at Taphouse Liquor Store

Grosset Semillion / Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Grosset is so consistent in creating fresh, lively, and complete wines that they have become my favourite producer of white wine from Australia, from their rieslings to this excellent Bordeaux style white blend.

The perfumed nose on this blend was floral and filled with rich dense notes of nectarine and pear. The palate had lime and pear up front, a crisp and clean mid-palate and notes of nectarine and sour apricot on the finish. This was thicker than expected, which I suspect was brought to the wine by the Semillion. And, while this is certainly a cut wine, it is also expansive: a wonderful blend of acidity and fat that still dials back its opulence compare to, say, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Very Good+
$30 at Marquis

Petaluma Shiraz 2006

I have generally enjoyed the wines from Petaluma, being particularly impressed by their Coonawara red blend. This shiraz is certainly not your typical Aussie fruit bomb. The nose on this shiraz from the Adelaide Hills had cassis, chocolate and eucalyptus, almost like some California Cabernets. The palate picked up many notes from the nose, including eucalyptus and chocolate, adding a secondary line of woodyness.

This was well rounded and extremely smooth drinking with very fine, almost undetectable tannins. With moderate sweetness and a good flavour package this wine is very solid, and while its not going to send you into the stratosphere, it will be a great sipper and pleasant with many types of food: everything a simple and tasty wine needs.

Very Good
$35 at BCLDB

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1998

The second of two aged Australian chardonnays I managed to get my hands on, this actually turned out a lot better than the Penfolds Yattarna, which is interesting given that in an earlier comparison of the 2003 vintage of the two I found my preferences distinctly on the side of Yattarna. These two continue to duke it out for the title of best Australian chardonnay.

From the Margaret River, this was a surprisingly vibrant and youthful yellow for a ten year old wine. The nose was toasty and buttery with vanilla, pineapply custard and lemon. In fact, I was a little disappointed when I first smelled the nose since it suggested more of the same Californian style chardonnay I have been having for months. However, with a little air the nose caught up to the palate, which was off in another, much more exciting, direction.

The first thing I noticed about the palate was the texture of the wine: extremely delicate. There was an amazing lightness to the wine despite its intense body and depth of flavour. I got lots of lemon, a little lime, pineaple, a touch of mineral brightness and a longish finish with a momentary feel of heat, which left with air. This is not a wine with dozens of flavours, but texturally it is whimsical and dances across the palate. One can also not help but mention that the structure and layering are just right to make restraint a fairly futile task. Each component is carefully and delicately built upon the others with precision and direction. This is not a wine that makes you guess about its intentions - rather it is a very well delineated path into a stunningly beautiful vista with bracingly fresh air.

Excellent to Excellent+
$51 at Benchmark Wine

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 1995

Yet another vintage acquisition for me here in California, I was pretty darn excited to open this 14 year old chardonnay with a reputation as being one of the best in Australia.

The colour on this beauty was a deep yellow with browning qualities that showed a bit of age. Luckily the nose was still very expressive with wood, nuts, metal and minerals suggesting something quite dense and layered. I have to admit, however, that as much as I liked this wine I was somewhat less impressed with the palate, which seemed to have a bit too much oak compared to recent vintages of Yattarna. Nonetheless, this was bright and citrus happy with some nice spice qualities from the oak. I also got some really unique fruits like perhaps some exotic melon aromas (winter melon?).

The textured smoothness on this wine was also extremely impressive and perhaps the best part of the wine. The other critique I have besides perhaps a touch too much oak (this is by no means driven by oak), is the lack of complexity in the flavour profile, which really was in the end predominantly lemon and lime with a touch of pineapple. The 2003 version of this wine I tasted a while ago had much more of a minerally element and greater brightness and precision. Nonetheless, this shows how well Yattarna holds up to some long term aging.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$59 at Benchmark Wines

Mini Vertical: Peter Lehmann The Mentor

It seems as though great deals abound here in California since I was able to score two vintage bottles of Lehmann's Barossa Bordeaux blend "The Mentor" for a pretty fantastic price. Furthermore, Australian wines are not known so much for their ageability, and I was curious how a wine like this, from a major producer, would fair with moderate age on its back. Here are the results:

The Mentor 1999

A big cassis blast on the nose and not showing fatigue. Wood, eucalyptus and cedar smoke. Quite aromatic and very Australian. However, the palate was definitely a lot softer than I remember recent versions of this wine being. Notes of caramel opened the palate, but it was the purity of the cassis that was most impressive - one of the more authentic expressions I've tasted. It reminded me of an ice cream shop I loved when I was a kid that home made black currant ice cream by folding numerous fresh berries into it - and man was that good. Quite a long finish, and actually semi-earthy. The 9 years of age has made this quite an elegant wine, even if it is not super complex. It has layered very nicely and is still an excellent wine.

Very Good+

$25 at K&L

The Mentor 2002

Showing cedar, chocolate, cassis, eucalyptus and blackberry on the densely layered nose, this promised a lot. The palate, however, was a bit disjointed and this is definitely not showing as well as it did last year. In fact, this has become alsmost too cashmere in texture, and it lacks the layering and elegance of the 99. Cassis and cedar predominate on the palate, which feels quite round in the mouth. So, while the wine has good flavour, it is lacking the punch I expected from its more youthful visage.

Very Good to Very Good+

$25 at K&L

Clearly these wines can age, although I would suspect there is reasonable bottle and vintage variation in the quality of the aged wines. Also, I don't find them to be that much more expressive or complex than the most recent vintages; rather, the difference is in texture and elegance. I will enjoy continuing to sample some older Aussie wines to get a fuller sense of how they fare over time.

Greenock Creek Alice's Block Shiraz 2000

One of the other amazing elements of California's wine scene is the ability to buy vintage bottles of wine with superb provenance at reasonable prices. I picked this particular bottle up online at a price about half of what the recent vintage is selling for in Canada.

On the nose this was herbacious, with strong eucalyptus notes and strong woody elements with subtle cassis and vanilla rounding out the quite extensive olfactory package. The palate had similar flavours, but with a bright high acid opening that mellowed out in the mid-palate and lengthy, consistent finish. Balanced, but definitely made for food. Somewhat like walking out into the sun, being blind for 1/2 a second and then laying down for a lazy warm day on the grass. Well done, and superb with truffled Humbolt Fog goat's cheese (which makes me think this would go with a wide variety of foods).

Very Good+

$45 at Liquid Wine and Spirits

A Victorian Wine Tasting: Supporting Victims of the Aussie Bushfires

Last week I attended a fundraiser for the Victorian bushfires which devastated southern Australia recently, destroying many homes and lives. And in true Aussie style with good spirit and outgoing support, we all donated money and collectively consumed some pretty amazing donated wines from the Jug Shop. I've always respected fellow wine blogger Ed over at Wino Sapien, who not only blogged about this disaster but has been constant source of inspiration for great Australian wine - so I dedicate these notes to him and his fellow Aussies. Since I tasted so many wines I will provide only brief writeups for the few that I felt were particularly interesting or unique in some way (my favorites are asterixed). Off we go to the Yarra Valley...

Yarra Valley

Tin Cows Pinot Noir 2004: poopy, very tart, very balanced, excellent integrity. Very Good+
Yering Station Pinot Noir 2005: very earthy and savory with subtle fruit. A nice easy drinker. Very Good.
*Yeringberg Pinot Noir 2000: I've been impressed with Yeringberg before and this is no exception. A really fantastic pinot with barny, strawberry-rhubarb notes, but also a distinct coolness, and almost mintyness, to the fruit. Very smooth and long in the mouth. Killer texture. Excellent.
Stathewen Hills "Patterson Lake" Shiraz 2005: A very herbal and savory wine, with distinct notes of menthol. Very restrained shiraz with almost no residual sugar or sweetness. Very Good+


Bendigo

I seem to really enjoy this region.
Balgownie Cabernet Sauvignon 2005: chalky tannins, menthol, woody, very long. Very Good+ to Excellent
*Passing Clouds Reserve Shiraz 2005: killer shiraz - baking spices, wood, blackberry - real power but also real restraint and a beautiful tannic structure. Absolutely wonderful. Excellent.
Water Wheel Memsie White Blend 2007: Sparkly rich with a big orchard-fruit mid-palate. Mouth-filling off-dry fruit. Very Good.


Heathcote

Occams Razor Shiraz 2005: a very solid structural wine that is dusty and spicy. Fruit is restrained, but will show more with a bit more bottle age to soften the tannins. Very Good to Very Good+
Redbank The Anvil Heathcote Shiraz 2003: spicy nose, a long drawn palate that is incredibly consistent from nose to finish. Very Good+
Two Hands Max's Garden Shiraz 2005: A bigger style than the others, but not at all a fruit bomb. Very fresh and bright with an extremely solid core of acidity. This freshness keeps the wine from cloying and will probably allow it to fully integrate within a few years. Could become special. Very Good+.


Pyrenees

*Terlato & Chapoutier Malakoff Shiraz 2006: Pretty. Very elegant and lovely. Spicy and meaty too with impeccable balance. Excellent.


Western Victoria

Mt. Langhi Cliff Edge Riesling 2008: Very different from most Aussie Riesling. Off-dry rather than dry. But, sharp and steely with intense peachy and pear-like orchard fruit notes with hints of citrus. Enjoyable and easy drinking, but I prefer the Clare Valley style. Very Good.

Those were my favourites of the show, very few of which I had even heard of let alone tasted before. What struck me about the wines was their tendency towards savoryness and restraint on the fruit. Not at all your typical Aussie wine that you see in the North American market. I was consistenly impressed. My heart goes out to all the families who have suffered in this tragedy and I hope this little event made a touch of difference.

De Bartoli Noble One 2003

Here we have perhaps Australia's most famous dessert wine, made in the Sauternes style, but at a fraction of the price of the venerable Bordeaux sticky. I paired this with St. Agur blue cheese, which worked very nicely.

Rich and golden in colour, the palate was distinctly honeyed and floral (perhaps lavender). Expanding with a big vanilla palate coupled with brown sugar, pineapple, caramel and banana cake, Noble One is certainly a robust wine with intense, even explosive, flavour. However, I have to admit that I felt this lacked balance and was a bit over the top with its sweetness. If a wine could be so hedonstic as to deter from enjoyment, this would be a good example. Not an everyday dessert wine, this nevertheless performs at, rather than above, its price point.

Very Good
$30 for 1/2 a bottle at BCLDB

Petaluma Coonawara 2004

Cool climate Australian wine is the underdog of the Aussie wine world, at least in North America. So many consumers go for Barossa or McLaren heavy duty fruit beasts without realizing the climatic variation in Australia and the massive impact that it has on grape quality. Perhaps the North American critics have brought all the profile to the two main regions without spending enough time on the cooler versions. That, at least, leaves them to discover for the rest of us, and thankfully keeps prices relatively sober.

This Petaluma red blend is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot mixture with Cab being the dominant grape. At once on the nose one notices cassis, licorice, with black and blueberry compote. But, as with most cool climate Australian wines I've tasted, there is a distinct calmness to the nose that bespeaks the perhaps greater balance present in the best of these wines. The palate was suave, with cassis, cedar and mint predominating like a classic cab. However, the merlot seems to have really smoothed out the palate and the tannins are very fine. There is great purity of flavour and the wine is long and full in the mouth with a nice touch of tang on the finish. Cool climate brilliance.

Excellent

$50 at Marquis

Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2007

More catch up - and another Aussie, but this is of a very different ilk than the Glaetzer. I drank this when it was a lot less cold outside. Clare Valley riesling is, unfortunately, a sort of lost treasure in Australian wine. Critics and wine geeks love it, but it is hard convincing the average wine drinker to have a riesling. I know too many people who drink 'only red' or 'hate sweet wines'. 'But it is bone dry!' I protest. If you pair this with asian food, though, you might win a few over.

The nose was classic petrol and lime and pleasantly aromatic. The palate was round and full with lime and sour grapefruit and a very long finish. Extremely full bodied for a riesling, I also detected fascinating notes of brine and river stone. Very very nice stuff and an alternative/comparative to Grosset.

Excellent
$40 at Everything Wine

Ben Glaetzer Godolphin Shiraz/Cabernet 2005

Catch up time. I drank this quite some time ago - in fact, before I did the Premium Aussie tasting. Sometimes getting all the notes down can get a little overwhelming! Ah the trials and travesties of a wine blogger.

A nose of plum, chocolate, licorice and spice opened into a sweet and fruity palate with noticeable vanillan oak notes. A very extracted wine, but not artificial tasting like Mollydooker. Fruity, solid acidity, and tons of flavour. Good stuff, but highly overrated by the likes of Parker. I thought the Amon-Ra was vastly superior at $15 more.

Very Good+
$70 at BCLDB

Penny's Hill Footprint PHV Rows 9-14 Shiraz 2004

Here we are back in McLaren Vale so soon. Penny's Hill is a little producer that has pushed a niche for itself in the Vancouver market - a well deserved one - with their rich good value red dot shiraz. This is their high end bottling made from a small number of rows from their top vineyard site.

Before I get into the wine, I have been wondering recently how many professionals have a desire to give up their usual careers and pursue wine not just as a hobby, but as a full fledged 'job'. I've considered this. However, I am yet to be convinced, despite certain urges, for the following reasons:

1. I ultimately want to have a positive social impact with my work, and while wine does produce an abundance of happiness, I don't feel that I could make any special impact in this respect in the wine business.

2. I am afraid that if wine were to become a career it would lose its pizzaz and poetry. And, in the end, that's the entire reason I'm into it.

3. I prefer to be able to afford to buy the good stuff for my personal enjoyment rather than having sips at tasting events - which no doubt once you become successful is no longer a concern.

I'm curious to hear any readers' opinion on this issue.

Now, back to my personal non-professional enjoyment of the Footprint shiraz. This has a rich concentrated almost southern rhone-like nose with some earth, cherry, wood and a little mushroom. The palate, however, is purely Australian and very McLaren - big creamy rich plum, cassis, cherry, and vanilla. I get a mushroomy note on the long and full-bodied finish, but maybe I'm on crack. This is certainly a fruit bomb, but a dang good one with great length, fine ripe tannins, and intense but not abrasive concentration. Needs 5 more years.

Very Good+ to Excellent [I think this will be great with age]
$65 at Steamworks Liquor Store

Super-Premium Aussie Wine Tasting

I decided to take my last tasting group on a bit of a bonanza through some expensive and iconic wines from Australia (unfortunately no Grange). We tasted through 6 bottles of leading Aussie wine, with fairly differing results from the Crowd. All were well made and tasty, but there was a clear 'winner' for me that greatly surpassed the others. Let's take a look at the wines.



Wine #1: Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay
Vintage: 2003
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia

This wine has been hailed by many as Australia's best Chardonnay. Penfolds' Yattarna is usually included in that group, and I have previously tasted that as well. We were definitely drinking this too young as it probably needs another 5-10 years in the bottle to fully expand. The nose was very tropical with a touch of vanillan oak. Liquid crystal in the glass, this was quite pure and pristine to look at. The palate, though, was quite subtle with hazlenut, pineapple and other tropical fruits, striking minerality and subtle toast. With a silky and very supple texture, this Chard had a lot to offer, but was not neraly complex or bracing enough for me at this price point. I definitely preferred the Yattarna for its bracing acidity and ripping minerality. With age, though, that could be another story.

Very Good+
$115 at Kits Wine Cellar


Wine #2: Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier
Vintage: 2004
Region: New South Wales, South East Australia

These guys pretty much represent the top of the line for Shiraz/Viognier cote-rotie style blends in Australia. Made in limited quantities and with a reputation that sees them sell-out quite quickly I was happy to see this at the local wine store. The nose was incredibly aromatic with earth, honey, intense violets, eucalyptus and spice. So incredibly profound. The palate, however, brough this to another level for me with perhaps one of the most unique and alluring mix of flavours I have yet tasted: floral and violets, pepper, suppple red fruits, and an endless finish. This wine exhudes elegance and profundity in its structure and balance. The best Australian wine I have ever had, and one of the best I've had period.

Excellent+
$90 at Kits Wine Cellar


Wine #3: Ben Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz
Vintage: 2006
Region: Barossa, South Australia

Glaetzer is a bit of a hot shot wine maker who has steadily increased his profile over the years. This is his pet-project wine and the flagship of the Glaetzer range. Made from 110 year old vines and unfiltered the nose on this wine had confection, chocolate/mocha, and expansive cherry aromas. Very balanced, creamy, and far more elegant than I expected, this had a fantastic structure with a very thoughtful amount of acidity. Its richness was complimented fantastically by aged Gouda. 99 Points from Parker.

Excellent
$85 at BCLDB


Wine #4: Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz
Vintage: 2006
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia

A controversial wine made in a hyper-manipulated and extracted style. This has become a critic's darling and was named as #7 wine of 2008 by Wine Spectator. I have previously had the Mollydooker 'Boxer' Shiraz which I didn't like that much, although I recognized that others would. This, however, as a big improvement on that with an extremely confection heavy and rich nose that expanded into a palate of cassis, coffee and candy floss. It was a pretty simple flavour, but it did it to the best of its ability. A sweet style shiraz, but this was way better balanced than the Boxer. I liked it, but did not love it.

Very Good+
$100 at BCLDB


Wine #5: Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2004
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia

Known for creating controversial, super intense and massive wines, the winemaker Roman Bratasiuk has established himself as one of the most lauded and hated winemakers in Australia. That said, I found this to be a quite elegant and well structured cab. While definitely new world, it did not feel hyper-extracted and had a napa-like bouquet of leather, earth, cedar and mint, which extended into the palate. Very nicely made and not what I was expecting.

Excellent
$100 at BCLDB


Wine #6: St. Hallet Old Block Shiraz
Vintage: 2004
Region: Barossa, South Australia

St. Hallet is a Grant Burge project, and Grant Burge is considered one of the best wine makers in Australia. The Old Block is one of Australia's most famous shiraz's. This was pure barossa goodness, with great purity of fruit and an unashamedly Australia style. The nose was spicey with rich black and red fruits, with the palate peppery and cherry filled. A great drinking wine, but lacking the complexity of the majority of the other wines we tasted.

Very Good+
$65 at BCLDB

Rosemount Balmoral Syrah 2001

One of the few 'shiraz' based wines in Australia to go by the name syrah, I suppose in an attempt to suggest this wine's similarity to a French Rhone-style syrah rather than an Australian fruity concoction. I definitely thought this mostly succeeded in that respect.

The nose was creme de Cassis and distinctly floral violets with hints of vanilla. The palate continued the trend but added a brilliant core of acidic minerality and a smoky bacon component, much like a Northern Rhone syrah. However, the character of the cassis was unmistakably Australian, which made for a pretty unique combination. All it was missing was a bit more weight and depth, which could come with either age or a different vintage.

Very Good+
$70 at BCLDB

Two Hands Brave Faces 2006 Shiraz/Grenache

A Barossa wine from the well-known Australian 'negocient' Two Hands. This is another big american-style bruiser at 15.5% alcohol, although I thought it did a decent job with that percentage. The nose was very much classic Barossa shiraz with chocolate cherry and a touch of gameyness. This was very potent, but had excellent flavour concentration. Ultimately this is a big fruit blast without an exaggerated sense of extraction. The big complaint at this price point is that the wine is somewhat thin in the complexity (not the intensity) of its flavours.

Very Good

$40 ($28 on sale) at BCLDB

Henschke 'Abbotts Prayer' Vineyard Merlot 2001

A relatively young-vine Merlot from the legendary Australian producer. A Lenswood wine, this merlot was Brownish-red in the glass. A HUGE nose of plum, cherry and cassis developed into a less big but very juicy palate with similar flavours. A smooth palate coupled with integrated fruit developed into a long finish brought on by a great combination of up front fruit, softness and a solid acidic structure with secondary flavours of wood and earth. A very nicely made new world merlot.

Very Good+

$60 at BCLDB

Plantagenet Shiraz Great Southern 2003

I drank this wine a while ago. Now, however, I can't help but feel that my wine habbits will go more towards sale items such as this with the crashing markets and depreciating Canadian currency. My once exciting 5 month exchange to UC Berkeley is shaping up to cost considerably more than I expected. With mounting student debt levels, it's time for some serious budget wine. I suppose luckily I have some stock to go through before needing to buy anything more.

On to the wine. I found this shiraz to have a pretty unique flavour profile for Australia, with a nose of meaty dark fruits. The palate was quite layered, and I detected plum, chocolate, cinnamon, pepper, and indian spices. My big complaint, however, is that the alcohol was too hot and unbalanced with the rest of the wine. This makes me feel this particular vintage was unpolished, which is a shame because I think there is great potential here. Definitely something to look for and an indication of the quality to be had from Western Australia (the Great Southern region to be exact).

Very Good

$28 on sale ($40 regular)

Mollydooker 'The Boxer' Shiraz 2006

Here we have what I would call, extending the metaphor from the last post, a Cyclops of a wine. Brute, stupid, singular, one dimensional and easily fooled. Mollydooker is a sensation in the US wine market, largely created by massive ratings by Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator. I do not feel as much vitriol against these reviewers as others, but I have found that I very much disagree with Parker's ratings in Australian wine. The wine advocate gave this bottle 94 points.

While equivalent in power to the Gigondas below, this is essentially the opposite wine. Big chocolate, cassisn, vanilla and a touch of Eucalyptus belie the creamy, artificial, cough syrup texture of this highly manipulated wine. Very fruit forward, and somewhat alcoholic (at 16% abv), this is too sweet and over the top. It is, in a sense, the coca-cola of wine. I think if you like this approach to wine making, this is archetypical of the very sweet approach to wine making and a lot of people will certainly enjoy this. For me, however, this type of wine is exactly why I got out of Australian wines years ago (only to return later to discover all the other wonderful offerings from that region of the globe). I hate to say it, but: yellow-tail on crack. This is like returning to the orphanage you ran away from all those years ago, only to find that sister Molly is still beating you over the head with a stick - wine for the masochist.

Good+

$35 at BCLDB