Derwent Estate Chardonnay

The 2007 Derwent Estate Chardonnay is a light bodied wine (when was the last time I said that?) with beautiful fruit and texture. It tastes of white peach and melon, is crisp, but not overly so, with a velvety backbone and a well integrated finish.

This excellent lunch wine won a trophy at the recent Tasmanian show. While I pay no attention to red wine trophy winners, they tend to be more indicative of quality in white wine. This one is decently priced and highly recommended.

Score: 93/+

Kooyong Ferrous Pinot Noir

The Ferrous is one of Kooyong's premium Pinot Noirs, so I had high expectations when I opened the 2003 Kooyong Ferrous Pinot Noir.

The wine is very savoury, with reasonably good length, but not the fanning out on the back palate I had hoped for. The structure is supported by firm tannins, and the seven years of age are no problem. I am just wondering where the special extra is which would let this wine stand out from the increasing number of good Pinot Noirs in Australia? I could not find it.

Score: 92/+

Trinity Hill Merlot

It is a pity that it is so difficult to find good Merlot in Australia. Nothing matches a decent piece of beef as well.

I always keep a few Merlot bottles in my cellar, for above reasons, but not many. I came across the 1999 Trinity Hill Merlot Gimblett Road on one of my trips to New Zealand and liked it then. I still do.

This wine is medium bodied. The redcurrant fruit has mellowed and the well integrated oak sits in the background. As a result, secondary characters now dominate, tasting of forest floor, yet quite elegant. The wine has beautiful texture with some acidity left.

This Merlot is not overly concentrated, and the mouthfeel a little thin, but the wine supports food really well.

The gravels of Hawkes Bay seem to work for Merlot, as my other New Zealand Merlot favorites come from this area, Craggy Range and the Unison blend. Brian Croser makes good Merlot in Australia, but who else?

Score: 92/+++

Torbreck The Struie Shiraz

I thought this would be an interesting comparison with the just reviewed Glaetzer wine. The 2005 Torbreck Struie Shiraz is obviously younger, and it tastes much fresher and livelier. The fruit is plum and mulberry and there is a satisfying mouthfeel. The wine is quite juicy, maybe too much so, but the tannins counterbalance the potential heaviness of the wine. There is quite a lot of interest and complexity in this wine. It is also very ripe, probably a little too much, but at this stage, the wine remains lively.

Score: 91/0

Glaetzer Nefertiti Shiraz

Ben Glaetzer's wines are as smooth on release as he is on the promotion circuit. But how well do they keep?

The 2002 Glaetzer Nefertiti Shiraz should be peaking now. However, it tastes very ripe, of dried prunes and meat. No doubt, the fruit was good, but has not gained in complexity. The tannins are there, but it tastes as if everything is in one spot. There is no structure which takes the wine all the way to the back palate.

Now, it can be argued most wine is drunk on release, and this wine would have been agreeable then. But if it claims to be a premium wine, it needs to last. Not good enough, Mr. Glaetzer.

Score: 89/--

One From The Vault

I am still digging deep into my cellar. Last night I found a 1990 Wynns Michael Hermitage. The previous wine in this series was from 1954. They obviously thought the exceptional fruit of 1990 deserved a revival of this label. Yet, this was also one of the most over-oaked wines I had ever come across.

How does it drink now? The good news is, the wine is still standing strong, with a mighty structure, not dissimilar to older Grange, actually. However, the flavour profile remains unappealing. The oak is still dominant, there is smoke and a fair bit of mint. The underlying fruit is not very differentiated. It would go well with well done meat on the barbie.

I have never had a younger 'Michael' and would be interested to know if the oak treatment has been moderated since 1990.

Score: 93/--

Bannockburn Shiraz

This is one of the most unusual and definitely Australia's anti terroir wine. If you were asked in a multi choice question "does this wine come from Western Australia, Victoria, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Cooawarra or all of the above", how many would have said "all of the above"? They would have been right.

90% of Bannockburn's 98 crop was destroyed by a hailstorm, but many companies agreed to provide grapes to help them out. They are listed on the back of the bottle (sorry about the photo quality, I had no proper camera with me), among them BRL Hardy, Cape Mentelle, Charlie Melton, Dalwhinnie, Henschke, Jasper Hill, Katnook, Mt. Langi, Rockford, Taltarni, Yalumba. What a who's who of wineries!

Is this wine disjointed? Not at all. This 1998 Bannockburn Shiraz is bright, brimming with redcurrant fruit, very fresh. It goes beautifully along the palate, and finishes with very graceful, but firm tannins. The winemaking here is excellent. This was drunk from Magnum, and the wine has many years of life still in it.

Score: 96/++

Shaw &Smith Sauvignon Blanc

A patriotic post should be allowed on Australia Day. You heard about the NZ wine tsunami, the unstoppable wave of their Sauvignon Blancs. Please, do yourself a favour and drink a real good one, the 2009 Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills.

This wine is very harmonious. It tastes of gooseberry, like they all do, but it is not overly aggressive and acidic, yet still refreshing. The best feature is its mouth feel, really head and shoulders above most sauvignons. If you must drink one, drink this Aussie beauty.

Score: 92/++

Laughing Jack Shiraz

Laughing Jack is another of the up and comers. The vineyards are located in the Moppa region of the Barossa Valley. The 2008 Jack's Shiraz has young and vibrant fruit, brimming with plum, blackberry and some mint flavours. It has good oak to support the fruit, and while the wine is quite high in alcohol, it is not hot. There is some sweetness in the wine, and it finishes with fine tannins.

I would call this a high quality barbecue wine, well put together and a steal for $20/bottle.

Sometimes it is well worth while to check out the 2nd and 3rd tier wines of those South Australian wineries which produce highly concentrated wines. They are not a meal on their own, but still full bodied, and quite appealing when drunk young.

Score: 91/++

Lethbridge Chardonnay

If you ask me to name five young wineries which will make their mark on Australian wine in the next five years, I would nominate Lethbridge amongst them. They have a strong focus on terroir and minimal handling.

Unfortunately, the 2006 Lethbridge Chardonnay does not quite live up to this expectation. The wine is surprisingly developed for its age. Its strong citrus flavours are getting a honeyed coating. However, the wine is not creamy. It is fairly linear (in a good way). The wine's acidity seems a bit high, and in the end, this Chardonnay does not have much charm.

There are opportunities to improve this style, and once this has happened, it will be quite attractive.

Score: 89/0

In an earlier post, I commented on some of their more recent wines, which show good improvement.

Penfolds 707 Cabernet Sauvignon

The 1998 Penfolds 707 Cabernet Sauvignon is without question a remarkable and outstanding wine.

It is still drinking extremely young, in fact I will keep my remaining bottles for five years, I think. The wine has a monumental structure. Incredibly deep fruit flavours of blackcurrant and black cherry are matched by new oak and quite broad tannins. The length of the wine is quite amazing, more than any other Australian Cabernet I have ever tasted. There is no letting off on the mid palate.

The question I have is, is this a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon? There is not really anything like it. Bordeaux wines are not as big and muscular, American wines are sweeter, and Coonawarra and Margaret River are generally leaner and more elegant. So, it is hard to say. This wine is quite unique. It is well structured, very big and long lasting, but maybe a little too much of everything for me.

Score: 97/0

Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz

The 1998 Barossa Valley Estate E&E Shiraz is a full bodied Shiraz, ripe, but not overextracted. It tastes of blackberries, plum and mocca, with earthy overtones - a nice palate. The wine has great harmony between fruit, savoury flavours and oak. The tannins are strong, but have softened over the years. The wine has good length and does not finish too dry.

This is an excellent example how a full bodied Shiraz from the Barossa can taste and be enjoyed. BVE do not get it right every year, but their 1998 is very good indeed.

Score: 96/+