TOP NSW Wines

 Wines from New South Wales do not have a great reputation. I do not know if it is the arrogance of Sydneysiders, or what is causing it, but a recent tasting of premium NSW wines demonstrated they can mix it with the best. I will comment briefly on five wines in this tasting.

The first two wines are from Orange, a cool climate region, which produces increasingly exciting wines. The 2022 Canobolas Chardonnay is citrus and floral flavoured. It is a very elegant wine. It does not undergo malolactic fermentation, and is matured in oak. The vineyard slopes down the mountain of Mt. Canobolas, and this translates into an energetic wine with a mineral finish. This wine is absolutely first class (94 points).

The 2023 ChaLou 'Quixotic' Reserve Pinot Noir is equally impressive. This is the first Reserve Pinot Noir from this producer. The wine is obviously very young at this point and quite restraint. The grapes are grown on volcanic soil. They deliver an appealing blend of black cherry and mulberry fruit and some savoury characteristics. The finish is caressing and long (94 points).

Then came the known big guns. The 2019 Tyrrells Old Patch Shiraz was most impressive. It comes from the oldest vineyard in NSW, planted in 1867. This is a medium bodied wine with great purity of  red fruits. The wine has a velvety texture and a piercing drive. The wine is elegant and powerful at the same time. The excellent balance between fruit, acidity, and tannins points to a long future (97 points).

Tasting the 2009 Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier straight after, was a tough assignment. This is quite a different wine - softer and fruitier, with a bigger mouthfeel, and some five spice. It was quite harmonious at 15 years of age (95 points).

The 2000 Lake's Folly Cabernet Blend from Magnum was equally fresh, after 24 years. What an achievement! The vineyard is on a unique plot in the Hunter Valley, red clay over limestone. The wine is red fruited with a characteristic earthy flavour. The beautifully structured palate delivers great concentration of fruit and a long finish (97 points).     

 

Philip Shaw No19 Sauvignon Blanc

The 2023 Philip Shaw No19 Sauvignon Blanc is an attempt to produce a wine more like a Sancerre than a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Did he succeed?

The starting point is good, high altitude at 900 meters, short maturation in mostly used French oak. The colour is pale straw.

But still, on the palate, it immediately hits me with gooseberry. The wine is crisp, with some citrus flavours, and not herbaceous. The texture is finer than many New Zealand examples, and the finish is fresh and smooth. However, the gooseberry flavours make it a new world wine. They are too strong for me.

Score: 89/0  

 

Mayfield Vineyards Tasting

 Orange with its high altitude is becoming a source of high quality wine. Today, I will introduce Mayfield Vineyards to you.

Mayfield Vineyards has been many things to (a few) people, but with the acquisition by the Eastham Family in 2021, there is now a focus on Chardonnay. I taste their three Chardonnays from 2022.

The 2022 'Eighteen Fifteen' Chardonnay undergoes 75% malolactic fermentation, and is matured in 25% new French oak. It is quite a lean and focussed wine with citrus and peach flavours and some flint, in the modern Australian style. It has a good line and fine acidity (90/+ points).

The 2022 'Thomas' Chardonnay has only 50% malo, also with 25% new oak of 500 and 300l barrels. The oak integration is more seamless than in the previous wine, and the outcome is a more elegant and creamy palate (92/++ points).

The 2022 'Block 14' Chardonnay, the showcase of the winery, is a little different. This is a more acidic wine, with pronounced minerality, and clearly made to age well. Lemon, grapefruit and stone fruit flavours deliver a complex palate (93/++ points).

I enjoyed these wines, but the pricing is ambitious.

Highland Heritage Riesling

 Highland Heritage from Orange is new to me. The 2019 Highland Heritage Riesling has done quite well on the show circuit.

The colour of the wine is golden with a green tinge, medium intensity. The bouquet jumps from the glass with floral and citrus aromas, big for a cool climate Riesling.

There is quite a bit going on on the palate. Fruity citrus flavours, floral notes, a hint of sweetness. This is a well made wine with just enough acidity to deliver balance. However, the mouthfeel is round, bordering on flabby. Many people may like this. There is also a hint of alcohol (12.1%) on the finish. Personally, I would have preferred this wine to be 1% lower in alcohol.

Score: 90/0

De Salis Merlot Blend

Sometimes you come across something astonishing, unexpected, and utterly delightful. So it was with this wine.

The 2012 De Salis St. EM M is a wine I enjoyed when I visited Orange a few years back, and I took a few bottles home. The name is a bit tough, which is why I think this label has been discontinued. St. EM is meant to stand for St. Emilion, M for Merlot. This wine is in fact a blend with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, but it does not taste anything like a right bank blockbuster Bordeaux.

This is a light- to medium-bodied wine, but it fills the mouth nicely. The wine is still fresh and vibrant, brimming with redcurrant, raspberry fruit and white pepper. Fine tannins help with the balance. While this is a lighter wine, more like a Pinot Noir, it has good depth as well. This Merlot blend is intriguing and fabulous to drink.

Score: 95/+++   

De Salis St EM M

Some time ago I was quite impressed when I drank Pinot Noir from De Salis, an Orange based winery. Today I am reviewing the strangely named Bordeaux blend, which is predominantly Merlot with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The 2012 De Salis St EM M is a medium-bodied wine. Cherry and redcurrant fruit is a bit simple on the palate. The pluses are this is a lighter wine, quite harmonious with some savoury notes. The wine fizzles out on the finish.  

Score: 89/+

De Salis Lofty Pinot Noir

Right next to the Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir I reviewed below, I found another Pinot Noir from a marginal climate in my cellar: the 2013 De Salis Lofty Pinot Noir. It comes from the lofty heights of over 1000m at Orange.

This is not a much heralded small winery, but what a revelation this wine is. It also shows a bit of age, but still has a lovely strawberry and red cherry flavour on the front palate. It then morphs into mushroom flavours further down the palate, where it delivers quite a punch. The way this wine expands, and its silky tannins make this wine quite Burgundian in style. This is a balanced, sophisticated Pinot Noir with great varietal character. It drinks great now, but will remain attractive for another three years.

Score: 95/+++ 

Orange Wineries, Day 2

Bloodwood vineyards; different aspects add complexity

I was quite pleased with my experiences on day 1. Some very serious and interesting winemakers there. Today, it is back to the beginnings.

My first stop is at Bloodwood, where Stephen Doyle started over 30 years ago. He offers a broad range of wines, like many wineries in Orange. The 2011 Schubert Chardonnay was named such, as Stephen was working in the vineyard on the day Max Schubert died. This wine is whole-bunch pressed and matured in 100% new oak. Despite this, it is a Chablis style wine with good acidity and structure. This wine can be cellared for some time (92 points). The 2013 Chardonnay is more a tank-style wine. It tastes of apple and peach and is a little broad (89 points). The 2013 Malbec/Cabernet Franc is similarly fruity (89 points). The 2014 Cabernet Franc is a highlight. This wine has a beautiful ruby colour. The flavours include an interesting mix of floral and spice. This wine is balanced with good intensity, as the berries were very small. The wine finishes smooth and dry (93 points). What is it about Cabernet Franc in Orange? The 2005 Maurice is a blend of the best berries of the year. Grape varieties and blends change from year to year. Redcurrant flavours dominate, there is mocca as well and good acidity on the finish (92 points).

The second stop is at Canobolas-Smith. This is another of the original wineries, and it probably put the area on the map, initially. Murray Smith is the long standing winemaker. However, this visit was quite depressing. He now makes two wines only, and at very small volumes. I tried Chardonnays from 2004, 2008 and 2012. They were totally different from each other. Murray says he wants vintage variation to shine through, but he is also changing the wine treatment drastically from year to year. One is fruity, the other earthy and tart, one has malo, the other has not. Yes, the wines can age, but not very gracefully (87-89 points). The Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Shiraz is called Alchemy (doesn't this say all?). I tasted the 2008, 2012, and 2013 vintages. The 2008 was the best example, a ripe wine with blackberry flavours, but also some minty/herb underripe character. The tannins were a bit softer than in the other wines (88-89 points).

My final stop is at Printhie, which is some 35km outside of Orange. This is a six year old winery and a totally different scenario from the last one. Dave Swift is full of optimism. The first leg of its business is Sparkling. They have forged a relationship with a successful grower Champagne producer and it shows. Their Brut Sparkling has a beautiful yeast character. A number of premium Sparklings are under development. The second part are the white wines, which come from the same high altitude vineyard Ross Hill uses. The 2013 MCC Sauvignon Blanc is interesting, with a creamy flavour and more weight than normal, as a result of using wild yeast, old oak and malolactic fermentation (90 points). The really strong whites are the Chardonnays, which are picked early. The 2012 MCC Chardonnay uses wild ferment directly to barrel. It is complex, as a result of varied treatments: 30-40% malo, 30% new oak. The fruit is citrus and lime, with well integrated acidity. A very modern Chardonnay version (93 points). Then there is the 2012 Super Duper (not sure about the name). This wine has more power, but is still elegant. Fruit is more in the ripe stone fruit spectrum, but the wine still has good acidity (94 points). The red wines come from their home vineyards at lower altitude (620 meters). I was less impressed with the Merlot and Cabernet/Shiraz, but the straight Shiraz were good. The 2012 MCC Shiraz is elegant, with savoury and slightly herbal flavours, backed by fine grained tannins (92 points). The 2012 Super Duper Syrah is finer boned and more elegant, but I am not sure that there is enough mouthfeel in this wine in a couple of years (93 points). Also, these Super Duper wines are overpriced.

My conclusion from this trip is that Orange is a region of promise. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can be great from high altitude vineyards, whereas reds need to be grown at lower levels. Cabernet Franc impressed me, and Shiraz can do well, too.  

Orange Wineries, Day 1

de Salis vineyard

I spent two days in the Orange district to explore and better understand this relatively new and diverse wine region. The vineyards here are at high altitude, between 600 and 1100 meters. Pretty much every popular grape in the book is grown here: from aromatic whites to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, Shiraz, 'new' varieties, such as Vermentino, Arneis, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Barbera, the list goes on. What is it all about?

My first stop is Philip Shaw. He is perhaps the best known proponent of the district today. His premium range is called the 'numbers' range. The numbers have no particular logic. They refer to birthdays, lucky numbers etc. I tried the most recent Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in this range. Overall, the results were disappointing. I did not find much interest in these wines. These wines lacked depth and structure (85 to 89 points). There were certainly shades of his commercial past (Rosemount, Southcorp) in these wines His most famous wine, the #11 Chardonnay, of which I tasted 2014, had reasonable stonefruit, but it was very young, with oak being quite prominent and the finish quite short. I was not off to a good start.

Thankfully, things changed when I arrived at my second stop, Ross Hill. Phil Kerney, the winemaker, has certainly made his mark here, and he is not shy to tell you about it. There is a style which cuts across the wines. The key characteristic is the wild yeast fermentation directly into barrel. The 2014 white wines are of high quality. The Sauvignon Blanc is quite lean, is based on whole bunches and does not taste like anything from New Zealand. This is a delicate wine, made in the Loire style, with a focus on texture, and made to last (93 points). The Pinot Gris is lean also, with a good balance between the pear fruit and acidity (91 points). The (very young) Chardonnay is more tricky. There is a fair bit of sulphur covering the grapefruit and nutty flavours, but I think it will develop nicely (92 points). The fruit for these wines is grown at the winery vineyard, more than 900 meters in elevation. The red wines come from a lower lying vineyard, just over 600 meters. Still, I found the 2013 Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz lacking in depth, while the structures were strong (88-90 points). The best of the red wines was the 2012 Cabernet Franc, which is a focus at Ross Hill. This wine, with a purple colour, had a huge aroma. The flavours were intense and unusual, mainly like provancale herbs, in particular lavender and rosemary. There was good depth in this wine and a balanced texture (93 points).

The third winery of the day was De Salis. The vineyard here is over 1050 meters high, one of the highest in Australia, with beautiful views across the valley. Most of the white wines (Fume Blanc and Chardonnay) did not fully convince me, but the 2013 Blue Label Chardonnay hit the spot. This is like a reserve wine, 100% new oak, with more intensity and power. The flavour spectrum is stone and poached fruit, and the taste is a bit oily as well (93 points). The focus of De Salis, however, is Pinot Noir. The intention is to make quite feminine wines, suited to the cool climate. Burgundy clearly is the model. I tried five Pinot Noirs, and three in particular were outstanding. The two based on the MV6 clone were darker, with sour cherry flavours, well structured, but not totally harmonious (90/91 points). The two based on the Dijon clones (the Lofty Pinot Noirs) were more in the strawberry spectrum spectrum, finer and quite elegant. In particular the 2013 had great balance and a smooth finish (94 points). The 2013 Blue Label Pinot Noir was a bit different. It was ethereal, not weighted, similar to the last two, but also had earthy and truffle flavours; quite a complex wine (94 points). The Bordeaux reds have a play on using stems, but also Saint Emillon. They are called St Em M (for Merlot) and St Em F (for Cabernet Franc), named after the dominant component in the blend. These are Bordeaux blends for Pinot Noir drinkers, quite light bodied, but with an attractive texture. There was also a 100% light and elegant Cabernet Franc. These were from the 2012 vintage, which was quite cool in Orange (all 92 points). De Salis has developed this style based on texture and an ethereal feel - best suited to the Pinot Noirs.

NSW Award Winners

There is a buzz about NSW wines at present. A few years ago, such an event would basically be about the Hunter, and only a few serious wineries. Now, there are a number of interesting new Hunter Valley wineries emerging, Orange and the Canberra District are firing up, and we may even find the odd great wine from another emerging district. And while Semillon and Shiraz still rule, Chardonnay and new varieties create interest as well. I was therefore not surprised to find a generally high standard at the Citibank NSW Wine Awards.

I did not get around to taste everything, but these were my impressions:

The wine of the event for me was the 2006 Thomas Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon. It showed beautiful lime fruit, elegant and smooth, with a long and precise finish. There is still good acidity left in this wine. If you are a Semillon sceptic, try this wine (94/+++ points).

The other winery from the Hunter which impressed was First Creek. The 2010 First Creek Winemakers Reserve Shiraz, from a difficult year for reds in the Hunter, is very soft and velvety, typical Hunter Shiraz, with a smooth finish. This wine has personality (93/++). The 2010 First Creek Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay was also excellent, with a complex blend of citrus and peach flavours (92/++).

The 2009 Mistletoe Reserve Chardonnay won the overall trophy. It is an elegant wine, but does not have the same depth of flavour as the First Creek, and the finish is a bit short, in my view (89/0).

The value wine is the 2011 Two Rivers Stones Throw Semillon at $16 from the winery (89/+).

Of the Orange Chardonnays, I preferred the 2010 Philip Shaw No11 Chardonnay (89) over the 2010 Printhie Mt. Canobolas Collection (86).  

The 2008 Tyrell's Vat 47 Chardonnay lived up to its lofty reputation. It is in the citrus/lime fruit spectrum, smooth, but crisp with good length. The mouthfeel was slightly thin, though (92/0).

Of the Shirazes, the 2010 Eden Road Gundagai Shiraz was very spicy and fresh, but the mouthfeel left wanting (89/0). The 2010 Nick O'Leary Shiraz from Canberra ticked the boxes, but had little character (88/-). I am a bit tired of general purpose Shiraz, I must say. It needs to be outstanding or different.

The 2009 Lowe Zinfandel is from Mudgee. He claims to be a Zinfandel specialist. The wine is quite alcoholic and the high price more driven by scarcity than quality (88/-).

Much more interesting and a real find was the 2010 Mount Majura Tempranillo from the Canberra district. It had a nice cherry core and a soft mouthfeel (91/++).

A NSW tasting has to finish with Noble One. The 2008 De Bortoli Noble One showed the rich 'honey in a glass' to perfection. This is a big wine, but smooth and round as only the botrytis affected grapes from De Bortoli seem to be able to deliver (94/+).

Overall, this was an interesting and satisfying tasting. It is pretty safe to assume that the next few years will deliver a further improvement in standard and an even wider net of interesting wineries.

NSW Wine Festival, part 2

Another winery in the Canberra district which has impressed me over the years is Lerida Estate. The 2008 'Josephine' Pinot Noir is their best barrel selection. The wine has strawberry fruit and gamey and earthy flavours. The wine is quite powerful, but not fruit driven (92 points). Their flagship 2008 Shiraz/Viognier is fashioned in a more powerful style than a number of others in the district. The wine has concentrated plum and mulberry flavours with some eucalypt as well. It is well structured with a firm finish (93 points).

Back to Orange, where Logan has made a bit of noise. The 2009 Pinot Noir is a bit disappointing. It starts with some plummy flavours, and then turns quite savoury backed by pleasant dry tannins. The downfall is the flat mouthfeel of the wine (which is what Pinot should be all about)(89 points). Their current success is the 2008 Cabernet/Merlot. This is a medium bodied wine, tasting of plum and blackberry. It is very smooth with a firm (and slightly hot - alc. 14.5%) finish - an appealing wine (91 points).

Now over to Mudgee, where Thistle Hill is creating interest with preservative free wines. However, I tasted the more traditional wines. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is medium bodied, very middle of the road. Not sure why I would be interested to drink it (88 points). The 2009 Shiraz/Cabernet Erudgere is much more interesting. This is my wine of the day. Its flavours are blackberry and mulberry. The fruit is concentrated, but soft and elegant. I believe it comes from the old Rosemount Mountain Blue vineyard (remember this?), which Fosters let go (93 points).

My next stop was Robert Stein. The reds were disappointing. The 2008 Shiraz showed insufficient tannin structure (87 points), and the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon had insufficient mouthfeel and, again, backbone (87 points).

I finished up with Huntington, one of the few wineries which consistently delivers good value for money with full bodied reds. My pick was the 2006 Block 3 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine tastes of ripe blackberry. It is very soft, with velvety tannins, almost like a traditional Hunter Valley Shiraz. I liked the flavour profile, but the wine finished too soft for me (92 points).

Overall, I was encouraged by my tastings. There is a lot of variety, established NSW wineries are finding form again, and some new ones are worth watching closely.

NSW Wine Festival, part 1

I am not a big fan when it comes to public wine festivals where you taste wine from different wine company booths. The glasses are bad and the pricing is a rip-off, but it has the advantage of not having to travel across a pretty large area, in this case NSW.

The tasting this weekend was quite interesting, actually. On the plus side, there is an enormous range of wines in NSW, and there is new energy to produce good wine. On the minus side, the tasting experiences are still hit and miss and while some wineries produce good individual wines, they have not yet managed to carry this across the range.

Following are my notes from quite selective tastings. First up was First Creek from the Hunter Valley. This new winery is one to watch. The 2009 First Creek Reserve Semillon is very good. It has an excellent lemon fruit and acidity balance and a very linear finish (91 points). On the other hand, I found the 09 Chardonnay too broad (88 points).

Then came Brangayne from Orange. The 2009 Brangayne Reserve Chardonnay was to my liking. The flavour is an attractive mix of stone fruit, mainly apple and peach. The wine is well balanced with a satisfying finish (91 points). The Pinot Noir was not as good. Its red and black cherry fruit was a little thin and the finish not too smooth (87 points).

Eden Road from the Canberra District has had plenty of attention since it won the Jimmy Watson Trophy last year. The 2009 Long Road Chardonnay from Tumbarumba, a well established Chardonnay area, is a cracker. There is concentrated lemon fruit in this wine, balanced by moderate acidity and a fresh finish (92 points). The 2009 Long Road Shiraz is disappointing. This wine is light to medium bodied with broad raspberry flavours, not a typical Australian Shiraz, and probably tasted too warm (86 points).

to be continued...

NSW Wine Week

I visited wine stands very selectively. In particular, I wanted to try some of the white wines from Orange, which I had missed at the Sydney Wine Show. Overall, the quality has improved a lot. In particular I enjoyed the 2008 Angullong Sauvignon Blanc. It is quite acidic, and maybe a bit sharp for some, but has lovely freshness. The 2008 Logan Sauvignon Blanc is a little smoother. Their Gewuerztraminer is clean and fresh with the obvious spice, but somewhat bland. I also enjoyed the 2008 Climbing Chardonnay, which has appealing citrus fruit, and the 2006 Phillip Shaw #11 Chardonnay. This wine tastes of citrus and apple, is quite smooth, even elegant and has a dry finish.

I have never liked the Semillons of Audrey Wilkinson which often get praised. This time they offered a 2001 Reserve Semillon. Given its age, I expected a honeyed, smooth wine. Instead, it did not show much fruit, had a gap in the mid palate and a briar finish.

I do like the wines from Lerida Estate, Canberra. The Pinot Gris had too much sweetness for my taste, but lovely lychees flavours. The 2006 Chardonnay had a similar profile to Shaw's wine and was very agreeable. There was also a 2006 Merlot/Cabernet Franc. It showed a lot of upfront fruit, mainly raspberry and fruitcake. Simple, but enjoyable to drink.

Climbing Shiraz

Most of my comments in this blog are positive because I tend to drink the wine I like, but you have to try new things from time to time.



So here are my thoughts on the 2006 Climbing Shiraz. This wine had good write-ups and is plastered with plenty of medals. Since it comes from Orange, I was expecting typical cool climate characteristics.



Now the key elements of Shiraz are its fruit, spice and tannins. This wine surprises in the fruit department. It tastes of plum, even fruitcake. I would have tipped McLaren, not a high altitude location, but this profile probably explains the show success. The fruit hits you immediately and covers the spice, which is not very pronounced. The tannins are substantial, but not overly well integrated.



Overall, the wine is somewhat broad and lacks distinctiveness and structure. Having said this, it is also not expensive and a reasonable quaffer.