Scotchmans Hill Chardonnay

Scotchmans Hill has never quite reached the top, but, in my experience, their wines have mostly been quite satisfying. So it was with this 2006 Scotchmans Hill Chardonnay.

This Chardonnay is a bit different from the 'modern' style. It is not a big wine, but also not very lean and linear. The taste is mostly of stone fruit. It has a slight sweetness to it, but finishes dry. I found it a good match with the fish I had.

Bress Shiraz

Bress is based in Bendigo and collects fruit from different areas in Australia, depending on where they judge they can achieve premium results. I knew nothing about this winery before I tried this 2005 Bress Heathcote Shiraz.

The wine is medium to full bodied, and less full-on than some other Heathcote wines, but still has a good core of fruit. Our group judged it differently. I felt it hadn't come quite together with tannins being a bit harsh, but others liked the structure of the wine. It will be a matter of trying a couple more vintages before it is clear how good this is. The wine is attractively priced.

Petersons Semillon

I opened this bottle of 2001 Petersons Semillon with significant expectations. A mature Semillon from a leading producer should be a treat. I expected a golden colour, but the wine was still quite green.

The taste was still of citrus fruit, not so fresh, of course, but rather dull and not replaced by the honeyed flavours I had expected. There seemed to be more oak than fruit (is this wine oaked?) and not much length in the wine.

A strange outcome: the wine looked still young, but tasted past his best. What a pity. Not the Petersons I used to know from the 90s. The diversification really derailed this winery.

Kalleske Old Vine Grenache

This bottle of 2003 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache is terrific. Kalleske own some of the best vineyards in the Barossa, and it shows in this wine. The fruit is very sweet, quite dense, and incredibly pure. The Kalleskes run their vineyards by biodynamic principles. I am not sure this explains the purity of the fruit, but it is very special. The tannins are quite soft and subtle, and although this is a substantial wine, it will not fight the food.

One of the best Grenaches in the country.

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.

Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis

Chablis is the ultimate choice for a summer wine. My favourite producer from the area is Jean-Marc Brocard. In opening the 2006 Brocard Petit Chablis I was expecting the typical citrus and mineral profile from the area.

I was surprised to see a much more golden colour and a much fuller taste. Still, the wine is very linear and has great acidity to finish. This is Brocard's entry wine and I would recommend it over at least two thirds of Australia's serious Chardonnays.

Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Syrah

Clarendon Hills is an exciting winery. It produces very ripe wines, but also strives for elegance. It is also committed to single vineyard wines, which means there are probably about 10 serious releases each year, and the variability from year to year can be considerable.

A couple of months ago, I gave a very favourable review to an Astralis and I also had some fantastic Grenaches from this winery. Tonight I am drinking the 2002 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Syrah.

Unfortunately, this one misses the mark. The bouquet displays a strong plum flavour, which carries through to the palate, but is soon overtaken by a taste of fruitcake, a really thick sensation, but no structure or length to it. As a result of this 'dense' flavour, the wine competes with the food and very little lingers on.

Second Tier Pinot Noirs

I just had a glass of the 2006 Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir. This made me think that there are now a number of excellent second tier Pinot Noirs on the market by leading producers, for less than $30 per bottle. Other examples would be Stoniers regular Pinot Noir or the Kooyong Massale.

This Crimson has a terrific balance of cherry fruit and savoury flavours. The fruit is not overly concentrated and would be from younger vines, but the wine making skills make this a very well balanced Pinot with reasonable length: better than a number of $40/bottle offerings.

Marcarini Moscato

Moscato is a low alcohol (5-6%) white wine which is ideal as an aperitif or after dinner/desert wine. My last bottle of the 2004 Marcarini Moscato d'Asti is delicious. It is slightly fizzy and slightly fruity, with favours or pear and lychee, and an uplifting finish. It is ideal with canapes, also a great palate cleanser. The wine is well balanced and it is difficult to stop at one glass, particularly during summer.

Henschke Cyril Cabernet

I thought it might be interesting to compare yesterday's wine with another Cabernet from the same year, the 1998 Cyril Henschke. It was an interesting experience.

This wine showed a lot of ripeness and tasted quite alcoholic as well. The core fruit was blackcurrant, but it also showed a lot of savoury flavours by now. The wine has good structure and a long finish, supported by strong tannins - a big wine.

However, it didn't really taste like a Cabernet to me. The Parker had the fine fruit and elegance, this Henschke basically has brute force, although well made. Maybe it is difficult to come up with excellent Cabernet from the Barossa/Eden Valley after all.

Parker Terra Rossa First Growth

Parker wines were at the top of Coonawarra during the 1990s, but I have found them less convincing in the last few years, while prices went up and up.

The last I bought was 1998, and I opened a 1998 Parker Terra Rossa First Growth last night. It was a pretty satisfying drink. The fruit was quite concentrated, even 'thick'. You could taste the terra rossa terroir very well. The wine was quite elegant and the oak well integrated. The one quibble I would have is that the wine was not very differentiated: the fruit flavours were not overly complex and the aftertaste not as long as a wine of this standing should have.

At ten years well cellared, the wine felt fresh enough, but I would not give it more than another two years before it will drop from its peak.

Torbreck 'Les Amis' Grenache

This must be one of Australia's best wines! Yesterday I opened a bottle of the 2001 Torbreck Les Amis. I have been collecting this wine from the beginning. The 2001 was actually not officially available in Australia, but made for a restaurant in Singapore, however, I managed to pursuade David Powell to sell me a few bottles at a Torbreck dinner.

The wine has a beautiful strawberry and cherry nose which continues to the palate. The wine is 100% Grenache and shows its typical sweetness, but the wine has excellent structure and length as well. The fruit is very concentrated and carries the high alcohol (15%) well. The wine is very smooth and has soft silky tannins which go on and on. A powerful wine in a velvet glove. Surely, if the other vintages are as good, this is Australia's best Grenache and better than any Chateuneuf I have ever had - a big statement, but this wine is sensational.