Chateau Prieuré-Lichine

It is Bastille day, reason enough to open a bottle of the quintessential French wine - Bordeaux. I decide on a 2009 Chateau Prieuré-Lichine from Margaux. Prieuré-Lichine is one of my favorite mid-tier producers from Bordeaux (I do not have many).

The wine opens up with a very fragrant bouquet, and scents of violets and wildflowers. On the palate, I first taste redcurrant and red cherry. The texture of this wine is elegant. This wine is slightly flat on the mid-palate, as earthy secondary notes take over. The firm tannins are dusty and dry. I enjoyed the smooth finish with good length.

The profile of this wine is what I would have expected from Margaux, but I am slightly disappointed with the lack of power and fruit weight from this good vintage.

Score: 93/+ 

Teusner Avatar GSM

There has been quite a tradition by now to fashion GSMs in Australia. The winemakers have managed to understand the contribution of each grape variety and create quite seamless blends. So it is with the 2014 Teusner Avatar.

The Grenache contributes upfront raspberry flavours, the Shiraz sweet black fruit and a harmonious mouthfeel, and the Mourvedre firm tannins.

This wine is quite fresh and delicious in the beginning, but by the second glass it starts to get heavy, with the 14.5% alcohol weighing in. The wine has a good length finish.

Score: 91/0  

Yangarra Grenache

Yangarra is one of Australia's leading Grenache producers, from sandy vineyards in the northern and hilly parts of McLaren Vale. . Here I taste the 2017 (entry level) Yangarra Grenache.

The bouquet is very pronounced, perfumed and fragrant. It really entices you to taste.

The wine opens with raspberry fruit and some sweetness on the palate, just enough, not too much. The delicate acidity makes the wine a delicious drink now proposition. This is a smooth wine with an excellent tannin structure. Great freshness in this wine!

Score: 93/++

Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon

By accident I tasted another wine from Andrew Thomas from 2009. Semillon is the best ageing white wine in Australia, and the 2009 Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon, from an excellent sandy site in the Hunter Valley, is a prime example.

The colour of this wine is still more green than golden. However, the wine has turned from 'acid water' to a well balanced wine. Lime flavours still dominate, but light toast flavours are emerging. The acidity is well integrated, keeping the wine fresh.

This wine is delicious now, but will easily go for another 10 years plus.

Score: 94/+++

Thomas Wines Kiss Shiraz

I am not quite sure what to think of the 2009 Thomas Wines Kiss Shiraz from the Hunter Valley, at eleven years of age. There are elements of a South Australian Shiraz in this wine, missing the graciousness of an ageing Hunter wine.

Plum, blackberry and mulberry fruit engulf the palate on entry. Black olive and black pepper add to a solid profile of premium Shiraz. This is a full-bodied wine, ripe and quite dense, but smooth as well, with a sweet core. The tannins are a bit blocked, but have mellowed a lot. 

This wine is drinking fine, but is perhaps just past its best.

Score: 92/+

Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay

Most of the times, wine reviewers converge, and while there are differences in scores, praise or otherwise is similar. But then there are exceptions. And if you are an independent reviewer (such as me), you must be prepared to swim against the tide.

I have not tasted every vintage of the highly acclaimed Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay, but what I have tasted, has left me fairly cold. This continues with the 2017 Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay. 

This wine is really overvalued, in my opinion. Is it the aura of Vanya Cullen or the lofty (in an Australian context) price point? The flavours are dominated by white and yellow peach. There is mild citrus and grapefruit, and the oak presence is felt as a nutty character. This oak makes the wine a bit broad in the mouth. Higher acidity would have been beneficial. Having said this, the finish is long and smooth, and satisfying.

To get a 95+ rating, the wine needed to be more layered and have some sort of x-factor. I find none of this. Therefore

Score: 93/+ 

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium

Some time ago, I praised the Woodlands 'Margaret' as a great second tier wine. Today, I will follow this up by the 2010 Henschke Keyneton Euphonium. This wine has been left a little bit behind, as the focus has been on the Henschke icon wines on the one hand, and the massive brand extension (not all successful), on the other. It is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, most of the fruit coming from Keyneton in the Eden Valley.

This 2010 Keyneton is incredibly vibrant, with blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry and forest berries delivering a great fruit cocktail on the palate. Black pepper is also very noticeable. This wine is not as complex as the icon wines, but hey, it is enjoyable - and it is complex enough to create interest.

The classic Henschke label

This wine is medium-bodied, still fresh after 10 years. There is some sweetness on the palate, but freshness is more dominant. Cocoa flakes add to the fruit, delivering a terrific mouthfeel.

If you have this wine, I suggest you drink it now, while it is still so vibrant. If you do not have it, try to find it or maybe go for another great vintage, such as 2012, 2015 or 2018.

Score: 95/+++  

Three Taste Expanding Wines

During a blind tasting, I encountered three wines, two wines, one Champagne, actually, which delivered an unusual and very exciting flavour profile. The Champagne was a dry blanc de blanc from the grower Ulysse Collin 'Les Enfers'. In my simplistic way of thinking, I would normally characterize Champagne along a freshness/acidic/yeast spectrum. This one was quite floral with delicate pear and apple notes - very unusual. The wine was delicate, but with piercing intensity. There was a lot of complexity on the palate. Small and slow rising bubbles confirmed the quality of this drink.

Score: 95/+++

The wine of the night was a 2014 Keller Abts Erde GG from Rheinhessen. This area is flat to undulating as opposed to the river facing vineyards of the Rheingau and Moselle. It comes from a small block of the Westhofer Brunnenhaeuschen vineyard. The history of this esteemed limestone and ironstone vineyard goes back to the 14th century. When the highly regarded Kellers purchased this vineyard in 2001, the stars aligned. The texture of this wine is aristocratic Riesling, and the nose and palate is quite unique. Quince and yellow fruits on the nose are enticing. On the palate, there is peach, apple, grapefruit, passionfruit, and tight minerality. This complex flavour is hardly that of a typical Riesling. There is a good drive on the palate, without the wine being linear. Superb! The quality of this wine is only matched by its price.

Score: 97/+++

The third wine's story is altogether different. The 2013 Bressan Schioppettino frum Friuli tastes like nothing I have ever tasted before. This is a special wine, to start with, due to its history. The Schioppettino grape, also known as Ribolla Nera, was nearly extinct. Bressan collected the last vines, and established a new vineyard of this indigenous variety. Strong peppery notes and a cherry and wild berry bouquet jump out of the glass. On the palate, pepper and exotic spices are the main game. Underneath, raspberry, plum, candied fruit, and mossy flavours deliver an unusual sensation. I will not forget this for some time.

Score: 93/+++    

    

Southern Highlands Wines

The wineries of the Southern Highlands are the closest to Sydney. Yet I must admit I had not visited there before. I am sure the same is true for many Sydney wine lovers. And there are some valid reasons. It is a relatively new region, started in the 1990s, I think. Many original vineyards were managed by hobby farmers with a focus on selling as many grapes as possible. And the volumes are small. Yet, the attraction is cool climate and an elevation of 500m plus. In the meantime, some wineries have become serious about quality. I visited two; Artemis and Tertini.

The focus of Artemis is on Pinot Noir with a sloped 3ha home vineyard started in 1996 on sandstone and clay soil. However, there are many different wines on offer, based on purchased fruit. The Sparkling Riesling, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc were all quite attractive with typical varietal character. These wines had good drive and well-known acidity for the area. The 20% oak fermented portion in the Sauvignon Blanc added additional interest.

The 2018 Pinot Noir from purchased fruit had a slightly brown tinge. It is fruit forward with licorice and earthy notes being quite prominent - a strange, I would say slightly faulty wine. The tasting highlight was the 2016 Artemis Close Vine Pinot Noir from the home vineyard, planted from 760 to 710m elevation. The yield is 800g per vine, half of the other Pinot Noir. There are pretty red cherry flavours, some creaminess and excellent acidity in this wine. It was matured in used 350 l french barrels (92 points).  

Artemis produces a number of full bodied reds. The 2017 Petit Verdot is blue fruited and quite tannic. The Southern Highlands are not ideally suited for these varieties. Maybe in 2100?

Tertini produces an even wider range of wines, but some are from Tasmania and Tumbarumba.

The 2015 Riesling from the Southern Highlands is excellent. The citrus flavours are flanked by subtle acidity. There is enticing minerality on the back palate, overall a complex mouthfeel (93 points). The 2018 Chardonnay is equally good. This wine is fresh and pure, with  white peach the dominant flavour. It delivers a well-rounded mouthfeel (93 points). 

The highlight was the comparison of the Southern Highland Pinot Noir and the Tasmanian Pinot Noir. The 2018 Southern Highlands Pinot Noir has a surprisingly dark colour. It includes 20% whole bunch. It is a fruit driven wine with red and black cherry flavours, and quite a firm structure (92 points). The wine of the day (maybe unfortunate?) goes to the 2017 Tertini Tasmanian Pinot Noir. It won a trophy there against Tolpuddle and all others. It is a very elegant wine, with a slightly orange colour. On the palate, cherry, strawberry and raspberry flavours seek your attention. Some creaminess rounds out the complex flavour profile (94 points).  

Overall, there is great potential, already partly realized, in the Southern Highlands for Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. The production of full-bodied reds is a distraction. It is part insurance policy, part to satisfy stranded Shiraz drinkers, but in the end, these wineries need to focus on those varieties that do best in the region.

Rippon Sauvignon Blanc

I do not review many Sauvignon Blancs here, but then, this is a New Zealand one with a cork closure. This is making a statement. Let us investigate.

The cork may suggest this 2018 Rippon Sauvignon Blanc is closer to a French example - and 40% of the juice has been matured in used French barrels. But on the palate, this is unmistakably New Zealand. Gooseberry hits the front palate. There is more to it, though. Passionfruit, citrus, and green apple add to complexity. This wine is not as grassy as some. 

However, as I drink a couple of glasses, I get very confused. I encounter some green elements, but also some sweetness. There is an element of creaminess on the finish, but also some harshness. I do not get this wine. What does it stand for?

Score: 89/-

Turkey Flat Grenache

There are two challenges with Grenache. The first is about flavour. To make this variety interesting, it needs to have some savoury characteristics, not just a sweet raspberry or lollipop flavour. The second has to do with ripening. Grenache has to be fully ripe, but when the grapes get there, the alcohol shoots up really fast. Picking at just the right moment is crucial.

The 2016 Turkey Flat Grenache won the Jimmy Watson Trophy for the best one year old wine in Australia. It is the most prestigious trophy in the country. This was the first for Turkey Flat and, I believe, the first for Grenache. A few years on, I am keen to find out if the judges got it right.

This wine is made from nearly 100 year old vines from the home block of Turkey Flat. The flavour profile is complex. Raspberry fruit is there, but also dark berry notes, mocca and smoky flavours. There is good concentration in this full-bodied wine.  ✔️ on the first requirement.

The wine feels round and fills the mouth well, balanced by firm tannins. But then on the back palate it happens. A slight alcoholic hotness. I look at the label: 15% alcohol. Some Grenache can take this, but it is a bit much in this wine. As a result the finish of this otherwise interesting wine is somewhat out of balance.

Score: 92/+

Erin Eyes Emerald Isle Riesling

Erin Eyes is a relatively new label from the Clare Valley. The Emerald Isle label is the second Riesling label, and it overdelivers. The 2019 Erin Eyes Emerald Isle Riesling is bone dry in a typical Clare Valley style. The citrus, mainly lime flavours are intense, and the acidity gives the wine a lot of energy. The mouthfeel is linear and driven, and the wine finishes with attractive minerality. There is enough complexity here, and great value for money.

Score: 93/++