Monday, August 17, 2009

High Watermarks


At a special dinner recently, I opened two wines I am very fond of: The 2001 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay and the 1990 Henschke Hill of Grace. And they did not disappoint.

The Leeuwin Chardonnay has intensity of flavour, yet a lot of freshness and balance with a beautiful smooth finish and enough acidity to keep this wine alive for some time. I have reviewed this wine in more detail before.

Score: 97/+

The Hill of Grace is Australia's most famous single vineyard wine. While the 1990 had mixed reviews after release, it has certainly managed to live well for a long time. The fruit flavour is still intense, the tannins are very silky and the finish is long. Again, I have reviewed this wine before in more detail.

Score: 98/+

These two wines represent high watermarks of Australian wine making. It is disappointing to see so much overseas focus on our cheap wines, while we manage to produce world class.

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