I am not very experienced with Fiano. This 2022 Coriole Fiano is as bland as its label.
With ever increasing prices of wines from the best European regions, one is tempted to try new producers who still need to establish their brand. Obviously one needs to be selective. When I came across a new wine from a co-owner of Château Angélus, Coralie de Boüard, I thought this is worth trying, given she knows how top class wine is produced. This is my experience with the 2016 Château Clos de Boüard Bordeaux from the mountain area of Saint-Emilion.
When discussing wines from the Geelong region, the wineries which foremost come to mind are Bannockburn and By Farr. But there are others. Shadowfax is particularly interesting though, because it has ventured out to other regions. A special vineyard is Straws Lane in the Macedon Ranges, a very well suited region for premium Pinot Noir. It is a 40 year old vineyard, closely planted, on granite soil. My first exposure to it is the 2019 Shadowfax Straws Lane Pinot Noir.
I am continuing the theme of Grenache a bit more. It is not often you find a 100% Grenache in the Southern Rhone and possibly not at all in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the most highly regarded region there. Still, this is where I am heading today. I drank three Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines over three consecutive nights, all from 2016. This is what I found.
A couple of posts ago, I reviewed a Bekkers Grenache, which was highly aromatic but lacked some secondary components. This 2020 Thisledown Sands of Time Grenache comes from the same area of Blewitt Springs, in the Northern and slightly hilly part of McLaren Vale.
It is perhaps not surprising that Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy sold Cape Mentelle. While Cape Mentelle is an iconic Margaret River winery, it is a fair distance from Dom Perignon, Krug, and Glenmorangie in terms of geography, positioning and size.
The new owner is the Endeavour Group, the alcohol business spun out of Woolworths. It is best known for owning the retailers Dan Murphy's and BWS, but it also has a very significant winery portfolio under the Paragon Wine Estates umbrella, including Chapel Hill, Krondorf Wines, Riddoch of Coonawarra, Shingleback, Oakridge, Joseph Cromy, and Isabel Estate in New Zealand.
Cape Mentelle's sister company, Cloudy Bay, is not part of the transaction.
Bekkers has increased its profile for high quality McLaren Vale wine slowly, but surely over the last few years. Today I review the 2017 Bekkers Grenache. I tasted this wine on release. This is my second look.
A trend is something that establishes itself over time and continues for a while. Therefore, it is not surprising that the trends I will mention are not necessarily new. I am taking an Australian perspective here.
The most significant move in red wine is a trend towards fresher, lighter, and more elegant wines. Pinot Noir and Grenache are on the rise, both with quality value offerings as well now. The response of the major South Australian regions is interesting. Many wineries continue with full-bodied Shiraz. But in the Barossa, there are new wineries which make lighter style Shiraz, and grapes from the cooler Eden Valley are highly sought after. In McLaren Vale, many experiment with Mediterranean varieties, others head for the hills. Cool climate Shiraz across Australia has not taken off in the way one might have expected, given the above trends.
The situation with white wine is less clear. Chardonnay continues to dominate, with ever rising quality across all regions. Sauvignon Blanc and blends remain popular. A downward trend may occur with Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, as too many offerings have been disappointing. Other varieties remain niche.
In Champagne, a balance between the large houses and grower champagne seems to have been established. Prosecco is gaining in certain segments of the market, partly replacing light white wine.
The topic of alcohol requires a mention. Lower alcohol wines, such as most Riesling and Semillon, are not really low alcohol at twice the level of beer. There is clearly growth in zero alcohol wine, but why would you drink it?
Two more comments. By my observation, cocktails are taking share from wine, certainly among younger people. And we can expect environmental considerations to become more significant: bottles are getting replaced, and we will see soft packages with quality wine emerging.
And then there is natural wine. Is it a trend? Maybe not quite yet.
What did I miss?
When thinking about Japan, and its wine in particular, freshness and purity of fruit is top of mind. On that basis, I enjoyed the Grace Kayagatake Koshu in the past. This is an entry level wine from a vineyard at the bottom of the Kayagatake mountain.
Peter Schell of Spinifex has employed a clever strategy of blending. Many components of his wines are from less desired grapes, bought well, and blended into appealing wines of great drinkability. Then in 2014, Spinifex bought the Rostein vineyard in the Flaxman Valley of Eden Valley. This vineyard is in the southern part of Eden Valley, near High Eden, and situated at close to 500m altitude on predominantly sandy soil. 2018 is the first release of this single vineyard wine, positioned as the new Spinifex flagship. Given Eden Valley, the altitude, and the soil, I was expecting a fragrant, perfumed wine. I could not have been further from the truth.
