Assyrtiko

 Of the many so called alternative or new varieties, not all are equally appealing to the Australian market. Do we really need to promote Primitivo or Aglianico? These are full-bodied red wine varieties, often with high alcohol content. In my opinion, we grow enough Shiraz and Shiraz blends to cover this market very well.

However, other varieties really add to our wine drinking experience. One such variety is Assyrtiko, the national Greek white wine variety, most popular on the island of Santorini. I yesterday drank a well priced version, which expresses the features of Assyrtiko well.

The 2020 Gaia Monograph Assyrtiko is widely available in Australia (Gaia is a well regarded Greek winery, not to be confused with Gaja in Piedmont). This wine is very fresh with lively acidity. Lemon zest is the dominant flavour. It is most suited as a summer and lunch wine. It has a more interesting mouthfeel than most Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, and I see no reason why Assyrtiko could not take significant share from these varieties.

Score: 90/++

Underestimate or Overestimate

 Growing grapes and making wine is obviously a challenging business and developments can be quite dynamic. Part of this dynamic is the 'discovery' of new wine making areas or regions. Over the last couple of days I tasted two wines from very different regions which both are not necessarily new, but have grown in significance over the last few years. The two wines were a 2020 Chacra Pinot Noir from Patagonia, Argentina, and a 2019 Tertini Pinot Noir from the Southern Highlands, New South Wales.  

Chacra has taken a very serious approach, including bio-dynamics and organics, since starting their journey in 2004. Obviously, they impressed the wine world and have achieved glowing reviews. My first experience has been with the 2020 Chacra Cincuenta Y Cinco Pinot Noir, obviously from a vineyard started in 1955. The palate shows strawberry and red and black cherry flavours, as well as licorice and herbal flavours. The wine is quite elegant and balanced, but it lacks a bit of interest in its texture. The tannins are mild, and the finish is medium.

While this wine is certainly a good Pinot Noir, it is not outstanding, and certainly not as exciting as the reputation preceding it. While the climate is quite suitable for Pinot Noir, the soil composition of pebbles and clay may not deliver the drive and intensity I had hoped for.

Score: 92/+

The Southern Highlands south of Sydney do not really rate as a premium wine growing region among most wine enthusiasts. Its preeminent winery is Tertini. I recently tried the 2019 Tertini Yaraandoo Vineyard Pinot Noir. The vines are still quite young, planted in 2000, but the vineyard, sitting at an altitude of over 700 meters, is highly regarded.

The wine is quite perfumed on the nose. Dark cherry flavours dominate the palate. This is a light to medium, clearly cool climate Pinot Noir. What this wine has, a bit in contrast to the Chacra, is drive, a great texture, and a long finish. This is not the most complex of wines, but it drinks beautifully with an excellent Pinot Noir typicity. 

Score: 94/+++ 

P.S.: A reader has pointed out to me that the winery has closed. A Canberra article mentioned the winery is closed since 2023 due to a lack of succession. This is a real shame. I am wondering what is happening to the vineyard shown in the picture.

Ata Rangi Mini Vertical

 Mini Verticals are great to see the impact of vintages, as well as identifying a winery's style.

In the last couple of days, I experienced the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2016, 2017 and 2020.

The 2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir shows a bright crimson colour. The nose is quite perfumed. Red and black cherry fruit, cranberry, licorice and five spice deliver complexity on the palate. There is a good balance between fruit and savoury characteristics. The tannins are fine and the finish is very long. The wine is quite tight at the moment. On the second day, it opened up a bit more, but the wine is probably in its sleeping window, typical for some Pinot Noirs. It is too early to drink. If you do, you must decant the wine for at least three hours.

Score: 96/+++

The 2017 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is quite different. This is a brooding wine, darker, with forest floor and forest berries. There is a lot going on here. Black cherry and spice are significant flavours, but it is a very savoury wine with some game on the palate. This wine is big and mouth-filling (not as concentrated as the Place of Changing Winds Pinot Noir I recently reviewed). The wine has great personality. The silky tannins lead to a long finish.

Score: 97/+++

The 2016 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is more fruit orientated, still very fresh, more open, not brooding. Black cherry, pomegranate and licorice are the main flavours. This is an elegant wine, very silky, very long. Interestingly, on day 2, it was much weightier than on the first day. 

Score: 95/+++ 

Overall, the Ata Rangi impresses with flavour complexity, a very satisfying mouthfeel, silky tannins and a long finish.

Spinifex Rostein Shiraz

 Spinifex has now entered its third phase. Let me explain. When Peter Schell came to the Barossa Valley, he embarked on a very clever strategy. He identified parcels of less well known Rhone varieties, for example Cinsault, which he could buy cheaply, and through clever blending managed to offer attractive wines at good prices. He became the blending wizard of the Barossa. He famously said: I would never do a 100% Shiraz, only over my dead body. Now this is exactly what he did next. La Bete Noir was born, Moppa, and La Maline (includes some Viognier). This was phase two. And then in the last 6 years, he added extra premium red wines with the Indigene and the Rostein.

The Rostein, from an old vineyard in the Eden Valley, is Peter Schell's most expensive wine. Yesterday, I tasted the 2018 Spinifex Rostein Shiraz. It seems this has been the only release so far.

Brooding dense fruit flavours rise from the glass. It is clear, this is an intense wine. It delivers the typical higher altitude Eden Valley blue fruit. There are dried plum flavours and licorice. Despite this fruit weight, the wine delivers good energy. It is both round and driven in the mouth. The bright acidity makes this wine still fresh after six years. The wine has a balanced structure with fine tannins and a lively finish.

Score: 95/+++

  

Place of Changing Winds 'Clos de la Connerie'

 The man behind Place of Changing Winds is Robert Walters, who for decades has imported fine wine from around the world (Bibendum, International Fine Wines), in particular Burgundy. Building on this experience and many discussions with international growers and winemakers, he finally decided to get into winemaking himself. More than anybody else in Australia, he combines experience with science in finding the right site and implementing a methodical winemaking approach. He settled on a vineyard site in Macedon, I believe pointed out to him by Michael Dhillon of Bindi, and he has a similar portfolio with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Macedon, and Shiraz from Heathcote. For those interested, I recommend the winery's website, which gives away some of the story and Robert's meticulous approach.

The star of the portfolio is clearly Pinot Noir. As volumes of this high density planted vineyard are very small, the company has adopted a direct selling approach which is understandable, yet annoying. Basically, there is a mailing list and you have to buy some of the more standard wines (Grower Series) to get access to the super premium wines (Estate Series). However, some of these trickle into the market and there can be bought separately.

Yesterday, I tasted my first wine from this estate, the 2019 Place of Changing Winds 'Clos de la Connerie' Pinot Noir. Robert advised me to not drink this wine too early, but this is as long as I could wait. This wine comes from the original high density plot at 12500 vines per ha, planted in 2012 (yes, the vines are young). 

I pour the wine and wow! The colour is a deep ruby. Clearly, this is a concentrated wine. Aromas of forest berries rise from the glass. On the palate, black cherry, licorice and spice deliver a more savoury sensation, with an incredible depth of flavour and richness. This is a serious wine. Despite the intensity, the wine is elegant in the mouth (12.5% alc.). The tannins are fine and don't quite match the flavours. While the wine is quite long, it runs out of steam a bit on the finish.

Clearly, this intense profile is achieved by the dense planting (and no doubt a lot of care). It calls into question the mantra of old vines being a prerequisite of great wine. This wine delivers a new profile of Australian Pinot Noir. It drinks well now, but will develop even more complexity in the next 5-10 years. Robert Walters has other labels with even double this planting density. I am encouraged to track some down in the future.

Score: 96/+++