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/+++     

  

Tyrrell''s 8 Acres Shiraz

 Tyrrell''s produce four single vineyard wines from vines over 100 years old. The 8 Acres is probably the most accessible early in its life. I tasted the 2019 Tyrrell's 8 Acres Shiraz.

This is a medium-bodied wine, a world apart from South Australian Shiraz. It is red fruited, predominantly cherry flavours. The wine is still very young (screw cap). It has medium concentration, a balanced and elegant mouthfeel. The tannins are soft and fine. The wine lacks a personality statement to make it exceptional.

Score: 93/++ 

My second ever Australian 100 pointer

 I have never been able to taste Penfolds' original Bin 60A from the 1962 vintage. The wine was never commercially released, but won many awards and by many wine critics is described as Australia's greatest wine. The Bin 60A label has only been used one more time, for a wine from the 2004 vintage, which showed similar characteristics to 1962. I tasted the 2004 Penfolds Bin 60A a few days ago. The wine is the same blend of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (56%)  and Barossa Shiraz (44%).

I start by saying this wine bowled me over from the get go. Perfumed forest aromas rise from the glass. The palate is still youthful. The terra rossa soil based blackcurrants shine. The Barossa fruit brings additional weight and some sweetness, but this is never overbearing (alc. 13.5%). The savoury aspects taste of cedar, lead pencil shavings, licorice, and game. There is intensity in this wine, but also surprising lightness. It takes 'harmonious' to another level. Penfolds is known more for power than elegance, but this is a very elegant wine. The mouthfeel is rounded and almost silky. The dry, fine-grained tannins lead to a very long finish, which leaves earthy flavours in the mouth. 

This wine will last much longer, but now, after 20 years, is perhaps the ideal time to drink it. Fruit  and savoury flavours are in perfect balance. 

Score: 100/+++

   

Bekkers Syrah

 Bekkers is a boutique producer with a focus on the northern, hilly parts of McLaren Vale, and a meticulous focus on Shiraz and Grenache. Toby Bekkers operates at the premium end of the market.

The 2018 Bekkers Syrah delivers layers of fruit on the palate, blackberry and forest berries. There are also tobacco notes and licorice. The wine is focused and intense, without being overbearing. It is quite savoury on the back palate, a really interesting wine. There is good energy, before firm tannins lead to a medium plus finish.

The wine is quite balanced, and I would happily drink more than one glass. My score would have been even higher, if the level of elegance (which is not bad) had stood up even more to the fruit weight.

Score: 95/+++

 

O'Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling

 I think of O'Leary Walker in a similar way in which Bin 389 is described as baby Grange. To me, O'Leary Walker is the baby Riesling to Grosset's Rieslings. Both produce Polish Hill and Watervale Rieslings. Grosset Rieslings show this purity of fruit and great drive. O'Leary Walker is similar, just not quite as much, and at a much lower price.

The 2023 O'Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling delivers the typical lemon and lime flavours of Clare Valley. It is perhaps not as focused and precise as the Grosset equivalent, but it comes close. The wine is very energetic on the palate. It is linear and long. The wine is obviously still very young, but already well balanced and enjoyable.

This is an excellent Riesling in the Australian style (acidic and lean). It will age well, but I prefer drinking this wine young.

Score: 94/+++

  

Bisci Verdicchio

 Every now and then, I try a new Italian variety from the hundreds on offer. This 2022 Bisci Verdicchio from the Marche region turns out to be quite interesting. Bisci wines are organic, the grapes harvested from high altitude vineyards. 

The 2022 Bisci Verdicchio is matured in concrete tanks and left on lees for eight months. The wine has a pale golden colour and is quite aromatic on the nose, with white flower notes.

On the palate, peach and melon flavours add to the moderate citrus. The key to this wine is its texture. The wine is quite full in the mouth, flavoursome, yet dry. It is very well made.

This wine would lose out if accompanied by food. It is a great afternoon wine standing on its own, maybe accompanied by a cracker or two.

Score: 92/++

Petaluma Evans Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

 It has been a long while since I had a Petaluma bottle. This is strange, given it is such an iconic label. And I never had an Evans Vineyard wine. So I was looking forward to this 2016 Petaluma Evans Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot. 

The wine is concentrated on the palate, with blackcurrent and mocca flavours delivering a predominantly savoury sensation in the mouth. The Merlot component is weaved well into the Cabernet Sauvignon, thereby avoiding the typical mid palate hole of a pure Cabernet Sauvignon.

The tannins are dry and firm. This wine is about structure. I wish it was matched by elegance. However, my mouth felt challenged rather than soothed, before the finish hits hard.

The wine tastes like old-fashioned winemaking.

Score: 92/0

 

Deep Woods Hillside Chardonnay

                                            

If you have the Fogarty Wine Group as an owner, and Julian Langworthy as the talented wine maker, it is no surprise that Deep Woods made a lot of gains, and is now regarded as one of the top wineries in Western Australia. This can really be put to the test with their entry level Chardonnay, in this case the 2022 Deep Woods Hillside Chardonnay. The fruit comes from a number of vineyards, mostly at somewhat higher elevation. Despite being an entry wine, the wine sees some new oak and is made in a modern style, with indigenous yeast used for wild fermentation and minimal fining.

The wine has a pale, slightly green colour. The clean palate delivers subtle stone fruit, mainly white peach, and also green apple. Fresh acidity delivers good balance in the mouth. This is a well crafted wine, though a little boring. It provides great value at $20-25 per bottle.

I suggest to drink this wine now or within two years.

Score: 90/0