Rieslingfreak No.2

 Sometimes, not very often, when I drink a new wine, I am simply astonished. This happened to me yesterday when I drank the 2024 Rieslingfreak No.2 from Polish Hill in Clare Valley.

This wine has a high intensity of lime and green apple, but it is not fruity. The wine has a great line, and it is not broad. Equally, it is not piercing. It has a wonderful balance. The palate pushes towards a mineral and very satisfying finish.

This is the best young Australian Riesling I have tasted, not withstanding some Leo Burings of the past. I have never rated a wine as high for this price ($30/bottle).

This wine will age well, but it is such a treat right now.

Score: 97/+++

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/+++

  

Unico Zelo New Releases

 Unico Zelo is my favourite producer of natural wines next to Gentle Folks. It also has a very strong environmental bend and co-operative focus. I cannot quite understand Unico Zelo's portfolio, but in any case, I just tasted three wines just released. They are all based on Italian varieties, better suited to Australian climate or at least the warm areas where these wines come from.

The 2022 Jade & Jasper is the Fiano. The fruit comes from the Riverland. Obviously, most Riverland fruit is for large industrial production, but there is now one or the other grower who is serious about quality and Unico Zelo has access to them. This wine is very fresh, with peach flavour and with a good acidic backbone. Not much complexity, but a well made quaffer (86 points).

The 2022 Truffle Hound, as the name suggests, has its conceptual home in Piedmont. It is a Nebbiolo/Barbera/Sangiovese/Merlot blend. I struggled with this. One would expect quite a savoury and gamy expression, but this wine is quite fruit forward as well. The fruit is from Clare Valley and McLaren Vale. There is some licorice and spice on the palate, but the fruit is very dominant (86 points).

My pick of the three is the 2022 Fresh A.F. This is a Nero d'Avola with added Grenache and a dash of the white variety Zibibbo from Riverland. Brendan and Laura Carter love Nero d'Avola the most, because it is so water efficient. The cherry fruit is very vibrant. In terms of fruit weight, the wine sits between a Rosé and a Pinot Noir. I recommend to drink it slightly chilled. A great pizza wine (88 points).

The key feature about these wines is their freshness. I think about them as grape juice with alcohol. They are well made, very drinkable, and well priced.

Premium Cabernets Comparison

 This is a brief review of some Australian premium Cabernets.

The star of this comparison tasting was the highly acclaimed 2020 Cullen Diana Madeline. It is a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend. This was the most elegant wine, red fruited, with some tannin bite at the same time, and a beautiful finish. This is a world class wine (97 points).

The one closest in style to it was the 2019 Grosset Gaia. It had a similar feel, but was a bit broader in the mouth, less detailed, again with firm tannins (94 points).

The other wine from Margaret River was quite different. It was the top of the range 2018 Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Malbec. It showed darker fruit, with mulberry flavours. The Malbec influence is strong. This is a bigger wine, quite fruity (93 points).  

An impressive wine was the 2017 Hickinbotham Clarendon Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon. It comes from the Northern, hillier part of McLaren Vale. This is a smooth wine, ripe, but balanced, with a silky mouthfeel and a medium to long finish (95 points).

I was less impressed with the 2016 Yalumba Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon. The redcurrant flavours are big and ripe. Christmas pudding or mud cake deliver quite a fat mouthfeel (92 points). 

There was also a New Zealand wine, the Merlot dominant 2019 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Te Kahu. This is quite a soft wine, but it lacked sufficient mouthfeel (91 points).

Skillogalee Riesling

The 2021 Skillogalee Riesling is a typical Riesling from the Clare Valley. It is fresh on the palate with lime flavours and some red apple. This is quite a rounded wine. It seems there is a little residual sweetness, which is quite appealing. Having said this, the wine finishes dry.

Score: 90/++

 

Claire Valley, Part 3

 It is not a secret, but it is not widely known that since 2017, Kilikanoon is 80% owned by Changyu, China's largest wine company. Kilikanoon was only formed in 1997, but since then had a turbulent history. At some stage, the owners also owned the majority of Seppeltsfield, but now it has withdrawn from the Barossa and is firmly focused on Clare Valley. Winemaking has moved on from founder Kevin Mitchell to Peter Warr, who I met with on my last stop in the Clare. 

The tasting was wide ranging. I will focus on red wines here. First: Grenache. The blue label depicts entry level wine. The 2019 Prodigal Grenache shows interesting blueberry flavours. It is quite a structural wine, with acidity and oak quite noticeable (91 points). More winemaking comes into play with the black label. The 2018 Duke's Reserve is a full-bodied wine with blackcurrant, mushroom and earthy notes prominent. No raspberry in sight - unexpected, but good (93 points). The highlight of this bracket comes from the grey label, which indicates old vines. The 2020 Walton 1946 Grenache is quite outstanding. 30% wholebunch contributes to a smooth wine, not as worked as the previous wine, with layers of red and blue fruit (95 points). Kilikanoon has clearly jumped on the Grenache wave we currently experience. And there is more. The 2018 Baudinet GSM is quite dark and fruity (92 points).

We then move on to the fuller bodied Rhone varieties. First, the 2020 Ashton 1920 Mataro, from 100 year old vines. A number of wineries in South Australia now make straight Mataro, and it is an interesting addition. This wine is dark fruited with blood orange flavours as well. The wine is slaty and earthy, yet surprisingly elegant (93 points).

 

The first Shiraz is the 2018 Covernant. Blackberry and cassis deliver a typical palate. The wine is dynamic driven by these flavours. Firm tannins are well integrated (91 points). This contrast with the 2016 Oracle, the flagship wine made by the old regime. This wine is very concentrated and rich. Raspberry and blackberry flavours deliver a jammy mouthfeel. The French oak is also very noticeable - a not perfectly executed Parker wine (89/-). And this contrast with the 2018 Morrison Shiraz/Cabernet. This wine is concentrated as well, but it is lively and driven by fruit. Red and black fruit flavours are nicely layered (95 points). 

Finally, two straight Cabernet Sauvignons. The entry level 2018 Block Roads Cabernet Sauvignon shows the variety so well: redcurrant, capsicum, tomato leaf and chocmint (93 points). A big step up, and an outstanding wine is the 2018 Tregea Reserve. It has a similar profile, but is more detailed, making this a complex wine. It is softer and powdery, delivering layers of flavour as the wine rolls down the palate (96 points). 

Overall, this was a very interesting tasting. The new, more fruit focussed direction is delivering some excellent wines. 

Clare Valley, Part 2

 The next stop was Jim Barry. Jim Barry can offer a number of highlights in its portfolio. First is the 2021 Assyrtiko. This really is an attractive variety, originating from Santorini. I have written about this before. Jim Barry is the only Australian producer. And this variety is well worth seeking out. Why? It is an aromatic variety, and at the same time, it is very energetic. This is a great summer drink (92 points).

Of course, you cannot go past the Florita Rieslings. This vineyard came to prominence under John Vickery and the Leo Buring label. I tasted three years: 2021, 2015, 2013. The 2021 showed white flower on the nose. This continued on the palate together with lime flavours. This wine is quite powerful and very driven (94 points). The 2015 had a similar fruit flavour profile, and started to show the maturing signs of Riesling: a whiff of kerosene, but actually more of a marmelade flavour (95 points). The 2013 displayed more kerosene, but the fruit was still fresh (94 points). I also tasted the 2018 LoosenBerry Walta Walta, the joint effort with Dr. Loosen from Germany. This wine is made more in the German style, with more time on lees and maturing in used oak. I found the wine a bit nondescript and a little sweet, although it is labeled dry (92 points). The 2021 showed more freshness and line (93 points).

The next bracket featured Cabernet Sauvignon. The first wine was the 2016 Pb Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. It had redcurrant on the front palate, some Shiraz sweetness in the middle and an earthy finish. This was a decent example of Australia's classic blend (92 points). Then came the 2018 First Eleven Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a very bright profile with redcurrant dominant, backed up by some mocca flavours (92 points). The 2017 Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clare was quite different; a solid structure and a very tannic wine which gripped my mouth (91 points). This bracket was ok, but there were no outstanding wines here.

This changed with the 2018 The McRae Wood Shiraz. This wine is dark fruited with blackberry flavours, 5 spice and olive notes. The fruit is from declassified Armagh, and augmented with fruit from other vineyards. But hey, this wine is quite brilliant, with silky tannins and a long finish (95 points). The Armagh comes from 54 year old vines, and has quite some pedigree, obviously. The 2017 is very dark and more concentrated than the before tasted McRae Wood, and it still has some freshness. Yet I found the wine a bit dense (94 points).   

Clare Valley, Part 1

I spend the first day of a brief tour to South Australia’s wine regions in the Clare Valley. I am mainly interested tasting red wines as opposed to the more flagship Riesling. My first stop is at Taylors. I abandoned Taylors some ten years ago because of their in my view excessive use of new oak. Since then, a number of new labels have been introduced. So it was time for a new assessment.

The first couple of wines were Rieslings, though; the 2022 St Andrews Riesling and the 2012 St. Andrews Riesling. St Andrews means the fruit is from the Estate. Both wines are quite similar in character, with the 10 year old wine more developed and the acid less prominent. There is white flower and lime, both on nose and palate. The wines are quite fruity and a little broad (88 points).

The Chardonnays see 100% new oak. The 2018 St Andrews Chardonnay tastes of stone fruit, and the oak is pretty well integrated (92 points). The 2015 version already has quite a golden colour, and some butterscotch coming through (90 points).

The 2018 St Andrews Shiraz sees 65% new oak, and is matured in this 60% American and 40% French oak. The wine is still quite fresh, red fruited, with some confectionery flavours, no doubt from the American oak (91 points). The 2015 Pioneer Shiraz (best of grapes) has spent 3-4 years in oak (not sure if 100% new). This is a wine on steroids. The fruit weight is big, the tannins firm and coarse, and the vanilla oak prominent. Not my cup of tea (92 points).

Finally, the Cabernets. The 2017 St Andrews Cabernet (current release), shows good typicity. Redcurrant, bay leaf, herbs, and capsicum. The firm acidity delivers a good structure. The fruit is a little underdone given the good vintage (92 points). The 2015 Visionary Cabernet was the best wine of the line-up, but not by much. Again, it is made from the best grapes and spends a lot of time in oak. The flavours were similar to the last wine, but the finish was much longer. This wine will last a long time (93 points).

Overall, oak was still a dominant feature, although perhaps better managed than what I remember. Unfortunately, the fruit was not quite big and concentrated enough to be a dominant match.

Wendouree Malbec

 Wendouree has this special aura of mystery. It mainly relates to the Shiraz and various blends. However, there are other astonishing wines to explore. Today it is Malbec.

The 2012 Wendouree Malbec is a full-bodied wine, as you would expect. It is under Stelvin and still fresh on the front palate. The dark cherry fruit is quite concentrated and a little thick, but still quite elegant. The tannins are coarse and start to take over from the pretty fruit on the back palate, maybe a bit much for my liking. Still, a very good example of mature Australian Malbec. 

This wine still has a decade in front of it without problems.

Score: 94/+

Wendouree Shiraz

 Every serious drinker of Australian wine should drink a bottle of Wendouree Shiraz at least once. It is a true icon of the rise of Australian still wine production during the last 50 years. In some ways, it is an old fashioned wine, with power rated higher than elegance, but subtle changes have been made over the last 15 years, in particular to make the wine more attractive for earlier consumption. The 2010 Wendouree Shiraz, reviewed here, even comes screw capped.

This wine opens up with concentrated fruit, blackberry and dark plum flavours. It is a full-bodied wine, of course. What stands out on the palate, is the purity of fruit from this excellent vintage. Then the palate gets hit by a wall of firm and coarse tannins. On the finish, they are mashed with the intensity of the fruit.

Score: 94/0

Wendouree Malbec

 

The profile of Malbec is largely formed by the impressions of Argentinian wine; ripe and lush. It is not so well known that there are old Malbec vines in Australia, in particular on the Wendouree property. How does this 2012 Wendouree Malbec compare? It is quickly clear this tastes nothing like the Argentinian version. This is a Wendouree!

Black sour cherry is accompanied by smoky and meaty flavours, not too much, though. There is the typical eucalypt as well. The fruit weight feels right in the mouth. As would be expected, this wine is more about power than elegance, but it is smoother than a Wendouree Shiraz. The tannins are firm, and the finish is long. This wine does not have the generosity of fruit like the Argentinian Malbec, in some ways it is simply a good quality dry red. 

Score: 94/++ 

Kilikanoon Attunga 1865 Shiraz

 The Kilikanoon business has a strong commercial orientation, and while there is nothing wrong with it, in fact it is necessary to an extent, obviously, I have never been drawn to its wines. However, a few years ago, I was given its flagship Attunga 1865 Shiraz from Clare Valley.

The 2010 Kilikanoon Attunga 1865 Shiraz from a special plot of old vines is full-bodied, with a core of concentrated ripe plum flavours, lifted by some eucalypt, typical of Clare. I am generally not a big fan of eucalypt or minty notes, but in this case it is moderate and serves to lighten up the plum core. This Shiraz is a big wine, but the fruit is balanced by lively acidity. While this is a ripe wine, it is interesting to me that there is a certain poise which I find comes with very old vines. The finish is long, but a little harsh. Despite what the label says, this wine expresses more power than elegance, but not in an extreme way. It will appeal to some people more than to me.

Score: 95/+ 

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling

How refreshing is this 2012 Grosset Polish Hill. For those who are used to German Riesling, this is quite different. The style of this wine is austere. The acidity is high, and accentuates the piercing and intense citrus flavous of this wine. This wine is still young, but some almond and shy toasty flavours are starting to emerge. The energy of this wine is exemplary, with a medium to long finish.

I think the most interesting point to drink this wine at would be five years from now. It will easily go another ten years.

Score: 95/+++

 

Wendouree Shiraz

 There are legendary wines in Australia, like Penfolds Grange or Hill of Grace; there are cult wines like Greenock Creek or Cloudburst, and then there is one legendary cult wine. This is Wendouree - a cult wine for over 50 years.

Christmas was cool in Sydney, so it was not inappropriate to open a mature bottle of Shiraz. I found a 2005 Wendouree Shiraz in my cellar. This seemed perfect. Historically, I have never warmed to Wendouree all that much. I felt it was all about power and extraction at the expense of elegance. But winemaking has changed, even at this most traditional winery.

The bouquet tells you immediately this is a serious wine. Deep fruited aromas of plum and blackberry leave the glass. On the palate, the same flavours are present, plus mint, a typical Clare Valley component. I am not a big fan of mint, but in this case it was not overwhelming, just enough to give the wine some lift. 

This wine is not as powerful as I had anticipated, medium- to full-bodied. And it is very drinkable, elegant with softened dry and dusty tannins. The flavours linger on.

Score : 94/++

Penfolds Grange (edited)

 It had to be done. I recently opened my last bottle of the legendary 1990 Penfolds Grange ( legendary, because it was the first year when the term 'Hermitage' was dropped from the label, and when it became the world number one wine in Wine Spectator putting the wine on the world stage). This bottle was re-corked at one of the Penfolds clinics in 2016. As a result, this wine had a very high shoulder (see image).

The wine was decanted over a meter away from me, yet I immediately took in the strong and unmistakable Grange aroma: intense dark fruit and sweetness. It is unmistakable because of the extraordinary choice of grapes Penfolds has, and the fermentation process, which gets completed in new American oak. 

Much has been written about this wine. The highlights of this bottle were the extraordinary freshness after 30 years, and what Robert Parker coined 'skyscraper structure'. Within the skyscraper were layers and layers of fruit, and mocha.  On the back palate were meaty flavours. I had paired this with wagyu beef. The wine and food were totally in unison. In fact, if there was not the difference between liquid and solid, I would not have picked the difference. And then, the finish of the Grange went on and on.   

Those who have followed my blog for some time would have noticed my increasing dislike for overripe wine. Experiencing a full-bodied Grange is different. This was a remarkable Penfolds Grange.

Score: 98/+++

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/++

Penfolds Gems

At a recent lunch, I sampled three Penfolds wines, none of which disappointed. The first was the 2013 Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz. This is perhaps an underestimated brand, as it is newer than other Penfolds wines. However, the wine comes from perhaps the cradle of the Barossa Valley. The colour of this wine is purple with a slight, very slight orange tinge. The fruit is blackberry, even more blueberry. This is a full-bodied wine with good concentration, but more elegant than ripe flavours. French and American oak is significant, but well integrated. The tannins are dry, but surprisingly mellow, and the finish is smooth and long. This is a great example of a full-bodied Barossa Shiraz, full-bodied, with great flavour and some harmonic texture to boot.

Score: 96/+++

The 2009 Penfolds Grange is more of a beast. The colour is still black, the aroma smells of fruitcake. This is a pretty dense wine with very complex flavours; blackberry, black currant, mulberry, black olive, black pepper, sage. This is a full-bodied wine with big fruit weight and mouthfeel. The different elements of this underrated wine are pretty well integrated and balanced. This wine is not at its peak yet. The firm tannins still have a strong grip. The finish is very long. This is a ripe wine, but not outside the envelop of drinkability.

Score: 97/+++

Interesting to compare this with a  'baby' Grange, the 2008 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz. There are black and red currant flavours on the palate, but the fruit tastes dried. There is sweet vanilla oak on the palate of this full-bodied wine. Baby Grange is probably a correct naming; the wine is a little fat, not as layered. The tannins remain firm, and the finish is smooth

Score: 95/++

I could imagine still being satisfied drinking these wines in 5-10 years.

Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz

The 2010 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz is not a pleasant wine to drink. The blackberry and plum flavoured fruit has good intensity, but there is a harshness accompanying this fruit. The wine feels industrial, made without love and care. On the back palate, the harshness finally takes over. This is not a well balanced wine. In a good vintage like 2010, it should not be this way.

After being open for some time, the balance is shifting somewhat to a gentler overall mouthfeel. Therefore the range in my score.

Score: 86-89/- 

Jim Barry Tasting

Jim Barry is an unusual family wine business, maybe only comparable to Yalumba. It produces wine in large commercial quantities, like more than 100,000 cases, as well as high quality specialty wines. Based in the Clare Valley, the focus is on Riesling and Shiraz. The other day, I tasted most of the line-up.

The 2017 Assyrtiko is a welcome addition to the portfolio. It is the first Assyrtiko (native to Santorini, Greece)  commercially available in Australia, planted as recently as 2012. This is actually an excellent summer wine: crisp citrus, acidic, dry (90 points).

The 2018 Watervale Riesling is the high volume product, and it shows. This wine is straight forward and quite fruity, but not unpleasant (86 points).

The Clos Clare Riesling is a side project by third generation Tom and Sam Berry. It is actually a little block at a corner of the famous Florita vineyard. The 2017 has reasonable fruit weight, but is a little broad (89 points). The 2012 is quite different, maybe due to the ageing. Earthy flavours dominate this wine (89 points).

The 2012 Lodge Hill Riesling has more power. It is on the fruity side, but dry (90 points).

The game changes with the 2017 Florita Riesling from this exceptional vineyard, established by Leo Buring in 1962. This is a world-class dry Riesling. The colour is straw green. On the palate, the wine is delicate, but powerful at the same time. Citrus flavours dominate, but the key here is the steeliness and linearity of the wine delivered on the back of firm acidity. This wine will live for a long time, but is excellent to drink now as well (96 points).

Of the reds, I tried the 2014 McRae Wood Shiraz. The fruit is covered in  American oak. At four years of age, this is too much and unlikely to lift (89 points).

Then we come to the Armagh, one of Australia's most highly regarded Shiraz. The 2013 Armagh has some trouble to live up to that lofty expectation. This wine is still young and quite closed. It needs decanting. Blackberry and plum flavours are concentrated. Vanilla oak flavours hit on the front palate, cream and mocha on the back. The structure is impressive and not alcoholic, but will it all come together? (93 points).



  

Wendouree Shiraz

What makes a wine a cult wine? The terminology started in the US. Criteria were: a new wine, small volume, difficult to buy, high pricing, high alcohol. So why are Wendouree wines called cult? This winery is as old fashioned and traditional as they come. Yes, you had to be on a mailing list, but it was managed by snail mail, and an obscure coloured dot system determined where you were in the ordering hierarchy. The pricing of these wines is quite reasonable, so is the alcohol. The wines are difficult to get, but cult wines? Not according to my definition - just obscure.

The Wendouree wines are known to be long lasting. I was therefore not worried to open a 2002 Wendouree Shiraz. The cork came out perfectly, and it turned out this 16 year old wine is good to drink now. 

Wendouree wines have the reputation of being monsters. This wine is full-bodied, but only just. In fact, the alcohol level is 13.7%, much less than many other Shirazes. This is not a bold wine. The oak has been subsumed by the fruit, which is blackberry and some eucalypt. I am not keen on eucalypt flavours, it is just borderline in this case. There are also herbal flavours on the palate. The finish is firm, and the aftertaste is pleasing.

This is a fine wine, but it is not exceptional. I expected something a bit more special.

Score: 93/0