A terrific variety this week, from delicate whites to barnstorming reds.
We’ll start with one of the best Rieslings I’ve had in a while, and I drink a lot of Rieslings.
The Frogmore Creek Riesling 2013 is one of the more affordable Rieslings from Tassie, and it’s the kind of wine you find more and more charms in when you immerse yourself. An object lesson in stylish, elegant Riesling that is tightly wrapped around a subtle but lovely core of citrus fruit and chalky minerals. 95 points, BUY. $19 at Dan M’s.
Essenze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – The 2012 was a better wine. This one is pretty ordinary fare but nowhere near as ordinary as the Stoneleigh. Acceptable in an emergency. 88. NOT CONVINCED. $11 to $13 at Dan M’s.
As much as I wanted to like the Momo Pinot Gris 2013 (made by Seresin), I wasn’t convinced. It’s a very short wine with all the flavour crammed into the middle, a bit like a passenger train with all the passengers in the middle carriage. 89. NOT CONVINCED. $19 at Wineonline
West Cape Howe Mount Barker Riesling 2013 – Crisp and crunchy, almost steely . Not as fruity as the SA Rieslings. Tight and restrained at this stage, with great length and heaps of potential. Class act. Two trophies. 93+. BUY and keep. $17 at MyCellars.
Castle Rock Riesling 2013 – a wine from the same area but a year younger, and what a contrast! This is so forward, with lush, ripe fruit filling the mouth. Soft and rich and round – a drink-now Riesling with a ton of appeal. $19. Not our style of Riesling but very well done. 91. BUY if you like rich Rieslings. $19 at MyCellars.
Angullong Chardonnay 2011 – a friend gave us this Chardy from Orange and it’s full and round and flavoursome drinking but doesn’t make a really clean exit. 89. NOT CONVINCED. $14.50 at Wineselectors.
Shanahans The Old Dog Barossa Valley Shiraz 2012 –Handmade by John Harris at Mitchell Harris in Ballarat from Barossa fruit. Dan M’s panel gives it 97 points, and it flies off the shelves. Easier to buy it online. Lots of spicy fruit, but not huge, very polished. 92 points. BUY. $15 – 16 at Dan M’s.
Mojo Coonawarra Cabernet 2012 – Made by Rockbare in McLaren Vale. A red with a lot of appeal, although not obviously Cabernet or Coonawarra. Nice mix of fruits and spices though, plenty of flavour and easy on the gums. 91 points. BUY. $13 at Winelistaustralia
Partisan McLaren Vale Shiraz 2012 – lot going on here, from polished black fruits and spices to some liquorice and tar. Big on attitude but smooth enough, will improve for several years. 92 points. BUY. $12 – $14 at Dan M’s. Kemenys still have the 2010 for $14 if you want to try an older version.
Tightrope Walker Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2012 – made somewhere in the growing McWilliams empire, and well-made in the austere, modern style. Kind of sits on a knife-edge of ripeness but comes over to the right side given enough time. Some stone fruits and nuts help keep the grapefruit edge in check. After 3 days, I decided to like it. 2 trophies and 5 golds. 93 points from the Winefront, 91 from us. BUY if you like the style. $17 at Winestar.
Madfish Golden Turtle Chardonnay 2013 – this is a bit young and surprisingly delicate, more modern Chardy. Needs time to settle down but will come good, we think. We paid $13.25 at Dan M’s but the prices there vary as we know.
Siegersdorf Riesling used to go under the Hardy’s label but no more. It was a decent Riesling once but no more. It says Clare Valley now, but that hasn’t helped. I think a winemaker’s rouseabout could make a better Riesling than this, in his sleep. It has none of the qualities we expect to find in Clare Riesling. It’s a blatant commercial rip-off with some sugar thrown in for the masses. AVOID at all costs.
Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2012. I was disappointed with this vintage. It’s a well-made Savvy but lacks the tangy fruit and acid crunch of really good one, along with the gooseberries and herbs. Maybe the year – 2012 wasn’t an easy one over there. 91 points. NOT QUITE CONVINCED at this price – $20 at Wineonline.
Hidden Label Mount Barker Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – Bit of a letdown. OK to start with, and some good tangy savvy character but loses the plot a bit on the finish where things get a bit murky like a murder mystery that isn’t fully resolved. 87 points. NOT CONVINCED. $11 at Kemenys. 
Devils Ridge Block 1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012 – It’s hard enough to find drinkable Pinot Noir under $20, let alone close to $10. This isn’t La Tache, but it’s a soft light red that’s well-made and recognisable as a Pinot Noir. 89 points. BUY. $11 at Kemenys.
Tyrrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2010 – Not sure what Tyrrells is doing making Heathcote Shiraz, but it’s a decent red with interesting herbs and spices – aniseed and cloves and bay leaves. Nicely balanced but doesn’t have the joy de vivre of the Devils Ridge. I know it sounds crazy but I liked the $10 bottle better. 90 points. BUY at a stretch. $18 at Kemenys.
Devil’s Ridge Block 27 2012 Shiraz. Not another McLaren Vale Shiraz, I groaned as I pulled this one from the box of Kemenys samples. 14.5%. McLaren Vale Shiraz is low down my list at the best of times. It’s another hot, late summer evening and I feel like a cool, crisp Riesling. What a surprise to find a rich, soft medium-bodied red with lovely red berry fruits and a ton of smooth charm, without that hardness or touch of coarseness that is part of this style so often.
The wine reminded me of the Robert Oatley Shiraz 2011 that was compared with Grange a while back, and preferred by simple folk. 10 out of 10 for sheer drinkability. This puts many wines twice its price to shame. 93 points. BUY. $10 at Kemenys. Devil’s Ridge is the label Kemenys put on their range of cleanskins. This wine shows why we’re such big fans of this range.
Ninth Island Pinot Gris 2013 – this is a terrific PG with ripe pears and nectarines bursting from the glass. A mouthful of exotica, works really well with pork. Don’t keep it too long though. 93 points. BUY. $15 at Wineonline.
Yealands Land Made Series Pinot Gris 2013 – we bought this for $9 a while back from McGuires in Brisbane. Not as good as the savvy at the same price but opening up slowly. Much more restrained than the Ninth Island, and not in the same class. 89 points. Now $16.50 at Winestreet . NOT REALLY CONVINCED at that price.
Joseph Chromy Pepik Chardonnay 2012 – Another borderline white. Bit of a fruit salad with some lees fermentation induced texture, some lemon curd and almond meal as well. 89 points. Almost comes off but NOT CONVINCED at $18.50 at TRIO WINE.
Mojo is a clever label from Rockbare, and Mojo Coonawarra Cabernet 2012 is a clever wine – not typical Cabernet, and not typical Coonawarra but a rich, soft red with lots of flavour in a medium size wrapper. 91 points. BUY. $13 at MyCellars.
The Tim Adams Cabernet Merlot 2007 is a winner. Gorgeous wine, rich and smooth but not too big. The Malbec just gives it that extra dimension. Lovely integration, ready to drink. 93 points. BUY. $20 at Winedirect.
The Bress Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 was a bit of a letdown. Wonderful purple colour and a nose promising elegant black fruits. Medium-bodied, elegant with a fine backbone, but sadly lacking substance and interesting flavours. A bit like a stunning looking model you take out to dinner and find you can’t have real conversations with. 89 POINTS. NOT CONVINCED. $20 at Wineonline.
Forget the Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2013– even at $9, it’s not worth thinking about.
Delatite Deadman’s Hill Gewurztraminer 2012 – this is one of our best, and this year it’s a tour de force, rich and ripe fruits bursting out of the glass, from lychees to Turkish Delight. All hanging together nicely right now but don’t keep it too long. 94 points. BUY. $20 at MyCellars
Massena Barbara 2011 is a juicy kind of wine that hits interesting notes but is really a bit too simple. One-dimensional if you like. Barbera d’Alba is the most common grape in the Piedmonte region, where the famous Barolos come from. Not Convinced. 88 points. The 2011 seems to have all gone (production is tiny) but you can buy the 2012 at Artisans of the Barossa for about $25.
Ravenshead Cabermet Sauvignon 2013 – it’s from Margaret River, it’s made by Larry Cherubino, it’s packaged by by Kemenys . None of this helps the wine overcome its clumsy presence, sadly. The high alcohol fairly leaps out of the glass, and is always there as you try to come to grips with this wine. Chunky with hot flashes. Yes, there’s some cassis fruit but it’s not comfortable here. NOT CONVINCED, but for a moment I was thinking of writing AVOID. 87 points. $13 at Kemenys.
The Blackstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 is a $20 special from Aldi so I was expecting a lot. It was a washout, literally, colour browning already and very developed flavours, much too advanced for a 2102.
Second Left Eden Valley Cabernet Merlot 2012 – it’s a $9 red from Aldi but that doesn’t make it any more drinkable. Hot and acid, not pleasant, didn’t improve over 2 days.