A lot of diverse wines this week, some real bargains among them
BUY
Sadly, the Waipara Pinot Gris 2011 is pretty well all gone. This a Sophia Loren style of PG, with a serious body and lots of curves – 14.5%. Great with rich pork or duck dishes. If you have any left, drink it soon.
The TarraWarra Pinot Noir 2010 can still be found in some 1St Choice stores for $21, although the website shows the 2011. Haven’t tried that one yet, and I’ve said enough about the 2010 – good to know that all of it was right (best Pinot under $25 etc)
Lake Breeze Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – $20 at WinelistAustralia
The Follett family at Langhorne Creek are quiet achievers. This is a stunning Cabernet with layers of complex dark fruit flavours, well integrated oak and all the length and depth needed for the long haul. Real tannin here, fine-grained and balanced. Serious Cabernet, serious bargain. 14%
Fraser Gallop Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $16 at WineOnline
Rich, ripe, velvety – an absolute delight to drink now but will get better for a year or 2. This is a boutique winery, how do they do it for the price?
Brookland Valley Verse 1 Shiraz 2011 – $11.50 at 1st Choice
For those of looking for style and elegance in our Shiraz. Fruit-driven, zippy, well balanced red you can enjoy anytime – especially with pasta, pizza and BBQs.
Fraser Gallop Chardonnay 2011 – $18 at WineOnline
Yes, the Chardonnay is a year older than the Cabernet Merlot, and it will more time to show its best. Modern style, restrained but promising more down the track. Some citrus notes but pears as well, and minerals. Plenty of length and depth. Elegant.
The Lawson Dry Hills is no longer in the shops but this wine proves you can make a Sauvignon Blanc that lasts. Still plenty of fresh acid in the tank here, lovely balance too.
Frogmore Creek Chardonnay 2011 – $23 at MyCellars
This is usually out of price range but MyCellars has squeezed the price down. This is a very classy Chardonnay in the modern style (but not the grapefruit juice and lemon curd style we loathe). The white peaches and cashes are there, just very restrained as is the classy oak. Terrific Chardy.
Arrogant Frog Lilly Pad Viognier 2012 – $8.50 at Dan M’s
This is what we call a good everyday drinking wine, and a cheeky little frog it is from the Languedoc. Round and soft and fruity, slips down the hatch with no effort.
Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2013 – $12.50 at WineOnline
Another great JB Riesling, from another great year, at yet another silly price.
NOT CONVINCED
Dan M’s offered some of their cellar release wines at discounts, and I thought the Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2007 would be a bargain at about $16 (back at $21 by now) but I was wrong. This is rich and forward and developed, with lots of flavour and ripe fruit – 13.5% – but really lacking the acid backbone to keep it all together.
Nugan Estate King Valley Chardonnay 2010 – $17 at Dan M’s
We like the 2009 better, it was richer and more generous. This year’s is more on the lean grapefruit side of the spectrum.
Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2010- $21 at Dan M’s
This is not a style I’m taken with, even though I appreciate the lighter styles of Aussie reds. This one is light and elegant to the point of being fluffy. What I mean by that is that it lacks backbone, a coherent structure to hold it together. This wine has won medals and rave reviews, but you have been warned. 14%.
Teusner The Riebke Shiraz 2012 – $17 at Winestar
This is a big-hearted Barossa Shiraz that is almost universally loved. It’s big and rich and generous alright, but it’s too much of a Dolly Parton wine for my taste. Looks like 2012 was a ripe year in the Barossa. Gary Walsh at the Winefront gives it 91 points, and I agree.
Paracombe the Reuben 2010 – $19 at MyCellars
The 2009 won a swag of medals but I missed the last of it. This one is from the superb 2010 vintage; it’s a Bordeaux blend from a boutique in the Adelaide Hills. I wanted to like it but I wouldn’t have picked it as a Bordeaux blend. It’s a bit loose and fluffy like the Mount Langi, plenty of sweet fruit but lacks restraint and structure. Didn’t work for me.
Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2009 – $23 at Winestar
By sheer coincidence, the 2009 was one of the wines Clive produced at Andrew’s book club night a week ago, wrapped in brown paper bags. Clive said one of the wines had received a 96 point score from Halliday, which narrowed the filed a bit since our range at these evenings tends to be $15 – $25. I glimpsed a tiny bit of the blue foil sticking out of the brown paper bag, and that led me to Mount Langhi.
Clive wanted us to guess the varieties of the masked wines, which was hard enough since they included Zinfandels that tasted nothing like Zinfandels used to, and Petits Verdot from McLaren Vale that defied all educated guesses. Clive was impressed that I guessed the Shiraz variety and the Mount Langi, but then added a twist by asking me if it was the 2009 or 2010.
OK, so he had mentioned 96 Halliday points, and I happened to remember JH giving those points to the 2009, so I said 2009 and I got lucky. The other guys were terribly impressed, but I didn’t think the wine was anywhere near 96 points. It was the same style as the 2010: soft and fluffy and lacking depth and structural rigidity. Given that the best wines in Australia can be bought for less than $30, I don’t think we’re being too harsh on a $23 number.
AVOID
Liebich Gewuerztraminer Riesling 2012 – $20 at Mosman Cellars
Big on lush fruit, light on structure to hold it all together. The result is a ripe, flabby wine that is quite unbalanced.
Kirrihill Regional Range Shiraz 2011 – $12.50 at Dan M’s
This was an obvious fruit bomb when first opened, just like the more expensive Tullymore Cabernet 2010 from the same stable. The winery seems to specialise in alcoholic Ribena. After a day in the open bottle, the fruit bomb started to show cracks in the façade. Like a house built in too much of a hurry.
La Senda Elefante Tempranillo 2010 – about $14 at Annandale-Cremorne-Northbridge Cellars
I expected more from this, much more. Even the cheaper Elefante gets good reviews. There’s just not much here by way of aroma or flavour. OK I’m not a fan of Tempranillo, but this is pretty ordinary stuff. Use it for cooking.
Tried the Alkoomi Sauvignon Blanc 2012 to see if it offered any relief from the one-dimensional Kiwis but it does not. Not a lot to recommend here, or to enjoy. It’s about $13 at Dan M’s but don’t waste your money. Alkoomi used to make better wine than this.