Ravenshead Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc 2013. This maybe a label made for Kemenys by the ubiquitous Laryy Cherubino. It’s one of the most delicate Savvies we’ve ever tried, ideal for oysters or fish like whiting and sole. It’s well done in that style, bit a bit underdone for my liking. 89 points. Not Convinced. $13 at Kemenys. If you buy 6, they throw in a free bottle.
Devil’s Ridge Block 33 Sauvignon Blanc 2013. A marvellous wine, delivering class and finesse way above its humble station. Not a distinctive savvy but a lovely, fresh and crisp fruit salad style with great length and balance. Just the thing for everyday drinking with just about any white meat, or pleasing your friends at the next barbie. 92 points. BUY. $10 at Kemenys.
Ravenshead Margaret River Chardonnay 2012. Same name, same price, different label. This is pretty much the opposite to the Savvy: big, rich and ripe, some hints of orange perhaps from the oak, smooth mouth feel, a real crowd pleaser with high marks for sheer drinkability. 92 points. BUY. $13 at Kemenys.
Fifth Leg Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2013. Made by Devil’s Lair, but I wasn’t expecting a lot from this large volume commercial white. It turns out a triumph of commercial winemaking, and is better than most of the Kiwi savvies made in even larger volumes. Fresh, crisp and flavoursome, this is a terrific easy drinking white for the money. JH gives this 93; we’d say 91. BUY. $10 at Dan M’s.
AIRDE.450 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. I know it’s uncool to question wines from the Adelaide Hills, but I’m going to. Varietal definition is a frequent issue, most of all with Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve yet to come across a good one from this area. Chardonnay can be better, but this one is not recognisable as a Chardy. If you can overlook that, it’s a fresh, crisp white, well-made and well-priced. 88 points. Not Convinced, but that seems a bit picky given the $8 price tag at ALDI.
Hans Metzler Family Edition Riesling 2012. Rheinhessen lies south of the famous Rheingau, and is known as the ‘land of the thousand hills.’ Its larger towns include Mainz, Worms, Bingen, Alzey, Nieder-Olm and Ingelheim. We’re heading south here to more sunshine, and this wine is about the same strength as the finer Aussie Rieslings at 12 and a bit %. That said, you’d never pick it as a Riesling. I’d have said Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris. There’s big flavour here, and good depth and length and plenty of acid. Not Convinced but worth trying for $10 at ALDI.
Vinatero Margaret River Chardonnay 2012. Made for ALDI by flying winemaker Larry Cherubino, we found this a bit light on and lacking good honest Chardy flavour. Fresh fruits and fine acid, in the fashionable twiggy style. Flat spot on the mid to rear palate. 88 points. Not Convinced. $15 at ALDI.
Dandelion Wishing Clock of the Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2013. This is made by Elena Brooks of Dandelion, Heirloom, Sister’s Run and Zonte’s Footstep fame, and it’s a disaster. Not recognisable as a savvy even with some imagination, it falls into a heap of soggy passionfruit. Quite a contrast to what the maker says: Distinctive lifted fresh nose of Sauvignon fruit purity, outrageous lift of grapefruit mixed with fragrant gooseberries. A burst of fresh, radiant almost incandescent scents of fizzing limes lemongrass, Thai mint and lemon rind … 85 points. AVOID. $20 at Winedirect.
The Saint Clair Pinot Noir 2012 is the kind of sub $20 Pinot Noir that’s pretty hard to find. The strong, deep colour is impressive, and the nose promises voluptuous delights. Ripe cherries and raspberries blend smoothly with some soft savoury notes on the palate; there are no hard edges and the weight is perfect at 13.5%. It came up a bit short but seemed to ‘stretch’ with some breathing (not a common event). The fruit came from a range of vineyards from the Wairau Plain, the Omaka Valley and the Waihopai Valley (around Marlborough). 92+ points. BUY. $18 at Nicks or Dan M.
Halifax Ad Lib Grenache Noir 2009 – a perfect example of soft Barossa Grenache (with 7% Mourvèdre and 3% Shiraz for the purists), with sweet perfume on the nose and lovely sweet fruit on the soft round palate. There’s some dust and slate there as well, the balance is perfect and the wine makes you shake your head when you recall that Barossa Growers ripped most of their Grenache vines out in the mid-eighties. Medium-bodied, great with lamb. 93 points. BUY. $20 at Wine Direct.
Hidden Label Argentinian Malbec 2012. Malbec has fallen from favour in Bordeaux (where it is one of the 5 classified red varieties), but is still grown all over France from the Loire to Cahors. It’s fallen out of favour in Australia too, but has found a new home in Argentina.
This wine shows why: it’s plush and inviting like a lounge chair, and choc full of rich, ripe red fruits. Hints of black pepper and herbs add a savoury backbone to the velvety mouth feel, and fine tannins hold it all together until the finish line is in sight. Not unlike a Merlot with attitude. The wine was made by a group of Aussies who make wines in Argentina’s Mendoza region for their JED label. This is a bargain and a pleasant change from our usual reds. 91+ points. BUY. $12 at Kemenys.
Brookland Valley Verse 1 Chardonnay 2013. We were fans of the 2012, but this is not in the same class. It’s a bit of a muddle at this stage, with poor varietal definition, some hints of sweetness and sour oak, and a wishy-washy finish. Maybe it’ll settle down but AVOID at this stage. 85 points. $11.40 at 1st Choice.
Taster’s Choice CLARE Valley Riesling 2013. This is Dan Murphy’s own label, and one of our subscribers suggested we check it out. It’s a good Riesling, even won a gold medal in Adelaide. Pretty fresh and long with cool citrus fruit, perhaps lacking a touch of life on the mid palate but we’re being picky. 90 points. BUY. $7.60 at Dan Murphy’s.
Tapestry Pinot Gris 2013, McLaren Vale. A subtle wine, perhaps a bit too subtle. Not much of a nose and not much flavour either. Can’t work out where this came from either so it’s just as well.
AIRDE.450 Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. The Shiraz under this ALDI label was a surprise, and this wine follows its lead. I don’t know who makes these wines, but they’re fragrant and almost elegant showing cool climate notes of soft blue and red fruits and fine acid. Big on drinkability, juicy and morish, good length and balance. 91 points. BUY. $10 at ALDI.
The Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2012 is a ring-in from a friend in the wine business. This must’ve been a sample since the wine isn’t out there yet. This is a $30 wine, and it follows most of the reds from the 2012 vintage in terms of ripeness and opulence but makes do with 13.5%. It’s choc-full of plush red fruits, but it lacks the complexity and potential you’d expect in a $30 wine – it’s pretty much a drink-now proposition. When it surfaces, I’d give it a miss.
Hidden Label Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. This is Jim Brand Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, made by the late Jim Brand’s son Sam from the family’s holding of 8ha of cabernet sauvignon and 1.5ha of shiraz. This is a finer, more elegant red than the current Coonawarra blockbuster style, and the better for it. It has sold out under this label, but is available under the original label at Boccaccio Cellars for $30.
Hidden Label McLaren Vale Sangiovese 2012. This is Chapel Hill Sangiovese under a Hidden Label. This is better than most Chiantis or Montepulcianos under $20. Good fruit offset against interesting herbs and hints of dust and slate. Perhaps a touch too clean but a nice change from the usual fare. 91 points. BUY. $14 at Kemenys.
One Road Chardonnay 2013. This is a concoction of no great merit or consequence. Made to a price, I suspect. Not Rated. $7 at ALDI.
Vinatero Tasmania Pinot Noir 2011. This is pretty typical Tassie Pinot Noir, but reflects the cool wet year. The result is a light, gentle style, from the colour to the palate. That said, it’s quite Burgundian with a classic nose, sour cherries, herbs and leaves, all soft and gentle. Give it time to open up. 90 points. Pretty authentic for $15 at ALDI.
Thorn Clarke Sandpiper Eden Valley Riesling 2013. This is Thorn Clarke’s basic label but that doesn’t mean basic wines. It’s a serious Riesling built for the long haul, with a nose of limes and bath powder. It’s lean and restrained with sharp citrus fruit grabbing your attention, balanced on a long backbone of fine acid. Long acid finish that needs a few years to soften; should be good when it does. 91+ points. BUY if you can wait. $15 at WineDirect.
Second Left Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2013. I have yet to taste a savvy from the Adelaide Hills that has strong and clear varietal character, and this wine is no exception. Even picking the fruit early (12.5%) doesn’t do the trick. This tastes of fruit salad much like the rest of its neighbours, but has the advantage of being a lot cheaper. Still not convinced. 87 points. $9 at ALDI.
Kim