Some unusual wines this week, from all over this big country
BUY
Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2012 – $17 at Dan M’s
Peaches and apricot kernels and hints of ginger, all kept in good restraint. Touch of hardness on the finish, which is common in this variety. About the best Viognier made in Oz under $25.
Yalumba Organic Viognier 2012
Even more impressive, given its Riverland origins. Very similar to big brother above, Yalumba clearly has this variety sorted out. No idea where you can buy it but worth it if you come across it – should be about $12 – 14
Watershed Shades Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012 – $14 at Dan’s
Fairly classic Margaret River SSB style with gooseberries, cut grass and some citrus, the Semillon holding everything on the straight and narrow nicely. Good value. Trophy and 2 golds.
Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – $18 at Nicks
This is a well-made SSB from a top winery in the Adelaide Hills. Semillon is dominant (75/25), green apples and citrus flavours are tempered by some passionfruit from the SB. Good example of the style but a touch pricey.
Sandalford Element Chardonnay 2013 – $12 at Cracka
Attractive unwooded Chardy that slips down the hatch with great ease. Good, mouth-filling flavour, soft and round and peachy, perfect example of the style.
Mountadam Eden Valley Riesling 2012 – $18 at Wineonline
This is so different from the more fruity Pewsey Vale and Heggies Eden Valley Rieslings, and even the more minerally Dandelion Eden Valley Riesling. The Mountadam shows much more restraint, even though it’s 13.2%. There’s a lot to this wine – it’s dense and sinewy on the palate, where crunchy citrus rind and minerals are hiding. Long and lingering finish. This Riesling will take time to open up, but it will be a serious beauty.
Plantagent Omrah Cardonnay 2012 – $15 at Dan M’s
This offers plenty of ripe, peachy flavour, typical unwooded Chardonnay, easy on the gums, perhaps a bit expensive for what it offers – borderline.
Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – $13 at Kemenys
I’ve been hard on the this wine, which I bought for $9 at Dan M’s some weeks ago. It’s really improved over the last 12 months, and is now a fairly well balanced, not too sweet white showing some SB cut grass and citrus characters. Today it’s $13 at Dan M’s and Aldi and Kemenys. Do they watch each other you bet. Wait till it’s back on special.
Paul Jaboulet Cote du Rhone Paralelle 45 2008 – $13 for the 2010 at Graysonline.
These are surprising wines given their humble origins, with a lot of southern Rhone character and very well made. Much better than the Guigals and Chapoutiers at this price. A couple of months ago, we bought some 2009 at a crazy $12 run-out price from McGuires Cellars Online. All gone.
We searched high and low, then called Fine Wine Partners, the distributors. Never got through but this brand is no longer listed on their website. We searched some more, hoping for some place that had some Paul Jaboulet wine left at run-out prices and turned up a treasure trove at Graysonline.
You have to buy 6-packs but delivery is free. Cote du Rhone is $13 a bottle, Crozes Hermitage a ridiculous $17, Cornas an equally silly $20. I haven’t bought from this source for a while, but had no issues in the past.
Not Convinced
Dowlie Doole Chenin Blanc 2013 – $18 from the winery
This is big, soft and fruity like most Aussie Chenin Blancs, easy enough on the gums but doesn’t leave much of an impression. McLaren Vale may not be the best place for this variety, but other areas haven’t done much better. Overpriced.
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We haven’t tasted any Sandalford wines for years, so we were looking forward to this batch. Sadly, the Elements Chardy above is the only one we really liked.
Sandalford Margaret River Chardonnay 2013 – $17 at Cracka
This is from the estate range, RRP about $22. Not a great Chardy in my view, good fruit but a bit undistinguished, compact on the palate and short on the finish.
Sandalford Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012 – $25 direct from winery
Serious wine, like a school mistress with a fetish for discipline. Fresh and zippy, long and lean with a ton of fine acid. Pretty austere wine, perhaps OK with oysters liberally doused with lemon juice. Not sure it’ll ever fill out and mellow. 93 points from Halliday, not sure what to make of that.
Sandalford Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2011 – $17 at Graysonline
This is all arms and legs, oak and ripe fruit and tannins not happy in each other’s company. The result is a lumpy kind of wine that lacks polish, cohesion and charm. Will these elements ever make peace and smooth over their differences? Not anytime soon, I fear.
Le Chat Noir Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – $14 for the 2011 at Kemenys
That’s the problem with samples – you get the new vintage before it’s in the shops. In this case, that’s no big deal since the wine is just a simple drinking white from the south of France. Cirtus and cut grass, light at 12%, easy on gums and brain. No better than cheap Kiwis, mind you.
Taltani three monks Victoria Cabernet Merlot 2007 – $17 at Wineonline
This was a disappointment. Only just scraped into the Not Convinced category. I suspect it would’ve been better 2-3 years ago, now it seems on the verge of falling apart, with some chemical characters intruding in what is an elegant wine of good length and medium body.
Greystone Riesling 2011 – $25 at the Oak Barrel
We’re huge fans of NZ Riesling but not the off-dry kind. This one from the Waipara Valley gave no warning of that, in fact it’s quite sweet with hints of botrytis, packs a ton of fruit but lacks the acid to carry it off. Gets 93 from Nick Stock.
Redbank King Valley Gargenega 2011 – $13 at Cellarmasters
Made from the same grape variety as Soave, but lacks the charm and the zippy freshness of the latter. Blunt and flat as some Italian whites can be. A curious wine.
AVOID
Rosemount Estate Chardonnay 2012 – $11 at Graysonline
A shadow of the once famous diamond label. A nothing kind of wine that offers us ripe fruit salad in a bottle. Nothing really wrong with it, and nothing really right with it either. Probably made for the same people who buy sugary NZ savvies.
Sandalford Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $17 at Cracka
This is one of those throwbacks to the days when Merlot was overripe plum compote. The wine is jammy, the jam overwhelming whatever else there may be underneath.
Westend Three Bridges Chardonnay 2011 – $22 at OurCellars
Didn’t know what to make of this. Westend has been cranking up the quality in recent years, and this wine clearly had a lot of work invested in the making. The fruit and the oak don’t seem to get on, however, and the result is not cohesive, convincing or enjoyable. Was better on the second night but was flattening out on the third. Winefront says nice things about it and gives it 87. That’s about right, and that makes the wine very poor value.
Kim