This NSW distributor holds a trade tasting twice a year, and they’re always worth attending. They hire a room at the Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay, and run a second day in town at the Arthouse Hotel.
This time I focused on some of the labels I haven’t checked for a while. Printhie is one of these. The next generation has taken over, the vines are twenty years old, so there’s a new wind blowing on Mount Canobolas.
Printhie Mountain Range Chardonnay 2017 – $16 at Dan M’s (please check the vintage) or $17 at the winery (for members). A gentle chardy that seduces with charm, not force. Hints of peaches and cashews, with oak taking a backseat. There’s real finesse here, and a lovely softness (from malolactic fermentation). Wild yeasts and lees stirring have added extra interest to a subtle wine that’s a pleasure to drink. Will improve in the short term. 93 points.
Printhie Mountain Range Pinot Gris 2017 – $17 at the winery (for members). A thinking wine maker’s Pinot Gris. Forget the fruit compote; sure we see the usual pears and ginger but they’re drawn in watercolours here, and there’s texture from lees stirring and oak storage and softness from the malolactic fermentation. The seamless integration is a surprise. Will improve over a couple of years. 93+ points.
Mount Canobolas Collection (MCC) Riesling 2017 – $22 at the winery (for members). 2017 was a tough vintage, an autumn deluge following a hot dry summer and a cold, wet spring. There are classic Riesling aromas here and a touch of residual sugar, which just fills out the mid palate. There’s a long line of fine acid to keep the wine in perfect balance. Restrained right now but it’s still a pup. 93++ points.
Another winery with the capacity to surprise is Margan in the Hunter Valley. Their whites are usually good value and easy drinking, but this time their reds grabbed me. Sadly, they’re a bit over our limit at $30 plus.
The Margan Shiraz Mourvedre 2015 almost jumped out of the glass, there’s so much bright energy. The Mourvedre adds savoury, spicy, earthy notes to the sweetness of the Shiraz. This would make a great food wine with serious Spanish or Italian dishes.
The Margan Barbera 2015 is another surprise, a bit leaner and more savoury than the SM, black cherries and charcuterie, tar and chalk, dry finsh with fine tannins. The Margan Tempranillo Graciano Shiraz 2015 is probably the least of these, but it’s great to see Andrew Margan making wines out of the standard Hunter comfort zone.
Galli Estate makes Mediterranean style reds from vineyards at Sunbury and Heathcote. My favourite is the Heathcote Tempranillo Grenache Mourvedre, and the 2015 is a good one reflecting the ripe year. Still, these are elegant wines in the European manner, which come into their own in a bistro with an interesting menu.
The Camelback range offers more Italianate reds in our price range: a Sangiovese, a Nebbiolo and a Montepulciano. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we? They’re all easy-drinking, crowd-pleasing bistro wines.
Yealands is a winery I write about a lot, but I wanted to check the 2017s since they had such bad storms and too much rain over there. That made vintage a once in 25 year challenge according to the guys at Astrolabe, so I was surprised by the quality of the 2017s.
Even the basic Yealands Land Made Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($14 at Kemenys) is really decent savvy, and the Single Vineyard 2017 ($18 at Kemenys) is better than the 2016 IMHO. There’s more finesse in the 2017s, and more acid, and the varietal definition is sharper.
That goes for the Single Vineyard Pinot Gris 2017 as well; the character of the vintage has made the style more disciplined than usual while retaining the essential bass notes. I can’t find a source for the 2017 but Our Cellar still has the excellent 2016 in stock (and will get the 2017 soon).
The PGR 2017 is a lovely wine too, and I’ve long been a fan of this Alsace trio from Yealands – Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Wonderful wine for just over $20 at Wineseek.
My favourite wine of this group was a 2016, but it’s the Winermaker’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. It’s had time on lees and in oak, and it has more to offer as a result. It’s a perfect example of the Fumé style we should be making more of down under. Sadly, the only current source in Oz is JustWines ($35 in a dozen) who’re not known for their sharp prices.
While we’re on the other side of the Tasman, I had another chance to check the Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir 2015, which mu best mate reckons is the bees knees, but it still didn’t grab me for a $50 Pinot. I thought the Port Philip Balnarring 2016 had a bit more going for it in terms of Burgundian character and complexity, and it’s almost $20 less. You can’t buy the Muddy Waters over here, so there’s no point in talking about it.
You can buy the buy the best of this bracket, the Neudorf Moutere Pinot Noir 2014, but it’s close to $70. It’s a great Pinot Noir, and worth the money.
I came across an assortment of Rosés, and a chance to confirm Kym Teusner’s Salsa 2016 as one the best Aussie Rosies I can remember. It has perfect pitch and it sure sings, and it’s big enough to drink with food like ham, salami or pizza. The Flametree Pinot Rose 2016 didn’t excite me. Helens Hill Lana’s Rose offers attractive strawberries and cream, but $23 is stretching the friendship a little.
Ben Glaetzer oversees the winemaking at Longview, an Adelaide Hills vineyard owned by the Saturno family. Love the labels. They make great Nebbiolos, but the Riserva 2015 is close to $50, and even the fresh, lively and vibrant 2017 is $36. So I enjoyed a taste of each and admired the labels. The Macclesfield Chardonnay 2016 was enjoyable too, a typical modern Adelaide Hills chardy.
The range of wines these guys make is staggering and includes Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, a Riesling, a sticky, a Sparkling wine, a Rosé, and a Barbera along with the usual Shiraz and Cabernet reds. Do they ever think of reviewers, and the work they make for them? I much prefer the French model; a couple of wines and a house wine. Enough.
