The Home of Renowned Tasting

I’m going on holiday tomorrow for a week and have about 40 notes I’d like to write up..but that’s not going to happen tonight. I’ll aim to knock up about six or seven and have them magically pop up each day in my absence….which may or may not make your little hearts grow fonder.

There’s a bit of spicy clove oak here but it sits comfortably on a bead of cream, lime/citrus and figs. It feels medium to full bodied and has a creamy yeasty texture with fine acidity pulling it into shape, freshening and lengthening the palate. Citrus, figs, spice and savoury lees are the main flavours and the finish is long, creamy and spicy but not without a bit of controlled flinty grip on exit. A top Chardonnay of complexity and sophistication that’s ready to go now.

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This is a new line from Seppelts (hence the review) that came along with a 2006 Heathcote Shiraz. It’s yet another wine from the 2007 Victorian vintage that I reckon is showing smoke taint characters. I think I’m either looking for it too closely or just getting too sensitive to the smell and taste of it (and it’s mainly the taste that presents the problem) because it keeps cropping up over and over again, and while this is not nearly as bad as some, it’s enough to knock a couple of points off and shorten the drinking window.

It smells of nectarine, yeast, smoke, aniseed (or is that Bonjella on my finger?), orange and cardamom spice. Nice and tight on the palate with fine clean acidity and good balance throughout. It’s medium weight with attractive citrus and nectarine flavour that’s marred by a slightly acrid character that carries through to the finish. A promising debut but a tricky wine to score, all things considered.

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Protos is Greek for “first” but it also puts me in mind of a compact sedan, possibly from a compact Asian country, but that may be because I’m a bit of an idiot. There’s 200 dozen made from hand picked fruit off the 3.5 acre block behind the big dam at Glenguin Estate. It’s the first time I’ve seen this wine and I enjoyed my little test drive. A reminder that the Hunter can, and does, make some pretty smart Chardonnay.

It’s full bodied and powerful offering flavours of nectarine, citrus, spicy oak and yeasty lees characters that present warm and slightly sweet with a spine of bright penetrating acidity cutting through the creamy texture to provide necessary shape and vigour. Large scale and intense, but well balanced, with a long spicy finish. It’s a very fine example of warm climate Chardonnay with a bit of X-Factor lurking for possible further improvement.

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Friend Peter had an NZ holiday in March and brought some vinous treasures when he came to stay at the weekend. Wendy and I have fond memories of consuming this wine when we went on a walking trip with Abel Tasman Walks at night in the lodges. The style appears to have changed a little but it is still very drinkable. It opens with lovely lemon aromas and a little grapefruit. The palate is all about fruit that is exactly as the nose suggested except that the oak can be discerned and the acid is quite high in tune with the so called minerality style. It was great with food (tapas) and the fruit was lovely. The alcohol is listed at 14.5% yet I did not see it as being intrusive.

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If the top end white wines from Penfold’s once used to lag behind the reds, then I’m not sure they do any longer. This looked great over two days, in fact much better on the second where it insistently nudged itself up to 95 points.

It smells of lemon, nuts, white peach, yeast and clove spice oak - a paradox of wildness and refinement. On the palate fine and tight with penetrating grapefruity acidity running through a milky texture. There’s flavours of lemon, white peach, spicy ginger and clove oak offset by more savoury yeasty characters. It’s flinty and a little nervous too finishing with with spicy oak and savoury lemon curd flavours. Expensive but first class.

Other vintages : 2005

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Hand picked fruit, 60% new oak from Diggle and Jiggle and 90% malo-lactic fermentation are the key points in the extensive technical bits that Petaluma always seem to provide…just in case you were wondering.

It presents as a more subdued and genteel wine with white peach, nectarine, grilled nuts and spicy smoky oak. On the palate medium bodied with an attractive flinty mineral texture offset by more creamy ‘banana split’ characters. It has fine acidity and feels beautifully balanced, controlled and composed throughout. It’s smooth and polished with no sharp edges or vulgar fruitiness and closes with a long dry flint edged finish. A wine of considerable charm and sophistication.

Other vintages : 2003

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I wish I had a lot more time to write about wine and stuff but sadly I don’t. I also wish that this wine came in a magnum because the bugger was gone before I knew it. Oh well parting is such sweet sorrow. Anyway, you might think that these De Bortoli Reserve wines are higher production than they are, so just to put the record straight this is a make of about 250 dozen.

Sophisticated yet slightly wild with a mix of white peach, nougat, citrus and sulphide. On the palate tight and refined with flavours of citrus, nectarine and almond. It’s glossy and lightly creamy yet deliciously dry and flinty all at once - a wine that wins you over with a gentle stroke of the cheek rather than a showy flash of the parts. Finishes crisp, dry and expansive. Fine wine in every sense.

Other vintages : 2005, 2004, 2003

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Sometimes I feel paralysed when I look at all the wine I have to taste. “Oh I had better do that one soon..hmmm not now I’ll put it in a bracket of a few others…don’t feel like tasting that today…maybe that one might be interesting..oh I’ll taste that one one I am in peak condition and have plenty of time.” and so on. Admittedly it’s not a bad situation to find oneself in but it does get me a bit flustered. And then people read the notes and hold you accountable! And it’s quite often hard work. It’s a bad business I tell you. I have no idea why I do it really. To be honest, I’d say it’s probably because I really like wine and I’m a bit of an egomaniac. I feel a bit better now I’ve got that off my huge manly chest.

Plenty of volume here with sweet nectarine, lemon peel and a fair bit of woody clove spice oak - all clean and direct. On the palate full bodied with nectarine, melon, lots of spicy vanilla oak and just a little savoury wine maker input that’s very nicely done - I like a Chardonnay that does not taste too much like cheese sticks and it’s becoming increasingly rare. It’s quite sweetly fruited with clean acidity, feels balanced and fresh in the mouth and has a long spicy finish. A powerful fruit and oak style that offers excellent value.

Other vintages : 2005

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This is bang on the money when it comes to delivering a fairly priced Chardonnay that drinks like a champion. It’s not a lot of things - over-made, heavy, cheesy, oaky, hot or expensive. It’s just right and absolutely delicious.

Clean and bright with a mix of melon, nectarine, citrus, grilled nuts, a bit of flint and some spicy dusty oak. On the palate medium weight with sweet juicy nectarine and citrus fruit and a little cream and spice. It’s direct and fresh with balanced acidity and a clean long spicy finish. Perfectly made and great to drink.

Other vintages : 2004

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I have been cracking through the old Chardonnay recently at a fair clip and have some pretty tasty items to write up. This is one of them, it has great appeal and they call it Xanadooooooo

A whiff of yoghourt, white stonefruit, citrus and spice lead into a fine medium bodied palate that offers flavours of white peach, grapefruit segments and spice. It’s a bit savoury and worked but sufficiently fresh and clean to cope. Good subtle oak, crisp but gentle acidity and a long spicy citrus finish complete the picture. Really enjoyable wine.

Other vintages: 2005

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I opened this up last night, had a quick taste, and thought it was pretty good. Now I think it’s outstanding.

It’s complex and nuanced with myriad smells - pear, white peach, almonds, milk (slightly sour), vanilla and clove spice oak. On the palate it bursts open with a river of lip smacking grapefruity acidity flowing over a bed of flint and mineral. Dry, tight and focussed it tastes of pear, citrus, spice and almonds but also has a savoury richness to offset the sparkling diamond-like acidity. Finishes long and clean leaving the mouth feeling thoroughly refreshed. Cool, classy and invigorating.

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Is there a mental asylum on Wickhams Road by any chance? The fruit for this beautiful wine comes off a vineyard managed by Hoddles Creek Estate who control the complete process from vine to retail. Winemaker/inmate Franco d’Anna says

Cropped at 1.3 tonnes per acre, only shoot thinned as bunch thinning was not required. Minimal irrigation, hand picked in the morning then cooled overnight. Made the same way as Hoddles Creek, mixture of yeasts, no fining, no enzymes, no acid adjustments and only 20% new oak instead of 30%.

Left in barrel for 12 months, with occasional lees stirring. Filtered and bottled.

Aromas of citrus, nectarine, a touch of struck match and vanilla and almond essence jump out of the glass. On the palate light to medium bodied with flavours of ruby red grapefruit, tangerine, preserved lemon and a little spice. It’s bursting with intense fruit, and has incredible focus and line courtesy of a spine of strong yet fine acidity - tight, crisp, pure and lengthy. And while perhaps it’s not especially complex (and it’s still a very young wine mind you), the clarity, precision and flavour overwhelmingly persuade me to bump this up to an outstanding rating. I love it and I’ll be buying it.

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I did not much like the inaugural Wickhams Road Chardonnay (a 2006 from Macedon), in fact, I chose not to review it. I thought it was a bit of a Martian wine; short and green. There are no such problems with this one though, or its even better looking twin, the 2007 Gippsland Chardonnay. The fruit comes from a slightly warmer site located about 3km away from the Hoddles Creek vineyard and comes off 30 year old dry grown vines. It has no lees stirring and sees only 10% new oak. Take me to your leader!

Refined and subtle it offers up melon and citrus scented fruits, a touch of flint, a little spice and dusty old oak. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of grapefruit, melon and spice. It has excellent fruit purity and gentle clean acidity that gives the wine an attractive softness, and while slightly blurred, it’s tight enough and has fine balance, freshness and drinkability. Armani at Big W prices.

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You don’t see so much MLF (no that’s not a rude acronym …but it’s awfully close) in Australian Chardonnay these days, but I think it benefits the brightly lit Mornington style. So just as some quite fancy a bit of cream in their coffee, others may find it off putting. In our house, and with this wine in particular, I fall into the former, and JP the latter category.

It smells of nectarine, grapefruit, orange, butter and subtle spicy oak. On the palate medium bodied with intense fruit offering flavours of grapefruit, pineapple and nectarine on a cushion of cream and cashew nuts. The acidity is tight, flinty and penetrating, neatly offsetting the creamier malolactic influences so that the overall impression is of a lean dry wine rather than a big fat wet one. Closes clean and dry too with good length. It’s all very attractive.

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I’m finally catching up and reviewing the Penfolds 2008 Bin releases now. Better late than never I suppose. This year the Bin 311 is “all Orange”, and it does not shine for me as much as last year’s Tumbarumba release. Perhaps too much skin and bones, although it could turn into something beautiful.

Fresh smelling with nectarine, mandarin, cucumber, almond and a little vanilla spice. On the palate light and airy with a slightly glossy texture and tight minerally acidity. It has nectarine, sour edged citrus fruit and greener flavours backed with subtle almond and vanilla oak. Good finish with a bit of an acid bite to close. Quite fine and delicate. Nice wine, and I like it, but don’t find it particularly exciting.

Other vintages: 2006, 2005

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A light straw in colour. A very fruity and tropical nose, showing bananas and melon, limes and hints of green fruits, with a small dollop of cream. The palate is crisp and fresh, lemon, melon, lime and some slightly musky fruits and a touch of flint. There are some lovely ripe fruit acids running through the wine, nothing abrasive at all, and fruit is quite sweet. A pleasant no malo style of Chardonnay, and easy drinking on a warm afternoon.

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At this rate it won’t be too long before the Yarra Valley takes poll position as the most reviewed region on Winorama. Well that’s fine by me too because I like it a lot, and there’s lots more Yarra Valley action to come.

Quite savoury and refined with aromas of fig, creamy cashew, spice and subdued citrus and peach fruit. On the palate flinty and dry with sour edged fruit flavours of green pear and citrus, yeast lees and spiced nuts. Soft, lightly creamy and a little oxidative, but shot through with minerally acidity, the overall impression is textural and sophisticated rather than fruity. Finishes dry and flinty with good length. And if it makes any sense I like this even more than the score would indicate; it’s one of those wines you appreciate more with every sip.

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If you work on the assumption that both are reasonable possibilities, this is exactly the sort of wine I would grab from the bottlo if I had twenty bucks in my pocket and a bunch of friends who were passively interested in wine. It’s excellent juice and it delivers a whole bucket load of fruity action - but with a bit of style. For the record it’s 94% Chardonnay and 6% Sauvignon Blanc. I guessed it also had a bit of Semillon in the mix but I have been known to get these things wrong every now and then…..

Fresh and punchy with grapefruit, white peach, passionfruit and some grassy overtones. On the palate it’s juicy and clean with an explosion of citrus, stonefruit and some tropical fruit with just a touch of green herb adding complexity. It has a sweet fruit, well judged mouthwatering crisp acidity to balance and excellent length of flavour. Crowd pleasing and highly refreshing. Love it.

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Hmmm the weekend yielded about ten wines that I think I’ll write up. It seems a wee bit too early to be tasting some of these 2007 wooded Chardonnays I might add.

Tropical (banana, pineapple etc.) but nice and fresh with some green fruits, a few green herbs and a touch of flintiness. On the palate quite tart and a little tangy with sweetish tropical fruits, citrus and a tiny dab of vanilla oak. It has clean acidity, a slightly flinty texture and finishes fairly dry. In summary it’s a mix of ripe fruit and greener flavours that is easy going and quite refreshing, although not especially complex.

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My boy (of nearly four months) decided to practice his singing skills at 4.30AM so I decided to get up, keep him company, and knock out a few notes myself. Gooooooooo. Wagoooooo. Errrrhhhh. Arp. Arp. (and that’s just me). It’s a new thing, as is this wine, which I thought was called [indulgence] hence the highly self introduction but [invocation] it is. I did not have one handy at the time so the singing went on thorough the night. Cue Lionel Ritchie….

Sweet melon, white peach, spicy vanilla oak and a sort of candied Pez character come jumping out of the glass. Obviously charming or charmingly obvious. On the palate medium bodied with soft fruity melon and citrus flavours and some vanilla oak. Not especially complex or long but it’s balanced, easy going and sure to be popular.

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