The Home of Renowned Tasting

Back from Holidays now so back to work at both jobs -
Day and night, night and day, why is it so
That this longing for you follows wherever I go…

A delightful little smörgåsbord of smells with flowers, meat, dark berry/cherry, brazil nuts, dark chocolate and spice all on offer. It has lowish oak and an very fine toothsome medium bodied charm with fine ripe tannin and excellent balance throughout. It’s all about dark fruit and chocolate with a nutty savoury edge and a little spice. Long and distinguished this is a very convincing and highly delicious wine and if satisfaction and drinkability are worth extra points, then I’m being a miser here.

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A colleague of mine (and I use the term loosely) told me I ought to get on to Collector Wines, so I wasted no time touching them up for a few bottles. I like a hot tip. Anyway, Canberra is looking more and more like one of THE regions in which to make great Shiraz in Australia and this is no exception. I love the tannins here. Welcome to Tannin country.

Strong dark colour with a delightful aromatics of black cherry, toffee, Brazil and hazelnuts, pepper and meat. On the palate medium to full bodied with rich smooth fruit of the blackberry and dark cherry persuasion, pepper, aniseed and a nutty toothsome fine grained dark chocolate texture. It has superb ripe tannins, a fluid glycerol mouth feel and no hint of warmth or intrusive alcohol. Fully ripe, but not sweet, closing with a long dry finish of nuts and chocolate. Outstanding.

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I can offer more than a few incisive comments about this wine which is always a good thing. First is it needs to be served not too cold, secondly it looked much better after being open for a day and lastly (or thirdly if you enjoy a jolly good count) it’s a wine of character that really engages you.

It smells of no one thing in particular but you might include things like melon, lemon, flowers, woody spices, nuts and minerals if you were to list them - tending to savoury as much as fruity. On the palate its dry and tight with clean acidity, a little bit of phenolic grip to build texture and a distinct mineral character. It’s mid-weight like a Chardonnay, has a touch of warmth poking through and finishes dry and flinty. A paradoxical wine - it’s a great food style because it’s dry and fairly neutral but it also challenges you and demands your attention with every sip. I think it needs time in bottle to show its best but meanwhile you might like to decant it for best results.

Other vintages : 2006

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Mount Majura is a small vineyard and winery close to Canberra, in the ACT. The vineyard is situated on the eastern slopes of Mount Majura and is characterised by red volcanic soils also containing some limestone. They produce a swag of different varietals.

A rampant nose, showing an intensity blackcurrants that dominate everything, though on the second night there was also some tar and a vague woodiness. The palate showed ripe black fruits, a bit of dirt and soft comforting tannins, but seemed a bit hollow to me, which is odd because I thought Merlot was supposed to fill out the mid-palate. Length is moderate, and there is just a bit of char on the finish. This wine was actually consumed next to a Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba, which is a very different style of wine, and as you would expect both wines had their admirers, for different reasons.

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Some very good wines coming out of the Canberra region these days..and I reckon they have a spot for nearly every variety. Versatile.

Clear garnet colour with red fruit, forest floor, a saucy spicy aspect, a slight sappiness and a good deal of smokiness. On the palate only just medium bodied with flavours of red fruits (some a little baked and sweet), lots of spice and a touch of smoke. It has light dry tannins and a good core of acidity but looks a little blurry round the edges. Decent length. It’s clearly varietal, drinks really well and offers an interesting regional diversion for local Pinot fanciers.

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A lot of lift on the nose, spices and red fruits, quite plummy, fresh apricots and perhaps a slightly baked spice character. The palate was rich and very smooth, delicious red plums and spices, soft tannins and excellent length. On the second night a bit of the fruit had dropped out of the wine and some cool climate traits emerged, and though it showed the same lifted florals, there was now a bit of pepper and meat, and a barky spice character. Effortless drinking. Consume now with a decant or cellar for a couple of years.

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What a business. There are so many good local wines around at the moment it’s hard to choose, not least which ones to buy, but even which to review. This comes from the very cool climate Lake George sub-region of the Canberra district that we drive past most years on our way to the snow. Always interesting to see Lake George. Sometimes a big flat grassy paddock, at others (but not for many years now) a big lake, but always a strange and curious sight. An eerie and mysterious landscape, but one that turns out a pretty good line in Chardonnay.

Clean and fresh with white peach, citrus, fig and spicy vanilla nougat oak. On the palate medium bodied with good attack and bright acid threaded through a lightly creamy palate offering flavours of white peach, grapefruit, almond nougat and fine spicy oak. Very nicely done with good winemaking enhancing rather than smothering the delicate but intense fruit. Slightly warm but not enough to lose its cool fine boned appeal. Finishes spicy and long with a little bite of acid to close. A very classy wine. Really like it.

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A pale lime in colour. Gooseberries, lemon, pineapple, passionfruit, grass and spice. The palate needed to warm to show gooseberries and lemons, passionfruit, gently herbaceous, a little steely, good spine, fresh and delicate. I am of course drinking this at the wrong time of time: I really should be lazing by a resort pool watching the ocean ebb and flow, but unfortunately the sample did not come with a voucher for this.

Other vintages: 2007

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I tasted this side by side with the Balnaves of the same vintage and for my tastes the Balnaves really delivers the goods - at least this year.

Aromas of plum, blackberry syrup, aniseed, mint and lavish slightly gluey coconut oak. On the palate medium to full bodied with sweet berry and plum, pepper, aniseed and toasty oak. Good supple fine grained tannin and clean acidity with a fresh berry and cedar oak finish. Lacks a bit of depth but should come together a little better with more time in bottle.

Other vintages reviewed : 2004

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Sometimes I am a bit slack getting round to doing the old SSB, SBS, SB especially when it is cold outside. There are so many of them about that it must be a very congested and competitive market. I am up for this based on the assumption that Bryan Martin would make a good and stylish job of it coupled with the fact that it contains Hunter semillon.

Aromas of lemon, passionfruit, fennel, spice and grass. On the palate a delicate wine but not without intensity and flavour. It offers lemon, passionfruit, grass and spicy flavours with a crisp dry flinty texture and excellent length. No need to flounder when you have such a well mannered partner to take out for a lovely seafood dinner.

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I had not realised until now that Malleea has an extra ‘e’ in it. It works really well though as those two words have a lovely symmetry when put side by side (or juxtaposed if I wanted to be clever). Just like Cabernet and Shiraz do when put in the same bottle.

Aromas of black and red berries, licorice allsorts, bayleaf, spice, menthol and plenty of cedar oak. It’s a bit earthy and inky too - certainly a lot going on here. On the palate medium to full bodied and packed with fresh berries, cassis, aniseed, spice and cedar oak. Super fine ripe tannins. It’s very smooth and has a real sense of freshness and vibrancy. Beautifully weighted and balanced with a very long aftertaste of juicy berry fruit, aniseed and cedar flavours. Super wine.

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Tim Kirk and Bryan Martin. Both from the Canberra region. Both make shiraz viognier and both have surnames that work equally well as first names. Very suspicious. This wine opened up amazingly perfumed, so much so that it smelt like a dessert wine, but given a day of airing it settled right down and turned into something really good.

Perfumed aromas of dark fruit, cherry, licorice, spice, jasmine and creamy vanilla oak. Initially plenty of apricot and florals but given time the flamboyant viogner influence retreats discreetly into the background. On the palate medium bodied with a mix of red and black fruits, spice, vanilla cream and some meaty savoury flavours. Beautiful smooth fine grained tannins. It feels lively and well balanced with a supple texture. Long spicy stonefruit finish. Lots of charm and complexity.

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This is the first straight Viognier from 3 year old vines in the Martin Block at Ravensworth. A seductive nose, with orange sherbet, citrus blossoms, apricots, mandarins and a hint of pineapple juice. The palate is full of lovely fruits, textured, lemons and apricots, musky and a bit edgey, finely structured, and though the opulent nose gives the impression of sweetness, it is a dry wine. The finish shows some taut green fruits and a hint of dried herbs. Great length and full of interest - a promising debut.

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My older sister and her husband Roger live in Canberra and support the local wine industry. They brought a few nice wines from Clonakilla to have with a great Cassoulet that Roger made. We had this wine with some tapas before the Cassoulet. It has a tight nose that is the steely style of Riesling. The palate was very crisp with the key word being subtle. It shows some lime character and a little floral but I suspect needs more time for the floral flavours to emerge. The crisp nature of this went really well with the tapas. Roger seemed to recall paying about $20 for it. I like the style but those of you who prefer the in your face florals and citrus of a Clare style are unlikely to find it appealing.

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Only April and already a 2007 vintage wine. It makes me feel all Beaujolais Nouveau-ish and what’s more is that the wine has been sitting in my office for a couple of weeks! Perhaps this is the worlds first online review of a 2007 vintage wine?
The Windy Peak range is normally sourced from only Victorian vineyards but the frost, fire and drought (no locusts, pestilence or flooding touch wood) largely stuffed this for the 2007 vintage. The fruit is sourced from all over the place (see above). This is a blend of 75 percent sauvignon blanc and the remainder semillon.

Aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit, grass and spice. Quite fresh and punchy. On the palate light and fresh with flavours of gooseberry, passionfruit, lemon sorbet and herbs. There is a slightly chalky phenolic grip which adds texture and interest. Just a fraction off dry thus avoiding ‘face weened on dill pickle’ syndrome. Really nice wine with lots of class.

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I tasted this wine in a session last week with many others and ideally I would have liked to have spent a bit more time with it than I did. Can whoever took the bottle home post a little update please? Ta much.

Aromas of dried cherry, dried herb, licorice, spice and a touch of cedar oak. Very rich and ripe yet clearly varietal. On the palate medium to full bodied with an attractive mix of sweet and savoury with dried cherry, bitter chocolate and dried herb flavours. Firm sandy ‘food style’ tannins. This is a wine with plenty of style and verve. European in spirit yet proudly proclaiming its Australian upbringing. A snip at the price too.

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I do like a nice marsanne and this is a very nice marsanne. I am not entirely sure that this particular style will have broad appeal but those of you who like white Rhone should move on this faster than the Mistral whistling up a Frenchman’s trouser leg…

Quite a rich golden colour. Aromas of dried apple, citrus, apricot and honeysuckle with a touch of spicy oak. On the palate full bodied with a lightly slippery glycerol texture coupled with some firmer phenolic characters. There are flavours of apple, apricot, lemon, spice, nuts, a little wood and some savoury characters. Plenty of power but beautifully controlled. Impressive length of flavour. Dry finish. Quite outstanding.

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I had an excellent and very long lunch yesterday at The Bentley Restaurant and Bar. I was not going to write anything up then I suddenly changed my mind. I am whimsical. This was an informal affair where a selection of new releases from De Bortoli were ‘benchmarked’ against similar wines chosen from the restaurants (oustanding) wine list. The picture on the right is of chief winemaker Steve Webber who was our host for the day. Not quite as attractive as my usual bottle and rock wall photo but a change is as good as a holiday or so they say..

First off a very cooling, calming glass of De Bortoli Estate Sauvignon 2006 which has excellent palate weight and texture. Flavours of gooseberry, juicy grapefruit and complex leesy characters. Long crisp finish. Better than the 2005. I’d score this about 95 points. It is superb.

Brief notes on the wines here as I am doing it off the top of my head (which hurts a lot..)
Georges Vernay Condrieu 2005 + De Bortoli Estate Viognier 2006
The Vernay a little softer and fatter than the De Bortoli but still fresh and juicy. Both wines have classic spice and apricot characters. Neither wine flabby or wobbly. The De Bortoli looking very youthful with slightly bitey acidity. A couple of years in bottle should see it improve. An impressive bracket with the Vernay getting the nod.

Billaud Simon Montee de Tonnerre Chablis 1er 2004 + De Bortoli Estate Chardonnay 2005
What a cracking pair. The chablis pure, flinty, crisp and very refreshing and the De Bortoli slightly fruitier but more complex with a touch of honeycomb on the palate. Very subdued oak and a highly attractive dirtiness. Great wine. Dead heat.

Tarrington Pinot Noir 2005 + De Bortoli Estate Pinot Noir 2005
The Tarrington a strong purple black colour and the De Bortoli an attractive light red already tells the tale. The Tarrington is oxidative and volatile with macerated dark cherry and balsamic vinegar flavours. It tastes like a Moda Amarone wine, nothing like pinot noir, and if you bear this in mind then it makes for an interesting drink. The De Bortoli is light and very fine with clear red fruit flavours and tasty savoury characters. I under-rated it by several points when I reviewed it the other week. De Bortoli a very clear winner.

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2005 + De Bortoli Estate Shiraz Viognier 2005
Similar aromatics on these two with the Clonakilla having a very distinct grilled meat character and the De Bortoli being more fragrant. Both dry and beautifully balanced but the Clonakilla has a seamless palate with nothing out of place whereas the De Bortoli shows a bit of acid. Certainly not out of it’s class here but the Clonakilla comes up trumps.

After lunch a couple more bottles from the winelist. Chateau Rayas Pignan Chateauneuf du Pape 2003 which has a fairly dull tired colour but very attractive raspberry/cherry flavours. A big wine and a bit baked. Satisfying though. I also had a glass of Tarrington Chardonnay 2005 which was full of flavour but dominated by apricotty botrytis flavours. Alcohol stands out a bit. Polar opposite of the 2004 vintage and joy of joys a glass of San Leon Manzanilla fresh off the boat and now available in Australia. Magnificent stuff.

Brilliant food and service with tapas highlights including rolled white anchovies and beautiful jamon. It comes with a huge recommendation from me.

The End.

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I think we are just starting to do some good things with ‘alternate’ varietals in this country and Canberra seems to be one of the regions that is leading the way forward. The winemaker here is Bryan Martin who is currently assistant winemaker to Tim Kirk at Clonakilla. There…I managed to call him Tim instead of Timbo for once. Phew. Looks like I have broken the habit. Only a few more left to break now.

Aromas of dried cherry, licorice, dark tobacco, black pepper and dried flowers. It is rich and varietal yet distinctly Australian. On the palate medium to full bodied and packed with dried berry/cherry fruit, tobacco and earthy flavours. Very dry meaty wine with grainy tannins and an earthy savoury finish. Drinking it makes me feel like popping out for a big bowl of pasta and really enjoying myself.

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Well our Lincoln is down in Canberra tonight supping multiple vintages of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne at the French Ambassador’s residence and all our Comte de Champagne is in the cellar so I thought I would open a bottle of wine from the Canberra region instead. Such is life.

Aromas of raspberry pie, cherry, apricot, grilled meat, pepper, spice and flowers. That’s too many descriptors I know but this wine smells like the annual works BBQ at the botanical gardens for the Société des propriétaires de magasin de fruits…On the palate just above medium bodied with raspberry, ripe cherry, sap and asian spices. Plenty of flavour but no heaviness. Firm but fair tannin with that particular strict straight backed posture that a few whole bunches seem to provide. Dry spicy sappy finish of very good length. Timbo is steering the SV 2005 in a most precise and convincing manner and I have no doubt that when this gets on to the home straight there will be a trophy waiting at the end (not to mention pretty girls and a good hosing down with magnums of Taittinger..). I’m pretty pleased I bought a couple of tickets to watch the race in any event.

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