New Release Chardonnay

12^th November 2017

The new Cape Mentelle Chardonnay was a revelation. It seems that the style has evolved slightly under the stewardship of Frederique Perrin, showing a bit more generosity and allowing the fruit quality to be showcased.

And then there was the Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay – brilliant!

Finally, the pair of wines from After Hours provided an interesting comparison. The 2015 being all rich and buttery, whilst the 2016 was restrained and lithe by comparison.

Reviewed

Howard Park – Chardonnay – Allingham – 2016 (18.7/20 – $89). Textbook example of modern Chardonnay. Whilst restrained, the high quality fruit is a delight, with the supple oak and lees components adding depth, but not overt flavours. Great length of flavours, with grapefruit acidity that cuts through the stonefruit notes. Will develop brilliantly over 5 – 10 years and one of the best Chardonnays I have tried in 2017.

Cape Mentelle – Chardonnay – 2016 (18.7/20 – $45). Complex, powerful and intense, the Gin Gin clone fruit expressing as pineapple and peach, evolving to nectarine. Very intense palate, yet the balance is superb. Great length, this wine is great now, but would also take 5 years in the cellar. Brilliant! Whilst still fairly tight, this is a richer style than I recall of other recent vintages, spending 11 months in oak (1/3 new) undergoing wild fermentation and partial malolactic fermentation.

After Hours – Chardonnay – 2015 (18/20). Wow, the flavours really hit you here. Powerful fruit, with struck match, minerality, nectarine, white peach and grapefruit. There is quality oak, and the palate is very long and textured. Will suit those who like a big, rich Chardonnay.

After Hours – Chardonnay – 2016 (18/20). Lithe in comparison. Ripe, yet restrained fruit has been skilfully matched to the oak, with careful lees management adding depth. An elegant, refined wine.

Talisman – Chardonnay – Gabrielle – 2015 (18/20 – $35). Complex nose that has minerality, stonefruit, and lees/oak notes. The palate is complex and fine, with lemony acid. The fruit is restrained at present, needing a few years to fully express itself, so short to mid-term cellaring will be rewarded.

New Release – Mixed – November 2017

12^th November 2017: Barry Weinman

I have been a big fan of Singlefile for a number of years, but in this tasting, it was the Riesling under the Run Free label (their second label) that really excited the panel. This is such good drinking as to make it near irresistible.

In a similar vein, the Scotchmans Hill Pinot Noir proved to be quite delicious and is worth looking out for this summer.

Unusually, of the 20 wines reviewed for this tasting, only two made it to this review.

Reviewed

Run Free – Riesling – 2017 (18.5/20 – $25). Aromatic, perfumed and very fine. The palate is pretty, precise and a picture of restraint, with great length and lovely texture. The fruit really builds in the glass and shows hints of talc. Brilliant, youthful drinking, and this is reflected in the points given.

Scotchmans Hill – Pinot Noir – 2015 (18/20 – $35). Pretty red fruits (strawberry and creaming soda) on the nose with cherry and spice highlights. This gives way to a touch of liquorice and earthy notes. A lovely wine that is quite complete, with the length and texture a feature. The acid adds zip, making for a great drink.

Valli – 2015 Pinots

Barry Weinman: October 31, 2017

Grant Taylor established Valli in 1998 and has been making the wines ever since. The focus in primarily on Pinot  Noir, from five vineyards across Central Otago.

Tasting through the Valli range is a lesson in terroir. Whilst the Pinots come from different sites across the region, the vineyards all have a similar clonal composition and crop at between 4 – 5 tonnes per hectare. Approximately 35% of each undergoes whole-bunch fermentation and the oak regime is consistent across the range (1/3 new).

The exception to this is the Waitaki vineyard. The vines really struggle here, producing lower yields of very small berries. This results in a higher proportion of solids, so the amount of whole bunch fermentation drops to between 15 and 20%.

All the wines are excellent, but for me, the two standouts are the Gibbston and Waitaki. Both brilliant wines, in slightly different styles.

I suggest getting a few friends around, and tasting through the range yourself. It really highlights the impact that the microclimate can have on a wine.

Reviewed

Valli – Pinot Grigio – Gibbston Vineyard – 2016. Vibrant fruit, with a saline/iodine-like tang. The palate is bursting with fruit and spice notes, leading to a long, textured finish. A small amount of skin contact is allowed, to add texture.

Valli – Pinot Noir – Gibbston Vineyard – 2015. Vibrant, almost exuberant fruit up front, with cherry and spice notes. On the palate things get serious with the fine oak and ripe tannins combining with fresh acidity on a very long finish. Excellent wine that offers medium-term cellaring potential.

Valli – Pinot Noir – Burns Cottage Vineyard – 2015. Whilst the fruit is still ripe and sweet, this is less floral than the Gibbston. The palate is where the differences are more pronounced, with savoury/earthy characters coming to the fore. The long finish gets a bit chewy to close.

Valli – Pinot Noir – Bannockburn Vineyard – 2015. From a warmer sub region, this wine sits in the middle ground stylistically. Excellent drinking, though lacks the floral highlights of the Gibbston. May need a few years to come out of its shell.

Valli – Pinot Noir – Bendigo Vineyard – 2015. From the warmest of the sub-regions, here the pretty fruit is compact and nicely defined. The palate is ripe and plush with savoury notes that build on the finish. A fine wine with excellent length.

Valli – Pinot Noir – Waitaki Vineyard – 2015. A brilliant wine, with pretty, floral, perfumed fruit. The elegant fruit is a feature on the palate, and there is great depth behind the prettiness. Right on the close, the savoury tannins start to build, suggesting that 5 years in the cellar would not hurt this in the slightest. A remarkable wine!

Ata Rangi: New Zealand’s Finest Pinot?

Barry Weinman: 22^nd October 2017

Over the last decade Central Otago Pinot Noir has gone from strength to strength, producing rich and seductive Pinots of ever increasing quality. Yet before many of these wineries were even established, Ata Rangi in Martinborough was already producing some of the finest new-world wines made from Pinot Noir.

It must be noted that the Ata Rangi style is different, with less of the fleshiness, and more structure and energy. The Pinot Noir is also age-worthy: I recently opened a bottle of the 2002 and it was drinking brilliantly, despite coming from the most difficult vintage of the decade. Fortunately, by 2002, the winery had already switched to screw caps!

The first vintage at Ata Rangi was in 1984, with current winemaker Helen Masters at the helm since 2003. Whilst Pinot is what the winery is best known for, the rest of the range does not disappoint, with complexity and texture being common themes that run through the entire range.

If you only try one new-world Pinot this year, then this should be it.

Current Release

Ata Rangi – Sauvignon Blanc – 2016. Made in a different style to Marlborough, in the pursuit of texture. 10% of the fruit is barrel fermented on skins, whilst another 50% is fermented in large old barrels. Savoury characters abound over a touch of passionfruit, citrus and musk. Savoury and grassy, there is refreshing acidity to close.

Ata Rangi – Chardonnay – Craighall – 2015. Complex and fine, with some worked notes and oak over lemon zest . This is restrained and textured, with oak and mineral/flint characters to close. It will age very well in the medium term. From three vineyards, all planted to Mendoza clone, whole bunch pressed and fermented in 300l oak barrels (25% new).

Ata Rangi – Pinot Gris – Lismore – 2016. Restrained, yet textured with pear and peach fruit notes. The slightly viscous mouth-feel on the palate is a highlight. Food friendly, this has only 5gm/l of residual sugar and a portion was fermented in barrel (old oak).

Ata Rangi – Rose – 2016. Made from Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot. The juice is left on skins for a few hours to increase texture, but also giving the wine a pretty salmon hue. A refreshing, textured wine that is more serious than most, and is sure to accompany food well. The winery has been making this for 20 years, however this is the 1^st time it is available in Australia.

Ata Rangi – Pinot Noir – Crimson – A vibrant wine, with a lighter colour and pretty berry fruit characters. The floral, gently spiced fruit gives way to lovely texture and mouth-feel. Made from fruit from the estate’s younger vines (less than 20 years), 20% new oak, no whole bunch fermentation, this is delightful drinking.

Ata Rangi – Pinot Noir – 2015. More depth to the colour. Perfumed and floral, with summer berry fruit. The palate is silky, textured, fine, elegant and savoury. Gets quite chewy on the finish, with the very fine tannins and oak blanketing the fruit to close. This is a spectacular wine that reaffirms Ata Rangi’s reputation as one of the great Pinot producers (35% new oak and 30% whole bunch fermented).

Faber Wines Retrospective Tasting – Part Two: Reserve Shiraz and Frankland River Cabernet

Barry Weinman: 12 October 2017

A few single vineyard wines sit at the top of the Faber quality tree. In the case of The Reserve Shiraz, all fruit comes from 2 acres of estate vines planted in 1998. The cuttings for these vines came from Houghton’s Frankland vineyard.

The grapes are effectively used to make 3 wines. Immediately after crushing, 1/3 of the juice is drained off the top of the tank and sold to another producer. The free run juice is then used as the base for the Riche Shiraz and accounts for another 1/3 of the juice. Finally, the juice from the pressings is used to make The Reserve.

The juice from the pressings is then transferred to 200l tanks with the various portions kept separate whilst the fermentation continues. The best of these tanks are then transferred to 300l French oak barrels (100% new) to complete the ferment. Each year only 4 barrels are used. Over time, the best of these barrels are ear-marked for the Reserve.

The winemaking aims to be hands-off, with all key decisions relating to how the vineyard is managed and when the fruit is picked/sorted. In most years only 2 – 3 barrels make it to the final wine, resulting in a tiny production of between 600 – 900 bottles.

Reserve Shiraz

Faber – Shiraz – Reserve – 2001. Made from three year old vines, the fruit is showing a lot of leather and spice. Gets a little chewy on the close with fine tannins and acidity adding freshness. Excellent drinking, with plenty of life.

Faber – Shiraz – Reserve – 2003. Supple, fine and elegant, the dark berry/plum and chocolate fruit is balanced by souring acidity. The tannins and oak have softened, providing mouth-coating texture and fine grip on the finish. A lovely wine from an excellent year.

Faber – Shiraz – Reserve – 2005. More freshness here, with real vibrancy to the fruit. The berry flavours are complemented by dark chocolate notes. Very long, the intense fruit retains balance right to the close. A slight resinous character from the oak adds a savoury lift. Superb drinking.

Faber – Shiraz – Reserve – 2009. Lovely aromatics showing plum, chocolate and spice. The palate is a joy, the dense vibrant fruit absorbing the oak with aplomb. The finish is fine and remarkably elegant for a wine of this power and depth. Silky, though the oak and tannins build with air on a drying finish.

Faber – Shiraz – Reserve – 2014. Closed, tight and powerful, this is a wonderful example of warm-climate Shiraz. Again, the ripe fruit has swallowed up the oak, allowing the berry characters to carry the length of the palate. The length of flavours is a highlight, as is the mouth-coating texture. A fine wine that has a long future.

Faber – Shiraz – Reserve – 2015 . This is remarkably similar to the 2014, with the dense, high quality fruit the focus. The oak adding texture and depth, rather than dominating the fruit.

Frankland River Cabernet

Whilst the focus of Faber is primarily on the Swan Valley, when appropriate fruit becomes available John is excited to make wines from other districts. The Frankland River Cabernet is an example of this. Apparently, the fruit for this wine comes from a small block of vines that typically supplies Houghton. The vineyard was planted in 1998.

This really is micro winemaking, with only 1 – 2 barrels made per year. The wine spends 22 months in new French oak.

Faber – Cabernet Sauvignon – Frankland River – 2004. Still has vibrancy and life. Mint, eucalypt, spice, texture, length of flavor and oak merely for texture. A lovely wine in its drinking window.

Faber – Cabernet Sauvignon – Frankland River – 2010. Mint, eucalypt and gentle herbal notes. Fine, elegant, refined and long. A wine of distinction.

Faber – Cabernet Sauvignon – Frankland River – 2012. This wine really stands out in the lineup, with dense blackberry fruit. More textural, and very long, with the youthful fruit paired to chewy tannins and fine-grained oak. Really needs food now, or ten years in the cellar.

Faber – Cabernet Sauvignon – Frankland River – 2014. Closed and tight, with chewy textural components. A reserved, fine wine that needs time.

New Release Riesling: October 2017

Barry Weinman: 4^th October 2017

Great Riesling can come in many different forms. From bone-dry, steely wine, to off-dry examples right through to the spectacular, intensely sweet (and very expensive) wines from Germany.

Given that the majority of the Rieslings made in Australia are relatively dry, I have always struggled to understand why everyday consumers, when offered a glass of Riesling, will decline, stating that they prefer a dry wine. This same consumer is just as likely to order a Sauvignon Blanc or blend with noticeable levels of residual sugar.

Perhaps it has something to do with cask wines of old?

The highlight of this tasting was the wines of Koonowla. These wines represent such good value that one panellist was heard to complain that the wines were too cheap! This supports the wineries goal of “delivering consistent and high quality wines at affordable value”. The wines are made by David O’Leary and Nick Walker and are worth seeking out.

Reviewed

Cherubino – Riesling – Great Southern – 2016 (18.5/20 – $37). Restrained and very fine with citrus aromatics/notes. The fruit flavours are gentle, yet very persistent, with the fine acidity melding seamlessly with the fruit on the palate. A wonderful wine that is great now, but will also age well for a decade or more.

Koonowla – Riesling – 2017. (18.5/20 – $20). More aromatic than many in the tasting, with the lime blossom fruit a highlight. The palate is taut, restrained and firm, with the fine fruit a little subdued by the acid and structure. Will be great with food, but sure to age well. Brilliant value from this Clare Valley producer.

Poacher’s Ridge – Riesling – Louis Block – 2007. (18.5/20). More obvious toasty, aged notes on the nose over aromas reminiscent of Key Lime pie. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with the acid softened enough to allow the fruit to shine. The fruit gives way to gentle oiliness, along with fresh, vibrant acidity. At 10 years of age, this provides great drinking.

Singlefile – Riesling – Great Southern – 2017 (18.5/20) Lovely floral perfume, with talc-like characters. The palate is a delight, the fine citrus fruit slowly giving way to feathery acid on the finish. Remarkably easy to drink now, but sure to age well for 5 – 10 years.

Helm – Riesling – Premium – 2016 (18.3/20). Restrained, fine and elegant, with a long, supple and seamless palate. The high quality fruit sits perfectly with the acid, making for an elegant, age-worthy wine.

Howard Park – Riesling – Museum Release – Great Southern – 2012 (18.3/20 – $41). Fragrant and supple, with very attractive floral highlights. The palate is more restrained, with the acid and gentle phenolics giving way to a touch of toast. At 5 years of age, this fine wine is just starting to show the first signs of development.

Koonowla – Riesling – The Ringmaster – 2017 (18/20 – $16). A fine wine, with fragrant lemon aromas. The palate is fine and elegant, with the acid perfectly paired to the fruit, resulting in a great drinking wine. Deserves a good piece of snapper. Value!

Faber Wines Retrospective Tasting – Part One: Verdelho and Riche Shiraz

Barry Weinman: 25^th September 2017

At the recent Swan Valley Wine Show, there was a clear preference by the judges for elegant, refined red wines. This led to a discussion with John Griffith (winemaker/owner of Faber) around how styles come in and out of fashion.

The styles rewarded in the show do not always correlate with what is popular with the wider drinking public, where depth and generosity of fruit along with typicity may be highly valued. It must be tempting as a winemaker to adjust the style of their wines to please the show judges.

John emphasized the point that, at Faber, his primary aim was to make the best wine possible from grapes that are most suited to the region in which they are grown. In the Swan Valley, this is Shiraz, Verdelho and Muscat (for fortified wines).

To demonstrate the style of wine that Faber is striving to achieve, John opened a number of vintages of Shiraz and Verdelho, going back to the inaugural vintage of 2001. Whilst the focus of Faber is firmly on the Valley, they also produce a couple of wines from outside the district, including a Frankland River Cabernet Sauvignon.

Verdelho

Perhaps the hidden jewel of Western Australian wines, the Swan Valley is capable of producing high quality, age-worthy wines from Verdelho. Style can vary a little, depending on picking regimes. At Faber, John is looking for a little more fruit ripeness, to really capture the lovely stone fruit characters that the variety can produce. This is reflected in the alcohol content which is typically around 14%.

Faber – Verdelho –2006. From a cool year in the Valley, this has wonderful fragrant fruit. Hints of lanolin, pear, musk on the palate with gentle grip and bright acidity. Remarkably fresh for an 11 year old wine, with some toast just starting to show.

Faber – Verdelho –2009. A richer example showing lemon, apricot and nectarine notes. The aged characters are starting to develop, adding depth and complexity to the wine. A marvelous drink, yet capable of further aging.

Faber – Verdelho –2013. This bottle was even fresher than the one I tried a few weeks ago. The primary fruit still evident, though just starting to show some developed characters. Just a hint of toast to close. Great now or in 5 years.

Faber – Verdelho –2017. Wonderful floral, perfume aromatics that are reminiscent of fine Porongurups Riesling. The floral fruit carries through to the palate, where the pretty fruit is balanced by fine acidity and delicate texture. A lovely drink now, but very age-worthy. Vintage conditions resulted in a different style to the norm at Faber, and this is worth seeking out.

Riche – Shiraz

The Riche stands out for value, selling for $23 from the winery. The fruit is 100% Swan Valley, all from Hadrill Road where the winery is located. The free-run juice from fruit destined for the Reserve and Milliard forms the base for this wine.

The wine is aged in American Oak (1/3 new) for 10 months and is made in the same way each year, allowing vintage conditions to express in the wine. The first vintage was made in 2001 from three year-old vines, and the bottle I tried was the last one in the winery.

The increasing maturity of the vines was really evident by 2015, resulting in greater depth to the wine.

Faber – Shiraz – Riche – 2001. Developing some port-like notes, but the ripe, succulent fruit is still evident. The palate is finely textured and quite drying, with the fruit starting to fade on the finish. Drink up.

Faber – Shiraz – Riche – 2007. This was as a hot year in the Swan Valley, resulting in a wine that is ripe, succulent, juicy, and a joy to drink. The plum-like fruit is complemented by fine tannins and refreshing acidity. A great drinking wine that would suit a hearty stew.

Faber – Shiraz – Riche – 2010. The structure is more evident in this wine. The ripe fruit is balanced and poised, with fine tannins and a lick of oak adding depth. The length of flavours and mouth-feel are a highlight. Lovely drinking, but able to age further if desired.

Faber – Shiraz – Riche – 2015. Lovely fruit here. Licorice, spice, satsuma plum, and cherry. The palate is quite closed and tight, with the oak and dusty tannins keeping the fruit in check. Gets quite chewy to close. One for the cellar.

Faber – Shiraz – Riche – 2016. Fragrant, ripe fruit with spice and life. Initially, I thought this was going to be all about the succulent fruit, however the tannins, oak and acid pull on the reins, keeping the palate in check. The savoury finish makes this a great choice with a bowl of bolognaise.

Swan Valley Wine Show 2017

Barry Weinman: 19^th September 2017

The Swan Valley Wine Show proved an excellent opportunity to review some of the wines that the Swan Valley does well; Shiraz, Verdelho and fortified wines. The judges singled out the alternative reds as being a particularly strong class, so I added these to the tasting sheet.

What I found most interesting was the style of wines that received gold medals, particularly with the reds. It appears that the judges were looking for refined, elegant examples, rather than the bigger, richer styles that can do so well in a warm region like the Swan Valley.

Given the weather difficulties that the region faced in 2017, the Verdelhos from Mandoon and Stringybark were particularly noteworthy.

Finally, it was an honour to taste the medal-winning fortified wines. Whilst tasting over 40 young wines at 8am proved challenging, the fortified wine were an absolute pleasure as there were some spectacular wines!

Congratulations to Sittella for being recognized as the Most Successful Exhibitor.

Alternative Varieties

Gold Medal

Sittela – Grenache – Avant-Garde – 2016. Very fine fruit, yet still ripe and textured. Good length, with fine tannins and acid. An elegant and refined expression of Grenache, and great drinking. (Trophy – Best Red Wine or Blend (Other than Shiraz); Trophy – Best Swan Valley Red Table Wine).

Sittela – Petit Verdot – 2014. Very finely structured, with great presence and mouth-feel. The tannins and oak are a treat, being very fine and almost silky. Super stuff and age-worthy to boot.

Silver Medal

Mandoon Estate – Grenache – Old Vines – 2016. Bright, vibrant hue. Succulent and ripe, with delicious berry fruit. There is just enough structure and texture to keep this in line. A great drinking red.

Mandoon Estate – Grenache/Shiraz/Merlot – Surveyors Red – 2016. Bright, fresh and delicious, with a silky mouth-feel. Great early drinking red.

Pinelli – Durif – Reserve – 2016. A big red, with dark cherry fruit, licorice and fine tannins leading to a very drying finish. Needs a big steak.

Upper Reach – Shiraz/Grenache – The Gig – 2015. Concentrated fruit on the nose. The palate is flooded with ripe, chocolatey fruit, fine tannins and savoury oak adding depth. The acid keeps things fresh and lively. A big red that will be great on a cold evening or with a few years in the cellar.

Olive Farm Wines – Touriga Nacional – 2016. Really interesting wine, where the ripe, supple berry fruit is blanketed in superfine tannins. Worth a try.

Shiraz

Gold Medal

Aldersyde Estate – Shiraz – 2015. Attractive, vibrant berry characters on the nose. The palate is fine and elegant, with excellent structure and mouth-feel. Almost delicate, this is a treat. (Trophy: Best Shiraz or Shiraz Dominant Blend).

Pinelli – Shiraz – Reserve – 2014. A fine and elegant expression of Shiraz, with a very silky finish.

Sittela – Shiraz – Coffee Rock – 2015. Very dense fruit that has plum and aniseed notes. Very fine tannins and supple oak give a near seamless palate transition. A very fine wine deserving its gold medal.

Upper Reach – Shiraz – Reserve – Gold – 2015. A complex, powerful wine, where the dense fruit and savoury structure add equal amounts of interest. Fine tannins carry the finish.

Silver Medal

Faber – Shiraz – Milliard Vineyard – 2015. Lovely concentrated ripe fruit with depth and complexity. The vanillin oak adds to the package. Excellent length to close.

Mandoon – Shiraz – Old Vine – 2015. Chocolate/berry fruit. Concentrated dense and textured, with savoury oak to close. A traditional style that will pair well with food.

Sitella – Shiraz – 2015. Elegant, drying, with fine fruit. An excellent food wine that will be great drinking now or in 5 – 8 years.

Faber – Shiraz – Riche – 2015 . A rich, hedonistic wine that will provide great drinking pleasure.

Verdelho

Gold Medal

Faber – Swan Verdelho – 2013. Just starting to show some lovely aged honey, toasty notes, yet retains freshness and purity to the fruit. The palate is complete, with the fruit still vibrant, complimented by complex notes from time in bottle. A great example of how these wines start to develop. (Trophy: Best Verdelho).

Riverbank – Verdelho – 2004. Some similarity to old Riesling, with the oily, mineral notes, a drying finish with toasty complexity on the finish. Drink up.

Stringybark – Verdelho – Chittering – 2017. Lovely tropical fruit that is vibrant and focused. Excellent length to close. Good current drinking, yet should build depth with time in bottle. (Trophy – Best 2017 Verdelho).

Silver Medal

Mandoon Estate – Verdelho – 2017. Classically-styled Swan Valley wine, with stone fruit and citrus notes and just enough phenolics to add texture to the finish. Sure to develop well.

Moondah Brook – Verdelho – 2016. A straightforward wine that has no rough edges. Good value, everyday drinking.

Rebellious – Verdelho – 2017. Grassy and fresh, with lanolin and pear skin notes. Some phenolics add mouth-feel leading to a drying finish.

Fortified Wines

Gold Medal

Houghton – Rare Liqueur – Cellar Reserve – NV. A concentrated sweet style with Christmas cake and raisin notes. Long and supple finish that lingers.

Faber– Liqueur Muscat – NV. Floral, pretty fruit on the nose, balanced by complex raisin notes. The freshness on the palate sets this apart adding life and vitality. Irresistible drinking.

Sittella – Liqueur Muscat – Show Reserve. Very dark. Intense, powerful and with great balance. Chewy, textured and very long. Fine acid balance. (Trophy: Best Fortified Wine of Show)

Talijancich – Pedro Ximenes – Liqueur – 2007. Toffee notes, coffee, mocha and incredible denseness. All this and more on the palate, with drying acidity maintaining the balance perfectly. Delicious, with great viscosity.

Talijancich – Julian James – Reserve Muscat – Blend No 12 – 1961 Solera – NV. Intense coffee and toffee nose leading to an incredibly dense and viscous close. Remarkable wine.

Pinelli – Grand Tawny – NV. (Not Reviewed)

Talijancich – Rare Tawny – NV. A highlight for me, as the freshness of the wine is a lovely counterpoint to the aged characters and obvious sweetness. So easy to drink, but also a wine with great presence and depth.

Cabernet Sauvignon – New Release Tasting – September 2017

Barry Weinman: 5^th September 2017

The panel had their work cut out this week, with almost 40 Cabernets and blends split over two sessions. The reason for splitting the tasting is that we find that after about 25 wines, our palates (and brains) start to fatigue, with later wines suffering as a result.

Eleven wines made it to this review, and are all are worthy of attention. There are a number of styles, with several good value, early drinking wines, plus age-worthy reds of some note.

Reviewed

Te Aro Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon – Pump Jack – 2014 (18.4/20). Taut and firm, the structural components add a lovely textural mouth-feel, but do shut the fruit down somewhat on the long finish. Will be an excellent match to a good steak now given the fruit and acid, but will be at its best in 10 – 15 years.

Gralyn – Cabernet Sauvignon – Reserve – 2012 (18.3/20). Cooler fruit characters that are restrained. Taut and angular palate, yet the tannins are polished and fine, adding chewy texture to the finish.. Needs ten years to really shine.

Woodvale – Cabernet Sauvignon – Orchard Road – 2014 (18.2+/20). Succulent minty fruit, with a touch of eucalypt oil that is so typical of the Clare Valley. The serious fruit had decent power. The palate is defined by the ripe, lingering fruit that sits well with the supple savoury oak and dusty tannins. An impressive wine now – 10 years.

Salomon – Cabernet Sauvignon – Finniss River – 2014 (18/20). An excellent wine from the Braeside Vineyard. Dense, ripe fruit with eucalypt and mint over cherry and spice. The compact, medium-bodied palate shows ripe fruit and fine tannins. The oak adds savoury notes. Excellent fruit and polished winemaking. (18 months in french oak, 50% new).

After Hours – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2014 (18/20). The fruit is ripe and a pproachable, and is complemented by gentle tannins and oak. The acid adds life and carries the finish. Decent length and balance with a touch of spice to add interest. A delicious and enjoyable wine that is easy to drink. (Received a gold medal from one panellist).

Passel Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2015 (18/20 – $42). Dense, yet approachable fruit on both the nose and palate. The mouth-feel and texture are a highlight, with chewy tannins adding structure. Good balance and length to close.

Vasse Felix – Cabernet Sauvignon – Filius – 2015 (18/20 – $28). Refined and elegant, with ripe, medium-weight fruit complemented by fine tannins and texturing oak. The acid adds life. Excellent fruit and winemaking. Slightly chewy, the drying finish adds life. Value.

Flametree – Cabernet Sauvignon /Merlot – 2015 (18/20). The precise ripe red berry fruit is really quite attractive. On the palate, the fruit is elegant and finely balanced, with fine tannins, savoury notes and excellent length. A classy wine.

Woodlands – Cabernet Sauvignon /Merlot/Malbec – Margaret – 2015 (18.5). Initially taut and lean, this wine is all about potential. Whilst the serious fruit is shy and reserved, there is near seamless palate transition, with the feather-light tannins dusting the palate leaving a drying finish. A 20 year proposition, but will be superb now with a bit of air and decent food.

Flametree – Cabernet Sauvignon – Embers – 2015 (17.6/20). Refined and elegant, with no rough edges. Well made, balanced and long, with fine tannins and decent fruit weight. Would benefit from a few years in the cellar, but an excellent drink now.

Stella Bella – Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz – Scuttlebutt – 2015 (17.5/20). Good fruit and smart winemaking on show. There is an attractive degree of fleshiness to the ripe cabernet fruit, with just the right amount of tannins and oak to add depth. Not serious, this is a well-made, easy drinking wine.

Ostler Wines

21^st August 2017

Ostler wines are situated in Waitaki Valley, North Otago. Whilst this is a brand new Geographic Indication (GI), Ostler produced their 1^st vintage back  in 2004 from vines planted in 2002. There are another 8 – 10 wineries in the region, with 100 hectares under vine.

North Otago is approximately 100km east of Central Otago, at a similar latitude. It is only 50km from the ocean, leading to a more maritime climate. This translates into cooler summers and extended ripening periods.

The difficult climatic conditions make for excellent wines made from Pinot Noir, but frost and late rain make viticulture very risky. Fortunately, the autumns can be fairly dry, allowing the grapes to be left on the vine until very late (some grapes have been harvested in June!). In 2014, no wines were made and in 2017, no Caroline’s will be produced. The conditions also serve to restrict yields, with four tonnes per hectare a good result (no bunch thinning required here).

Both Audrey’s and Caroline’s vineyards are planted in limestone soils. I found a clear minerality in the wines which owner Jim Jerram attributes to the limestone, whilst the marginal climate adds textural complexity.

Given how difficult winemaking can be in the region, the wines are actually quite well priced. They are distributed locally by Vranken Pommery, and they are also holding small quantities of previous vintages which are worth seeking out.

Reviewed

Ostler – Pinot Gris – Audrey’s – 2014. Smells a bit like a wine from Alsace, with musk and ripe pear characters defining the nose. Yet there is a core of structured minerality supporting this. The acid drive on the palate is a feature, with the phenolics toned down and the fruit accessible. There is the trademark minerality on the finish. A lovely drink. (Harvested 30^th May. Whole bunch pressed, 80% of juice is free run and fermented in stainless steel. The remaining 20% is from the pressings and is transferred into old oak with extended wild yeast fermentation and lees stirring. 8.5% residual sugar, 14% alc, 7.4g/l tartaric acid.)

Ostler – Pinot Noir – Blue House – 2015. Fragrant and succulent fruit on the nose. The berry fruit gives way to a firm, drying palate with sour cherry fruit and acid. An excellent drink that would be best paired with savoury food.

Ostler – Pinot Noir – Caroline’s – 2015. More density and texture, with the acid adding drive to the palate. The fruit is vibrant and lifted, with dense cherry fruit and velvety tannins. There is a nervous energy to the wine that suggests that a couple of years in the bottle will see this fill out. Will be a treat with richer meat dishes now. With harvest dates in May, this must be some of the latest picked Pinot in the southern hemisphere.