Author: Richard

Blogs, sites, resources (part 1)

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Here’s a list of some sites and blogs that may interest  folks with more spare time than me;  I have concentrated on free sites; my list is far from complete but will gradually improve.

Australian reviews and so on

  • Chris Shanahan – Canberra-oriented, beers too. No scores, but the descriptions provide enough cues.
  • Australian wine review – Andrew Graham’s very active site, refreshingly honest with his views and scores; he’s fortunate enough to get to many vertical tatsings and other opportunities
  • Drinkster; Philip White’s site – imagine Hunter S Thompson in stream of consciousness mode about wine; I can get pleasurably lost in the full-throttle imagery
  • Grape Observer – despite Sean Mitchell’s WSET diploma, the language in the reviews is cogent and usefully abetted with the right amount of background history, theory and analysis
  • Brisbane Book Club – sporadic, but worth the odd peek; scores usually realistic, avoiding the hyper-inflation of some other places.
  • Wine reviewer – Patrick Eckel reviews many interesting wines in unexpected and useful detail; and some more extended musings are worth the detour.
  • Simple palates seriously – Terence Pang’s writing is easy to read, but there is a real sense of person and perspective here.

 NZ reviews and so on

  • NZ Wine of the week – Sue Courtney’s site, relentlessly positve, but also has excellent indixing of tasting notes, information about NZ wine areas, wine show results etc.
  • Otago daily news– Mark Henderson’s weekly wine page, provocative insights, not just reviews
  • Geoff Kelley – quite technical, but some terrific tastings here, many international benchmarking studies, amazing wines
  • Raymond Chan wine reviews – very active, good reference site for NZ – and beyond – scores are on the enthusiastic side

Australian reference sites

  • Winebiz daily wine news – a roundup of links to news snippets, PR pieces; some international (mainly NZ) too
  • Sommeliers Australia – events, education, industry jobs
  • Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI); more of a site for winemakers, but there is lots of information tucked into the tabs
  • Langtons – it began life as an auction site, but the “price guide” area (under the resources tab) provides estimates of what the market (rightly or wrongly) believes is a fair price for thousands of different wines

 Community forums

  • Auswine is very active, with a healthy South Australian focus, and very varied contributors – a good source for “off-line” events.
  •  Australian Frequent Flyers wine lovers– enrol to reduce maddening ads; this is a great place for bargain hunters to pick up discount codes, identities of mystery wines, and some wines to avoid!

2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett 8.5%

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Another white wine under screwcap, and age has not harmed this lovely and utterly convincing Riesling Kabinett from a sterling year in the Mosel.

2005-fritz-haag-bj-kabinett

It’s still a pale lemon colour, and there is ripe apple, some tropical guava, and some “fruit tingle” too. The palate is appropriately light for this category of sweetness, and resounds with crunchy, stony limey citrus character (“mineral” is out-of-favour, despite this word being clearcut and descriptive). Delicious, bright, tangy, with terrific length and everything under control. A benchmark from this well-known estate.

Drink to 2025, 91 points

2005 Granite Hills Riesling 13%

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Granite Hills produces quality Rieslings from the Macedon ranges area of Victoria, where Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines are much more prevalent.

Llew Knight has been making Riesling (and other varieties) for many years, and the Riesling is a often a standout- I have fond memories of the trophy-winning 1998, and the still available 2014 is excellent. Its one of the very consistent, commendable age-worthy, minerallly Victorian Rieslings, pitched at a lesser tariff than Crawford River or Seppelt Drumborg.

The drive towards Baynton features spectacular granite outcrops littering the hills, amidst dense bushland.

This wine I suspect is not completely dry, but is near-enough, with still powerful fruit.

Update! – winemaker Llew Knight has assured me the wine is completely dry, so it’s just fruit that conveys the impression of slight sweetness.

Under screwcap, time has infused the varietal expression with some faint but attractive toastiness.

2005-granite-hills-riesling

It’s a bright pale lemon colour, and strides out with abundant lemon zest, ripe red apple and a hint of lanolin. Talc, lemon, flint, viscosity and bright, lively refreshing natural acidity are the keynotes of the palate. This is a confident, complex expressive wine drinking wonderfully well. It has huge appeal and will match to a huge variety of food – Asian, poultry, seafood, creamy dishes.

Drink to 2026, and 94 points.

Films about wine, winemaking, wine drinking and wine marketing (possibly)

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There are a surprising number of films made about the unwelcome effects of drinking -the Lost Weekend, and Withnail and I come to mind; and more where wine takes centre-stage- Sideways is well known, as are Mondovino, Somm, Red obsession and A good year.

I’ve ransacked my archives to provide a partial list of wine-relevant films, none of which curiously are available through the AWRI or Wine Australia, so there is a deep educational gap within the wine community..

  • The acid test
  • All creatures great and small
  • The birds
  • The colour purple
  • Do the right thing
  • Fires on the plain
  • Gone with the wind
  • The grapes of wrath
  • The greatest show on earth
  • Hail the conquering hero
  • How green was my valley
  • It’s been a hard days night
  • I walked with zombie
  • Lord of the flies
  • The miracle worker
  • Never give a sucker an even break
  • Red harvest
  • Red river
  • The ten commandments
  • The 39 Steps
  • The magnificent seven
  • True grit
  • The wild bunch
  • The wizard of Oz

These will repay close study.

NV Baileys of Glenrowan Founders classic topaque 17%

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Baileys is a winery we detour to when travelling along the Hume Highway from Melbourne. Just out of Glenrowan, the visits I recall have largely been during summer heatwaves where the eucalyptus oil is heady in the air, or during winters when rain is lashing along. In both situations, the winery is a welcome relief.

For sentimental reasons (written about earlier) I have a longstanding affection for the luscious fortifieds and traditionally-styled bold  ferrous reds of Baileys. Harry Tinson’s legacy is respected by talented winemaker and custodian Paul Dahlenberg. So I should like the wine.

nv-baileys-topaque

Topaque is the revised name for the Australian fortified Tokay. Unusually for this young, fortified muscadelle style, the wine is sold in normally sized 750ml bottle (rather than the more common 375ml or 500ml). Its an amber colour, with a khaki rim; malt and digestif biscuit dominate the aromatics, with a touch of sea, seaweed and iodine adding to the intrigue. It is rich and inviting. But that’s where the highlight reel tails away; the palate displays ample but simpler butterscotch characters. While there is no doubting its sweetness, it’s a bit of a letdown after that bouquet, and overall something is missing. There is some rancio from wood aging; there is ample acidity to cut through the sweetness; I’ve struggled here and ultimately concluded that the bottle is a bit stale (a batch or storage issue); as the result does not match other tastings of this wine over the past two months.

It still represents excellent VFM, and many will appreciate this wine more than I did.

Drink now, but this bottle only merits 85 points

2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Habert 13%

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From a small appellation opposite Vouvray, this is Chenin Blanc, but not what we are familiar with in Australia. Chris Kissack’s site is a tremendous resource.

Here, Chenin blanc is typically grown in warmer regions; and contributes fairly anonymously in blends where its acidity helps. There are some exceptions (Coriole, Peel Estate, and from New Zealand, Millton) but it’s a slender set of resources. Chenin blanc formerly was a mainstay of Houghton’s White Burgundy (which blossomed with a few years age), and I recall a truly striking 1981 St Leonards botrytis version.

Chidaine has a huge reputation, and I purchased this wine for a bargain price (under $40) a few years ago.

2008-chidaine

This wine is an exceptional experience; lemon to light gold in colour, it presents an exciting, exotic set of aromas and flavours. Quince, pineapple rind, ripe red apple, lime juice, yellow pear and freshly cut grass are all present,  It’s meshed with perhaps 20 g/l residual sugar which is swallowed by the balanced, refreshing acidity. Lastly, that set of flavours hangs around with a honeyed, thick, textured mouthfeel.

A fabulous match with varied cuisine (many Asian dishes,  fish, white meats) this VFM wine will kick goals for many more years.

Drink to 2030, 95 points

Morris Cellar One Classic Liqueur Muscat 17.5%

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It’s been a while; juggling two new casual positions has been wearing; and a few intended posts have fallen victim to photographic mishaps, lost notes and wine faults. Hectot Lannibal will return in October with another Stoney Goose Ridge new release.

In the meantime, here’s a tasting note on a wine that is actually available for purchase!

Morris is a longstanding Rutherglen winery, recently offloaded by Pernod Ricard and acquired by Casella. I strongly hope that David Morris can continue to produce the full-bodied red wines including the memorable Durif, the amazing VFM Shiraz and other specialties, plus the plethora of fortified wines – Aperas (sherry styles) , Topaque (Australian tokay styles), Muscats in a range of calibres (and prices) and a vintage fortified.

“Classic” is the 3rd tier of quality hierarchy employed by most Rutherglen fortified makers; entry level is Rutherglen, then Classic, then Grand; “Rare” is the classification at the summit. These have longer barrel aging (generating more concentration) Finally the wines endure the judgement of peers; the wines are assessed for quality and adherence to style parameters, so the higher classifications tend to be older, richer, more concentrated.

More information about the classification system  is here.

A useful opportunity at the Morris cellar door is to taste through the range side-by side from Classic to Rare, then try to exercise purchase restraint. I seldom escape with  less than one dozen mixed bottles each visit.

Given that Morris makes a quality Classic Muscat at a lower price, the Cellar One Classic Liqueur Muscat is an “alternate” higher priced version (500 ml for $35 with a generous 20% discount for Morris wine club members), what is the story? My judgement is it’s a young wine but made from a blend of “better” vintages, and demonstrates alignment of fruit density with freshness, pointing that “classic” is a worthy, and broad-ranging classification level, not a poor relation.

morris cellar one muscat

It’s a clean bright light amber/khaki colour, with visible legs; as well as the typical raisin aromas and other dried fruits, there are voluminous scents of fresh rose petals and jersey caramel, the fortifying spirit seems neutral allowing these varietal characters to shine. Oak is not directly noticeable in this style, although it contributes to the rancio characters and a grainy, finely woody acidity. In this sweet fortified wine, bright flavours dwell in the mouth, coating all parts persistently while the acidity means the wine retains vibrancy and the imperative for further tastes.

Not meant to be cellared; exposure to this style should lead to a legion of new converts; and merits a merry 91 points.

another Champagne masterclass

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I wrote about a tasting of Champagnes in December 2015, and once again the Bureau du Champagne and Sommeliers Australia hosted another enlightening tasting in late June.

Kate McIntyre MW and Wiremu Andrews led the way, with tulip glasses (not flutes) correctly deployed, and a cunningly selected cross-section of Champagne presented.

Wines were served in brackets of two, with part of the exercise to determine what the underlying themes were. This was impossible for me; my Champagne consumption is limited by budgetary consideration to less than one bottle each month, so familiarity with house style is theoretical (and some house styles are on the move).

Participants were encouraged to concentrate on structural aspects (such as acid profile, phenolics and oak) rather than merely aromatic and flavor descriptions. This required severe concentration, but was rewarding. Given Champagne winemakers have variables such as reserve wines, MLF options, oak maturation, dosage, and time on lees, it’s no surprise that trying to unravel blending decisions and assess outcomes while compensating for confounding effects from glassware and serving temperature is problematic. And in the real world, a further complication exists – food matching, which vastly impacts appreciation.

Too often Champagne is merely used as an introduction to the “serious” wines at a tasting – it warrants much much more attention.

fizz masterclass jun 2016

Bracket 1; same cépage but different houses (Pinot Noir predominant)

  • NV Canard Duchene
  • NV Bollinger

Bracket 2; same house, different cépage (Chardonnay predominant)

  • NV Delamotte Brut
  • NV Delamotte Blanc de Blancs

Bracket 3; Vintage 2006

  • 2006 Moet & Chandon
  • 2006 Mumm

Bracket 4; same house NV vs Vintage

  • NV Pol Roger
  • 2004 Pol Roger

Bracket 5; Rosé , saignée vs red wine addition

  • NV Pommery Rosé (saignée)
  • NV Jacquart Rosé

No worthy notes, but the Delamotte Blanc de blancs was a revelation for me. No poor wines here, but it all depends on what you look for and prefer (elegance vs power; what kind of mouthfeel). I left with renewed appreciation of the blending art of Champagne; constructing a wine from lots of moving parts, and an (expensive) determination to drink more Champagne

Stoney Goose Ridge new release – Hipster’s Reward®

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Hector Lannible, CEO of Stoney Goose Ridge presents the latest wine from this progressive company.

Use it or lose it. 2016 Hipster’s Reward® is another new wine in our world-beating portfolio.  This is an entirely natural, “orange” wine. Except that orange doesn’t do the wine justice, It’s very dark, slightly cloudy and fascinatingly petillant.  Another slam-dunk hole-in-one from Stoney Goose Ridge!

This wine was no accident. One of our winemakers was relieved of his duties for completely understandable but persistent over-indulgence of our company’s numerous fine products. The consequence was that necessary preparations were incomplete, and the orange wine is the result of benign neglect. No additions – machine harvested Palomino, Trebbiano and Gordo on a fruit day, bottled on a flower day. Many companies would dispatch the wine for distillation, but Stoney Goose Ridge is much more alert to commercial potential.  We push the envelope outside the square. For this knockout wine, we stepped up to the plate and kicked a winning goal.

Depending on domestic take-up frenzy, we anticipate significant export potential into the ongoing future time-frame period.

Our orange wine is proudly green- the bottle is recyclable, the label is made from Australian hemp, the seal is natural cork, topped with beeswax..

We’ve snookered the competition, and hit them for six. Although we already know that with our trusted branding, customers will leap at the chance to purchase this collectable, we have an extensive campaign targeted at this key demographic, utilising our social branding network including Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram and numerous other media and apps.

We don’t care about critics except when they blow our trombone, but Hipster’s Reward® has already been blogged about locally by Jane Holliday, Jenson Olivier, Helen Hook, Maxine Ellen, Nic Stork, Cam Madison, Tom White, Gary Welch and Philip Ritchie, and internationally by Janice Robertson, Robin Parkin, and Tom Akton.  Plus lots of chirps and chatter. It’s been described as the ants’ knees and bees’ pants. Need I say more? Stoney Goose Ridge smashes another touchdown, redoubled in spades.

Stoney Goose Ridge continues to support our distribution chain in the usual pioneering way with rebates, merchandising incentives, promotional and volume discounts, POS, BOGOF and so on.

When we hit the bullseye, the dominoes fall like a pack of cards. Game, set and match– checkmate!

2016 Hipster’s Reward® is available now with an RRP of $16.95, and the definitive classic crafted SGR back label is appended below.

  • Not drygrown, no additions, indigenous yeast, au naturel.
  • Unfined, unfiltered, feng shui bottled.
  • Recyclable bottle, natural cork, biodegradable hemp label, beeswax.
  • MSG free, gluten free, GM free, no milk or nut traces.
  • Suitable for vegans. Carbon offset.
  • Drink in modulation.

 

2007 Heggies “242” botrytis Riesling 8.1% (screwcap)

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From the Eden Valley in South Australia, this remarkable wine achieved 242 g/l of residual sugar, hence the “242” on the label.

I have not been a fan of the dry Heggies Riesling, usually finding it a bit clumsy, although bottle age usually helps.

This wine is however, something special.

2007 heggies

It has a deep bright gold colour, and powerful aromatics of apricot, passionfruit and lime. The palate is super-lush, and mouth-filling with some lemon-peel candiness, backed by the ripe apricot marmalade flavours, ripe red apple and dried pear. There is some almond-meal semi-nutty character as well (highly unlikely to be from oak).

This wine is intense, lingering, cleansing and delicious, with the monster botrytis not diminishing varietal character. Complex, and damn fine. Botrytis is generally a nuisance in Australia, and this wine is a lovely expression of care in the vineyard, and the winery successfully transiting into bottle. Age has charmed, not harmed.

Drink to 2025, 94 well-deserved points