Chardonnays at Oakridge (Yarra Valley, Victoria)

October 18, 2015October 18, 2015 ~ Richard ~ 2 Comments

Oakridge has just picked up a few trophies for Chardonnay at the recent Melbourne Wine Show. David Donald very knowledgably walked me through a terrific selection of the Oakridge wines.

Oakridge has the luxury of releasing perhaps 6 different Chardonnays, from several sites, and blocks within these sites. The “864” range sits at about twice the price of the LVS (local vineyard series. All the wines are made from the same clone, no malo, and are low-oaked. This does not mean they are mean or lean.

The 2013 Willowlake Chardonnay showed neat melon-rind aspects, but the 2013 Guerin had more energy, fluffy texture and citrus drive. I was contemplating purchase until I tried the multi—trophy 2013 Barkala ridge; apart from the gunflint araomatics, it had more density, savouriness and a pebbly saline edge, while still clearly Chardonnay. Very fine and an easy buy ($36). My usual Oakridge “go-to” is Lusatia Park, but its not released yet.

Two different 2013 “864” Chardonnays, “Lusatia” block A, and ”F&D drive block” came next. I admired them side-by-side; both with defined minerals, length and citrus, I preferred the more embryonic and less funky Lusatia, but both sit in the vanguard of Australian Chardonnay, and at $75 (or less if careful) are fairly priced.

The track record of the age-worthiness of these wines (I have recently drunk 2006 and 2009 examples), and compelling ongoing wine show results are encouraging – and well-deserved. If you haven’t experienced Oakridge Chardonnay, “do yourself a favour”.

After this display of Chardonnay brilliance, any wines to follow would truly be a let-down, but the “864 Lusatia Park” Pinot Noir was a flashy floral macerated liqueur cherry style, and the 2014 Shiraz was an exhibition in wild red berry and raspberry; fine chocolates and a tow of fine tannins lurking.

German Riesling bargains

October 17, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2012 Dr Loosen Bernkastler Lay Riesling Kabinett 8% (Mosel)

Crisp clear bright pale colour, showing voluptuous creamy red apples and slatey characters, this wine is Kabinett-labelled, but a few years ago would have been called Spatlese. Where apart from the Mosel can you get full-flavored, varietal and feather-light textured wines at such low alcohol? Probably >50 g rs, the wine is delicate, with resounding acidity and completely delicious. Astonishingly, its almost entry-level for Dr Loosen. And a well-known Australian online retailer has this wine in stock for a tick under $30 – sensational value- and under screwcap as a bonus.

Drink to 2022 (at any time of day or night), score 92 points

2012 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett 9.5 % (nahe)

The Nahe is a tiny area not far from the Mosel region, and Donnhoff is one of the well-known stars. This wine was almost as pleasurable as the previous wine. It exhibited more lime cordial and yellow fruit character, and texturally seemed finer, albeit with some slight phenolic grip. Again the acidity propels the wine to effortless length. The online retailer has this wine for just under $40, which also represents good value, especially under screwcap.

Drink to 2025, score 91 points

2006 Noon VP (vintage port) 18%

October 17, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

First thing to notice is the bottle – 500ml but a narrow, towering cylinder that is difficult to store; nice label, nice name. Its 100% grenache from McLaren Vale in South Australia. Thankfully its cork has performed its function. It certainly needed decanting, as there was a pile of sediment.

Its not the deepest of colours; a dark ruby seems to fit; its bouquet is full of liquorice, rose petal and eucalypt. There is sweet but balanced spirit, and its eerily reminiscent of some old Reynella VPs – minus the extreme blackberry, and of course they were Shiraz based. It’s a slightly malty milk chocolate style with the sweetness and relative lack of tannins holding it back. Cleverly constructed, and an excellent “welcome back” to Australia.

Drink to 2025, score 87 points

a few Sauternes and Barsac

October 16, 2015October 16, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

Bill Blatch has a marvellous site on this wine style http://bordeauxgold.com/bill-blatch/

2001 Ch lafaurie-peyraguey (sauternes 13.5%)

from half-bottle; 90% Semillon, 5% sav blanc, 5% muscadelle. Quite an advanced dark gold colour; waxy, “skinsy”, smoky oak and nuts over ripe apricots, lemons some bitterness present, and another example from an excellent year for sweet wines.

Drink to 2022; score 91

2005 Ch Doisy-daene (barsac 14%)

From half-bottle; 95% Semillon, 170 g/l rs. Lighter colour, lighter elegant style; barley sugar, prominent acidity, passionfruit and orange blossom. Amazingly, seems not as sweet as the L-P, but all in balance. More time will be rewarding.

Drink to 2025, score 92+

2010 Ch Roumieu

A producer I haven’t tasted before – these two wines were served blind.

Bright light pale straw colour, syrupy sweet, tropical fruit, stonefruits and pineapple, with an overlay of green nettles, almost a celery. Tightly wound with abundant cleansing acidity.

Drink now-2025, score 90

1970 Ch Roumieu

Colour suggests the wine is clearly older, and exudes some petroleum and light toffee characters. Some waxiness on the palate and there is still fruit and acid, but slimmed down. While this wine has seen better days, the contrast is quite enjoyable. Seems about 25 years older.

Unmasked, same company but 40! years older. I’m amazed at this.

Drink now, score 87 (I have not added any points for surprise at its drinkability at such an age)

2008 Burgerspital Rieslaner Randersacker pfulben Auslese 9%

October 9, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

A cross between Riesling and Sylvaner, it’s a late-ripening high acid variety, producing very good results with botrytis.

Another Franken area bocksbeutle, this time under cork.

Clear, bright light gold in colour, it has pungent tropical aromas – mainly mango, with some green fruit overlay – melon-rind. The palate leans more to pineapple and golden delicious apples, with abundant refreshing acidity. The texture is appropriately oily and syrupy. An excellent dessert wine.

Drink now-2035, 93 points

2011 Burgerspital Wurzburger Stein-horfe Riesling spatlese 9%

October 4, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

From the Franken area of Germany, a bocksbeutle with a screwcap.

Pale straw in colour, the wine exhibits exuberant aromas of mango, pineapple, lemon and other tropical fruits. The palate shows lemon sherbet, fruit-tingly acidity, plus some chalk and minerals. It’s a pure, driven wine that is crisp and delicious with lingering depth. Lovely balance and the degree of sweetness is just right. Very pleasurable.

Drink to 2025, score 91.

2009 Sainsbury’s late-bottled vintage port 20%

September 30, 2015 ~ Richard ~ 2 Comments

In London with my family after being in Germany and Italy. Not a wine trip, so purchased this from the local supermarket for 9 pounds. Sourced from Symington stocks of Portuguese material. (I don’t think this style is made in Australia).

Late bottled vintage ports are held in oak for a longer period than vintage ports; this softens them somewhat; whether there will be improvement after bottling depends partly on how (or if) they are filtered, and how brawny you like them. In any case, its safer to consume them early. Stylistically they are more like a vintage port than a tawny, and once opened drink within a few days.

Deep crimson colour, dense and healthy; muscadels, spices, and sweet spirit. There is real plumcake on the palate, marinated red and blue fruits, and a sense of restraint and balance between fruit and spirit. A nice attack of tannins making this very gluggable wine. A bit more stuffing would have made a better wine, but no complaints at the price for this style.

Drink to 2019; score 87 points.

Franken frolics

September 8, 2015October 9, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

Wines from Franconia (Germany) are seldom seen in Australia. Wurzburg itself has two large wineries, Burgerspital and Juliusspital.

The wines in Franconia can also be grown on steep slopes, with the prevalent varieties of Silvaner and Riesling. The traditional bottle-shape – the bocksbeutel is difficult to transport and store, and its shape unfortunately reminds many people of Mateus rose. Some wines are now in “normal” wine bottles, and some are in screwcap. The best of the sweeter wines can last decades.

We visited Schmitt’s Kinder in the town of Randersacker.

Andi Schmitt said there were Riesling fans, and Silvaner fans, with little crossover. Silvaner is less aromatic, but compensates with a fuller-bodied palate. Regardless, Silvaner can look rather plain, until food brings it back into play. Until I gather further experience with the variety, I would be wary of cellaring longer than 10 years (except for very sweet wines). Franken also has other varieties planted such as Bacchus, Scheurebe, and Muller-thurgau- which surprisingly has some character- plus the rustic red Domina, Spatburgunder (pinot Noir), and make wines ranging from sparkling, dry right up to very sweet botrytised wines.

In Franken, 2014 was regarded as ok- 2013 was again very difficult with pickers having to discard clusters of grapes within bunches – even after rotten bunches were culled. 2010 was described as a “strange” year, with excellent ripeness unusually accompanied by high acidity; wines looked awkward at first but are looking very smart now after a few years.

2013 SK Randersacker Marsberg Silvaner trocken “alte reben” 12.5%

Stonefruit, passionfruit, honeysuckle. Clean (to 2020, score 89)

2013 SK Pfulben Silvaner trocken GG 13%

Pfulben is a special site, steep and very close to the river. Land is expensive and seldom changes hands. Orange and apple blossom, plus minerals (to 2020, score 90)

2013 SK “weinberg mendelssohn” Riesling trocken im Pfulben 12.5 %

Delicate, orange blossom on the bouquet, but the palate is quite different, full- bodied – a masculine food-friendly wine. Drink to 2023, score 90

2010 SK Marsberg Weissburgunder Spatlese trocken 13%

Served masked, this showed some colour development, with scents of ripe apricot, honey and light raisins, yet the palate was dry, rounded and fine. Variety was unknown but we correctly selected the vintage. A surprise; Drink now- 2020, score 91

2010 SK Randersacker Sonnenstuhl spatburgunder “tradition” 13%

Obvious quality here. A light ruby colour, the wine had an overlay of smoked meats on a light-framed palate of dark cherry and plums with a lingering finish. Flavour-packed and compelling. Drink to 2020, score 91

2010 SK Randersacker Sonnenstuhl Spatburgunder GG 13%

Similar but with more stuffing, minerality and concentration. Denser, and oozes quality. Will provide drinking pleasure for many years. Drink to 2025, score 94

More Mosel musings

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 ~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

Schloss Lieser is located next to an impressive building undergoing long renovations to become a hotel. Thomas Haag was on holiday prior to the looming 2015 vintage but daughter Anna took us through the 2014 vintage wines that were not yet sold out. Wines are imported into Australia by Neville Yates at Eurocentric, and the winery’s reputation has built enormously since it started a mere 20 years ago. The Rieslings all showed a family trait of clean crunchy acids.

2014 Schloss Lieser trocken was very dry, but with stony minerals underlying (drink to 2018, score 87); 2014 Schloss Lieser feinherb was probably drier than usual, but demonstrated lemon and apple, some green fruits and herbs (drink to 2020, score 88); 2014 Juffer Kabinett 7.5% again showed the magic 7.5% could achieve- poached pears, spices wrapped in a fine lightly textured wine drink to 2025, score 90). 2014 Niedeberg Helden spatlese had tremendous depth of flavour, mingled honey and pears, cinnamon and other baking spices (to 2028, score 90; the sold-out 2014 Juffer Sonnenuhr Spatlese 7% was easy to like, melons and slightly under-ripe cantaloupe sitting with its honeyed texture (to 2030, score 92). 2014 Niederberg Helden Auslese seemed very comfortable now with honeysuckle, pears, spices, concentration and balance (to 2032, score 92) . 2014 Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese was an even better wine, seemed drier, but with flavours touching on apricot and again with the lovely spices backing it up to 2036, score 93. Finally the 2014 Niederberg Helden Auslese Goldkap had different apple flavours – perhaps the golden delicious, and voluminous brown spices. A compelling wine (to 2035, score 95). Quality through the range.

Markus Molitor is a large family estate (beware- not located at the address on the website). There were about 40 different wines available, but we felt we had disrupted their routine. I didn’t enjoy the 2014 MM Schiefersteil with its odd aromatics (not recommended), the 2012 MM Alte Reben (70-80 y/o vines) had strong mineral overtones, white flowers, and a touch of passionfruit (drink to 2023, score 90). 2008 MM Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese feinherb had persistence, the interplay of its honey and stone fruits memorable (to 2023, score 90; 2011 MM Erdener treppchen Auslese** feinherb had a filigree texture (to 2025, score 91). (In some estates, the use of an asterisk – or several -indicates a bit “extra” in the category). Moving to sweeter wines, I was disappointed with the 2005 MM Bernkastler Badstube Auslese*, its rich and dense honeydew melon aspects cut short by a seeming lack of acid (drink now, score 83). The 2008 Wehlener Sonnenuhr spatlese was very smart; ripe apples and “sultana bran” coming together beautifully (to 2025, score 92). 2012 Erdener Treppchen Auslese** was gorgeous, Apricot, mandarine, honeydew melon again, this was viscous and a nice way to end the tasting cheerfully (to 2030, score 94).

Maximin Grunhauser is in Mertesdorf (not far from Trier) and on the opposite side of the road to what the GPS directed. Is labels can only be described as “traditional”. Our host was not really a salesman, but was quite willing to locate bottles and answer questions. This estate turned out to be another find – great quality across the range. Wines are imported into Australia (again) by Neville Yates at Eurocentric. Picture is a very cute vehicle!

I was not impressed with the entry-level 2014 MG Riesling trocken (drink now, score 83), but things moved up significantly with the 2014 MG Herrenberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken, with much more finesse, limes and other citrus fruit running through its delicious frame (Drink to 2022, score 88). 2013 MG Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett feinherb, exhibited more peach and apple To 2023, score 90; 2014 MG Abtsberg Kabinett at a mere 7.5% blazed with orange blossom, limes and had the lovely balance of sweetness and freshness (to 2025, score 92); 2012 MG Herrenberg Spatlese was superb; the combination of density, Riesling purity and silkiness won me over (to 2025, score 93); 2011 MG Herrenberg Auslese had the touch of petroleum jelly and honey, a melange of mango, and matched acidity; imagine the best thick cordial you have tasted.(to 2030, score 94). The 2013 MG Abtsberg Auslese 7.5 % was a lesser wine in comparison- still slick and silky (to 2025, score 90). Finally we tried the 2011 MG Abtsberg #87 Auslese – just an extra-ordinary wine; tropical fruits plus other exotic fruits, plus some nettles, and a decadent endless finish. (Drink to 2030, score 95).

Mosel musings

September 8, 2015September 9, 2015 ~ Richard ~ 1 Comment

Its not easy to take notes when on holidays, and with limited access to the internet. A few thoughts follow. Photos may be added later.

There are dozens of wineries in Bernkastel, and hundreds in the surrounding areas. Most are small, so the wines are not exported. Insider knowledge is needed to determine makers of decent wines. And the larger wineries may make more than 50 different wines each year, so what is available to taste and for sale can cover multiple vintages, sites, levels of quality; and it is certainly not feasible to try every possible wine, so we relied on the abilities of the hosts to take us through a range of wines. Further, although English was spoken everywhere we went (and my partner Robyn is fluent in German) there are only so many questions that can reasonably be asked, and notes scrawled in a limited time. The logistics to get any purchased wines back to Australia are awkward- I felt guilty buying so little.

The Mosel area is based around the winding Mosel River, so it is quite a long area, with vines planted mostly on “the good side” of the river. This means the wines swap sides as the river meanders. Slopes can be death-defying, and it’s amazing how the vines can be cared for under such conditions. There are many paths suitable for cycling too.

Many wineries are only available to visit by appointment, and the car GPS was invaluable! Once opened, bottles can be safely refrigerated without degrading for at least one week (not a capability I seem to need).

The Mosel has had a dream run without poor vintages since the late 1980’s. This came to a crashing end in 2013 and 2014, vintages that winemakers described as “difficult” or worse. Buy with caution.

A special mention needs to be made of Rieslinghaus (formerly called Porn) in Bernkastel. There were >20 wines available by the glass, of varying vintages, makers etc. In addition, bottles, magnums etc were available for sale at very fair prices and covering again a range of vintages from makers such as JJ Prum, Schloss Lieser, Willi Haag and many more – plus some “auction” wines. This was an excellent resource – although we were busy revisiting wines purchased on our last trip in 2009. And this time around we wanted to try some different makers to gain a portrait of style (previous visits included MF Richter, Willi Schaefer, JJ Prum, R Haart, Dr Loosen).

A few random dinner wines -with scanty impressions included

2004 Trimbach Frederick Emile Riesling – We had to start with a dry wine, and one from Alsace; delightful, pale, spicy, stony, dry. Drink now – 2025, score 93

2003 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr spatlese; this was a very hot vintage, and many wineries struggled; Prum described the wines as “sulky” and that the sites would take time to overcome the vintage vagaries – rich, mouthfilling, lush sweet tropical fruits, ready. Drink to 2020, score 90

2004 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr spatlese; very different! Lively acidity and more classical limes, apple and energy. Drink to 2025, score 93

2004 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett; acidity powers this wine; minerals, lively; Here we are with an older Kabinett that will endure for at least another 5 years, but can’t quibble with drinking it; drink to 2020, score 90

2007 R Haart Kreutzwingert Piesporter feinherb 12.5%; Happy to drink this, although its drying out a bit. Red berries, stonefruit, white peach, and orange bitters. Drink now, score 87

2008 R Haart Goldtropchen Auslese; 2008 seems to be the vintage that never retreated into its shell; this is a very sweet wine where the bottle mysteriously seemed to empty rapidly. I cannot really see further improvement and am happy to drink with its now – although the wine will hold. Drink to 2023, score 91.

2010 Schloss Lieser juffer sonnenuhr spatlese. A year of high acidity, but once again the wine had the pleasurable balance of acid, sweetness and texture. Drink to 2025, score 93