Monthly Archives: February 2012

Windowrie The Mill Verdelho 2011

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To the extent that one thinks at all about Verdelho, I’m willing to bet most people in Australia associate it with the Hunter Valley. I’m somewhat partial to a good Hunter Verdelho actually; their simplicity and robust flavour can be charming. So I was quite disappointed the other night to taste an almost undrinkable example of the genre. Luckily, I had a couple of other Verdelhos in the sample pile, though from regions other than the Hunter.

This one, for example, is classsified Central Ranges but, from a comment left on my review of the 2008, the fruit is sourced from Cowra. Re-reading my impressions of the earlier wine, I found it lacking compared to my favourite Hunters, but the current release suggests I may need to re-evaluate. Granted, it’s hot and slightly phenolic — two classic Verdelho traps — but its boisterous character and generous flavour more than compensate.

The aroma is bright but not sharp, expressing citrus and richer tropical fruit in equal measure. The palate has a particularly good acid structure, firm and a bit edgy but well balanced with respect to the weight and richness of the wine’s fruit. There’s a thickness to this wine’s flavour profile that reminds me of tinned things; not so much a lack of freshness as a slightly blunt opulence that, I must admit, I quite enjoy. The after palate and finish are unremarkable, but for that burst of alcohol at the tail end.

As an affordable quaffing wine, this succeeds well.

Windowrie
Price: $A16.99
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Domaine de Roally Mâcon-Village 2004

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A humble Village Burgundy from the also-ran Mâconnais region of Burgundy. What makes this a bit interesting is its link to vigneron Jean Thévenet, who tends to employ unconventional techniques in the growing and vinification of his wines, including the occasional oddball inclusion of a portion of botrytised fruit.

This is the very opposite of a showstopper. It’s tendency towards self-effacement almost had me writing it off when I first smelled it. It’s not a matter of blandness, or lack of presence, but rather that its aroma and flavour profiles sink immediately into the kind of deeply comfortable place I associate with home cooking. For a cheap Burgundy from 2004, this still has plenty of fruit swirling around in its aroma, alongside some prickly honey and other evidence of the time it has spent in bottle. It’s round and gently inviting, possessing just enough freshness to present an edge alongside its plushness.

The palate is, as with the nose, surprisingly youthful. The entry is fruit-sweet and almost prickly in mouthfeel, playful if a bit simple. Intensity builds towards the middle palate, where complexity becomes greater and overall presence is more impressive. This really is a good wine given its age and price point. There’s a full spectrum of flavours, from intensely sweet to oddly savoury, all expressed with a relaxation that gently ushers the palate along. There’s too little light and shade as the line moves through the after palate and finish, although the flavour profile tilts more towards savouriness the further it moves along. Structure remains firm and drags satisfying texture across the tongue.

This wine could be plenty more — more intense, more complex, more varied — but its confident relaxation is very appealing and belies its lowly provenance.

Domaine de Roally
Price: $A28.05
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Louee Nullo Mountain Chardonnay 2011

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I’ve tasted a couple of Louee wines in the past (a 2010 Riesling and a Pinot Grigio from the same year) and neither floated my boat, as interesting as are some aspects of the Nullo Mountain vineyard. I gather I’m in the minority in not clicking with these wines, so it’s all no doubt a matter of taste. At the very least, the vineyard’s extremely high altitude should present a singular view of the Mudgee region, in which it is located.

On first sniff, I was a bit disappointed, as the wine initially communicates a worked character of the sort that, to my mind, better suits warmer climate fruit. It’s an altogether more interesting wine than this first impression suggests, though. What I at first thought was simply a whack of oak is in fact, I think, a mixture of some oak combined with fairly extensive handling, certainly some lees stirring and perhaps malolactic fermentation too. Which is to say, there’s a range of non-fruit aromas in addition to a core of white peach and melon. Some good complexity, then, even if the whole comes together with a hazy sense of definition, never snapping into focus or offering its aromas in an especially structured manner.

The palate shows some decent acid that helps to give the wine’s pastel flavours some zing and freshness. The entry, in particular, is a very exciting mix of sizzle, rounded fruit flavours and slightly challenging savouriness. The middle palate is more harmonious and becomes more defined, clean citrus fruit taking centre stage and pushing the oak and caramel flavours to one side. They creep back in though the after palate, especially the caramel, which is enlivened by a sense of saltiness that is very adult. The finish is decent and slightly herbal.

Overall, the effect is a bit cacophonous, flavours darting this way and that, lacking the ultimate poise that might elevate this wine further. But I like its character and structure, and the fact that it offers something really different in a local context. Good price too.

Lowe Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2011

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A lot passes through my mind as I sit down to this wine tonight. My palate — indeed my whole being — is in need of significant refreshment, and Riesling is the grape I most often reach for at these times. It may seem flippant to open what is arguably Australia’s most prominent example of the varietal on such a weeknight, but quality refreshes as much as character, and I’m hoping this has plenty of both.

The nose is firmly pretty, completely untouched by marks of age, either premature or well-earned. It brings to mind nothing so much as the fragrance of early spring, flowers not yet fully ripened, mixing their adult fragrance with the vegetal crispness of unfolding leaves. Which is to say, this still tastes shocking young, illicitly so, though its profile already hints at the chiselled physique of adulthood. There’s little flesh here; notes exist in a powdery, minerally spectrum.

The palate is most striking for its intense cut and thrust. It sizzles on entry and a strong acid line really dominates the experience of this wine right now. Falling off this acidic freight train are a range of detailed, etched flavours, encompassing lemon juice and slate via an almost musk-like note. I can tell there’s great order and rigour to the arrangement of each component, but it’s hard to tear one’s self away from that thrilling, firm structure. Flavour, right now, is simply a well constructed accompaniment, worthy of admiration but playing the role of textural harmonic to the acid’s melodic line. When it settles a bit, whether that’s in five, ten, or more years, I’m confident this will sing with complex, adult flavours.

I’m feeling better already.

Grosset
Price: $A42
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Mud House Pinot Noir 2010

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Today sees me tasting Mud House’s standard Pinot, at $29 priced only slightly lower than the shimmeringly named Golden Terraces wine. Whatever the imperfections of the single vineyard bottling, it stands in proud stylistic contrast to this wine, which is a much more seductive, polished expression of Central Otago Pinot.

The nose here is much denser and darker in profile, hinting at the twiggy, herbal edges of the Golden Terraces but focusing more intently on luscious fruit. It’s immediately appealing for sure, and whether that appeal lasts is mostly a question of taste; I suspect many will find it lengthily engaging.The palate is full and chewy as expected after such a buxom nose. Entry flows smoothly, widening quickly and communicating generosity and luxe more than quirkiness or edge. Acid seems lower and tannins less prominently textural, all of which fits perfectly with the character of the fruit. The middle palate lifts with bright red fruit and a core of sweetness that anchors it firmly on the tongue. The effect reminds me of mainstream Barossa Shiraz, a style known for its broad appeal. The after palate is a bit more chiselled and lean, and the finish is decent.

I find it interesting — and laudable — that this is so different from the single vineyard wine. It’s a Pinot built for broad appeal, although personally I’d prefer to drink the Golden Terraces for its sharp distinctiveness.

Mud House
Price: $A29
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Mud House Golden Terraces Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010

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I remember a most productive visit to the Central Otago Wine Company (a contract winemaking facility) in late 2008 which, because of its diverse production, clearly revealed sub-regional differences amongst Central Otago Pinots. I was interested to explore this further, but have since found myself too lazy to pursue it with any vigour. Nonetheless, that memory has stayed with me and, hence, I was excited to see this wine, whose fruit was sourced from a single vineyard in the Bendigo sub-region, just north of über dump Cromwell.

The nose is certainly Central Otago in character; what interests me about this wine, though, is its relatively subtle expression of the fundamentally powerful berry fruit that marks the region’s Pinots. Whilst fruit is at its core, the aroma profile draws in a range of dustier, more herbal nuances, and I like how these add texture and dimension to what might otherwise be a fat profile.

The palate begins promisingly, with a continuation of the aroma’s dusty spice and texture, expressed through an attack that bristles with acid. The middle palate, fully-fruited and quite generous, disappoints me a little because its fruit seems too sweet to sit easily against both the wine’s structure and its other flavours. It’s like a slightly too obvious boob job on an otherwise attractively imperfect figure, trying too hard to be something it’s not. Of course, others may disagree on this point, but for my taste I would have preferred a more confidently savoury expression of fruit. Moving past this, the after palate shows attractive, dusty tannins and a return to the dark savouriness of the aroma and entry. The finish is adequate in length and pleasingly mouthwatering in effect.

Does that flash of sweetness on the middle palate unbalance the wine? A little, perhaps, but it’s not distracting enough to rob me of the enjoyment of drinking an otherwise highly distinctive Central Otago Pinot.

Mud House
Price: $A36
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Capital Wines The Backbencher Merlot 2010

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Capital Wines’ premium Kyeema Merlot piqued my interest in this second label wine. I find it endlessly interesting to see how producers differentiate their lower level releases from their premium labels. Some seem to chase vastly different styles (for example, heavily oaked reserves wines versus fruit-driven entry level wines), while others attach a more nuanced appeal to more expensive wines through exotic vineyards, small quantities, and other canonical markers of vinous authenticity, singly or in combination. In this case, the back label suggests fruit for this wine is sourced from the Kyeema vineyard, the very same vineyard whose grapes power the reserve wine. I presume, therefore, the difference lies in part in fruit selection.

Immediately on smelling it, the oak treatment here is less prominent, pushing fruit forward in the aroma profile. The fruit’s character is particularly interesting. It has the same savouriness as the Kyeema, with perhaps a simpler touch and more rounded expression. It remains light years away from many other Australian Merlots in character. The fruit seems at times to lack vibrancy and freshness, though this does not detract from its generosity and distinctiveness.

The palate is, in some ways, more approachable than the Kyeema, being less bright with acid and hence more mellifluous in flow. Tannins are also less astringent here, allowing the wine to relax through the back palate. Despite all this, it’s still a well-structured wine, showing good flow and focus. Flavours sit in a red berry and herb spectrum, fruit three quarters savoury and one quarter strikingly sweet. It’s an interesting tension, not entirely resolved, overridingly fun. I like this very much, despite its more modest aspirations compared to the Kyeema wine. Both wines are valuable expressions of this varietal in an Australian context.

Capital Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Capital Wines Kyeema Vineyard Merlot 2009

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It’s just under a month ago that my computer’s hard drive failed in a not-catastrophic (I back up, of course) but certainly inconvenient fashion. It’s taken me this long to get the thing fixed, and in the meantime there’s been no blogging, and very little drinking, to speak of. This is not a bad thing; for starters, I’ve been able to amply prove to myself that drinking isn’t entirely responsible for my state of overweightedness. Anyway, such a long absence begs the question what to drink upon my return. I’ve decided to try this sample, sent in by Capital Wines in response, I think, to my ongoing quest for decent Australian Merlot. At $A46, this is certainly priced in a premium bracket for a local example of the varietal.

Interestingly, it’s not styled aggressively in the manner of (too) many reserve-level wines. The nose is savoury and well-fruited, staying well away from the sort of facile plushness that can plague this varietal. It’s actually a very interesting aroma profile, lean and almost edgy, with good complexity along roast meat and herb lines. I’m not a fan of the notes deriving from what I presume is the oak treatment; too obviously nougat-caramel for the sophistication of the fruit. The palate is equally fine-boned, throwing in a decent amount of fresh acid that, for me, brings the fruit to life, if somewhat aggressively. Entry is direct, flowing to a bright middle palate full of red fruit and brown herbs. Medium bodied at most, this wine’s styling is fundamentally unforced, communicating an attractive earthiness and ease. The after palate lifts with some astringency and slightly raw tannins, which add rusticity even as they detract slightly from the sophistication of the flavour profile. The finish is light and long.

This isn’t a perfect wine by any means, but it’s one of the most compelling expressions of Merlot I’ve tried from a local producer. It offers a strikingly alternative view of the grape, daring to head down a stylistic path that will confound some drinkers just as it charms others.

Capital Wines
Price: $A46
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample