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.
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.
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