Category Archives: White

Gilligan Marsanne Roussanne 2009

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Why is Coke so popular? Why isn’t Passiona taking the world by storm? Personally, I adore Passiona and think it has a lot to offer the soft-drinking community. Yet Coke flies off the shelves. It all begs the question: are some soft drinks inherently better than others? Ditto grapes; do some varieties, barring easy targets like Trebbiano, simply make better wines than others? 

I don’t care to attempt an answer but, given the role fashion plays in wine appreciation and commerce, it seems dangerous to use market acceptance as an indicator of a variety’s potential. (Hunter) Semillon is a great example, and I wonder about the white Rhône varieties too. Viognier is, of course, enjoying an odd sort of resurgence, though I’m buggered if I can figure out what to eat with it. Marsanne and Roussanne are even more interesting. Tahbilk continues to make its iconic Marsanne at Nagambie Lakes, and a street price of about $A10 should tell you how scandalously little it is valued by the market (not that my wallet is complaining). Australian Roussanne is even thinner on the ground, yet my infallible fashion radar indicates a growing interest in these two varieties, even if the local industry’s collective expression suggests a degree of puzzlement rather than confidence. 
Enter McLaren Vale producer Gilligan with the first vintage of its Marsanne Rousanne blend (about half each). It’s a striking label, and I mean that literally; its bold typographic treatment on reflective silver should stand out on a shelf. It should also stand out when smelled, because it delivers a big hit of honeysuckle and bubblegum with the eagerness of an overweight teenager deciding what to order at McDonald’s (I speak from personal experience). If it had lingered too long on this note, it would have quickly become cloying, but the nice thing about this wine is that it keeps defying my expectations. From its Britney Spears start, it evolves to show subtle yet lively fruit flavours (in a sort of pineapple and orange spectrum) and, a little unexpectedly, savoury minerality too. The aroma profile never lives up to the impact of its first impression; whether this is good or bad is probably a matter of taste. 
The palate starts full and generous, as one might expect from these varieties, with a shapely flow into the mouth herded by fine, fresh acid. Again, intensity of fruit wanes a little towards the mid-palate, and it’s here more than on the nose that I was left wishing for just a bit extra. Compensation comes in the form of decent complexity and a pleasingly nuanced structure. That same savouriness as on the nose (is it sulphur-derived?) presents through the after palate and tastes very grown up. A fresh finish of unremarkable length.
You could throw this back as a simple quaffer if you chose but, like an unexpectedly smart movie, it prods and provokes more complex responses. This intelligence, combined with a still-unusual mix of grape varieties, is a lot of wine for $A21. Nice.

Gilligan
Price: $A21
Closure: Stelvin

Seppelt Grampians Chardonnay 2008

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Moyston, in the Grampians GI, is renowned as the birthplace of Aussie Rules, so it seems fitting on this Grand Final evening, as Cats supporters all over the country (including my family in Melbourne – hi Trav!) celebrate a hard fought win, that I open something with a connection — albeit a ridiculously tenuous one — to the game. 

Interesting wine this one – there’s no great intensity on the nose or palate, but it’s made within a style that seems pitched above its station, and that makes it worthy of closer attention. It’s tight and controlled, with delicate white stonefruit and a funky, cottage-cheese astringency on the nose. Some prickly minerality too; indeed, there’s no shortage of things to note in the aroma profile, even if the whole feels like it’s underachieving. This reminds me a little of Seppelt’s Jaluka Chardonnay without the same level of fruit impact and certainly with less oak (not a bad thing). 
The palate shows more prickly minerality, and I wonder whether there isn’t a bit of sulphur in there too, contributing a savoury note and some pleasant funkiness. The fruit itself seems delicate, floral, a bit dilute perhaps. The after palate has the greatest presence, with a peak of fruit flavour and an appealing roundness of mouthfeel. A soft, gently fading finish that is deceptively long.
If the style is a bit aspirational with respect to the fruit, at least it makes for a thought-provoking experience. It’s not a great wine in any respect, yet it has held my attention through the evening and continues to deliver interest with each sip. An artist in the making, perhaps. Good value.

Seppelt
Price: $A18
Closure: Stelvin

Karra Yerta Eden Valley Riesling 2009

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ev riesling 09.gifThe Karra Yerta vineyard has a flavour that is partly Eden Valley but otherwise all its own. This is the third vintage I’ve tasted and there’s a striking family resemblance between the wines. The 2008 was full and soft, communicating a luxuriant plushness while remaining in the mainstream of Eden style. The 2005 was austere and acidic, clearly built for the long haul, and what one might consider a more typical wine of the region. This most recent edition is different again, yet its core of pastel, shimmering fruit is all Karra Yerta, clearly showing the terroir of this special vineyard.

A most interesting range of aromas — watermelon, apples, lychee, cut grass, spice, lemon — seem to glisten and evolve from the glass like shiny scented pillows. There’s excellent complexity and cohesiveness for such a young Riesling; this is absolutely ready to drink now as a striking aromatic white, although I’m quite sure it could take a good deal of bottle age if one likes that sort of thing. 
A wallop of acidity announces the palate in no uncertain terms; this is definitely a young Riesling, but it’s not undrinkably tart as some can be. Instead, its fine texture and delicious sourness present alongside quite rich, full fruit flavours of a similar character to the nose, but for more prominent apple and lemon flavours. The middle palate is strikingly intense, yet what I like most is the shape and flow. Generous flavour is contained within a couture-like silhouette that cuts a dashing figure through the mouth. Everything’s in line, flowing as it should, with perfect control. An intriguing note, savoury and spicy in equal measure, kicks through the after palate before a sour, delicious finish of very impressive length rounds it all off. Indeed, this seems to go on and on for ages.
I don’t pretend to be an objective taster by any means, so although this is a quality wine made by a passionate producer in tiny quantities, it all comes to nought, because drinking this is like falling in love. Nothing else matters. 

Karra Yerta Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin

Yalumba FDW[7c] Chardonnay 2007

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I wonder what sort of feedback Yalumba gets regarding the nomenclature? It’s all satisfyingly boutique in effect, though word of mouth marketing may result in some hilarity. But hey, it worked for me. Purely for the name, I remember tasting the 2005 vintage at cellar door with Chris, and being seriously impressed; for some reason I’ve not sought out another bottle since then. So much wine, so little time (and money). 

Classy nose; some sulphur, some lees-derived aromas, some watercolour stonefruit and honeydew melon, and some other things that are too fleeting to capture in words. It’s quite funky overall, and seems reasonably manipulated within the context of its style, which is fine and tight. For me, it’s treading a fine line regarding the struck match aromas; one sniff seems balanced, the next just that bit too astringent. Very much a matter of taste.
In the mouth, a complex, savoury experience. The mouthfeel is really interesting, seeming to alternate between luscious and sharp, like cutting into a ripe peach with a cleaver. Mostly savoury on entry, it really kicks up a gear on the middle palate, which shows decent complexity and hints of the cushioned generosity that is the point of some Chardonnay styles; not here, though. Before the word “flab” can even begin to form in one’s mind, we’re whisked away to a lean after palate that introduces an interesting hint of vegetal, almost stalky flavour. A very long finish rounds things off well.
An intellectual wine, and an expression of Chardonnay that I find somewhat lacking in easy sensual pleasure. That’s not a criticism per se; in fact, it marks this wine as one of the more important essays in contemporary Australian Chardonnay style. 

Yalumba
Price: $A23.75
Closure: Stelvin

Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Pinot Gris 2007

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I can’t find a region marked on the label, but the Mount Langi Ghiran website suggests grapes for the 2008 version are Grampians in origin, so I’ll presume the same applies here. If I’m right, this is the first Pinot Gris from the Grampians I have tried. And hey, it’s bloody good, better than a swag of local (and imported) expressions of this grape I’ve tasted in the past. 

There’s some definite age on the nose, very attractive in fact, with a sense of delicate caramel overlaying still-vibrant pear fruit. There are some savoury complexities too, a little funky and certainly very interesting. Overall, expressive, flavoursome and shapely, which is not always the case with the variety, and certainly welcome news to this taster.
Oh, I should stop writing as if I’m drinking this Gris under duress, as if somehow the only value it has is its defiance of the plebeian tendencies of the variety — quite simply, this is a very tasty wine, and one I’m very pleased to be consuming right now. On the palate, a sophisticated mouthfeel that is equal parts zingy acid, phenolic texture and luxurious slipperiness. Really well judged. Flavours are of more caramel, pear, perhaps peachier stonefruit too, plus attractive dessert-like spice. Quite complex, akin to a reasonably worked Chardonnay in this respect, yet quaffable too. Dies a bit on the after palate and finish, but that just serves to prompt another mouthful, so all is forgiven.
A very convincing expression of this variety. 

Mount Langi Ghiran
Price: $A21.85
Closure: Stelvin

Devil's Lair Chardonnay 2007

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There’s a pork roast in the oven, to be accompanied by a variety of roasted vegetables (including parsnip, which I adore) and this wine. A few sips before the food is ready, though.

The nose is misleading me at first, because it seems full of oatmeal, cream, hints of caramel and other signs of manipulation, suggesting a wine dominated by winemaking artifact. Give it a a few swirls, then, to bring clean, grapefruity aromas to the fore. There’s actually a lot going on here, including a rather sharp note that I’m having trouble describing but for which I shall use the word “herbal” (in a thyme-like manner), via sea water. It’s darned expressive, helped by what is an altogether piercing aroma profile.
The palate is similarly complex, and what I like most is how its overt caramel and oat flavours don’t in any way equal flab or a lack of shape. In fact, this is a taut, tightly controlled wine from start to finish. A really elegant entry into the mouth, with flavour that builds smoothly to a middle palate of decent intensity. The fruit flavour is firmly in the grapefruit spectrum, with a bit of white nectarine poking its head in. I like the slippery mouthfeel here, which is an interesting foil to the firm acid structure. As the wine relaxes into its after palate, the more worked flavour profile begins to dominate, with really delicious sharp caramel and mealy elements, along with a harder thread that seems part oak, part acid-derived to me (its character is almost metallic or briney with a sappy quality too). Quite a long, soft finish.
This is a heap of wine for the money. For mine, I’d prefer a slightly less aggressive, hard profile, but perhaps time will take care of that. Really nice Chardonnay.

Devil’s Lair
Price: $A28.95
Closure: Stelvin

Domaine Jomain Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2006

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Impossibly muted at first, with suggestions of seaside mornings, all blinding sun, freshly applied cologne, and the faintest hint of a hangover, this wine is hella classy, and I mean that sincerely. I’m transported to an imagine holiday on the Côte d’Azure – scratch that, more like the Costa Brava, home of slightly too much money, blinged-out sunglasses, and overindulgence with negligible repercussions the morning after.OK, let’s try that again. Relatively light yellow in the glass, the wine is subtle, elegant, distanced. The nose is absolutely gorgeous, with faint traces of suntan oil, a distant lemon grove, freshly-churned butter, and just-baked bread. There’s a faint hint of green, almost vetiver in its earthiness, and yet it’s overshadowed by toasty hazelnut and bracing lemon rind.Smooth and poised on the entry, the wine takes its time to announce its refreshing acidity, sliding louchely into a long, gentle fadeout into a slightly woody butter-toasty finish that is smoother than a con artist working the American tourists clutching their Rick Steves guides outside Notre-Dame on a sunny August afternoon. It’s an absolutely mesmerizing effect, and to replay it all all you need do is take another sip: rich, slightly mineral fruit, gentle framing acidity, subtle spicy oak, and then it all runs out again in slow-motion.If this wine were a song, I’m sure Steely Dan would have written it. This is an absolutely delicious wine and yet there’s something slightly dirty behind it that you can’t quite make out. Absolutely recommended for a summer’s afternoon spent undressed with someone to whom you’re not married.Domaine Jomain
Price: $40
Closure: Cork

Neudorf Nelson Chardonnay 2007

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The second time I flew home from New Zealand this year, I was fortunate in that I was on a nonstop flight back home to California – no stops in Fiji this time! – which meant I was able to grab a few bottles at the airport. The Auckland wine shop isn’t half bad, but the prices are nothing special and they tend not to have particularly interesting wines, but of course compared to Los Angeles it’s a godsend; last time I flew out of LAX, I think I remember seeing Robert Mondavi Coastal Chardonnay for a whopping $25 a bottle. Ouch!As mentioned previously, I was fortunate enough to stop by Neudorf winery last January, where an overwhelmed tasting staff dealing with too many customers towards the end of a day on a holiday weekend graciously put up with my wanting to taste but not buy (due to lack of luggage space on the way back home from vacation). Looking at Neudorf’s Web site I now see that there’s a fancy version of this wine that Bob Campbell and Jancis Robinson really really liked – and of course what I have is “the cheap one,” the less-fancy one relegated to airport wine shops (but apparently not exported to the USA). Operating on the principle that only the very best wineries put out less expensive wines that are worthy of the same name the fancier ones have, let’s see what this wine is like…An absolutely beautifully soft goldish-green in the glass, I’m grateful that they’ve bottled under screwcap so that it made it home safely without turning that awful oxidized golden color. The nose is very, very Burgundian, with a sort of reduced burnt-match smell that’s reminiscent of just a small amount of sulfur. Frankly, it’s mouth-watering. The overall effect is of roasted nuts and straw, with no particular buttered-popcorn notes that would ordinarily mess with California wines at this price point.The entry of the wine is smooth, lush, and full at first, before being briefly – very briefly – overwhelmed by racy acidity that screams New Zealand to me. Quickly, though, it quiets back down into an resolved dance back and forth between the ripe fruit and the supporting acidity, finishing on a lengthy descent through well-grounded notes of roast hazelnuts and fresh stone fruits. It’s all perfect for a summer’s day, somewhat less oppressive than a Meursault with a real sense of lightness and finesse. Finally, I should say that if there’s any wine this reminds me of, it would almost be a riesling from Burgundy (if such a thing existed, of course): the light delicacy of the aromatics is a wonderful match for the acidity and heft of the wine.Really delicious, great value, and beautifully packaged, it’s a bummer this wine doesn’t seem to be easily available locally. If the less fancy wine is this good, I’d love to know what the “really good” one tastes like.Neudorf
Price: NZ $30
Closure: Stelvin

Domaine Dublère Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Sous le Puits 2006

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The best thing I can say about this wine is that, alongside its many sensual charms, it prompted a conversation that ranged from the irony of Burgundian terroir to the application of Bloom’s The Anxiety of Influence to winemaking. Some people’s worst nightmare, no doubt, but Heaven to this particular wine tragic; I love wines that are larger than themselves.

An expressive, assertively complex aroma comprising (amongst other things) grilled almonds and cashews, detailed lees-derived notes, vanilla and an attractive level of sulphur. It’s fresh and savoury, and wears both its fruit character and winemaking very much on its sleeve. That it’s a typically Burgundian, worked style is evident immediately (barrel fermentation, batonnage, malolactic fermentation); thankfully, its technique is sympathetically applied. 
A burst of canned peaches in the mouth, accompanied by a range of mostly-savoury flavours like banana skins, almond meal and spicy oak. The flavours are granular within the fabric of the wine, accompanied by a lively, textural mouthfeel. Flinty acid underlines the palate from start to finish and feels slightly raspy on the tongue, a foil to rounder, creamier textures. The wonderful thing about this sophisticated mix of textures, aside from providing its own interest, is the way it prompts the clear expression of individual flavours: one can both taste and feel almonds, peach syrup, and so on. The effect is especially wonderful on the minerally after palate.  This is a great example of truly integrated structure. 
A really nice Chardonnay, then, smart and delicious in equal measure. The extent of the winemaking poses its own questions that I won’t explore in detail here, except to suggest the archetype of the “winemaker as custodian of terroir” (as I believe my lunch companion phrased it) demands critical thought.

Domaine Dublère
Price: $A90
Closure: Cork

Domaine Jomain Puligny-Montrachet 2006

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As Douglas Coupland recently tweeted, 2009 feels like a party you can’t wait to leave so that you can go off and do something else you’d actually rather be doing.Over the last year, I’ve watched nearly one in four of my friends lose their jobs – and those of us that are still working are watching our incomes erode in the face of increasing costs for virtually everything. (Those of you in Washington state who now have to deal with newly raised prices at state-run alcohol stores? My heart truly goes out to you.)So where’s the silver lining in all of this? Well, quite frankly, I haven’t seen it yet. Although I’m reading about grape harvest gluts in Napa and Marlborough, I haven’t been lucky enough to score any deals on wine. Heck, I’ve bought virtually nothing at all this year: the Scholium Project raised their prices to $100 a bottle, Quilceda Creek is asking $98, and so on. Even if these were the best of economic times, these prices are out of the reach of virtually everyone (save for, I suppose, those of us who work in finance or the health insurance industry). But surely there are huge stocks of unsold wines being marked down to bargain basement clearance prices, right?Alas, no… except for this wine, apparently. This is one of only a few wines I’ve seen so far this year that are being marketed largely on the basis of cost. I paid $27, but the label says “Retail $50!” And did anyone ever pay $50 for this wine? Well, I have no idea… but if I had, I wouldn’t be disappointed.A wonderfully smoky burnt match nose tinged with sea salt, burnt cream, and buttery stewed quince sets things in perspective right away. Yes, the wine is over-bright, somewhat pale, and not much to look at, but oh, what a smell. There’s also a faint hint of night blooming jasmine and other pale flowers; there’s also just a hint of sulphur, but it’s restrained.Cacophonous at first, the wine pulls in half a dozen different directions. At first, there seems to be a strong suggestion of sucrosité, but blink and it’s gone, replaced by a finely textural sensation of slippery elm, buttressed by fine, subtle oaky notes and carried along by the kind of jovial acidity often lacking in California chardonnay. There’s a sort of toasted nut effect here too, no buttery flavor to speak of in particular (although I suspect there’s definitely malo in full effect here, texturally speaking). It all trails off into a lovely, hazy finish that reminds me of dried apples.This is absolutely delicious and good value at $50 – and fantastic at $27. If you can find it, buy it; I’d even hazard a guess that some cellaring would be in order here.Domaine Jomain
Price: $27
Closure: Cork