Tag Archives: Canberra District

Collector Marked Tree Red 2008

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I blinked and, in addition to putting on a few kilos, missed the last couple of vintages of this wine. Which is a shame, as I thought the 2005 rather good.

This looks a lot darker and more serious than the earlier wine, an impression borne out by the nose. This is dense, full of squishy dark plums, laced with black pepper and spice. There’s a sappy edge too that contributes sophistication and a bit of funkiness to the aroma profile. I especially like the spiciness of the aroma – it tends towards dark, roasted spice and nuts rather than a lighter, more floral character one sees in some other cooler climate Shirazes. To level one criticism, the whole is a bit blunt, taking a caveman approach to seduction. It may be that time will teach it more subtly persuasive ways.

The palate remains dense and dark within a medium bodied frame. The entry is precise and cool, hitting the tongue with a satisfying sense of controlled movement. There’s no great widening on the middle palate, as acid and tannin combine to keep things on the straight and narrow. I find I like this type of wine more and more; there is a tantalising aesthetic tension when hedonism is combined with tautly expressed structure and shape. The middle and after palates pull their punches a bit, never delivering the sort of intensity demanded by the other elements. The flavour profile turns towards a sappy, savoury, oaky expression as the wine moves towards its reasonable finish.

My kind of wine stylistically; I’m just left wanting a bit more oomph from the fruit. I doubt, however, there’ll be any left in the bottle tonight.

Collector
Price: $A26
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Clonakilla Riesling 2009

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I tremble whenever a Clonakilla newsetter arrives, as much at the anticipation of its new releases as their unfortunate effect on my wallet. Yes, I’m somewhat of a junkie. I have especially enjoyed the Riesling over many vintages and consider Canberra Riesling in general one of our more interesting regional expressions of this variety. 

To this fresh one, then, the nose seems quite typical at first, with floral, bath salt-like aromas, the strange of impression of chalk dust and very little of the full-throttle citrus juice that can characterise this variety from some other Australian regions. It’s actually quite piercing; almost aggressive, more so than I recall of previous vintages. The exhuberance of youth, perhaps, or something more essential? I’m not sure. Certainly, it’s settling a little in the glass and becoming less insistent, though also a tad indistinct too.
The palate is surprising because there’s a big whack of pineapple juice on the middle palate that isn’t at all signalled on the nose. But I’m getting ahead of myself. A clean entry, slippery and pleasing. Quickly, that intense sharpness from the nose (sulphur? slate? minerality?) asserts alongside surprisingly full tropical fruit and leaner citrus flowers. There’s good thrust through the after palate, with really delicious fruit flavours framed by savouriness and powdery texture. Indeed, texture is a highlight with this wine, roughing up the tongue with fine yet prominent acidity. A lovely, citrussy finish of good length.
This strikes me as somewhat atypical, at least according to my dodgy palate memory. It’s flavoursome, textural and lively; it’s also a bit disjointed, strident and, ultimately, poses more questions than it answers. I have a few of these in the cellar and will open another bottle in, say, a year’s time.

Clonakilla
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin

Mountain X Hunter Shiraz 2007

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13.2% alcohol by volume. Not 13%, not 13.5%; the precision of this advertised measurement makes a discreet point.

The qualities of this wine bring any shortcomings of its 2006 sibling into relief and, although a wine deserves to be evaluated on its own merits, I can’t help but make the comparison. The 2006 remains a beautiful wine, yet this improves on it in almost all respects and seems a remarkable progression from the first release. It’s a more mature wine, in the sense that it shows a level of stylistic coherence and poise not quite achieved before: the Pinot component more integrated with the whole, the oak’s expression quite different, the intensity and density of flavour better matched. As with the best wines, this shows as a whole, achieved piece. Of course, it has a fantastic Hunter vintage on its side, too.

Lacking the outré impact and wildness of its predecessor, this wine throws a much denser aroma from the glass. There are notes of black pepper, vibrant dark plum, brighter raspberry-like fruit, earthy minerality and some heady, whole bunch influences. I can’t really tell where the Pinot ends and the Shiraz begins, which I mean as the greatest compliment, as this suggests well-judged and executed blending. The aroma’s depth impresses me most of all, the kind of depth that indicates beautifully, completely ripened fruit. And somewhere in my mind, a figure of 13.2% hovers.

A firm, calm entry introduces the palate. Finely acidic, juicy flavours bubble up and begin to flood the mouth towards the middle palate. There’s an array of notes here, starting with an orange-juice-like flavour (!) and ending up at spicy black pepper, stopping on the way to pick a few wild blackberries and fall into a patch of dusty brambles. It’s at once bright, shapely, generous and firm, ushered along by a carpet of acidity and sweet tannins that seem to come from nowhere. There’s an edginess to the structure that hints some short term bottle age, at least, will be beneficial; not surprising considering this isn’t yet released. The wine seems an altogether less oak-driven style than the 2006, which creates less immediate plushness but, ironically, an impression of greater ageability. In terms of character, too, the oak is quite different, with no nougat in sight, in its place a rather more subtle sheen of sap and cedar. A notably long, sustained finish closes each mouthful on a high note. And still it hovers, the question of how such an obviously, joyously ripe Shiraz can clock in at 13.2% abv. There’s a touch of magic about this wine and, to apologists for the Hunter, perhaps a bit of quiet pride too. The point is well made.

Along with the Tyrrell’s 4 Acres, this is the most complete 2007 Hunter Shiraz I have tasted so far.

Mountain X
Price: $A30
Closure: Diam
Source: Sample

Ravensworth Shiraz Viognier 2005

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What a few days it has been — a busy schedule combined with the sort of low-level cold that is mind altering in an irritatingly subtle manner. It’s one thing to be demonstrably ill, each messy blow of the nose fully justifying the most outrageous self-pity and prompting those wonderful moments of over-the-top affection from one’s partner. The curse of the slight cold, however, is to want to complain knowing no-one will take you seriously. It’s also to taste wine (as I did last night) and realise that you have a totally screwed palate. Hence no tasting notes.

Tonight’s a completely different story, though. I’m as fit as a fiddle (well, I could lose a few kilos but let’s not get hung up on details after surviving a vicious sniffle) and things are again tasting of themselves. I remember this wine created quite a stir on release. It was as Bin 389 is to Grange — a way to get a good hit of Canberra Shiraz Viognier goodness without shelling out for Clonakilla’s top drop. I enjoyed it a good deal on release, but this is the first time I’ve tried it in a while.

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2005

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At the risk of turning Full Pour into the Clonakilla Wine Appreciation Society, I cracked open a bottle of the 2005 Hilltops Shiraz this evening. On its release, I remember liking this wine a great deal, more so than the subsequent vintage at least, and finding it especially dense and serious. So, it’s with particular relish that I am checking in on its progress.

It’s certainly moved on since release. Not that it’s looking tired at all; this wine has just relaxed enough to allow its fruit fuller expression. The nose is a dense rush of violetty, dark berry fruit mixed with some savoury, meaty edges. There’s perhaps a hint of stalk too, though it’s certainly in the background. This label usually strikes me as displaying what I characterise as purple fruit. To elaborate, in my mind it’s a cross between frozen berry desserts and Hubba Bubba Original Flavour; in other words, a little sweet but mostly intense and delicious. Here, now, the fruit is moving freely, structure having relaxed enough to let berry juice flow into the mouth. It maintains poise and an element of restraint, though. There are cough medicine complexities too, quite high toned and aromatic, plus some lovely cumquat-like citrus. Vanilla oak provides a soft and cuddly backdrop. The palate is notably voluminous from entry to finish, with nary a dip in intensity. A very long finish.

A generous, truly delicious wine. For my taste, I’d like to see some more bottle age show itself here, as I feel some decay and additional flow will add extra beauty to this wine’s flavour profile. This label really tends to blossom after about five years; I’ll try another in two to three years.

Clonakilla
Price: $25
Closure: Stelvin

Clonakilla Cabernet Merlot 2001

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It probably won’t come as a relevation that Chris and I are fans of Clonakilla’s wines. I remember once visiting the cellar door and having a chat with Tim Kirk about this Cabernet blend, and was surprised to hear him express reservations. I suppose the Canberra District calls to mind Shiraz and, to a lesser extent, Riesling, with Cabernet-based wines tending to fall into the same “why would you” territory as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Still, I’m always on the lookout for glorious exceptions, and I’ve usually enjoyed this label a great deal.

High quality cork. Beautiful, heady aroma of violets, blackcurrant fruit, cedar and some underlying decay. It’s quite a thick, enveloping aroma profile, though it retains some of the angular elegance I associate with Cabernet Sauvignon. I love smelling this wine, and for my taste it is showing enough bottle age to add significant complexity without challenging those who have a distaste for old red wine.

Really good continuity from nose to palate. There are a few striking aspects to this wine as it currently stands. Firstly, the flavour profile echoes the aroma’s complexity and balance of aged versus primary notes. It reminds me a little of aged Hunter red wines, with some light earthiness alongside more classically Cabernet flavours. Secondly, mouthfeel is soft and gently textural, and for a moment hides the degree to which flavours adhere to the tongue. There’s a really interesting interplay between luxurious flavours and structure, which moves from slippery to textured to almost crunchy on the after palate. Here it becomes evident there’s still considerable acidity keeping the wine fresh, and I imagine guaranteeing it a few more productive years in bottle.

Cabernet may not contribute to the Canberra District’s renown, but here’s a wine that, eight years after vintage, is still continuing to improve. Not bad. A beautiful wine.

Clonakilla
Price: $35
Closure: Cork

Clonakilla Chardonnay 2003

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It’s been two years and five months since the FAA banned liquids on airplanes, and to be honest I’m still miffed. One of the joys of travel was always coming home with a rucksack full of wine to be enjoyed over the next several years; sadly, that’s become far trickier than it used to be, given that you have to pack liquids in your luggage.

Back in 2005, Julian and I took a trip to Canberra to see a rugby match (among other things). We also were fortunate enough to stop by Murrumbateman on the way back to Sydney; this bottle is from that trip.

Time has been kind to this bottle; it’s survived both the trip back to Seattle and, two years ago, the move to California. On the nose, you have rich, buttery, oaky overtones reminiscent of serious California chardonnay; think Kistler. Pear freshness is edged with smoky barrel notes; I’m guessing there was lees stirring involved here too. The color is an impossibly bright, clear, medium yellow, shining in the glass.

On the palate, it initially seems thinner than I had expected, but then it settles in to a medium weight wine. The palate seems a bit hollow towards the finish; however, the wine is still agreeably fresh, tasting largely of fresh hay, butterscotch, and smoky barrel notes. It’s delicious, but at the same time not quite at the level of, say, Giaconda. Remarkable value, though.

Clonakilla
Price: $na
Closure: Stelvin

Collector Reserve Shiraz 2006

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It’s the longest day of the year, and Julian and I are enjoying a glass of this together in Dunedin, New Zealand for no reason other than, well, we wanted to.

I got a sniff of this and squealed “oh, FRUITY!” Of course, that was a gross oversimplification; after a few more minutes, it started heading down a more oaky, yet still hugely Australian path. Good stuff. Gorgeously mouth filling and fairly well oaked (and yet still within reason), this is an exuberantly huge Aussie red that somehow doesn’t strike me as particularly Canberra in any way. Of course, I only know from Lark Hill and Canberra – and maybe that Kamberra stuff, not sure if that was really Canberran – but whatevs, this is delicious.

And here’s the bit where I transcribe some Julian: Pain grillé, he says, but I think he’s actually joking about one of last night’s wines.

Really dense red fruit, sort of clove-y, spicy oak. Kind of a slightly sappy edge to it as well, he thinks. So, in the mouth it’s quite bright and medium-bodied… structure seems quite acid-driven, fairly tannic here… he really likes the depth of the flavour profile. It’s not a huge flavour profile, but it has really nice depth and is sort of layered nicely. There’s also a really nice, sustained line through the after-palate, really consistent, quite a long wine as well, he thinks.

The awesome thing for me of course is watching Julian drink this – it’s always fun to watch someone caught up in the moment of enjoying something. And of course, it’s extra fun if you haven’t seen your mate in a few years.

That’s it for now, I’m off to finish the bottle while there’s still daylight (another thirty minutes or so, I’m guessing).