Tag Archives: New South Wales

Windowrie The Mill Verdelho 2008

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A few years ago, I remember asking someone to whom I wanted to make a gift of some wine whether she had any favourites. Her answer was “Cowra Verdelho,” a singular response that sticks in my mind to this day. Needless to say, I didn’t hold high hopes of tracking any down. Halliday’s Wine Companion site lists just two Cowra-based producers with a Verdelho in their portfolio, of which this Windowrie is one. Further, the label lists this as a wine of the “Central Ranges,” the zone into which Cowra falls, so the fruit may not be entirely sourced from the Cowra region. No matter – this is the closest I’ve come to Cowra Verdelho since the memorable, unfulfilled request.

And hey, it’s a Verdelho alright, presenting straightforward, crisp fruit salad-like aromas. The particular fruit salad here isn’t anything fancy; it’s the salad I remember seeing (and not especially liking, though I was a fussy child) at numerous barbeques in the 80s; a bit heavy on the unpeeled red delicious apple, not much in the way of tropical fruits, and perhaps a squeeze of lemon to keep it all from browning. I quite like it.
The palate is lightly flavoured, with a rounded, hot presence that speaks to this wine’s 14.6% abv. Despite this unexpected scale, it’s curiously satisfying and certainly pleasant to drink. Verdelho is one of those wines one tends to approach without many expectations, save those relating to drinkability and simple pleasure; within that context, this delivers well and is squeaky clean. Entry and middle palate are both quite fruit-driven and mouthfilling in a decidedly hydraulic manner. The after palate shows a line of bitterness that offsets the fruit flavour particularly well. The acid seems a bit low to me, or at least overwhelmed by the mouthfeel. 
On the whole, if this is representative of Central Ranges Verdelho, I prefer the Hunter style, which seems more robust and fully flavoured. However; what’s here is tasty and very easy drinking.

Windowrie
Price: $A17.99
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Spring Ridge Merlot 2007

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There’s something to be said for a well-executed commercial style. These are wines that I often tend to gloss over, but it’s wrong of me to do so, at least in terms of my own philosophy of enjoyment. As tempting as it is to indulge in singular, ultra high quality wines whenever possible, I’m not sure they are always an appropriate choice, especially when in mixed (wine freak and normal people) company. 

For example, I was having a very fun afternoon with some work colleagues during the week, and we ended up at a typical inner city eatery that surprised me with its thoughful, diverse wine list. Of course, I immediately geeked out and suggested a bottle of Seppelt’s 2008 Drumborg Riesling which, while full of interest, is a difficult wine to approach due to its austerity. Once we had made our way through that one, the group’s next selection was a much friendlier Pepperjack Shiraz, a plush Barossa style with plenty of oak and very low stylistic barriers to entry. And it was a much more enjoyable wine, with company, on the day.

Which brings me to this wine. I feel a train wreck attraction to Australian Merlot, which isn’t renowned for stylistic coherence nor, indeeed, for elevated quality. And, to be sure, this wine won’t change any of that. What it can do, though, is provide a well made burst of enjoyment. 
The hue is ruby-like, of moderate density, and in general looks slightly older than it ought. The nose immediately signals this wine’s intent: assertively cuddly, peanut brittle oak over fresh plum fruit. Digging slightly deeper, there are hints of olives in brine, but this isn’t a wine of overt complexity. The palate is fresh and flowing, with good clarity of fruit. On entry, flavour slowly accelerates towards the middle palate. Medium bodied, there’s better integration of oak and fruit in the mouth than on the nose, which creates an easygoing, smoothed out flavour profile. The addition of some lightly spiced notes add interest. Structurally, things are very much in line with the curvy flavour profile, with enough acid and pleasingly fine tannin to add shape and a drying, very slightly raspy mouthfeel towards the back palate. Decent enough finish.
If I scored wines (which, of course, I don’t), this would sit in the mid to high eighties, as a wine of straightforward, well-made charms. It has no pretensions other than to offer accessible, cost-effective pleasure to as many tired office workers as possible as they share a bowl of deep fried something-or-other after work. As one such office worker, I’m very cool with that.

Spring Ridge
Price: $A19
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2008

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The first Lake’s Folly Chardonnay under screwcap. 

Characteristically Folly on the nose, with complexity aligned to a sense of balance and subtlety. It seems lighter and less opulent than the 2007, which was quite a powerhouse in relative terms. This, on the other hand, is veiled and delicate, with a similar aroma profile expressing itself on different terms. It also smells very young, with some overly bright edges that should fall back into the wine with a few more months in bottle. 
The palate confirms a svelte silhouette; a taut balancing act between youthful structure and a flavour profile that aches to break free of its acidic confines. A sophisticated entry, tingling with fine acidity and a thread of classy minerality. Moderately intense peach, lychee and citrus fruit begins to emerge towards the middle palate, along with some subtle cream and caramel inputs. The mouthfeel follows a notable line, beginning with a textured burst of acid then transforming seamlessly to a glossy platform for the flavour components. It’s fascinating. The after palate shows greater oak influence and a curiously leafy flavour, before the finish takes one on a peachy keen ride to deep satisfaction.
It’s young and probably needs some time to show at its best, but I do love it. A light, bright expression of the Lake’s Folly vineyard.

Lake’s Folly
Price: $A55
Closure: Stelvin

Lake's Folly Cabernets 2007

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This label continues to fascinate me. Tasted over two evenings.

At first, an austere nose comprising cedar, sap, vanilla, and concentrated dark berry fruit. Quite classical in profile and less immediately giving than some young Follies. Still, such complexity in youth is wonderful to see, and the overall impression is of restrained, coiled power. Later, an aroma with fruit more to the fore, greater complexity and some regional influence. It’s never quite plush, each note instead winding its way sinuously around the others in an elegant dance. I’m not done smelling this wine, but the bottle is almost empty.

The palate shows all the classic markers of quality: intensity, complexity, power and structure. This is a real “line and length” wine, though of course these terms don’t speak to personal preference. Luckily for me, it’s my kind of wine. An éclat of flavour on entry, dark berry fruit building towards an astonishingly dense, powerful middle palate. The wine tastes like a concentrate of sorts, which in the abstract might be awful but here works brilliantly, happening as it does within a decidedly medium bodied context; it’s all form and elegance, and the fruit is expressed on these terms, packed with detail and complexity. Despite the intensity, there’s no shred of overripe or raisined flavour. Just delicious berry fruit, mouthwatering sourness, pencil shavings and a hint of leafiness. The finish is especially long and fine, showcasing some quality oak. Although the acid and tannin are very approachable if given a few hours to breathe, the overall impression is of youthful potential. Clearly, there’s sufficient fruit and structure to carry this wine through what I hope will be a positive ageing process. 
Excuse me, but fuck this is good. Perhaps more austere than some I’ve tried, yet the style retains enormous integrity. 13% abv.

Lake’s Folly
Price: $A50
Closure: Cork

Tulloch Verdelho 2008

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I opened this wine tonight because I was looking forward to drinking a 1997 Château de Besseuil. Clearly, Hunter Valley Verdelho isn’t white Burgundy; the Tulloch is also different in that it’s not corked to a nostril-shocking degree. After smelling the tell-tale wet cardboard on my Besseuil, I reached for the wine in my immediate vicinity least likely to be faulty. And here we are.

Perhaps not a very generous way to introduce this wine; the reality is, this label has been most consistent over the past few years, and the Hunter Valley does a solid line in Verdelho more generally. So there’s some pedigree at work here. 
The nose is really friendly and almost joyously perfumed, with bubblegum fruitiness alongside floral notes that remind me of my favourite outmoded “French whorehouse” fragrances. It’s also very, very clean. It’s a very commercial style, but in a way its flavoursome anonymity is refreshing in a sea of Sauvignon Blanc on the one hand, and Pinot Gris on the other. 
The palate seems to be a step up from previous vintages, with a sense of calm sophistication that I wasn’t expecting. Mostly this is due to a full, slippery mouthfeel that carries a whole fruit salad of flavour over the tongue. The acidity is notable, as it’s both lively and very fine at the same time. In character, this wine is fruity with a high toned powderiness that recalls perfume and a persistent sense of levity that is, finally, quite convincing. It’s not complex, intense or long, but who cares? 
A really fun wine that would be perfect Summer afternoon drinking. 

Tulloch
Price: $A13.30
Closure: Stelvin

Margan Semillon 2008

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After a few vintages (2005-7) of relatively forward Hunter Semillons, it’s nice to open one that is clearly a leaner style, perhaps more suited to delayed gratification. As such, this wine presents a challenge to the taster in that much of its interest is projected rather than immediate. But I’m enjoying it a great deal, even if this enjoyment is related to a sense of anticipation around what it will turn into. Sort of like a slightly measured date you know will end in fantastic sex. I keep visualising how its fine structure and flavours will fill out and change, with honeyed opulence and (I hope) the slippery mouthfeel that my favourite aged Semillons have.

But back to what’s in my glass now, which is by no means unenjoyable on its own youthful terms. The nose, while lean, is strikingly perfumed, with powdery citrus notes and more astringent, grass-like aromas. It actually reminds me a bit of Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, but without the outrageous herbs and tropical fruits. There’s weight, too, some juicier lemon and mandarin perhaps. All in all a fresh, vibrant nose with tremendous focus and just enough weight to encourage a sip. 
The palate delivers the full promise of the nose in all respects. It’s taut, with shards of intense lemon and lime piercing the tastebuds alongside more grassy flavours. Good impact and volume initially, tapering smoothly through the mouth to a finish that is ultra-lean but terribly persistent. Mouthfeel is a highlight even at this young age, with fine acidity and excellent form. It’s a great framework for the wine to develop its mature flavours. 
It’s a cheapie ($A18) and I think it will turn into something very special. Next bottle in about five years’ time, I reckon. 

Margan
Price: $A18
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

Mountain X Hunter Shiraz 2006

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Despite having published a series of turgid articles (1, 2, 3, 4) arguing precisely the opposite, I think there’s something deeply authentic about Australian wines that are a blend of material from several regions. For a start, many of our great winemakers (Roger Warren, Max Schubert, Maurice O’Shea and Colin Preece, for starters) often used this approach. It remains a part of our industry to this day, arguably representing the mainstream.

The intent is often to create a better wine than can be crafted from any one constituent component. For example, I’ve read that Colin Preece used to sometimes include some rich, ripe Rutherglen red in his elegantly spicy Great Western material to create a superior end result. There are many such examples, Grange being the most obvious and enduring. So one could pursuasively argue that a multi-regional blend vibrates with the sort of authenticity that can’t be achieved by simply doing it the way they do in, say, Burgundy. Perhaps this is the Australian way.

Is this even important? Surely, what’s in the glass is all that matters. Well, yes and no; to me at any rate. I’m not of the “wine is just a drink” school. I believe intent matters. And I think the degree to which a wine engages (or disengages) from a certain winemaking tradition should be considered. None of that changes what’s in the bottle, but wine exists in a context and, when I taste it, the purely sensual experience intersects all these things.

Perhaps I should apologise to the creators of this wine, Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattinson, for not getting straight to the point. But, in a sense, this is the point. Well-known wine writers, Messrs Walsh and Mattinson have ostensibly created the Mountain X label not only to produce something very tasty, but to explicitly draw on various Australian winemaking traditions.

This may be the first seriously postmodern wine that I’m aware of, at least locally. The name recalls O’Shea’s naming conventions. It’s a blend of Hunter Valley and Yarra Valley wine. And it’s a blend of Shiraz and Pinot Noir varieties. Hardly anyone does Shiraz/Pinot blends any more; it’s certifiably niche, and yet fits naturally into the history of the Hunter Valley. Even the outdated nomenclature of Hunter Burgundy suggests it. So neat on so many levels.

Indeed, the conceptual side would threaten to overwhelm the wine if it weren’t deliciously, obviously good. And it’s so good, fully justifying its existence to those who just want to drink a quality wine. The nose for starters. First impressions are of expressively funky brambles and stalk, fully ripe and strongly suggestive of the Pinot component. There’s also what I presume is an oak influence, sweetly malty and nougat-like, not too assertive in volume or aggressive in flavour. Then, some mellow berry fruit, straddling sweet and savoury. This is such a relaxed aroma profile, one that gently glows in the glass and calls you back not with a shout but with a sweetly harmonised tune.

This quiet sophistication carries through to the palate. All the obvious markers of quality are here — intensity, length, complex flavour — as they are in thousands of other wines. What’s fascinating about this wine is the flavour profile. As with the nose, it’s quite funky but not in a dirty way. In fact, this wine is a great example of how to achieve character without resorting to questionable flavours. I’m not sure I can tease it apart, but I’ll give it a go. A strong thread of sour cherry. A small amount of intensely sweet, positively confectionery fruit (sort of like Redskins, but of course in a clever adult sort of way). Brambles. Nougat. I’m not sure I’m communicating things accurately (or completely, as it’s quite complex) but suffice it to say it’s coherent and attractive. Structurally, this is acid-driven, though delicately so, such that it’s not forbidding in any way. Body is medium, with a sprightly mouthfeel that also manages to feel luxurious. The finish echoes the very beginning, with ripe, stalk-like flavours freshening the palate as sweet fruit lingers like an echo somewhere up high.

Performance art in a bottle. Serve it to non-wine nerds and enjoy both the wine and a quietly smug chuckle.

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

Tower Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2007

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This no doubt seems absurd to normal people, but one of the reasons why I still look forward to tasting wine after ten or so years of considered consumption is that, over time, my tastes have changed quite dramatically, and with it my opinions on a range of wine-related things. So tasting wine isn’t all about that moment — it’s also about the whole journey. Chardonnay, for example. A few years ago, I found Chardonnay difficult to understand and enjoy, especially larger scale styles with a lot of winemaker input. I instinctively reached for the purity and accessibility of Riesling, and approached Chardonnay most comfortably from a Chablis angle.

Thomas Braemore Semillon 2008

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There have been some exciting write-ups of this wine in the blogosphere and, because I require only the slightest excuse to invest in Hunter Semillon, I ordered a few right away. This is my first bottle. The aroma shows citrus blossom, hay, wax and soap. It combines delicacy and a sense of considerable weight. There’s an underlying complexity of flavour that is unusual in young Hunter Semillon in the austere mode and, though it merely lurks in the background, this detail makes it a challenging wine to untangle. In the mouth, an explosion of acidity backed by considerable palate weight. It’s all very dry — in a chalky, minerally sort of way — creating an impression of high toned, detailed fruit flavours. There’s really good thrust through the palate, the wine almost leaping onto the middle of the tongue. With young Hunter Semillon, it can be revealing to taste one slowly, straight from the fridge through to room temperature. This one, for example, avoids becoming fat or flabby, and retains its essential character as it warms, but adds an extra dimension of power and nuance, even a little fruit sweetness, and a slippery edge to the mouthfeel. The whole remains firm and shapely, though.  Impressively, persistently long.To my taste, this is definitely one for the long haul, and I’m glad I have a few stashed away. I’ll be trying this again in about five years’ time. If you’re drinking it now, do as I did and try it with something moderately greasy like a potato, bacon and onion tart.Update: on day two, all the elements are amplified, with very intense citrus flavours, a greater sense of weight and finer acidity. This is pure quality. I suspect its mouthfeel in particular will develop beautifully with time.Thomas Wines
Price: A$25
Closure: Stelvin