Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Chardonnay 2011

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

When I taste a Chardonnay nowadays, my mind seems first to go to the style in which it has been made. There seems much more variety within as well as between regions compared to many other varietals. My view is that this stylistic variation is a reflection of how unsettled we are with respect to the grape, and that style is sometimes seen as synonymous with quality (or lack thereof). Ultimately, that’s a distraction that stops us from seeing these wines for what they are.

And yet I do it too and, as I sniffed this wine, I was first most curious to know how worked a style it is. The answer is: pretty worked. The nose is very young-smelling, with pineapple and grapefruit notes in equal measure. underpinned by determinedly funky smells and a lot of oatmeal. The aromas exist in layers at the moment, not intermingling as much as they might, and perhaps will with a bit of time. It’s a vibrant aroma profile, though.

The palate is, initially, overwhelming and unbalanced in its texture. It’s as if a big ball of oatmeal protrudes in the middle palate, rudely dwarfing everything else around it. This feeling never quite goes away, but the wine’s dimensions do balance out with some air, and this allows citrus and light tropical fruit flavours to emerge with the same clarity and crispness seen on the nose. Intensity is decent, especially through the after palate, where citrus flavours are joined by some nice herbal, basil-like notes. Despite the texture being quite worked, the wine isn’t over complex in flavour. Good thrust and aromatics through the finish.

Not entirely convincing, then, but there’s no getting away from the power of that fruit. I wonder what this would be like if it were made in a purer, simpler way?

Ross Hill Wines
Price: $A35
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Pinot Gris 2011

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

For a region to do Pinot Gris especially well may seem like a dubious claim to fame (sort of like the Hunter doing great Verdelho). I think Orange does a great line in this difficult varietal, though. The examples I’ve tasted have, for the most part, avoided the many traps this style can fall into: too neutral, too hot, too fat, and so on. This one is no exception – I like it a lot.

A full nose showing nashi pear, spice and a range of interesting, more herbal notes. It’s certainly not the last word in complexity (nor would I expect it to be) but it’s generous and poised, never tipping over into the kind of coarseness that I find especially destructive with this style. The aroma seems to have texture, which sounds odd but I think results from the way spice is woven through the fruit, creating spikes and valleys of aroma. It’s a very happy smell.

The palate shows controlled body and fullness of fruit flavour, along with sufficient acid to give the wine shape and flow. Entry is cool and subtle, building to a middle palate full of yellow fruits, spice and flowers. The fruit is somewhat one-dimensional in flavour, but it’s correct and well proportioned. I like the way a range of higher toned aromas seem to hit the top of my mouth with each sip. Flavour persists through the after palate, where it remains mercifully unmolested by alcohol (this is only 12.5% ABV).

Good Gris.

Ross Hill Wines
Price: $A30
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

Quite an intense, attention grabbing nose full of fruit, leaf and spice. It’s recognisably Cabernet in terms of fruit but also in its angular muscularity; this is not a cuddly aroma profile. Its relative fullness and power reminds me of another recently tasted Orange Cabernet, the Swinging Bridge. If this is where the region’s Cabernets are heading then I am all in flavour. What this doesn’t have, though, is an especially elegant demeanor, nor does it possess that last ounce of definition. Still, I like the way it smells.

The palate is clean and lean, not in terms of lacking flavour (quite the opposite) but in its tight run down the tongue. This is not an expansive wine, at least not yet, and its expression remains focused and brisk. The fruit is dark and varietal, if lacking some detail. The one moment it allows itself to relax a little is towards the back of the mouth, where flavour fans out through the finish. There is a substantial oak influence, and its sappy character comes across as slightly raw. That, combined with a firm acid structure, make this a more challenging drink now than I suspect it will be in five or so years’ time. Some heat mars the finish by stripping the fruit flavours somewhat.

Very young, this needs to loosen up a bit before it will be truly enjoyable. I hope the oak steps back in time and allows the impressively intense, quite delicious fruit to shine.

Ross Hill Wines
Price: $A40
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Tulloch Private Bin Pokolbin Dry Red Shiraz 2010

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

This wine and the Thomas Kiss from 2010 are, taken together, a case study in Hunter Shiraz’s current stylistic dilemma. A region with such history must surely think twice before shedding its legacy but, at the same time, even the best wines aren’t static, nor does the context in which they exist stop evolving.

The one thing that emerges most clearly from the glass is Hunter fruit in its turned earth, red berried glory. There’s a rustic suppleness to the character of this region’s reds that consistently engages me and which I find delicious. Good detail and even a hint of savouriness fill out the aroma profile, as does some subtle, seemingly old, vanilla and spice oak.

The palate is defined by its textural acid and medium body. Entry is sprightly and flavoursome, leading to a middle palate that is bright with red fruit and crunchy berry skins. There’s a slight simplicity to the fruit that may be a function of youth – certainly, this has the structure to build for some time in bottle and I suspect the best is yet to come. In terms of flavour profile, this is significantly more savoury than the Kiss, a fact that is quite evident in side-by-side tasting. There’s good flow of flavour through the after palate, although the finish pulls up a little quickly for my liking.

Whether it’s a better wine than the Thomas is perhaps the most interesting question to ask, and on that matter I’m not sure. On the one hand, its style is more to my taste. But we shouldn’t be so unsophisticated as to regard our personal preferences as the sole factor in deciding an object’s worth, and in many respects I believe the Kiss wine is better: better fruit, more complexity, more innovative treatment in the winery, greater daring. It’s the difference between attraction and admiration, I suppose, and it would be a sad world in which we were forced to choose just one or the other. For what it’s worth, and as an advocate of tradition in these matters, I find myself gravitating towards the Kiss after an hour or so of tasting. Go figure.

Tulloch Wines
Price: $A50
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Thomas Kiss Shiraz 2010

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

A showdown of sorts this evening between two range-topping Hunter Shirazes from 2010. First up is Andrew Thomas’s Kiss Shiraz.

I recently tasted the Motel Block from this vintage and there’s a definite family resemblance here. The same fullness of flavour, slightly buried regionality of fruit character, slickness of presentation. But everything here is dialled up to 11. This is, make no mistake, the flagship of the range, and there are lashings of oak and ramped up fruit density to remind one of the fact.

The nose is purple-fruited and basically a wall of aroma with, despite its dimensions, plenty of detail and nuance. Oak is certainly a feature, and comes across as a mélange of coffee, vanilla and bubblegum notes. The palate is verging on full bodied and, as with the nose, piles on intense flavour. Flow through the mouth is well-controlled and has a slickness to it that, while impressive, seems a bit polished, as if some of the more interesting rough edges may have been sanded off at some point. I especially admire how the flavour profile is so integrated even at this wine’s very young age. It makes the wine approachable now, even though I’d be setting aside a stash to come together more and build some complexity, as well as shed some of the boisterous intensity of its youth. A thread of slightly raw tannins through the finish isn’t especially distracting and, for me, adds some welcome savouriness to the flavour profile.

This is a beautifully made wine with a very clear stylistic statement to make. Perhaps because it comes so close to reaching its big goals, this raises more questions for me than did the Motel Block around what Hunter Shiraz ought to taste like. To be sure, this is leagues away from the sort of rustic, acid-driven wines that are still cherished by some producers and punters and which, one might argue, are somewhat of a ball and chain on the region’s profile. For drinkers, like me, who love the older style, this certainly throws down the gauntlet. Would I prefer to drink it over less well made wines that take a more traditional approach? Perhaps not. At the same time, I want smart winemakers to keep challenging our ideas around regional style. These things need to evolve, and wines like this are capable of keeping the Hunter alive.

Thomas Wines
Price: $A60
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Thomas Wines Motel Block Shiraz 2010

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

My first taste of this wine came after a flight of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines; it was a complete shock to my palate, so I set it aside for later tasting. I’m so glad I did, because it’s full of interest and delicacy, very little of which I was able to discern at the earlier tasting.

The aromas has firm base notes but what is really impressive is a high toned, floral aroma that wafts above juicy berries and aromatic vanilla oak. Those white, honeysuckle flowers lead the aroma through a range of turned earth notes that, more than any other element, mark this as a product of the Hunter. When I first smelled this wine, each strand felt somewhat separated, but some air and swirling has brought the aromas together quite well, such that there’s now a coherent flow from top to bottom. This a rich, energetic wine to smell.

I thought it might be a little overwhelming, but this is a surprisingly elegant wine, taking the fullness of flavour hinted at on the nose and translating that to an almost serene expression of Hunter Shiraz on the palate. Although its flavours are regional, this wine has little of the rusticity that some Hunters can show. Instead, it shows a poise and sophistication in the way it unfolds in the mouth, sweeping savoury red berries, spice and earth along in one big glossy package. Intensity is significant, as is tannic structure through the after palate.

This is just a really really good wine, and I can’t see too many lovers of this region’s Shiraz turning away from it. To be sure, a contemporary expression of the style, but no less interesting for it.

Thomas Wines
Price: $A50
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Gift

Cumulus Chardonnay 2010

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

Although deeply problematic, one of the most positively provocative aspects of Jonathan Nossiter’s book, Liquid Memory, is its questioning of the manner in which we talk about wine. I’ve half-written a post expanding on these thoughts, and who knows if I’ll ever finish it; I have, though, been more mindful since reading Mr Nossiter’s book of the part, however small, I play in privileging a particular sort of wine conversation, one that centres on descriptors and a particularly banal narrative of wine, over a more aesthetically inclined view, in which one puts one’s self and one’s reaction to a given wine above a purely descriptive story of tasting.

This wine prompts me to think of such things because there’s a schism between what I taste and how I feel. What I smell, first, is an incredibly clean wine with a range of aromas that is textbook with regard to how a cooler climate Chardonnay ought to taste. There’s clean citrus fruit, a hint of white peach and the sort of tasteful, just-savoury-enough winemaking artifact to trigger an appreciative reaction. This wine is, in its way, perfectly formed, and I have no wish to deny the achievement associated with it (goodness knows I’m an expert in the art of fucking up winemaking). Yet I’m unmoved by it, in the same way I might pass yet another cleanly executed minimalist interior without so much as a “wow.” What is, I wonder, the point of such lithe shapeliness? What is there for me to grab hold of and caress?

The palate is, again, beautifully executed. The oatmeal flavours are a real feature of the wine, taking quite severe fruit flavours and granting them dimension and texture. Balance is exceptional, as is shape and line. This really is a good wine, well-judged and full of inherent quality. It’s just that I’m desperate for something human and sensual, a flaw or outsize dimension to give me an aesthetic hook on which to hang my own sense of beauty. It’s as if I’m not good enough for this wine, that it doesn’t care especially if I like it or not. But, in a profound sense, I need a wine to need me back, otherwise there’s no dialogue, no reason to stick around and keep talking.

This wine deserves the deepest admiration for provoking such a reaction. A second date, however, is out of the question.

Cumulus Wines
Price: $A30
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Eloquesta by Stuart Olsen Shiraz Petit Verdot 2010

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

Unbeknownst to me at the time of writing my note, the 2009 edition of this wine seems to have become something of a favourite amongst wine tweeters and bloggers. I admit to having mixed feelings about it, finding it more worthy than achieved. The refreshingly honest notes that came with this sample suggest 2010 was a difficult year, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. To my surprise, I prefer this in many ways to the 2009, and am intrigued to taste more in a way that I wasn’t after trying the earlier vintage.

What it comes down to is that this wine, despite superficially similar characters (presumably due to some of the same winemaking techniques), shows quite a different view of the fruit, one that is more subdued and subtle. It’s also more savoury, a fact the nose immediately establishes, as some cheerfully sweet fruit is quickly swept aside by waves of stalk and oak, the latter happily less intrusive in character than in the prior vintage. It still smells home made, but it’s also less chaotic, more resolved.

The palate carries these good qualities through. It’s rough-hewn like its predecessor, but the fruit’s calmer demeanour suggests a sophistication that, to me, is a real step up. Good flow through the middle palate, all dark fruits and spice, before tannic texture kicks in on the after palate. The structure here is very well balanced, with enough grip and astringency to please wine nerds without demanding much, if any, extra time in bottle. The fruit, darker though it is, could still use a notch more complexity. A nice, sharp finish, fruit and oak flavours carrying right through the back palate.

Can less than ideal growing conditions bring out a more interesting side to the fruit? It’s hard to generalise, but I feel it’s the case here.

Eloquesta by Stuart Olsen
Price: $A28
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Swinging Bridge Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

Now we’re talking. Although a youngster — somewhat gangly and awkward for now — this wine is stylistically resolved in a way the companion Shiraz isn’t.

The aroma is distinctly Cabernet but in a way I’ve not smelled before. The signature aromas of the varietal are there — clean dark fruits, heady crushed leaf — in addition to some pretty sexy cedar oak. But there’s a richness to the fruit that smells distinctive, and a hint of black pepper that seems to have wandered in, happily, from an adjoining Shiraz ferment. As I mentioned, it’s a bit disjointed at the moment, but I suspect it will converge on something more poised with a few months in bottle.

The palate is appropriately powerful, and what stands out most is a satisfyingly tannic structure. Three cheers for Cabernet that is not afraid to be both medium bodied and astringently bold through the finish. Flavours are very much per the nose, squeaky clean and vivid. There is perhaps a slight lack of subtlety to the flavour profile, though one might equally praise its vivacity and punch. Fabulously fine, abundant tannins descend through the after palate and become the centrepiece of the wine as it winds its way to a lengthy finish.

A distinctive and delicious wine. An ounce of extra refinement wouldn’t go astray, but I like the direction this is taking.

Swinging Bridge
Price: $A45
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Swinging Bridge Reserve Shiraz 2010

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Julian Coldrey

I’m a bit conflicted about this wine. I previously enjoyed this producer’s Sauvignon Blanc and felt it could have been pushed harder into less compromising stylistic territory. I feel very much the same about this wine, which pitches at quite a different level but which is similarly torn between distinctiveness and a desire to be crowd pleasing.

The nose shows a mix of peppery spice, slick oak and ripe, sweet red fruit. The spice is wonderfully adult and the oak sharp, which makes the character of the fruit stand out a little, as if an everyday quaffer had wandered into something altogether more elevated by mistake. It’s not that the fruit is of poor quality; indeed, I feel the reverse is true. But the expression that has been coaxed of it is bouncy and sweet, a little too much so, such that the aroma profile never quite coheres.

The palate tells a similar story, though its structure provides some added delights. Acid, in particular, is fine and sharp, adding real zing to the fruit’s bright flavour profile and helping it to stay within more adult parameters. I like the way this flows over the tongue, and the clean, firm articulation of its flavours is truly delicious. I just wish, though, the fruit weren’t quite so eager to please. A more savoury expression would allow the brown and black spice to shine, and the delicious oak to be a more integrated part of the wine’s overall flavour profile.

As with the Sauvignon Blanc, this shows genuine potential and is in many ways a delicious and interesting wine. Some finessing of the fruit’s character would bring out the potential I see here.