Grape Observer

Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon 2000

2012-05-30T08:53:00.000+10:00

Tyrrell's Vat 1 semillon is a classic of the Hunter Valley semillon genre. The 2000 vintage in the Hunter Valley was a pretty good one, with Langtons giving it a 9/10 and describing it as: "[a] hot vintage marked by extreme heat in February. A light sprinkling of rain over vintage did nothing to reduce quality. Fruit was clean with excellent flavour profiles. The acidity levels were brilliant

Albert Bichot Montagny Premier Cru 2010

2012-05-27T21:24:00.000+10:00

Premier Cru white Burgundy for under $15? Why not in these days of a high Australian dollar - which is being passed on now by some merchants in their pricing. The appellation of Montagny Premier Cru is situated in the Côte Chalonnaise sub-region of Burgundy and is a chardonnay. What then of the wine? As a wine, unfortunately, this 2010 Montagny Premier Cru did not rise above its modest

Ben O'Donoghue Pinot Gris 2011

2012-05-19T07:53:00.002+10:00

This pinot gris is another in Wine Selector's chef series of wine, this time put together by Scotchmans Hill with fruit from the 2011 vintage in the Mornington Peninsula and sporting the name of well known celebrity chef Ben O'Donoghue. Pinot gris based wines are rarely the centre of the wine universe, but they are nice to have around, easy to drink and go well with food - the very purpose

A Burgundy dictionary

2012-05-18T22:20:00.000+10:00

Some months ago, I read an entertaining post by Keith Levenberg on Ambrose Pierce's The Devil's Dictionary and wine. You can read it here. With the glowing praise that Burgundy continues to bask in in the local Australian wine scene, it seemed appropriate to add some further entries. Brettanoymces, n. A yeast that resembles horrible horse hair in a Bordeaux, and adds graceful earthy

Chateau L'Escart Eden 2009

2012-05-14T21:45:00.001+10:00

For $15 a bottle, the 2009 vintage of Chateau L'Escart is not bad (a blend of 50% merlot and cabernet sauvignon). A medium intensity ruby in colour, the aroma is mostly clean (there appeared to be a slight touch of "brett" - I don't generally mind this in small doses - but you might), and is developing. Raspberries, gravel, pepper, cloves and a touch of blackcurrants are there. A bit of

St Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

2012-05-13T13:05:00.002+10:00

I find the story of wine in nineteenth century Victoria unceasingly interesting, so please forgive my minor detour here. St Huberts in Victoria's Yarra Valley was first founded in 1864 by Hubert de Castella (a prominent nineteenth century wine identity and author of two books on Victorian wine in the period, which I have managed to track down and read). By 1876, St Huberts had over 200 acres

Derwent Estate Riesling 2010

2012-05-10T21:42:00.000+10:00

What an interesting riesling from cool climate Tasmania. Tasted blind in a set, it stood out for its extravagant aroma and promising length on the palate. A pale lemon in colour, it opened to an aroma of white nectarines, ginger, lemons and stones. My expectation was that the palate would not be dry based on the aroma. However, it was - well perhaps not completely - but certainly dry

Alastair McLeod Pinot Noir 2010

2012-05-08T21:46:00.001+10:00

Alastair McLeod is a celebrity chef, with an esteemed resumé and is chef at Bretts Wharf and Tank restaurant in Brisbane. Alastair has lent his name to a local, well for me anyway, 2010 pinot noir produced by Yabby Lake in the Mornington Peninsula outside of Melbourne. A small sign, but another sign nonetheless, that the Mornington Peninsula wine region really has taken off in the last 30 or so

Hahndorf Hill Winery Blaufrankisch 2010

2012-05-07T20:57:00.001+10:00

For those unfamiliar with the blaufrankisch grape, it is principally grown in Austria, Germany and across Central Europe. Despite its cold continental climate origins, it is perfectly capable of producing wines that can be quite full bodied and flavoursome, even in Austria. I was therefore excited to taste the 2010 vintage from Australia's only blaufrankisch producer: Hahndorf Hill Winery in

Frank Camorra Tempranillo 2010

2012-05-06T14:17:00.001+10:00

Frank Camorra is the well known chef and proprietor of first class Melbourne Spanish restaurant, MoVida. I have eaten there many times, and authenticity and high standards, over a number of years, jump to mind. He has put his name to a tempranillo from the 2010 vintage produced by Rosabrook Wines in the Margaret River, a region that shows potential with the variety. Happily this is an

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 1996

2012-05-03T21:12:00.000+10:00

If you are wondering that I have reviewed a few Penfolds' wines lately, it is not by design, but rather because I get a lot of opportunities to taste them. Their ubiquity in Australia and attendance at all price points means that this is perhaps not an unusual state of affairs. It is probably more unusual that I in fact don't have any of their wines in my cellar. Penfolds Kalimna Shiraz

Penfolds Bin 128 1998

2012-05-01T21:28:00.005+10:00

While cabernet is king in Coonawarra, its shiraz is by no means its poor cousin. And particularly not in 1998, an outstanding vintage for the Coonawarra region. Penfolds' Bin 128, entirely sourced from Coonawarra grown shiraz, and aged for 12 months in new (20%) and seasoned French oak, is in its peak drinking window now. Still purple and bright in colour, the wine has a complex aroma of

Phylloxera: Victoria and South Australian changes

2012-04-30T21:37:00.001+10:00

Phillip White wrote an interesting article the other day on proposed changes to relax rules in South Australia regarding the transport of grape harvesters and other machinery and equipment from Victoria to South Australia, provided that they have come from a "phylloxera exclusion zone". For those unacquainted with phylloxera, it is the insect that laid waste to most of the Victorian wine

Rochford Pinot Noir 2005

2012-04-29T15:12:00.004+10:00

The thing about pinot noir is that it's not always the expensive bottles or the grand labels that deliver. Indeed, more often than my wallet or palate enjoys, they do not. I couldn't stop smiling then when I opened this 2005 vintage Rochford pinot noir last night from the Yarra Valley. Although a good vintage in the Yarra Valley for pinot noir, this is not a bottle that I was expecting to be

Domaine Bellegarde Jurançon 2010

2012-04-27T21:31:00.003+10:00

Domaine Bellegarde is a fourth generation family estate situated in the Jurançon region in south western France, and its vineyard is approximately 15 hectares consisting of 60% petit manseng and 40% gros manseng. The 2010 "Jurançon" from this estate is a lovely dessert wine, and a blend of gros manseng (60%) and petit manseng (40%) (in reverse proportion to the vineyard proportions as it turns

On the regionality of Australian wine. In 1891.

2012-04-23T22:19:00.001+10:00

I was thumbing through the 1891 Royal Commission on Vegetable Products, Handbook for Viticulture in Victoria (yes, really), when I came across this interesting quote: "Instead of having in each district a host of different names , such as Hermitage, Shiraz, Carbinet, Burgundy, Chasselas, Riesling, Tokay, &c., let each district produce a definite type of wine. Names derived from the sort of

Chateau Jolys Jurançon Sec 2010

2012-04-22T14:29:00.004+10:00

This wine is a winner. Jurançon is located in south-western France, on the road from Toulouse to Biarritz, not far north of the Pryénées mountains that divide France and Spain. I am quite familiar with this road, since my wife and I travelled it some years ago without luggage (or, more pertinently, the map that was in our luggage) care of British Airways, and so hard largely no idea where we

Sparkling Wine on a Budget Part 2 of 2: Three Crémants and a Cava

2012-04-19T21:57:00.001+10:00

Tasting a set of Crémants and a Cava in amongst some Champagnes was an interesting experience. A couple of the Crémants are not far off the mark, yet bear prices that are significantly lower than most Champagnes. My main concern here was that these wines lacked some "love" feeling quite austere on the palate. Nonetheless, their low prices help plump the pillow of austerity. Now, I'm evidently

Sparkling Wine on a Budget Part 1 of 2: Henkell Trocken Sekt, Riccadonna Asti and Yarra Burn Cuvée Brut

2012-04-18T21:45:00.000+10:00

When it comes to Champagne (or sparkling wines), my preferences are not strong. Gosset is a favourite, Krug would be if money were no object, and I am partial to Bollinger too. I might soon add a Clover Hill vintage release to this list, although I see I didn't seem to like it so much last time I tried it in a set of Champagnes. Most of the other readily available Champagne grande marques are

Molly Morgan Rosé 2010

2012-04-16T15:00:00.000+10:00

It's hard to go wrong these days with Australian rosé. Almost always reliably dry, and usually, but not always, well made. This particular rosé from Molly Morgan in the Hunter Valley is both dry and well made. This rosé is bright, with somewhere between red and pink in colour and pale in intensity. The aroma is clean, with hints of strawberries and raspberries and a medium intensity

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2003

2012-04-15T13:51:00.001+10:00

In two words: "crowd pleaser". The 2003 vintage of Penfolds' Bin 389 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, their respective proportions unspecified, and aged for 12 months in new and old American oak. Described as an "early drinking" style in the winemaker's notes, you will not be disappointed drinking this wine in 2012. I think the winemaker was being a little modest. 9 years on, the

Port Phillip Estate Pinot Noir 2001

2012-04-13T14:00:00.000+10:00

This wine made me stand up and take notice. It will not appeal to all palates. However, it unexpectedly quite resembled a Côte de Nuits villages Burgundy. And just to be clear, in my view, pinot noir does not need to resemble Burgundian pinot noir to be good. Sometimes it helps because Burgundy is after all a reference point for outstanding pinot noir, but I think that good pinot noir is

Charles Melton Nine Popes 1996

2012-04-12T20:21:00.000+10:00

Charles Melton's Nine Popes is a blend of grenache, mourvedre and shiraz. I wasn't able to find any information about the 1996 vintage of this wine from the winery's website, and so I can offer my impressions of it only. It is bright with a medium(+) intensity expression of ruby in colour. The nose however is most unusual. Mostly unpleasant in fact. Initially, a pronounced intensity

Molly Morgan Shiraz Viognier 2010

2012-04-08T21:33:00.001+10:00

This is another very good value wine from Molly Morgan in the Hunter Valley. At only $15, and despite it using the Côte Rôtie blend of shiraz and viognier adopted widely in Australia following the commercial success of Tim Kirk's Clonakilla shiraz viognier, it has more than a passing resemblance to a Crozes-Hermitage in terms of style. At $15, these are nice thoughts to be having. The heavy "

Molly Morgan Semillon 2011

2012-04-06T14:12:00.001+10:00

Molly Morgan is a small producer from the Hunter Valley. In my view, semillon is the Hunter Valley's unique contribution to the wine world, due to its low alcohol, its capacity for remarkable improvement with age, and its unique food friendly flavour. Molly Morgan's 2011 semillon is a very good wine, and a bargain at $15. Made by winemaker Simon Miles, its appearance is bright, with a