Sundry notes commemorating wines drunk over Christmas 2007 and subsequent visit to Tasmanian cellar doors and the Hobart “Taste of…” Some from written notes, some from memory
2000-disgorged Rockford Black Shiraz (Barossa) [cork]
The stubby cork broke off during extraction, but I’d rather dig out a nubbin of mushroom remains than have the wine oxidised! There are plenty of small bubbles in this mid-garnet, faintly murky wine. A developing nose of leathery/spicy warm climate shiraz fruit precedes a dry, medium bodied and sophisticated palate, complete with masses of small creamy bubbles, and a long persistent finish. Lovely wine, with plenty of time left.
2004 Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling (Clare Valley) [375ml, screwcap, 10.5%]
A botrytis-free sweetie, this golden-coloured wine offers sweetly honeyed aromas of the utmost purity, followed by a luscious but not cloying palate of sweet quince and honey flavours. Nicely acidic, and showing some development without brassiness, this has an attractively structured palate and a moderate length finish. This is very good.
1998 William Fevre Montmains 1er cru (Chablis) [cork, 13%]
Clear lemon, fading to transparent at the rim. A developing, yet sulphurous nose of flint, nut, oak and a touch of fig. A dry medium intensity palate follows, with stone fruits and subtle oak flavours, tingly acidity, and a decent length, slightly warm finish. An impressive wine, with a good balance of weight the whole length of the palate. Standing up very nicely, and ought to sail another ten years, surely.
2002 Rosemount Balmoral Shiraz (McLaren Vale) [cork, 14.5%, A$19]
I was offered this blind, and picked it as a warm-climate wine from a cooler region. Oh dear! A viscous purple, it has a developing nose of subdued currants and berries, with a hard green edge emerging underneath as it sits in the glass. Dry, with medium tannins and body, but the finish is very short and hollow; there’s little presence beyond the front palate. Overall, the wine lacks depth and richness. Acceptable quality for the $20 it sold for, but a travesty for a Balmoral. Should not have been sold under this label – an epic marketing stuff-up.
2006 Batasiolo Gavi DOCG “Granèe” [cork, 13%, A$17]
Confession time. Cortese is a new grape to me. A clear yellow-green colour, the wine has subtle aromas of white flowers and a gentle peachiness. The palate shows some backbone, with a steely minerality underwriting gentle vague white fruits. No great complexity, yet dry and savoury, with soft acidity balancing the whole nicely. A subtle yet modestly enjoyable offering. May hold for a few years, better if sealed unser screwcap
2004 Meadowbank Sauvignon Blanc (Tasmania) [screwcap, 12.6%]
Gosh. Verging on mid-gold in colour. Not sympathetically cellared, this smells of tinned peas and cat wee. Developed past the point of interest. Clunky and flabbly on the palate, with disappearing acidity. Not oxidised, thanks to the seal, but hardly a great advert for the grape or the winery. Drinkable, but only just, and more as an experiment than for enjoyment.
These next notes are from the Taste of Tasmania, the New Year food & drink festival at the Princess Wharf in Hobart. Cursory notes mostly; it’s always a popular event and not really the ideal tasting environment…
2003 Craigow Riesling (Coal Valley)[screwcap, A$23]
Clean lemon and slate aromas. A light-bodied ripe fresh wine, with a faintly sweet, yet still short finish. Acceptable but underwhelming.
2004 Bream Creek Late Harvest Schönburger (South Tasmania)[375ml, Diam, 10.4%, $A23]
Clear lemon, with plenty of legs. Slightly developing aromas of mixed citrus, lychees, a dash of passionfuit and a distinct steeliness precedes a palate of greater richness than the nose suggests. Among the clean but sweet citric fruit lies a beguiling tanginess and a lime twist on the finish. With a decently long finish despite only just enough acidity to hold it together, medium bodied weight, and medium sweetness without ever being cloying, it’s a fascinating example of a rare grape put to great use. Bought some of this, hence the more detailed note.
Interestingly, the dry version of the 2006 Schönburger {screwcap, $21} is rather gewürztraminer-like in its aromatic profile, but a little less oily and more steely on the palate. Bream Creek had quite a range of wine to taste; I was also impressed with the 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir {Diam, $34}, which showed ripe spicy pinot fruitiness, with soft tannins and a balanced lingering finish.
Quick tastes also of a few wines from Freycinet’s Spring Vale:
2007 Gewurztraminer {$28}
A delicate wine. Varietally correct aromas. Soft acid, but avoids oiliness. Weight of fruit falls on front palate. Short finish fades fast. Acceptable but overpriced.
2006 Chardonnay {$30}
Peach and stone fruits. Finely-featured wine. Nice balance of oak and quality fruit. Some midpalate here, but again the finish is a bit of a let-down.
2006 Pinot Noir {$40}
Quite a soft, plump wine. Ripe fruits with minimal stalkiness. Spiky acid and soft tannins. Satisfying enough, but lacks length depth and complexity to be of real interest.
All Spring Vale wines are under screwcap, and with their traditional and charming old colonial/pirate-map style labels intact. These are actually somewhat better wines than I remember tasting from this label some years ago, but all are too pricey.
Another wine which sticks in my mind from the Taste was a 2006 Holm Oak Riesling (Tamar) for it’s searing acidity and citric profile. I’ve been impressed with their wines in the past, and hope a recent change of ownership won’t be for the worse…
Finally, I had a quick sampling of some Frogmore Creek wines, in view of their sweet riesling having won a gong for the ‘Wine of the Taste’.
2005 Frogmore Creek Riesling (Coal Valley)
Citric and lime fruits on the nose. More of a mainland style than the usual Tasmanian floral character. Zippy acid, with waves of sharp fruit on the palate, and yet still somewhat austere and forbidding. Time is its friend I think.
2006 Frogmore Creek ‘FGR’ Riesling (Coal Valley)
FGR = 40 grams of residual sugar. There are now a number of Australians making Rieslings with an eye on German styles, although none of them is likely to admit that the finished results are nearere to a typical New Zealand style. This has vague aromas of white flowers, with a palate of noticeably sweet fruit, but without the structural integrity to keep it really interesting. A bit of a lollywater effort in other words.
2007 Frogmore Creek Iced Riesling (Coal Valley)
Youthful nose of indeterminate white fruits. A richly sweet enough palate, but not enough acidity to keep this interesting or from cloying. Mediocre.
Into 2008 and after a lunch with friends in Launceston (who said this was a relaxed, stay-in-once-place holiday?) a short stop at white wine specialist
Iron Pot Bay
follows, under the shadow of the Batman Bridge over the Tamar River. Cellar door is appointment only these days, wines are made under contract by Andrew Pirie, and still display possibly the most attractive and evocative labels worn by any Australian wine.
2007 Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc (Tamar Valley) [screwcap, 13.3%, $A23]
The youthful and quite pungent nose shows grassy but ripe sauvignon aromas. Distinctive. The palate is dry, with plenty of acid, and yet there’s a touch of fruit sweetness that prevents too much severity. Although it’s mostly a front-palate wine, there’s some persistence to the finish.
2007 Riesling (Tamar Valley) [screwcap, 11.5%, $A16]
Made from two year old vines, and picked quite early in the season, with consequent results for ripeness, I think. Suspect the decision was made on structural grounds; even at this low alcohol the acidity is very soft. Restrained lime and citric notes are the hallmark flavours, the wine is light-bodied but also quite short finishing. Quality commensurate with price, shall we say.
2007 Gewurztraminer (Tamar Valley) [screwcap, $A23]
Classic spicy aromatics of the variety. Medium-bodied with decent acidity – in fact a slightly green tinge to the fruit on the palate. Still, some bathpowder and musk flavours are present. Modest finish. Pleasant but not really memorable.
We settled in for a few family (my wife’s) days at the in-laws property in Bridport, on the Bass Strait coast, a special destination for me to play the widely-acclaimed new Barnbougle Dunes golf links. A sensational course, it was more than a match for the quality of golf I was able to throw at it (not having lifted a club since the arrival on Number One son seven months ago). You don’t need to be long (except into the wind), but, by God, you’d better be straight. Miss a fairway = 75% lost ball, 20% unplayable lie. Not much margin for error. But a glorious track. Have rarely enjoyed playing so badly before… The clubhouse has also provided easily the best restaurant in town; over a birthday lunch we enjoyed several bottles of
2007 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) [screwcap, 13.5%, A$38 from wine list]
Yellow-green. Restrained nose, of tight, traditional kiwi gooseberry notes. No tropical fruit here. The palate is very pure, dry with medium acidity, and really quite austere fruit. Verging on subtle, within the genre, with even a little mid-palate weight too. Decent medium length finish. Very good wine, a serious effort.
2001 Heymann-Lowenstein ‘Shieferterrassen’ QbA 05-02 (Mosel) [cork, 12.5%, €10]
A bottle we shlepped back from the CD four years ago and opened on my wife’s birthday, this is the winery’s entry effort, soured from vineyards across the lower Mosel around Winningen, where Lowenstein is based. Lemon, verging on gold in colour, yet still with a flash of green. The nose is quite aged, with aromas of flour and apple. The palate is barely off-dry, quite powerful – medium-bodied even. Developed Riesling fruits with just a touch of slate (all those terraces!), and a nice even palate, maintaining some presence right to the back palate. There’s still a little acid holding it together, but I wouldn’t hold it much longer, however good the reputation of the vintage.
For four days in Bridport, eight adults consumed a modest 34 bottle of still and sparkling wines (nearly all supplied by the other six folks, we being the only out-of-state visitors). As they were largely modestly-priced drops, it brought home to me just how bland and unmemorable are so many of our widely distributed big company wines these days. Undistinguished – sometimes entirely anonymous - blends (of “classic varieties”) from high-yield vineyards in ‘South East Australia’; industrial whites and bland reds seem to be the standard offering for ten bucks. They’re not faulty, just bland; lubricating the meal and offering the effects of alcohol with no further mental effort required. Ho-hum. A prolonged exposure to everyday wines is a good reminder of just why we want to cellar better efforts.
After Bridport, we only had time for one cellar door on our way to a few nights with more friends at Mole Creek. That’s two mobile phone blackspots separated by the civilisation of Launceston in between! Anyway, a point of call close to the main road is Hardy’s somewhat under-the-radar Piper’s Brook label of
Bay of Fires
which also acts as cellar door for the second-tier Tigress label. Winemaker Fran Austin has been in the news winning various awards recently, and a previous visit in 2004 suggested that there was decent value for money available here, not something for which the Tamar is famous. An odd mix of wines available to taste, with some more desirable wines apparently ‘between releases’, notably the top-of-the-line Arras sparkler and the BoF Pinot. It’s also strange to see such small price gap between two labels as it disguises quite a leap in quality. Still wines are all Tamar Valley-sourced, I’m less sure about the two initial sparklers.
nv Tigress Pinot Noir-Chardonnay [cork, $A26]
Very pinot-ish, strawberry fruits, rather fruity overall, with very little yeasty complexity or developmental notes. Medium-sized bubbles. Refreshing rather than appetising.
nv Tigress Pinot Noir-Chardonnay Rosé [cork,$A26]
Smells of musk and dust. A rather simple and short wine of alarmingly dark appearance. No real depth or persistence, and seriously overpriced. Trying to cash in on a trend?
2007 Bay of Fires Riesling [screwcap, 12%, $A30]
Powerfully citric and lime-ridden. Ripe. An almost angry wine, in fact. May settle with time.
2007 Tigress Sauvignon Blanc (Tamar Valley) [screwcap,$A26]
Ho hum. Nicely cool-climate varietal characteristics on show here, all cool and acidic; none of that tropical rubbish. Pleasant and undemanding, but rather costly.
2006 Tigress Pinot Noir (Tamar Valley) [screwcap, 13.3%, $A31]
Appropriate ripe varietal fruits initially, some stalkiness apparent. Nicely tannic, with a pleasantly plush mid-palate and moderate lingering finish. Fair value too, although past experience says the extra expense of a mere $5 for the Bay of Fires-labelled wine is more than worth the money. I did buy a bottle of this for dinner that night, and it still held together reasonably well the next day; a wine that won’t disappoint, but won’t thrill either.
2002 Bay of Fires Cabernet Sauvignon [cork, $A45]
You really have to leave your mainland palate behind. Made by Steve Pannell, according to the website – perhaps they’d have better left it to the locally-based Austin. The wine is dark purple/ruby, but the aromas are of bushfire smoke with green/asparagus & capsicum/pepper tinge. Yikes! Polarizing stuff. The palate was a massive let-down for me, with a savagely tannic structure failing to extend beyond the mid-palate and a leaving short aggressive finish. The price must be for tourists, and may explain why the current release is five years behind vintage…
2006 Tigress Late Harvest Riesling [screwcap, 10.5%, $A26]
A modestly off-dry wine to finish; neither luscious nor beguiling, just a simple lick of sugar in a diffuse and rather unexciting offering. Dull.
Over an impressive Beef Pie for lunch at the Anvers Chocolates café in Latrobe I seem to recall a glass of 2004 Bream Creek Cabernet Sauvignon – the wretched Paris goblet glass filled to the very brim. The usual olive green/herbal streak came to the fore, but it’s not really unripe, just characteristic. A respectable cool-climate offering, softly tannic, and not tasting like too much of a save, if you know what I mean. An acquired taste, none-the-less.
Always worth a visit when in Hobart is
Stefano Lubiana
down at Granton. I skipped them at the Taste where the man himself was pouring, quite overwhelmed by punters; better to visit the CD itself where more time for reflection and discussion is possible (even if with a staff member instead of the proprietor).
nv Brut (Derwent Valley) [cork, A$30]
The base level bubbly starts with chardonnay fruits, before some strawberries kick in. The palate is quite floral and fruity. Medium bubbles, some persistence, a fair wine for the price.
2007 Riesling (Derwent Valley) [screwcap, A$24]
Lime, musk and floral notes. Only a moderate level of acidity, but finishes dry. Pleasant aperitif style, possibly a shorter aging example.
2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Derwent Valley) [screwcap, 12%, A$24]
A nose almost entirely consisting of figs. Unusual and attractive. A little tropicality appears on the palate; this is a nice mix of fruit and acidity which would appeal even to blanc-a-phobes. Nicely structured effort which contrasts well with other Oz examples of the grape.
2006 ‘Primavera’ Chardonnay (Derwent Valley) [screwcap, A$24]
The oak is noticeable, but perhaps only in my context of drinking so many unoaked whites recently. It’s not crude, at any rate. Sense of nuts and stonefruits, some subtlety too; it’s fresh and drinkable with crisp acid, befitting its status as an early-drinker.
2007 Nebbiolo Rosé (Derwent Valley) [screwcap, A$24]
While waiting for the vines to age sufficiently to provide material for a ‘proper’ wine, a rosé is the go. With a dash of sugar and a touch of spritz, this needs a quick chill to provide easy quaffing.
2006 ‘Primavera’ Pinot Noir (Derwent Valley) [screwcap, 13.5%, A$25]
Heaps of ripe juicy pinot fruit, helped by some whole-bunch ferment. A little stalkiness adds interest, there’s minimal oak but soft tannins add to the picture. A simple uncomplicated effort, but you could do much worse for the price.
2005 Estate Pinot Noir (Derwent Valley) [cork, 13.5%, A$45]
The ‘proper’ pinot has a much greater depth of fruit, with some silkiness about its texture, soft tannins, and – most tellingly – a rich and persistent mid-palate. Some sophistication here – this was a buy for me. The 2004 was bottled 50/50 under screwcap and cork; unhappy with the early development of the capped wine, Lubiana reverted to 100% cork for the 05 release. Seemed an odd decision to me for a wine intended to age for some time, but anyhow…
2005 ‘Sasso’ Pinot Noir (Derwent Valley) [cork, 13.5% A$78]
A barrel selection of the best pinot is now bottled under this new label. And under a cork, which had contaminated the first bottle with TCA (opened the day before, but not picked up – must have been a mild taint. The CD-man was tasting the wines with me as we went – immediately following our cork discussion! – and I raised the mustiness question on this one. He agreed the wine wasn’t right, and opened another bottle…) Anyway, when correct, this wine has a lavish richness of ‘pinosity’ – more fruit than game and earth, but reasonably seductive in any case. Fine tannins, and persistent length are the hallmarks, there’s not great complexity yet, however. Good length of finish. Impressive wine, though I can’t quite see the value at this price…
2005 Merlot (Derwent Valley) [cork, 13.5%, A$28]
A good honest effort. Respectably varietal, rich, plummy, not too harsh or crudely tannic. Looks very good at the price.
My final visit was to the aristocrats of Tasmanian wine
Domaine A
near Richmond in the Coal Valley. I hit the jackpot here; not only was I the only visitor, but the bottle dregs of a dinner the preceding night in Adelaide (!) arrived back at the cellar door - wines never normally for tasting were thus available. This really is a two-label winery – the Stoney Vineyard wines are (generally) made every year, the Domaine A label itself is reserved for top parcels of fruit only, and thus has patchy availability. Accordingly, there is no Domaine A pinot from 2004, or Cabernet from 2002. At these prices, the wines seem to sell very slowly too – the 01, 00 & 99 cabernets are still available for sale.
2007 Stoney Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Coal Valley) [Diam, A$35]
Lots of gooseberry here is a stylish, cool-tasting offering. Fresh acid but the short finish rather lets it down a little. A lot of money asked for what it is. The last sauvignon in the country not under screwcap?
2005 Domaine A ‘Lady A’ Fume Blanc [sauvignon] (Coal Valley) [cork, A$60]
This must be the nation’s most expensive sauvignon blanc , surely? More in the Graves mould than Marlborough, that’s for sure. The oak is subtle, the nose with asparagus and timid gooseberry fruits. The palate is rich and long; it’s a unusual style for Australia and very more-ish, with a long finish, but that price tag…
2005 Domaine A ‘HPA’ Chardonnay (Coal Valley) [cork, A$60]
A one-off effort made on a whim from non-estate grapes in the local area. A nose of peaches and fig lead to a gently oaked palate with persistent acidity and attractive structure. All the whites I tasted were really too cold, having just come from the overnight refrigerator, so it’s hard to do this wine justice. No added acid, by the way, Domaine A don’t add acid, period.
2006 Stoney Vineyard Rose [cabernet] (Coal Valley) [Diam, 13%]
A tart little wine made from cabernet grapes, it’s light-bodied and refreshing, thankfully lacking heat.
2002 Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Coal Valley) [Diam, A$28]
The newsletter tasting note pretty well summed this up aromatically – cherries, dark chocolate, blackcurrant leaf and mushroom. It’s a bit greener than that list indicates; it’s also a powerful wine with strong tannins. For a 5-year-old second wine, it’s blazing along, and yet, it looks harsh against the following vintage.
2003 Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Coal Valley) [Diam, A$26]
This bears some aromatic similarities to the 02, and although it might be a bit lighter on the palate, it has greater breeding and thus makes a greater impact overall, with a richness of texture permeating the herby, tannic but juicy mouthfeel. Terrific and characterful wine for the price.
2005 Stoney Vineyard Pinot Noir (Coal Valley) [Diam, A$35]
An early drinking pinot; intense and fruity in a stalky, cherry way. Actually quite tart and acidic, and let down a little by being mostly weighted to the front palate. But a reasonable effort for the money, although I think the next wine is the one to buy…
2004 Stoney Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir (Coal Valley) [Diam, A$40]
This is basically the declassified Domaine A pinot from 2004, deemed not up to scratch for the premium label. Presumably they’d already bottled and sold out of the 04 Stoney label pinot, so this gets it’s own little spot as a ‘Reserve’ release at a reduced price. It’s a clear step up from the 05 regular release with a nose of game and spice, moderately rich mouthfeel, soft powdery tannins, and decent length finish. As usual, the oak is completely in the background. ‘Consume over next few years’ the estate says; fair enough, I’ve had some not-too-distant experience with these wines going very minty over time.
2004 Domaine A Merlot (Coal Valley) [cork, 13.5% A$85]
A rare beast, being sold for the first time (previously given away to large purchasers). This was one of the ‘bonus’ wines I mentioned. Easily the best Australian merlot I’ve ever tasted, the nose offer rich plum and cherry aromas, but the palate is where the action is. Rich and ripe, round, and even subtley smoky, with fine balanced tannins, the weight of the wine (medium-full) stretches right to the back of the palate. Sensational stuff, and considering the rubbish merlots that are often sold around the $40-mark, I think this is respectably priced.
2001 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon (Coal Valley) [cork, A$65]
This is in fact a Bordeaux blend, with merlot, malbec and PV totalling just under the 15% that would cause the labelling laws to step in. Seems very austere after the lushness of the straight merlot, but despite the more herbal accent to the fruit it does possess an almost liqueur-like richness of fruit. The tannins are powerful but not aggressive. It is relatively expensive I guess, but it’s unlike pretty well any other Australian cabernet available. Quality stuff, and worth buying bearing in mind something of a price premium for the limited nature of the Estate’s production.
1999 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon (Coal Valley) [cork, A$85]
Aging gracefully, and at glacial pace, this wine now appears as essence of cassis, while maintaining a trademark herbaceousness beneath. Integrated and balanced, medium-bodied with resolving tannin and a medium length finish, the structure coats the palate handsomely. Fine show.
The Domaine A 2005 Pinot Noir will be released in March ($70), and the 2003 Cabernet in September. First price rises in 17 years, according to the newsletter. Wow! They sure were expensive wines back in the beginning…!
Every time I go back to Tasmania I am more impressed by the wine I find, at least from the more obsessive and committed makers. Here’s one part of Australia that will benefit from global warming. And boy, these long reports really take some writing to catch up, I gotta say!
Cheers,
Graeme