Mike Press Wines Pinot Noir 2004

There has been quite a buzz on the local discussion boards about the Mike Press range of wines, especially in terms of the value on offer (I think the most expensive wine goes for $120/dozen). The wines I have tasted from the range have all been well-made and, more importantly to me, of individuality and character. Considering it's possible to buy wines in the $20 and $30 price ranges that are correct but blandly corporate, this is quite an achievement.

If you're used to, say, the mainstream Yarra Valley or Marlborough style of pinot, this wine might come as a shock. It is a restrained style with a focus on structure and line, rather than fruit volume.

The nose is relative expressive and, although bright fruit is present, it's a little overwhelmed at present by caramel/malt oak. Some savoury/undergrowth complexities are also present.

On entry, the wine's flavours intensify quite rapidly and fruit expresses itself early in the wine's structure. The middle palate is generous and moderately intense without losing its focus and acid-driven line. Caramel, resiny oak again picks up the flavour profile from the middle of the palate onwards and leads into a rounded, finely drying finish of adequate length.

To me, this wine tastes a little awkward and oak-heavy right now, but there's good fruit in there and a dollop of structure to keep the wine going. It's hard to keep your hands off such a well-priced wine, and I don't have a clear sense of how this wine might develop, but I'll stash a couple of bottles aside and see.

Redman Shiraz 2004

I had a 1976 Redman Claret last year and it was a beautiful, ephemeral experience. It was totally over the hill but none the less interesting for that. So how does the current release compare?

This is a leaner shiraz that's relatively low in alcohol (13%) and of medium body. The flavour profile is quite complex and has notes of blackberry, foliage and odd, slightly raisin-like fruit. There's a fair whack of volatile acidity that highlights the more vegetal aspects of the flavour profile. Intensity of flavour is good, and the palate has quite prominent acidity that isn't terribly integrated into the rest of the wine's structure.

I wonder how this will age? At the moment, the flavour profile isn't terribly to my taste.

O'Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling 2007

On a bit of a riesling roll at the moment. As always, the transparency of the grape is fascinating.

For the past few vintages, I have preferred the Polish Hill version of the O'Leary Walker to its Watervale sibling, finding it a bit finer and more elegant. I've not tried the 07 Watervale yet, but I do like this Polish Hill number. And now I'm sick of typing Polish Hill and Watervale.

A tight wine with delicate, floral aromas that hint at citrus and powder, with perhaps an underlying note of more juicy lemon substance. The palate continues the line of the wine and displays nice intensity of flavour. Citrus intermixed with talc, a sort of fun bubblegum type flavour, again quite powdery and pretty. The wine's acidity is quite firm and linear, and emphasises the sourness of the citrus in the flavour profile. Relatively coarse phenolics kick in towards the finish, but I think they work well and serve to reinforce the crispness of the wine.

I like it!

Charles Melton Nine Popes 1996

Beguiling aromas that mix savoury, fruit and oak characters in a slightly lifted bundle of joy. There's also a meatiness in there that straddles a savoury/sweet line. In terms of palate, it has a thick, seamless mouthfeel that delivers a similar mix of flavours as was smelled, but more fruit forward and richer than one would anticipate from the nose. There are some faint aged characters, but it's still predominantly primary character driven. As I drink, there's a lovely brambly note that is emerging too, a sweet delicious stalkiness. The wine is actually still quite acidic, so it's probably got a ways to go, but I can't think how it could get better than this.

This is a seriously good wine that is still quite young tasting but with the clean, developed mouthfeel and flavour integration that comes with bottle age.

Note that I've subsequently had a couple more bottles of this wine that have not quite attained the same level as this one.

Pewsey Vale Riesling 2007

I went to the local Dan Murphy with the intention of buying as many 2007 rieslings as they had. I left with... two. Lame.

One of the reasons I love riesling is that it's so transparent and allows such a direct view to terroir and growing conditions. Take this wine, and compare it to the Petaluma we had the other day. The Pewsey Vale, typically for an Eden Valley riesling, is skewed firmly towards a delicate, mineral/floral flavour profile, with just a hint of the lime juice that Clare examples often place front and centre. Having said that, the 2007 Pewsey Vale seems a little indistinct, flavour-wise, and is of more interest in terms of its structure and mouthfeel. Lovely acidity, this wine. And remarkable length too; the flavour seems to linger on the back of the tongue for an awfully long time.

This is a tight, young riesling that I would be interested in seeing with some bottle age. I wish the flavour had more clearly defined components. Despite the crisp mouthfeel and structure, the flavour profile feels a little broad.

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2007

I love this wine, generally, and it's been one of my favourite rieslings in the past. I always look forward to its release each year. This 2007 has been getting some great write ups so it was with some eagerness that I popped the top on our bottle tonight.

I'm happy to say that this wine isn't disappointing at all. In fact, I'm seriously impressed. The 2007, or this bottle at least, isn't as explosively fragrant as some previous vintages have been. It does, though, express an enticing floral/slatey aroma, slightly powdery perhaps, certainly attractive. The palate more than makes up for any slight aromatic reticence. A complex flavour profile of citrus blossom, lemon juice and slate explodes in the mouth and is carried the full length of the palate by lively, yet fine, acidity. This riesling sets itself apart from more ordinary examples through both the complexity of its flavour, and its clearly defined structure and mouthfeel. It's like a mixture of the sensuous and the intellectual, well balanced between extremes such that all one's desires as a wine appreciator are met.

I'll be springing for some of this, no question.

Yalumba The Menzies 1996 - redux

My last bottle. I tasted this a few weeks ago and found the fruit in that particular bottle had receded too far with respect to the oak.

How nice, then, that this bottle seems in much better condition and is altogether more satisfying a wine. The last bottle's oak spiciness is still present, but the big difference is that, here, a panorama of other flavours sit alongside it. There's clean, primary fruit, dusty leafy cabernet character, aniseed, secondary notes that are slightly stinky and sweet, all delivered through a silky, largely resolved mouthfeel. All the elements seem in balance and, although it's not a wine of inscrutable complexity, I love the extra dimension that bottle age has added to what was, in its youth, a fruity and fun wine.

Good bottles of this probably have some way to go, and I regret, now, not having purchased more so I could follow this wine further along its life. Perhaps auction will provide a solution. No matter -- a sophisticated wine that is drinking well.

Brand's Laira Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005

This wine makes a refreshing change from the lean, mean chardonnays I have been drinking of late. It feels in some ways like a blast from the past, being a much softer style of wine. I used a bit of this in cooking the chicken with cream sauce we had last night, the rest being reserved for drinking with the meal. It disappeared pretty quickly.

The nice thing about this wine is that it is an unashamedly rich, round style of chardonnay that is also in balance. It's just that the balance is completely different from the acid-driven wines that seem to be the new wave in Australian chardonnay. Instead of being aggressively structured and brightly flavoured, this wine is pure peaches and cream smoothness. The nose is moderately expressive and is basically lightly spicy peaches and vanilla cream. Soft and round and slightly sweet. The palate is consistent with this, but much amplified, and adds a caressing mouthfeel to the mix. There are hints of malo butter/butterscotch in there, but these notes are not over the top. At first I thought this wine had traded in all its acid, but in fact it's still there, just in the background, providing a bit of support for the wine's structure. Oak seems to provide body and flavour rather than being the main event.

This is such a nice quaffing wine, and I mean that in the best way. It's well made, with attractive flavours, good balance, and a very high drinkability rating. Our bottle disappeared pretty quickly. But I can imagine someone who preferred a more Chablis style hating this wine. Oh, it's also pretty good value. I think I paid about $15 for this at Dan's.

Irvine Springhill Merlot 2004

Yay, a delicious and quite sophisticated merlot.

On opening, a bit of a fruit bomb, but it quickly reveals its full spectrum of flavours. A lovely leafy note frames this wine's attractive (if rather simple) red fruit flavours. On the nose, there are intermingled aromas of fruit, leaf and cigar box. Green olives are added to the mix in the mouth, and there's lovely acidity to tingle the edges of the tongue, as well as ripe tannins to dry the finish. It's a medium bodied wine that shows good balance and structure. Its fruit flavours a bit simple and flat, though, and I would not describe this wine as one of great depth or complexity. However, for the $16 I paid, you'd be hard pressed to find a wine of this quality.

Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 2007

A bit of fresh riesling lovin' last night.

When I was in the Clare Valley during vintage time earlier this year, most of the wineries were open about the difficulties of the 2007 vintage, so I've been curious to try the resultant wines.

Here we have a sprightly young riesling, which opens in lively fashion with estery "fake fruit" smells, sort of a sherbet character. In the mouth, the acidity is present but not at all steely or hard, and the wine's flavours are generous. There's some spritzy CO2 as well. After about an hour, the sherbet overtones disappeared and revealed more classic lime/lemon juice flavours, especially in the mouth.

If a riesling could be a "fruit bomb," this would be one. It's fun to drink and quite flavoursome, "like soft drink" as the other half commented at one point. The flip side of this is that it seems to lack structure and elegance, being somewhat flabby for a young Clare riesling. Its flavours are also a bit simple and one-dimensional. I would not try cellaring this one.

Update: I "found" a glass of this the next day that had been sitting out overnight. Of course I had to taste it. It was actually in quite good shape, and for kicks I left it all day and came back to it in the evening, whereupon it was still holding its structure and fresh flavours. Perhaps it won't fall apart as quickly as I thought.

Two sangioveses

Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2004

I haven't had that many Italian wines but, of those I've tried, I've been struck by their austere structure that practically demands food.

At first, we tasted this wine without food. Colour-wise, it is pretty, not overly dense, quite ruby-like. The nose displays attractive, moderately complex aromas of lightly floral (rose-like) scents, combined with hints of lemon rind. First sips showed a wine of mid-weight, with savoury fruit towards the middle palate that is slightly raisin-like in character. The mouthfeel is dominated by acidity and rustic, rather chunky tannins that dry the finish most puckeringly.

At this point, we started to eat our osso bucco and the wine transformed into a much smoother, more sensual experience. The tannins and acidity melted and the wine's flavours expressed themselves more luxuriously. I must say, it's not the most complex wine I've ever had, but its savouriness is delicious and its character refreshingly un-Australian. I liked it.

Coriole Sangiovese 2006

By contrast, this wine trades savouriness and structure for upfront fruit and opulence. Considerable density of colour. Like the Italian number, this wine displays pretty florals on the nose, but the effect is more like bubble gum than valentine's day, and I was reminded a little of petit verdot. The palate has more in common with the Chianti Classico than the nose, especially with regard to the firm acidity that runs through the wine's line. Tannins kick in right towards the end of the palate and are lightly drying, though not a major presence by any means. It is beautifully made and an excellent value (picked it up for around the $17 mark).

This wine's fruit has a roundness and generosity that is very Australian. It's interesting to contemplate this McLaren Vale expression of sangiovese in contrast to the Italian style. I guess I'm tempted to hold up the Chianti Classico as a benchmark of sorts, but then I look at this Coriole and, with each sip, enjoy its flavour profile very much. I wonder if it's productive to expect Australian sangiovese to emulate the original style, and instead if it's wiser to have regard to the quality of the fruit and winemaking on its own terms.

Yalumba Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2005

This was at 1st Choice for around the $16 mark and, having read some some good notices on the 'net, I picked it up to try. I've been getting into chardonnay lately and remember loving the Yalumba FDW[7c] at cellar door.

What an awesome wine. The aromas on this wine are super funky, and incredibly complex for this price point. Aside from the funky yeasty characters, there's also vanilla and clean fruit smells. The palate continues this theme consistently, the clarity of the fruit and smooth mouthfeel a highlight. Lovely creaminess too. Great balance.

You'd be hard pressed to find a more interesting chardonnay at this price. A repeat buy for sure.

d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne 2004

Something a bit different here, a straight roussanne from the McLaren Vale. As usual for d'Arenberg, the wine has a funky name and attractive label. I must admit, I've never had much luck with d'Arenberg wines, generally. Of course, I've not tasted the whole range, but in the past, my impression has usually ranged from slight to total disappointment.

I had a bit of trouble coming to grips with this wine, perhaps because I'm not hugely familiar with roussanne as a grape but also because I found the style of this wine a little broad and indistinct. The nose offers up a range of muted white stone and lightly tropical fruits, attractive enough, certainly inviting of a sip. In the mouth, I was a bit taken aback initially by the wine's broad, unfocussed mouthfeel, although at the same time attracted by its upfront flavour. There seems to be a fair whack of residual sugar in there, and when you combine this with noticeable phenolics and fairly rough acidity, you get a wine that is mouthfilling and generous, but also unsophisticated and coarse. The fruits become a bit more tropical in the mouth -- I was reminded of tinned pineapple -- and there's no shortage of flavour. I must say, the wine did go well with the chicken/tomato/olive pasta dish we had last night, I think because the wine's body and sugar levels were a good complement to the food's robust, rustic flavours.

At the end of the day, though, there's still a quarter of a bottle left. If you're bored with the "usual" Australian wine styles, this one could be the break you need.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

I bought a bottle of this the other day, with a view to determining whether it would be worth putting a few in the cellar. I already have a few 2003s and 2004s tucked away.

This wine just screams Coonawarra cabernet. It opens with that dust-on-leaf note that will be very familiar to anyone who has had a few cabernets from this region. It's funny how familiar, identifiably regional wine smells can be comforting. I find the same thing with Hunter semillon. Anyway, the nose continues with a clear, structured line of flavours, from the dust/leaf through to mulberries, aniseed, menthol and vanilla. The wine's line and flavour profile continues through to the palate in a consistent manner. What's evident in the mouth is the fruit's sweet ripeness, although you could hardly call it a fruit bomb. Instead, the mulberry-like fruit glows brightly within a tight structure of leafiness, savoury spices and oak. Tannins and acid are present, showing the enthusiasm of youth, but well balanced.

It's actually drinking quite well now but the wine seems designed to improve with age. I would hope the rawness of each flavour will mellow and the components further integrate with some extra time in bottle. I think I'll get some to cellar.

Kilikanoon Medley Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2002

It's a wet, windy night outside, and the boat's rocking a lot more than usual. The perfect night for a generous, warming red wine.

We decided to open this Kilikanoon number, and it turned out to be the perfect selection. It's got this delicious blackberry bush nose, alongside a fair hit of oak-derived vanilla and spice. A little bit of VA enhances the generosity and warmth of the nose. In the mouth, this wine is smooth and full bodied, with a fruit sweet mid palate that leads to a smoothly tannic, toasty vanilla finish. This is not a hugely sophisticated wine, but it's got an attractive spectrum of flavours on display, and it's so giving, flavoursome and warm, it's hard not to love, especially on a stormy night.

Tyrrell's Lost Block Merlot 2006

I'm a bit of a Tyrrell's fan, and my cellar is well stocked with Vat 1s and 9s (amongst others). I also have a few bottles of both vintages (so far) of the 4 Acres Shiraz. As an aside, I shared a bottle of the 2005 earlier this year with some erudite American wine friends and it floored us all, even when tasted alongside many exotic wines from around the world. Such perfume, acidity, elegance and structure. Hunter Shiraz indeed.

The Lost Block Merlot, however, is a rather different proposition. I was at the local bottlo last night, looking for something cheap and cheerful, and out jumped this wine, complete with a "special" tag underneath the row of bottles. So I grabbed it, figuring it would probably be well made at least.

And it is that. I will somewhat sheepishly admit that I guzzled this wine without so much as a second thought, and the wine participated willingly in my endeavour. Only towards the end of the (ostensibly shared) bottle did I tire of the wine's rather confected, overly intense mid and back palate sweetness. Otherwise, it's not a bad quaffer. It has some nice black olive and tobacco notes, and enough acidity to prop the wine up and prevent it from feeling completely flabby. But there's not a hell of a lot of structure here, nor is there much balance, the wine tipped as it is so far into the sweet fruit spectrum at the expense of almost everything else. I don't know if there's a whack of residual sugar here or whether it's just the fruit -- either way, it does become cloying after a couple of glasses, and you'd want to be eating something that balanced this out (pizza perhaps). I had it with a chicken dish that contained tomato and silverbeet but perhaps not enough strength of flavour, acidity and weight to keep the wine under control.

When next selecting a cheap quaffing red, I will probably not revisit this wine. A couple of wines tasted recently, the Mount Pleasant Phillip 2003 and the Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Red 2006, were both much more satisfying cheapies.

Yalumba The Menzies 1996

I remember tasting this wine at a comparative Coonawarra tasting back in 2000, I think. There were 70-something wines on the night, and this was one of the first. At the time, I was struck by the bright, attractive quality of its fruit. I bought a few bottles and tucked them away safely.

I've been meaning to try it the last few years, but somehow never got around to it. Tonight, however, saw me popping the somewhat crumbly cork on a bottle.

On the basis of this bottle, I may have left it too late. Things looked promising as I poured our first glasses, with exciting spicy aromas emerging from the glass on impact. Unfortunately, these spicy, oak-derived flavours are almost totally dominant, as the fruit has receded to nothing and left a dearth of secondary flavour in its wake. That said, the oak displays some complexity, with spice, vanilla and tobacco notes. But the wine shows no balance, and the finish is quite thin and astringent.

I have one bottle of this wine left, and I'm wondering if I should leave this for a while, to let the oak recede and the whole wine to perhaps turn into an altogether subliminal experience.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Johnson's Block 2003

Interesting wine, this one. It's a little ungainly at the moment, but I will be interested to see how the other three bottles in my cellar change over time.

The ingredients for a more harmonised wine appear to be present. The nose is quite forward and fruit-driven. The fruit is bright and has good intensity, if not great complexity. It's mostly raspberries with a bit of blackberry thrown in, both fresh and jammy at once, if that makes sense. On the palate, the fruit again leads the way. Tannins are very much present, not coarse exactly but a little raw at the moment. They are the sort of tannins that ache for time to soften and integrate with the wine. Acidity very much along the same lines. I'm not sure it's worth the price ($30-something) but it's a wine that I will follow with interest, because it expresses personality, and that's something that is worth a lot to me as a wine lover.

Mesh Riesling 2006

Back in 2002, the Mesh Riesling was probably the nicest riesling I tasted all year. I remember having it with Chris and Dan in an Indonesian restaurant in Glebe, along with the Clonakilla Riesling from the same vintage. Both wines were different and beautiful. The Mesh, I recall, had a very distinctive fruit flavour, sort of sherbet-like, that I enjoyed a lot. It was also structured with total clarity and balance. I have six bottles of it in my cellar. I wonder how it's developing?

In lieu of revisiting that vintage of the Mesh, I picked up a bottle of the current release, 2006, at Dan's the other day. Overall, I found it disappointing. Maybe my memories of the 2002 are a little overblown. Anyway, as a wine, it shows that Eden Valley delicacy, the spectrum of flavours tipped squarely to the floral/mineral side, rather than full on citrus juice as per some Clare rieslings. Well balanced, though without the clarity of structure that I find interesting in top rieslings. The acidity, too, was linear and well balanced, but it didn't have much distinctiveness. It would be interesting to contrast this wine with the 2005 Drumborg. Two different styles, but what's instructive is that the Drumborg has some key things that the Mesh lacks -- most of all, it has a clear personality. There's nothing wrong with the Mesh, it just didn't call out to me in a memorable way.

Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling 2000

Somewhat ironically, the riesling I've had most success in cellaring (at least in terms of least bottle variation) is a cheapie: Leasingham's Bin 7. I cracked open a 2000 last night from my stash that has not been raided since near to the wine's original release.

This wine is drinking so well right now. I most love riesling when it has developed a range of aged characters but has not lost the elements that make young riesling so much fun to drink (zingy acidity, cleansing primary fruit flavours). The wines seem to me most complex and rewarding at this stage. The Bin 7 had all this going on, showing complexity and balance across its flavours of lime, honey and toast. The wine's acidity brought everything together, being present and wonderfully linear without any harshness. Just a gorgeous, balanced aged riesling that we drank extremely quickly.

I have a 2001 in the fridge that I'm looking forward to trying.

Update: the 2001 was consumed and turned out to be significantly more developed than the 2000, and less interesting overall. It's losing its acid, fast. I'll be drinking my last two 2001s shortly.