Hay Shed Hill Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007

I feel a bit out of it, not generally understanding the appeal of our Margaret River sauvignon blanc semillon blends. I've often found these wines too astringent, aggressively herbal and just plain harsh.

What a pleasure, then, to encounter this wine, which seems to me a balanced and enjoyable style. I don't know the relative proportions of sauvignon blanc versus semillon, but there's an obvious sauvignon blanc influence on the flavour profile. It's all high toned tropical fruit, passionfruity, with some of the herbal notes that add complexity and interest but don't dominate. The palate has a nice fullness and presence that seems quite semillon-like to me, and allows the freshness of the nose to continue on unabated. Acidity is well integrated and delivers a fresh mouthfeel without coarseness. Length is also quite impressive and the wine lingers most satisfyingly on the back of the tongue.

We had this wine with some rather nice Asian food and it stood up well to intense aromatic flavours such as garlic, ginger and chilli. In fact, the bottle disappeared "just like that." I'd give this wine a really high drinkability rating, and it seems to me a brilliantly judged quaffing wine, without in any way becoming overly simple or resorting to cheap tricks like excessive residual sweetness. Great value too.

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!

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.

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.

Charles Melton Rose of Virginia 2007

This is the first wine I've tasted from the notoriously difficult 2007 vintage. I've had the Rose of Virginia quite a few times and always look forward to revisiting this wine.

When we first opened this wine, it felt a little one-dimensional, with a very attractive but simple floral fruitiness at its core. Over the course of half an hour, the wine rebalanced and opened up to greater complexity. This is a very well-judged wine. On the nose, there's a nice duality between seductively sweet, lifted floral notes and a subtle meaty savouriness. The palate echoes and amplifies this structure, with an entry that is predominantly fragrant/floral, leading to a middle palate that is quite full (owing partly to some residual sugar). The back of the palate is most engaging, with the fruitiness whisked away by more of that savoury meatiness and quite a dry, lightly tannic finish. Refreshing acidity supports the wine and prevents it from being at all cloying.

Really nice wine.