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.

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.

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.

Tintara Shiraz 1998

I keep expecting these wines I'm dragging from the cellar to be corked or faulty, but I seem to be having a good run so far.

I bought this wine years ago in Canberra as I wandered through a large wine shop in one of my periodic buying frenzies.

A very dense purple red colour. Initially on the nose, a clean burst of concentrated blueberry fruit was pretty dominant. I've been swirling a bit, though, and a real complexity of flavour is developing, mostly oak-related. The fruit is still lovely and clean, but there are well integrated spice and mocha flavours too. Some alcoholic sweetness at the edges.

The palate is similarly concentrated and lip-smacking, and the wine has a clearly defined structure. Tannins are present but not overwhelming by any means (they will probably melt away as I tuck into my steak in a few moments). This wine is generous and attractive in its flavour profile, and not unsophisticated in its own way. This is the sort of big red wine that I enjoy.

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

I had a fresh one of these (2004) the other day and it was quite nice, albeit somewhat boring, with good varietal definition and a pleasant structure.

I'm not sure about this one, though. On opening, the wine reeked of VA and tasted of camphor. I left the glass for a while and came back to it, whereupon it had changed to show dusty cabernet fruit flavours and chocolate/vanilla oak. In the mouth, the wine has (to my taste) an unpleasantly thick feel, mouthfilling but in a coarse way. Structurally, the wine strikes me as pretty one-dimensional. It's not a bad wine, just stylistically far from the sort of cabernet I'd like to drink.