The lighter soils of Cornish Point slowed vine development compared with Felton Road, so this wine has always been a tad behind. No longer – the vines have reached a decade and they’ve hit their straps with great depth of black cherry fruit, violet perfume, layered exotic spice and textural tannins.
readArticles
Felton Road single handedly elevates the breathtaking peaks of Central Otago above the vast plains of New Zealand chardonnay, thanks to taut lemon zest, honed white peach and zesty acidity juxtaposed with complex, crafted, lees-derived bacon fat and charcuterie brilliance. $51 at Dan’s.
readOnce upon a time, the oak regime at Stonier overpowered its flagships and left me hankering for its entry wines. It’s a brand new day at this hallowed Mornington estate, and Mike Symons has brought the barrels into line, letting pure red cherries, berries, plums and silky, textural tannins sing. $40 at WineStar, $44 at […]
readThe new age of Burgundy has landed. Tight, clean, fruit-focused and, yes, screw-capped! Subtle Austrian oak lets fruit speak in tones of grapefruit, lime, white nectarine and guava. Good fruit concentration, length, well-gauged acidity and gentle minerality make it an attractive aperitif style. $40 at Nicks.
readThis wine has awoken in perfect time for its release, revealing a length, line and clarity that define a remarkable pedigree of dry grown 1920s vines. It rides on rails of super fine, firm tannins and vibrant acidity, projecting its pure black plum, dark cherry and pepper fruit far into the future.
readOf a long line of 2010 Hunter Shirazes recently, First Creek ranked in the top four for its definition of black cherry and plum fruit, finely poised structure of textural tannins and nuances of violets and pepper. Exactingly crafted and seamlessly constructed, it’s poised for a long life.
readThere’s been great rejoicing and dancing in the streets at the arrival of the Yarra Valley 2010 pinots and I am jubilantly leading the parade! This wine, however, is one for the end of the day when things get more serious. Restrained, focused, pure, perfumed, textural, poised. Wait. $28 at Dan’s.
readScoop. Those McWilliams boys are on to something new again, and I was the first person in the world to be shown. “Freestyle winemaking,” in their words (trans. “minimal intervention”). Silky, perfumed, textural, persistent & concentrated. How do they do it for $19 at Grays Online, $20 at Cracka?
readSpring has come and it’s time to unscrew something new and intriguing. Beautifully textured, refreshingly dry and clean, enduringly persistent and captivatingly mouth-filling, this citrus-driven style with grapefruit pith, guava and nashi pear flavour is just the thing with sushi, sashimi and Vietnamese fusion.
readDave Bicknell trumps into the “low alcohol chardonnay is underripe” controversy with a gloriously complex and beautifully textural Yarra Valley style that clocks in at a breathtaking 11.7%. All the genius of Oakridge including natural old barrel ferment and lees ageing. Game over. $16 at Dan’s.
read