In years to come we’ll debate which was the winner of ‘08 and ‘09 Margaret River. The true winner: anyone who lined their cellar with either! Leston in ‘09 is textbook MRCS: capsicum, tobacco leaf, red- and blackcurrants, tomato leaf, sage, cedar and finely ground, dusty tannins. $33 at Dan’s.
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Wild yeast barrel fermentation is the best thing to happen to sauvignon blanc recently, but Adelaide Hills legend Geoff Weaver has been on to it for seven years now. Gorgeous texture and life, with minerality to boot, and a seamless flow of hazelnut cream over vibrant lemon and lime zest.
readUlithorne’s talented Rose Kentish trucked her family from McLaren Vale to Provence (France) for nine months to make this wine. Dedicated or what? Classic, pale, subtle, dry, textural, tangy, persistent pomegranate, strawberry hull and guava. It doesn’t demand a strong chill.
readMuscat is the most decadent way to finish a winter night and I’ve just discovered that in Coonawarra they start with it, too! Campbell’s effortlessly meets both briefs, thanks to its freshness of apricot and marmalade, countered by richness of coffee and honey. $15 at Dan Murphy’s.
readThe full monty of premium chardonnay craftsmanship: Upper Yarra fruit, hand harvested, barrel fermented on full solids and stirred on lees for eleven months. To put it another way, all the clever tricks and TLC of the talented Franco d’Anna at a fraction of its true value.
readSteve Webber and Leanne De Bortoli have been flitting around Sardinia, sloshing refreshingly zesty and delightfully textural mediterranean whites. They’ve returned to make a gorgeous rendition of their own, a wine of understated sophistication (much like Leanne, really).
readNo one anticipated a Hoddles Creek second label – it’s first label was already cheaper than everyone else’s second! Shock, horror, here it is, dry grown on twelve year old vines, hand picked, oaked, what a stunner! Light-bodied, elegant, silky and – yes – persistent!
readFrank Potts is Bleasdale’s most refined and aristocratic character, and in 2005 he looked particularly distinguished. Three years later, Frank makes an unlikely comeback, in a new suit, at half the price, having attained that magic moment of maturity when youthful violets, crunchy mulberries, blackcurrants and dark chocolate become sweet leather, freshly tilled earth and […]
readUnder (priced) and over (delivering) strikes again! Infused with regional distinction from Heathcote’s north, low doses of alcohol and oak leave space for concentrated plum, dark cherry and dark chocolate fruit to linger amid finely-tuned tannins.
readThe challenging 2009 vintage disqualified all but one parcel of fruit for The Tally: that which forms the linear vector of its honed backbone. The result is the most focused, precise and restrained Tally, that time may prove to rank among the finest and longest-lived. $73 at Kemeny’s, $80 at WineStar.
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