Pooley’s wines impressed me so much during my recent tastings in Tasmania, that I immediately made an appointment to visit Anna Pooley the very next day. From some of the oldest vines in the 1985 estate on the Coal River Valley, this is a riesling of great length and potential. It’s intense and taut, with […]
readA spicy and textural riesling from Derwent Valley and Coal River Valley fruit, providing a lemon juice, grapefruit zest and golden delicious apple bouquet and a peppery, spicy and textural palate built on gentle phenolic grip and tense Tasmanian acidity. It lingers very long and even. $23 at The Glass.
readIn contrast to Steve Lubiana’s two rieslings made in different ways from the same fruit, it’s the fruit sources that distinguish Nick Glaetzer’s Tasmanian rieslings. The gold dot on the bottle denotes what he considers to be better parcels of fruit, here 40% Tamar Valley and 60% Coal River Valley, with a total production of […]
readTime may show Pipers Brook to be the riesling of the vintage, and the longest lived. The bouquet is gorgeously appointed with lemon blossom, kaffir lime and granny smith apple, while the palate is impeccably honed, with pristine focus and purity of lime and granny smith apple fruit. A desperately pure riesling of elegant poise, […]
readZdar is Czech for “things worked out well” and it certainly lives up to its name in 2008. Testimony to the longevity of Tasmanian riesling, this wine holds considerable structural energy in its backbone of finely honed acidity, while building all the complexity of honey, glace apricot, mixed spice and marmalade. It’s beginning to round […]
readMuch more sophisticated than its price suggests, Ninth Island is not only the best fizz under $20 this year ($19 at Kemenys), it might also rank among the best I’ve ever tasted at this price. There’s no indication of age on the label, but the youthful cork in the bottle I tasted in Tasmania indicated […]
readNinth Island and Jansz are your vivacious apéritif non vintage go-tos, and Bay of Fires is to be reserved for altogether different purposes. BOF is a full-bodied, rich sparkling of main course proportions. Salmon, roast chicken and turkey, here we come! Three years on lees have nurtured a creamy and soft style, layered with bready, […]
readA wonderfully crafted rosé, the current disgorgement ranks among the best for this label. It’s long and refined, with an undercurrent of gentle mineral texture, contrasting the taut finesse of pure lemon blossom, crunchy red apple and pear with the subtle brioche complexity built over two years of lees ageing. A bargain at $20 at […]
readPipers Brook has long been responsible for the excellent Kreglinger and exciting Ninth Island sparkling wines, and this cuvée slots neatly in between, in price, age and stature. Never have I seen it more impressively poised or seamlessly harmonious than the current disgorgement. It captures the lemon zest vibrancy of cool Tasmanian fruit and seamlessly […]
readWe don’t drink nearly as much sparkling rosé in Australia than our friends in the US and UK. They’re on to something, and we’re missing out, perhaps because rosé champagne is typically (and unfairly) 30% more expensive than its white counterpart. Enter Jansz, where not only is the rosé line priced but both are on […]
read