On the weight of evidence of recent tastings, 2008 was an excellent season for sparkling in Tasmania. Surprising, because it was not only hot and dry but also the state’s highest yielding vintage yet. Champagne yields huge volumes, so perhaps there’s something in that? Jansz builds biscuity, bready complexity and silky, buttery seamlessness by fermenting […]
readClaudio Radenti started making his cult sparkling wine at Freycinet two decades ago, but lack of demand shut production down between 2002 and 2011. He has now recommenced production at a miniscule 500 dozen. When I visited recently he opened every vintage back to 1993 and, pending a good cork, I was stunned by the […]
readJansz winemaker Natalie Fryar is the most sensitive creator of sparkling rosé I know outside the hallowed halls of Champagne itself. She embarked on the rosé trail a decade ago and spent the first three years thinking about how she’d do it, settling on a method that’s more than unusual and yet remarkably successful. While […]
readWhat impresses me most about Arras mastermind Ed Carr is that in spite of his clear talent and success, he’s always listening, forever learning, and constantly refining his craft. I’ve found his style a little sweet at times, but this is changing, and his 2005 comes in at a low 7.1g/L of dosage, a gram […]
readChardonnay is the core of Jansz, Natalie Fryar has long aspired to make a “pinnacle” chardonnay, and the “cracker” 2007 vintage presented the opportunity, “a vintage in which you look like a hero just by showing up!” Capturing the character of a riper year in its intense fruit expression, this is a creamy, lemony, brioche-accented […]
readA new star is about to rise in the Clover Hill firmament, and it’s brighter and more dazzling than any before it. After eight years on lees and a period under a reliable DIAM, there is an enduring stamina on display here that’s rarely seen outside Champagne itself. The fine, precise drive of cool Tasmanian […]
readAfter the very restrained 2001, Ed Carr describes 2002 as a very challenging vintage to get his head around, with a lot of unevenness in fruit ripeness. A testimony to his talent, there’s no suggestion of this a decade on. Instead, a true Australian prestige cuvée of remarkable persistence, great complexity and precise focus. Primary […]
readThe warm, dry 2013 season in Clare had the effect of concentrating the presence of flavour, acidity and phenolic structure, producing rieslings of intensity. In the right hands, these are even and harmonious wines of engaging appeal. O’Leary Walker has created one of the best value of this set, a pretty thing of kaffir lime […]
read2013 is a tightly honed vintage for Knappstein, precise in its lemon zest and lime juice definition and granny smith apple crunch. Alluring notes of fennel and anise fill out a concentrated and persistent palate. An impressive riesling of medium-term potential. $16 at Discount Wines, Wine List Australia, No Frills and Aussie Wines.
readAlongside O’Leary Walker’s Watervale, this release of Polish Hill is even more enchanting in its delicacy, effortless confidence and enduring longevity. Immaculately honed linear focus highlights lemon blossom and spicy kaffir lime zest, sustained by delightfully slaty mouth feel and long-lingering persistence. $19 at My Cellars.
read