NEWS FROM ONWINE Welcome to the new format email from www.onwine.com.au. While our home page is under construction, due to be finished in under two weeks, the entire content of this email is located on the forum on the website. NEWS Long term Australian Merlot from Petaluma Australia isn’t the only country that has found difficulty in consistently producing genuinely convincing varietal merlot of the highest standard. In fact, it isn’t that difficult to submit a convincing case that merlot might do its best work in harmony with even but a small percentage of either cabernet variety. Yet, given the pig-headed determination typical of this industry the world over, most New World would-be exponents of merlot are doing it alone. That is, as a straight varietal wine. One such exponent is Brian Croser of Petaluma, who since 1990 has set aside some of the merlot grown at the company’s two Coonawarra vineyards for a varietal Merlot. They’re typically forward, perfumed and deeply concentrated in their youth, and then undergo a rather blocky, angular period from which they gradually emerge at an age of around ten years. Quite by mistake, I’d add, since I thought I was opening a bottle of the Coonawarra cabernet blend, I uncorked one of the more recent pups, the 1999 vintage. In my view, this wine is opening up more quickly than its predecessors, which is something of a relief for me, since having particularly enjoyed the silkiness and creaminess it displayed in its youth, I suspected it might. Mind you, you need to decant it for some time, since it’s a typically retentive (relatively) young Petaluma red, and needs to soak up plenty of air for its bouquet to open, its palate to flesh out and its fruit to sweeten. The wine gradually reveals a perfume that is as earthy as it is floral, whose aromas of bright red plums and black cherries are made more complex through meaty notes of leather and dark chocolate. It’s powerful but smooth, with some of the tightness of fine tannin and slight savoury edge of the Vinattieri Ticino 1999, but without the drying astringency of most other leading Italian merlots. Its deep core of pure fruit suggests liqueur cherries and cherry kernel, while its length and savoury dryness are exemplary. Many wouldn’t believe there exists an Australian merlot for long-term cellaring, but here is one. It’s still shy and callow, and I’ll enjoy watching it work through its paces for the next decade and more. Recommend this wine to the next person who tells you merlot it simple, soft and sweet! OUT NOW Ashton Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2002 ($30 retail, approx.) 17.6 Pristine, vibrant pinot fruit with a musky perfume of dark cherries, rose petals and spicy nuances of cloves, cinnamon and forest floor. Long and supple, with exuberant brightness and intensity of small berry/cherry flavours bound by silky tannins. There’s a hint of meaty complexity and just a suggestion of herbal, greenish influences beneath. Drink 2007-2010+. Ratings for Ashton Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir Barwang Merlot 2002 ($24 retail, approx.) 17.6 Powerful, grippy merlot whose sweet aromas of cherries, plums and blackberries, violets, mint and menthol are backed by fragrant, smoky suggestions of vanilla oak. It’s rather firm and oaky, with smoky mocha qualities beneath deep, brightly flavoured dark fruits. Drink 2010-2014. Ratings for Barwang Merlot Clayfield Shiraz 2002 ($39 ex cellar) 18.7 Fine-grained, elegant and tightly presented young shiraz densely packed with fruit and spice. Its dusty black pepper fragrance of dried herbs, violets and spices reveal dark, ripe aromas of plums and blackberries, suggestions of meat and musk, and restrained cedar/vanilla oak. Medium to full in body, its palate is saturated by searingly intense flavours of wild, dark and red berries, above dark chocolate oak. Framed by fine, bony tannins, it finishes taut and lean. Excellent structure and balance. Drink 2014-2022. Ratings for Clayfield Shiraz Fire Gully Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001 ($24 retail, approx.) 17.0 A herbal, floral and earthy regional Margaret River blend whose lightly confectionary expression of cassis, raspberries and plums is wound around firm, fine and drying bony tannins. Sweet vanilla oak lifts its aroma, while it finishes with pleasing length of pristine fruit and attractive balance. Drink 2009-2013+. Ratings for Fire Gully Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Gapsted Ballerina Canopy Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 ($23 retail, approx.) 17.0 Firm, smooth and slightly retentive cool-climate wine which despite some pleasing depth of red and black berry flavours and vibrant violet-like aromas, retains a herby, minty menthol edge, along with some slightly sappy tannins. That said, it has plenty of depth, some well-integrated and assertive cedary oak, and a long, slightly tobaccoey finish. Drink 2006-2010+. Ratings for Gapsted Ballerina Canopy Cabernet Sauvignon Jamiesons Run Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 18.0 Very stylish, spotlessly presented contemporary red whose lightly dusty and herbal aromas of dark olives, cassis and plums are backed by cedary and lightly smoky cigarboxy oak. Rather polished, sporting an assertive attitude, it has been tightly focused into a wine of tightness and balance, pleasing depth of flavour and regional Coonawarra brightness. Just a fraction sappy for a higher score. Drink 2008-2012+. McWilliam’s 1877 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2001 ($85 retail, approx.) 18.2 Cedary, learthy and slightly old-fashioned red, with scents of white pepper and spice beneath its aromas of sweet vanilla oak, red berries and redcurrants. It’s firm and well structured, with depth, length and grip. The fruit is ripe, vibrant and generous without a hint of over-ripeness, while the tannins are approachable and integrated. Drink 2009-2013. Ratings for McWilliam’s 1877 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Pierro LTC Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2003 ($22 retail, approx.) 17.5 An elegant, savoury and nutty blend whose delicate, lightly smoky, grassy passionfruit aromas reveal nuances of herbs, melon and citrus. It’s long, elegant and refreshing, with a reserved cut of fruit appropriately given a measured treatment of vanilla oak, before finishing clean and dry. Drink 2005-2008+. Ratings for Pierro LTC Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Wellington FGR Riesling 2003 ($19 retail, approx.) 17.3 Lively, refreshing Germanic riesling despite its kabinett-like level of sweetness. Its lightly candied aromas of pear, lemon and apple precede a round, generous palate that ties neatly together with racy, slate-like acids. Long and clean, it’s a wine for a sunny winter’s afternoon. Drink 2005-2008. Ratings for Wellington FGR Riesling Zema Estate Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 ($46 retail, approx.) 18.4 Delightfully intense, concentrated and natural Coonawarra cabernet with a fragrance of violets, mulberries, darl plums, black olives, cherries and sweet cedar/coffee/vanilla oak. Its plump, juicy palate stains the mouth with vibrant, intense small berries and plums, while polished cedar/vanilla oak and firm, fine tannins provide a comfortable frame and support. Drink 2013-2021. Ratings for Zema Estate Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
