Perhaps it’s a bit steep to call Taltarni an old dog, but its new Fiddleback brand shows it can learn new tricks. Fiddleback houses two wines, both of which have a presence in Taltarni’s heritage. While their production is now augmented with fruit sourced from outside the company’s own vineyards, the Blanc des Pyrenees white and Reserve des Pyrenees red are indeed names with which Taltarni drinkers will identify. Fiddleback’s aim, however, is to introduce new people to Taltarni’s wines. Priced around $12 each, both wines are readily approachable and while being clearly distinct from the parent company’s own premium bottled wines, do offer some identifiable links in style with what Taltarni’s pricier releases are all about. The Blanc des Pyrenees white is a clean, bright and lively white blend of four different varieties, namely chardonnay, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc and riesling. Its lightly grassy, grapey and gooseberry aroma has a fresh tropical lift and introduces a relatively long, uncomplicated palate of clean fruit and zesty acidity. Like its red partner, it’s made to open right now and would be best if steered away from the cellar. For something to open as a long summer’s day draws to a close, you’d do very well at its price. Unlike most Taltarni reds, which typically demand a decent spell in the cellar, the Fiddleback Reserve des Pyreness red is ready to offer its delights immediately. For mine it’s even better value than the white and is indeed a surprisingly complex and attractive young red. Its ripe red cherry and raspberry flavours are offset by a measure of earthy, undergrowth background and lightly cedary oak I don’t often discover in a wine of this price. It dries out nicely to a savoury, nutty and fine-grained finish and presents a pleasing alternative to the soupy, jammy and toasty vanilla qualities of so many cheaper reds from our warmer regions.
