I was hungry, but also quite nervous, as I arrived in the offices of RVF (Revue des Vins de France) for a tasting of some very high-end Australian wines. I was hungry since breakfast and lunch had been elusive in a morning of travel from Shanghai to Beijing, nervous because while I was not personally responsible for growing or making any of the wines, I had indeed given each of them a minimum of 95 points out of 100 in my own tastings (although during the tasting I discovered several I had rated below this score). And here they were, all 29 of them, on the other side of the planet, before a distinguished panel of tasters, most of which were looking at me with no small degree of curiosity as I inhaled a plate of excellent sliced French bread which someone had been sympathetic enough to place within my reach.
Naturally, any panel representing RVF will have an excellent understanding of the wines of France. It goes without saying. Similarly, any such panel will have a clear understanding of world wine. I’m an optimistic but realistic Australian, so I started the tasting with the view that while the more modern international styles of Australian wine might readily be appreciated by the panel, I was a little more cautious about the kinds of wine traditionally made in Australia that are perhaps a little more idiosyncratic and specific to my country.
And so it proved with the first wine, the 2012 release of Henschke’s Julius Riesling from Eden Valley, one of the finest releases of this wine over the last decade and more. While the current trend is to explore the suitability of riesling vineyards to sweeter styles, along what the Germans would label as ‘halbtrocken’, the traditional Australian riesling is bone-dry, austere and tightly focused around a taut acidity. Being from Eden Valley, one would also expect a fine underlay of chalky texture.
The Henschke delivered this in spades, with cultivated shape and elegance. Deeply perfumed, it’s scented with white flowers, lavender, lime juice, pear and green apple skin backed by chalky nuances of spice and lemon rind. Long, gentle and tightly focused around a dusty undercarriage, its piercing flavours of citrus and fresh apple finish with clarity and brightness, with a racy cut of limey acid. On my scale, it’s 95/100 and it will deliver its best in between one and two decades from now.
Another of the classic cellaring styles of Australian white wine is Hunter semillon, and there’s no finer maker of this wine than Tyrrell’s. The Hunter experienced a classic vintage in 2005, so the flagship Vat 1 Semillon from this season should deliver. And it did. Now developing some of the smoky, toasty and mineral aspects these wines acquire with bottle-age, this wine is however still in its infancy. Beautifully defined and tightly wound around a brittle acidity, its heady bouquet of lime, grapefruit and melon fruit reveals nuances of mineral and tobacco. Long, fine and austere, it’s deeply layered, with an expressive but precisely focused palate underpinned by chalky aspects, finishing with exceptional freshness. It’s 96 in my book, and needs to be something around 20 years of age to show what it’s really about.
There once was a lot of gewürztraminer planted in Australia, but fortunately there’s not much left. It only works in cooler regions like Tasmania, the higher parts of the Eden Valley and the Adelaide Hills. Tim Knappstein, who deserves his reputation as a wizard with this grape, sources the fruit for his Riposte ‘The Rapier’ Traminer from Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills.
The 2010 vintage is one of the finest, which to an Australian critic means it’s restrained and tightly controlled, delivering pristine varietal fruit but in a balanced fashion that will not become overweight or flabby after a short period. Elegance is sought-after with traminer, but not always achieved. Here, however, is balance and penetrative aromas, but also a leaner, long and gentle palate steeped in fruit, spice and a finely tuned acidity. It needs more time in the bottle and rates a 95.
At this time it’s worth pointing out something that I do differently from most wine writers and judges. Unless a wine is over the hill, from which point it’s all but impossible to tell how good it might have been, the ratings I give relate to how good a wine will be at its peak, which is not necessarily how it might rate if it was being evaluated on its youthful and immature performance. Why? Because while a wine’s bouquet might evolve and its palate mature, it’s actual quality does not change. After all, it’s the same wine, young or mature.
Australian chardonnay is an under-rated species. The region that produces more great Australian chardonnay than any other is Margaret River, and one of this region’s finest is made by Pierro, whose maker, Mike Peterkin, has been fine-tuning his ideas over 30 years. The challenge with Margaret River chardonnay is to temper the intensity and mouthfilling voluptuousness of the fruit, which Pierro has achieved again with its lean, smoky and briny 2010 vintage.
No mucking around here – it’s still a powerful, complex and deeply layered chardonnay of aristocratic presence. But its fine balance, exceptional length and focused, savoury finish stamp it with genuine class, as its flavours of grapefruit, white peach, apple and melon knit tightly with struck match-like oak and nuances of ginger, cloves and minerals. I rate it 96, and suggest keeping it for at least another five years.
Australian pinot has never achieved the publicity or reputation of those from New Zealand, largely because our top makers are relatively few and the makes of their leading wines are tiny. Much of the finest Australian pinot noir comes from Victoria, where two of the leading regions are Gippsland and the Yarra Valley. From the stellar 2010 vintage we tasted the gentle, artfully balanced and deeply perfumed Wantirna Estate ‘Lily’ Pinot Noir and the more sumptuous, brambly and unctuous Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir.
The pair reflects differences in winemaking attitude as much as differences in terroir – a common occurrence with quality pinot. There’s a minty note about the aromaticity of the Wantirna that contrasts entirely with the more meaty, assertive Yering Station, although I admire the charm and balance of each. I award 96 and 95 respectively, but acknowledge than pinot starts more arguments than it ends!
It took a second bottle of the Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir 2009 – a terrific wine from Australia’s leading maker of pinot – to show what it’s all about. Incidentally, this was the first wine bottled under cork in the tasting, and the first bottle opened was sadly diminished due only to its cork. I live in hope that Chinese wine drinkers will become less tolerant of the inconsistencies that inevitably arise when wines are bottled under cork, and that they will come to value the additional security provided by seals like a Stelvin screwcap. Only the rare, very best corks perform as well as this kind of seal.
But back to the wine – bottle number two was a typically wild, meaty and luxuriant Bass Phillip, delivering expressive depth of perfume and flavour and a beautifully integrated backbone of texture and length. It just needs time – at least another five years. I rate it 96.
One of the first rules about tasting wine with other people is never to trust the organiser! So I was a little surprised in this tasting to see a wine that I had not rated at 95 or more, but which really showed how much Australian winemaking has improved over the last decade. The 2011 vintage of the Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz – from the coolest and wettest season since 1973 – was for me a source of some pride. Charmingly fine-grained, with sweet berry fruits and dusty oak underpinned by pliant tannins, it’s fragrant, complete and artfully balanced. Something of a genuine delight, it’s an inexpensive wine that I rate around 89, but recommend drinking over the next three years.
Next it was the turn of some high-end shirazes, although I confess that on tasting them I had some concerns over provenance. To begin with, the Yeringberg (Yarra Valley) 2010 appeared rather reductive and minty, lacking the charm and elegance I have admired in previous tastings of the wine. One of my favourite makers of Australian shiraz comes from the town of Great Western in western Victoria. Best’s is a long-established small family winery whose wines typically deliver the perfume, spice and pepper associated with the region, plus a palate structure of elegance, texture, length and balance that doesn’t rely on impact or power for its legendary longevity. Oddly, and I expect due to some issues related to transport or storage, the Bin ‘0’ Shiraz from 2010 – a charmingly sweetly fruited, dusty and mineral shiraz of beautiful balance – outshone its more distinguished elder brother, the Thomson Family Reserve Shiraz from the same vintage, which appeared rather herbal and stripped of its usual density of fruit. I usually rate the wines at 95 and 96 respectively.
Another wine that left me wondering about transport and storage was the firm and deeply flavoured Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2010, which lacked its usual perfume and depth of fruit. Backed by mocha-like oak, it delivered the minty presence of fruit typical of the Pyrenees region of Victoria, but failed to convince, since I am very familiar with the way this wine usually presents itself. However, the Hewitson Mad Hatter Shiraz from 2010, a very supple and gentle effort from the Barossa, delivered charming length and fragrance. It’s a reflection of where Barossa shiraz might head in future as it seeks to engage with wine drinkers who rate finesse and balance ahead of impact and richness.
The 2010 shirazes were wound up by a deeply floral and heady Reserve Shiraz Viognier from Yering Station (Yarra Valley) that despite its supple and elegant structure emphasises the briary, wilder aspects of the variety. It’s pristine and already quite complex, ready for another decade and rates 95. It would hardly be possible for this to contrast more strongly with Chapel Hill’s ‘The Vicar’ Shiraz – a sumptuous, longer term wine from South Australia’s McLaren Vale. Its deep, dark and floral bouquet of small red and black berries, plums and fresh chocolate/vanilla oak has a spicy scent of violets and blueberries plus a suggestion of mineral. Richly fruited, its intense, evenly ripened expression of rich, vibrant fruit is framed by firm, fine-grained and drying tannins, finishing with seamless length and elegance. A regional classic, also rated 95.
The 2009 collection of shirazes was introduced by two wines that I honestly found had to reconcile with previous tasting experience. Once they were revealed I couldn’t help wondering how many other wines – Australian and from elsewhere – are adversely affected by conditions of storage and transport in China. Wine is such a fragile thing and China’s climate can be very extreme.
First up was Tyrrell’s delightfully elegant, perfumed and fine-grained Vat 9 Shiraz from 2009, a slightly old-fashioned Hunter Valley style of grace and finesse. Today, however, it was unrecognisably jammy and simple. Similarly, the exemplary Mount Edelstone Shiraz from 2009 – an Eden Valley classic from Henschke – emphasised its oakiness and herbal aspects, rather than the sweetness and completeness of its fruit. I usually rate these wines at 95 and 96 respectively. I was also concerned to see such oak-dominated characters about the Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2009 (Barossa Valley) – a wine I usually associate with balance and finesse, while the deeply layered, perfumed and spicy Dead Arm Shiraz from d’Arenberg (McLaren Vale) revealed its full complement of fruit and fine, dusty undercarriage, but lacked the length I have previously experienced.
Peter Lehmann’s red flagship, the handsomely oaked 2005 Stonewell Shiraz, reflected the ripeness of the season with typically sumptuous layers of fruit and firm tannins, while the lesser-known Eileen Hardy Shiraz from 2005 – the top red wine from the famous Hardy brand – was charm itself; a perfectly fresh, surprisingly youthful and vibrant shiraz of full to medium body whose delightful balance and length will see it cellar for many years. I rated these wines 93 and 96 respectively, the same scores I have previously given to them.
The tasting was completed by a selection of Australian cabernet sauvignon and its blends with merlot and the usual range of Bordeaux suspects. With all but a single exception, they came from the country’s three leading cabernet regions – Margaret River, Coonawarra and the Yarra Valley, each of which has a long track record of cabernet able to meet its principal requirement – to cellar well.
First up was a wine that is both icon and oddity – the Penfolds Bin 707 from 2010 that like its predecessors is blended from a number of different regions according to their ability in a given season to deliver both quality and the style expected of this label. When compared to the more elegant entries from Yeringberg and Woodlands it did look oaky and perhaps a little clunky, and it’s a wine I have always rated around 93 instead of higher. Why? I honestly think it strays just a little too close to the limits of genuine ripeness. The truth is that this argument will take three decades or more to resolve!
One of Australia’s most elegant, perfumed and supple cabernets is the second level made by Woodlands, a small but cutting-edge maker in Margaret River. The wine is known as Margaret Reserve, and is typically less than half the price of the company’s top-rank wine, although I have occasionally rated it higher. Woodlands remain unafraid to reveal some of the more dusty, herbal aspects of cabernet in their elegant, stable wines, which cellar slowly and gracefully. The 2010 Margaret Reserve is dreamily elegant and willowy, penetratively flavoured and artfully balanced. It rates 95.
Woodlands’ flagship Elma May Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – a wine whose name changes every year – is more layered and meaty, densely packed and structured, even if it’s slightly closed and waiting to open out. It’s handsomely oaked and deeply flavoured but retains all the elegance and charm for a serious long-term future. I’m happy with my score of 97.
The historic, small and sought-after Yarra Valley vineyard of Yeringberg was represented by its deeply perfumed, dusty and elegant 2010 Yeringberg dry red blend of pristine, savoury quality that simply cries out for time in the cellar plus the slightly minty, smooth and polished 2008 vintage whose tightly drilled focus and structure will also set it up for the long term. I rate them at 95 and 96 respectively. It’s a delight to see such sought-after small maker Australian wine of such provenance available in the China market.
From a wonderful vineyard resource of such scale that its makers are able to select fruit with impunity comes the 2009 vintage of Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon from Wynns Coonawarra Estate, the signature property and the leading quality producer in the Coonawarra region of South Australia, famous for its relatively narrow strip of red soils over a deep limestone base. With its coolish, maritime climate, it makes a perfect home for cabernet, as witnessed by this charmingly refined and balanced wine that marries bright, pristine fruit with smoky, cedary oak and fine tannins. I rate the wine at 95 and suggest that it’s easy to see why this label is the foundation of so many wine cellars I Australia.
The final cabernets were from Vasse Felix, a highly reputed maker in Margaret River whose wines are made by the exceptional talents of Virginia Willcock. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon was rather baked in my opinion and not representative of its usually fine, seamless and elegant self, while the flagship Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon from 2009 revealed some of its deep, dark small berry flavour and finely handled oak, but also left me with an impression of being rather baked and lacking freshness. It’s another wine I usually rate at 95.
The tasting revealed a number of things. First and foremost is the excellent quality of high-end wine from a number of varieties, regions and makers – this is where Australia has added significant depth to it wine offering over the last two decades. Secondly, Australian producers and importers of their wines need to work even harder to ensure that their wines can be presented in best-possible fashion to Chinese wine drinkers. There’s clearly work to be done here. As indeed there is to promote screwcaps over cork.
Finally, there’s an excitement factor about Australia’s unique combination of tradition and innovation that leads to a broad palette of wines of uniquely Australian identity as well as more international styles that reflect an Australian spin or emphasis. Clearly, it’s neither possible nor relevant to summarise Australian wine with just a few short sentences – it’s worth far more than that in its discovery and interpretation.
