The problem with most late-harvest Australian dessert wines is that irrespective of how impressively luscious, sweet and concentrated they are, you simply can’t drink them. They’re too cloying, thick and marmalade-like, they sit on your palate without threatening to move anywhere, and they don’t go with food. In short, most are perfectly useless, irrespective of how much trouble was taken to grow and ferment them. Last night I thoroughly enjoyed one that really broke the rules. Made by Crawford River, which is best known for its perfumed and steely dry Riesling and its rather complex, elegant and fine-grained cabernets, the 2001 Nektar is explosively concentrated with piercing tropical and citrus flavours, before finishing very long, nutty and savoury, with suggestions of cumquat, butter and brioche. Beautifully balanced and measured, easy to match with a broad range of dessert courses, it went like a dream with Matteo’s* vanilla bean panna cotta and sauternes jelly. Only made every two or three years, whenever the weather produces sufficient botrytis-affected riesling fruit, this vintage is still available from the winery, although only 200 cases of half-bottles were produced. It costs $27 ex cellar, phone (03) 5578 2267. The next release will be from the 2003 vintage. *Matteo’s Ristorante, North Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia: one of the finest restaurants in a city rightly known for its high-class dining.
