In the December 1998-January 1999 issue of OnWine I introduced my first Wine of the Year, Rosemount Estate’s stunning Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 1996. From this issue onwards I am naming my Wine of the Edition for each issue, from which I will then select the OnWine Wine of the Year, the identity of which will be revealed in September 2000 to coincide with the launch of the Year 2001 The OnWine Australian Wine Annual. The Wine of the Edition will not necessarily represent the best wine I have tasted since the previous issue, although of course quality is paramount. Instead, it must be commercially available at time of writing and represent some special characteristic of individuality, achievement, maturity or longevity. Indeed, it must have something truly special about it. The dual winners of this issue’s award demonstrate exactly what I mean. I’ve been lucky to bump into two truly outstanding Australian wines recently, each of which have strong Adelaide Hills connections. The first is a wine I have seen before as part of my evaluations for The OnWine Australian Wine Annual, while the second is a re-release of a wine I have always appreciated, but it must be said, rather under-estimated. Ashton Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 1997 The first wine is perhaps the most varietally complete pinot noir yet to be released from South Australia. The Ashton Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 1997 (the ‘reserve’ tag was applied to the entire release) is a wild, briary wine with many, many layers of red and black cherry fruit whose earthy, floral and musky complexity gives it the multi-dimensional character you expect in top Burgundy. It’s supple, willowy and concentrated, smooth as silk yet it’s certainly no lightweight. There’s a hint of mint, plum and beetroot, while its spices are as exotic as they are aromatic. Its excellent length, weight and balance of tight-knit extract will see it mature for several years. I rate the wine at 18.9 and suggest its best drinking will be around 2002-2005 and perhaps beyond. It retails for around $44. Petaluma’s Coonawarra 1992 The second Wine of the Edition is a recent re-release of Petaluma’s Coonawarra blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, vintage 1992. This is a long-term wine now beginning to express some of the fleshiness and creaminess it will acquire with future cellaring. Unusually for a Petaluma it reveals a brambly, almost wild and meaty expression of blackberry fruit, supported by cedary and vanilla oak, some leathery bottle development and a faint background suggestion of eucalypt. It’s restrained, stylish and very reserved, with a nutty, savoury finish and long, dry finish of tight tannins. Retailing around $77, it rates around 19.2 and will drink at its best from 2004 onwards.
