2015 Clonakilla Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

An early drinking quaffer from Clonakilla's 40th vintage, the winery renown for its classy cool climate wines, in particular for the ethereal and iconic Shiraz Viognier.

 Clear yellow with lifted lemon and lime aromas. 
A tightly textured refreshing palate displays vibrant citrus, gooseberry, green pea flavours and racy mineral undertones. 
Bone-dry wine marked by a brisk line of cleansing acidity. Light to mid-weight and tightly knit.
Different from the SBS blends out west. No ageing needed here. Drink now.

 Source: Winery. ABV: 12.0%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 89 Points. Website: http://www.clonakilla.com.au

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2015 Chalmers Heathcote Rosato

The Chalmers have long been in the vanguard of the alternative new wine order as it were and this Rosato is another example of that foresight and creativity. The make up for each year's Rosato changes with this vintage a 40/60 blending of oak barrel fermented Aglianico and tank fermented Sagrantino from premium Heathcote fruit. 

 The wine pours salmon pink/orange blush in the glass. 
Fragrant aromas of redcurrant, cranberry, cherry and dried herbs.
Palate is dry, compelling and drinkable. Soft flavours of red fruits, savoury spice and candied orange peel. A textural palate enhanced by citrus acidity and grippy tannins. A long savoury aftertaste.

 A truly outstanding Australian-made Rosato. Loads of interest, complexity and rather delicious to drink.      

Source: Retail. ABV: 13.0%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $25.00. Rating: 94 Points. Website: https://www.chalmerswine.com.au


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2013 La Cantina King Valley Tempranillo

La Cantina or "The Cellar" in Italian is a family enterprise situated in the heart of the King Valley. The Corsini family started growing grapes in 1980 with La Cantina opening in 1995 and are part of the rich Italian heritage in the region. Grapes are allowed to slowly ripen in the cool climate to bring out true varietal characteristics with no preservatives or filtration in the wine-making process.

 Medium crimson red colour with mauve hues at the rim.
Dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco, cola and earthy tones highlight the sweetly-spiced bouquet of this Tempranillo.
The palate is invitingly soft and warm with juicy blackberry spiciness, dark cherry, leather, subtle earth notes that are framed by a fine tannic balance. Flavours linger long after the final sip. 

Well crafted and good value for this better than average quaffer.
Source: Winery. ABV: 14.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $17.00. Rating: 90 Points. 
Website: http://lacantinakingvalley.com.au


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2015 Ballabourneen Hunter Valley Chambourcin

As a wine drinker one of the 'dilemmas' is what table wine goes with chocolate, particularly dark chocolate ? What matches chocolate that is high in cocoa content, is already tannic and can be bitter ? Whites usually don't do it and some reds and fortified wines will cope. But I'm throwing an interesting and overlooked red variety into the mix: Chambourcin. 

 After a friend said to me recently that she thought this combination of dark chocolate and Chambourcin worked really well together, I did the due diligence and came to the same conclusion. Dark chocolate has a great synergy with Chambourcin. It's not a sexy, hip, wannabe variety by any means but it's a box ticker when you combine them both. Velvety lusciousness. So go try.

 Chambourcin is a dark-skinned teinturier French-American hybrid grape available since the early 1960's that is more at home in the United States and Australia than in its native France. Capable of withstanding fungal diseases in humid, sub-tropical growing conditions, the variety is found throughout most New South Wales and Queensland wine regions where such conditions prevail.  

 This wine from Ballabourneen Wine Company is sourced from vineyards at Lovedale and Broke-Fordich in the Hunter Valley and exhibits opaque dark brooding crimson hues.
Blood plums, black cherries and herbaceous spice aromas with notes of what can be described as a fur coat factor. Yes ! Don't ask but there is a waft there of some small, furry animal. Not unpleasant, just different. There are subtle red earth, chocolate, earthy beetroot, pepper and dark red fruits flavours across a medium bodied palate. It's all fresh and juicy, sweet fruited and subtle in texture. Length is fine and velvety with dark chocolate and dusty tannins on exit. The wine to me sits between a rustic Pinot Noir and the smooth qualities of a Merlot, it's got that personality.

Really tasted better as the evening progressed. An extra point for solving the 'dilemma'. Well-crafted wine from a variety that undeservedly gets a bad wrap in Australia. Very good.
Source: Sample courtesy of Ballabourneen Wine Co. ABV: 14.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. 
Price: $26.00. Rating: 92 Points. Website: https://www.ballabourneen.com.au





               
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2014 Ferngrove Frankland River Limited Release Malbec

International Malbec Day - Sunday 17 April 2016
In 2011 Argentina established this day to celebrate Malbec as its flagship variety as well as to showcase its wine industry to the world. Each year since then the day has evolved exponentially worldwide as a celebration of Argentinian culture and oenology with Malbec at its centre.  

 To mark this auspicious day, I've jumped onto the bandwagon with an example of Malbec from Ferngrove Estate in Western Australia's isolated and cool climate Frankland River region. The winery has championed the variety since 1998 not just to play a supporting role to Cabernet but as a varietal in its own right.   

The wine pours a deep crimson colour into the glass.
Blackberry, mulberry, damson plum, violets and spice. Smoky overtones too on the nose. Full-bodied, generously flavoured with dark berries, violets, juicy plum and spice. The silky mouthfeel with its well-balanced structure gives it elegance and drinkability. 

 Powerful example of dark, ripe concentrated fruit flavours with drying tannins that go right to the end. Good value, very enjoyable wine that should do well over the next few years. Watch Malbec take off in this region !
Source: Retail. ABV: 13.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $18.00. Rating: 92 Points. 


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N V Ballabourneen Sparkling Moscato Blush

We've all eaten Black Muscat or Muscat of Hamburg table grapes at some stage. Large, round, fleshy, sweet and delicious. There are some examples of it floating around as the basis of fortified wines but here the variety is used uncommonly and intriguingly, to make a salmon pink sparkling wine. 

 As a background, the variety is a black-skinned Vitis vinifera grape variety of the ancient Muscat family. It appears to be the progeny of Schiava Grossa and Muscat of Alexandria from mainland Europe possibly Germany, the home of the hybrids and is said to have been introduced into England at around 1720 although there is conjecture that it actually originated there. 

Ballabourneen Wine Co. the makers of this unique drop, is a joint venture between Alex Stuart OAM and Daniel Binet and is situated at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley. Grapes are sourced locally from some of the Hunter's best vineyards with new cellar door facilities opening in May. 


There are very prominent Turkish delight aromatics on the nose and body with strawberry and grapey nuances in the background. Lightly textured demi-sec spritzy wine. There is an appealing soft, creamy mouthfeel of rose and strawberry with effervescent beads that lead to a tart-like finish. Fun and flirtatious drink now wine. It was excellent as an appetiser and could also be a dessert accompaniment. Very Good.

 N.B. This is one of those varieties that literally has dozens of synonyms. 

 Source: Sample courtesy of Ballabourneen Wine Co. ABV: 10.0%. Closure: Cork. 
Price: $26.00. Rating: 89 Points. Website: https://www.ballabourneen.com.au


               


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2014 Redbank King Valley Fiano

In 2005 the Hill Smith Family Vineyards acquired the Redbank brand from original owners and winemakers Neill and Sally Robb. 

 Redbank Wines source their Fiano grapes from the Mt Bellevue Estate vineyard near Myrrhee in north-east Victoria. The grapes were fermented and matured for six months in older French oak barriques. Gargenega (9%) was added to the final blend for an extra layer of complexity, which winemaker Teresa Heuzenroeder creatively captured. 

 Light straw yellow colouring to this wine,
Restrained bouquet of lime zest, honey and citrus blossom.
Palate is richly flavoured, a surprise given the delicate aromas but still maintains freshness. Nashi pear, citrus, fresh basil, almond and slatey minerals across the tongue.
Fresh, zesty and textural mouthfeel. Texture is the key here with this wine. Dry, a little briney perhaps through the mid-palate. A creamy long finish of minerals, lime and pear.

Well made and a lot to like about this 2015 AAVWS gold medal winning wine. Recommended.
Source: Sample. ABV: 13.0%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 92 Points. 

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2015 Redbank Sunday Morning Pinot Gris

A cool new label reflecting Redbank's King Valley collection. If any wine could perk you up on a Sunday morning, look no further than this invigorating, off-dry Pinot Gris sourced from family owned high-altitude vineyards. 

 Clear pale yellow hues with greenish tinges.
There are fragrant, fresh aromatics of lime, rose petal perfume, spiced apple and biscuit.  
A chalky mineral base and clean acidity add balance to the Nashi pear, lime pith, spice and lychee flavoured palate. Light to medium in weight. A soft creamy textural mid-palate and a dry musky finish. Clean, focused flavours. Good line and length. 

This is a subtle, elegant and enjoyable expression of a cool climate Pinot Gris worthy of indulgence before the sun is over the yardarm !
Source: Sample. ABV: 13.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $19.00. Rating: 90 Points. 


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2015 Ferngrove Frankland River Limited Release Malbec Rosé

A wine of real interest given that not many rosés are produced here exclusively from Malbec. Ferngrove Estate in Western Australia's Frankland River region specialises in the variety, which it has grown since the winery was established in 1998.

A spectacular looking wine owing to the grape's violet colour, it shows neon light purple to crimson hues in the glass. I regret not having a photo.

Sweetly perfumed cranberry, raspberry and strawberry aromatics followed by some subtle spice and musk.
Deceptive wine as it appears and smells on the sweet spectrum side of things yet is dry to mid-dry once tasted.
There is smidge of candied fruit drop to add to the berry and Nashi pear flavours, which is offset by the acidity and chalky qualities. 
Approachable rosé with a velvety mouthfeel, good weight through the mid-palate and a tangy and refreshing aftertaste to finish. Good.  
Source: Retail. ABV: 13.7%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $15.00. Rating: 89 Points. 




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N V Dal Zotto MIO King Valley Prosecco

An entry level Prosecco of sorts from Dal Zotto and a little brother to the winery's more illustrious Pucino brand.

 Pale quartz colour with a green tinge. Smells of green apple, talc, a whiff of honey and fresh King Valley air.

Perfumed and dry mineral palate that is light with tart green apple, pear and a slight citrus twang. Appealing soft mouthfeel and fizzy, medium beads create a lifted finish. 

 Fun, plenty of fizz and refreshing. Insane value, delicious drinking and well worth hunting down.

 Source: Gift. ABV: 10.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $14.00. Rating: 90 Points. 
Website: http://www.dalzotto.com.au/wordpress/


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2008 Hickinbotham Chardonnay with Aligoté


A point of difference here with the vast majority of Aussie Chards. At present, Hickinbotham of Dromana is the only grower in Oz of the much-maligned Southern Burgundian white grape variety Aligoté, which the winery has championed since the late 1980s. Around fifteen percent oomphs the blend up with body and the variety's hallmark dry natural acid.

 DNA profiling has established Aligoté to have a parentage of Pinot Noir and that ancient ever-fecund mother grape, Gouais Blanc. Behind Chardonnay, it ranks second in terms of hectares planted in Burgundy and is a variety grown extensively in the ex-Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe. As a variety tolerating cooler growing conditions, it's difficult to understand why there isn't more of the stuff here in regions such as the Hilltops or the Granite Belt.


 Light- to mid-gold colours from the glass. There are peach, quince, struck match, citrus and vanilla aromas. 
Concentrated fruit flavours of peach, melon and tart apple on the palate with buttery, nutty nuances from the French oak. The blend has a dry, crisp texture, dusty tannins and a distinctive flinty acid backbone driving through the palate to a long, creamy finish. Medium-bodied with a good balance of fruit and acidity. 

From Hickinbotham's Reserve wines range, this is a fascinating take on the standard Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay, in fact any Chardonnay actually. Yes, I'd enjoy a glass or two more of this thank you.  

 Source: Sample. ABV: 13.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $68.00. Rating: 92 Points. 


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2013 Massena Barossa Valley Primitivo

The story goes that after not getting much joy out of the U C Davis clone of Zinfandel, the Massena winemakers replaced these with Primitivo sourced from Puglia in Italy. The dry-farmed, low yielding vines have gone on to thrive on the winery's Dadds Block vineyard.   

The 2013 vintage displays an inky crimson black colour in the glass. Broodingly dark. Black cherry, black plum, liquorice and black pepper on the nose enhanced by a whiff of smokiness from its maturation in seasoned French oak barrels.

 There's a slight tannic grip on entry with earthy, spicy liquorice notes more abundant initially on the palate than fruit flavours. Chocolate-covered cherry and pastille fruit flavours take a back seat to the spicy richness. Full-bodied with bright acidity and grippy, earthy tannins. 

 The 2013 Primitivo carries more spice and weight, perhaps lacking in the fruit profile that was evident in the riper, juicier 2012 vintage. That and the warmth on exit wasn't to my liking here. 

Source: Retail. ABV: 14.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 88 Points. 

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