2012 Woods Crampton Barossa Valley Mataro Rosé

Effectively a Barossa Valley field blend composed of 91% Mataro with a smidge of Grenache and Shiraz, this is an unconventionally dark rose thanks to the Mataro's colour. Bright clear ruby red to a light purple in colour it appears more of a light Pinot Noir or a Gamay than a rosé. Wild yeast fermented in large oak puncheons with six months on lees make for a velvety texture.   

Aromas of savoury plum, sweet spices, freshly cut violet fragrances and gamey, leather notes. Complex nose. Rich raspberry jam and spicy blackberry dominate the palate. Boiled lollies, earthy tones and a mineral edge add further to the mouthfeel. Lingering savoury finish. 

Essentially a dry rosé, it is more fruit driven and with bitey heat prominent on the back end, didn't make for an enjoyable overall experience. A different take on the rosé theme and for someone who prefers the paler, dryer Provencal styles, this one is too rich and weighty.   

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $19.00. Rating: 87 Points.

Website: http://woods-crampton.com.au/

2010 Valhalla Wines Rutherglen Durif

Australia does Durif so well that I'm amazed there hasn't been a blog post until now. The variety has been planted in the Rutherglen Region of North East Victoria since the early 1900s and has become its flagship wine, the suitability of the terroir producing hefty full-bodied, highly tannic wines ripe for extended cellaring.  

Durif is a cross between Syrah and an ancient, now virtually extinct French variety Peloursin, created in the 1880s by a nurseryman Dr Francois Durif at the University of Montpellier. So pleased with the outcome, he boldly named the grape after himself. He would turn in his grave to find out that the variety is scarcely grown in France today !  

Established in 2002 Valhalla Wines is a boutique family-owned winery dedicated to producing handcrafted, premium wines from environmentally sustainable techniques and practices. The Valhalla name is a tribute to owner and winemaker Anton Therkildsen's Danish heritage and to the Norse mythology he is so passionate about.  

A dense almost opaque crimson in appearance. Dark chocolate, tobacco, stewed damask plum and leather comprise the brooding aromas. The palate is awash with concentrated spicy black cherry and plum with tongue-coating tannins to boot, all balanced by a fresh line of acid. There is a long, intense and strangely smooth finish. An iron fist in a velvet glove ! Has its fair share of power and grunt with a firm texture and mouthfeel throughout. Everything from go to whoa about this wine is dark, the colour, the black fruits, its savoury liquorice and peppery earth notes. But there is also passion from the people involved in making this wine and the other Rhone Valley varieties in their portfolio, who are dedicated to tradition and innovation.   

Beware of this brooding youngster. It's not a sprinter but is built along the lines of a marathon runner. Drinking well now but this will be a beast of a wine if you can wait ten years. Highly Recommended.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 13.8%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $30.00. Rating: 91 Points.
Website: http://www.valhallawines.com.au/

2010 Madfish Magaret River Carnelian

Another recognisable wine label from the Burch family-owned Howard Park winery, the Madfish brand represents 20 years of fine quality wines produced from grapes sourced from the Margaret River and Great Southern Regions of Western Australia.

The Carnelian variety however may not be as well known to the average punter but like all grape varieties has its own individual story to relate. It mercifully has nothing to do with that horrible Culture Club song Karma Chameleon (rhyming with the chameleon part). Rather, it is one of the so-named Olmo Grapes produced in 1972 by pioneering viticulturalist and geneticist Dr Harold P. Olmo from the University of California, Davis, a cross between Grenache and an earlier crossing of Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Designed to grow in warm climate states such as California, Texas and Hawaii believe it or not, it appeared the uptake was so slow that coverage worldwide today is minimal. It was thanks to the venerable Dr Olmo who visited Western Australia and worked at its Department of Agriculture that eventually allowed the Carnelian variety to secure its only small foothold in the west and indeed Australia, according to a winery spokesperson. But this is where the story gets somewhat interesting.

With only a handful of wineries now as its last bastion, Carnelian was originally planted in the belief it was Sangiovese, a case of mistaken identity made in a vine nursery. Howard Park went ahead planting cuttings only to release the 'real' identity in later vintages. The winery persisted when results were promising and has done so up until this vintage. Although not as controversial as the Carmenere/Merlot mix up in Chile or our own Albarino/Savignin fiasco of a few years ago, it still goes to show that accidents do occur in the wine identification process. Where was Dr Olmo when he was needed ? As an aside, Sangiovese has yet to make a real impression in WA as it has in eastern states.    

There is a great vivid purple colour with crimson hues to this Carnelian. Dark chocolate, violet flowers, herbs and fresh blackberry aromas lift from the glass. The palate reveals dark plum, pepper and aniseed liquorice tastes. Some mint nuances too. Firm powdery tannins, toasty oak spiciness and fresh acidity round out a well-balanced palate. Smooth texturally but intense and rustic. Walks the line 
between medium and full-bodied. Juicy, fleshy and plump - but in a good way !

More Grenache with the luscious dark fruit jamminess than Cabernet Sauvignon, whose flavour profile it was intended to emulate originally, this Carnelian is a powerful wine from the west. Priorat wine on the Margaret River you could say. Experience or lay down a few bottles before this rare varietal and sadly last vintage becomes confined to the annals of history. Available at the cellar door and online. Recommended.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 14.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $20.00. Rating: 90+ Points.
Website: http://www.burchfamilywines.com.au/products/brands/madfish/default.aspx

2012 Chalk Hill Vermentino

Vermentino has been widely touted as the next big thing on the white wine circuit in Australia. This McLaren Vale example is Chalk Hill's second vintage and while the young vines do not deliver an existential experience in the glass, they do show up some good varietal qualities.

Pale quartz yellow with green hues in colour. Smells of the sea shore after a rain storm. Some notes of refreshing grapefruit and green olives aromas. Minerally talc aromas in the mix. Dry and medium bodied with a soft fennel and green apple palate. Soft texture with a nice splash of lemon acidity. Approachable, bright and cheerful with a mineral finish.     
A well balanced wine throughout and a good entry-level example if you haven't tried the variety already.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 11.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $15.00. Rating: 87 Points. 
Website: http://www.chalkhill.com.au/

2009 Best's Great Western Concongella Vineyard Dolcetto

Dolcetto is an early drinking style variety and rarely does it make great wine so it was a real delight to experience one with a little bottle age.

Part of central Victoria's Grampians Wine Region, Best's Great Western has the oldest Dolcetto vines in Australia ( the 1860's Nursery Block) and the oldest outside Italy. Sourced from these and the 1971 cuttings from the original, the 2009 is akin to drinking history.  

In the glass it is darkly coloured crimson in colour with a light pink meniscus. On the nose, dark dry fruit and liquorice aromas are enhanced by herbal and tree bark undertones. Prunes, walnut and mushrooms comprise the main flavour profile.The palate is still texturally smooth. Light to medium bodied with dry astringent tannins and a moderate lick of acidity. Overall, a well-balanced good food wine.

Sure, its youthful fresh upfront fruit character had faded considerably but it had morphed into a different, more complex creature. 

Source: Restaurant Wine List. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 88 Points.
Website: http://www.bestswines.com/

2011 Three Willows Vineyard Pinot Noir Blonde

The Three Willows Vineyard is situated in Tasmania's cool climate north near the town of Deloraine. Viticulture practice sees the three wines in the range cultivated along organic principles, dry-grown and hand-made to boot to truly reflect the terroir.  

An attractive orange, salmon pink in appearance this Pinot Noir-based, Blanc de Noir style rosé is produced from premium grapes. Left on their skins for a few hours, they are then kept on lees in subtle French oak for fourteen months.

The results are alluring aromas of strawberries, red cherries with hints of musk. Softly textured the wine is lifted by cool climate acidity and a peachy edge. Spicy and well-balanced. Lingers on the palate. It finishes crisp, clean and dry. Classic Cotes de Provence in style. Very enjoyable indeed. If this doesn't get you drinking rosé, nothing will.  


While we all should realise the risks associated with alcohol consumption, it is rare that on the back labels there are warnings specifically targeting pregnant women as there is on this one. An interesting fact.

Source: Gift. Alcohol: 13.3%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $20.00. Rating: 91 Points.

Website: http://www.threewillowsvineyard.com.au/index.htm

2011 Massena Barossa Valley Barbera

Australian versions of Barbera prefer the cooler climes of Victoria's King Valley and Mudgee in New South Wales where its richness and complexity can excel. It has newcomer status in the warmer Barossa Valley where presumably the grape's ability to retain high natural acids as it ripens, augurs well for its development there. 

This is an impressive example from Massena, a winery with an interesting range of alternative varietal wines and one named in Robert Parker's top 20 value plays in Australia. 

Crimson red with a purple tinged colour. A funky apricot and red cherry nose with some anise and pepper action too. Mid-weight fruit flavours of savoury cherry and sour plum on the palate. Brambly, savoury and smooth. Finely balanced acid and grippy tannins give the wine a lovely length and focus. Edgy and distinctive. One to watch.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 90 Points. Website: http://massena.com.au/about/

2010 Aja White Blend

Aja (pronounced Asia) was developed specifically by long time business partners Mark Silcocks and David Mulham to complement the wide range of flavours found in Asian cuisines. A daunting undertaking if there ever was one. This wine made at Tempus Two in the Hunter Valley is a unique blend of Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho and the obscure variety Aranel. Although no information is printed on the labels, I am informed that the blend contains 25% Aranel, one of the reasons for focusing on this intriguing white grape.

Grown in France's Languedoc-Roussillon and with small plantings in south-east Australia's Riverina/Murray Darling regions, Aranel is a hybrid grape, breed in 1961 at the University of Montpellier, the offspring of the rare Grenache Gris and the now virtually extinct Saint-Pierre Dore variety. It seems according to the literature available on Aranel that there is a direct relationship to that casanova of a grape variety Gouais Blanc, a progenitor to so many other varieties. 

Searching for information about Aranel is limited even on French language websites who seem to frustratingly repeat the same stuff. Beelgara Estate (Riverina) and Tempus Two were the only two wineries here who used to produce varietal wines made from Aranel but it appears that growers now need to pay a licence fee in order to grow it under Plant Variety Rights. The grape is said to have good levels of acid and sugar with fresh and attractive blossom, white-fleshed fruit and citrus aromatics. 

The wine is pale yellow to light green in the glass. Aromas of grass, fresh white flowers and talc flood the nose. It's as though you are laying in a wet grassy field under blossoming trees. There is upfront smooth citrus and peach fruit on the palate supported by nice flinty acidity. The palate is super fresh and well balanced. A crisp cleansing finish is just what you need to complement incendiary curries, spicy stir fries or delicate sushi dishes. The wine is unashamedly marketed as a style to match broad Asian cuisine styles and on that level it works really well. I usually baulk at blends stacked with more than three varieties but this is a beauty. 

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 12.4%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $15.00. Rating: 90 Points.
Website: http://www.ajawines.com.au/index.html

2010 Hahndorf Hill Winery Blueblood Blaufrankisch

Hahndorf Hill is one of those Australian wineries doing remarkable things with alternative varieties, in particular pioneering those with an Austrian bent. One of such is Blaufrankisch (Blue Frankish) or Lemberger as it is known in Germany.

Blaufrankisch is a dark-skinned variety that has its stronghold today in the large wine-producing region of Burgenland in Austria's east and is that country's second most important red grape. Significant evidence exists that its origins were in fact present day Slovenia, once under the Austro-Hngarian Empire. 

In the glass it's a deep blue to purple coloured wine as you would expect with a name like Blueblood.

Offers attractive blueberry, blackberry, black cherry and earthy spice aromas. Some liquorice nuances add more complexity.



Translates to a palate that is all intense, spicy and juicy fruited. Black fleshy fruits and white pepper with some sweet oak. Smoothly textured, medium-bodied with soft dry tannins and finishes with an herbal edge. 

This is an elegant and seriously drinkable wine that will happily develop with age. Recommended.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 14.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $40.00. Rating: 92+ Points.

Website: http://www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au/

2010 Currency Creek Estate The Viaduct Roussanne Viognier

An unusual blend of two of the three Rhone Ranger whites. Normally, it's either a Marsanne Roussanne, Marsanne Viognier combination or a MRV ménage à trois but you rarely see these two partners saddling up together.

Currency Creek Estate is located on the eastern part of South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula, just south of Langhorne Creek. It belongs to the Currency Creek Geographical Indication (GI) Region, a status awarded in 1969. The Viaduct name pays tribute it seems to an old railway viaduct on the property that was officially unrecognised. 

A fairly simple wine, light on, nothing too complex or cerebral here. Pale straw yellow in the glass. Muted aromatics of herbal tea, citrus blossom and honey with a subtle hint of apricot fanning out to the palate. 
Herbal honey and apricot notes linger for a while on the mid-palate then do a disappearing act at the end like fair weather friends. 
I tried to find things to like about this blend but to no avail. 
Pleasant enough effort but it failed to challenge or impress. 

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $12.00. Rating: 82 Points.
Website: http://www.currencycreekwinery.com.au/index.php

2010 Kangarilla Road 'Terzetto'

One of the things I admire about Kangarilla Road, apart from their quality great value wines is the image of the vine leaf on their front labels. Unique and quite stunning. There are three on this bottle, one for each of the varieties contained within.   

A ménage à trois of Italian varieties from the McLaren Vale blending the big three reds Sangiovese (45%), Primitivo (35%) and Nebbiolo (20%). The term terzetto is a reference to all things three in Italian, but primarily to literature and music and there is much to write and sing about this quirky first release from Kevin and Helen O'Brien's winery.

Kangarilla Road has been around since the mid-1970's but the O'Briens have stamped - or is that stomped -  their imprimatur since 1997 with an impressive portfolio of Italian varietals produced in organic and biodynamic vineyards from sustainable viticultural techniques.   

The Terzetto was aged in a combination of older French and American oak for 14 months prior to release with silver medal success at the 2012 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in the Other Red - Italian Varieties and Blends category. 

Translucent ruby red colours. Lifted aromas of fresh roses, savoury plum, chocolate, vanillin with hints of tobacco smoke are intense and a mouth-watering preamble to the main act. A beautifully balanced sum of its impressive varietal parts, the Terzetto delivers a medium-bodied, texturally very smooth wine to the drinker. Spicy cherry and plum fruit flavours dominate the palate supported by dry, mouth-puckering tannins across the tongue. Nuances of cinnamon, earth and tar here as well. Long close of spicy black cherry. Rich, juicy and deliciously easy on the synapses. Hopefully we get to wax lyrical in future editions. Recommended.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 14.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 90 Points. Website: http://www.kangarillaroad.com.au/

2012 Torzi Matthews Vigna Cantina Negro Amaro

Indigenous solely to the southern Italian region of Puglia and particularly to its south-eastern Salento peninsula, Negro Amaro is a dark-skinned grape noted for producing robust and appealing rustic wines best known in DOC Salice Salentino and Copertino wines. Not unlike Aglianico, it is an ancient variety with an interesting history dating back to a wine believed to have been brought to Puglia by Illyrian settlers prior to the Greek colonisation there in the 7th century BC. 

When the Roman Empire went belly up, winemaking followed suit leaving Benedictine and Greek Orthodox monks in the Puglia region to keep the Negro Amaro grape alive and thriving.     

There is a belief that the meaning of Negro Amaro is derived from its modern day translation of black bitter. Whatever its etymology, it would appear that the confluence of Latin (negro) and Greek (maru) cultural empires was more instrumental in reference to the grape's colour black black rather than to the contemporary translation. 


This is the third vintage from the Torzi Matthews' vineyards in Barossa Valley's Koonunga Dunes sub-region. Only a handful of wineries are at present producing Negro Amaro wines, a fact that should change given the variety's suitability in viticultural terms to warmer regions.      

Negro Amaro Grapes

Dense purple, almost black in the glass. Darth Vader black. Light is sucked in and disappears. A lifted nose of sour black cherry, black plum and violet aromas. Light to medium bodied. There are fresh spicy cherry, liquorice and white pepper flavours across the palate. Smooth texturally with bitter, dark, silky tannins. Little oak to speak of. Young and tight from the outset - perhaps because the vines are five years old - it needed to calm, which it did the second evening like the Aglianico. A persistent finish of spicy cinnamon and earthy notes. As the vines age, it'll be interesting to sample future vintages. A good wine.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 13.9%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 87+ Points.
Website: http://www.torzimatthews.com.au/home/

2009 Westend Estate Calabria Private Bin Aglianico

Aglianico is an underrated red grape variety that has flown under the radar somewhat in Australia. With Sangiovese and Tempranillo increasing in popularity, production and market share, heat and drought tolerant varieties such as Aglianico should have an important role to play in the consideration of our future wine production. As global warming thunders down on the planet, its ability to produce deeply coloured, aromatic wines with high acid levels makes Aglianico an ideal variety to cultivate in dry, warm regions such as the Riverland. 

  

Referred to as the "Barolo of the South" because of certain similarities to the famous Nebbiolo of Piemonte, it is more the stature in its southern indigenous regions of Campania and Basilicata that has made this such a rich and elegant variety. The signature wines that come from the grape are Campania's D.O.C.G Taurasi - from the Irpinia region - and Bsilicata's D.O.C. Aglianico del Vulture, grown on the high volcanic soils of Mount Vulture.   

Aglianico's ancient origins take it back to cultivation in Roman times from a variety thought to have been introduced centuries earlier by Greek colonisers, researchers thinking that its age to be around 2800 years old! Gives a different perspective to the saying as old as the hills, doesn't it ? The grape's name is also thought to be a corruption of the Vitis Hellenica, the Italian for Greek vine, which lasted until the 15th century when its present name took effect.   

After winning the Best Red Wine trophy at the 2010 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show with the varietal 2008 Calabria Aglianico, the judges in their wisdom created a new red wine class/category for the Aglianico variety starting the following year. Westend Estate was one of the first to plant the variety in Australia in 2005 according to Chief Winemaker Bryan Currie and has since then become its largest grower here and indeed in the world outside of Italy with 12 hectares under vine. There are some plantings across California, notably the Alexander Valley and Paso Robles but small comparatively.

The Calabria Aglianico is deep ruby in colour. An intriguing and heady mix on the nose of sour cherry, raspberry, black pepper and dark chocolate with funky smokey notes, which are really attractive. Subtle hints of lavender and mint leaf too. Quite minerallly on the palate with dry cocoa powder tannins. A tart savoury acid grip keeps the rich fruit flavours across the mid-palate, balanced. There is a silky textured mouthfeel at the back end but with that earthy quality common to some European varieties. A long, satisfying and savoury finish. Medium to full bodied and complex, this wine is all about fire and brimstone yet at the same time there is seductive elegance about it. 

It tasted better the second night where more bold plum, strawberry, dark liquorice and tar notes came to the fore. I loved this wine, there's plenty to suggest it will age beautifully for another five years at least. For its quality at this price point, it is highly recommended.  

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 14.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $14.95. Rating: 93+ Points.
Website: http://www.westendestate.com.au/index.php

2012 Hahndorf Hill Winery Adelaide Hills Rosé

Produced at the boutique Hahndorf Hill Winery from the red Germanic grape varieties Trollinger and Blaufrankisch, this unique blend rose has started to attract serious recognition. Australian-made rose wines are fashioned nowadays from a variety of red grapes, including these two rare ones produced only at the winery's biodynamically-run vineyards in the Adelaide Hills Region over the last couple of decades. Kudos to Larry Jacobs, Marc Dobson and their team for embracing the alternative varieties bandwagon. 

Trollinger (also known as Black Hamburg amongst other synonyms) is a red grape thought to have originated in the South Tyrol and Trentino-Alto Adige wine regions and today is grown exclusively in southwestern Germany. Blaufrankisch, known as Lemberger in Germany, translates as 'blue Frankish' perhaps an indication of its noble origins, today rates as the second most important red grape in Austria. Recent DNA evidence has shown that Blaufrankisch is a cross between Gouais Blanc and an unknown Frankish variety rather than a clone of Gamey                                                                  as it was originally thought to have been.  

I've banged on about the rose 'revolution' for some time now and this example is a beauty. Stunning watermelon juice pink in colour, almost pink orange. Quite distinctive. Fresh, minerally, orange rind and red cherry aromas is what you would expect on the nose. There is some front palate sweetness to its medium to light body and then it s crisp, dry and savoury to the finish where soft strawberry and sour cherry flavours linger. A lovely, smooth textural mouthfeel. If this is an indication of the 2012 vintage, watch out for future ones.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 12.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 91 Points.
Website: http://www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au/

2011 Iron Pot Bay Wines Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon

Established in 1988, Iron Pot Bay is located on the western side of the beautiful Tamar River at Devoit, northern Tasmania. It is the only vineyard that grows Semillon commercially in Tasmania. The 0.16 of a hectare planting is used as a blending partner with Sauvignon Blanc, making the final product unique to the Tamar Valley Region and to the island itself. 

Semillon is better known in warmer regions such as the Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley and Margaret River but its proximity to the river lessens the risk of frost and has some effect on heat summation, generally helping the grapes to ripen well. With considerable plantings of Sauvignon Blanc in Tasmania, the blend offers punters something different and distinctive. 

This wine is vinified by Jeremy Dineen, Chief Winemaker at Josef Chromy Wines since 2006 and whose impressive track record has seen him complete vintages at Margaret River, McLaren Vale, Victoria's Goulburn Valley and southern Tasmania over many years. 

Pale straw in appearance. There are subtle lifted notes of lime and passionfruit but it's green capsicum aromas that dominate. More on the herbal or vegetal side than fruit-driven style. The palate is fairly one dimensional with green capsicum, green beans and lemongrass at the front end supported by a fine flinty minerality and refreshing vibrant acidity across the tongue. I like that the Semillon has given the Sauvignon Blanc a softer dimension while not cancelling out its individuality given that some Sauvignon Blancs from down south can be quite pungent and acidic. Overall, nicely textured, good mouth feel with a crisp, lively finish. A wine for early consumption rather than cellaring. Worth trying as something out of the ordinary from Tasmania.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 12.4%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 89+ Points. 

Website: http://www.ironpotbay.com.au/index.html