SAMUEL'S GORGE RELBIA RIESLING 2009

 - Tamar Valley, TAS

 - $25

 - Screwcap (Stelvin-Lux)

 - 11.9%alc

If you're visiting McLaren Vale in search of some memorable white wine, I'd strongly recommend calling in to Samuel's Gorge, whose current releases of riesling and gewurztraminer are arguably the region's best. However, the great irony is that both wines originate from Tasmania!

The first vintage of Justin McNamee's Relbia Riesling opens to lightly floral aromas of musky grapefruits and lavender, working harmoniously throughout its very clean, restrained fruit profile. Spotlessly pristine, its crystal-clear palate presents an utterly convincing expression of mineral accented pure fruit flavour, which extends along a chalky undercarriage towards a long, taut, savoury and briney finish bound by slick, racy acids. It's a total package for Tasmanian riesling enthusiasts of extremely addictive proportions.

ü+ A very complete, seamlessly balanced Tasmanian riesling of exquisite clarity and freshness. Drink to 2019.

94 points

www.gorge.com.au

ST HALLETT GAMEKEEPER'S SHIRAZ GRENACHE 2008

 - Barossa Valley, SA

 - $10-$18

 - Screwcap

 - 13.5%alc

Soft, fruit forward, lightly oaked (if at all) and lighter-bodied red wines made for immediate consumption and consumer enjoyment are gaining prominence in Australia. This trend makes perfect sense in places like the Barossa and McLaren Vale, where their abundant sunshine and plentiful plantings of the grenache grape suit the easy drinking, summer red style to a tee.

Brightly scented with stewed plums, blueberries and raspberries, St Hallett's 2008 Gameskeeper's blend also reveals a sweet influence of chocolate and coconut. As anticipated it's a lighter, softer style of Barossa red, with a finish drawn out more by its marked acidity as opposed to penetrating length of fruit or structure. There remains a vivid base of ultra-ripe, sweet/sour edged regional fruits, so it should sit well with those who seek its style.

O This is a pleasingly balanced little quaffer which successfully achieves its goals. It suits outdoor dining, with, as the bottle suggests, game, duck, smoked meats and hare. Drink to 2010.

86 points

www.sthallett.com.au

PETER LEHMANN SEMILLON 2008

 - Barossa Valley, SA

 - $6-$16

 - Screwcap

 - 11.0%alc

Not content with just being 'champion of the Barossa', Peter (or perhaps Margaret) Lehmann should now also be known as the 'champion of Barossa semillon'. With greater belief and enthusiasm for the style than anyone else, the current team at Peter Lehmann has raised the awareness of quality Barossa semillon to a new level.

A superb little entry point semillon, Peter Lehmann's 2008 displays an airy fragrance of spicy citrus, melon, nuts and gentle honeysuckle. It's more generous than recent vintages in both mouthfeel and character, as its smooth, round palate presents clean yet slightly pungent melon and citrus flavours with a drier, more savoury finish marked by soft acids and a note of tobacco.

ü+ Another success story for Peter Lehmann's project semillon. The 2008 is the most interesting wine I've had under this label for years. Drink to 2014.

90 points

www.peterlehmannwines.com

CLONAKILLA RIESLING 2009

 - Canberra District

 - $24-$32

 - Screwcap

 - 12.5%alc

Victoria's Henty district, WA's Great Southern and Tasmania all pose serious threats to dethroning South Australia's Clare and Eden Valleys as Australian riesling benchmarks. Additionally, with committed winemakers like Ken Helm at Helm and Clonakilla's Tim Kirk, it's inevitable that Canberra will soon join the charge.

Clonakilla's 2009 Riesling opens to a faintly floral, musky perfume of orange blossom, white pear and lime with a steely aspect. Holding terrific line and shape, its well proportioned but elegant palate announces wonderful textural complexity and concentration, revealing clean, juicy flavours of apple and citrus with a refreshingly racy cut of crystalline acids. The wine evolves into a very appealling, balanced, rather taut and savoury finish underscored by notes of slate and wet stone. 

ü+ Complex and mineral accented; varietal yet savoury, this handsomely measures up to Australia's best. It's full of compelling charm. The more I drink the more I like. Drink to 2019.

94 points

www.clonakilla.com.au

TAYLORS SHIRAZ 2008

 - Clare Valley, SA

 - $11-$20

 - Screwcap

 - 14.5%alc

I'm always on the lookout for readily available, cheap and cheerful wines which pick up meaningful accolades. One such wine is Taylors Shiraz 2008; a top 10 finalist in the Adelaide Review's Hot 100 of 2009/10.

Enlivened by notes of menthol and eucalypt, it shows rather supressed fruit aromas of dark plums and berries joined by American oak and spice. The palate however, is well textured at this price, presenting a juicy, almost thick expression of generous dark fruit and sweet oak flavours. It finishes with a drying astringency, revealing traces of ultra-ripe fruit and alcoholic warmth.

O To me this exemplifies Taylors Shiraz, it's well made and honest but won't exactly set the world on fire. Drink to 2013.

88 points

www.taylorswines.com.au

BAY OF FIRES PINOT NOIR 2008

 - Derwent River Valley/Coal River Valley/East Coast Tasmania, TAS

 - $33-$43

 - Screwcap

 - 13.5%alc

Following their sensational 2008 release, I'm now a complete convert to Bay of Fires Pinot Noir. Thanks to the benefits of Tasmania's cool climate, multiple vineyard resources and the winemaking talents of Fran Austin, I hold every belief that this already brilliant (and very affordable) wine's best days are yet to come.

Vibrant and youthful, this cleanly scented pinot noir reveals notes of cinnamon stick and white pepper sitting harmoniously alongside a melange of evenly fruited cherry, raspberry, cassis and plum aromas, with just a hint of herbal undergrowth evident. The smooth, silky and sensual palate enters with true pinot seduction, before announcing lively cherry, raspberry and cedar/vanilla oak flavours, which merge seamlessly into a more savoury, tight, drying finish marked by penetrative length of fruit, dusty pinot tannins and clever spice notes. Quite frankly its silken texture, youthful flavour, structure and fine length are balanced on a knife's edge; resulting in a most exceptional young Tasmanian pinot noir at this price. 

ü+ This is a noticeable step up in every category from the delicious 2007 wine (94pts). It's a superlative young Tasmanian pinot noir which should improve immensely over the next 3-5 years. Stimulating stuff; buy some while you can. Drink to 2015.

95 points

www.bayoffireswines.com.au

PETALUMA CHARDONNAY 2007

 - Adelaide Hills, SA

 - $35-$53

 - Screwcap

 - 14.0%alc

Under the esteemed guidance of Brian Croser, Petaluma practically invented the concept of top quality Adelaide Hills chardonnay. Early Petaluma Chardonnays came from regions as diverse as Cowra, Coonawarra and Clare, but since the late 80's its home has been the cool, high altitude Piccadilly Valley sub-region. It's since become one of Australia's most consistent, brilliant and undervalued chardonnays.

Showing a fair amount of restraint to its gently understated fruit base, the 2007 Petaluma proclaims an immediate whiff of toasty vanilla oak covering grapefruit, nectarine and lemon citrus aromas. Decidedly round, luscious and creamy, it contains an almost bitter cut of grapefruit-like acids over buttery undertones, with a rich, chewy finish that does show some complex cashew/herbal elements, but just lacks true punch and harmony to the end.

O The 2007 isn't the refined, elegant or complex chardonnay one would normally expect from Petaluma, however, its generously flavoured, worked nuances are supported by enough acid and textural interest to provide short term appeal. For the first time in years I think this isn't superb value for money. Drink to 2012.

91 points

www.petaluma.com.au

SAMUEL'S GORGE GRENACHE 2007

 - McLaren Vale, SA

 - $35

 - Cork

 - 14.5%alc

In just a couple of years Samuel's Gorge has emerged as one of the very best makers of McLaren Vale grenache. With their 2007 release they join McLaren Vale's Cadenzia project; a project created to promote the excitement, energy, individual nature and diversity of the region's grenache.

Attractively presented in a long, thin bottle with mosaic label, the 2007 Samuel's Gorge Grenache opens to lifted, heady spice notes of liqueur cherry and currant fruits, with a more withheld use of seasoned, spicy cedar/chocolate oak. Sumptuous yet supple, its smooth, medium-full bodied palate contains vibrant, ripe and meaty dark red fruit flavours framed by a sensual, gentle extract of silky tannin and bright acidity. Finishing with agreeable floral notes and a lingering fruit sweetness, it's generously ripe and balanced without being over ripe whatsoever. 

ü From a very challenging season Justin McNamee has fashioned a 2007 Grenache which does a wonderful job of reflecting region, variety and vintage. God bless those old vines. Drink to 2015.

91 points

www.gorge.com.au

GOOD ADVICE

I've already written a couple of posts on some of my 'lesser' experiences at bottle shops so it's only fair that I write about the better ones as well.

East End Cellars, just off Rundle Street down Adelaide's trendy east end, is one of Adelaide's true independent bottle shops. Alongside the Ed at Mitcham and Melbourne Street Fine Wine, it's easily one of our very best wine retailers. Other than a large, diverse range of outstanding wines, EEC also has excellent staff. They're all genuine experts in the field and they always treat their customers with utmost respect.

Several years ago I was shopping at EEC, in search of a good bottle of Margaret River chardonnay for around $30 (strange, I think I started one of these previous stories on a similar quest). Unfortunately I couldn't find one (which isn't surprising here in Adelaide) and when the store attendant confronted me he also admitted they were unable to meet my direct needs.

The attendant initially tried to point me in the direction of some Adelaide Hills chardonnay, then some Victorians. I told him it wasn't really what I was after, so we proceeded to walk throughout the store together. I sighted a bottle of Cape Mentelle's Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and told him I enjoyed that wine, but it too wasn't what I was after. "Oh", he quipped. "You must try this then".

He then presented to me a bottle of Cullen's 2006 Mangan Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. This was the first vintage of Cullen's just released Mangan SBS and as such I'd never had it before. I was very familiar with the Cullen Vineyard SBS though, so he had me interested. The salesperson correctly informed me it was an oaked SBS and how it should display some similar texture, complexity and style to chardonnay, whilst retaining the regional quality I desired (he also told me it made the Cape Mentelle look very boring by comparison). It was $35 but his very informative and articulated sales pitch had me, so I took one home.

Once home I drunk the bottle and loved it. It contained not just all the features the attendant had told me it would but also all the features I was after (I gave it 95 points for interest). Cullen's Mangan is now arguably my favourite expression of an Australian sauvignon blanc/semillon blend, and I buy 3 bottles of every vintage, including putting one aside for 5-8 years cellaring. In some respect, I feel I owe part of this love to the staff at East End Cellars, without whom I might not have bought the wine in the first place.

To say the least, the information and recommendation from the EEC staff member was a hell of a lot better than that of another, different bottle shop salesperson, who told me I should be drinking New Zealand sauvignon blanc instead of chardonnay (see Drawing a Blanc contd... under my July posts).

Oh yeah, I can guarantee no EEC salesperson would allow a customer to leave the store with a dozen bottles of wine without at least a box! :)

WOODLANDS 'MARGARET' 2007

(Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Malbec)

 - Margaret River, WA

 - $35-$45

 - Screwcap

 - 13.5%alc

Despite its relatively modest asking price ($39 at cellar door), Woodlands Margaret Reserve is a serious player among top-end Australian cabernet blends. Comprised of 67% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 16% malbec, the 2007 is another near perfect, long living example of its classic style.

It's simultaneously deeply scented and intensely lifted, opening to reveal dusty aromas of violets, dark plum, blackberry, redcurrants and carefully smoked cedar/mocha/walnut oak with heady spice notes of clove and white pepper followed by eucalypt. With layer upon layer of dripping flavour and character, its silky palate presents a beautifully composed expression of vivid purple fruits and more savoury, gamey, leafy undertones, harmonised by exceptionally tight, fine-grained French oak and an assertive yet ideally balanced influence of velvet-like tannin. The length is magnificent, with a persisting core of ripe fruit pushing deep into the aftertaste alongside rich notes of earth perfectly imparted by its malbec component.

ü+ Woodlands' 2007 Margaret is an essay in depth, complexity and integration through highly skilled blending. With all the boxes handsomely ticked, it's just urging for more time in the bottle to unravel and reveal its limitless potential. A modern day masterpiece. Drink to 2027.

97 points

www.woodlandswines.com