DOMAINE LUCCI PINOT NOIR 2010

- Adelaide Hills, SA

- $28-$32

- Cork (Diam)

- 13.8%alc

You'd have to be blind to unknowingly walk past the artfully labelled pinots of Lucy Margaux Vineyards at your local independent. Like others, I was tempted by curiosity the first time I gazed upon these bottles; however, with scant information (no back labels) I didn't know where to start. So, it was the words of Tim Cohen; "whatever you do, do not 'not' buy this wine - 98pts', that steered me towards the Domaine Lucci.

From first sniff there's an attractive statement of character emanating from the Domaine Lucci, which isn't exactly typical of Adelaide Hills pinot noir. There's sweet-edged scents of redcurrant and rhubarb expressed with lively appeal, as well as rather compelling, savoury notes of yeast and tomato stalk joined by more a familiar undertone of dark cherry. Its fragrance is vivid, interesting and different, but the show goes on. The unusually varietal palate may be straight forward in pinot texture, structure and progression, but it drinks with ease, thanks to clean balance and intriguing flavour. I can't help but think of thinned-out tomato sauce and beetroot, graced by a leafy suggestion of stalk - somewhat red and vegetal really. Structurally, it shows a moderately dry caress, leaning towards stringy, lithe, unforced acids that drive with ample zip through the finish, before it leaves the mouth feeling clean and refreshed, with that initial tomato stalk/beetroot note returning to wrap things up.

ü For a $30, 1 year old Adelaide Hills pinot noir; I'm gushingly intrigued. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea though. I wonder if the Lucy Margaux wines represent similar value for money... Drink to 2014.

90 points

www.domainelucci.com

A VISUAL COMPARISON OF TWO 2010 PINOT NOIRS

Pictured on the left is Wickhams Road 2010 Gippsland Pinot Noir,

and on the right is the 2010 Domaine Lucci Pinot Noir.

WICKHAMS ROAD GIPPSLAND PINOT NOIR 2010

- Gippsland, VIC

- $16-$18

- Screwcap

- 12.5%alc

With fruit sourced from key Victorian regions such as the Yarra Valley, Gippsland and the Mornington Peninusla, Franco D'Anna's regional Wickhams Road wines sit happily at the classy end of cheap Australian pinot noir.

Although somewhat idiosyncratic, the 2010 Gippsland Pinot Noir does prove attractively varietal for $16. It shows a prominent stalky/sappy accent on the nose, with faintly musky red cherries and strawberries providing the underlying fruit punch. Taking into account its price, 12 year old vineyard source and a slightly lean nose, the Wickhams Road is ably textured and supple in the mouth, with a smoothly controlled extension of cherry flavours aided by a hint of white pepper emerging in its soft, lengthy finish, which also produces a more complex, savoury and tart note that just dissipates in a watered down fashion towards the end. There's not a huge impression of tight, drying structure (remember the price!) but its genuine length makes up for it.

ü Wickham Road's 2010 Gippsland is pretty good value for a $16 pinot noir really, but I am surprised by how much time and air it required to come together and truly show top form (3-4 hours in the decanter). A touch more bottle age might even be on the cards... Drink 2012-2014.

88 points

www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au

WINE SERVICE AND THE [SLOW] WINDS OF CHANGE

I've had Alan Young's 'Australian Wines & Wineries' in my collection for years now. The image here, shows just how well its dust cover's worked. Published in 1983, it presents a relatively comprehensive look at Australia's wine scene of the time, albeit significantly less detailed and comprehensive than James Halliday's 1985 'The Australian Wine Compendium'.

Much of the information in 'Australian Wines and Wineries' appears unsurprisingly outdated now, but my favourite extract from Young's book, written in the age of cork domination, still sounds relevant today.

On page 188, when discussing wine service, under the heading of 'When Dining Out', Alan writes:-

'If, as diner/host, you are paying full price for a meal (rather than receiving it at no cost) you should expect - and demand - the following services at any good establishment:-

9. Opportunity to taste the poured wine carefully. If not satisfied, do not accept. Pouring is in any case a ridiculous charade, and this is the quickest way to stop it.'

I like it. On many occasions, when I've been presented a 'taste' of (screwcapped) wine when dining out, the (unspoken) thought that comes into my mind runs something along the lines of; "Hmm. This Coonawarra cabernet smells like it needs at least another hour in a decanter. But in an hour I'm going to be eating your coconut mango ice cream, so you better pour up now. So what was the point of that?" However, the words that come out of my mouth are; "Yes, fine..."

But then, on the following page (189), as if to reiterate how some things have changed over the years, Alan writes with further reference to restaurants:-

'A first class establishment will have a wide selection of domestic and imported wines of various vintages, e.g. Penfolds Hermitage, Wolf Blass Grey and Black Labels, Yalumba Signature Series, the grand crus of both Burgundy and Bordeaux. They will not offer current vintage dry reds on their wine list.'

D'ARENBERG THE CADENZIA GRENACHE SHIRAZ MOURVEDRE 2009

- McLaren Vale, SA

- $24-$30

- Screwcap

- 14.7%alc

I think it would be safe to say d'Arenberg is Australia's champion of grenache. Don't be surprised if one day, a super premium, single varietal grenache emerges from the brand with the distinctive red stripe.

Combining 50% grenache with 45% shiraz and 5% mourvedre, d'Arenberg's 2009 Cadenzia smells beautifully set in the glass. Expect to find a deep, soft and evenly ripened fragrance of plums, earth, blueberries, raspberries and cinnamon, expressed with fruit attention, thanks to a considerate touch of chocolate/mocha oak (10 months in used French and American) imparting no more than an edge. The palate shows a plushly flavoured, bright array of its components, with a moderately juicy imprint of sour-edged plum and cherry flavours smoothed over by regional chocolate notes and levelled by earth, before a touch of mourvedre's rustic tickle accompanies the wine into a refreshingly sour-edged yet grippy climax. An effortless, lithe structure coasts through the finish, providing true palate extension courtesy of ultra-slick, racy acids and an extremely fine cut of coarse tannin.

ü+ The 2009 Cadenzia is a real wine drinker's red. Delicious and hard to fault, it disappears before your very eyes, although its smooth and seamless balance of bright varietal fruits should see it age with grace. Drink to 2017.

91 points

www.darenberg.com.au

BLEASDALE SECOND INNINGS MALBEC 2009

- Langhorne Creek, SA

- $12-$21

- Screwcap

- 14.0%alc

Bleasdale are perhaps the only Australian winery willing to tackle the Argentinians head on, in the game of larger scale, single-varietal sun-drenched malbec. Although Bleasdale's previous release (2008-86pts) strayed too far into ripe, jammy, basic BBQ red territory, over the years they've proven more than capable of delivering genuinely varietal malbec under the right conditions, at a very competitive price.

Bleasdale's 2009 does present a faint floral scent common to malbec, but its nose is more defined by ripe, jammy accents, with a raisin-like, meaty dark fruit component touched by some rather smoky secondhand oak. Opening with medium-weight and a marginal suppleness, the palate slides quickly into the same spectrum as the nose, revealing slightly baked, astringent dark fruit and earth characters coated in smoky oak, before finishing quite mineral, rough and rustic, in a spiky and drying fashion which isn't exactly elegant, but it could be worse.

X Although far from perfect, Bleasdale's 2008 was still a juicy, easy drinking quaffer of a malbec. Unfortunately, the rougher and edgier 2009 has taken things a slight step backwards. Let's hope 2010 sees a return to form for Bleasdale's occasionally excellent malbec, which hasn't exactly been a consistent performer lately. Drink to 2014.

85 points

www.bleasdale.com.au

KARRA YERTA RIESLING 2010

- Eden Valley, SA

- $25

- Screwcap

- 12.5%alc

If there's such a thing as a blogger's favourite, then Karra Yerta Riesling may well be it. Messrs Coldrey, Graham and Pringle have had more good things to say about this wine than Eddie McGuire at a Nathan Buckley testimonial.

Quite simply, Karra Yerta's Riesling reflects a special vineyard that's clearly planted to the right variety. Made from 80 year old vines, it's elegantly scented with a classically austere fragrance of pebbles, mineral and chalk, given a perfumed lift by limey florals as well as a pinch of pear for good measure. On the palate however, it speaks volumes, by pumping an incredibly sumptuous depth of pure and youthful Eden Valley riesling flavour, honouring the amount of time its vineyard source has spent tapping into Mother Earth. It's utterly pristine and borderline transparent in the clarity of its saturated mineral and white pear flavour, but like a lot of the region's top 2010s, it thrusts into gear on a very long, wickedly limey finish, peppering the mouth with nuances of chalk and glistening acids which penetrate with searing precision. The whole package is remarkably well defined.

ü+ Distributors, sommeliers and independent retailers should take note; Karra Yerta's is as fine an impression of 2010 Eden Valley riesling as I've had. Drink to 2025.

95 points

www.karrayertawines.com.au

YARRA BURN CHARDONNAY 2010

- Yarra Valley, VIC

- $20-$29

- Screwcap

- 13.0%alc

Despite being caught up in the crazed existence of corporate ownership, Yarra Burn's winemaking team has hardly skipped a beat. A lot of the focus may lean towards Ed Carr and the sparkling wines, but Mark O'Callaghan's done a great job lately with Yarra Burn's white label chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon in particular.

The aromatic delicacy expected of 1 year old Yarra Valley chardonnay is evident in Yarra Burn's 2010. Clean and simple, green apple and grapefruit citrus aromas reside in the glass, but its most pleasing feature at the moment may be a light barrel-ferment derived note of white nougat and yeast, which is given an admirable zing by its sharper lemony edge. Essentially mimicking the nose, its palate is very clear and perhaps a bit bland right now, although it is well balanced, not to mention blessed by a lovely richness of flavour which becomes more leesy as it progresses, with a particularly soft yet bright acidity providing good palate extension. The fruit character here is notably lean, or restrained even, so bottle aged development is encouraged.

ü Hmm. Texture, length, acid; check. Fruit flavour... more please. Here we have one of those wines which just seems to lack that something special, although there is clearly nothing wrong with it. I'm possibly being a bit tough here, because there are many other Yarra Valley chardonnays out there cut from the same mould, which just seem better. It is fairly priced though, if perhaps released a little too early for me. Drink 2012-2015.

90 points

www.yarraburn.com.au

OZ WINE TOONS

DAL ZOTTO L'IMMIGRANTE PROSECCO 2008

- King Valley, VIC

- $32-$36

- Crown Seal

- 11.5%alc

Dal Zotto's L'Immigrante is arguably Australia's finest achievement to date with the Italian inspired sparkling wine, prosecco. For the more budget conscious, Dal Zotto now also make a deliciously fresh and foamy, apple and pear laden Pucino Prosecco NV (90pts) for around $20.

As to be expected of the label, there's a bit more interest in here than other Australian prosecco. It shows a balance of sweet and savoury on the nose, opening to a clean scent of Amaretto entwined with white pears and flowers, but it's on the palate that the L'Immigrante really shines. Beautifully soft and foamy on entry, it literally breaks through with wonderful length and a linear tightness, gripping and directing the wine in a multitude of directions whilst providing spectacular shape. Within its shapely confines lie a delightfully fresh array of mineral and slate infused white-flesh fruit flavours, which finish very dry yet savoury and funky, with a lingering note of sweet biscuit passed over by particularly crisp citric acids. Conclusively, it's absolutely delicious and downright flawless within its nature.

ü+ Previously I've seen prosecco as a style best suited to bolstering and diversifying Australia's $20 sparkling class, but now, I think it's capable of much, much more. More please! Drink to 2013.

93 points

www.dalzotto.com.au