WESTEND COOL CLIMATE SERIES PINOT NOIR 2010

- Tumbarumba, NSW

- $14.95

- Screwcap

- 13.5%alc

The cool, elevated slopes of southern NSW's Tumbarumba region have already accounted for some particularly fine expressions of chardonnay and sparkling wine, but what about that other essential sparkling wine grape, pinot noir? For $15, Westend's Cool Climate Series Pinot Noir makes an affordable excuse to see what the style is all about.

Lean and thin like a supermodel's legs yet still attractive to sniff within its context (!), Westend's Tumbarumba sourced pinot noir reveals a simple, somewhat confected yet valid aroma of musky cherries, with soft, airy scents of fluffy herbs/mint and white pepper lifting its varietal definition well into recognition. The palate flows with a lean accent of what tastes like diluted fruit, bound by faint, stringy, slightly sappy edges and a rustic, cured/aged meat-like aftertaste, but really, this wine's all about feel, simplicity, form and function, all of which receive big ticks for a sub-$15 pinot. Its suppleness, texture and unforced movement succeed where many of its rivals fail, so if it's a cheap, genuine pinot noir you're after, then you could do a lot worse than this fine example from NSW (of all places!).

ü+ Whether or not Tumbarumba is cut out for world class pinot noir I can't say, but I can say Westend's 2010 Cool Climate Series is a wonderfully correct, textural driven pinot noir that's as tidy as anything Australia has to offer within its price bracket. Good stuff. Drink to 2013.

88 points

www.westendestate.com.au

TAYLORS PROMISED LAND CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010

- Clare Valley/Padthaway, SA

- $7-$15

- Screwcap

- 13.5%alc

When I'm on the hunt for a good, cheap red, I'm often left wondering where the wines labelled 'South Australia' actually come from. My mind almost always automatically thinks; 'Riverland', so it's pleasing to know Taylors' 2010 Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the more premium regions of Clare and Padthaway.

Chocolate coated plum and prune scents adorn the 2010 Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon, with maybe a faint touch of spicy wood and a minor trace of something green, minty or menthol-like. The green notes disappear after an hour of decanting. In fact, it's all very simple and if anything; barely varietal. Its medium-bodied palate is predictably smooth and approachable initially, but it does show a rather ill-defined, stewy, raisined fruit character, which admittedly, brightens up nicely towards a more red fruit-like profile with a bit of air. Unfortunately, its finish is loose and short on genuine length of fruit, revealing disparate hints of date and menthol underneath an undoubtedly basic structure. As a cheap-Tuesday rump steak-night wine there's some consolation value here (I know, that's how I drunk it), but other than that, there's just not enough going on to see it to stand up on its own.

X When I saw the regional sourcing for the 2010 Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon my hopes were raised, but in the end, it's just another generic, cheap red devoid of genuine interest. Drink to 2012.

84 points

www.taylorswines.com.au

OZ WINE TOONS

CAPE MENTELLE CHARDONNAY 2009

- Margaret River, WA

- $34-$51

- Screwcap

- 13.0%alc

At around half the price of the region's big guns, Cape Mentelle produce one of the Margaret River's truly elite chardonnays. Cape Mentelle's Chardonnay isn't as showy as others in its youth, instead, it leans more towards a refined, mineral style, which even displays light spice notes on occasion.

Quite clean and bright yet complex and elegant; like a sophisticated woman, Cape Mentelle's 2009 Chardonnay reveals a floral, leaner grapefruit and white pear fruit fragrance charmingly lifted by nutmeg aromas and a high, equally sweet and savoury barrel ferment tone, reminiscent of gingerbread. There's a soft, restrained measure of vanilla/butter oak thrown in as well, but its gingerbread-like scent provides the most appeal. Composed and stylish (and better with a bit of air), the palate speaks clearly with pungent, distinctly regional melon and grapefruit flavours deliciously underscored by creamy barrel ferment notes. It etches its way into the mouth's cornices with genuinely forthright, racy, almost side-splitting acids, that fill the mouth and expand the wine with real class, leaving a refreshingly bright trail of nutty flavour left lingering in the mouth alongside a spark of lemon tinged minerals. If anything, it's a little too perfect. A touch of funk, or an edge, would've made it spectacular, but I'm just being picky here.

ü+ Like all of Cape Mentelle's recent chardonnays the 2009 is hard to fault. Its fruit may be a little lean and clean, but the winemaking here is wonderful. The label's changed but the result remains the same; another top class Cape Mentelle Chardonnay that's well worth the money. Drink to 2016.

94 points

www.capementelle.com.au

CAPE MENTELLE: AN EVOLUTION IN DESIGN

GRANT BURGE THE HOLY TRINITY GRENACHE SHIRAZ MOURVÈDRE 2008

- Barossa Valley, SA

- $28-$42

- Cork (Diam)

- 14.5%alc

The record March heatwave of 2008 created more than a few headaches for Barossa growers, but Grant Burge was still able to fashion one of the season's real highlights for me, with his deliciously long and ripe Filsell Shiraz (93pts). From within the same 'Wines of Distinction' class as Grant Burge's Filsell comes The Holy Trinity, a blend consisting of 44% grenache, 40% shiraz and 16% mourvèdre in 2008.

On opening the 2008 Holy Trinity it smells particularly confected and loose, but after a relaxed stint of 2+ hours in the decanter it composes itself somewhat, revealing a rather plummy, fractionally jammy red fruit and blueberry fragrance marked by sweet tones and a sprinkling of cinnamon, as well as a soft coconut oak influence that doesn't exactly make things anymore savoury. Without being brilliantly bright, the palate announces itself as red; syrup-like, smooth and moderately juicy, but as it kicks into the middle section there are tastes of tar and an undesirably ripe, gritty raisin skin-like character, which morph into a finish that lacks focus, shape, persistence and stuffing. In fact, the finish is the real let down here. It's not overly harsh or taxing but its soft, lingering sweet fruit/oak is inadequately checked (for a wine of its price) by an all-too simple structure, typical of many of the Barossa's 2008s.

X There's a lot of Barossa GSMs from the more grenache friendly 2009 vintage available now, which would make a better choice than Grant Burge's straight forward, sweetly fruited and rather caked, shorter term 2008 Holy Trinity. Drink to 2014.

87 points

www.grantburgewines.com.au

THE HOLY TRINITY VINEYARD

Located at the southern end of the Barossa Valley, just north of the town of Lyndoch, The Holy Trinity vineyard provides fruit for Grant Burge's GSM of the same name. Typical of the Barossa, there are some wonderfully ancient examples of fruit-bearing vines here. The oldest, dry grown bush vines in The Holy Trinity vineyard are up to 110 years old.

(photo taken February 2011)

ROCKFORD LOCAL GROWERS SEMILLON 2006

- Barossa Valley, SA

- $19-$30

- Cork

- 13.5%alc

Although largely followed for their reds, Rockford also make one of South Australia's most interesting semillons (and a handy Eden Valley riesling too). Rockford's Semillon typically displays richness, weight, bold flavours and in this case, higher alcohol, contrasting the Hunter's benchmarks not just when it comes to style, but also choice of closure.

Blushingly golden/yellow and quite frankly deliciously scented, this 5 year old Rockford Semillon throws up a strong, equally pungent and savoury aroma of lanolin, cream and nuts, with notes of lime juice and preserved lemon imparting vitality. It certainly smells more developed, savoury and notably richer than what you'd expect from a top-flight Hunter sem of a similar age, but it still appears fresh, inviting and loaded with varietal character. Furthermore, its palate drinks a treat. It's quite round, juicy and generously flavoured, with a delightful touch of cream supplying both taste and texture to its complex unison of classic flavours; reflecting beeswax and butter with squeaky clean lemon inputs and a nutty aftertaste. To balance the richness, an ever present, stringy acidity straddles along gracefully, providing a clean, refreshing backbone without any implication of physical domination, making this adorably complex Barossa semillon just perfect for drinking over the next few years.

ü+ Certainly built in a more openly accessible sense, Rockford's 2006 Local Growers remains fresh, beautifully composed, complex and deliciously hedonistic, and it's worth an extra point for that. Great value Barossa semillon. Bucking the trend. Drink to 2015.

92 points

www.rockfordwines.com.au

HOUGHTON WHITE CLASSIC 2010

- Western Australia

- $7-$15

- Screwcap

- 13.0%alc

White Classic has proven to be a suitable name for the wine formerly known as Houghton White Burgundy, because as a wine first made in 1937, classic is exactly what it is. No other present day label takes me back to my childhood more, sitting at the dinner table, watching my father drink wine, and he's a one-eyed South Australian red drinker!

Simple and sweet-edged yet clean and punchy, the 2010 White Classic presents a tropical fruit bouquet that takes on the guise of summertime fun, in the middle of winter. The palate doesn't veer too far from these descriptors either, as its minutely viscous undercarriage moves a sweetly flavoured glob of tinned tropical fruits, akin to pineapples with banana custard. Unfortunately, although there's a soft note of white peach fuzz left lingering in the mouth, the wine's overall impact isn't drawn down the palate with enough distinction, whilst its softly spoken, clean structure isn't exactly out of the ordinary for a well made, big brand $10 white.

O Sweet, simple, juicy, fruity, easy drinking; Houghton's 2010 White Classic forms a modern day stereotype of a quaffing white. Drink to 2012.

86 points

www.houghton-wines.com.au

WENDOUREE CABERNET MALBEC 2008

- Clare Valley, SA

- $85

- Cork

- 13.9%alc

Wendouree is an Australian winery of Grand Cru-like status. Their reputation is such that nearly all their wine sells out to mail order customers, with very few ever making it to retail shelves. Those that do make it into stores tend to undergo a noted price hike, of around $30 or more. As is the norm on this website, the price stated here is retail.

Perhaps a little constrained now, Wendouree's 2008 Cabernet Malbec nonetheless smells like a caged beast waiting to strike. It's deeply scented, beautifully ripened and even a touch savoury for what was a troubled year across South Australia, as calm, floral whiffs of eucalyptus, lavender, tea and tobacco leaf carry its plush mulberry and pastille blackcurrant aromas with regal grace, whilst finely honed French oak provides no more than a support role, imparting a further lick of savoury quality. Its delicious palate is surprisingly medium-weighted and supple, with a leathery/earthy interplay of dark fruit flavours driven deep into the mouth by a corkscrew-like penetration of structure, drilling the back palate with a one-two punch of dry, dusty, spiky tannins and refreshing acids, leaving a lingering note of licorice-tinged old-vine fruit to pass. For all its quality, there's no doubt its best years are yet to come.

ü+ I'll admit I hesitated when it came to buying Wendouree's 2008s, but I'll never doubt that magical vineyard again. Brilliant. Drink to 2028.

95 points