TEN MINUTES BY TRACTOR 10X PINOT NOIR 2010

- Mornington Peninsula, VIC

- $32-$39

- Screwcap

- 14.0%alc

Ever wondered where Ten Minutes by Tractor gets its unique name from? It's derived from the estate's 3 original vineyards, and the 'ten minutes by tractor' separating each of them.

Enhanced by some very fragrant caramel-like oak, notes of spearmint and a spicy high tone of cinnamon, the 2010 10X underpins these leading, sweet and savoury suggestions with a typical yet attractively varietal base of juicy, succulent cherries, rhubarbs and strawberries, to altogether announce a nose of brightly lit charm. Without being too complex or other worldly, it actually smells delicious, in an over achieving style for an entry level pinot. Travelling along a light-medium bodied framework, its satiny palate races into the mouth, releasing an ultimately youthful taste of varietal cherries and clove which persist and evolve with surprising length. As the progression continues, the back palate practically steals the show, by punching out an intensifying and gripping, yet still lithe, structure of succulent acids and fine-boned, powdery tannins, underscored by sour-edged meaty notes and a dry rub of herbs and spice. Its composition is set particularly well for an earlier drinker, yet there's sufficient character to see it improve in the bottle.

ü+ The 2010 10X is a pleasingly varietal yet rather intense, racy little Mornington pinot, guided well by aroma, weight and penetration. It's a wine where I can see development but I'm already liking its youthful aggression. Consequently, it's great value for now or later. Drink to 2016.

92 points

www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au

YALUMBA EDEN VALLEY VIOGNIER 2010

- Eden Valley, SA

- $16-$25

- Screwcap

- 13.5%alc

Despite being Australia's self appointed champion of viognier, I used to think Yalumba held a single ace in their pack when it came to the white Rhône variety. However, recent years have caused a rethink on my behalf, as Louisa Rose and her team are fashioning more complexity and restrained elegance into their entry level wines. The Eden Valley Viognier in particular, is starting to show flashes of becoming a mini-Virgilius.

Apparently lacking the savoury elegance and charm I'd hoped for, the 2010 Eden Valley Viognier initially opts towards a primary, fruit driven fragrance of tinned peaches, apricot juice and lychees, with a floral, rose petal-like edge contradicted by a spiky, erratic hit of exotic spice. It does flirt with pungency on the nose and I might look over this at a speed tasting, but then, as if right on cue, the palate comes forth and saves the day, by delivering a bright, long and creamy expression of well controlled varietal flavour. It's bold and slightly unctuous, unleashing a real mouthful of white peach, apricot skin and citrus zest characters, before it finishes long with creamy apricot notes and a penetrative framework of glistening, grapefruit-like acids, all washed around the mouth with a touch of phenolic fuzz which dances to a funky beat whilst staying true to the rhythm. For a pungently varietal, fruity viognier, it works.

ü I generally don't go for viogniers like this and on inspection of the nose I thought; 'ooh. Looks like another one of those viogniers Chris.' But amazingly, it's a load of fun to drink. It is quite (stone) fruity and vaguely phenolic in the typical viognier way, but its textural richness, penetrative length and balancing acids complete a fine wine. It ain't no mini-Virgilius though. Drink to 2013.

91 points

www.yalumba.com

OZ WINE TOONS

HAHNDORF HILL WINERY 'GRU' GRÜNER VELTLINER 2011

- Adelaide Hills, SA

- $28

- Screwcap

- 12.0%alc

Larry Jacobs and Marc Dobson started the ball rolling with their first grüner veltliner (2010-90pts), setting the pace for several other Adelaide Hills vignerons who are now keen to adopt the variety as a regional specialty. In coming years, expect to see 'gru-vees' from the likes of Geoff Hardy's K1 label, Henschke, Deviation Road, Nova Vita, Mt Bera and doubtless others.

Hahndorf Hill's 2011 GRU is fresh and simple yet fashionably delicate, with a pristine fragrance of ripe nashi pears lifted by notes of apple blossom and white flower, providing perfumed appeal in an enticingly feminine, youthful manner. Energetically driven and harnessed by a brisk movement of mouth-watering acids, its texturally sound palate delivers a clean accent of white-fleshed fruits and lemons which develop more chalk and pear skin-like flavour down the line, but ultimately, it's about as spotless as a Ferrari with a kilometre on the clock. There's a noted evolution in structure and movement in the 2011, conveyed without sacrificing any purity of character, making this wine a slightly more serious, yet equally as delicious GRU as its predecessor. Excellent.

ü+ Full marks to Larry Jacobs and Marc Dobson for taking a promising wine and making it better, immediately. If the Adelaide Hills savalanche is wearing you a bit thin, then brace yourself for the welcomed sight of an oncoming gru-nami. Drink to 2014.

92 points

www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au

ASHTON HILLS CHARDONNAY 2009

- Adelaide Hills, SA

- $35-$47

- Screwcap

- 13.5%alc

Ashton Hills has long been one of the Adelaide Hills' most underrated makers of a handsomely made and fruited, showy chardonnay, so its followers will be saddened to know 2009 marks the wine's second to last release. As sad as it was to hear of Stephen George grafting all his chardonnay over to pinot noir (from a chardonnay lover's perspective), if one guy in the Adelaide Hills did such a thing, you'd want it to be Stephen. And then I drink this...

Well leesy and cheesy yet contained, with scents of green melons, lemon, apples and minerals rising above a savoury background of nutty oak and cinnamon, Ashton Hills' 2009 unleashes a classically proportioned chardonnay fragrance, by combining delicacy with intensity and weaving clean fruit through its human inputs. The palate doesn't disappoint either, smashing a rich array of white stonefruit and citrus flavours with nutty oak undertones throughout the mouth with a wonderfully nervy, racy energy and stunning length. It doesn't stop there though, as it finishes savoury and funky, with lingering notes of cream cheese and a more buttery, popcorn-like impression of oak polished up beautifully by a seamless, lengthening extract of mouth watering acids. It's far from orthodox or formulaic, reflective of the maker himself.

ü+ A totally convincing expression of a superbly manufactured wine. What a shame the second to last release of Ashton Hills Chardonnay is probably the best I've had. If early indications of the vintage are anything to go by, the final wine from 2010 should be a belter. Drink to 2017.

94 points

LARRY CHERUBINO THE YARD ACACIA VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2009

- Frankland River, WA

- $26-$37

- Screwcap (Stelvin-Lux)

- 14.9%alc

Great Southern shiraz, in particular that from the Frankland River and Mt Barker sub-regions, is a burgeoning Australian style in need of a champion to sell its wares to the world. Enter Larry Cherubino, a former James Halliday Winery of the Year recipient, whose determination to promote Western Australia's diverse terroir might just fit the bill.

The 2009 Acacia Vineyard is a ripe yet savoury edged shiraz, strongly punctuated by a malty scent of cedar/coffee oak. Those adverse to a bit of wood in their shiraz might wanna proceed with caution here, but it is some classy smelling oak, whilst running through its presence is a simultaneously bright and dark expression of blueberries, plums and licorice, graced by a gentle air of violets, white pepper and clove. Extended aeration definitely helps. The medium-weighted palate begins with a savoury edged taste of sour dark fruits, before its profile becomes more interesting and layered, progressing into a grainier, slightly astringent finish. That's where a beautifully defined, rich notice of licorice emerges from the dark fruit and soothes long into the aftertaste, checked by ground spices and a structural backbone whose crunchy acids and brittle tannins show a slightly nervy edge, suggesting another year or two in the bottle may be of benefit.

O Lingering tastes of licorice and spice charcterise the high points of the 2009 Acacia Vineyard, but a slightly nervy structure and an oaky bouquet reside at the opposite end. If patience is on your side I'd recommend it, but for immediate drinking there are better options available. Drink 2013-2019.

90 points

www.yardwines.com.au

CLIMBING PINOT GRIS 2011

- Orange, NSW

- $21.95

- Screwcap

- 12.0%alc

According to the media release accompanying Climbing's 2011 Pinot Gris, pinot gris/grigio now outsells riesling in Australia. A quick glance towards the Wine Reviews section of this website will show I'm not completely helping that cause, but it pleases me to discover more and more Australian winemakers, like Climbing's Debbie Lauritz, are treating gris with real purpose these days (varied fruit ripeness, a little lees stirring and some barrel fermentation being applied here).

Displaying the grape's pale orange/bronze colours, Climbing's 2011 Pinot Gris releases an aroma of brown nashi pears, jasmine flowers and lemon pith with a faint tone of honeysuckle. It's a little subdued, rising with more of a slow, gentle softness than a piercing intensity. Clean texture and a well controlled richness perform the palate's greatest tricks, unleashing flavours of ripe, juicy nashi pears and apples cleanly checked by a soft acidity that reveals a hint of tang at the finish. If anything, like many Australian gris, you could question its outright clarity or possible blandness (speaking pessimistically), but happily, this one has more than enough going on with its other attributes to rise from the pack, whilst within its own context, there's not a hair out of place such is its balance. It's a good gris with textural focus at its core.

ü Gris lovers (or cafe owners) should really go for Climbing's clean, rich, smartly textured and measured 2011. A bit more length and cut and I might've found myself a real revelation too. It's well made from a challenging year. Drink to 2013.

90 points

www.climbingwines.com.au

SMELL CHECK: PEARS AND PINOT GRIS

Here's the first of what will hopefully become a regular series of posts on this website. It's another idea I've had for a while but a recent comment helped speed up its introduction.

Basically, born out of my personal search for calibration, 'Smell Check' will be spent comparing the scent of various fruits, foods, etc, with a wine style they're commonly associated with. Its purpose is to see whether I can actually draw myself a correlation, whilst getting better tuned to what it is I'm writing about here. There will be nothing scientific about it - no solutions, distillations, titrations - nothing of the sort, just the simple apparatus of my own, human nose. As we know, however, the human nose itself is subject to great subjectivity. Comparison of taste will not come into Smell Check.

Like everything on this blog Smell Check is a work in progress, and any feedback in regards to how it may be improved will be greatly appreciated.

For the first Smell Check I've gone with pears and pinot gris. I've selected a trio of pears; your basic packham, a rather old green nashi pear that seems to have gone yellow and a brown nashi pear. To me, due to their water-like nature, nashi pears are the style I typically associate with pinot gris.

The pears are chopped up into small segments, placed into a wine tasting glass, then if required, they are gently muddled, with a drop of water or two added to help release aroma (neither was required here).

Then, I compare aromas; pear vs gris. For the record, Climbing's 2011 Orange region Pinot Gris is the wine, and yes, it does say on the back label it contains notes of pear.

The comparative results

Packham pear: Were this a blind sniffing I might just call this apple, as there's something rather green and crisp about it. It's clearly pear though, yet it has a much sharper (and livelier) aroma than the softer smelling gris. Honestly, I'm not drawing a huge (if any) correlation here.

Brown nashi pear: Immediately softer and juicier than the packham and conversely, smells much more like the gris. There's also a sweetish edge here, which I also find in the gris. A similar intensity too. The likeness exists, without having to use too much imagination. We could be onto a winner here...

Green nashi pear: Has a funkier edge and not as aromatic as the brown pear, which could just be its age. It does however, have a dirtier scent, robbing it of crystal clear water-like clarity, which is common to the gris. Definitely some similarities here.

In conclusion

I must say colour alone has something to say here (look at the photo), but it's easy to see why people draw a line of similarity between the scent of pinot gris and pears. There's a similar softness, juiciness and intensity, and of course, character. This particular pinot gris drew a far greater resemblance to nashi pears, especially brown, but I can see how other, less worked pinot gris might smell more like other members of the pear family. Nashi pears and gris? It's there for me!

RIESLINGFREAK NO.5 RIESLING 2011

- Clare Valley, SA

- $20-$25

- Screwcap

- 11.5%alc

Long recognised for their blisteringly dry rieslings, many of Clare's winemakers have found a new challenge in adjusting to the oncoming fad of off-dry styles. Rieslingfreak's John Hughes has taken an interesting and perhaps cautious approach to his off-dry riesling, by releasing a wine with relatively modest residual sugar (10.8g/L) checked by a fair T/A of 7.56g/L.

Fruity, rather tropical scents of tinned pineapple, green melon and mango announce the aroma of Rieslingfreak's No. 5, which is more openly expressive than its dry stablemate, without being as pure or direct. Interestingly, there is a faint thread of sweetness that juices through the palate, however, were it not for the labelling, I might not have mentioned it, as it seems to effect the wine's acidic backbone as much as (if not more than) its taste. The acidity actually does well to deliver the wine to the finish, where notes of kiwi-fruit and pineapple join its ripe melon/lemon squash notes, but unfortunately, there remains some softer, sweet edges to the finish, which are never truly zipped up or cleansed by its structure. I must say, as I sit over these off-dry Clare rieslings, my enjoyment of them generally lessens as the bottle empties. Not a good thing in my opinion.

O Although a fair enough interpretation that's well suited to younger drinkers, Rieslingfreak's No. 5 is fairly typical of my recent experiences with off-dry Clare rieslings. My loyalty clearly remains with Clare's dry styles. Drink to 2015.

88 points

www.rieslingfreak.com

PETALUMA BRIDGEWATER MILL CHARDONNAY 2009

- Adelaide Hills, SA

- $17-$25

- Screwcap

- 13.5%alc

Petaluma's second label was once famed for possessing one of the Adelaide Hills' most exciting sauvignon blancs, but personally, I view chardonnay as Bridgewater Mill's trump card. The ludicrously over-achieving 2004 (93pts) was a standout example of what should be a 'mini-Petaluma' chardonnay.

Brightly lit and cleanly scented in a carefully fruited fashion that might lack forthright complexity, Bridgewater Mill's 2009 nonetheless reveals a citrus driven fragrance of nectarines and melons with a slightly spicy touch of nutty vanilla oak and perhaps a note of soap for varietal funk. Palate-wise, it's juicy and fleshy enough to begin, as it softly unfolds a glossy statement of bell-clear white/yellow chardonnay fruits and creamed nuts that develop pungency down the palate, where notes of sweet white peach and grapefruit emerge. It's well backed by a spotless formation of refreshing, balanced acids, making the whole package look remarkably well made and considerately crafted in the winery. Basically, it isn't gonna set the world on fire, but it's exactly the type of 'built-for-the-now' chardonnay that could (and should) muscle in on the pinot grigio/sauvignon blanc obsessed lunchtime crowd. Full marks to Petaluma for hitting the mission statement right on the head here.

ü Charmingly balanced, elegant and subtle, yet proudly varietal, the 2009 is easily the best release since 2004. It's a real step in the right direction for Bridgewater Mill - precisely the sort of chardonnay they should be releasing under this label. Drink to 2013.

90 points

www.bridgewatermill.com.au