My Favourie Australian Wines

Tasted Friday, August 27, 2010 - Thursday, August 28, 2014 by startinoz with 906 views

Introduction

I haven't tasted all Aussie wines, far from it. But I have drunk some good stuff. Here are my top picks.

Flight 1 - Riesling (4 Notes)

Not such a fan of SA Rieslings. Many of my favourites have been cooler climate Victorian examples. Great Southern is a top region for Rieslings and Tasmania should be, but I've only found a few I like (such as Pooley.) Some producers (Mac Forbes, Best's, etc.) are doing a good job at European styles. Variety being the spice of life, etc.

  • 2011 Crawford River Riesling Young Vines 93 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Henty

    (3/21/2013)

    Complex, rich and long. Amazing given it's from their young vines as it was my pick of their offerings. Neither South Australian-like, nor spicy, dry Germanic-style. Good.

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  • 2012 Henschke Riesling Julius 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

    (7/27/2013)

    Really good riesling. Elegant, but with good concentration and length.

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  • 2005 Granite Hills Riesling 93 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges

    (8/7/2013)

    Nothing earth shattering. Minimal petrol. Nice soft toastiness and good acidity. Some orange blossom and honey starting to develop. Good and will go another decade without sweat.

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  • 2005 Crawford River Riesling Reserve 95 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Henty

    (2/22/2014)

    Top class Australian riesling. Extra power of flavours and fine acid backbone. The extremely optimistic price tag is almost (bizarrely) justified.

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Flight 2 - Semillon (2 Notes)

Here the results are a bit clearer. The Brokenback is my favourite here. In 10+ years' time? Who knows how these two will progress? Certainly something to watch.

  • 2007 Brokenwood Sémillon ILR Reserve 94 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/26/2013)

    A really nice, extremely approachable semillon. Round mouth feel. Good fruit concentration. No harsh added acid. No phenolics. Very little toasty development. I guess with its great balance it will cellar for up to 20 years more. Very impressive.

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  • 2006 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1 93 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (7/3/2013)

    Very good, but didn't exactly blow me away. Underwhelmed given the hype.

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Flight 3 - Chardonnay (2 Notes)

This one was easy. The Bannockburn was from another planet. There are lots of other great chardonnays - clearly Australia's best white varietal wine. The Yattarna has great potential - deserving it's label of 'White Grange.'

  • 1997 Bannockburn Chardonnay S.R.H. 96 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong

    (5/19/2013)

    Amazingly complex wine. Age has taken this to another level. All great wines should be judged at this age, not upon release. With just around 100 cases made per vintage, it's an honour to taste this at the prime of its life.

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  • 2008 Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    (11/17/2012)

    I'm not the biggest fan of Tasmanian whites. Their piercing acidity is just too much for me. This is very closed and lacking character at this stage. Like Grange, I think it's unfair to judge it so early. Probably needs a decade or two to show its best side. 92+++

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Flight 4 - Other White Varieties (1 Note)

My other favourite white varieties are the difficult gewurztraminer and viognier. The former is far from being Australia's top white wine, while the latter performs only slightly better on average.

  • 2009 Yalumba Viognier The Virgilius 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

    (11/12/2012)

    This is now dancing on the tongue. From first sniff to final gulp and beyond, this is glorious. A match for its Rhone valley siblings. A decent touch of well-integrated oak being the icing on the cake.

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Flight 5 - Sparkling (2 Notes)

A really easy pick for the (world class) white sparkling, the red wasn't so clear. I don't have a note for Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz 2005, another personal favourite of mine. Haven't tried Primo Estate's red sparkler.

  • 2001 House of Arras Blanc de Blancs 95 Points

    Australia, Tasmania

    (8/5/2013)

    Oh my! This is amazing! Coconut ice cream - I kid you not.....

    In Australia, you'd have to pay a lot more for Champagne anywhere near this quality.

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  • 2012 Rockford Black Shiraz 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    (5/24/2013)

    Technically this is a NV wine. It was discgorged in 2012, but is made up of a blend of shirazes of various vintages. It's certainly a serious wine. Fruit flavours seem to come first, then marzipan/cinnamon oak conplexity later. I probably prefer Leasingham Classic Claire vintage sparkling shiraz over this, but its certainly a great wine.

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Flight 6 - Pinot Noir (4 Notes)

Some good ones here. Lots of good ones that I could have picked.

  • 2010 Bass Phillip Pinot Noir Reserve 94 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Gippsland

    (5/19/2013)

    Strong acidity. Mineral. Palate not showing as much as the others. Needs time. Tastes remarkably like a Corton Grand Cru. 94+++pts.

    Would love to taste it in 10 years time. This is one wine I'd love to have in my cellar. It might just become legendary.

    [Update: In light of Australia's top wine critic, James Halliday, awarding this wine his highest ever score for a table wine (99 points), I'd just say that, personally, I'd rather add this wine to my cellar than any other Australian wine. It may not be ready for drinking now, but it could be a sublime wine in, say, 10 years time or beyond. So, at least in my view, Halliday's score is justified.]

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  • 2010 Kooyong Pinot Noir Haven 95 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

    (10/15/2012)

    Full bodied pinot. Very good nose. Sweet red and black fruited. Good acid and rounded tannins. Some funk and an excellent after taste.

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  • 2008 Bindi Pinot Noir Original Vineyard 94 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges

    (5/19/2013)

    Savoury and earthy with fresh acidity and a long finish.

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  • 2008 Apsley Gorge Vineyard Pinot Noir 95 Points

    Australia, Tasmania, East Coast

    (8/4/2012)

    Almost perfect. Chicken shit on the nose ("barnyard" if you want to be polite.) The palate is rich and savoury, but fruit comes later. The finish is epic - it goes on forever. This wine will only get better with time in the cellar.

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Flight 7 - Shiraz (3 Notes)

Where to begin? Sadly I haven't tried Hill of Grace. Unbeknown to many, Australia cool climate shiraz/syrah is truly world class.

  • 2010 Rockford Shiraz Basket Press 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    (5/24/2013)

    Extremely complex nose of meat, caramel, oak, plum and blackberry. Rich palate echoes the nose. Great power, yet elegant. Mouthfilling and long. It is approachable even at this stage. It leaves flavour all over the mouth with soft oak tannins adding structure to the finish. Magnificent. It deserves its reputation as a landmark Barossa shiraz with this vintage.

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  • 2008 Penfolds Grange 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    (5/4/2013)

    Emperor's new clothes. Truth be told, it's a little bit more concentrated and a little longer than most 'super premium' Barossa shirazes. 10 times better? I think not! Maybe the best of its kind, but still - look at that price and laugh!

    Blueberries and plum liqueur on the nose. Super sweet and concentrated with nice acidity balancing things. Super long finish of blackberries and blackcurrant (2% cabernet!) plus a touch of ground cinnamon. Tannins are fine, but numerous and clog the tongue. Needs 10 years.

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  • 2010 Henschke Shiraz Vineyard Selection Tappa Pass 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    (8/17/2013)

    Blueberry on the nose. Powerful black- and blueberry essence - super concentrated, yet elegant and silky. French oak is already quite integrated. The finish is immense. A great wine.

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Flight 8 - Cabernet and Blends (4 Notes)

Like riesling, Victoria might be a surprisingly strong entry here. Old vines, traditional winemaking on top of a good climate make a big difference.

  • 1997 Yeringberg 95 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    (5/24/2013)

    Great aged characters, yet soft and elegant red fruit. Complex. High growth Bordeauxesque. Superb!

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  • 2009 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 95 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    (4/1/2013)

    Elegantly, High-Growth Bordeaux-like wine. Dark red. Some fruit on the nose. Medium acidity. Complex red and black fruit plus positive, integrated oak. Fine tannins. Good length with fruit, tannins and cleasing acid all present. This was my favourite of the whole range. 95+

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  • 2010 Vasse Felix Heytesbury 94 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    (8/26/2013)

    Wow. This might be the best WA cabernet/blend I've ever had. Both juicy and approachable and concentrated, complex and serious.

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  • 2005 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    (8/29/2013)

    Superb silky mouthfeel. Earthy, top Medoc style justifying its grand name. Best cab/cab-merlot tasted on a 2 day trip to Coonawarra. Great. [TN repeated to get it into another tasting story.]

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Flight 9 - Other Reds (3 Notes)

Grenache and Mourvedre/Mataro had to be here (SA old vines are a huge advantage.) Nebbiolo is a dark horse.

  • 2008 S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

    (3/2/2013)

    Tasted a range of SCP wines (SB, PG, Bianco, temp/tarigo, grenache, syrah, tinto, etc.,) and the nebbiolo was easily the standout for me. Typical light colour. Light medium body with a complex palate of red berries, roses, savoury elements, etc. And just when you think the coast is clear, the tannins kick in and coat your tongue - fine and chalky. The finish is quite long. One of the best nebbiolos in Australia, if not the best. Don't even think about comparing it with an Italian wine, though (Casa Freschi, maybe.)

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  • 2011 S.C. Pannell Grenache 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    (8/7/2013)

    Laichi, raspberry, candy and herbs. Juicy!

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  • 2009 Charles Melton Nine Popes 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    (7/20/2013)

    Marzipan and cinnamon new French oak. Rich, elegant, complex black fruits. Very long.

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Closing

Of course Australia makes some of the best value wines in the world. But the top stuff is seriously good!

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