Check-up on Australia with Tim Wildman, MW
Adelaide/Barossa
Tasted Wednesday, February 25, 2015 by Collector1855 with 716 views
Introduction
I did a 2-day private tasting & tutorial session with Australian wine expert Tim Wildman, MW. The first day we did a “State of the Country” presentation and tasting to understand where Australia stands today after the crisis which started in 2006. We deliberately focused on the top quality wines beyond Grange and Hill of Grace which we all know and like but are at USD 500+ now. More interesting is the question, what can Australia do in the 50-150 range. The second day we spend in Barossa visited selected wineries and “movers & shakers” wine makers.
As it turns out Australia is in a reshuffling mode after a recent crisis stemming from over production, export issues due to strong AUD, full throttle Barossa Shiraz falling out of favor with consumers, tarnished image due to mass producers like Yellow Tail, etc.. As it looks will come much stronger out at the other end of the tunnel.
Tim pointed to 10 important trends in Australia:
#1 – Slimline Chardonnay: Away from the buttery to the more elegant, Burgundian or even Chablis style that goes better with food. Mod Oz Chardonnay are they called. This could be really big especially since white Burgundy recently had a persistent problem with premature oxidation (http://oxidised-burgs.wikispaces.com)
#2 – Refining Shiraz: Same as above, away from the cliché of the heavy Barossa to more cooler climate versions
#3 – 2011 Vintage effect: This cold and rainy vintage made many lighter wines. Consumers liked it and they are now here to stay
#4 – Perfecting Pinot: While New Zealand is leading the way, Australia is now catching up. Regions around cooler Melbourne, especially the Mornington peninsula are to be watched
#5 – Grenache Renaissance: more and more people recognize that Barossa and other areas are now too hot for Merlot/Cabernet and may be even Shiraz which, btw. is a northern Rhone and not Southern Rhone varietal. Now Grenache and other Chateauneuf varietals are on the rise in these places and it looks like they are fitting in really well.
#6 – Semillon/Sauvignon blends: This typical white Bordeaux blend combination is tried more often with very promising results
#7 – Sub-regionality: Sub-regions are becoming more confident and are looking for their unique style and varietal that suits them.
#8 – Mediterranean varietals: With the recognition that Barossa et al are really hot places, wine makers are experimenting with Aglianico, Sangiovese, etc.
#9 – Tasmania rising: Lots of investments have gone here recently. With global warming Tazi has entered the climate zone where cooler climate grapes (Pinot, Chardonnay, Riesling) can be made. To be watched
#10 – Premiumization: Driven by Asian clientele famous producers are making ueber-expensive carve out wines.
Flight 1 - Sparkling (1 Note)
Fizz is usually a bit more fruity and less chalky and mineralic than Champagne. However, Tim noted that he recently attended a blind tasting in London where lots of attendees, even professionals, had a hard time telling the Aussie Sparkling apart from the Champagne.
Flight 2 - Low oak whites (3 Notes)
Non Chardonnay Aussie white is on the rise. We discussed where Petrol notes in Riesling come from. Apparently it is the TDN chemical component that comes from sun exposure and hydric stress of Riesling. TDN gets into the grape and then develops in the bottle as the wine ages. In this flight we also discussed different types of acidity between Riesling (racy, slippery, laser, linear), Sauvignon Blanc (sharp, jiggered, tangy, stingy) and Chenin Blanc (broad, firm, tart)
Flight 3 - Chardonnay (4 Notes)
The Mod Oz Chardonnay revolution is coming from 1. Planting in cooler areas, 2. Earlier picking 3. Pressing out more phenolics 4. Wild yeast fermentation 5. Barrel fermentation (instead of 1 big steel tank, many barrels ferment differently giving more complexity) 6. Restrained use of oak 7. No malolactic fermentation (avoiding buttery notes)
Flight 4 - Natural, artisanal wines (1 Note)
Once of the latest global wine movement seem to be natural wines. Different people are trying different things beyond the norms. We tried an “orange” wine here. A white that is fermented like a red (on the lees).
Flight 5 - "Alternative" varietals (5 Notes)
More and more Australians are experimenting with different varietals than just the global blockbusters (Chard, CabSav, Merlot et al) with very promising results. The purpose of this flight was to check in on these efforts. In this flight we also discussed the meaning of “aromatic length”. There are 3 types of length. 1) In the nose, smelling. Aroma that keeps changing every time that you come back to the glass, never getting boring. 2) Aromatic persistency on the palate that does not fall apart quickly as you hold it in the mouth and 3) After taste length that stays via re-olfactory sensations, sometimes even after you moved on to the next wine.
Flight 6 - Shiraz (4 Notes)
We looked at the new types of Shiraz, away from the “thick and fruity” Barossa style that made Australia famous but at times also tired many palates.
Flight 7 - Cabernet Sauvignon (2 Notes)
Two CabSav from the leading regions, Margaret River, Coonawarra
Flight 8 - Wine maker visits (26 Notes)
The next day we visited some Barossa wine makers with a focus on "garagistes" and "movers & shakers".
Closing
Two excellent vinous days in South Australia.
Thanks again to Tim Wildman MW, who reminded me how professional and knowledgeable the members of the exclusive circle of Masters of Wine really are.
NV House of Arras Brut Elite 89 Points
Australia, Tasmania
Light yellow. Flowery and nutty nose. Palate a bit foamy. Quite fruity on the palate in a nice way, not as yeasty and chalky as Champagne. Medium length. Well done but not particularly long.
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