NobleRottersSydney - Canberra Trip Sep07

Visits to Helm, Jeir Creek, then lunch at Shaw Vineyards, followed by cellar doors at Clonakilla and Brindabella Hills, ending with dinner at Mezzalira in Civic

We were hosted by proprietor Ken Helm: iconoclast, renegade, stirrer, ratbag – a man whose wine philosophy encompasses the entire spectrum from plain common sense through contentious opinion all the way to downright eccentricity. After a dissertation on trivia, and a tour of the tractor-shed-turned winery, including a detailed explanation of why Canberra has its own historic circa-1915 grove of Quercus suber trees (so the first AIF wouldn’t be dependent on Portuguese supplies to stopper their water-bottles on the Western Front, doncher know!) we returned to the schoolroom to taste some wines (from Riedel glasses, no less).
Conventional wisdom has grapevines planted north-south, to allow the passage of the sun to evenly ripen grapes on both sides of the vine. Well, bugger that. According to Ken, the Canberra district cops extremely long hours of sunshine, despite the sometimes cool weather, and such a vineyard will constantly be producing sunburnt fruit. At Helm, vines are planted east west, with the canopy encouraged to grow on the northern side of the vines to provide some protection from the fierce rays.

• 2006 Helm Riesling Premium

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 11.8%, A$39} Made only from free-run juice, this unusual wine has a floral, faintly lemon-like yet generally restrained nose. There is virtually no residual sugar, yet the richness of fruit lends a distinctly off-dry quality to the texture. With medium acidity, water-pure slate-like and musky flavours, yet only a light-medium body, it is the lovely palate balance that impresses, with the finish extending all the way to the back palate and contributing to the persistent, and above all balanced finish. A really lovely wine in the first flush of youth – ethereal, yet not lacking in presence – with a long life ahead. And priced accordingly…

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• 2006 Helm Riesling Classic Dry

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12%, A$25} Made from vines ranging in age from 12-30 years, the wine offers a dry chalky nose with a lemon twist – nearer the mainstream of Australian Riesling than its sibling. The palate is dry and chalky also, with the lemon fruit theme continuing. Unobtrusive acid, medium-bodied in weight, with decent length to the back palate and a medium length finish, this is a pretty decent, albeit rather buttoned-down wine. Likely to blossom in a few years. Ken is firmly in the camp that says ‘traditional’ petroleum characters in aged Riesling are a fault caused by oxidation and/or improper handling of grapes prior to fermentation, and that nothing you do beyond the fermentation can change the outcome – the die is cast. So there you go.

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• 2006 Helm Chardonnay Unwooded

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.5%,A $22} Lemon-green in colour. A youthful nose, with floral passionfruit aromatics. Could almost pass for new-style sauvignon blanc. Gentle acid on the palate, fruit towards the front of the tongue; this is a inoffensively soft wine veering towards bland, especially at the price asked.

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• 2005 Helm Pinot Noir

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13%, A$28} Sourced from nearby Mount Majura, who were busy pulling out pinot to plant tempranillo, this is a one-off for Ken, who reckons making pinot is easy. Especially if you’ve got access to an old Andre Simon vintage diary, which records how things were done in Burgundy in the old days. Just follow the recipe, and Bob’s your uncle. Leave the stinkin’ stuff in barrel for a few months then come back later when everything’s OK. So, Ken, are you making any more pinot? Definitely not….
  As for the wine itself; medium garnet in colour, a youthful nose of transparent cherries and lightly stalky fruit. Dry on the palate, quite acidic, low-level dusty tannins, light-medium body. The weight is very much at the front of the palate; overall a bit simple. Not really competitive at this price…

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• 2003 Helm Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.5%, A$25} This is the most alcoholic wine in the portfolio. Ken is not a fan of high alcohol wines at all, for all the usual and sensible reasons. In the glass this is a mid-garnet, with some fading of colour towards the rim. A developing nose offers classic cool-climate cabernet notes of herbs and leaves – there’s not a lot of obvious berry fruit here. Medium chalky tannins frame the palate; the flavours are quite beefy, with tidy oak and a light sappiness. The structural components carry through to the back palate nicely; the finish is just on medium length. A well-balanced affair all-round which ought to make another 3-5 years happily enough, even if it lacks that magic sparkle.

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• 2003 Helm Cabernet Sauvignon Premium

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.4%, A$35} From a single vineyard, and inspired by the visit Ken & his viticulturalist made to Chateau Margaux to observe how the experts handle the King of Grapes. Their hosts were first surprised by the expressed desire to visit the vineyards, which no-one ever requests. Vines were inspected, bunches photographed, characteristics noted. The Bordelaise’s next surprise was being asked to show the winery too. Again details were recorded. ‘You are not typical Australians – they just want to taste.’
  Ken relishes relating this tale to us as we stand in the small barrel room, listening to his plans to use the Margaux techniques as a guide to making his own great cabernet. Changes have been made in the vineyards – every year the fruit is looking more like the examples seen at the great French estate. Great stuff. But…ahem, er, Ken, aren’t these American oak barrels here on the floor? ‘Ah, yeah, we get better results with the American oak.’ Oh. I see. Riiiight….
  The wine itself is pretty good though. The nose is similar to the regular bottling, but has greater opacity and depth. The palate is a considerable improvement; there’s more pristine blue fruit remaining here, the flavours are more focussed, giving the herbaceous note a more complex accent. Medium-bodied, with matching acidity, softening chalky tannins and good length finish, this is a pretty decent example of cabernet. I’d still like to see it in French oak, though!

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Remaining for the day in the Murrumbateman district, our next stop was a straight up-and-down cellar door experience at Jeir Creek

• 2006 Jeir Creek Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 11.1%, A$20} Glint of green among the lemon tints. Clean, floral, lychees and green fruit aromas. Dry palate, some smokiness and stony fruits with musky flavours. Light body, medium acid, short finish. A simple, mildly pleasing wine. Leave another two years for interest. Pricy.

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• 2006 Jeir Creek Sauvignon Blanc

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 11.8%, A$18} Nearly clear colour. Suitably varietal aromas with gentle gooseberry dominating. Not overly pungent, nor is it at the passionfruit-sweet end of the fruit spectrum. On the palate it’s a little more tropical in flavour, and rather soft. Light body, low acid. A front palate wine. No real finish. Undemanding bistro wine for early drinking.

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• 2004 Jeir Creek Chardonnay Unwooded

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.6%, A$16} Not a fast seller, to judge by the vintage. Still managing a flash of green amid the yellow, yet the colour is betrayed by the developing aromas of stone fruits, peach and melon. Nicely chardonnay-like and not overburdened with malolactic influence. Palate is gentle and creamy, with little in the way of fruit or structure. The best you can say is that it’s inoffensive.

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• 2005 Jeir Creek Chardonnay Unwooded

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.8%, A$23} Not flattered by the very cold serving temperature at which all the whites were presented, this lemon-coloured affair presented a totally closed nose. Perhaps a smidgin of oak, and blur of melon. But that’s all. A light wine on the palate, with low levels of acidity and intensity. Low-key nut and stone fruits. Perhaps this tidy balance helped the finish, which makes it to medium length. Hardly profound, but will hold another year or two I guess.

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• 2003 Jeir Creek Pinot Noir

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.5%, A$23} Garnet. Nose is a bit dank and musty. There’s a bit of cherry fruit among the bilge. Medium powdery tannins, a decent level of oak, but the fruit shows up better on the palate than the nose suggests. Bitter cherries and a distinct leafiness remain, but in a secondary guise. Still, the wave of texture at the front of the palate flattens out rather quickly. Drying finish, verging on astringent. Probably past it’s peak.

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• 2003 Jeir Creek Cabernet Merlot

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {cork, 13.9%, A$23} Developing nose. Curranty fruits with some secondary aromas. Dry palate, with low-medium acidity, medium powdery tannins with some plummy weightiness. Hangs on to the mid-palate quite well. Decent showing of a cool-climate wine that will go a few more years yet.

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• 2004 Jeir Creek Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.6%, A$23} Garnet. Youthful, cool climate aromas are on show; white pepper & spice. The palate is quite peppery too, and a bit austere. Gritty tannins, dry, plenty of oak. Moderate length finish with a bit of mid-palate but somehow just didn’t excite me. Perhaps a few years will help (the wine, I mean).

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• 2004 Jeir Creek Sparkling Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {crown, 13.6%, A$28} Developing nose, far more so than its still sibling. A curious pong of yeast and raspberries greets the nostrils. Served very cold, this probably helped the fizzy intensity of aggressive bubbles and served to minimise any sweetness, of which there seems to be quite a bit. Low tannins, but decent acidity. Not a serious wine. A glass is fine; don’t know how palatable a bottle would be…

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• 2005 Jeir Creek Botrytis

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {375ml, screwcap, 13%} This is a viscous gold in the glass. The nose is youthful, apricot-botrytis fruity, and spirity. A decent lick of acid keeps the palate quite fresh; there’re cumquat fruits of medium-sweetness, with a hefty mid-palate and decent length finish. Manages to avoid a cloying heaviness. The most distinctive, and best, wine in the range, although the loose-knit feel means I wouldn’t expect it to age for long.

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From lunch at Shaw Vineyards, we proceeded straight to Canberra’s flagship winery and the standard-bearer for the region Clonakilla where Tim Kirk, theologian-turned-winemaker, Cote-Rotie enthusiast, and the man responsible for raising this 35-year old family estate to its present high standing took us through the just-released range of current offerings. Unfortunately, a vast and pulsing throng in the modest tasting room inhibited any wide-ranging discussion we might have had (such as at Helm) with Tim having to devote attention to non-Rotters as well, some of whom had clearly never seen anyone take tasting notes before, to judge by the questions I received from puzzled onlookers.
Like every other winery we visited, the latest vintages of all wines are under screwcap, although the top Shiraz-Viognier still offers a choice of closures for the 2006 vintage at least – not because of any doubts of Tim’s, just responding to customers, I guess. Would that more wineries did the same…

• 2006 Shaw Vineyard Estate Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.5%, A$22} Youthful aromas of petals and white flowers. Quite a thick sort of a nose, which hints at the rather heavy palate to follow; thick, rich and warm, with soft acidity. It’s for those who prefer Alsace to Mosel, although it could hardly be mistaken for either. No sign of the citrus cut you usually find in so many Australian Rieslings, but fails to substitute any great personality of its own. Not exactly an ugly duckling, but I’m not sure it’ll ever make a swan of great beauty.

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• 2004 Shaw Vineyard Estate Cabernet-Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14%} Purple/ruby colour. Aromas of deep-chested ripe red/black fruits, laced with dark chocolate and liquorice. Dry on the palate, soft acid combines with medium chalky tannins to give the classic ‘modern’ style of red; soft, warm and fruity. There’s a bit of oak, but it’s not too toasty and in fact the balance across the palate is not too bad. Medium length finish. Looking at my notes, I should have enjoyed this wine more, I guess it just lacks the character of something memorable. Fussy, fussy!

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• 2007 Clonakilla Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.5%, A$20} Clear yellow-green. Youthful nose of grassy & straw aromas, really quite pungent. The palate follows with grassy, slightly grapey flavours of good persistence. Light-medium body, well-judged medium acidity, and enough mid-palate to give it a decent length of finish as well. Ought to age nicely for a few years.

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• 2007 Clonakilla Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.5%, A$25} Yellow-green again. Unusual for Clonakilla in that there was some acid adjustment to this wine, being from not-estate sources; nevertheless the pH weighs in at a solid 3.0. The aromas are all lime and slate. Noticeable, and mouth-watering, acid on the palate, medium weight and intensity. Clean lime fruit and stoney flavours dominate the palate; there is good length and persistence of finish. Good wine which might mature nicely with a few years’ age.

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• 2006 Clonakilla Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.5%, A$45} A solid mid-lemon colour. Subtle aromatics of musk and pear, with French oak barely perceptible. There’s a lovely (adjusted) acid cut on the tight, dry, palate, with good medium weight and length, with a steady march of structural characters carrying almost to the very back of the palate. Classy stuff. The product of a wild yeast ferment, but remains perfectly clean. The palate does finish a little warm, but not obtrusively so. The best Australian viognier I’ve tasted, ahead of recently tasted Petaluma or older Yalumbas. Ought to see out another 5 years with ease, and I’d be fascinated to see what became of it.

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• 2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Hilltops

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Hilltops

  {screwcap, 14.5%, A$25} A clear intense ruby red. A nicely judged nose that does reveal its cool-climate origins without overstating the case. So there’s some white pepper and spice, but also some chocolate and liquorice. I suspect what I though of as apricot may have been the dregs of the previous wine ‘blending’ in the glass! The palate is long and tight, ripe and persistent, and pretty much ticking all the ‘medium’ boxes as far as acid, body, chalky tannins and length of finish go. Its coverage tails off a little on the back palate, but really it’s a lot of wine for the money.

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• 2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14%, A$75} Having ranged all over the shop from only a couple of percent to as much as 15% in its history, the Viognier component of this now famous wine weighs in at a middling 6% for 2006, a point around which Tim sees it oscillating in future. And while all the oak is still French, less of it is new than was the case in earlier years – it’s around 30% now. Tim also asserts that this wine is far too young to be drinking now, and warned in advance for its reticence. That, however, seems to be the commercial reality these days. Few small wineries can afford to age red wine stocks prior to sale.
  Medium ruby. Tight and closed on the nose, predictably. Muted ripe spicy shiraz fruits. Damn, it’s hard to get much out of this. On the palate the overwhelming sensation is of a velvety plushness, with all the fruit seemingly hidden under a silken shroud. It boasts the finest of tannins, with balanced acidity, a long finish, and a solid line of structure that runs right the length of the tongue. Beautifully built, yet so clearly not ready. Like sitting in front of some ultra-high-end audio equipment that’s not actually plugged into the wall. But the analogy shouldn’t be carried too far, because it’s no blockbuster, this wine. No, it’s going to make an impression with texture and complexity, not size or volume. And when will that be? I have no idea, but not for 10 years, surely. One to keep.

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The final visit for the day saw us at yet another winery (after Helm & Clonakilla) whose founder has CSIRO connections, the scenically-situated

• 2006 Brindabella Hills Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 11.5%, A$20} Yellow-green. Floral aromas, with lemon and a touch of soap. Palate is consistent with this, although acidity is quite high, with a light-medium body, and a slightly short, dry finish. Needs a bit of time to open out. Some weight of fruit on the mid-palate as well, which is encouraging. Enjoyable.

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• 2007 Brindabella Hills Sauvignon Blanc

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.5%, A$18} Yellow-green. Old-style sauvignon nose, with pungent gooseberry aromas to the fore. The palate is less sharp than you’d expect, medium acidity cradling quite soft fruit. The result of a hot year, it was picked early to keep some freshness. Light body, short finish, very much a drink-now quaffer.

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• 2006 Brindabella Hills Chardonnay

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13%, A$25} Not mentioned on the label, this was actually co-fermented with 12% viognier, which perhaps shows in the aromas of lifted flowers, peaches and creamy French oak. Really viscous and phenolic on the dry palate, medium-full bodied, warm and rich, with spicy oak underpinning all. Quite full-throttle and reasonably enjoyable, but destined for a fairly short life.

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• 2006 Brindabella Hills Wild Rose

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13%, A$18} A luminous light pink colour, this is a blend of 85% cabernet franc and 15% sangiovese. Cherry notes and chewy bananas are the chief aromas; the palate is fresh and dry, with the savoury/cherry notes of presumably the sangiovese to the fore. Youthful and clean, with soft powdery grapeskin tannins, this wine revels in its simplicity. Better than I was expecting.

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• 2004 Brindabella Hills Merlot

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14%, A$18} A youthful plummy fruit bomb of a nose. The fruit explodes initially on the palate, then quickly fades away. Ripe enough, and nicely-weighted around medium-bodied size, gently oaked, but honestly, there’s not much here to get excited about.

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• 2004 Brindabella Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14%, A$20} Purple-ruby. Powerful, youthful nose of intense blackcurrant fruit. Similar palate, quite varietally ‘correct’, lacking a bit in personality. Medium body, lowish acid, medium tannins, and a short-medium finish. Not bad, especially for the price, but not exciting.

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• 2005 Brindabella Hills Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.7%, A$25} Deep purple. Classic cold climate nose of peppers. Spicy chewy fruit on the palate, with a tough of harshness. Medium gritty tannins, low acid, dry finish, lots of weight on the mid-palate. Medium length finish. Discreet oak. All rather disjointed at present, but may improve.

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Saturday night’s formal dinner was a degustation affair at Mezzalira restaurant in Civic, with a number of wines made (at differing vineyards and vintages) by attending winemaker Malcolm Burdett, together with some other offerings. Too dark to see colours. The food was very good, although somewhere after course 5 the service got very slow indeed, with the result we were there until nearly midnight. There was only just enough wine to go around!

• 2002 Doonkuna Cian

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {cork, 13%} A nose of yeast and nuts and bread. Methode traditionelle. Slightly cheesy palate tending towards the full-bodied end of the sparkling spectrum. Creamy-textured bubbles. Decent length & persistence. Decent wine ready to drink now. Lovely typo on the back label – talks about the ‘pallet’ – and not in the context of a warehouse!

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• 2007 Helm Riesling Classic Dry

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 11.8%} Youthful, with cool aromas of slate and lime. Lots of piercing, laser-like acid on the palate, along with green apples flavours and mineral notes. Only light-medium bodied, with a medium length finish, this bracing wine may pick up more weight as time passes. Interesting effort.

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• 2005 Helm Riesling Premium

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 11.2%} The Rheingau comes to Canberra. Steely and slatey aromas, with a dash of flowers, and dare I say, a whiff of kerosene-like development, which is not unattractive, but which would appear to fly in the face of the maker’s statements earlier in the day. Dry and acidic, with medium intensity and a long finish, primarily of apple fruits. Very good now – I’d like to see how these Helm rieslings age, because there aren’t too many wines of similar style made in this country.

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• 2006 Lerida Estate Pinot Noir

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.5%, A$22} Clear garnet. A youthful, medium intensity nose of stalky sour cherries, lifted and clean with an estery note precedes a fruity palate of silky texture. Soft chalky tannins framed by medium acidity lead to a dry finish of at least medium length, with good coverage of the entire palate. A persistent wine without angular edges, speaking clearly of pinot, and very good value for money into the deal. Bravo. Both winemaker and proprietor of this estate were present at the dinner, and the former repeatedly reminded the later of the blending ‘discussion’ they had prior to bottling. Nothing like a sore winner…!

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• 2005 Lerida Estate Shiraz Lake George

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 15%} An inky viscous purple solution coats the glass. The nose offers rich black fruits, menthol, with raisins, caramel and a touch of underlying oak. The palate is dry, heavy with dusty tannins, and an arch of sweet ripe glycerol-heavy fruit swoops across the mid-palate. The wine is not heavy or clunky, despite it’s full-bodied character, yet there’s definite warmth from the alcohol which makes me fear a little for it’s future. There’s a kind of limpid delicacy about the wine which sits a little oddly with such high alcoholic strength. An intriguing wine; I couldn’t predict the aging curve here.

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• 2003 Doonkuna Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {cork, 13.8%} Clear ruby. Ripe fruits; raspberries, vanilla-liquorice notes, cloves. The palate is ripe and spicy, with only minimal peppery flavours. It’s youthful, dry, with medium fuzzy acidity, quite full-bodied, with a medium length finish and good weight through the mid-palate. I thought this was a pretty good wine, really, with some potential for aging.

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• 2005 Helm Sauvignon Blanc Botrytis

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {375ml, screwcap, 14.6%} A hot and spirity nose of lychees and scorched fruit. The palate offers strong botrytis characters, with minimal oak, big warm sweet fruit, yet even the decently high level of acidity can’t give this any semblance of finesse. Although it’s absorbing in a train-crash kind of way I wouldn’t age it longer lest it become a vinous Frankenstein…

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• 2006 Lerida Estate Pinot Gris Late Harvest Lake George

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {375ml, screwcap, 13.2%, A$20} This is a gentler attempt at a dessert wine. Still yellow-green in colour, it has youthful aromas of pears and lychees. Medium-dry (ie. about half-way along the sweetness spectrum; I wish there was a logical way to describe sweetness), the medium acid and light-medium body offset the gentle fruits harmoniously. The only let-down is the length of finish, which is rather abrupt, and for this reason I’d drink it within the next couple of years.

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