AceHighWine

Made from fruit sourced from Central Victorian vineyards and overseen by French and American winemakers, this is an intriguing drop that takes Old World winemaking and puts a New World slant on it. Hints of mango on the bouquet betray the presence of viognier corsing through the shiraz’s veins, as does the gorgeously soft and approachable palate padded out with pockets of peppery, earthy plum. Beautifully succulent from A to B: a most interesting dinner guest. 17. www.terlatochapoutier.com

While I adore the leaner, more elegant path being taken by winemakers when it comes to crafting chardonnay, examples like this that combine power and richness with complexity and style prove that you can have your cake and eat it too. Exciting oaked chardy aromas of spice, orange and toast hint at the complexity and power beneath the surface: a vinous jigsaw of citrus, spice and stone fruit binded together by slivers of lively acidity and biscuity oak to create a long, seamless palate. The clean, smooth and lingering finish rounds off the package in fine fashion. This absolutely romped it in at the ‘07 Yarra Valley Show (it picked up a treasure trove of awards including champion wine of show) and after having tasted this wine, I can imagine the back-straightening and snap-to-attention effect it would have had on its judges. 18 www.coldstreamhills.com.au

I suspect that in the context of a line-up of chardonnays, a lot of people are going to glance over this wine, which is a shame really, but probably indicative of the discrimination elegant, restrained whites like this have to face each day.

To me, this wine conjures up images of a singer busking acappella on the side of the street.

You’re walking past and suddenly, something catches your attention and you pause to check things out: there’s something familiar in the tune being sung… that vanillin oak you cop in so many chardies, just with a little more tact.

Then you notice some lovely tones of nectarine, white peach and stonefruit tucked away in the voice, complemented perfectly by a subtle rasp of acidity.

Your feet start to tap and your right hand starts to fumble around your pocket for some loose change - but as you do, you can’t take your eyes off the singer before you. There’s something admirable in the way he doesn’t try to “sell” himself to you with ridiculous vibratos and falsettos - he’s just being true to himself and his style of tune. But you gotta admit to yourself, his get-up - classic pinstriped trousers and white French-cuffed shirt open at the wrist - says nothing but subtle and classy.

Pretty soon, you’ve ditched the idea of fishing for a couple of dollars. You open up the wallet and grab a tenner and pay the streetside tenor his performance fee.

He smiles.

You smile.

And you continue on your way, the faintest of springs in your step…

Or for a slightly less poetic version: Made by Franco d’Anna of Hoddles Creek Estate, this is very much smack bang in the middle of the Yarra Valley winery’s groove, both in terms of style and sheer value for money. Faint traces of vanilla and cashew nut on the nose hint at time spent in wood, but when its time to sing for its supper, the wine lets its fruit do all the talking with long, eloquent sentences of delicious nectarine, white peach and stonefruit bookended by rasps of subtle acidity. On its own, the chardy’s voice is engaging enough to listen to, but give it a decent tune to sing (ie any ditty involving good friends and food) and we’ve got a potential summer chart-topper on your hands. The debut release from Wickhams Road and already the bar’s been set high. 17+ www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au

Earlier this month, passionate pinotphile Steve Naughton from Victorian-based pinot noir specialists Pinot Now flew into Perth for a whirlwind trip through Western Australia. During his visit, he made the time to show some exciting boutique pinot noir to an Oenophiles tasting that by the grace of Tony Blackwell (cheers mate!) I was privileged enough to attend. Fascinating, insightful and thoroughly educational, the night will be remembered as another fond memory in my love affair with that most fickle of grapes.

Two of my highlights of the night were these two beauties from Mornington Peninsula’s Merricks Creek, both crafted by winemaker Nick Farr, son of Gary Farr of Bannockburn and general pinot noir fame and notoriety. According to the website, they’re all out of 2005 stock, but it looks like Pinot Now still have bottles of the normal 2005 pinot noir (rather than the close planted) available for purchase.

Merricks Creek Pinot Noir 2005 ($42.50): Perfumed, pretty strawberry aromas wih a touch of meatiness to boot. Fine, drying tannins wrap themselves around a core of tightly wound, almost minerally red fruit that starts to relax and unwind with time in the glass revealing the complex flavours hidden within. The savoury finish is succulent and persistent. Looked good on the night but really started to shine the following night with dinner when the wine started to poke its head out of its shell. 17.

Merricks Creek Close Planted Pinot Noir 2005 ($52): Looked very big on the night with nougat oak and ripe red berry - verging on “plummy” - aromas. But once in the mouth, unmistakably good pinot: juicy, chewy, textured and more than a touch twiggy with other shades of earth used to colour the inside of the mouth. The finish is succulent and lengthy and the wine seems to dawdle and drag its feet as it makes its way slowly yet surely through the mouth. Really good and easy to approach and appreciate. 17.5 www.pinot.com.au

The weekend gone was spent in Margaret River at Howard Park’s second International Riesling Tasting. After enjoying ourselves thoroughly at last year’s, we were both looking forward to the 2007 edition of the event with much anticipation. And judging by the number of new and younger faces who showed up early’ish Saturday morning at Howard Park’s picturesque Cowaramup cellar door, It looked like word had got around the station about how good the maiden riesling tasting was.

Howard Park owners Jeff and Amy Burch had amassed a collection of 21 exceptional rieslings from across the world with the South Australian contingent - particularly from the Clare Valley - accounting for more than a third of the entries. Wines were tasted double-blind in three brackets of seven with identities unmasked at the end of the final group. Like last year’s tasting, I encountered some challenging wines in the bracket, but as riesling does an excellent and honest job of reflecting its terroir, my (at times hard to decipher) notes are being laid bare for all.

There’s been plenty of talk about how riesling is starting to go through a global revival. If you’re not getting stuck in to the tremendous value and safe-each-way-bet-goodness being offered by the riesling fraternity, now’s the time to be doing so! www.howardparkwines.com.au

Leo Buring DW117 Leonay Riesling 2005 (Eden Valley, South Australia)
Fresh, vibrant with a tangible sense of richness. Nice texture with ripe tropical fruit flavours that shine brightly throughout the finish. Good drinking wine but not showing much complexity. 16.5.

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2005 (Great Southern, Western Australia)
Perfumed with an appealing fragrance of spiced apples and pears. Attractive lime and citrus driven palate with lots of acidity gentle simmering around it. Good, succulent finish. Another beauty from this consistent Frankland River producer and a wine still at the start of its career. 17+

Shaw and Smith Riesling 2005 (Adelaide Hills, South Australia)
Already showing some signs of age. Textured and round with rich and intense riesling flavours. Streak of oiliness across the mid palate. Good length. Cellar door only. 16.5+

Franz Kunstler - Hockheimer Kirchenstuck Kabinett Trocken Riesling 2005 (Rheingau, Germany)
Fresh wine with a dab of sweetness on the palate. The lively acidity still fizzles with purpose and creates a sensation of dryness in the mouth. Great length and finish and a very welcome first shot fired by the German contingent in the tasting. 17.5

Knappstein Ackland Riesling 2005 (Clare Valley, South Australia)
Showing signs of development on the nose and in the mouth with wooly, green bean characters and a rounded texture. Still, the fruit hits hard and straight and doesn’t leave the mouth without a fight as the long, succulent finish seemingly tugs at tastebuds as it drains from the mouth. The first contender from Watervale and unfortunately for all that followed in its wake, a wine that set the bar very high. Would have been a shoe-in for wine of the bracket if not for the German chap wearing the number seven jersey. 18

Fromm La Strada Dry Riesling 2005 (Central Otago, New Zealand)
Looked a bit awkward on the day - there was a pronounced greeness on the palate one mouthful and hints of residual the next. Full of apricot flavour with citrus revealing itselt on the back palate. Good finish. A very different style of riesling to the rest of the pack which was predominantly dry. Thinking about it, Central Otago’s brutal, cold climate (Fromm is based in Marlborough so I suspect they sourced the fruit from the middle of the South Island somewhere)should make it an ideal candidate for riesling, but we only seem to hear about pinot from the region. Perhaps something for me to pursue. 16

Wittman - Morstein Riesling Grosse Gewachs Riesling 2005 (Rheinhessen, Germany)
The product of a big vintage in Germany. Honey on the nose. Juicy, lively wine packed with fresh, forward fruit flavours helped along with gentle acidity. The flavour profiles evolve in the mouth and the wine was the first in the tasting to show real complexity of flavours while retaining its subtlety at the same time. Succulent finish rounds the wine off perfectly. 18.5

F X Pichler - Durnsteiner Hollerin Smaragd Riesling 2005 (Wachau, Austria)
One of two wines that looked bad on the day. Stunk of sulphur. Very intense phenolics - even for a variety like riesling that makes allowance for big acidity - made it very difficult to get into. Linear, tight palate. Shame considering what was on offer when the wine’s identity was revealed. 15.

Wilson Polish Hill Riesling 2005 (Clare Valley, South Australia)
Gentle, textural acidity. Intriguing tropical fruit flavours of mango, nectarine and peach. Good length, subsiding finish. 16.5+

Castle Rock Riesling 2005 (Great Southern, Western Australia)
Another excellent riesling release from this consistent producer from the Porogorups. Tasting softer and more approachable than it did on release, there’s a suggestion of “greeness” to the palate of tropical fruit and lime. Soft, undulating acidity leads to a succulent, long and juicy finish. 17

Leasingham Limited Release Watervale Riesling 2005 (Clare Valley, South Australia)
Closed, tight wine. Perhaps some oxidative aged characters? An almost cheesy edge to the palate detracts. Shame, as the finish was long and succulent. 15

Howard Park Riesling 2005 (Great Southern, Western Australia)
Fresh and vibrant and packed with tropical fruit. The presence of subtle acidity made me think of this as very sophisticated fruit juice for adults (in the nicest possible way). Excellent balance of tartness versus flavour. Typically great, mouthwatering finish. 17.5

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt - Josephshofer Spatlese Trocken Riesling 2005 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany)
Lovely fragrant nose of mango and spice. Soft, classy wine structured around beads of gentle acidity framing a dry palate of tropical fruit flavours. Pineapples and mango shine on the long, juicy finish. Impressive as. 18.5

Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2005 (Henty, Victoria)
Showing signs of development on the nose. That typical Drumborg power has softened considerably, leaving in its wake a mouthful of tart lemon characters that finish dry. Intense citrus-driven wine and a polarising style at this stage of its life. 17.5+

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2005 (Clare Valley, South Australia)
Juicy, powerful, intense, almost tangy, fruit qualities, but the palate finishes with soft, subsiding finish rather than the singe the palate might suggest. Initial impression was “a wine of two extremes”, but with time the palate softened and looked a lot more attractive. 16.5+

Grosset Watervale Riesling 2005 (Clare Valley, South Australia)
Developed, almost toasty aromas. Intense explosion of citrus and attractive floral notes in the mouth. Pristine white peach and nectarine flavours sparkle across the long, juicy finish. 17.5

Robert Weil - Rheingau Riesling Kabinett Trocken Riesling 2005 (Rheingau, Germany)
Gentle fizz on the palate of lemon peel, grapefruit and tangerine - an assortment of intriguing ripe citrus flavours. Excellent balance in the mouth. Good, subsiding length. 17

Forest Hill Block 1 Riesling 2005 (Great Southern, Western Australia)
Some pongy notes on the nose. Very intense, dry, tart palate of equal parts lemon and lime. Very powerful and tangy flavours - almost like sucking on a lemon. Fantastic finish, one of the best if not the best on the lot - shame about the bouquet as this could have been an absolute belter. A very strong advocate for the Great Southern’s potential for producing stunning riesling. 17.5+

Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling 2005 (Eden Valley, South Australia)
Juicy acidity, bright fruit and floral flavours. Didn’t mind this wine but didn’t have much written either. 16.5

Josmeyer Grand Cru Brand Riesling 2005 (Alsace, France)
Juicy, “sweet” characters led by the flavours of pineapple and the rest of the motley tropical fruit gang. Gentle acidity, succulent and long. Great, succulent finish. Another European riesling pearler. 17.5

Pirie Estate Riesling 2005 (Tamar Valley, Tasmania)
Gentle, soft, balanced. Appealing developed citrus flavours. Good length and succulence. Comparable to good riesling from most Australian winemaking regions. Looking forward to seeing more Tasmanian riesling when over there next year. 16.5+

Showing signs of the warm vintage that took place in the Peninsula in ‘06, this wine is crammed full of pretty red fruit flavours with attractive cherry and strawberry edges, all flanked by sandy tannins. Fashioned on the bigger, Australian fruit-forward pinot noir model, this is a very attractive drink-now or short-term cellaring prospect. Good stuff from this Burgundian influenced producer. As an aside, when this wine’s identity was unmasked on tasting night, the price I was given for this belter was a measly $18 and I excitedly thought I had unearthed a serious challenger for Hoddles Creek’s title for Australia’s best value pinot. However, further research has revealed a higher - yet still completely justifiable - asking price. 17.5 www.kooyong.com

A lot of people both online and in traditional media channels reviewed this wine when it was released around a year ago, but somehow I haven’t had a chance to look at this ’til the weekend just gone. Personally, one-year old riesling sits very well with my palate as the wine loses a good bite of that youthful zip which allows those pretty citrus characters to take centre stage. However, the last couple of Drumborgs I’ve seen - and loved - have always been bang-on when tasted on release, so I was looking forward to tasting the ‘06 with 12 months beneath its belt.

The wine is a picture of cool climate riesling beauty: intense flavours of lime, lemon, apple blossom and flint with a bubble-wrap layer of gentle acidity protecting those pristine flavours. As its predecessors, the finish is mouth-wateringly juicy, persistent and long, long, long. Everything in the wine is in its rightful place like a staged crime scene: I could spend the better part of an evening taking sips of this wine and pondering on each mouthful. 19. www.seppelt.com.au