AceHighWine

Technically, the early ‘07 vintage wasn’t supposed to be a great one for riesling, but so far the evidence has been to the contrary, as evidenced by this release from the Great Southern’s oldest winery and newly-appointed winemaker John Durham’s willingness to let work in the vineyard rather than the winery shine brightest in his maiden Plantagenet riesling.

Spears of lime with bursts of cumquat and mandarin shoot from the front of the mouth to the back, helped by a rush of elegant yet sturdy acidity that gives this wine a wonderful approachability in its youth while still leaving enough in the tank for a spell in the cellar. Finishes clean, dry and succulent with astonishing length and persistence. This is a wine with great focus and intensity - the kind you’d need as a little kid to win one of those childhood competitions to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest, though you won’t need to go to that kind of effort as this riesling is likely to leave you breathless. And like a lot of Great Southern riesling, wonderful value at the price - when the price of it starts to go up, we’ll all be sorry… 18+ www.plantagenetwines.com

After last year’s awesome Second Generation Winemakers (SGW) tasting, I was anxiously anticipating last Thursday’s tasting - and after shutting down my computer after a particularly shithouse day, the prospect of a glass of Picardy chardonnay or Kosovich liqueur muscat was more attractive than a five-day long weekend.

The Story So Far (in keeping with the finest traditions of the Phantom… though if the Ghost who walks crushed grapes rather than roughnecks’ heads, he’d probably be eligible for acceptance into the SGW fold): the SGW is a West Australian collective of wineries where siblings are following in the winemaking footsteps left by their parents. The magnificent seven showing wines at this tasting were Picardy, Edwards, John Kosovich, Frankland Estate, Lenton Brae, Paul Conti and Wignalls. Joining them were various gourmet food producers including Olio Bello, Cambray Sheep Cheeses, Holy Smoke and Perth’s King of Oysters, Jerry Fraser.

Try as I might, I couldn’t get around to everyone at the tasting so I can only offer some brief impressions of some of the wines tasted. As usual, the 2007 Lenton Brae SSB looked excellent, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the immense drinkability of the 2006 cab merlot: the addition of a small portion of 2007 shiraz to the final blend really helped at same richness to the palate. The cellar-door only 2007 No Way Rose also looked smart.

A brief pullover at the Wignalls stand was next on the itinerary to check out the ‘06 pinot from Albany. While this will be of little interest to Burg-hounds, the wine’s red berry fruit, suppleness and fine, grainy tannins made for a very tidy tipple from one of the Great Southern region’s pinot pioneers.

We then went south physically and geographically and moved to the downstairs tasting area, our first stop being Frankland Estate. While the hot, short and sharp vintage conditions of 2007 weren’t too favourable for riesling - a fact reflected in the lack of riesling trophies awarded at this year’s Mt Barker show - I’ve enjoyed a lot of the recent riesling releases, so was keen to have a look at Frankland Estate’s Isolation Ridge. Full of the region’s talcummy acid and citrus florals, the ‘07 was a delicious drink minus the booming acidity of previous releases. The current release of the winery’s flagship Olmo’s Reward 2004 was juicy and fine, but the real discovery was the release of a new red, the Smith Cullam 2005, Frankland Estate’s interpretation of the classic Aussie “claret” blend of shiraz cabernet: aromas of crushed blackberries and violets, powdery yet grippy tannins help deliver a mouthful of vibrant, punchy ripe fruit, but this is no haymaker - more like a controlled one-two jab-cross combo. Juicy, succulent, tightly structured, fine and long. A winner.

Next door to Frankland Estate (at the tasting, not in real life) were the Kosovichs of the Swan Valley who always seemed to have a crowd tasting their gear, but somehow managed to pin down Arch for a yarn and taste. An ‘06 pinot from the family’s southern holdings looked the goods and pleasantly varietal with even a hint of stalkiness with the restrained cherry fruit. Similarly, the ‘06 cabernet was also drinking awesome - being a warm region, the Valley didn’t suffer the same problems as the state’s more southerly producers during last year’s late vintage, as reflected in the deliciously gulpable mouthful of ripe blackcurrants and berries. Of course, being the weak soul that I am, I couldn’t not have a glass of the deliciously nutty and supple liqueur muscat and with that, the tasting was brought to an impromptu end - the fortified is such a ball of flavour that to try and taste table wine after a sip would have been taking the piss in a big way.

Sadly we didn’t get around to tasting the wares of Edwards, Paul Conti or Picardy (though we did get to their last tasting about a month earlier and its safe to say the Pannells are still on point like a needle), but such is life when you need to be elsewhere in an evening. Still, I guess that means they’ll be on top of the to-taste list next year - and we WILL be back in 08, and the year after, and then the year after that…

Following a recent tasting, my friend and I eagerly raced through a tasting of 2007 rieslings from the Great Southern with high expectations. The cool climate conditions in areas such as Mt Barker, the Porongorups and Denmark et al have consistently produced brilliant riesling that can be enjoyed now for their powerful citric flavours or cellared to coax those delicious buttered toast flavours out of the wine. And of course, the value is just so, so criminal!

All wines were tasted unmasked.

Howard Park Riesling 2007 ($25) Tight, focussed, intense. One of the driest wines of the bracket. Huge subsiding length. Serious riesling as per usual from the masters - Tony Davis is carrying on the tradition in fine form. 17.5+

MadFish Riesling 2007 ($17) Fragrant, full of blossoms. More defined floral and citrus than its “older brother”. Juicy flavours. There really isn’t much seperating the MadFish and Howard Park rieslings this year. 17.5

Castle Rock Riesling 2007 Tight, focussed. Good lime characters. Citrus elements flesh out the palate. Consistenly good. 17.

Zarapeth Riesling 2007 ($20) Lively acidity, lime and lemon flavours. Long and tart. Crammed full of very good, high quality fruit. 17.5+

Harewood Estate Riesling 2007 ($22) Tightly focussed, juicy palate full of lemon, lime and floral blossoms. The acid is tame and the wine’s flavours flow in a straight, true line. 17.5

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+

While most parochial West Aussies like me will be happy to see the locals do well at their home show, I suspect there would be few happier with the results of this year’s Perth Royal Wine Show than the Vasse Felix mob.

After high profile winemaker Clive Otto “left” the highly-regarded Margaret River winery two years ago, the media attention on Vasse Felix wasn’t entirely complimentary, particularly when Otto was named by Winestate magazine as the 2005 Australian winemaker of the year shortly after parting ways with the Holmes à Courts.

Since then, much change has taken place at Vasse Felix, particularly with the winemaking side of things after former Alexandra Bridge winemaker Virginia Willcock was named as new chief winemaker.

One of Virginia’s first jobs after taking over from caretaker winemaker David Dowden in October 2006 (who has since left Vasse Felix) was to blend the ‘06 Heytesbury Chardonnay and judging by the swag of trophies it collected at this year’s show, she did a very good job of it.

In addition to helping shine the media spotlight onto Vasse Felix for the right reasons, she’s recruited a handful of young, passionate winemakers to the winemaking team and also changed the team’s structure to be more horizontal rather than hierarchical.

When word of Vasse Felix letting go of Clive Otto started making its way through the industry’s grapevine, I heard about five different “theories” about why and the positions of antagonist and protagonist were cast different in each scenario, but regardless of what the real story was, this show success could be the start of a round of Chinese whispers where Vasse Felix’s name comes up smelling nothing but roses… or even better, a generous pour of the ‘06 Heytesbury Chardy.

I’m also happy to report that Vasse Felix wasn’t the only sandgroper success story to emerge from this year’s show: in an announcement that’s starting to sound like a broken record, the Houghton Wine Company again won the title of Most Successful West Australian Exhibitor - a feat they’ve achieved no less than seven times in the last nine years.

While on the subject of Houghtons, the winery’s parent company, the Hardy Wine Company, also won the gong for best Sparkling Wine, courtesy of the Hardys Sir James Tumbarumba 2001 (which will be released in 2008 under the Sir James Vintage label as a late disgorged sparkling - a glaring example of one of the shortcomings of wine shows were judges may look and applaud a wine that hasn’t been released yet, but by the time it comes out, the consumers may be getting something different to what the judges tasted).

Amazingly, this accolade for the Sir James is the 10th consecutive Best Sparkling Wine trophy won by the Hardy Wine Company at the Perth Show and the 20th consecutive best sparkling trophy awarded to the company at Australian capital city wine shows - that’s quite a feat by anyone’s standards are a shining testament to the work of the group’s sparkling winemaker Ed Carr.

Juniper Estate picked up two open class gongs for its 2007 Juniper Crossing Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, further reinforcing Margaret River’s reputation for quality when it comes to the region’s perennial sem-sav blend.

Other successful Margaret River exhibitors included Briarose Estate (Briarose Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Best Cabernet Sauvignon), Brookland Valley (Brookland Valley Estate Merlot 2004 - Best Merlot) and Windance Estate (Windance Shiraz 2005 - Best Western Australian Dry Red Table Wine) while Flying Fish Cove were named as the Most Successful Western Australian Exhibitor processing under 300 tonnes.

Normally acclaimed for its riesling (which is consistently fantastic), Porongorup producer Castle Rock Estate was instead recognised for its packaging design at this year’s show.

Click here or the picture of Virginia at the top of the story to view snapshots taken during the show judging

The history of Plantagenet has long been intertwined with that of the Great Southern and Mt Barker. And now that acclaimed Margaret River John Durham has taken over the pioneering winery’s reins, I suspect that the Plantagenet story will have many exciting new chapters written into it.

Whilst Plantagenet shiraz and riesling hold plenty of sway with connoisseurs, the general West Australian drinking public is likely to be more familar with the winery’s other labels, Omrah and Hazard Hill. Over the years, I’ve found the Omrah range to be representative of some great value and when coupled with good distribution, a name to keep in the back of the head when searching for approachable and gluggable West Australian cool climate goodness.

And so, bottles were opened for the department’s Friday afternoon drinks.

Plantegenet Omrah Shiraz 2005: Wow whee, this is good gear! Very heady aromas of strawberry jam, Redskin lolly and pepper tinged by some attractive vanillin oak. Long, medium-weight pepper and red berry flavours drive the wine, supported by subtle floral flourishes and streams of juicy acidity. According to the winemaker’s notes, the wine features a splash of viognier and spent some time in French oak but with the exception of those vanilla notes on the bouquet, these influences have been underplayed and don’t overpower the shiraz’s wonderful cool climate nuances. Exo complexity and drinkability for the money. 17.5.

The new Hazard Hill Sem Sav also fared well.

2007 Hazard Hill Sem Sav ($12): Typical grass-flecked tropical fruit aromas. The wine is driven by a core of powerful, cleansing acidity and crunchy tropical fruits with crisp apple and lemon edges. Clean, fresh, refreshing and full of vitality. A good summer thirst quencher at a handy price. 16. www.plantagenetwines.com

These came in the other day and decided that while searching high and low for my missing notebook and tasting notes, I’d just have to get stuck into the recent arrivals on the tasting bench. I know, I know, the sacrifices I make…

The 2005 Leston and Scotsdale offerings are the sixth releases under the Howard Park Single Vineyard Series banner and come from a good vintage for Western Australia’s southwest. Like the rest of the range, winemaking inputs are kept to a minimum and constant among among the four core drops in the range (one shiraz and one cabernet from the Leston vineyard in Margaret River and a shiraz and cabernet sourced from Howard Park’s holdings in the Great Southern) so as to let the fruit speak loudest.

Howard Park Margaret River Leston Shiraz ($40): Thick, dense, creamy chocolate and vanillin notes on the nose together with ripe jammy fruit aromas. Thick, luscious and intense plum flavours lined with grainy, fine tannins that will disappear with food. A nice juicy finish brings closure to the drop while adding further weight to the argument that cabernet isn’t the only red that Margaret River can produce.

Howard Park Great Southern Scotsdale Shiraz ($40): Sourced from a single estate in the Frankland River region, this beauty is liquid proof of the region’s affinity for the variety. Elegant and restrained nose of bright raspberries and strawberries with a hint of oak-derived vanillin. The combination of bright red berry fruit dusted in fine powdery tannins and just a hint of cool climate pepper makes for a succulent, highly-gulpable medium weight drop that’s likely to disappear before you know it. Definitely my pick of two and a pleasure to drink now. Get stuck in!

Based on a conversation with new Howard Park winemaker Tony Davis, it’s looking doubtful if there’ll be any 2006 reds released under the Howard Park label, so this and the corresponding cabernets could be the public’s only chance to add some new Howard Park Single Vineyard Series releases to their cellars until the 2007s see the light of day. Interestingly, Davis believes that Great Southern cabernet and shiraz from Margaret River were this vintage’s highlights so I’m expecting plenty of anticipation leading up to the release of Howard Park’s 2007 wines. www.howardparkwines.com.au