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

Complex and heavy handed bouquet full of pencil lead, polish and even hints of tar. If the opening credits don’t tell you this is juicy fruit-bomb territory, the palate does and in no uncertain terms. This is intense, crammed full of blackberries, plums and all kinds of dark-hued fruit, sprinkled with milk chocolate and balanced by delicious bursts of succulence that add seconds to the fruit’s impressive length. Still one of Australia’s most accessible (in terms of taste and being able to find some at the local bottlo) red wine bargains: unpretentiously warm-climate and fruit-driven in style and appeal. It might be a little too forward for some, but it’s hard to fault as a drink that satisfies from the start of the bottle to the end of it. 17 www.orlandowines.com.au

While most will be familiar with the shiraz and cabernet siblings in Howard Park’s acclaimed single vineyard wines, there is a lesser-known member of the family who spends most of her time in ol’ London-town, the UK-exclusive Leston chardy. Or at least it was lesser-known to me. I only learned of this wine’s existence after spying it on a Howard Park mailer. After making a few inquiries, a bottle of the wine in question made its way to the office and after many false starts, I finally had a chance to look at it.

Initially, the wine’s broad aromas of stone fruit, citrus and bread had me mildly concerned, but just as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t taste a wine (solely) on its bouquet, once in the mouth, all that Howard Park class was there: fleshy nectarine with a dab of pink grapefruit and lemon, complemented by oak-influence in the shape of creaminess rather than blatant vanilla (though there was a bit of that and cashew too), allowing the juicy citrus flavours to shine. The finish is mouthwateringly juicy and as persistent and hard to shake as a summer cold. Medium-bodied style of chardonnay that one could happily drink the entire evening from pre-dinner right through to just before dessert. A very good ambassador for West Australian chardonnay - those lucky Poms. 17.5 www.howardparkwines.com.au

Christmas is a time of being busy, hence a lack of updates.

What’s been sitting on my “to-blog” list for a while is a recap of the highlights from a chardonnay line up a few weeks back: kind of appropriate because as the calendar makes its way into the business end of the festive season, chardonnay - along with beer and G&Ts - becomes one of my drinks of choice. Lightly chilled, the current stream of more refined, elegant and not-as-oaked chardies on the market are just as enjoyable on their own or with the lighter style of food we Australians enjoy over the summer.

I’ve also had a chance to taste most of the marquee Margaret River producers’ ‘06 chardonnays and its fair to say that while the late vintage could prove challenging for reds, it could turn out to be one of the great chardonnay vintages in recent memory.

Devil’s Lair Chardonnay 2006: Fragrant coconut on nose. A nicely medium-bodied wine with great texture. Juicy apple and stonefruit flavours with a shade of the coconut promised on the nose that finish long and juicy. An impressive follow-up to the awesome ‘05 and very much in the same stripped-back, minimalist style. 17. 2005 review

Tyrell’s Vat 47 2005: Dry and intense with a squeeze of lively acidity to give it real grunt. The palate is powered by peaches and tropical fruit that work their magic to create a tasty and succulent mouthful of flavour that finishes long with a burst of nut rounding things off. 17

Tyrells Vat 47 1996: The black sheep of the tasting, especially when you’re not expecting an older example of chardonnay to be snuck into the line up, but enjoyable never the less. Slightly polarising and perhaps offputting aromas of dry, salted fish but as a drink, an agreeable rounded ball of texture, nut, earthiness and salt with a little more nut thrown in the mix with all things nutty dominating the lengthy finish. I liked, though some weren’t as impressed. 17.5

Picardy Chardonnay 2006: Judging by the number of times I’m alone in my praise for it, I think I’m just going to have to come to grips that some people aren’t going to like Picardy chardonnay, especially when tasted blind in a line-up. This had all the same things going for it: gentle vanillin oak teases the nose, gorgeous “mealy” texture, attractice medium-weight cool-climate flavours of nectarine, pink grapefruit and stonefruit arranged neatly on a persisitent and juicy palate. Impressive length too. 17

Tappanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2006: Aromas of orange zest play the role of curtain-raiser to a mouthful of chardonnay bliss that has quickly established itself as one of the nation’s best. While the palate is a glorious combination of citrus and nut, these components are woven in such a manner to create a softly-textured and juicy flavour profile that last and last. 17.5+ 2005 review

There are three things I really love about the Amon-Ra: first, the name is cool, but that’s to be expected if you name a wine after Egyptian mythology’s King of Gods, and second, the artwork on the label - the all-seeing eye of Horus - is just so bold and iconic (if only the wine dripped a little more to the left, we’d have a pretty clever Polaroid on our hands).

Oh, and last but certainly not least, it’s a wee bit of a cracking drink! While it’s not the latest release of Amon-Ra, an extra year seems to have really put some razzle-dazzle into the ‘05. Intense, dense shade of purple to the eye, cedar and chocolate to smell. It drinks like a shampoo commercial: luscious, thick and silky, with outrageously clear cut flavours of plum and blackberry driven by fine, drying tannins. The mouthfeel is pure taxed-at-51-per-cent luxury and amazingly rich, dense and juicy. The flavours finish long with nut and coffee flavours weaving in and out. Quite frankly, a show-off wine that epitomises rockstar unfiltered, Barossa old-vine shiraz. 18.5

Also, the current release 2006 which was released in September: Lifted bouquet of plum with swirls of florals on the nose move smoothly into a tightly wrapped palate showing great balance between gorgeously ripe plum and toasty, chocolaty notes driven by an underlying sense of succulence. The aftertaste is deliciously juicy and long. Good wine from a cracker vintage. Will age beautifully. 17.5+ (with plenty of room to blossom).

It seems that every other month, I read online or in print, criticism about these big, bold, Barossan shirazes that smash it at shows and blind tastings because they’re just so obvious, cuddly and ripe. Sure, I enjoy the subtlety and elegance that the cooler climates offer, but surely there’s scope for appreciating both styles? Also, if Barossan winemakers suddenly started trying to craft something other than the warm-climate fruit bombs that they’re so good at, I suspect that many would be quick to criticise their efforts before suggesting that they stick to what they know. As far as I’m concerned, they know how to make good, warm-climate Aussie shiraz and I’m bloody glad they do. www.glaetzer.com

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

Now this is some good gear - really good gear. A soft and approachable beauty that shows varietal correctness and a sense of regionality for a tad more than what you pay for a main at most neighbourhood BYO Italian eateries. If you’re going out with a group for a meal, better bring a couple of bottles of this as the first will be empty before you’ve had time to go back for your second. Alluringly spicy to smell with clove and bay leaf pushing their way to the front of the bouquet garni pack. Fine tannins glide slowly through the mouth, leaving trails of blackcurrant, vanilla, earth and spice in their wake. The oak manifest itself on the back palate with glimpses of toasty, vanillin lovability and the finish is soft and lingering. The product of fruit sourced from a band of 12 Margaret River vineyards, this is a good wine by all accounts, but factor in the price and we’ve got a true blue Margaret River bargain on our hands. Drink now, now, now. 17.5+ www.ringbolt.com