Sacred Hill Wines by De Bortoli

These wines are so cheap and are made in a drink now varietal manner.

Sacred Hill Moscato 2012

This smell like true Australian Moscato with notes of candied orange, spring flower and the musk sticks that I used to have when I was in my early teens. It is the one I used to get on my way home from school when I had to walk home. I used to get a 20 cent bag of mixed lollies that had one or two sticks of musk that I always saved for the end.  This wine is a crowd pleaser that has a good entry but ok length.

Alcohol: 8%
Price: $7.50
Rated: 80
Drink: Now

 

Sacred Hill Traminer Riesling 2012

The nose is the thing that wins this wine over with an exotic componant that would work with Asian style dishes. Once the wine hits just after the front palate it gets a little weird but at the price I can cope with that.

Alcohol: 12.4%

Price: $7.50

Rated: 77

Drink: Now

Sacred Hill Colombard Chardonnay 2012

Light and bright with unoaked flavours that are simple yet work well as a day to day quaffer. The citrus leads the way, with the entry the best thing of the wine. Enjoy on a wednesday after work if you had a stressful one with your boss.

Alcohol: 12.3

Price: $7.50

Rated: 79

Drink: Now

Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2012

The most varietal and flavour dominant wine of the four with melons and peaches leading the way. The medium bodied palate works well with the oak providing a liitle textural elements before the length falls away. The best of the four wines and at the price give great valeu for money.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $7.50

Rated: 81

Drink: Now

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber "Lenz" Riesling 2010

This little district in German is situated along the Nahe river and would have to be one of the smallest regions as it only comprises a little over 10 acres. To the north the soil is rocky and there is many microclimates that has allowed people to diversify their Riesling stronghold and move into some red varieties. However this wine goes to cement the fact that Riesling is king.

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber "Lenz" Feinherb Riesling 2010

Give me some flavour baby! This wine has so much flavour going on that it is difficult to seperate them which is a good thing if you want to be bombarded. They is a mix between light and heavy concentrate moment all mixed in one. The wine is alive in the mouth and finishes crisp. I'm not sure how this will develop as it offers so much right now.

Alcohol: 11%
Price: $35
Rated: 90
Drink: Now - 2020
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Shiraz 2011

The Adelaide Hills can produce top quality Cabernet, Shiraz and Riesling but in general the best varieties are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.


Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Shiraz 2011

This wine is made in a sweet oaked and warm climate style. The oak dominates the broad flavoured palate from the start to the finish. While I like some of the flavours underneath, such as cherries and spice, the quality of the fruit never matched the treatment of oak.

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $20
Rated: 82
Drink: Now - 2018

Protero Viognier 2010

Gumeracha isn't the normal place for top quality wines but Protero seems to be marching to the beat of its own drum. The vineyard is run biodynamically before Stephen Pannell turns them into gold.

Protero Viognier 2010

What you get here is a balanced full bodied wine with flavours of crushed apricot kernal, fennel seeds, orange peel and stone fruits. These intense flavours are balanced by razor sharp acidity and phenolics. On the palate the wine is very long with a thickness through the mid-palate. Very good wine and great for the money.

Alcohol: 14.3%
Price: $30 but i've seen it for about 20
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2018

S.C. Pannell Tempranillo Touriga 2011

Some wine-makers talk about the drive to make only interesting wines. The term interesting is difficult to define but what I think they mean is different. The easiest way to produce something different is to blend different varieties that are already established in Australia. Australia has huge amounts of old vine resources to some of the best varieties in the world. This wine combines a popular mediterranean variety with grapes that used to make its way into top quality ports.

S.C. Pannell Tempranillo Touriga 2011

The 2011 vintage was cool but McLaren Vale escaped the worst of the disease so most of the wines will be a little spicier than normal. This wine is testamount to that but it still possesses moments of dark chocolate, cherry cola, dutch licorice and dusted fresh flowers. The dust is the one that you find under the sofa when you have to clean the house just before you put on a big birthday party. You know the one where you have to clean areas that wouldn't normally get cleaned. You have to impress your friends or you have to atleast give the impression that this is how your house normally looks. Anyway back to the wine. The wine is medium bodied and has complexity galore with the tannin structure melding perfectly with the flavours. All this and the palate finishes with masses of acidity which makes this just yum. While this is not as good as the 2010 it is different and high in quality.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $25
Rated: 88
Drink: 2014 - 2020

Wimbaliri Close Planted Pinot Noir 2010

Wimbaliri is a winery from Canberra that was established in 1988. The vineyard is planted to a variety of Shiraz, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Merlot. The area seems to be developing a reputation for producing top quality spicy Shiraz and structured Chardonnays.

Wimbaliri Close Planted Pinot Noir 2010

Full in weight and ripe in the flavour spectrum with notes of dark cherries, bubble gum, cinnamon and plum. The fruit is definately on show and there is a warm thought the mid-palate that takes away from the whole enjoyment of the wine. On the other side of the coin, the length is beautiful and the wine feels conforting to taste. I would go on and say that this is a good entry into the world of Pinot if you are coming from a Shiraz background.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $40
Rated: 87
Drink: Now - 2018

Mayhem & Co. 'Small Berries" Shiraz 2012

This wine comes from a small plot of Shiraz in the Blewitt Springs district of McLaren Vale. The old vines are tended biodynamically by the same brother who planted them about 45 years ago. On the website this wine is called the Small Berries Shiraz but it doesn't say anything about small berries on the label that I have in front of me.

Mayhem & Co. 'Small Berries" Shiraz 2012

This wine has been carefully contructed in a hands off sort of manner. As such once open it takes a long while to show anything. To begin with it is unyielding and withdrawn with hints of savoury plums, dark chocolate and Asian spice. As the wine spend time in the decanter the length opens up with the bredth starting to coats the most far reaching edges of my tongue. On the 5 day this looked beautiful in an elegant and thoughtful style of Shiraz far removed from your normal Australian Shiraz. I think some people would have named this a Syrah but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a brilliant bottle of booze.

Alcohol: 13.8%
Price: $42
Rated: 92+
Drink: 2020 - 2032

Coriole Sagrantino 2010

In 2010 Coriole started to experiment with extended maceration. The different parcels spent differing amounts of time on skins and then before blending they tasted each parcel. The skin contact ranged from 2 weeks to 6 months and this wine is a blend of all componants.

Coriole Sagrantino 2010

Oh mother. This has more of everything when you compare it to the 09 version. Actually it has more of everything when you compare it to all other Australian Sagrantino's but the flavours are so held back it is scary. What is most prominant is the drying tannins and acidity. When the liquid hits my tongue it starts to shrivel under the weight of delicious orgasmic tannins. They feel pliant, monumental and locking up most of the flavours. The flavours did emerge in the form of dried plum skin, wild herbs, tobacco, rusty nails and wet earth which makes this a rustic wine with character that would pair well with old school Italian style meals. The structure carried the flavour all the way up my tongue with ease but the wine needs extended cellaring to show its best. The quality of this wine is brilliant and in my view is the best Sagrantino that Coriole has made.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $45
Rated: 93
Drink: Who knows but I would buy a dozen and try one in 10 years to see how it is going.

De Bortoli Gulf Station Chardonnay 2011

De Bortoli Gulf Station Chardonnay 2011

Really light and fruit forward which could be construed as almost Chablis in style. The flavours tick all the normal Chardonnay boxes and I can see how this is a real crowd pleaser.  The weight is only just on medium bodied and the structure is loose knit with a green light for instant gratification.

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $16
Rated: 85
Drink: Now - 2016

Domaine Roland Pignard Beaujolias Villages 2010

The acid and tannin profile, on most Beaujolias, makes this region one of the best for high quality wines that can be enjoyed young with a large variety of foods. Generally speaking the oak control is pulled back which allows the flavours to sing without much airing. The wines of today are now light years away from the poo that was being produced in the 80s and early 90s. That pick and flick nouveau style that almost killed the regions reputations has started to shift back the other way. Rolan Pignard makes some of the better examples and they are styled in a more wild and earth manner.

Domaine Roland Pignard Beaujolias Villages 2010

Funky man, just grab a chair and sit back and feel the fro. This wine makes me want to put on some comfortable clothes and sit on the porch with a large glass of wine with some cheeses. The structure is easy going and I guess that is why I feel that way. The flavour of earth, mushrooms, cranberry juice and dark cherries are intense yet light in weight. The flavour are fine and transition over well. While the gyserol mouth feel addes texture and increases the length.

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $29
Rated: 89
Drink: Now
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Redoubt Hill Vineyard Single Vineyard Riesling 2011

This wine comes from a small producer in Nelson in New Zealand. All of their vineyards are dry grown and treated roughly to force the vines to push to produce higher quality. The Nelson district is situated at the top of the south island with the main industries in the area comprising; fishing, tourism, horticulture and timber.

Redoubt Hill Vineyard Single Vineyard Riesling 2011

When I want a crunchy Riesling with plenty of minerality, I would reach for this beast. Imagine running through an orchard with lemons and limes hurling towards your head and then a breeze of spring blossom gently wafts on by. The bouncy sweet mid-palate flavours are enhanced by a fine dry backbone of acid. I like the message and I love the drive as it combines the Australia dryness with more textural European style.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $35
Rated: 89+
Drink: Now - 2023
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Coriole Sagrantino 2009

This wine comes from the oldest Sagrantino in McLaren Vale which has now been leased by Treasury Wine Estate. The rumour was they were going to make a super premium Sagrantino with a 100 buck price tag. I like the idea as it brings this variety into focus. Coriole's version deserves that sort of attention.

Coriole Sagrantino 2009

While many wines from this variety in Umbria are massive this wine is more medium to full bodied. There is a beautiful crush herbs componant mixed with dried plums, red licorce and dark chocolates. The is held together with tannin and acid but they aren't full on like many of the Italian versions so it makes it easy to open now with a bit of air. The palate pulls long and open up after 5 days in the bottle so I still give it a bit of time in the cellar. If you want an authenitic Sagrantino experience then grab a bottle of this. I should mention that this comes from Oliver's Taranga Vineyard and the only difference between this, theirs and the d'Arenberg one is time on skins. Olivers spent two days on skins, d'Arenberg 10 days and this wine 14 days. I personally think this is the highest quality wine from this vintage. Watch out for the 2010 as it was a spectauclar year.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $45
Rated: 89+
Drink: 2018 - 2040

Echo Beach Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012

The Echo Beach label comes as a result of the hardship that the Australian wine industry is going through at the moment. This style is the quintessential Margaret River blend with torte flavours and mouthwatering acidity. What is better is the price as it is cheap as chips.

Echo Beach Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012

The wine is crisp with flavours of lemon grass, tinned passionfruit, ripe melon and lemon cordial. The easy flavour roll along nicely along my palate and slip down without much effort. There is tortness running along the middle of the wine up until about the mid-palate before the wine fades away. The complexity level is really good for a wine at this price so if you enjoy this type of blend then get some now.

Alcohol: 12.1%
Price: $17
Rated: 83
Drink: Now - 2015

S.C. Pannell Bianco 2012

S.C. Pannell Bianco 2012

Majorly rich from the outset but the acidity balances it out on the back end. The wine manages to come across as Grigio in flavour with Reisling adding structure.The flavours of pear and springs flowers is broad while the lime and lemon pulls the saliva from my tongue from the mid-palate. This is a really nice wine to suck down and it is made for immediate satisfaction.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $22
Rated: 85
Drink: Now - 2016

Domaine Oudin Chablis AC 2009

This little number is made by Nathelie Oudin from her different vineyards. Nathelie doesn't use too much intervention in her winemaking techniques so this doesn't have much sulphur added.

Domaine Oudin Chablis 2009

Really withrawn to begin with but after 2 days it opens out a bit to show struck matches, exploded quartz and pink grapefruit. The wine is more about texture and feel than just flavours as the wine seems to have a gyserol feel to it. It coats the taste buds and moves on ever so slowly. By day 3 the ugliness that started has disappeared all together. What is left is a balanced wine with richness and liveliness all in one.

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $35
Rated: 90
Drink: Now - 2018
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Jansz Premium Vintage Sparkling Rose 2008

I have never really been into sparkling rose but I really like the style after tasting this one. They are a little more expensive than the traditional blanc de blancs but they are also more complex as well.

Jansz Premium Vintage Sparkling Rose 2008

This wine reminds me of high tea. My wife attended one of these events at the end of last year around Christmas time. They are all the rage for womens parties as all you need is an event, like a baby shower, and a group of energised women and you are off. The lovely waiters and waitresses will be hurling creamy cupcakes filled with strawberries, raspberries, chocolate covered buscuits and potpourri. Well it was a stretch to get the potpourri in but as it is a flavour of the wine I thought I would give it a go.  The wine feels like it is from a warmer year as the acid line isn't quiet up to the task but it is a wonderful wine nonetheless.

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $38
Rated: 88
Drink: Now

Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Cortese Chardonnay 2010

I never really buy Chardonnay as I prefer to buy their indiginous vareities however this was rather nice. Chardonnay just loves a good aspect and a hill side which makes Langhe a potenial ideal area for the variety. Furthermore the variety loves to be paired with chickens and truffles which is a perfect as the area is renowned for truffles.

Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Cortese Chardonnay 2010

This is not what I was expecting as there is a flintiness mixed with figs and fennel before a bit of fruit finds its way into the picture. The aromas mirror the palate to a tee with the good length of flavours easily being able to follow. While the weight is only medium bodied it fits perfectly into the Chablis was of thinking.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $24
Rated: 87
Drink: Now - 2016
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

The Islander Estate Vineyards The Investigator Cabernet Franc 2005

Cabernet Franc forms part of the traditional Bordeaux Blend. It is one of the more prolific red varieties that normally only sees a leading light in the Loire .

The Islander Estate Vineyards The Investigator Cabernet Franc 2005

I thought this was a Cabernet Sauvignon as it had tobacco, black fruit yet it had a floral overtone with less structrure and weight. The medium bodied palate has a very long length with the food friendly flavours working well. The feel is elegant but there is verve and vibrancy attached. As there is not many single variety Cabernet Franc's going around it is bold for a relatively new winery to put this as its icon wine but I can see why they are doing it. There is a savoury componanty with a cherry lip stick that adds interest that I love and I still feel it need a few more years in the cellar to show its best.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $60
Rated: 90
Drink: 2016 - 2024

Domaine Camille Giroud Cote de Beaune Villages 2010

The Cote de Beaune is located in north of Burgundy which encompasses 16 different appellations. The Cote de Beaune Villages label is the second to bottom along the hierarchy and it able to be drunk upon release.

Domaine Camille Giroud Cote de Beaune Villages 2010

The vines for ths wine have been biodynamically farmed and is the entry level wine for Camille Girourd. The wine possesses a real funk and dirtiness but also has fruit weight more associated with the new world. I have in my notes mushrooms, warm earth and plums and spice on a medium bodied palate that finishes with firm tannins. I personally would crank this out now as it offers so much.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $44
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2017
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo 2008

The fruit from this wine come from a biodynamic vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. The fruit also used to go to Coriole but It is now split between Pannell and Protero.

S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo 2008

Savoury, strurctured with medium bodied flavours running wild.  The controlled musky style is easy to like as it isn't overbearing at all yet it is true to the variety. There is red berriy fruits mixed with rusty nails and fresh roses before the tannins envelop my taste buds. There is also a perfumed note that hits the mid-palet before the wine end with mouth watering acidity. Poise and flavour noise all in one.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $45
Rated: 92+
Drink: In 6 years

Hahndorf Hill Winery Pinot Grigio 2012

Hahndorf Hill Winery Pinot Grigio 2012

This ticks all the flavour boxes of Pinot Grigio which makes it so easy to like. The entry is snazzy and matches the flavours of pear skin, baked apples, passion fruit sorbet and orange but the texture is closer to Gris than Grigio. Well, if it was 1 for Grigio and 10 for Gris on the texture scale this sits at about 5. If I wasn't thinking, I would have enjoyed this immensely but I was looking for a Grigio.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $25
Rated: 84
Drink: Now

Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2012

I'm fast coming to the conclusion that I prefer the 2011 Adelaide Hills white wines to the 2012 versions.

Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Simple and satisfying with flavours of passionfruit, citrus, snowpeas and lemon grass. They hit the front palate and hit well but they never really take it further. It is an easy wine to glug down three bottles over lunch and I expect that on a warm autumns day the cartons will open like the flood gates during a brutal storm.

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $25
Rated: 86
Drink: Now or over the next few years

Icons and Emerging Icons

When people think of the Icon wineries from Australia Penfolds, Henschke and Wynns of Coonawarra are three that would come to mind. They produce wines that have the ability to age for prolonged periods and generally look better with ten years under their belt. I've tasted my way through a lot of their wines and listed below are three monumental wines. The Penfolds wine is the best Cabernet I have tried in Australia, the Henschke just beautiful, wild and not far behind the Bin 169 and the Wynns Black label Shiraz which is a fine wine to accompany their Cabernet. Below these three are two wines from wineries that I believe will join the top ranks in the years to come. They are already producing classic and spectacular wines but they have only been producing these in the last 5 to 10 years.  

Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 

This years Grange was written up as being one of the best ever but I rated this just that bit higher in terms of quality. It is classic styled with structure to burn. The aromas are captivating as they come across as chiselled yet expressive with notes of leafy black currants, olive pulp and wild herbs from a French veggie garden. These flavours are only a drop in the ocean when you compare them to what arises on the palate but they are equally enchanting. The fruit takes centre stage but there is a hint of cedar in the background and then the structure takes hold. There is a line of bright acidity running from the front palate to my tonsils which mean that the length of phenomenal. For a young wine this is the best Australian Cabernet that I have tried. As this is from the birth year of my daughter I will be buying as many as I can afford.  

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: $350 

Rated: 97+ 

Drink: After 2035 

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Shiraz 2010 

This is a new addition to the Wynns label and it has come about after they have invested a significant amount of time reinvigorating their vineyards. This cool climate shiraz has plenty of soft blackberry notes with spice and red-fruits adding complexity and interest. The long palate is accentuated by the medium bodied palate weight and wild components of animal hide and a creamy mouthfeel. Even though I don't think this is a long term wine like I do like the sense of it at the moment. 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: Good value at $30 

Rated: 91 

Drink: Now - 2020 

Henschke Mount Edelstone 2009 

This wine was pick from a vineyard that is 97 years old which makes this something to hold in reverence. Out of all the 2009 wines from the Barossa this one comes across the most wild and reserved with notes of savoury blackberries rolled in chocolate and Asian spices. The flavours are as smooth as silk and linger on my palate for what seems like hours but it is the balance between tannin structure and brightness that is most enchanting. There is depth of flavour and food friendliness that finishes off the package of this world class wine.  

Alcohol: 14.5% 

Price: $118 

Rated: 95 

Drink: 2024 – 2040 

Paradise IV Darel Shiraz 2011 

Exotic and reserved with a bewildering array of flavours bombarding the senses, yet I must say forget about the flavours as it is the beautiful balance of sweet and chalky tannins mixed with insane acidity that is most enchanting. They take hold of my mouth and drive the flavours forward like a winged goddess taking off to save the world. At the moment the wine is too shy but after it was open for 5 days it really started to open up so I would be calm and just let it sit in the cellar. 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: $45 

Rated: 93 

Drink: 2018 - 2029 

Sutton Grange Estate Rose 2010 

These guys under Gilles Lapalus have been producing some of the most interesting and highest quality wines in Australia. This wine is the best rose that I have ever tasted from Australia as it combines dry and savoury characters of raspberries with exotic flavours of Asian spices and roasted nuts. The force of the wine is beautiful with the length just phenomenal. I would love to say that it only got better as it sat open but I finished the bottle too quick to make that call, which I guess it a good thing when you think about it. 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: $40 

Rated: 93 

Drink: Now or over the next few years