Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Cote du Py 2010

Why is it that many wines taste sweet while some others are sour? Sun I say and how much time the grapes hang on the vines. It is a mix between the wine-maker and vines. This is why we have so much fruit and sweetness in Australia. Slowly people are changing what they plant so as to better fit the variety to the area. This wine is sour and bright with great flavour.

While this winery hasn't been around for that long, Jean-Marc only started in 1989, they are producing some spectacular wines already.

Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Cote du Py 2010

The flavour profile is sour but it works so well. The 50 year old vines have worked their magic as the complexity of plums, strawberries, raspberries and spice are beautiful and perfumed. The tannins take it up a level as they are dry and bold yet oh so pretty. While I love this now I would let it sit for 3 to 5 years in the cellar before I open them up.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $35
Rated: 92
Drink: 2016 - 2025
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Pizzini Riesling 2013

The King Valley is a lovely picturesque area with many wineries and food shops but that is not the only thing going on. Once a year in October the locals and other competitors get their fitness groove on and take on a triathlon. The event starts at Lake William Hovell which is a magnificently breathtaking start to the event. The 15k run takes you through sandy flats and rustic gum before a 12k Kayak on the Lake which starts out at the boat yard and ends on the calm end of town. This is then followed by a 39k bike ride and a 3k sprint. After the event there are so many wineries and boutique beer store I suggest that you get stuck in to them.

 

Pizzini Riesling 2013

Ticks all the rizza boxes and is worth every cent of the 16 bucks of the RRP. The wine starts out very floral before some lemon drops kicks in on the mid-palate. While my notes say high in acid it isn’t that noticeable compared too many of this style from Eden Valley or the Clare Valley.  What I would say is the style is highly drinkable and would work well once the weather starts heating up.

 

Alcohol: 11%

Price: $16

Rated: 87

Drink: Now - 2020

 

 

Wild Duck Creek Estate Yellow Hammer Hill 2011

The Yellow Hammer Vineyard is situated near the Alan's Cabernet Vineyard but with the vines only being planted in the last 20 years. The wine is made in a fruit driven bistro style whcih means that it drinks well from the get go.

Wild Duck Creek Estate Yellow Hammer Hill 2011

While this wine is from a cooler wetter year there is so much power going on it is scary. The oak and the spicy fruit is already intergrated well with a medium to full bodiedframe and nice mintiness on the back end. If pushed I would say the weight of the wine is just under full bodied with a dirtiness running along the spine of the wine. The Malbec is leading the way with the Shiraz adding a confortable feeling and nice palate weight. Drink now or later it doesn't really matter.

Alcohol: 14.9%
Price: $28
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2018

De Bortoli Deen de Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz 2009

De Bortoli Deen de Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alcohol: 14.5%

Prce: Under 12

Rated: 83

Drink: Now - 2016

 



 

John Duval Plexus 2011

John Duval Plexus 2011

 

Twenty eleven is turning out to be a very elegant year in the Barossa. The flavours are slightly confected  with a slick and creamy mouth-feel sitting over the top. I really like the flavour profile of cherry jam and a mix bag of lollies with the strawberries and cream leading the way. It isn't a dirty or an earthy wine rather a fruitful wine with not as much power as normal. It drinks well now but will reward short term cellaring.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $37
Rated: 89
Drink: Now - 2016

Old Plains Wine Co. Longhop Shiraz 2012

The Longhop vineyards are located in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Adelaide Plains with some of the vineyards going back 50 years. All the wines are open top ferments with whole berries and a mix of wild and inoculated yeasts. The wines are pressed off into a mix of old and new American and French oak for an extended period before being bottled.

 

Old Plains Wine Co. Longhop Shiraz 2012

 

My god this has power and flavour with the American oak taking centre stage for most of the time I had this open. The flavours of plums and blackberries are mixed with dried spices and raspberry lollipops. This is a full on wine that will satisfy a lot of people. For me the quality of this wine is above the price but it is not as good as the Cabernet. Buy up whatever you like. If you like soft mouth-feel and high drink-ability then go for this.

 

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $16

Rated: 84

 

Drink: Now – 2017

Pizzini Sangiovese 2012

Sangiovese is typically an early ripening variety which needs a little heat to get the best out of it but not much.  The berries are large with many bunches per vine which means that the vigneron needs to spend much time in the vineyard tending the vines. The variety has a unique ability to express the region and vineyard characteristics with great diversity of flavour and structure. Many refer that this is like the Riesling grape variety. One would only surmise that this would mean that people are able to go on a great sensory journey when tackling the Sangiovese variety.

 

Pizzini Sangiovese 2012

 

Most Sangiovese from Australia comes across as sweet but this one is dry and savoury with a hint of sourness which makes it so enchanting. The mouth-feel is also a contrast as it is silky and elegant. All this and more fit on a medium bodied palate weight and a lively finish end with spice. The only flavour that is not the normal Sangiovese style is a little caramel that sits on the mid-palate which I felt added something extra. Lovely!

 

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: $26

Rated: 88

Drink: Now – 2020

De Bortoli Deen de Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz 2010

De Bortoli Deen de Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz 2010

The 2009 versiopn of this wine was very good value but this years is a little better. The medium bodied flavour profile starts with plums before moving to blackberries, chocolate pastilles and ending with spice. While there is only a nudge of drying tannins it is balanced by a kick of acidity and only a light wind of oak. A good wine that will please a lot of punters. Have a box stashed in the pantry so if you have unexpected guests you have something good to serve.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: Around 10 bucks
Rated: 84
Drink: Now - 2016

Wild Duck Creek Estate Ducks & Drakes 2011

Ducks & Drakes is an old school game of throwing small stones over water, more precicisely it is the act of skipping stones over water which is normally done at a small pond with a lot of younger members. The last time i did it was when I was 12 at an outdoor school and my mates and I would see how many times we could skip the stone. I can't remember what our record was but this wine takes me back.

Wild Duck Creek Estate Ducks & Drakes 2011

This label is relatively new with most of the productioning going to the U.S. with the other lions share being consumed by mailing list customers.  For a wine from 2011 it doesn't possess the slippery and weedy profile but rather it has leafy cabernet characters and a shiraz bounce in the mid-palate. The oak is high but it all works out by the time day four comes around of being open. I would recommend giving it 5 or so years in the cellar to open up a bit more.

Alcohol: 14.9%
Price: $46
Rated: 87
Drink: 2017 +

Pizzini Prosecco 2013

Prosecco is supposed to be light and cheerful which fits perfectly as this wine is that and more.

 

Pizzini Prosecco 2013

 

Apples and pears with a hint of fresh flowers reside deep within this wine. It has sweetness but starts and finishes with nice lip smacking tartness. If you really want a lovely summer beverage try adding a squeeze of peach juice. I know what you are thinking why should we add anything to prosecco but this style of wine is supposed to be fun so you can play around with things. Give it a go.

 

 

Alcohol:  11%

Price: $19.50

Rated: 87 and perfect for summer

 

Drink: Now

Cumulus Merlot 2011

Straight varietal Merlots are rare as the variety is normally blended with higher acid and tannin varieties. Merlot tends to be soft, cuddly and in need of consuming young. For top examples, the vines need to be water stressed which didn’t occur in 2011.  The vineyard that this wine comes from is single shoot positioned with a soil profile clay and basault which is formed from lava.

 

Cumulus Merlot 2011

 

This is a polished wine with silky oak sliding it way over the more herbal fruit. The flavours of tart plums, pepper, grass and capsicum sit on a medium bodied palate. The alcohol is not evident at all and if asked what the level was I would have said 12.5 – 13. How wrong was I? I do like the flavours but they sit only on the front and mid-palate before the oak takes over.

 

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $50

Rated: 87

 

Drink: Now - 2017

Stefano Lubiana Sauvignon Blanc 2013

I’m not really a Sav Blanc fan but I do like it is has drive and restraint. This wine sees no oak treatment but does have 4 months on lees which add palate weight and a creamy mouth-feel. The grape for this wine were harvested on the 4^th of April and then inoculated with yeast before fermentation in stainless steal tanks and then bottled in late August.

 

Stefano Lubiana Sauvignon Blanc 2013

 

The pureness of this wine is really interesting as it comes in the form of bright snowpeas, passion fruit, dried flowers and lemon grass. The mid-palate is rich but the lemon grass pulls it back in to line at the end. In terms of Sav Blanc it ticks a lot of boxes as it is familiar in style to many but has enough points of difference to take it too the next level.

 

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: $27

Rated: 89

Drink: Summer loving

Elderton Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Cabernet can be a difficult variety to get right. It generally needs cooler nights with milder days to show its true colours but it can handle some heat before it turns to jam.

 

Elderton Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

 

Regional yes and varietal as well with blackcurrant pastilles mixed with wild nettles and cedar.  The wine is full bodied and balances with a nice easy acidity on the back end. While the wine doesn’t possess the savoury aspects that come from Coonawarra or Margaret River it does possess the lovely coco powder and liquorice notes that Barossa is so good at showing. This will keep for 10 easy but it drinks so well now I wouldn’t bother cellaring it. The tannins are silky and non-invasive but they do provide the wine with drive along the palate.

 

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $25

Rated: 90

Drink: Now – 2023

 

Yalumba The Virgilius 2010

The Virgilius is the best barrels from the oldest planting of Viognier in the Eden Valley.

 

Yalumba The Virgilius 2010

 

My god this is full on yet elegant and restrained at the same time. The palate is so even and persistent with nothing out of place at all. The full bodied flavours are of honeysuckle, orange blossom, cardamom, hints of mandarin and ginger nut bisects is just perfect. What separates this from the normal over blown much is the acidity which leaves the saliva train going overdrive, a magnificent creamy palate feel and the restraint of the flavours. It is a beautiful exercise in art.

 

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: $50

Rated: 94

Drink: Now - 2020

 

SC Pannell GSM 2010

The first blends in Australia were most likely field blends. These vineyards were planted from cuttings that were bought over from France and South Africa by James Busby. Now a days GSMs are a common household name as they offer easy drinking flavours in a lower palate weight experience.

SC Pannell GSM 2010

This wine is dark and broody but still offers either red flavours with red lipstick and muck sticks thrown in. The full bodied palate length is beautiful and the texture is thick which makes this more of a cellaring wine. I still enjoyed it now but it will offer a better experience in a few years.

 Alcohol: 14%

Price: $40 (only Available at Dan Murphys)

Rated: 92
Drink: 2015 - 2022

Altamont wine studio Montepulciano 2011

So many new and wonderful varieties are being planted in Australia which makes it perfect for the individual to taste different flavours and textures. The variety is mostly found in the southern most aspect of Tuscany in Italy but it has found its way to Kersbrook in the Adelaide Hills. In Italy the variety loves the warmer areas but the grapes for this wine are in the cooler area.  I think McLaren Vale might be the place to plant this variety.

 

Altamont Montepulciano 2011

 

It is a spicy little number with red and blue berries mixed in. The wine is light bodied with a savoury profile and not much tannin. I like what they are trying to achieve with this wine but I would like to see more plum flavours in a medium bodied frame. Perhaps it was the season as 2011 was very wet with red wine quality being down a bit. It would be very interesting to see what they can do with the 2012s.

 

Alcohol: 13.8%

Price: $20

Rat6ed: 84

Drink: Now or over the next 3 years.