Bremerton Wines Special Release Vermentino 2014

The Italians are taking over and rightly so as the climate fits well with so many of the varieties. Generally the wines from this variety are more savoury in flavour spectrum with a wedge of texture running throughout. The vines seem to handle the heat well and produce lovely aromatics and lower alcohol than their French counterpart.

 Bremerton Wines Special Release Vermentino 2014

I struggle with getting my head around this variety but this wine was easy to review. Just open and go for it! It opens with a burst of orange peel, salted mixed nuts and lemon rind before the real fun begins.  The texture is the cannon that takes it up a level as it feels heavier but is balanced by the acidity. I wouldn't recommend stashing these away in the cellar, just crank them out with some fresh sardines or even a fish salad.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $24
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2017 

Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling 2013

Knappstein is not a winery that I drink much of their wine but I do drink a large amount of their beer. The winery is part of the larger Lion Nathan stable with much of the grapes from the mature vineyards making their way to Petaluma.

Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling 2013

This is rather special with the core of the wine the wonderful acid line running from the initial hit to the far reaches of my tongue. If the wine was a cricketer it would be a world class fast bowler as it delivers great line and length. The flavours don't really matter but they are fresh and floral with a lovely violet note before lemon grass and orange zest kick in. These flavours take a while to come out so I would recommend leaving it in the cellar for a bit.

Alc: 12.5%
Price: RRP $20 but a quick google search put the wine at $13
Rated: 93
Drink: 2015 - 2025

 

Chris Ringland Reservation Shiraz 2010

About 10 years ago I was obsessed with trying to get my hands on a bottle of Chris Ringland’s Three Rivers Shiraz. While I would love to try a bottle now, it is possible to try his wine styles at a more attractive and accessible price tag (50 bucks not 750 bucks). He definitely puts his heart into the wine and it is a massively full bodied number. In fact I have to change my scale it include this number right above what I would normally full bodied. This comes more akin to port in the weight of it and the meal that it pair with.

 

Chris Ringland Reservation Shiraz 2010

 

I tried this wine with a nice stew but it just killed it with really sweet jammy fruit characters so I decided to wait until I served the chocolate mud cake. This worked better but I would recommend drinking this by itself in the heart of winter. There is a cooked prune moment mixed with baileys and ice cream before it moves to a mulled wine character. This comes in the form of warmth and spicy on the finish but it is the mouth feel that is the most enticing. This comes in the form of thick glycerol as it coats the front palate on entry.

 

Alcohol: 16%

Rated: 83

Price: $50
Drink: Now - 2016

 

 

 

Hurley Vineyard Garamond Pinot Noir 2012

This winery is now my number one Pinot Winery in Australia. The vineyard is located in Balnarring district in the Mornington Peninsula and they keep each vineyard separate. The dry grown vineyards are cropped extremely low but the average rainfall of 750 mm is enough to keep the vines ticking along. This wine receives cold soaking of the grapes after they are picked for 7 days before the grapes are allowed to warm up and naturally ferment. It sounds really easy but I guess they are just treating the grapes with respect.

Hurley Vineyard Garamond Pinot Noir 2012

The wine is pretty clean in the glass but you can tell that it isn't fined or filtered. I think this method preserves the beauty of the wine as the serious elements seem to flow right out the bottle just after I cracked it open. On the nose there is an earthy aroma with a speck of dried twigs and sour cherry kicking in. On the palate it is pretty much the same but it feels lighter in weight than the nose, then there is a massive kick of acidity that runns away with the palate length. The length and details is beguiling which makes this one of the best pinots I have tried in a long time from Australia. Furthermore the flavour profile is ultra savoury and thoughtful which makes me go back for more.

Alcohol: 13.9%
Rated: 95
Price: $80 rrp but I would sign up for the mailing list
Drink: 2017 - 2027

d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2010

There seems to be talk about the different between Australian and French wine with part of the difference being an earthy character that they are able to get in French that we lack. From my perspective this earthiness is an expression of the terrior so a wine or area that showcases it is more desirable. Whatever they are doing at d'Arenberg they seem to be able to extract a clay or earthiness flavour to all their wines, especially their top end gear.

d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2010

Old school man with a slap of American to boot. I can't stand American oak but it seems to work well here and be more integrated than I would expect at this stage. The flavours that are coming through are dried clay mixed with a blackberry compote, raspberries, fresh licorice and intense chocolate. While the flavours I would normally associate with a massively full bodied wine but here the wine seems to be on the lighter side of full bodied. It is hard to believe this was picked on the 27th of February but when I really think about it the acidity is well balanced and the flavour profile is pitched really nicely. One for the cellar I say.


Alcohol: 14%
Price: $65
Rated: 94+
Drink: In 10 years