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Someone said on Twitter the other day that Hoddles Creek winemaker Franco d'Anna has "the Midas touch". There is no doubt that d'Anna is able to produce extraordinarily good wines from the Yarra Valley at ridiculously low prices. This is a stunning new-release chardonnay, a wine of impeccable balance that offers pristine fruit and plenty of palate interest. Made from cool-climate Upper Yarra fruit, it has an amalgam of grapefruit and stonefruit on the nose, plenty of length, good crisp acidity and slateyness on the finish and has sensible alcohol levels at 13.2%. I know I'll get slayed for saying this, but it is reminiscent of good Petit Chablis. An absolute bargain at $20. www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au.
Reach for the thesaurus. This is about as close to wine perfection as it gets. Rich, unctuous and concentrated; a classic Australian fortified. Collectors
of fine and rare wines will be captivated by a new range of fortifieds released by Seppeltsfield that have been “held in secret”
by generations of winemakers at the historic Barossa Valley cellars. The
Paramount Collection, utilising reserve parcels dating back as far as
1922, features two Australian sherry styles (now known as aperas), a
tokay and a muscat. The
parcels used in these blends were put away by winemakers over the
years and were not originally designed for sale but have now been
hand-bottled in very limited quantities. This DP64 Tokay, made from muscadelle grapes, is a blend of many vintage years but maintains an average age of 32 years. It has amazing intensity with espresso coffee, dark chocolate, prune and rancio characters. So rich that one glass is enough. 99/100. $699 in a special display box. www.seppeltsfield.com.au.
Here is one for those of you on a tight budget. I'm risking the wrath of the vinerati by selecting a sauvignon blanc as my wine of the week, but I favour pleasure over fashion when it comes to wine - and this is a decent drink at a very fair price. It's not a great wine by any means but it comes with a wallop of acidity, some bright tropical fruit flavours and refreshing crispness on the finish. I reckon if you gave this a good chill and paired it with flathead and chips you would feel very smug and self satisfied given it only costs $15. www.alkoomiwines.com.au.
Last week was Queensland Wine Week and some of the local producers kindly sent me a few samples. This was one of the revelations from a selection of wines that offered plenty of interest and hints of a quality revolution on the Granite Belt. This is as good as any sub-$20 Australian riesling I've tasted recently and its novelty value - and value for money - make it well worth seeking out. It's as bright and fresh as a daisy with fresh cut flower and citrus notes on the nose followed by some by crisp citrus peel flavours, plenty of acid backbone and length. A delightfully balanced cool-climate style dry riesling, hand-picked and basket pressed, that weighs in at just 11% alcohol but has plenty of flavour and character. $18. www.ridgemillestate.com.
There is a smart new look for the estate wines from TarraWarra Estate, and while the prices of many leading Australian chardonnays are nudging upwards, this represents excellent value for money. Beautifully balanced, it shows the attention paid in the vineyard, where the grapes are hand-picked, and in the winery, where Clare Halloran is in excellent form. From a very good vintage this is a fruit-driven wine with qulaity oak hiding away behind the curtains. Think citrus and stone fruits notes, cleanliness and great drive. $25. www.tarrawarraestate.com.au.
What a sexy beast of a wine this is; all class and sheen and poise. Former chef and sommelier Adam Foster has developed into a wonderfully intuitive minimal interventionist winemaker, unashamedly influenced by the great wines of the Rhone but, in this case, expressing the terroir of Heathcote. Seductive and voluptuous, but beautifully proportioned, this siren has plenty of plushness and flavour with a distinct plummy earthiness, but is also a model of restraint at 13% alcohol. Very enjoyable. $46. www.syrahmi.com.au
While many wine regions of Australia struggled to produce quality fruit in a problematic 2011 vintage, Margaret River was once again blessed by near-perfect conditions. With Xanadu winemaker Glenn Goodall very much at the top of his game it is no surprise that this is a standout for both quality and value. It was matured for 14 months in French oak (including 40% new barriques) before the blend was assembled, and returned to older French barriques for a further two months of maturation prior to bottling. Cassis and blackberry fruit flavours are to the fore here, along with great structure and integrated oak. A serious wine, but a lot of fun to drink. $38. www.xanaduwines.com
