Family treasure: Taylors Estate range has represented good value for almost half a century

The Taylors Estate range has been around the market for what seems like forever so it is something of a surprise that it is less than 50 years since the family launched its first wines.

It was in 1973 that the first Estate cabernet sauvignon and shiraz were produced from vines planted in 1969 but they quickly made a mark, with the cabernet winning the Montgomery Trophy for best red wine at the Adelaide show. It probably helped that they sourced the cabernet vines from the Wynns operation at Coonawarra.

Now, the Estate range takes in the original cabernet and shiraz plus merlot, pinot noir and tempranillo in the reds, plus riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot gris in the whites and a sparkling pinot noir chardonnay.

While much of the fruit still comes from the family’s Clare Valley vineyards, a fair bit comes from other districts, particularly when they fell another area makes a better version. For example, the sauvignon blanc comes from the Adelaide Hills, as does the pinot noir and there is a fair dash of Limestone Coast material in the latest vintages of the cabernet, shiraz and merlot and Padthaway fruit in the chardonnay. 

Unsurprisingly, the riesling is all Clare Valley fruit. When you can source the grapes from one of the best areas in Australia for the variety, why bother too hard looking elsewhere?

All the wines bear a touch-activated sensor that uses  thermo-chromatic ink that changes colour depending on the temperature of the bottle so consumers can make sure the wine is at the optimum temperature for enjoyment. Hopefully, it means people won’t serve the whites too cold and the reds too warm. 

And two of the whites, the sauvignon blanc and pinot gris, have earned vegan-friendly certification.

All the Estate range has a recommended retail price of $22 but I have seen them for $18 or less, which makes them very good buying for the consistent quality they represent.

Learn more about Taylors at www.taylorswines.com.au

Classic tales: An Australian legend and an Aussie take on a top-flight Italian

Moss Wood 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon

The latest vintage of this top-flight Margaret River red is one of their best. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and cabernet franc, it shows lovely concentrated blackcurrant and mulberry fruit on the nose and long, complex palate with a touch of violets and restrained oak, finishing with long, fine tannins. It’s so balanced that, if you wanted, you could enjoy it now with rack of lamb but it deserves another decade in the cellar to really hit its straps. It’s worth becoming a Moss Wood member to get your hands on this beauty. Price is not yet confirmed but expect something about $125-$135. Rating: 97. More info: www.mosswood.com.au

Soumah 2017 Single Vineyard Nebbiolo

The classic Italian grape of Barolo and Barbaresco is given an Australian makeover with this Yarra Valley red, from Soumah's Hexham vineyard, with its distinctive rose and savoury characters, a touch of violet and tobacco leaf, with long, fine firm tannins which belie its pale colour. This is definitely one to cellar for five years or more, at which stage it should be a lovely match for Mediterranean style lamb dishes. $50. Ask at fine wine outlets or try the winery (www.soumah.com.au). Rating: 95

Golden times: A granite Belt pioneer celebrates a half-century of shiraz

 

Angelo Puglisi in his beloved shiraz
vineyard. Picture: Ballandean Estate

For any winery to celebrate 50 years of one variety is a proud achievement. When it is a winery on Queensland’s Granite Belt it is even more notable given the Sunshine State’s comparatively recent foray into the wine industry.

However, the 2018 vintage of Ballandean Estate’s shiraz marked 50 years since founder Angelo Puglisi planted shiraz on his Ballandean property.

It’s an almost accidental achievement. Angelo in his youth wanted to be a mechanic but circumstances dictated otherwise and he followed his father on to the family farm.

Given his Italian background, wine was always around. The family grew table grapes among other things and what didn’t make it to market was turned into wine, not always the best. Angelo remembers many that were too green or too overripe and a few that were already approaching vinegar status.

It didn’t stop him from deciding that there was a future for wine grapes in the region and in 1968, with the help of volunteers from Stanthorpe Rotary, he planted a vineyard of shiraz that is still going, although a little knocked about by the severe drought of 2020.

Angelo thought it was a prediction for the district’s future that the temperature when they planted the vines was well below freezing. “I just knew we were going to become known as a cool-climate area,” he jokes.

He was right. Ballandean and the Granite Belt with many vineyards planted above 800m is among the highest wine-growing areas of Australia.

It does mean those shirazes will never rival the sometimes over-the-top ripeness and lusciousness levels achieved by the Barossa Valley or McLaren Vale. But they are lovely medium-bodied styles than can mature gracefully for decades. A 1996 version that featured at a recent celebration dinner for Ballandean’s shiraz story was drinking beautifully. It may not have had the pure fruit characters of younger versions but it had lovely complex savoury features and a fine tannin and acid finish.

The 2011 vintage is still showing youthful dark berry and spice on the nose and palate, with fine tannins and acid that suggest it still has a decade or two in it.

The 2018 Anniversary version is flavoursome and well-balanced youngster that should repay another couple decades in the cellar, while the currently available 2019 also has lovely dark berry fruit, spice and pepper, with trademark fine tannins and acid backbone.

The drought and bushfires mean that it’s unlikely there will be a 2020 vintage but early indications are that the ’21 promises a return to top form.

For more information, go to www.ballandeanestate.com

The main game: When "alternative" varieties cross into the mainstream

 

When does an “alternative” variety become mainstream? It’s an interesting point. Take pinot gris/grigio, for example, It was once seen as an alternative grape but now seems to be everywhere.

Similarly,  sangiovese and tempranillo are now so common that it almost seems silly to call them alternatives.

And if availability in casks is any guide several other “alternatives” are rapidly flowing into the mainstream.

The fruits of the 2020 harvest at Calabria

The Riverina-based Calabria family has just released its new Banta Box range of two-litre casks that feature well-established varieties such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, cabernet-merlot, shiraz and rose and a couple of “alternative” varieties in montepulciano and nero d’avola (due out later this year).

Montepulciano, most famously grown in the eastern Abruzzo region of central Italy, produces a soft, rich red featuring red and black berry fruits and a touch of spiced cherry. The Banta Box version is a medium-bodied red made to enjoy young and delicious alongside pizza, meat and tomato-based pastas and lamb.

Nero d’avola, which is one of the most important red grapes of Sicily, produces a robust wine with flavours of dark berries, plum and cherries with a savoury finish. It’s a good match for hearty beef-based dishes although it will also go well with a good hamburger.

All the range sells for a recommended $13.99 and will be available through independent retailers.

It’s interesting to see such wines in a cask and can only suggest that what was once alternative is fast becoming mainstream. If you are looking for a less-expensive way to taste different varieties, this is a good way to go.

For more information or to find a stockist near you, go to www.bantabox.com.au

 

World blends: Taking regional and varietal blends to a new level

Winemaker Andrew Baldwin, senior winemaker Steph Dutton and chief winemaker Peter Gago
in Penfolds' California vineyard. Picture: Penfolds

Penfolds have been blending different varieties and fruit from different regions for more than five decades. But they have taken it a step further with their latest venture, the California Collection.

There are four wines in the first release, 2018 Quantum Bin 98 Cabernet Sauvignon ($950.00), 2018 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon ($220.00), 2018 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon ($120.00) and 2018 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz ($90.00).

Bin 98 is a blend of 87% Napa Valley cabernet with 13% shiraz from Penfolds’ South Australian vineyards. While the price in Australian terms might seem excessive, it’s not uncommon for top Napa cabernets to cost hundreds of dollars a bottle, if not more. The wine was matured in new American (80%) and French (20%) oak before bottling.

Interestingly, all the oak used in making the wines was sourced from South Australian coopers AP John, who have been supplying Penfolds and many other Barossa wineries for years.

It’s not the only Australian influence involved in making the wines – they are fermented in open fermenters of the style used by Penfolds in the Barossa and are made using the same techniques, thus giving them a distinct Penfolds “house style”. 

Bin 149 is a blend of Napa Valley and South Australian cabernets, matured in French (80%) and American (20%) oak, while Bin 704 is pure Napa Valley matured in new French (40%) and one-year-old French oak and the Bin 600 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (78%) and shiraz from the Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles. The Paso Robles fruit has a distinctive Penfolds background, with the vineyards being planted in the late 1990s with cuttings from some of Penfolds’ best blocks from their famous Kalimna and Magill Estate vineyards.

Senior winemaker Steph Dutton and winemaker Andrew Baldwin have worked on the ground in California with chief winemaker Peter Gago to ensure the wines reflect that Penfolds style while incorporating the best of their local characters.

It’s an intriguing step for Penfolds, who naturally are looking to expand their presence in the United States following the virtual collapse of the Australian wine market in China. The wines will be available online (www.penfolds.com) at their cellar doors at Magill Estate and the Barossa and a selected fine wine outlets from March 4

Find out more at www.penfolds.com 

Good news from behind the smoke haze

Many New South Wales wineries had a dreadful time of it in 2020, with quite a few making no wine at all because of bushfires and subsequent smoke haze. Fortunately, some were spared and have managed to produce very good wines.

One that escaped the worst was Robert Stein at Mudgee, whose location at the end of a valley and an elevation of 600m meant the bushfire smoke did not settle over their vineyards. In particular, their prized riesling was spared and they were able to produce a 2020 version ($35). Just to make sure, though, the fruit was tested before and after fermentation and regularly taste tested to make sure there was no smoke taint. 

The winery plans to release some other reds and whites from the 2020 vintage and is looking forward to more normal conditions for the 2021 vintage, with the fruit looking exceptional at this stage.

More at www.robertstein.com.au

Singularly stimulating: Individual vineyards can provide a wonderful taste test

 

The French word terroir is packed full of more meaning than you could imagine being contained in just seven letters. It conveys messages of unique qualities provided by a particular patch of soil and is frequently applied to vineyards to suggest what makes the product of that vineyard different from others.

While the Australian wine industry thrives on blends, particularly when it comes to larger-scale commercial labels, there are plenty of small patches that receive attention from consumers.

Henschke’s Hill of Grace, for example, is a wine derived from one vineyard and one variety and it is possibly the most sought-after Australian wine outside of Penfold’s Grange.

Smaller wineries, just because of their size, tend to produce more single vineyard wines but there are some bigger wineries that favour this approach too.

Tyrrell's NVC vineyard, first planted in 1921

The Tyrrell family of the Hunter Valley definitely like to explore this ide3 and it is exemplified in the 2021 release of eight single vineyard wines.

Naturally, since we are talking about the Hunter, shiraz and Semillon feature heavily, with four shirazes, three semillons and a long chardonnay in the line-up.

The wines just released are 2015 HVD Semillon, 2015 Belford Semillon, 2016 Stevens Semillon, 2018 Belford Chardonnay, 2018 Stevens Shiraz, 2018 Mother’s Shiraz, 2018 Old Hut Shiraz and 2018 NVC Shiraz. The semillons are all about $40 and the others $50.

As a generalisation, the best Hunter semillons tend to come from old river beds and flats, with light, almost sandy, soil, while the top shiraz vines seem to thrive on richer, volcanic hillside blocks.

The 2018 vintage was an excellent one for shiraz and all these are lovely examples of the Hunter’s medium-bodied style, with fruit the driving character and oak playing a restrained supporting role. It’s fascinating to line them up and smell and taste the differences emanating from their vineyard sources and not winemaking artifice.

Similarly, the semillons show typical Hunter citrus and straw with some of the toast and honey characters of aged semillon just starting to emerge.

All up, it’s an intriguing look at the products of some of the Hunter Valley’s best vineyards and the wines are well worth seeking out.

You can find out more at www.tyrrells.com.au

 

Can do: Creative use of aerosol spray paint has its place in the wine world

 

Most business owners would look warily at someone wandering around their property armed with spray cans of paint.

That’s not the case at the family owned Longview Winery in the southern Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, at least on one day of the year.

That’s the day Longview holds its Piece Project event.

The Piece Project sees the best Australian street and graffiti artists go head to head in a live battle creating their own large pieces of art. Then the winning artwork becomes the label of Longview’s premium Shiraz, “The Piece”.

The winning artwork from 2016 and as it appeared on The Piece label.

Some of the favourite artworks also are selected to go on permanent display around the winery.

The Piece itself is a seriously good shiraz for which Longview selects its best rows of fruit that are then selectively hand picked to produce the winery’s absolute best red. Whole bunches are fermented in small open fermenters and the resultant juice given minimal French oak treatment to ensure the fruit is the star of the show. Only 200 dozen are made each vintage.

Obviously, it is not cheap plonk, selling for $80-$90 a bottle, but it is a top example of cool-climate shiraz that repays cellaring for a decade or so.

The Piece is not the only Longview wine where art plays a part in the label design. The Macclesfield range features on its label details from an abstract sculpture hewn from local pink marble that reflect the undulating topography of the vineyard.

It started with a Macclesfield riesling but now includes cabernet sauvignon, syrah, chardonnay and gruner veltliner, an Austrian grape that has found a favourable home in the Adelaide Hills. The reds and chardonnay sell for about $45, with the Riesling and gruner veltliner about $30.

Another imported variety that has found favour at Longview is the noble Italian nebbiolo, responsible for the famous reds of Barolo and Barbaresco. Longview’s Saturnus ($50) is an excellent Austgralian interpretation of the style, showing great depth and flavour and repaying cellaring.

Much more approachable is their Rosato rose ($26), made from a dedicated clone of nebbiolo that is one of my favourite Aussie roses, with red berries, flowers and spice, with a lovely crisp finish. Also very approachable is the Fresco ($32), pictured, a blend of nebbiolo, pinot nero (the Italian name for pinot noir) and barbera, which shows cherries, strawberries and blackberries, with spice and a mineral acid backbone, with the fruit again showing the way

Longview also produces a varietal barbera ($40), an intriguing and tasty Vista shiraz barbera ($23), Queenie pinot grigio and Whippet sauvignon blanc (both $23), LV shiraz cabernet ($23), Yakka shiraz and Devil’s Elbow cabernet sauvignon (both $30).

If you can get to South Australia it’s well worth a trip to this picturesque winery in the southern Adelaide Hills.

More details at www.longviewvineyard.com.au