Donated by a kindly mate who graced our warm interiors one weekend and left the guest room pleasingly tidy on departure. It’s mid-week and I can’t be fagged with this alcohol-free school-night twaddle so I’m cracking this sucker with a spicy tomato lamb-shank stew.
The colour is a light straw. I have to say I was momentarily startled on opening this wine – it hit me in the nose with a brazen sweetness and obvious oak (it says subtle on the website!). 'Twas not what I was expecting from this generally reserved producer from Margaret River, although I found it somewhat impressive initially. Greenish fruits and lifted floral notes burst forth, followed by lychee and kiwi-fruit, some obvious oak (new?) that looked a little coarse and ‘chippy’ to be honest. But overall a steeliness pervaded which brought a sense of seriousness to the whole shebang. My additional notes say grapefruit stoniness, lime zest and melon – all the usual suspects from this style and region. There’s also a banana sweetness that you either love or hate – I don’t mind it unless it’s excessively sweet – this was borderline. You know what? It's been bugging me, but I’ve just nailed the aroma – and you have to like your wheatbeer, because that’s what it is. I get yeasty, banana-and-clove, coriander and orange peel. Yep, that’ll do. It's just like a wheatbeer.
The palate had more traditional Margs chardonnay character of peaches and melon and fig, a touch of lemony sweetness and a line of minerality. The acid was wound back and the palate creamy and friendly (despite a little oaky coarseness). I had very few notes on the palate and I must say the wine fell away on the back and failed to hold my interest to the final page. It just seemed.. well, it seemed adequate. Damning with faint praise I know, and I wanted to be more excited, but..
Vibe
Probably underwhelming on the whole, but I need to remember this is a $23 bottle of Margaret River chardonnay and it did punch the right buttons for flavours with a healthy dose of oak treatment. But I wanted more. As a food accompaniment the wine struggled and ultimately wasn’t strong enough to defend itself against the lamb-shank stew. On face-value it shouldn’t have been a poor match. Too much spice?
Value: $23 via mail order. It is probably priced about right from a producer of this regard. You may get better value around Margaret River but it’s nice to see they haven’t gone stupid with pricing in light of the reputation for their reds.
Tasted: March 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Tech-head
Producer: Woodlands Wines – www.woodlandswines.com – a ten hectare property established in 1973 by the current owners: the Watsons. This wine is called ‘Reserve’ on the label and is fermented in French oak for 10 months.
Region: Margaret River, West Australia, located in the famed Wilyabrup Valley.
Vintage: Another superb year in the blessed west. Brilliant for whites with warm, dry conditions throughout summer.
I probably don’t need to tell you that Vasse Felix lay claim to the first commercial vineyard planting in Margaret River – that being in 1967. For a wine region of such youth, Margaret River is already held in high esteem, and it’s no wonder the Euros shake their heads dismissively that an upstart young region can take it up to them in the quality stakes, especially with Cabernet and Chardonnay.
I can’t be sure who made the 2006 Vasse Felix wines – I think Clive Otto had left at this point and Dave Dowden was caretaker winemaker. I think. The Heytesbury red and white are the icons of the Vasse Felix line-up and I’m sure no expense is spared in turning them out.
The 2006 Heytesbury Chardonnay has a lovely deep straw colour. It opens with textbook Margaret River cashew and fig, melon and pear, plus a little sweet lemon. Peachy keen. It’s on the minerally side with no obvious signs of fattening through malo or any extended oak usage. The oak is there, of course, and looks stylish and new, but it doesn’t get in the way of the alluring fruit aromas. I get orange blossom and frangipani scents, a hint of marzipan, some yeasty characters, and my all-time favourite tinned peach and custard combo. There’s a slight regional character which I often see in Margaret River wines – I call it ‘maritime’. It’s hard to describe (terroir?) but it’s a slightly salty/beachy/sea-like aroma, and whilst I don’t go looking for it, it often pops up in my notes.
The minerality continues on the palate and is neatly entwined with the lemony sweetness, pear and white peach flavours. It’s generous enough, though certainly no fruit explosion in your mouth. The texture is finely balanced between cream and crisp – in fact there is still a bit of acid zip that dances over your tongue with an airy lightness, adding to the freshness and youthful feel of the wine. The oak envelops all – not overdone or in the way, and not as a backbone – it simply surrounds all the flavours and wraps them up gently as a piece of cupped lettuce does for san choi bao. If pushed to find something critical here I’ll make the small observation that the wine finishes a touch short.
Vibe
There’s an overarching theme of restraint with this wine. A certain reserve. You can almost see the wine trying to bust out of a straitjacket, bursting forth, frothing over and spilling down the sides of the glass. But I do like wines with restraint. (Margaret River Cabernet can be good like this too). This is not a heavy wine, nor has the winemaking been heavy-handed. It ably combines generosity with restraint and should please all who would sail her.
Value: The current vintage cellar door price is $50. I reckon that’s pretty good when you add a bit of ‘label’ cache to the wine quality. (Let’s face it, you’re paying for a lot of cache with icon wine labels these days)
Tasted: February 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Tech-head
Producer: Vasse Felix – www.vassefelix.com.au – established 1967, now owned by the Holmes a Court family.
Region: The oft-revered Willyabrup sub-region is where the winery and estate vineyards are located, in the central north section of the Margaret River wine region. There’s no indication where the actual fruit comes from for this wine.
Vintage: 2006 was a tricky year in the region, split along white/red lines basically. A cooler year generally with whites routinely outstanding – leaner and more minerally than usual, but refined and potentially long-lived. Reds were mixed – those growers with ripeness and good sugars who picked before the Autumn rains were rewarded. Those in cooler sub-regions who didn’t/couldn’t pick were punished.
This bottle was another leftover from the random BBQs over the summer holidays. The colour is richly golden and invites, seduces even. I’m a sucker for a golden chardonnay. The nose is slightly volatile, but unworryingly so. Get past that and there’s classic Margaret River chardy scents of cashew and fig, grapefruit and melon, with a healthy dose of yeasty bread. It opens further to reveal citrussy lemon rind and pear and a generous whack of creamy oak. It smells warm, but the alcohol says only 13.5%.
A smooth ride on the palate, the acid has been backed off a little. Texture is king here and the flavours of lemon and orange zest meld effortlessly with white peach, nectarine and sweet honeydew melon. Figgy and nutty still, toasty and warm, although the alcohol not so obvious now.
Vibe
It surprised me. I liked this wine more than I expected. As I said, I’m a sucker for good Margies Chardy and this one is pretty smart in an unpretentious way. It aint trying too hard to be something special, but somehow manages to hit my good-vibe buttons. Enjoyed a glass on its own on the deck, but finished it with some duck and noodles.
Value: Retails for $28 at CD – a bit pricey perhaps for a simplish style. But with a JW in the cabinet you can add a few bucks to everything I suppose.
Tasted: Jan 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Tech-head
Producer: Flametree Wines - www.flametreewines.com.au
Region: Margaret River. No idea of fruit supply for this wine, so no soil type available.
Vintage: 2008 was an excellent year in the region, following on from the superb 2007. The 08’s tended to have a little more structure in both whites and reds – a little firmer and robust, without losing that general elegance of Margs. Probably the 08's will outlive the 07's.
This was hanging around the summer fridge for a while. It had found it's way into some ice-tubs at a few backyard barbies but never got cracked. So we banged it last night with pizza and a few mates.
I didn’t expect such a golden hue from an 06 but there it was – not in a developed kind-of way, but a gentle richness of colour – and a little sparkle. The matchstick bouquet hit me from the outset – leapt out of the glass – and this flinty minerality remained at the core throughout. It’s at the citrus end of the spectrum – lemons and limes, unripe white peach and nectarine characters and lovely floral notes floating in and out and, in and out. A touch of spice too.
The palate is fresh and zingy yet richer than expected – stone-fruits and minerally lime; medium-bodied, and a neat balance between acidity, fruit and oh-so-subtle oak. It has a steady line throughout. It fleshed out in the mouth yet still retained that citrus element, particularly lemon-zip, pulling out some melon and fig characters to round out.
Vibe
Yeah, I liked it. Enjoyable with home-made pizzas in the weber on a warm January night with a few buddies. Great with the pizza and would equally suit seafood and salads – general light Mediterranean fare really. I liked it without having my thongs blown off. I might even buy some.
Value: I think this retails around $30 in Australia. It was a sample so I couldn’t tell you!
Tasted: Jan 2011
Closure: Cork
Tech-head
Producer: Chanson Pere et Fils - www.vin-chanson.com
Region: From the villages of Vire and Clesse in the Macon region, south of Burgundy.
Site: Soils are limestone and clay, vineyards face south-east.
Vintage: 2006 started awkwardly in the region however the sun appeared and all was well for the remainder, and the people rejoiced. Excellent really.
