A Margaret River name unfamiliar to most, although John Streicker has been turning out small volumes of wine from his Bridgeland, Ironstone and Yallingup vineyards for several years now.
Lively, purpling, blood red colour. The nose opens to bright redcurrants, violets, dried herbs and flowers; savoury meats and some smoky char. On the spicy side there’s cinnamon and white pepper – the bestest of peppers to be found in shiraz in my view. The oak starts to kick in more as the wine opens – it’s on the varnishy, yet toasty side. There’s also some intense coffee and crushed ant aromas (better than it probably sounds), and after a glass or two the nose pours out more complex, sweet and lovely perfumed aromas. Sexy.
The tannins are evident on the palate – a little powdery, but turning silky with time in glass. It’s a nice mid-weight style with beautifully balanced structure - acid/oak/fruit all in harmony. On the flavour side there’s a good balance of sweet/savoury, and a creamy brew of blueberry and redcurrant, some vanillan, pencilly oak, and a gorgeous smattering of white pepper. The finish is long and smooth.
Vibe
Yep, this is very nice booze. It’s an easy drink for a 2009 at this point, but there’s an element of seriousness to it. Then when it kicks into higher gear it really starts to assert itself and become more expressive. The structure should see it cellar mid-term but she’s looking the goods right now too.
Value: $38.50 by mail order – sure is a big price. Maybe too high for some, but at least you know you are getting something quite smart, if not quite in the brilliant category.
Tasted: September 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Source: Sample
Tech-head
Producer: Streicker Wines – www.streickerwines.com.au. The label was established in 2002 around the time John Streicker purchased his vineyards – Ironstone (Wilyabrup), Yallingup Protea Farm (Yallingup), and subsequently the Bridgeland vineyard (Rosa Glen).
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia.
Site: Bridgeland Vineyard, south-east of the township Margaret River – a cooler subregion with longer growing season.
Winemaking: Open ferment. Matured for 18 months in French oak.
Vintage: A mild and gentle growing season with no rain, hail, or bird issues, however a Looper bug infestation did knock some vineyards about and yields were low. Generally however, this is an excellent year.
2010 Printhie 'Mountain Range' Sauvignon Blanc
Nettley, showing a little age. Lemon and orange rind, grassy, some wild sage-bush. Lemon-scented honey aromas blend with lime, passionfruit and guava, with a little green tea thrown in. The palate is developed, as expected by now, and shows lemon curd, gooseberry, green bean and roasted green capsicum. Nice weight, texture and acid.
Vibe
Following on from the outstanding 2009 vintage Savvy and maybe falling short of those heights, but still a good wine – although I would be drinking it soonish. A stylish feel, but probably lacks the oomph factor of the previous vintage. As chance would have it, I learned via Twitter that Gary Walsh (Winefront) was tackling the 2010 MCC Sauvignon Blanc on the same night and giving it big raps. I must have a crack at this wine. Stay tuned.
Value: $18 – there's good value in the entire Mountain Range.
Tasted: August 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Source: Purchased
Tech-head
Producer: Printhie Wines – www.printhiewines.com.au - owned by the Swift family.
Region: Orange, NSW - the NSW central tablelands east of Sydney - a region of high-ish elevation.
Vintage: A difficult vintage with yields down across the board for many – although some excellent quality prevailed.
2010 Frankland Estate ‘Isolation Ridge’ Riesling
Minerally, slatey, flinty... There I said it. Floral aromas with citrussy lime and pear – there’s more going on here than in the average riesling flavour spectrum. There’s freshness and zing, lifted flavours and aromas. Refreshing. There’s broad flavours in the citrus and tropical sphere, and some spice and fruit blossom, but there’s also drive and length and focus. And there’s more of that flinty goodness.
Vibe
I don’t care what Philip White says, if I want to call a wine minerally I damn well will, and you all know what I’m talking about. Pure and fresh. Naturally exciting. This is a very good, benchmark WA Riesling. I’ll have some more please.
Value: At $32 it aint cheap, but this is the sort of wine you can pull out at a dinner party and impress the guests. A bit wanky, I know, but that’s wine for you sometimes.
Tasted: August 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Source: Sample
Tech-head
Producer: Frankland Estate – www.franklandestate.com.au – family-owned, established in 1988 by Barrie Smith and Judi Cullam.
Region: Frankland River, West Australia. Adjacent to Great Southern in the cooler south of WA.
Vintage: An ideal vintage for the Great Southern and Frankland River regions. Warm summer days and cool nights. Hard to make a bad wine from this year.
2011 Marq Vermentino
All I can tell you about this new player in the Margaret River region is that it's the private label of Happs winemaker, Mark Warren, and a variety you don’t usually see around Margaret River. It’s light and slightly oily-textured – the flavours are in the spectrum I quite like: lime and pear, peach and apple blossom, grapefruity, floral and perfumed – neat, tidy, gently flavoursome in a restrained sort-of way.
Vibe
Maybe too gentle? It doesn’t have the grunt of other vermentinos I’ve seen, nor the viscosity, but it is freshly bottled so perhaps showing some shyness at the moment. Ne'erless, it's a delightful little romp in the fields, and a perfect pre-dinner drink over spring and summer. With food? You’d be mad not to pair it with seafood – sardines, of course!
Value: Price unknown.
Tasted: August 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Source: Gift
Tech-head
Producer: Marq Wines – www.marqwines.com.au – Happs winemaker Mark Warren's own label.
Region: Margaret River, West Australia.
Vintage: A cracker vintage in the west – perfectly warm temps during the day and cool nights – fruit was ripe with good acids. A winemakers delight.
Alert readers will know this wine was tasted a while back as part of a broader look at 2010 SBS blends. The wine performed pretty well in that line-up. But ranking wines in tasting line-ups or shows is a dangerous thing, providing only one side of the equation quite unrelated to the others – including the real experience of real people drinking wine for pleasure. That's what we were doing.
The Cape Mentelle SBS sits at the upper echelon of the price range for these styles of wine and wears the burden of the label’s reputation, meaning it has to be good every year to command the price they’re asking. Sure, there’ll be the usual robots who buy this wine every year so they can have a piece of Cape Mentelle on the table at dinner parties, but there’s no doubt you would find equally excellent examples of SSB/SBS from Margaret River at much lower prices. That said, this is a very good wine.
A colour of clean, fresh straw. Grassy and minerally chalk hits the nose up front, some grapefruit tang and pithy lemon. There’s a cool crispness, like un-ripe peach, and a line of gooseberry. Subtle, stylish background oak, and there’s smokiness, spice and some green sweet-pea aromas too.
The palate is creamy yet bursts with flavour mid-palate. Tangy grapefruit again, lime, juicy citrus – quite frankly mouthwatering and begging for some spicy Asian fare to tease out it's restrained power. The grassy, herbal characters continue here, plus the chalky minerality, but it all adds to the complexity – a simple complexity if that’s the right wording, because after all, these wine styles need punch and delicacy in equal measure, and this wine nails it. Crisp, without appearing to be, and great length. There's oak again which helps draw out the palate and add creamy texture.
Vibe
Good wine. It’s on the serious side – the lean and keen and mean side – but that makes it sensational with food. We did Thai green curry and Thai fish salad. Getting the food/wine matching right is key to allowing the wine to express it’s best, and vice versa. The underlying sweetness of the SBS burst forth when paired with the chilli and rich creamy coconut curry.
Value: $28 at cellar door – it’s right up there and you’re paying for ‘label’ here, but it’s a very stylish drop.
Tasted: August 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Source: Cellar Door
Tech-head
Producer: Cape Mentelle – www.capementelle.com.au. Established in 1970 by David Hohnen and friends, the winery is considered one of the elite producers of Margaret River. Hohnen later went on to develop Cloudy Bay in New Zealand and then sold his winery interests to the massive LVMH Group. He now runs pigs and sheep while keeping his toe in the wine industry by way of McHenry Hohnen Vintners.
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia.
Site: Gravelly loam and some sandy soils over a clay base (the majority of the fruit comes from Cape Mentelle's southern vineyards, specifically Chapman Brook).
Winemaking: 54% Sauvignon, 46% Semillon. Approx 15% fermented in French and American oak. Four months on lees.
Vintage: Another superb year in the blessed west. Brilliant for whites with warm, dry conditions throughout summer.
Another Margaret River red found it’s way onto the bench this week – a shiraz this time – the discreet mistress variety in this cabernet-centric, cool-climate region Western Australia. Xanadu have been around since 1977, and wine devotees will remember well the public listing, the rapid increase in production, the awkward management that led to the temporary demise of the beloved label. And the resurrection under the reins of the Rathbone family. But... to the wine.
Dark red, muddy sort-of colour. A not-very-traditional meaty aroma greeted, with smoky char, burnt cherry, or sweet tar? A light prickle for the senses. More recognisable characters of blackberry and red-fruits, carob, black olive and cinnamon quill. There’s a purple-ness about this wine. Purple for me describes a freshness and richness, a youth of sorts, a vibrancy. The oak looks silky, but it’s definitely on show. Actually, it ebbs and flows, but is always precise. There’s a little green/white pepper. The muddiness = less varietal character, but no less interesting.
The palate strikes me as creamy, yet still murky, and the finish is drying a little. Medium weight, it is bassy and the forest floor flavours dominate. But I also see redcurrants, plum and raspberry – quite a sweet palate really, but dense. Smoky BBQ char again, tannins firmish – will need some food (duly supplied in the form of osso bucco). On the warm side maybe, but this wine opens beautifully in the glass and shows some seductive shapes and flavours, while at the same time feels secretive and restrained. Yes, the finish is drying but the food sorted that out.
Vibe
Really enjoyed this over two nights. It’s got some mystery, and in many ways lacks varietal definition, but who gives a toss really. It’s a bloody nice drink. It charms even when you lift the glass, and your eyes absorb the muddy colour before it reaches your nose and lips. X-Factor? Yeah, there’s that. As is often the case, the food really allowed this wine to show it’s best. Good stuff.
Value: A $29 retail price is most comfortable.
Tasted: August 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Source: Gift
Tech-head
Producer: Xanadu Wines – www.xanaduwines.com. Established in 1977 by the Lagan family, doctors who migrated from Ireland in 1968. Rapid growth and a public listing in the mid-90’s saw the spectacular collapse of the company. The current owners, the Rathbones, bought the assets of the business in 2005 and seem to be doing a sterling job of rebuilding the brand. Winemaker – Glenn Goodall.
Region: Margaret River, central.
Site: Roughly half the fruit is estate grown from the Stevens Road vineyard in central Margaret River, and the rest from growers. No specific site info available.
Winemaking: Partial whole berry fermentation, combination of tank and French oak maturation. A dash of Viognier is in here too.
Vintage: A classic 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.
A cool year, a big-name company, a benchmark variety in a classic region. A Monday night tipple that went something like this:
A vibrant brick red colour, mingling purple and brown at the rim – deceptive really. Opens with dusty oak and a delicious, driving core of rich dark fruits filling my nostrils, some redcurrants, leather and spice. Good ol’ Margaret River. There’s some savoury meaty/gamey elements, pencilly and cedary oak, mocha, and a denseness that smells chewy, if that is an acceptable depiction. As it opens up a bit you get a real choc-cherry character – more hallmark Margaret River.
The palate still has some grip (imagining what it was like when it was youthful), although starting to show some softer, velvety licks. Blackberry and smoky/tarry oak dominate the palate, though seamlessly wedded. For a medium-bodied style it has some power, and grace, and shows its cool climate chops. The cool 2002 vintage adds extra aromatics – even the palate tastes of sweet perfumed goodness – and a mighty fine structure.
Vibe
Enjoyed over two nights, this wine showed hints of brilliance, but something was holding it back – couldn’t quite put my finger on it – almost nothing in it really, but I suspect the cork was having an impact on this particular bottle. Again, I’m going to downplay it, because the wine was still an excellent Margaret River cab. Loved it.
Value: A web search reveals this wine was released at $35, which is higher than I’d guessed, but not unreasonable. I taste wines as ‘blind’ as possible so I had no idea of pricing, or other factors for that matter.
Tasted: August 2011
Closure: Cork – a clean example, although may have been faintly influential on the wine
Source: Cellar
Tech-head
Producer: Sandalford Wines – www.sandalford.com.au. The Swan Valley vineyards were established in 1840, while plantings at the Margaret River site began in 1970. Owned by the Prendiville family since 1991. Winemaker – Paul Boulden.
Region: Margaret River.
Site: Some of the oldest Margaret River vines – 30 years in 2002 – nestled in the famed Wilyabrup valley.
Vintage: Cool and dry and late. A beauty if you’re chasing age and structure. Some very fines wine were made, although many were sleepers.
Well it started small, and as things happen it got a little out of hand and bottles just kept getting opened. A mate was cleaning out the cellar and asked a few buddies to join in a tasting of random wines – all Margaret River – from 1989 to 1999. The following are brief notes on the wines.
The wines are scored as per wine show criteria and based on all tasters feedback. Yes, I hate pointing but in a tasting of this nature it’s helpful to be able to ‘rank’ the wines, as opposed to scoring on a single basis with no comparative. The wines were also tasted before food, and during food, and this affected the results somewhat. They were also tasted over several nights because there was shitloads left and we didn’t want to throw them out.
The wines, by admission, had travelled widely and the storage had been less than desirable on occasion, but all were judged on the merit of the glass in front of us. Comments below referring to brettanomyoces are for information purposes only, and not to fault the wines unless excessive. It should be understood that it was not until the late ‘90’s when Australian winemakers really learned what brett was all about and how to handle it. Too late for a few of these wines.
This tasting was a real cork fiesta for those that froth at the mouth over bark seals and lotteries. It’s difficult to judge a wine and vintage based purely on a single bottle analysis under cork. This was a tasting not about great wines, but great bottles... as they say. But here goes (wines listed in vintage order):
1989 Xanadu Reserve
Browning coffee colour. Initial hit of tar and char, some medicinal mint – befitting both the location and producer – and the merest, tiniest hint of brett. Opened to coffee and chocolate characters, potpourri and the scent of an Indian spice market. The palate opened ragged and raw, but boy did this one settle down with plush, plummy, blackcurrant fruit. Bloody good and still looking the goods on night three – 18.
1989 Leeuwin Estate
Browning coffee colour. Smoked meats on the nose, cedar and tobacco, a touch sweaty with some vegemite aromas which I would normally associate with low-level brett, but in this case I think it more age and site-related. Further on the nose: tar and char, inky redcurrants and perfumed spice, and a touch of curry. There’s a lean-ness on the palate and a contrasting richness which, after time in the glass, takes over. Very bloody good, although had diminished on night three – 18.5.
1990 Xanadu
Herbal blackcurrant, meaty and leathery – showing its age. There’s some lingering richness and coffee choc flavours, but on the whole this wine was viewed as past best, drying and tired. But not bad for the ‘standard’ label – 15.
1990 Xanadu Reserve
Browning coffee colour. Lovely earthy blackcurrant and trademark Xanadu mintiness. Dense molasses and tar, cocoa butter, some herbal elements but also sweet confection and spearmint. Structure still sound, tannins a little dry perhaps but this is very smart for it’s age – 18.
1991 Xanadu
Red brick colour. Earthy blackcurrant, dusty, marshmallow sweetness. A driving tarry aroma hits hard and genuine primary blackfruits. Looks quite fresh. The bouquet offers floral scents of violets, rose-petal and lavender, plus an attractive hint of Thai green curry paste. Huh? Yeah! Palate is weighty for the age, with dense red and blackberry flavours, earth, spice, and just the slightest hint of brett which I was quite happy to forgive. Nice – 17.5.
1991 Xanadu Reserve
Sadly, maybe cork-related, rooted.
1992 Xanadu
Lighter, transparent brick red colour. Intense blackcurrant. Clean, lifted aromas. Straightforward and still quite neat structure – firm tannins, acid still hanging – aromas of mint, choc cherry. Raspberry and redfruit flavours. Simplish, but elegant, and a good blend of savoury and sweet. Loved the food. Nice gear – 17.5.
1994 Cape Mentelle
Warm brick red. Hints of bandaidy brett – a little too much – but behind that we have some lovely dense, brambly blackberry and some very stylish oak, fresh. Bugger the brett. Tarry and charry BBQ meat. Savoury/sweet. This could've been a contender but the brett killed it’s chances – 15.
1994 Mosswood
Warm brick red. Meaty and herbal, dusty – some black tar and a touch of perfume. Some Indian spice on the palate, blackcurrant/blueberry. But something’s not quite right. Maybe cork, hard to say. Expected better – 15.
1994 Leeuwin Estate
Dark brick red. Dusty black olive, fresh savoury/sweet combo. Raspberry redcurrant, plummy. Strong core of cedar and gum (classic Leeuwin). Satsuma plums and tar. Densely layered, fresh, sumptuous. Teeniest hint of brett but nothing to be concerned with. Tannins still firm, but generally structure holding up splendidly. This is good – 18.5.
1995 Vasse Felix
Dark brick red. Touch of brett leaps out but a vein of dark chocolate richness sweeps in. A ripe year in ‘95 and you can see it here. Light and airy sweetness on the palate – redcurrants and blueberry pie. Another goodie spoiled by excessive brett – 15.
1996 Amberley Estate (Cabernet Merlot)
Browning brick red. Dark and brooding nose, some lean-ness, but clean and a driving core of dark fruits. Liquorice, coffee and tobacco, some BBQ char. Is good. It put some of its better-known siblings to shame – 17.5
1996 Xanadu Reserve
Inky brick red. Wow. Hallmark Xanadu mint leaps out of the glass, sweetish yet tarry. Blackcurrant velvety richness, great length. Meaty, curry flavours spring to mind also. In pretty smart condition and came alive with the spicy food later in the eve. A good one – 18.5.
1997 Rosabrook (Cabernet Merlot)
Corked.
1998 Amberly Estate (Cabernet Merlot)
Something wrong with bottle number one, and a subsequent bottle was marginally better. Safe to say the wine had succumbed to faults and/or possible cork issues.
1998 Vasse Felix
I’m afraid the brett fairies have escorted this wine to the back of the secret garden where we can no longer see it for the good wine it once probably was.
1999 Rosabrook (Cabernet Merlot)
Inky-black deep red. Bounced out of the glass with Margaret River maritime fishiness – not altogether a bad thing. Some burnt rubber sulphidey issue which caused a second bottle to be opened which fared better. Smoky and minty, sweet/savoury stuff going on, dark and red-fruits, with typical blackcurrant richness. A warm year in Margs, and although this was not earth-shatteringly good, it’s holding up pretty well. Or this bottle was – 16.5.
1999 Sandalford
Hmmm. Vegemite and vomit unfortunately. That’s about all I can say.
Vibe
In summary, this was a very good smattering of older Margaret River cabernet, from a cellar that has apparently been well-travelled and spent occasional periods under somewhat poor conditions. This tasting showed the strength of Margs cabernet to go the distance, and particularly the wines in the cooler years where, in their youth, richness and flavour may have given over to structure and form.
Brief Vintage Rating
1989 – a wildly under-rated year of inclement weather and intense bird pressure, but this tasting proved the ugly ducklings could be belle of the ball.
1990 – considered a very good year. A dry, mild summer allowing grapes to reach full sugar/flavour ripeness. Some excellent wines produced.
1991 – one of the best, although the debate rages between this and 1990. Some heat spikes early in vintage in an otherwise ideal harvest season.
1992 – considered a Jekyll/Hyde vintage. The winter and spring was difficult, yet summer turned on the good weather. Late rain during vintage impacted some. All about structure.
1993 – dry and cool year after hail had reduced yields significantly. Some good wines made. A good year. (no wines from 1993 featured in our tasting)
1994 – another of the best – perfect ripening conditions. Cooler later in the vintage but this year the structure was matched by richness and flavour.
1995 – hot baby, hot. But even under these conditions Margaret River showed what it’s made of with wines of power, yet finesse. Great year.
1996 – another very good vintage, with ideal ripening conditions producing wines of fine structure and flavour concentration.
1997 – a good year that almost wasn’t. The weather gods kept the rain at bay and Margaret River basked in sunshine and warmth.
1998 – a mixed bag, with mid-harvest rains and bird craziness. Those who waited out the rains were rewarded with ripeness and structure. A difficult year.
1999 – late season, and warm/hot. Some mid-harvest rains again but wait, wait, wait was the buzzword. Some big flavours in this year and matching structure. A beauty.
This wine picked up the Trophy for Wine Of The Show at the WA Boutique Wine Awards – a show I’d never heard of before now. (Turns out to be the Blackwood Valley region’s local event, and I guess any producer of a certain small size can enter). I’m not gonna say the judges messed up, but this wine must've looked a whole lot better in 2008 when it won the Trophy.
The green stalkiness on display is just too much and I found my notes peppered with the word 'green' throughout. The dominant aroma was freshly cut capsicum. OK, major negative dealt with swiftly.
On the plus side there’s a pulsing, driving blackcurrant thread on the nose and throughout the palate, some lovely BBQ char and tar aromas, savoury black olive. Herbal notes include bay leaf and sage, and there’s tobacco leaf and eucalypt wrapped in vanillan oak.
The palate has some decent flavour weight and length, but the greenness and herbal spectrum of flavours dominate, in my view. The dense, chewy blackcurrant is attractive. I feel the structure also lets this wine down a bit – the acid is still too crunchy and seems out of kilter with the rest of the elements.
Vibe
I hate to say it but this was a bit of a disappointment. Further on-line research shows it never soared to the heights of the Trophy in WA, winning Bronze medals elsewhere and 89 points from Halliday. Look, it’s not a bad, bad wine. It’s just not a Trophy-winner in my book.
Value: The current release is $32 so I’m assuming the 2007 vintage was around the same, or slightly less. I think that price is a little too high for this wine (2007).
Tasted: June 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Tech-head
Producer: Windows Estate – www.windowsestate.com.au – Established in 1996 and now owned by the Davies family, the winery/vineyard is located at the northern end of Margaret River (near Yallingup).
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia.
Site: Gravelly and sandy soils over a clay base. The website declares the property as dry-grown.
Vintage: A mild winter leading into a warm and early vintage, finishing hot. A much-heralded vintage in Margs with many wines achieving great show success around the world, especially for cabernet.
Oh my freakin’ goodness. Do these wines still get made today? Apparently so, according to the Cape Mentelle website (quite possibly the most frustrating of any wine producer on the planet). The current vintage is 2008 and makes no mention of alcohol strength, but I’m gonna say right up front this 2003 is badged with 16% and shows every freakin’ bit of that. Read on...
The colour is dense and dark and brooding, with brick red hues and even a slight purpling around the edges. The first thing that hits you on the nose is the alcohol – no surprises there. There’s a whole lot going on in the glass than that, but it’s hard to escape the over-awing sweetness of high-octane rocket fuel. But I’ll have a go. To make it easy I’ll simply list the characters and descriptors that sprung to mind as I took my first look at this beast.
Porty
Cracking oak
Vanilla
Chocolate
Cane basket (yeah I know, weird, but I'm guessing oak-derived character)
Brambly red fruit drive
Blackcurrant
Boysenberry jam
Savoury black olive
Shoe leather
Star anise, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
Xmas trifle where grandma spilled the entire contents of the sherry bottle in the cake mix
Often when tasting wine I try to delineate the berry fruit characters between black, blue and red but this one covers all of them with equal intensity. You can smell the alcohol, and quite a VA lift. I felt a little woozy after merely smelling this wine in the process of writing the above notes. I sat down to regain my composure.
The palate follows a similar theme, and it’s lush and viscous – full of fruity richness, xmas pudding, candied oak – well-integrated after all this time in bottle. There’s a bit of an ethyl acetate bite. The alcohol and oak drive this animal but thankfully there’s some other stuff going on. Like florals – lavender and violets – and some intense fruit-weight – marzipan, spice, coconut and cherry ripe. In fact imagine a cherry ripe chocolate bar soaked in sherry.
Vibe
Shit, I really dunno. It’s a brute. Too porty for red wine, too winey for port. I only managed one glass before succumbing. If it was made to look like this, then it was cleverly made. Is it a good drink? I can’t say. Maybe I’ll try it tomorrow night and let you know. With food? Well, the food tamed it slightly.
Value: I don’t know the price because the Cape Mentelle website doesn’t offer such things. And I can't remember where I got this bottle from.
Tasted: May 2011
Closure: Cork (an excellent example)
Tech-head
Producer: Cape Mentelle Vineyards – www.capementelle.com.au – Established in 1970 by David Hohnen and friends, the winery is considered one of the elite producers of Margaret River. Hohnen later went on to develop Cloudy Bay in New Zealand and then sold his winery interests to the massive LVMH Group. He now runs pigs and sheep while keeping his toe in the wine industry by way of McHenry Hohnen Vintners.
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia.
Site: Gravelly loam and some sandy soils over a clay base.
Vintage: A dry winter, mild spring and summer. February was hot and sugars accelerated, but a cool change in March created some difficulties with phenolic ripeness. Average year for the region.
Is Margaret River the king of Semillon Sauvignon blends? Nah, I’m not buying into those arguments, but the 2010 vintage was a very smart one indeed for the region. These wines represent a good cross-section of producers and styles – some oaked, some not, some pretending not to be oaked. They were tasted blind at an informal gathering a little while back and I finally got around to writing them up.
All wines are from Margaret River. All wines are 2010 vintage. The following are not all the wines tasted, just a snapshot, and not all the 'medal' winners are listed. There’ll be a brief note on each wine lifted straight from my tasting sheet, plus a ‘medal’ rating for those that made the cut. I hate scoring wines, but in the interests of comparison – or rather, ranking – I’ve fallen back on the tried and (un)true format of the 20-point score, and therefore wine-show medal ratings.
Edwards Semillon Sauvignon Blanc - $23
Subdued on nose; herbal, green bean. Under-ripe citrus, tangy grapefruit a with touch of pineapple. Seems tired?
Lenton Brae Semillon Sauvignon Blanc - $22
So2 attacks. Green apples, tangy lime. Crisp, acid bites. Flavours not developed. Has weight but finishes short
Preveli Wines Semillon Sauvignon Blanc - $19
Touch reductive on opening, some funk. At the greener end of the spectrum – green pea and herb, some zesty lime, peach fuzz and passionfruit/grapefruit. A minerally herbal style.
Flametree Semillon Sauvignon Blanc - $22
Touch of oak? Simple citrus/tropical aromas. Palate lean, underdeveloped. Some grapefruit. Fruit lacking intensity, but wine is sound.
Fraser Gallop Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc - $22
Citrus and herb on nose, palate goes tropical. Good complexity, weight and a bit of ‘X’ factor. Bit of oak maybe? Very good wine.
Silver
Hamelin Bay ‘Five Ashes’ Semillon Sauvignon Blanc - $22
Grassy, wet straw. Oak evident, yet unassuming. Harmony wine; flavours integrated and complex from tropical to citrus. Very nice.
Gold
Redgate Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $21
Salty dog! (What’s the pH?). Matchstick flint, minerally – like mineral water. Lifted aromas of citrus and passionfruit, but slightly subdued. Lacks weight.
Cullen Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $35
Lean. Grapefruit tang, lemon/lime. Some drive on palate. Citrussy, plus green tropicals. Some oak too. Uninspiring.
Cape Mentelle Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $28
Stalky and lean with some meaty & earthy characters. Grapefruity. Good weight – flavours at herbal and citrus end – nice length. Serious style. A keeper.
Silver
Watershed Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $17
Pungent, ripe tropical fruit salad. Fresh and zesty palate. Crisp, weighty, long, good. Simple, yet fulsome!
Silver
Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $24
Grassy, lime zest, passionfruit & pineapple – citrus lemon/lime on palate, nice acid, weight and length. Some dustiness – touch of oak?
Silver
Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $25
So2 on opening. Minerally, salty seaweed. Cut grass. Fruit in tropical spectrum yet lean oak cools things down. Palate opens in glass. Complex. Good fruit/oak balance. Well made.
Gold
Xanadu Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - $26
Exotic! Tropical, wild yeasty aromas. Floral. A steely line and a sweet muskiness. Behind: fuzzy citrus, passionfruit and Asian fruits. Wild!
Gold (An atypical style, but I like a bit of boundary-pushing. An out-there wine)
Had this wine for dinner a couple of nights after the Woody Nook, and because it’s in the same neighbourhood I thought I’d bang up a couple of notes as a comparison exercise.
Rosily are one of the quiet achievers in the region – you see there wines around the cities a bit so I guess their distribution is good. I’ve often enjoyed the cabernet in good years too. The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc goes something like this:
A punch of gooseberry opens the account with some typical Margaret River minerality, a bit of smoky bacon, and a poke in the eye with a lemongrass stalk. There’s a touch of green pea too but it’s blown away by some lemon sherbet and a jube-like aroma. Yellow jubes to be precise. I even detected a spot of spearmint which caught me off-guard, but hey, I like spearmint.
The palate is all citrussy zest, lemon and lime – crisp, nutty – a few green tropical fruits, lychee, gooseberry and some raw pineapple. There’s a bit of green tea too but the fruitier flavours fill every crevice of the palate and coat the tongue in lovely creamy textures. Looks like a bit of oak influence to give some complexity but not so you’d notice it. Good weight/length. What more could you want?
Vibe
Yep, I liked it and gave it a more confident thumbs-up than the Woody Nook. Tasted cleaner and fresher and the texture won me over.
Value: $22 at the bottlo. Justified.
Tasted: May 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Tech-head
Producer: Rosily Vineyard – www.rosily.com.au – A relative newcomer with vines established in 1994 by the Allan family. Mike Lemmes is the winemaker.
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia.
Site: Soil specs run from gravelly loam to coarse gravel to light sandy soils over a clay base.
Vintage: Another superb year in the blessed west. Brilliant for whites with warm, dry conditions throughout summer.
In days gone by, on visits down south, these guys were a staple – if only for the Nooky Port, which if given as a gift would cause one’s friends to titter and wink and blush. At a more serious level the winery was renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc – trophies and gold medals adorn the walls of the cellar door, alongside a gazillion business cards pasted as wallpaper around the tasting room. And of course the Nookery Café was always worthy of a stop for a good/big feed. Well time's hurtled on and port’s a little out of fashion and, for many, the Woody Nook wines also fell out of fashion with the onslaught of new producers, new decades, and new tastes.
On a quick visit for lunch recently we hooked into a platter for two – lovingly ‘80’s in style – and a bottle of the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc. Here’s what it looked like:
Opening with the struck match flintiness of a little sulphur, the nose turned more pleasantly to some lean minerality, cut grass, lavender and pungent herbs – lemongrass and sage. On the fruit side of things I picked out some banana passionfruit and rockmelon – greener tropical fruits generally – some lemon zest and lime leaf. Overall I kept coming back to a driving core of dried orange peel and a sense that the fruit was perhaps a little attenuated.
On first taste the palate tickled a tad with sherbetty acid before stretching out into paw-paw and passionfruit fruitiness, and that old perennial – tinned pineapple. Some good palate weight but I found a little too much coarseness again, flinty coarseness really, but it rounds out at the end and the length is good.
Vibe
I kept swinging between like and ambivalent. In the end the good-guy in me won out over the picky, pedantic bad-guy and I’ll give this wine a moderate thumbs-up.
Value: $22 at cellar door. Fair enough.
Tasted: May 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Tech-head
Producer: Woody Nook Wines – www.woodynook.com.au – established in 1982 by the Gallagher family but now owned by Peter and Jane Bailey. Neil Gallagher remains as winemaker.
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia.
Site: 17 hectares in total, half of which is non-irrigated. No specific soil profile available, however this part of the region generally contains gravelly loams with underlying clay.
Vintage: Another superb year in the blessed west. Brilliant for whites with warm, dry conditions throughout summer.
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.
