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Session
7: an alternative view
Landmark Australia
Tutorial
The Yalumba winery
So we
were off to Yalumba to taste something a bit different. One of
Yalumba’s winemakers, Louisa Rose, and winewriter Max Allen were
the comperes of this session.
Max Allen
Max
is a champion of diversity. ‘A diet based on just a few varieties
is boring,’ he says. He’s been the chief judge at the
Alternative Varieties show in Mildura for the last five years. The
wines here were selected as previous Gold medal or trophy winners
from the show, or from Max and Louisa’s experience.
Louisa Rose
Louisa
explained how Yalumba have a vine nursery in which they grow and
propagate vines to sell around Australia. They also have a good
system for getting wines imported and through quarantine.
This set of wines was interesting, but a slightly mixed bag. I found
plenty to get excited about, though.
The session, held in a converted storage
tank
THE
WINES
2008
Henschke Littlehampton Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills
Pinot Gris isn’t really all that alternative in Australia,
with almost 3000 hectares planted. This has a fresh, grapey nose
with some richness and a hint of smoke and minerals. The palate is
nicely focused and textured with good freshness and minerality.
Quite grapey and attractive. 90/100
2008
Delatite Pinot Gris Upper Goulburn
Distinctive minerally, smoky edge to the grapey fruit. Almost
Chenin-like with some dry straw notes. Generous, lush palate with
broad texture and good acidity. A distinctive plump style with a
savoury finish. 90/100
2008
Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier, Eden Valley
Really exotic, perfumed nose with fat peach and pear notes.
Sweet and intense with a floral lift. The palate is beautifully
textured with broad but focused peach and apricot fruit. Nice
crystalline fruit quality and good acidity. Great balance. 93/100
2006
Castagna Ingénue Viognier, Beechworth
Slightly weird baked apple and herb characters. A bit sherried
and syrupy. The palate has sweet boiled fruits character. Soft
without real focus. A shame – I really love the Castagna reds.
82/100
2008
Giaconda Aeolia Roussanne, Beechworth
Very rich, grapey, herby nose with some tropical fruit notes and
herbs/straw. The palate is rich and bold with a grapey, peachy, pear
fruit character. Textured, intense and complex. A rich style with
lovely intensity. 92/100
2008
Dal Zotto Arneis, King Valley
Very fresh, bright and mineralic on the nose. Piercing with just
a hint of lime, otherwise its more mineral than fruity. The palate
is fresh, pure and precise with transparent lemon fruit and some
herbiness. Quite a distinctive wine with a really interesting
texture. 92/100
2008
Crittenden Estate Los Hermanos Albariño, Mornington Peninsula
Albarino in Australia has recently been shown to be Savagnin/Traminer.
Taut, subtly herbal nose is quite tight knit. The palate is fresh
with an attractive herby quality. Taut and mineral and structured on
the palate with a savoury finish. 89/100
2008
Spinifex Lola Semillon/Marsanne/Viognier/Ugni Blanc/Grenache Blanc/Vermentino,
Barossa Valley
Intense savoury nose with some mineral notes. The palate is firm
and quite dense with a savouriness to it. 89/100
2008
Quealy Senza Nome Tocai Friulano, Mornington Peninsula
Rounded, aromatic, fruity nose with notes of grapes, herbs and
florality. The palate is dry and herby with a savoury character.
There’s a bit of a disconnect between the nose and the palate, and
it finishes slightly bitter. 87/100
2008
Coriole Fiano, McLaren Vale
Volatile on the nose. Fruity, slightly herby palate is a bit
weird, with some warmth on the finish. 82/100
2008
R Wines Mod Gamay, Geelong
Fresh nose of rhubarb and herbs, with some sweet sappy cherry
fruit. The palate is herby and green but also has some sweet fruit.
A distinctive sappy, herby style of wine that’s weird, but I like
it. No additions of anything here – even sulfur dioxide. 90/100
2007
Greenstone Vineyard Sangiovese, Heathcote
The first Sangiovese made in Australia with the new Sangiovese
clones from Tuscany. Intense spicy, savoury nose with sweet warm
fruit and some herbiness. The palate is herby, warm and spicy with
sweet and sour characters. Sweet fruit, but also some cherry and
plum sourness. A distinctly savoury style with some warmth. 89/100
2007
Gemtree Vineyards Bloodstone Tempranillo, McLaren Vale
This is a high pH variety, and some winemakers make the mistake
of adding too much acid. This is pH 3.94! There’s a strange,
rather nervous green pepper and spice edge to the dark fruits nose.
The palate is savoury and meaty with a firm spiciness backing up the
fruit. Quite tannic. Plummy and savoury with a grippy finish. Lovely
intensity, and made with no additions save a little sulfur dioxide
at bottling. 90/100
2002
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre, Barossa Valley
Earthy, savoury edge to the nose. Spicy palate is earthy and
fading. It’s a bit dried out: not without interest, but it would
probably have been better younger. 87/100
2006
Arrivo Lunga Macerazione Nebbiolo, Adelaide Hills
Made by Peter Godden, who has amazing attention to detail. From
eight clones, this spends 72 days on skins. Pale cherry red colour
with a bricking rim. The nose is savoury and spicy with cherries and
herbs, as well as a hint of ginger. The palate is savoury and drying
with firm tannins and high acidity. It’s lively and fresh with
real interest. A remarkable wine with some dried cherryish fruit and
also firm structure. 94/100
2007
Luke Lambert Wines Nebbiolo, Yarra Valley
40 days on skins. Open cherry fruit nose with a herby, sappy
edge. Distinctive and fresh with some strawberry jam notes. The
palate is elegant and open wit sweet jammy fruit and relatively soft
structure. Ripe, sweet and open: the friendly side of Nebbiolo.
92/100
1998
Pizzini Nebbiolo, King Valley
Wonderful nose: evolved, earthy and with a bit of old wine
character. The palate is mature, earthy and spicy with some lovely
mellow cherry fruit. Elegant and full, this is still tannic.
Delicious, but ageing fast. 91/100
2005
Boireann Tannat, Granite Belt
Deep coloured. Sweet, ripe, smooth liquer-like blackberry fruit
nose. Fresh fruity palate with nice focused raspberry and blackberry
fruit, backed up by firm tannins. Clean and fresh with nice
definition. 90/100
2006
Cobaw Ridge Lagrein, Macedon Ranges
Sweet, intense, brooding dark fruits nose with a lifted, spicy
edge to it. The palate has some ginger spice with tight cherry and
plum fruit, as well as good acidity. Fresh, fruity and peppery, but
the ginger note is quite strong. 89/100
2007
First Drop Minchia Montepulciano, Adelaide Hills
Sweet blackberry and raspberry fruit nose with some toasty,
roasted oak notes. The palate is smooth and lush but has a spicy
edge to the fruit with some oak showing. A forward, intense, bold
style that needs to settle down a bit. 88/100
Landmark
Australia
 Introduction
Visiting
the Australian Wine Research Institute
Session
1 - Regional Classics
Session
2 - Riesling
Session
3 - Shiraz and Blends
Session
4 - Historical Perspective
Session
5 - Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Blends
Session
6 - Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends
Session
7 - An Alternative View
Session
8 - Chardonnay
Session
9 - Pinot Noir
Session
10 - Blending the rules
Session
11 - Sparkling
Session
12 - Fortified
Wines
tasted 06/09
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