Up Close and Personal with AUSTRALIA'S FIRST FAMILIES OF WINE

At first, the concept made me cringe. "Speed dating" with Australian wine producers? Ugh. Yes, it reminded me of a few actual cringe-worthy speed dating events in my past—but at trade tastings, I like the freedom to bounce around, to spend as much or as little time at a table as I'd like, and to leave before a winemaker launches into a dry spiel of how many months in what percentage of what age of what kind of oak.

But it ended up being a ball (save for the Pavlovian stress to hurry up and move tables when the bell rang,) and it was a great way to get an incredible overview of Australia's quality wine.

Australia's First Families of Wine is comprised of twelve winemaking families that have been crafting wine all over Australia for generations. They believe that their legacy and high standards of winemaking should earn them the same respect and renown as the other standout wine regions of the world like Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa. But with one exception (Penfolds Grange Hermitage,) Australia is mostly associated with punch-you-in-the-jaw alcoholic Shirazes and oaky-butter-bomb Chardonnays, or cheap-and-cheerful "critter" wines (named for the animals that dot their labels,) not elegant and pedigreed world-class stunners.

And that is just plain WRONG.

Eleven of the twelve families were on hand recently in New York City to share some wines from their personal cellars—some current releases, many not—and I had the very atypical experience of loving almost every single wine poured. (Normally my notes are dotted with the occasional star, but I had to stop drawing my stars after I had done six in a row.)

So join me for a moment, won't you, as I share with you my "speed dating" journey, (without the $!#*@% ringing bell.)

WAKEFIELD — Clare Valley, South Australia (with its heralded Terra Rossa soil.)

Self-described as "proudly New World winemakers but obsessed with Old World finesse."

2012 Wakefield St. Andrews Shiraz: Single vineyard. Spicy, smoky nose, with muddled cherry. Very silky and smooth.  ~$65
2009 Wakefield The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon: Great black currant, blackberry nose. Rich and tasty, some tartness at finish. Bright vibrant cherry fruit on palate with balancing acidity and soft tannins. ~$200

BROWN BROTHERS — NE Victoria, slopes of Australian Alps.

Ross Brown says the goal of the family is to make "fine and elegant" wines. 

2010 Brown Brothers Patricia Chardonnay, Yarra Valley: Yellow apple and kiwi on the rich nose. Leaner in the mouth, minerally and citrus notes. Definitely trying to move away from the oaky/buttery style, Ross said, "we don't want oak to be a flavor. We want it to be a complexor." ~$40
2000 Brown Brothers Patricia Sauvignon, King Valley: Amazing nose, cassis, sweet cigar box, buttered toast, damp earth. Smooth, fine and elegant (see above, check!) Woody feel, herbs, and bright cherry to balance it out. ~$60

TYRRELL'S — Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

Another of Australia's prominent wine families, Tyrrell's has racked up numerous awards over the years. 

2010 Tyrrell's Wines Vat 1 Semillon: Varietal nose of wax, lanolin, and sour cream. Lovely white peach in the mouth. Clean and crisp. Winemaker Bruce Tyrrell said, "What you see there is what came out of the vineyard." ~$50

2011 Tyrrell's Wines Vat 9 Shiraz: Light red fruits and aromatic violet and rose florals. Medium-bodied, with zingy acidity, and bright, almost underripe fruit. ~$50

CAMPBELLS — Rutherglen, Victoria.

Colin Campbell is the current patriarch of this family winery dating back 145 years.

2006 Campbell's The Barkly Durif, Rutherglen: sumptuous violets and dark cherry perfume. Rich and smooth with blue and black fruits on the palate and integrated tannins. ~$55
NV Campbells Rutherglen Muscat: Dark copper color, very dense. Sweet cigar leaf, tangerine peel. Forest floor balances out the sweetness. ~$20/375ml bt.
NV Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Muscat: almost opaque molasses color. Incredibly viscous. Just stunning! Herbs, burnt caramel, bit of balsamic, great acidity. WOW. ~$85/375 ml bt.

YALUMBA — Eden Valley/Barossa Valley, South Australia.

 Founded in 1849, Yalumba is Australia's oldest family-owned wine company.

2012 Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier: Meyer lemon, green leaves, panna cotta, ginger, stone fruit, very spicy. Attractive. ~$32
2012 Yalumba The Signature: About 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Very purpley, with loads of complex fruit. Warm and spicy, good acidity, soft, silky tannins. Rich and flavorful but finish lifts it. Doesn't smack you. Still a baby! Try again in 10, 20 (30?) years. ~$50

HENSCHKE — Eden Valley, South Australia.

Fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke brought along some gems, the Cab named after his father, and a ten-year-old bottling of the iconic Hill of Grace.

2010 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon: spicy, smoky nose, with plum, black pepper, violets, herbs, and cassis. Bright fruit, smooth mid-palate, components very well balanced, with a delicious and spicy finish. 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot. ~$150

2005 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz: Aromas of baked red fruits, very smoky, sage and black pepper notes. ("Very Eden Valley aromas," agreed Stephen.) Somewhat savory note, like a tomato/oregano sauce. Just amazing—elegant, with fine tannins. Everything blends together in a warm bath of deliciousness. YUM. (Not your "big, ripe, jammy" Shiraz.) More, please. ~$600

DE BORTOLI — Victoria and New South Wales.

The De Bortoli family immigrated to Australia from Northern Italy in 1928, and their wines combine Italian family values and Aussie terroir. 

2014 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Grown Pinot Noir: Verrrry berrrry nose. Full-bodied style, with very tasty complex fruit and soft tannins. Clean and delicious. Minerally finish with integrated acidity. Whole bunch fermentation. ~$25

2011 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon: The Noble One wines were created in 1982, inspired by the 1975 Ch. Coutet Sauternes. Botrytis and caramel on the nose, nice acidity to balance, so a clean finish (not cloyingly sweet.) Kumquat, other citrus, bit of caramel. Lovely. ~$27/375 ml bt.

JIM BARRY WINES — Clare Valley, South Australia.

The late Jim Barry was an iconic figure in Australian winemaking. His son Pete Barry was on hand to share some of Clare Valley's star Rieslings.

2014 Jim Barry "The Lodge Hill" Dry Riesling: wild white flowers and lime zest on the nose, in the mouth, those flavors are balanced by minerality and a spicy finish. Very dry and clean. ~$17

1999 Jim Barry "The Lodge Hill" Dry Riesling: I can say I've never had a 16-year-old Clare Valley Riesling before... but now I want more! Medium-gold color, toasty, honey nose. Lanolin, petrol, with marmalade on finish. Still good acidic backbone. Wowzers. ~$30

D'ARENBERG — McLaren Vale, South Australia.

D'arenberg was founded by the Osborn family, and wins the Cheeky Award hands down. Winemaker Chester Osborn (who has a matching eclectic fashion sense) even brought props to help illustrate the way his wines get so creatively named. 

2012 d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne: Named for the tiny "money spiders" that mysteriously covered the first crop of the 2000 vintage (believed to bring good luck via money.) Green and herby nose, delish fruit mid-palate, lemon curd, straw, key lime pie. Slurp. ~$25

2006 d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings: 70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz, 5% Mourvedre. "Only foot-trod once... yeah, we pretty much left it alone," says Chester. Incredible licorice on the nose, with smoke and cigar ash. Kind of a dry-aged-beef-char thing. Juicy but not overripe. Long (oddly lip-numbing?!) finish. ~$65

MCWILLIAM'S — Tumbarumba/Hilltops, New South Wales.

This six-generation company makes a variety of well-regarded, diverse wines. Scott McWilliam brought a pair of wines at a great price point.

2013 McWilliam's Appellation Tumbarumba Chardonnay: Nose of lemon and fresh herbs, with a light toastiness on the very long finish. Minerally and finessed. ~$25

2012 McWilliam's Appellation Cabernet Sauvignon: Rose petals! on the nose. Very herby and green, with berries—somewhat zingy and fussy at the moment, but like a kid in the "Terrible Twos," I think it'll evolve nicely. ~$25

TAHBILK — Nagambie Lakes, Victoria.

The oldest family-owned winery in Victoria, Tahblik also boasts a unique microclimate. Alistair Purbrick brought us a pair of mind-blowing Marsannes (one of which made me break out my stars again.)

2008 Tahbilk Museum Release Marsanne: A totally "YUM" nose of butter, marzipan, toast, cream puff, and honeysuckle. Wow. This drinks like a warm summer's day feels. Excellent weight, good length. Wow. Stars all over the page. ~$22

2006 Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne: Intense perfumey nose, white and yellow flowers, warm and rich, viscous, sour lemon. Yet seems a wee bit schitzo as it's beautifully fresh and clean on the palate. Even though this was two years older than the prior wine, it tasted younger (due to totally different winemaking styles.) ~$35

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Wineaux, I tell you that even writing this post made me revisit my bliss and across-the-board delight at what these families had to offer. (So much so that I just ordered half a case of the '08 Tahbilk Museum Marsanne so I could prolong my joy even further!) And while the delectable Hill of Grace is up there, most of these astonishing wines are relatively affordable. It certainly is worth it to give Australia's fine wines the chance to measure up with the rest of the world's. 

Cheers!

N.B. Not all of the above wines are readily available in the U.S., but I doubt it will take long to see more of them on our shores.

2012 BORDEAUX: A "Run-DMC" Vintage (It's TRICKY TRICKY TRICKY.)

Last year I wrote that the 2011 Bordeaux offerings provided some gems if you were willing to take the time to unearth them. Well, Wineaux, prepare yourselves for some serious mining in regard to the 2012s.

Many high-end, famous critics (who get to attend the En Primeur tastings in Bordeaux) seem to agree that 2012 had quality issues much like 2011, and neither vintage was helped by the fact that 2009 and 2010 were stunning vintages all around. In 2012, ripening of the Cabernet Sauvignon was problematic, and Sauternes lost most of its crop to bad weather just before harvest. The dry whites fared well and the Merlot-based reds were salvageable, but 2012 will not be a vintage to remember, or to save.

However, this means something generally not a rule in Bordeaux: the 2012s will be far more accessible early on than those from the opulent vintages.

On a very snowy winter's day, I attended the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux tasting, which showcases 95 respected producers from all over Bordeaux. Generally I was not overly impressed with the offerings, although I managed to find one or two Châteaux from the different regions whose wine stood out amongst its peers. (Something to bear in mind: given the unpredictability of the vintage, many of these wines that are showing too tart or one-dimensional may almost certainly evolve in the bottle, and relatively soon, so while some show obvious potential now, others may yet surprise us.)

WHITE: 

Ranged from acidic and bright Sauv Blanc-driven wines,
to rounder, richer offerings buoyed by more Sèmillon in the blend.

2012 Ch. de Chantegrive Blanc: Amazing nose, ripe pear and peach, quince, SweeTarts. Very "sweetly tart" in the mouth, excellently balanced acid, but the word for sure is TART. Liked it though. TOP White. ~$22

2012 Ch. Bouscaut Blanc: 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon; really get the Semillon on the nose, and in the body. Rich and viscous, nice spice on the finish, warm and luxe, very well-balanced. ~$35

2012 Ch. Carbonnieux Blanc: Subtle nose of florals, grass and herbs. Florals, tart lime zest, tasty, but doesn't stand out. ~$45

2012 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc: Elegant tart tropical fruit nose, very vegetative and green, but grippy. ~$100

2012 Ch. de Fieuzal Blanc: Light tropical fruit, nice depth of flavor—yellow apple and minerals. Pretty tasty, but simple. ~$65

2012 Ch. Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc: FAVE White: Taffy and melon nose. Nice spice and herbs in mouth to balance flavors. Rich and round. Oomphy. ~$55

2012 Ch. Latour-Martillac: 70% SB, 30% Sem, rich and round, very early and grassy, straw, tart citrus on finish. Nice. ~$35

2012 Ch. Malartic-Lagravière: Clean, steely lime. One note. Bit watery. ~$60

SAINT-ÉMILION:

You will see the St.-Éms were very categorized by tart red fruits,
in some cases, so tart as to be off-putting.

2012 Ch. Beau-Séjour Bécot: Spices on the nose! Macerated berries, very spicy in the mouth, nice integration, can drink now, though firm tannins are present. FAVE St.-Em. ~$52

2012 Ch. Canon-la-Gaffelière: florals, red fruits, herby, tart. ~$65

2012 Clos Fourtet: Dark berries, very tart, a little disjointed at present but very good potential. ~$75

2012 Ch. La Gaffelière: Very interesting nose, spicy, bright red fruits, some jam, pomegranate. Very tart. ~$53

2012 Ch. Troplong-Mondot: Very perfumey nose of rose petals, but also quite tart. ~$85

POMEROL:

In Pomerol, the tartness of the red fruits was tempered a bit
by earthiness and similar flavors.

2012 Ch. Beauregard: Earth, spice box, black fruits. Tasty, complex, smoked meat on the finish. FAVE Pom. ~$43

2012 Ch. Le Bon Pasteur: Smoke, dark fruits, a bit of tart red fruit on the finish. ~$NA [60-70]

2012 Ch. Clinet: Woodsy, very tart but bright red fruit. ~$75

MÉDOC:

Many wines from the large Médoc appellation seemed to have
a good "multi-faceted-ness" and are outrageously EXCELLENT values. 

2012 Ch. Chasse-Spleen [Moulis-en-Médoc]: Lovely, complex nose. Luxe fruit, Asian spice, soy sauce umami, bit tight now but very good potential. TOP Méd. ~$30

2012 Ch. Poujeaux [Moulis-en-Médoc]: Very spice box-y! Cedar, red berries, tasty, bright red and purple fruit. TOP Méd. ~$28

2012 Ch. Cantemerle [Haut-Médoc]: Earthy, dusty, spicy cedar nose. Very bright and light, bit of licorice, rose florals. Hm! ~$30

2012 Ch. Citran [Haut-Médoc]: Love the nose! Ripe and round, red and purple. Very purple fruit, blueberries. This one's different and very interesting. TOP Méd. ~$20

2012 Ch. La Tour de By [Médoc]: Light, bit of spice. Somewhat thin, but pleasant. Very fruity and earthy elements. ~$22

MARGAUX:

Mostly positive things to say about Margaux,
also well-rounded, also great values for the appellation.

Manager Dominique Befve
showing off his delicious
Ch. Lascombes.

2012 Ch. Brane-Cantenac: Very earthy, cigar box, nice red fruits, round expression. Yum! TOP Marg. ~$50

2012 Ch. Cantenac Brown: Mesquite, cranberry, grippy tannins, but good blend of fruit and structure. ~$45

2012 Ch. Giscours: Warm, spicy, nice red fruit, not terribly impressive, though. ~$48

2012 Ch. Kirwan: Stunning nose, lush red fruit and perfume. Tangy red fruit, nice spice, cranberry, mocha. FAVE Marg. ~$40

2012 Ch. Lascombes: Very purple nose, very nice, violets. Very very tasty, very very purple! Cocoa powder, iodine. TOP Marg.  ~$65

SAINT-JULIEN:

More earthy, vegitative notes found here.

2012 Ch. Gloria: Nice, interesting umami nose. Not that much fruit expression—chalky tannins kind of rob it of fruit. ~$36

2012 Ch. Léoville-Barton: Herbs and floral nose, nice fruit. Lots of green pepper in mouth. Solid, but not my style. ~$70

2012 Ch. Talbot: Really merde-y nose, but purfumey too! ("Perfume-y merde," that's a new one.) Violets, very compact, complex, yummy. FAVE ST-Ju. ~$50

PAUILLAC:

Pauillac, like Margaux, seemed to hold a lot of potential.

2012 Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral: Love the nose, overripe blackberries, funky cheese thing. Very tasty, velvety, dense and dark, nice spice. TOP Pau. ~$40

2012 Ch. Lynch-Bages: Very herby, very cedar, mortadella, but woah—TOO young!! Very black tea tannic. (I was tasting with my friend, the Some Damn Good Wine guy, who said, "Uh…hold.") ~$100

2012 Ch. Pichon Baron: Not overpowering, but a complex nose: blueberry jam, whiff o' wood smoke. Elegant, fresh herbs, good red fruit, rose petals. FAVE Pau. ~$105

2012 Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: Quite earty, cocoa, florals, red tangy fruit on finish. ~$100

(With the storm outside a-ragin', I wrapped up my tasting by beelining to the dessert wines. Alas, that meant I missed the three St.-Estèphe offerings, not to mention so many wonderful Châteaux from the regions I did sample. Oh well, no time to cry over missed wine!)

DESSERT:

Sauterns and Barsac ranged from too light to too cloying,
but still had some personalities shining through.

2012 Ch. Coutet: Strong note of tangerine peel, very pleasant, but one-note. ~$70

2012 Ch. Doisy Daëne: Ripe melon, ripe pear. Really pear-y, actually. Very pleasant; nice finish and not too cloying. TOP Saut. ~$40

2012 Clos Haut-Peyraguey: Honey, apricot, honeysuckle. Very tasty, round and rich, but not enough acidity to balance = too syrupy. ~$55

2012 Ch. La Tour Blanche: Light florals, lemon verbena, good acid, lemon curd on the finish. Yum. Good balance. Very nice. FAVE Saut. ~$55

So there you have it, Wineaux. You major Bordeaux-lovers may just have to write off 2012—alas, the early reports on 2013 are also spotty—but while we wait for the "next big vintage," talk to your merchants and somms, and I bet you can find a decent bottle or two to enjoy in the meantime. To look on the bright side, unearthing the good 2012s will give you accessible Bordeaux at a relatively affordable price… it's still one of the world's best wine regions for a reason.

Cheers!