Feb.20 Vintages - Australia takes centre stage

Vintages February 20^th release features Australia and, while it has some of the same old same olds, it also has some new and different wines for us. Interesting that the winery occupying half a page in the Adelaide Hills section is not represented in the release. Odd? Not for the LCBO. I’m sure whoever took the pic had an enjoyable choco vino tasting at that winery. And I’m sure the owners of Hahndorf Hill were content not to deal with the LCBO. Giving the Penfolds mirror almost a quarter of a page baffles me as well. I cannot imagine a real retailer publishing a retail catalogue and giving up three quarters of a page to suppliers not even in the catalogue.  

Another personal opinion is that many of the wine critics’ scores are somewhat elevated for the wines presented. James Halliday and Campbell Mattinson are Australian wine writers and are not dissimilar to many of our own local writers in that respect. Let’s just say they are susceptible to nationalistic tastebuds, shall we? On the other hand, James Suckling seems more interested in promoting his wine website - high scores keep his name before the public on shelf talkers and that drives subscriptions to his site. Keep these facts in mind and reduce their numerical scores by 2 to 5 points and you will get a better idea of what to expect in the bottles. On to the picks!

Twelftree Greenock Ebenezer Grenache Mataro 2012 – $23.95- 399 cases of 6 - Expect a sleek OZ take on the Southern Rhone stalwart. Twelftree Wines, from Michael Twelftree of Two Hands fame, is a limited collection of Grenache based wines. They’ve been sourced from vineyard sites to present the best of what both the grapes and sites have to offer. Here the Grenache is from near Moppa Springs and the Mourvedre (Mataro in Oz) is from a vineyard near the village of Ebenezer in the Barossa Valley.

3 Rings Shiraz 2013- $18.95 – 888 cases of 12 and as the label says, “It’s magic”. And not badly priced either.

Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 - $29.95 – 199 cases of 12 in the release. A winner of the Cabernet Trophy as the best cab in the national wine show in Oz. From the Margaret River area, expect more Bordeaux influences than those exhibited by the Katnook below.

Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 -$29.95 –332 cases of 6 - A wonderful cabernet from the Coonawarra region, expect black fruit and hints of eucalyptus. Great with lamb and historically 91- 92 points in my book.

Jip JIP Rocks Shiraz 2013 - $16.95 – 998 cases of 12 of this well priced, solid wine for BBQs.

Penny’s Hill Cracking Black Shiraz 2013 -$21.95 – 503 cases of 12 Big, rich, dark wine from the McLaren Vale.

D’Arenberg The Custodian Grenache 2012 - $19.95 – 998 cases of this good sub $20 wine.

Also in the release is ‘Fields of Joy’ from the Two Hands Picture Series. While the Picture Series identifies the entry level wines in the Two Hands portfolio it does not represent a reduction in quality. ‘FoJ’ is from grapes grown in the Clare Valley region and as Michael Twelftree described an earlier vintage “…Clare Valley is easily one of the most soft and elegant regions I work with in Australia. The wines have a lifted aromatic profile and a very tight and slightly lean palate that is … caressing and silky, I always love Clare for its feminine nature.”

LaPosta Armando Bonarda 2014 $14.95 647 cases- of 12 – Fruity, but balanced. If you’re looking for something different you might want to give this a try.

Gadais Muscadet Sevre & Maine – 2013- $15.95 – Feeling like a white? There’ll be 504 cases of this somewhat underappreciated  wine from the Loire. Made from the Melon de Borgogne grape and right in its drinking window.

Muriel Gran Reserva 2005- $28.95 –898 cases- Looking for an older wine? This has 10 and a half years on it but is still going strong. Ready to serve immediately with charcuterie, tapas or anything grilled or roasted. The 2008 Muriel Reserva was excellent and I expect nothing less from its older, bigger brother (the 2005).

BIG BUCKS

Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz 2013 – $40.00- 255 cases of 6 - I had a previous vintage of this alongside Glaetzer’s Amon Ra and there was little, if anything to choose between the two. Super wine.

Raymond Usseglio Cuvee Imperiale Chateauneuf du Pape 2012 – $57.95 - 120 cases and superb, from vines over 100 years old. In 2010 this cuvee flirted with 100 points. If you can afford it, this might be worth wrestling for.