OTHER REDS – Shiraz, Cab Sav & Pinot Noir may rule the red roost in AUS, but goodness, the field of wonders bubbling up beneath the incumbents continues to excite! From clever blends to French-American hybrids (heard of Chambourcin?), 2020 had plenty to offer. And we expect more to come!
* Campbells Wines 2017 The Sixties Block (Blend) – This unusual blend including AUS mainstays as well as less usual Mediterranean varietals is deliciously vibrant and alive! Funky and savoury but not angular or imbalanced – just floats along the palate with tickles of its distinct and delightful flavours. The perfect charcuterie red if there ever was one!
* Blue Pyrenees Estate 2018 The Pom Cabernet Franc – This unpretentious little beauty hits the bulls eye. Uncomplicated works perfectly, when the core flavour is so good, as it is here. Ripe blueberry with vague hints of chocolate and very soft tannins. A delicious little wine perfect for a summer day.
* Blowfly 2005 Chambourcin – Wafting perfumed nose of violet and candied raspberry. A mighty and powerful wine that rushes the palate like tempest waves pounding the cliffs. On the palate, blueberries, mocha, and violet, all rich and abundant – a Petit Verdot on steroids? A broad Aglianico without the acid sting? The best of both? What is this thing called Chambourcin? Although a 2005, this wine has years left to develop yet. Drink with cassoulet, osso buco, or lamb ragu.
* Anderson Winery 2014 Storyteller Durif – A beautiful spiced plum nose leads to a surprisingly elegant Durif – smooth, focused, generous enough, but never opulent or over-cooked. A gorgeously restrained Durif full of mystery and promise.
* Eldorado Road Wines 2017 Durif – Such a beautiful and unusual Durif. Light for a Northern VIC Durif (but not light in the broader scheme of things) but still awash with titillating tannins floating weightlessly in a wine that is somehow rich enough but also very fresh. How do you get smokiness and ripe fruit qualities in the same wine? Drink this, and you’ll find out! In short, a distinctive and delicious Durif that will get you rethinking your assumptions about what this variety can achieve.
* Bleasdale Vineyards 2018 Second Innings Malbec – Smooth and juicy are the hallmarks of this well-integrated wine. Bright blue fruit (think ripe blueberries and the way grape bubble gum tasted when you were a kid) texturised with gentle spiciness and shades of liquorice. Trademark straight-forward but not too simple Malbec character make this a dream steak wine. Best of all, you can take this baby home from Dan Murphy’s for around $20 – exceptional value.
* DiGiorgio Family Wines 2014 Lucindale Merlot – Such a broad and striking Merlot with sweet vanilla, ripe blackberry, and a strong backbone. So direct and potent it is, that some mightn’t guess Merlot. But for all this wine’s vigour, it always maintains a solid balance, and reaches soaring heights. In a word – satisfying.
* Ellis Wines 2015 Signature Label Merlot – Slowly stewed blackberry, vanilla bean, and the memory of dusty country roads in summer… A dense wine that immediately satisfies with its rich flavours and textural structure. Who would have thought Heathcote could produce such a Merlot? A pleasant surprise for sure from the kingdom of Shiraz. Another Ellis Wines winner!
* Chambers Rosewood Winery Old Vine Muscadelle – Rose water, hints of hibiscus, chamomile, and layers of other floral notes. Also some morning tea notes in this highly textured fortified. Again, we point out that well made (and aged) fortifieds can offer far more complexity than 90% of “regular wines”. So much reward to be found here. If you’re not drinking Chambers Rosewood fortifieds, you’re missing a pretty amazing trick …
* Tumblong Hills 2018 Table of Plenty Sangiovese – Wow! Nose of strawberry and rhubarb on a summer day. Flawless garnet hue. The summer berries, rhubarb and gemstone clarity carry right across to the palate on this super smooth but still mouth-filling Sangiovese. No disorienting tannins, no overcooked cherry (as AUS Sangiovese’s too oft turn out), just a beautiful line of great fruit poise and clarity. An exceptional Sangiovese and important reminder of just how special wines from this varietal can be. We loved it. Maybe it’s time to check out Gundagai, New South Wales…
* Mount Avoca 2019 Tempranillo – A stewing tease of closely bound layers of flavours (clove, coffee, was that a dash of cinnamon?) that weave their spell on the palate. Medium to light-bodied, but so much more gentle complexity than a typical Temp is what makes this wine a masterpiece. An unusual tapestry of delightful flavours in such an easy drinking wine.
WHITES – To our great surprise, a new crop and a new take on AUS Sauvignon Blanc was our white wine discovery of 2020! We’re not sure we’ve ever three SBs on our top wines of the year list, but the ones below excite. Can’t wait to see what 2021 holds. Fiano was the other white wonder kid for us in 2020, with two incredible stand outs. And of course, Chardonnay may as well be Australia’s white Shiraz, and boy did we find some good ones.
* Aylesbury Estate 2018 Pater Series Chardonnay – Heaps of fruit in this powerful bottle, but it’s the nuttier and more complex characters that define this stunning wine. Big, powerful, but always engaging. Keeps you sipping to make sure you didn’t miss anything!
* Curly Flat 2018 Chardonnay – An extraordinarily clean Chardonnay, devoid of any of the pesky flaws that too often mar AUS Chardonnay. Rather this delicious wine is all polish and pizazz, pushed by straight lines of clear fruit flavour. Notably long finish that finally melts into butter at the last. A very unusual Chardonnay in the best of ways.
* Indigo Vineyard 2016 McNamara Chardonnay – a very well balanced, not heavy but thank god not austere Chardonnay. Vanilla and musk peering from around distant corners, but mostly it’s soft peach on flavour display. Not pretentious, and that’s fine by us. We can’t get enough of this little gem.
* Mount Towrong 2019 Fiano – One of the most stunning whites we enjoyed this year. Beautifully dense w striking dark cherry balancing off green apple at the other end of the unusual flavour spectrum. The wine is almost creamy but at the same time carries a light minerality. Beautiful and extremely satisfying. So much going on in this totally engaging bottle.
* Tumblong Hills 2017 Fiano – When Fiano works, it really works, and doesn’t this gem capture that perfectly. Bright and dense, with a cornucopia of apricot, honeysuckle, and citrus zest flavours. It has the complexity to be an excellent food wine, but the freshness and brightness to be gloriously enjoyed all on its own.
* Red Feet Wines 2017 Gewurztraminer – a spectrum of light and attractive flavours, spices, and acid tingle stew around in this opulent and complex wine. Somehow, lively zesty fruits and light springtime nettles equal yum, yum in this engaging wine.
* Quealy Winemakers 2018 Pinot Grigio – Quite complex for a PG – pistachios, popcorn, and honeycomb crunch with subtle musk and fantastic texture. Yum! Our kind of Pinot Grigio to be sure – fresh, engaging, delicious!
* Brown Magpie Wines 2017 Single Vineyard Pinot Gris – A PG of sublime balance: just enough depth, just enough polish, just enough plumpness, just enough funk, just enough ripe fruit, and no oiliness or heavihandedness. If you don’t think you like Pinot Gris, give this gem a try. Just might revolutionise your white wine world.
* Bay of Fires Wines 2017 Riesling – Elevated lime with sparkles of soft vanilla. A refreshing & balanced wave of minerality provides the platform for the soft flavours. Soft & restrained but plenty of elements to engage. Generally, we believe Bay of Fires Wines produces some of AUS’s best Riesling by a margin (we LOVED the 2013). This is a continuation of that tradition.
* Turkey Flat 2018 Rosé – Another TF Rosé Masterclass. Fairy kisses of honeysuckle atop peaches & cream with an electrical copper creek undercurrent running through this plump and polished beaut. Mostly dry-ish, quite serious, very elegant but still immediately rewarding for all drinkers alike. Turkey Flat is a modern day Rosé magic-maker...
* Craigow Vineyard 2018 Sauvignon Blanc – No nettles, grapefruit, or lychee at all weighing down this refreshing Sauv Blanc! Instead, this baby lights right up on the palate. There’s some soft citrus in here, but mostly just sunshine and good times. A revolutionary Sauv Blanc – we hope to see more like it.
* Derwent Estate 2019 Sauvignon Blanc – There is a playful tartness to this wine, and the typical SB pine and nettles are welcomely restrained. The primary guava character is soft and plush, but it’s the tartness that holds the attention in this delightfully unique wine. Great for food or to enjoy by itself.
* Hungerford Hill Wines 2018 Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc – Soft & cushy, almost starts to be sweet but instead offers a perfect platform for a soft delivery of the funky and intriguing host of tropical and savoury SB flavours. Well textured, rich in attractive flavours, and freshly acidic – a distinct Sauv Blanc!
* Hesket Estate 2016 Sparkling Blanc de Noir – Such a beautiful nose of strawberry and cinnamon. On the palate, a masterfully balanced sparkling with depth and husk that add just the right amount of complexity to the summer berry flavours carrying through from the nose. Perfect density of bead and creaminess – yum!
* Oakdene Vineyards 2016 Kristen Blanc de Blanc – Gorgeously toasty and yeasty. A perfect balance of delicate fruit flavours with a creaminess and persistent beadiness that make this beauty feel so fancy – a pure pleasure to drink. Sure to impress all your friends, and an incredible bargain that such a wine should be under $40.
* Wood Park Wines 2016 Home Block Viognier – On the more reserved side of the Viognier spectrum, but with a little patience, this wine ticks all the right flavour boxes and pays delicious dividends. Opening flavours of peach and honeysuckle recede as apricot gently pushes through in the long and pleasant finish. The oak is subtle, and there are hints of cashew in here, together providing a subtle frame for a very refined, elegant, and dare we say French-reminiscent wine!
The magical wines above made 2020 better than bearable. They are #WhyWeLoveWine. Stay tuned for part 2 – other reds & whites.
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