There's plenty of power coming from Down Under, but beware the misfires
Harvey Steiman
Issue: October 15, 2005
Wine drinkers in the United States have access to more Australian wines than ever before due to that southern continent's burgeoning exports. The trick is to find the good ones, which isn't as easy as it used to be. This is especially true with red wines, a category in which the gulf between the best and the worst seems to be widening.
Australia built its reputation on reliably well-crafted wines, fruit-forward and free from major defects. Even the lower-priced wines were almost universally well-made. Yet today it's apparent that too many Australian wines, especially at the low end, lack charm, taste thin or, worse, reek of earthy, cooked, gamy or metallic flavors. It seems that Australia's broad success has opened the door to wine producers and importers who aren't as attentive to quality as those who made the country successful in the first place.
Fortunately, the good wines are still good, some are better than ever, and there are dozens of new wines worth paying attention to. A look at the more than 850 Australian reds I have tasted over the past year tells the story. One out of four didn't even merit a formal review, in large part because there were so many better options, and about one of every four of the wines I did review for publication received a score of 90 or more points on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale.
These are solid numbers, and up from last year's report, largely due to the latest in a continuing series of outstanding vintages in key growing regions. Starting with the 2001 vintage, every harvest has produced its share of outstanding wines. South Australia, home to most of the better reds, saw warm growing seasons in both '01 and '03. Although 2004 wasn't quite so warm, and early season weather problems reduced yields, the early-release wines and those tasted from barrel at wineries show remarkably pure, focused fruit flavors without great weight. It should be a stunning vintage.
Shiraz is still very much Australia's red calling card, both in quantity and quality, although Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache are significant categories as well. More than half the wines I reviewed are varietal Shirazes or blends made primarily of Shiraz, and the type makes up 126 of the 160 reds rating outstanding.
Cabernet Sauvignon and related Bordeaux-style blends represent a little less than 25 percent of the wines tasted and account for 13 outstanding wines plus a raft of good values at 87 to 89 points. Australian Cabernet may not have the cachet of California Cab, but neither in most cases does it have the price tag, and savvy shoppers can pick and choose wines they will like.
Grenache and Rhône-style Grenache blends produced 17 outstanding wines, although the category made up less than 10 percent of the wines tasted. There was also one outstanding Pinot Noir.
That's the good news. The bad news is that most of the best wines are made in small quantities, as is the case in many of the world's leading wine regions. At the top of the heap in this report, for example, are five classic-scoring reds, all Shiraz, and all made or exported to the United States in quantities of 600 or fewer cases. Elderton Shiraz Barossa Command 2001 (96, $74) should be the most available, and its silky tannins and rich flavors add up to a seductive wine. It's also built to last.
Another proviso: Although the 2002 red wine vintage has a big reputation in Australia, I am not so sure it's warranted. It was the coolest vintage on record for Barossa and other parts of South Australia, which gave the wines tremendous color and natural acidity. The wines that are good are exciting, but there are problems. With color can come massive tannins, while too much acidity can easily throw a wine out of balance. That has happened to some of the wines, including some of the better-known bottlings.
In the end, 2002's high natural acidity has resulted in some vibrant wines, but it does not lend itself to the rich, opulent style of the best wines from Barossa, Clare or McLaren Vale. Typical is a wine such as Oliver's Taranga. The 2002 (88, $45), though very good, is less generous than usual, more crisp than plush, with chewier tannins.
Likewise for the top-rank '02s, which are atypical though still outstanding. Penfolds RWT, the winery's top Barossa Valley Shiraz, usually a lush mouthful of seductive flavor, in the 2002 vintage (93, $70) shows blackberry, cherry and white pepper flavors that remain zingy through the long, harmonious finish. It's a gorgeous wine, but not as welcoming as previous vintages. For me, it's not quite on the same level as the 2001, or even the 2000.
One winery that reflects the rapidly changing landscape at the top of the Australian wine firmament is Two Hands. Started in 2000 by Adelaide businessmen Michael Twelfthtree and Richard Mintz, the winery has quickly blossomed with an impressive range of offerings. Its best in this report is Ares 2003 (95, $110), a dark, dense and peppery Shiraz that is the winery's tête de cuvée. Twelfthtree and winemaker Matt Wenke are also the team behind the top-scoring Branson Coach House Block Rare Single Vineyard 2003 (96, $90). A Shiraz made from the old vines adjacent to the Two Hands winery in Barossa Valley, it's a huge wine that still feels graceful.
Two Hands also makes midpriced wines, such as Angel's Share 2003 (92, $24), a McLaren Vale Shiraz of unexpected refinement and lovely blackberry, plum and floral pepper flavors, and The Lucky Country 2003 (89, $15), a bright, lively mass-market Barossa Valley Shiraz—Cabernet Sauvignon. Two Hands sells six Shirazes at around $50 that carry specific regional appellations and consistently score in the low- to mid-90s. Lately the winery has expanded into Grenache, dry Riesling, and even Pinot Noir and a sweet, Asti-style Muscat.
Torbreck got started in the Barossa Valley a couple of years earlier than Two Hands, and its top-end stuff has drawn a lot of attention. Its flagship red, RunRig Barossa Valley, lifts the Shiraz with a dollop of Viognier. The 2002 (93, $210) is a bit more tart than usual, but Torbreck's Descendant 2003 (94, $105) has plenty of distinction. Dollar for dollar, the winery's best bet may be Cuvée Juveniles 2004 (90, $25), a Barossa blend of Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz.
These newish wineries share an enlightened wine style that revels in the ripe fruit flavors so easily achieved in South Australia yet attains a refined balance that keeps the richness from going over the top.
That's what John Duval is after as well. The former chief winemaker at Penfolds is out with the first product from his own winery, John Duval Plexus Barossa Valley 2003 (91, $35), a chewy red that needs time to let its Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre fruit emerge. His first varietal Shiraz is due next year, and he frankly admits it is modeled after Penfolds RWT, the all—Barossa Valley Shiraz that consistently scores in the mid-90s.
Refinement does not seem to be the first attribute of many of the small-production wines that have some U.S. wine collectors drooling over the few cases imported. The winemakers who produce these rarities go all out to get as much ripe, rich, heady intensity as possible. The better ones, though, do find some elegance. Among them is Kaesler, whose Shiraz Barossa Valley Old Bastard 2002 (94, $120) is a skyrocket of a wine, with raw-edged fruit and spice flavors competing for attention. Kaesler made all of 300 cases, and maybe half of that made it to the United States.
Fortunately, there are plenty of terrific wines that are not so difficult to locate. Thorn-Clarke made 12,000 cases of its Shotfire Ridge 2003 (93, $20), a big mouthful of rich Shiraz for the price. Green Point sent U.S. consumers 5,000 cases of its Shiraz Victoria 2002 (93, $18), which is made in a bright, juicy style. (Green Point is the U.S. brand name for the table wines of Domaine Chandon Australia.)
Peter Lehmann produced 20,000 cases of its beautifully focused Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa 2002 (90, $15), and 50,000 cases of its Shiraz Barossa 2002 (90, $15). The giant Foster's Wine Estates bottled 100,000 cases of its surprisingly elegant Greg Norman Estates Shiraz Limestone Coast 2002 (90, $16), with distinctive blueberry and plum flavors and smoky aromas.
Most of the top Grenaches and Grenache-based blends are made in relatively small quantities, but there are 4,000 cases in this market of Rosemount GSM South Australia 2001 (93, $30), a classic Southern Rhône—style blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre, with a meaty texture.
Australia's iconic Grenache-maker Clarendon Hills changed importers this year and drastically increased prices on its most recently released vintage, 2003. The wines are their usual rich, seductive selves, but the prices ($73 to $115) are up from 2002 by a wide margin.
The newest Grenache on the block, though, is a worthy competitor and comes, deliciously enough, from Clarendon Hills' previous importer. John Larchet is the impresario behind Tir Na N'og Grenache McLaren Vale Old Vines 2003 (93, $25), a new brand that grabs you by the lapels with tremendous depth of flavor and impressive length, without extra weight on the palate. Another pure Grenache, Yangarra Estate Grenache McLaren Vale Old Vine 2003 (91, $25), comes from a stand of 80-year-old vines, and its tight, peppery style has generous flavors.
One new winery worth noting is Serafino. After the Maglieri family sold their eponymous winery and brand to Beringer Blass (now Foster's Wine Estates), father Serafino and son Steve started a new venture using the grapes from their 300-acre vineyard. Straight out of the gate, they have one of the better Cabernet Sauvignons in Australia. Serafino Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale 2001 (91, $19) sings with the ripe cherry and raspberry flavors that are so hard to find in Australian Cabernet. (Some other Aussie Cabs show a green element that many will find off-putting.)
Some of Australia's better Cabernets have Shiraz blended in. Peter Lehmann Mentor Barossa 1999 (90, $50) uses a portion of Shiraz to give the Bordeaux varieties a little more density and plumpness. Penfolds Bin 389 2002 (89, $25) is a claret-style blend of Cabernet and Shiraz. Australian Domaine Wines The Hattrick McLaren Vale 2002 (90, $45) uses Cabernet to support Shiraz and Grenache for a distinctly peppery red.
At the bargain end of the scale, you have to pick through the pretenders out there now. Many of these wines are nicknamed "critter wines" because their labels feature Australian marsupials, birds and reptiles. The presence or absence of a koala or a kangaroo is no indicator of good or bad, however.
Extensive tasting suggests that some of the better brands for red wines at $10 and less are Bulletin Place, Lindemans, The Little Penguin, Marquee and Oxford Landing. All of them produced at least two wines in that price range that scored very good, at 85 points or better.
Two wines demonstrate what's possible. Handpicked Shiraz-Viognier Langhorne Creek-Heathcote 2003 (88, $10) has silky texture and distinctly peppery flavors. Bulletin Place Shiraz South Eastern Australia 2003 (88, $8) is polished and generous, with its peppery blackberry, boysenberry and currant flavors. Both deliver much more than their prices would suggest.
That's what Australia has always done best—overdeliver on quality. At the top end, the wines are becoming more distinctive and distinguished. At any level, however, proceed with caution.
Editor at large Harvey Steiman is Wine Spectator's lead taster on the wines of Australia.
No comments:
Post a Comment