Local Rhone blanc drops (Game of Rhones event)

[tpang]

Went along to the Game of Rhones event at Ormond Hall on the weekend.. good effort by many of the winemakers to present dressed up in medieval getups.. Some of the 'wrenches' around the place were pretty eye-catching I tell you... Here are my scribbles for the white wines. Not many whites on show, which is probably more telling of the proportion of red wines being made. Stop drinking so much Chardonnay!

Clonakilla Viognier 2012, Murrumbateman, NSW
RRP$50. The pinnacle of Australian Viognier, this wine leaps at you from within the glass. Rich aromatics, concentrated florals on an apricot base, oily spice. High acidity as required to lift the ripe stone fruit flavours, fading off with blackberry and anise on the finish. Drink 2015 – 2022.

Spinifex Lola 2012, Tanunda, Barossa Valley, SA
RRP$24. A blend of Ugni blanc, Semillon, Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne. A lovely, delicate bouquet of lemon, melon, lanolin and exotic spice. Crisp mouthfeel, tart acidity that doesn’t linger too long, allowing the lemon and pear flavours to kick back in. There’s a residual mineraly finish. I’d stock a few of these for delightful summer drinking. Drink now – 2015.

Tim Smith Viognier 2013, Eden Valley, SA
RRP$28. Fermented by indigenous yeasts, with barrel ageing for added texture to the palate. An interesting aromatic profile, not your typical Viognier. Notes of white peach, sweet capsicum and ginger spice? It has a robust, yet crisp mouthfeel in stark contrast to the oily sensation you get for those other over-baked attempts. Lovely cleansing acidity, flavours of green lemon, squeeze of mandarin with touch of white pepper. This calls out for grilled king prawns wrapped with fresh crisp salad leaves, dipped in freshly sliced chilli and soy sauce. Drink now – 2016.

Torbreck ‘The Steading’ Blanc 2012, Barossa Valley, SA
RRP$37.50. A blend of Marsanne Roussanne and Viognier. A youthful intense nose of white peach, apple florals and jasmine. A very well-balanced wine showing crisp acidity, rich lemon tart flavours with a rounded apple mid-palate, sprinkling of baking spice on the finish. A lovely wine, drink now – 2016.

Yalumba Roussanne 2012, Barossa Valley, SA
RRP$25. This Roussanne undergoes 18 months of maturation in aged oak barrels which imparts a complex layered texture to the wine. Notes of vanilla custard, a squeeze of lemon, tart acidity fading off on a soft finish. This has a release date of 1 Sept 2013. Drink now – 2015.

Yalumba Viognier 2012, Eden Valley, SA
RRP$25. 60% of the harvest was pressed directly into barrels and the remaining 30% pressed in a stainless steel tank. Fermented by indigenous yeasts, left on lees and stirred every now and then over 10 months. Intense youthful aromas of apricot, honeysuckle and mandarin spritz. A full-bodied wine possessing rich acidity with a creamy mouthfeel. Caramelised apricots, bit of vanilla, freshened by a generous splash of citrus. Drink now – 2016.

Mitchelton Wines ‘Airstrip’ 2011, Nagambie Lakes, VIC
RRP$30. A 58/27/14 blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. This wine is named after the source block on the estate which was once a landing area for light aircraft. Soft perfume of citrus scented talc with vibrant flavours of unripe peach, lemon, pinch of lime. Good balance of intensity and texture. Drink now.

Mitchelton Wines Marsanne 2011, Nagambie Lakes, VIC
RRP$22. Fruit for this wine is sourced from mature sections across several blocks. Part of the wine is barrel fermented and this imparts med+ weighted texture to the mouthfeel. There is an element of nuttiness to the soft stone fruit flavours, bit of spice and minerality. This would be nice with a Thai prawn salad. Drink now.

Syrahmi L’Imposteur Blanc 2011, Collioure, France
RRP$45. The Collioure AOC is situated in the Roussillon wine region of France. It’s a 60/30/10 blend of Grenache Gris, Roussanne and Rolle (aka Vermentino) fermented in old French barriques with wild yeast. Soft floral scents of apricot, pear, honey and talc. Nice acidity to balance the rich flavours. I sense this is one white that doesn’t need to be chilled too much. Lovely citrus-y finish. Try with pork and fennel sausages. Drink now – 2016.

Tellurian Marsanne 2012, Heathcote, VIC
RRP$27. Fruit was sourced from a select vineyard on the eastern side of the Mount Camel range in ancient Cambrian soil. Hand picked grapes were whole bunch pressed and the juice was fermented in 6 French oak barrels, one of which was new. The wine was then aged on lees without stirring for 6 months before bottling. Youthful notes of lightly grilled pear, stone fruit and aged oak. A med+ bodied wine with rich fruity flavours, touch of flint and a good level of spice. Cleansing acidity, mineraly finish. Drink now – 2017.

Wanted Man ‘White Label’ Marsanne Viognier 2011, Heathcote, VIC
RRP$30. A blend with 25% Viognier. This Heathcote white wine is inspired by white Hermitage. It has a highly spiced nose, lifted florals, fleshly nashi pear and peach. A med+ bodied wine, touch oily on the palate, slightly reductive flavours of lemon, apple and green plum. Interesting layered texture. Drink now.

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Marsanne 2012, Frankland River, WA
RRP$30. You’ll need a bit of effort to locate this one, but take my word for it, it’ll be worth the while. With only 4 rows of vines on the estate, that’s only 500kg of fruit harvested into a single barrel. This will be a cellar door and mailing list wine. A vibrantly scented wine with notes of citrus, white peach and spice. Plenty of acidity, it has a creamy texture flavoured by lemon and stone fruit. A long lingering finish. Drink now – 2020.

2 wines tasted prior to event:
Tahbilk Marsanne 2011, Nagambie Lakes, VIC
RRP$15. Always a no-brainer for a high-quality wine at a low-ish cost, Tahbilk is Australia’s best representative of Marsanne. Youthful aromas of apple blossom, lemon scents, Asian spice and ripe honeydew. A well-rounded mouthfeel with a waxy texture, this medium-bodied wine has lots of apple and lemon citrus flavours. Crisp, cutting acidity leaves a savoury citrus finish. Drink now – 2015.

Elderton Marsanne Roussanne 2012, Eden Valley, SA
RRP$20. This is the first release of the Eden Valley Marsanne Roussanne. The low-yielding vines are planted on a very hilly part of the vineyard in rocky soils so the fruit produced in is intensely flavoured. This wine spent 6 months on lees in French oak barrels. It has youthful aromas of peach, pear and sweet spice. A medium-bodied wine of high acidity, 12.5% alc. Very nice flavours of gritty pear and lemon fruit, long finish. Drink now – 2016.

[Michael McNally]

Thanks for the comprehensive write-up Terence! the Lola sounds interesting.

Cheers

Michael