TN: Canberra CDs - 60-odd wines

[GraemeG]

September 7, 2007. APEC delegates overrun Sydney, bringing with them a transplanted Berlin Wall, rooftop snipers, sniffer dogs, armed goons and all the usual paranoid security overkill of the self-obsessed police state. The Noble Rotters forego the dubious pleasure of using Kingsford Smith Airport for a far-flung journey under these circumstances and instead decamp three hours by motor vehicle to the Canberra wine district for the 2007 weekend away. Half a dozen last-minute changes of plan saw us meeting for Friday night dinner at Tosolino’s in Civic; fourteen Rotters & partners at a BYO and barely two bottles to rub together between the lot of us. Shocker! I presume we spent as much money on wine as food (great food, by the way); some of the bottles that passed my plate were:

2005 Whistler ‘The Black Piper’ Grenache-Shiraz-Mouvedre (Barossa)[screwcap, 15.5%]
A bright clean young affair. Stewed cherry fruits on the nose – very grenach-y. Dry palate, with low-medium tannins and medium acidity. Bubble-gum grenache fruits with a slight sourness, medium-body and intensity, weighted towards the front palate, and finishing quite warm.

2005 Merrick Creek Young Vines Pinot Noir (Mornington Peninsula) [cork, 13.5%]
Young, clean-yet dusty new world pinot nose. The palate follows; classic soft cherry pinot flavours, with fresh acid and low-level chalky tannins. There’s reasonable depth of flavour on the palate, with a decently long, if warm, finish. No great complexity, but something of a crowd pleaser nonetheless.

1999 Tahbilk Shiraz (Goulburn Valley) [cork]
A clean, but aged nose with briary herbs, dried leaves and other secondary aromas. A just medium-weight palate follows, with leathery, herbal red fruits and a touch of chocolate. Soft chalky grape tannins, medium acidity and a decent length finish weighted towards the front of the tongue add up to a nicely aged wine perfect to accompany a meal.

1998 Edwards & Chaffey E&C Shiraz (McLaren Vale) [cork, 14%]
Classic choco-vanilla nose, with a little age; blueberries, coffee, oak. A dry palate, yet almost port-like in its richness. Big cuddly ripe fruit, with a distinct charry note from the oak. The loose-knit structure offers plenty of powdery tannins, soft acid, front-palate weight, with a nearly-medium length finish. Certainly taking a stance as far as style goes – drinking nicely now and hardly likely to improve further.

2004 Journey’s End Vineyard ‘Beginnings’ Shiraz (McLaren Vale) [cork, 14.5%]
A clean yet slightly developing nose of liquorice/chocolate aromas, with a little violet precedes a viscous inky palate with a thump of warm ripe red fruits and strong chalky tannins. Medium-full bodied, the decent length finish is let down a little for me by the warmth which remains behind. Ready to drink now – this is a label new to me, although I see Ben Riggs is the maker.

Saturday’s first appointment was at the transplanted nineteenth century one-room schoolhouse serving as the cellar door for
Helm Wines
We were hosted by proprietor Ken Helm: iconoclast, renegade, stirrer, ratbag – a man whose wine philosophy encompasses the entire spectrum from plain common sense through contentious opinion all the way to downright eccentricity. After a dissertation on trivia, and a tour of the tractor-shed-turned winery, including a detailed explanation of why Canberra has its own historic circa-1915 grove of Quercus suber trees (so the first AIF wouldn’t be dependent on Portuguese supplies to stopper their water-bottles on the Western Front, doncher know!) we returned to the schoolroom to taste some wines (from Riedel glasses, no less).

Conventional wisdom has grapevines planted north-south, to allow the passage of the sun to evenly ripen grapes on both sides of the vine. Well, bugger that. According to Ken, the Canberra district cops extremely long hours of sunshine, despite the sometimes cool weather, and such a vineyard will constantly be producing sunburnt fruit. At Helm, vines are planted east west, with the canopy encouraged to grow on the northern side of the vines to provide some protection from the fierce rays.
2006 Helm ‘Premium’ Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 11.8%, $39]
Made only from free-run juice, this unusual wine has a floral, faintly lemon-like yet generally restrained nose. There is virtually no residual sugar, yet the richness of fruit lends a distinctly off-dry quality to the texture. With medium acidity, water-pure slate-like and musky flavours, yet only a light-medium body, it is the lovely palate balance that impresses, with the finish extending all the way to the back palate and contributing to the persistent, and above all balanced finish. A really lovely wine in the first flush of youth – ethereal, yet not lacking in presence – with a long life ahead. And priced accordingly…

2006 Helm Classic Dry Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 12%, $25]
Made from vines ranging in age from 12-30 years, the wine offers a dry chalky nose with a lemon twist – nearer the mainstream of Australian Riesling than its sibling. The palate is dry and chalky also, with the lemon fruit theme continuing. Unobtrusive acid, medium-bodied in weight, with decent length to the back palate and a medium length finish, this is a pretty decent, albeit rather buttoned-down wine. Likely to blossom in a few years. Ken is firmly in the camp that says ‘traditional’ petroleum characters in aged Riesling are a fault caused by oxidation and/or improper handling of grapes prior to fermentation, and that nothing you do beyond the fermentation can change the outcome – the die is cast. So there you go.

2006 Helm Unwooded Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.5%, $22]
Lemon-green in colour. A youthful nose, with floral passionfruit aromatics. Could almost pass for new-style sauvignon blanc. Gentle acid on the palate, fruit towards the front of the tongue; this is a inoffensively soft wine veering towards bland, especially at the price asked.

2005 Helm Pinot Noir (Canberra) [screwcap, 13%, $28]
Sourced from nearby Mount Majura, who were busy pulling out pinot to plant tempranillo, this is a one-off for Ken, who reckons making pinot is easy. Especially if you’ve got access to an old Andre Simon vintage diary, which records how things were done in Burgundy in the old days. Just follow the recipe, and Bob’s your uncle. Leave the stinkin’ stuff in barrel for a few months then come back later when everything’s OK. So, Ken, are you making any more pinot? Definitely not….
As for the wine itself; medium garnet in colour, a youthful nose of transparent cherries and lightly stalky fruit. Dry on the palate, quite acidic, low-level dusty tannins, light-medium body. The weight is very much at the front of the palate; overall a bit simple. Not really competitive at this price…

2003 Helm Cabernet Sauvignon (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.5%, $25]
This is the most alcoholic wine in the portfolio. Ken is not a fan of high alcohol wines at all, for all the usual and sensible reasons. In the glass this is a mid-garnet, with some fading of colour towards the rim. A developing nose offers classic cool-climate cabernet notes of herbs and leaves – there’s not a lot of obvious berry fruit here. Medium chalky tannins frame the palate; the flavours are quite beefy, with tidy oak and a light sappiness. The structural components carry through to the back palate nicely; the finish is just on medium length. A well-balanced affair all-round which ought to make another 3-5 years happily enough, even if it lacks that magic sparkle.

2003 Helm Premium Cabernet Sauvignon (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.4%, $35]
From a single vineyard, and inspired by the visit Ken & his viticulturalist made to Chateau Margaux to observe how the experts handle the King of Grapes. Their hosts were first surprised by the expressed desire to visit the vineyards, which no-one ever requests. Vines were inspected, bunches photographed, characteristics noted. The Bordelaise’s next surprise was being asked to show the winery too. Again details were recorded. ‘You are not typical Australians – they just want to taste.’
Ken relishes relating this tale to us as we stand in the small barrel room, listening to his plans to use the Margaux techniques as a guide to making his own great cabernet. Changes have been made in the vineyards – every year the fruit is looking more like the examples seen at the great French estate. Great stuff. But…ahem, er, Ken, aren’t these American oak barrels here on the floor? ‘Ah, yeah, we get better results with the American oak.’ Oh. I see. Riiiight….
The wine itself is pretty good though. The nose is similar to the regular bottling, but has greater opacity and depth. The palate is a considerable improvement; there’s more pristine blue fruit remaining here, the flavours are more focussed, giving the herbaceous note a more complex accent. Medium-bodied, with matching acidity, softening chalky tannins and good length finish, this is a pretty decent example of cabernet. I’d still like to see it in French oak, though!

You wanna buy a case of Helm wines? No problem, which 10 bottles would you like? Sure, a case is 10 bottles, isn’t everyone’s?

Remaining for the day in the Murrumbateman district, our next stop was a straight up-and-down cellar door experience at
Jeir Creek

2006 Jeir Creek Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 11.1%, $20]
Glint of green among the lemon tints. Clean, floral, lychees and green fruit aromas. Dry palate, some smokiness and stony fruits with musky flavours. Light body, medium acid, short finish. A simple, mildly pleasing wine. Leave another two years for interest. Pricy.

2006 Jeir Creek Sauvignon Blanc (Canberra) [screwcap, 11.8%, $18]
Nearly clear colour. Suitably varietal aromas with gentle gooseberry dominating. Not overly pungent, nor is it at the passionfruit-sweet end of the fruit spectrum. On the palate it’s a little more tropical in flavour, and rather soft. Light body, low acid. A front palate wine. No real finish. Undemanding bistro wine for early drinking.

2004 Jeir Creek Unwooded Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.6%, $16]
Not a fast seller, to judge by the vintage. Still managing a flash of green amid the yellow, yet the colour is betrayed by the developing aromas of stone fruits, peach and melon. Nicely chardonnay-like and not overburdened with malolactic influence. Palate is gentle and creamy, with little in the way of fruit or structure. The best you can say is that it’s inoffensive.

2005 Jeir Creek Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.8%, $23]
Not flattered by the very cold serving temperature at which all the whites were presented, this lemon-coloured affair presented a totally closed nose. Perhaps a smidgin of oak, and blur of melon. But that’s all. A light wine on the palate, with low levels of acidity and intensity. Low-key nut and stone fruits. Perhaps this tidy balance helped the finish, which makes it to medium length. Hardly profound, but will hold another year or two I guess.

2003 Jeir Creek Pinot Noir (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.5%, $23]
Garnet. Nose is a bit dank and musty. There’s a bit of cherry fruit among the bilge. Medium powdery tannins, a decent level of oak, but the fruit shows up better on the palate than the nose suggests. Bitter cherries and a distinct leafiness remain, but in a secondary guise. Still, the wave of texture at the front of the palate flattens out rather quickly. Drying finish, verging on astringent. Probably past it’s peak.

2003 Jeir Creek Cabernet Merlot (Canberra) [cork, 13.9%, $23]
Developing nose. Curranty fruits with some secondary aromas. Dry palate, with low-medium acidity, medium powdery tannins with some plummy weightiness. Hangs on to the mid-palate quite well. Decent showing of a cool-climate wine that will go a few more years yet.

2004 Jeir Creek Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.6%, $23]
Garnet. Youthful, cool climate aromas are on show; white pepper & spice. The palate is quite peppery too, and a bit austere. Gritty tannins, dry, plenty of oak. Moderate length finish with a bit of mid-palate but somehow just didn’t excite me. Perhaps a few years will help (the wine, I mean).

2004 Jeir Creek Sparkling Shiraz (Canberra) [crown, 13.6%, $28]
Developing nose, far more so than its still sibling. A curious pong of yeast and raspberries greets the nostrils. Served very cold, this probably helped the fizzy intensity of aggressive bubbles and served to minimise any sweetness, of which there seems to be quite a bit. Low tannins, but decent acidity. Not a serious wine. A glass is fine; don’t know how palatable a bottle would be…

2005 Jeir Creek Botrytis Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (Canberra) [375ml, screwcap, 13%]
This is a viscous gold in the glass. The nose is youthful, apricot-botrytis fruity, and spirity. A decent lick of acid keeps the palate quite fresh; there’re cumquat fruits of medium-sweetness, with a hefty mid-palate and decent length finish. Manages to avoid a cloying heaviness. The most distinctive, and best, wine in the range, although the loose-knit feel means I wouldn’t expect it to age for long.

In all honesty, the wines here weren’t that exciting – the botrytis sweetie at the end was probably the pick of them. Jeir Creek has been around a long time without ever causing much excitement; in their favour is the fact that the wines are for the most part reasonably priced for a boutique-type operation.

For lunch we decamped to
Shaw Vineyard Estate
in Murrumbateman where with lunch we drank

2006 Shaw Vineyard Estate Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.5%, $22]
Youthful aromas of petals and white flowers. Quite a thick sort of a nose, which hints at the rather heavy palate to follow; thick, rich and warm, with soft acidity. It’s for those who prefer Alsace to Mosel, although it could hardly be mistaken for either. No sign of the citrus cut you usually find in so many Australian Rieslings, but fails to substitute any great personality of its own. Not exactly an ugly duckling, but I’m not sure it’ll ever make a swan of great beauty.

2004 Shaw Vineyard Estate Cabernet-Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 14%]
Purple/ruby colour. Aromas of deep-chested ripe red/black fruits, laced with dark chocolate and liquorice. Dry on the palate, soft acid combines with medium chalky tannins to give the classic ‘modern’ style of red; soft, warm and fruity. There’s a bit of oak, but it’s not too toasty and in fact the balance across the palate is not too bad. Medium length finish. Looking at my notes, I should have enjoyed this wine more, I guess it just lacks the character of something memorable. Fussy, fussy!

From lunch, we proceeded straight to Canberra’s flagship winery and the standard-bearer for the region
Clonakilla
where Tim Kirk, theologian-turned-winemaker, Cote-Rotie enthusiast, and the man responsible for raising this 35-year old family estate to its present high standing took us through the just-released range of current offerings. Unfortunately, a vast and pulsing throng in the modest tasting room inhibited any wide-ranging discussion we might have had (such as at Helm) with Tim having to devote attention to non-Rotters as well, some of whom had clearly never seen anyone take tasting notes before, to judge by the questions I received from puzzled onlookers.

Like every other winery we visited, the latest vintages of all wines are under screwcap, although the top Shiraz-Viognier still offers a choice of closures for the 2006 vintage at least – not because of any doubts of Tim’s, just responding to customers, I guess. Would that more wineries did the same…

2007 Clonakilla Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.5%, $20]
Clear yellow-green. Youthful nose of grassy & straw aromas, really quite pungent. The palate follows with grassy, slightly grapey flavours of good persistence. Light-medium body, well-judged medium acidity, and enough mid-palate to give it a decent length of finish as well. Ought to age nicely for a few years.

2007 Clonakilla Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.5%, $25]
Yellow-green again. Unusual for Clonakilla in that there was some acid adjustment to this wine, being from not-estate sources; nevertheless the pH weighs in at a solid 3.0. The aromas are all lime and slate. Noticeable, and mouth-watering, acid on the palate, medium weight and intensity. Clean lime fruit and stoney flavours dominate the palate; there is good length and persistence of finish. Good wine which might mature nicely with a few years’ age.

2006 Clonakilla Viognier (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.5%, $45]
A solid mid-lemon colour. Subtle aromatics of musk and pear, with French oak barely perceptible. There’s a lovely (adjusted) acid cut on the tight, dry, palate, with good medium weight and length, with a steady march of structural characters carrying almost to the very back of the palate. Classy stuff. The product of a wild yeast ferment, but remains perfectly clean. The palate does finish a little warm, but not obtrusively so. The best Australian viognier I’ve tasted, ahead of recently tasted Petaluma or older Yalumbas. Ought to see out another 5 years with ease, and I’d be fascinated to see what became of it.

2006 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz[screwcap, 14.5%, $25]
A clear intense ruby red. A nicely judged nose that does reveal its cool-climate origins without overstating the case. So there’s some white pepper and spice, but also some chocolate and liquorice. I suspect what I though of as apricot may have been the dregs of the previous wine ‘blending’ in the glass! The palate is long and tight, ripe and persistent, and pretty much ticking all the ‘medium’ boxes as far as acid, body, chalky tannins and length of finish go. Its coverage tails off a little on the back palate, but really it’s a lot of wine for the money.

2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier (Canberra) [screwcap, 14%, $75]
Having ranged all over the shop from only a couple of percent to as much as 15% in its history, the Viognier component of this now famous wine weighs in at a middling 6% for 2006, a point around which Tim sees it oscillating in future. And while all the oak is still French, less of it is new than was the case in earlier years – it’s around 30% now. Tim also asserts that this wine is far too young to be drinking now, and warned in advance for its reticence. That, however, seems to be the commercial reality these days. Few small wineries can afford to age red wine stocks prior to sale.
Medium ruby. Tight and closed on the nose, predictably. Muted ripe spicy shiraz fruits. Damn, it’s hard to get much out of this. On the palate the overwhelming sensation is of a velvety plushness, with all the fruit seemingly hidden under a silken shroud. It boasts the finest of tannins, with balanced acidity, a long finish, and a solid line of structure that runs right the length of the tongue. Beautifully built, yet so clearly not ready. Like sitting in front of some ultra-high-end audio equipment that’s not actually plugged into the wall. But the analogy shouldn’t be carried too far, because it’s no blockbuster, this wine. No, it’s going to make an impression with texture and complexity, not size or volume. And when will that be? I have no idea, but not for 10 years, surely. One to keep.

Last chance for these wines for a while – late 2006 frosts reduced the crops by 90%, so the 2007 vintage wines are from many different sources as well as newly-purchased land, with estate-sourced wines being seriously reduced in volume..

The final visit for the day saw us at yet another winery (after Helm & Clonakilla) whose founder has CSIRO connections, the scenically-situated
Brindabella Hills
Planted nearly 20 years ago as an 8 acre experimental plot of vines, the vineyard sits 100 meters above the Murrumbidgee river in a kind of giant amphitheatre formed by hills to the south and west. The usual fruit-salad of grape varieties was on offer…

2006 Brindabella Hills Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 11.5%, $20]
Yellow-green. Floral aromas, with lemon and a touch of soap. Palate is consistent with this, although acidity is quite high, with a light-medium body, and a slightly short, dry finish. Needs a bit of time to open out. Some weight of fruit on the mid-palate as well, which is encouraging. Enjoyable.

2007 Brindabella Hills Sauvignon Blanc (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.5%, $18]
Yellow-green. Old-style sauvignon nose, with pungent gooseberry aromas to the fore. The palate is less sharp than you’d expect, medium acidity cradling quite soft fruit. The result of a hot year, it was picked early to keep some freshness. Light body, short finish, very much a drink-now quaffer.

2006 Brindabella Hills Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap, 13%, $25]
Not mentioned on the label, this was actually co-fermented with 12% viognier, which perhaps shows in the aromas of lifted flowers, peaches and creamy French oak. Really viscous and phenolic on the dry palate, medium-full bodied, warm and rich, with spicy oak underpinning all. Quite full-throttle and reasonably enjoyable, but destined for a fairly short life.

2007 Brindabella Hills Chardonnay Viognier (Canberra) [tank sample]
This wine, on the other hand, is a post-ferment blend of the two varieties, the chardy being unoaked. The viognier appears to have swamped its sibling on the nose, with a positive apricot festival of fruit. Quite full bodied, but short in length. Very much unfinished; the acid will still be adjusted. Hard to call.

2006 Brindabella Hills ‘Wild Rosé’ (Canberra) [screwcap, 13%, $18]
A luminous light pink colour, this is a blend of 85% cabernet franc and 15% sangiovese. Cherry notes and chewy bananas are the chief aromas; the palate is fresh and dry, with the savoury/cherry notes of presumably the sangiovese to the fore. Youthful and clean, with soft powdery grapeskin tannins, this wine revels in its simplicity. Better than I was expecting.

2004 Brindabella Hills Merlot (Canberra) [screwcap, 14%, $18]
A youthful plummy fruit bomb of a nose. The fruit explodes initially on the palate, then quickly fades away. Ripe enough, and nicely-weighted around medium-bodied size, gently oaked, but honestly, there’s not much here to get excited about.

2004 Brindabella Hills Cabernet Sauvignon (Canberra) [screwcap, 14%, $20]
Purple-ruby. Powerful, youthful nose of intense blackcurrant fruit. Similar palate, quite varietally ‘correct’, lacking a bit in personality. Medium body, lowish acid, medium tannins, and a short-medium finish. Not bad, especially for the price, but not exciting.

2005 Brindabella Hills Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.7%, $25]
Deep purple. Classic cold climate nose of peppers. Spicy chewy fruit on the palate, with a tough of harshness. Medium gritty tannins, low acid, dry finish, lots of weight on the mid-palate. Medium length finish. Discreet oak. All rather disjointed at present, but may improve.

2007 Brindabella Hills Shiraz (Canberra) [barrel sample]
Impossibly hard to judge given my experiences to date. Less overtly peppery than the older bottled wine, but this still reeks of fermenting/yeast characters, so what the future holds I really don’t know.


Saturday night’s formal dinner was a degustation affair at Mezzalira restaurant in Civic, with a number of wines made (at differing vineyards and vintages) by attending winemaker Malcolm Burdett, together with some other offerings. Too dark to see colours. The food was very good, although somewhere after course 5 the service got very slow indeed, with the result we were there until nearly midnight. There was only just enough wine to go around!

2002 Doonkuna ‘Cian’ Chardonnay-Pinot (Canberra) [cork, 13%]
A nose of yeast and nuts and bread. Methode traditionelle. Slightly cheesy palate tending towards the full-bodied end of the sparkling spectrum. Creamy-textured bubbles. Decent length & persistence. Decent wine ready to drink now. Lovely typo on the back label – talks about the ‘pallet’ – and not in the context of a warehouse!

2007 Helm Classic Dry Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 11.8%]
Youthful, with cool aromas of slate and lime. Lots of piercing, laser-like acid on the palate, along with green apples flavours and mineral notes. Only light-medium bodied, with a medium length finish, this bracing wine may pick up more weight as time passes. Interesting effort.

2005 Helm Premium Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 11.2%]
The Rheingau comes to Canberra. Steely and slatey aromas, with a dash of flowers, and dare I say, a whiff of kerosene-like development, which is not unattractive, but which would appear to fly in the face of the maker’s statements earlier in the day. Dry and acidic, with medium intensity and a long finish, primarily of apple fruits. Very good now – I’d like to see how these Helm rieslings age, because there aren’t too many wines of similar style made in this country.

2006 Lerida Estate Lake George Pinot Noir (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.5%, $22]
Clear garnet. A youthful, medium intensity nose of stalky sour cherries, lifted and clean with an estery note precedes a fruity palate of silky texture. Soft chalky tannins framed by medium acidity lead to a dry finish of at least medium length, with good coverage of the entire palate. A persistent wine without angular edges, speaking clearly of pinot, and very good value for money into the deal. Bravo. Both winemaker and proprietor of this estate were present at the dinner, and the former repeatedly reminded the later of the blending ‘discussion’ they had prior to bottling. Nothing like a sore winner…!

2005 Lerida Estate Lake George Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 15%]
An inky viscous purple solution coats the glass. The nose offers rich black fruits, menthol, with raisins, caramel and a touch of underlying oak. The palate is dry, heavy with dusty tannins, and an arch of sweet ripe glycerol-heavy fruit swoops across the mid-palate. The wine is not heavy or clunky, despite it’s full-bodied character, yet there’s definite warmth from the alcohol which makes me fear a little for it’s future. There’s a kind of limpid delicacy about the wine which sits a little oddly with such high alcoholic strength. An intriguing wine; I couldn’t predict the aging curve here.

2003 Doonkuna Shiraz (Canberra) [cork, 13.8%]
Clear ruby. Ripe fruits; raspberries, vanilla-liquorice notes, cloves. The palate is ripe and spicy, with only minimal peppery flavours. It’s youthful, dry, with medium fuzzy acidity, quite full-bodied, with a medium length finish and good weight through the mid-palate. I thought this was a pretty good wine, really, with some potential for aging.

2005 Helm Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc (Canberra) [375ml, screwcap, 14.6%]
A hot and spirity nose of lychees and scorched fruit. The palate offers strong botrytis characters, with minimal oak, big warm sweet fruit, yet even the decently high level of acidity can’t give this any semblance of finesse. Although it’s absorbing in a train-crash kind of way I wouldn’t age it longer lest it become a vinous Frankenstein…

2006 Lerida Estate Lake George Late Harvest Pinot Gris (Canberra) [375ml, screwcap, 13.2%, $20]
This is a gentler attempt at a dessert wine. Still yellow-green in colour, it has youthful aromas of pears and lychees. Medium-dry (ie. about half-way along the sweetness spectrum; I wish there was a logical way to describe sweetness), the medium acid and light-medium body offset the gentle fruits harmoniously. The only let-down is the length of finish, which is rather abrupt, and for this reason I’d drink it within the next couple of years.

On Sunday morning we backtracked to the scenic shores of a partly-filled Lake George to visit
Lerida Estate
Hosted by proprietor Jim Lumbers and winemaker Malcolm Burdett, we enjoyed an extensive tasting in the Glenn Murcott-designed inside/outside winery. Lerida is a boutique-style operation (around 45 tonnes and 3000 cases) aiming for top quality pinot noir, but not neglecting other premium red varieties.

Also, I don’t do a lot of barrel tasting, so there’s not much to note about a lot of these wines from my perspective except they’re not finished yet…
2005 Lerida Estate Chardonnay unfiltered (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.8%]
2006 Lerida Estate Chardonnay filtered (Canberra) [tank sample]
The bottled offering is youthful, yeasty and stoney, with gentle flecks of oak. Saw 25% malo. On the palate there are stone fruits and nuts, quite pure, and yet subtle. Dry, with plenty of acid, soft powdery tannins, it’s quite intense, with a medium length finish weighted a little towards the front of the mouth. A classy effort. Its younger filtered brother is very clean, even sterile, a pleasant modern style that would stand quite nicely alone, but pales beside its older sibling for interest. No surprise.

2007 Lerida Estate Chardonnay commercial yeast (Canberra) [tank sample]
2007 Lerida Estate Chardonnay wild yeast (Canberra) [tank sample]
The commercial wine uses the CY3yeast (I think. Hope that means something to someone.) The fruit is powerful and steely, clean, with tropical overtones. Light-medium body, medium acid, but an overall softness pervades on the palate, with a short finish. The wild wine is predictably funkier, and earthier, still pure, with similar fruits, but a longer length of finish. The final bottled offering will likely be some kind of blend of these parcels, as will future vintages. Ought to be a damn good chardonnay in the end.

2007 Lerida Estate Pinot Noir part-malo (Canberra) [barrel sample]
2007 Lerida Estate Pinot Noir pre-malo (Canberra) [barrel sample]
This is very much wine-in-progress; the first wine is stalky and tannic from new barrels. I guess the pre-malo wine did have hard apple-like acid; it was more the meaty fruit I noticed. The difference between the two wines wasn’t as great as I expected – nor had I anticipated how intimidating pinot tastes this early in its life.

The following were all barrel samples:
1) 2006 80% Merlot, 20% Cab-Franc
2) 2007 100% Merlot
3) 2007 75% Cab-Franc, 25% Merlot
The first wine (actually from tank) is really juicy. I didn’t find much cab franc, it was all plummy merlot to me. The all-merlot effort pointed up the difference (and probably the vintage factors as well), it was all harsh fruit and vanilla notes, with strong spicy tannins. The final barrel effort was a bit more generous, with briar and leaf notes, bit still swingeingly tannic. You have to admire winemakers who can ‘get it right’ on the basis of tastings like this.

2005 Lerida Estate Merlot (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.9%, $50]
Youthful, with sweet, suitably plummy fruit. Ripe and fruity on the palate. Plenty of mid-palate. Dry finish, medium powdery tannins. Medium-full body, with a respectable length finish. Not a harsh wine, but a bit blocky. Needs time to soften. Carries the alcohol quite well. There may be hope for Australian merlot, although this is rather handicapped by its price tag.

2006 Lerida Estate Shiraz Viognier (Canberra) [screwcap, 15.7%, $nr]
There are all of 200 cases of this wine, and within a few days of our tasting Lerida announced it had won the Champion Wine Trophy at the Canberra Show (but I’m not sure which Canberra Show…). Fermented on skins from Clonakilla! Viognier sure gets around (not sure whether the grape will appear on the label)! Clear ruby in colour. Lifted strawberry notes. There is a little apricot on the palate, together with gentle spicy notes. Soft chalky tannins, medium-bodied weight and a medium length finish complete the picture. It’s quite a classy wine which doesn’t reveal the rather alarming alcohol levels. Although this appears to be fine in the short term I wonder what it may do for the ultimate longevity of the wine. Lerida isn’t defensive about their alcohol levels and will be looking to reverse osmosis and other such techniques if they feel it’s necessary to keep alcohol in check. Hmmmm.

2007 Lerida Estate Botrytis Pinot Gris (Canberra) [tank sample, 9.3%, $nr]
Now this is my kind of Pinot Gris! Still unfinished, it appears very viscous, yet is still a light yellow-green colour. The low alcohol is perhaps explained by the 230g/L of residual sugar. Botrytis notes are subtle on the palate; yeast is more prominent, together with the palate flavours of honey, molasses and a touch of smoke. This wine is about as sweet as it gets, yet the quite high acid holds it together beautifully. Quite intense, with a medium/long finish, although it’s a bit simple in its profile at this stage. Love to see it in bottle.

Heading back along the Bungendore Rd, we made for our final venue, the newish but out-of-the-way
Lambert Vineyards
where host Steve Lambert generously poured a large selection of wines over lunch in the thriving café/restaurant. The regular releases are around the $20-$22 mark, the reserve wines are priced at $30.

2005 Lambert Vineyards Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 13.1%]
2006 Lambert Vineyards Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap, 13%]
The 2005 is all lemon and soap-suds on the nose. A light-medium palate follows, with sweetish lemon fruits and a little minerality. Good clean acid and medium length finish. Decent effort. The 2006 is utterly different. This is a very pale lemon colour, with flower and musk aromas. Softer in acid, and generally a lower voltage wine with a short soft finish following the white fruit palate. Take the older wine here.

2005 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris (Canberra) [screwcap]
2006 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris (Canberra) [screwcap]
Stones and pears on the nose of the 2005. Dry palate, nebulous fruits. Drink up. 2006 is similar; white flowers and pears, a little smoke. Yada, yada. Not much character here.

2002 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay (Canberra) [cork, 14%]
2003 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap, 14%]
2004 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap]
The only cork-sealed wine (2002) is a lemon/gold colour, with a nose of tinned vegetables, oaky barrel ferment characters and some malo/butter. There’s a little stoniness evident on the palate in addition, the wine is well-proportioned towards the lighter end of the weight scale, with structure balanced accordingly. Decent mid-palate too, and helped by the fresh acid. The 2003 seems a lesser effort all around, more generally subdued, a bit floral, but very much in the shadow of the older wine. The 2004, on the other hand, despite being a bit surly and closed, offers some oak, melon and a touch of cream. There’s good palate structure back to the mid-palate, with attractive cool-climate chardy fruit present. A medium-sized wine all round, the next few years look pretty good for this wine. Malolactic ferments are not encouraged at Lambert, but if the wine wants to do it, then fair enough.

2004 Lambert Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling (Canberra) [screwcap]
We heard the rather candid admission that this wine was the result of a stuck ferment, and thus made by accident! The nose offers a little subtle sherbert and not much else. An off-dry palate of light-medium size suffers for want of lifting acidity, resulting in a short finish and a pretty unmemorable experience all-round.

2006 Lambert Vineyards Cellar Door Rosé (Canberra) [screwcap, 12.8%]
Yup. It’s a rosé. Getting to off-dry, with clean if sweet strawberry fruit. A tip of the tongue wine. Pass.

2004 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Noir (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.3%]
2004 Lambert Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.3%]
The standard wine has a clean, youthful, low intensity nose of smoky, dusty aromas. Very light on the palate despite low chalky tannins; some dark cherries and toaost, not much else. Short and simple. Made from fruit purchased from the Majura winery. The Reserve is a distinct step up, with smoky barrel-ferment notes, and distinct development of the stalky cherries and dark chocolate fruits. Slightly gritty tannins, and manages a medium length finish even if it lacks much sophistication. Good for a couple more years, at least.

2004 Lambert Vineyards Merlot (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.7%]
2003 Lambert Vineyards Merlot (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.7%]
The pace is a cracker! Despite warm ripe fruits, the 2004 has a definite metallic edge to its nose. The palate is quite meaty, warm, with low level powdery tannins and a generally short length. Manages to avoid harsh characters, which is a redeeming feature. The 2003 has generally greater intensity, with the fruit taking on a ‘correct’ plummy tinge. Medium weight and intensity, but there’s still not much happening by the time the wine reaches the mid-palate. Drink up.

2004 Lambert Vineyards Cabernet Merlot (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.8%]
Clean, youthful-looking purple. Reserved nose of currants and leafy fruit. Palate is a rather bits and pieces with fizzy acid, soft tannins, and a general lack of any identity of uniformity. Disappointing.

2003 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.5%]
2003 Lambert Vineyards Reserve Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.7%]
Dear God, will these wines never end? The 2003 has a developing, lightly spicy nose. The palate that follows is pretty simple, clean, with understated structural components. A bit anonymous. The 2003 Reserve has a greater depth of fruit; plums and spice, liquorice. A ripe palate, with medium dusty tannins, this still manages a cool-climate tell tale white pepper touch to its fruit. Decent length and weight as far as the mid-palate, this could stand a few more years aging.

2004 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.5%]
2004 Lambert Vineyards Reserve Shiraz (Canberra) [screwcap, 14.4%]
2001 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz (Canberra) [cork, 14%]
There wasn’t much to distinguish the 2004 shiraz from its 2003 counterpart, save that it seemed to offer a bit more grape astringency on the palate. It’s likeable enough without ever becoming especially enticing. The 2004 Reserve was hardly better; more of a fruit-bomb in context, although even the chalky tannins seemed not the help the short finish. Best of all was the 2001; still ruby in colour, but with a mellow developing nose of cool menthol and soft oak. Spicy fruits contribute on the palate, medium chalky tannins help, and there’s enough structure and balance here to make a pleasing wine. So perhaps I have judged the younger wines too harshly after all?

In retrospect, I may have been a bit harsh on Lambert, coming as they did at the end of a long weekend. After we all went our separate ways, I salvaged the remains of the regular 2004 Shiraz bottle, and we drank it later that night in Jarvis Bay (aiming to avoid the APEC guys’ tearful departures in Sydney on Sunday night). Away from the relentless parade of tasting samples and endless comparisons, it actually tasted pretty damn good by itself.

And a footnote: the fortune and fashion of wine and time. Our motel room in Jarvis Bay had a selection of magazines displayed for our reading pleasure. Evidently these were sourced from the local doctor’s office, because I was thrilled to catch up on all the news in Gourmet Traveller magazine, February 1989 issue! In it were reported the results of some kind of recent restaurant wine list competition, and the winning wines were all available at the restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Hotel Adelaide. As a sign of changed times, it makes great reading. The wines, and prices, were as follows - see if you can spot the wines whose prices ‘no longer make sense’:
Best Sparkling: Hardy’s Classique Cuvee $25
Best Riesling: 87 Heggies $11
Best Chardonnay: 87 Basedow $15
Best Dry White: 87 Hardy’s Padthaway SB-Sem $13
Best Pinot: 87 Elderton $13
Best Cabernet (2): 85 St Hugo $13, Alexander’s Blend $24
Best Shiraz: 85 Hill of Grace $25
Best Dessert: d’Arenberg noble $20

Amusing stuff!


Cheers,
Graeme

[pstarr]

Great work! Excellent notes. One minor point: it is Jeir Creek, not Jier Creek.

[GraemeG]

Great work! Excellent notes. One minor point: it is Jeir Creek, not Jier Creek.

D'oh!
Will fix,
Graeme

[bacchaebabe]

Sounds like a good weekend away Graeme. Hope you weren't driving. That magazine was a classic. Heggies riesling at $11 hasn't changed much but the HOG...

[PaulV]

Great effort on the comprehensive and interesting TN's - much appreciated.

Must admit haven't been that impressed with lerida and probably find Brindabella reds slightly more complex and better balanced than you found them - but heh straight after Clonakilla they were always going to struggle.

So what do you think is the future for canberra in terms of which grapes are best suited to the climate - riesling or the more rhone varieties like viognier, marsanne etc.? andf for reds shiraz and maybe the italian varieties - not cool enough for top quality pinot but too cool generally for cabernet??

Cheers
Paul

[pstarr]

I've been doing a bit of work on future varietal choices for Canberra recently, just as part of learning about what we've got planted at Quarry Hill and what we might do in future.

Chris Shanahan's opinion, from the last Canberra District Wine Show, is that the region does best with shiraz, riesling, viognier and then "other Spanish and Italian" varieties. Tim Kirk's belief is that Canberra is shiraz country, and I am coming to agree that this might be what we do best, with some similarities to Great Western (Grampians) characters.

Traditionally, quite a bit of cabernet and chardonnay have been planted in the district. Cabernet has had a hit and miss record, both to frost and cool-year ripening problems. The irony is that climate change is driving Canberra towards far better cabernet climates, and away from pinot noir at some sites.

Canberra has a real diversity of altitudes and site-specific climates. There are vineyards around Hall that are in the 400-500m range. Many of the Murrumbateman sites (like ours) are in the 600m area. Sites out near Bungendore and Womboin can be 700m-800m, with Lark Hill at 860m.

Here's a quick slice of some comparative data:
- Canberra (using Yass as a district proxy, but elevations go up to 860m)
Elevation 520m, annual rainfall 647mm, mean Jan temp 21.65C.
- Tumbarumba
Elevation 300-800m, annual rainfall 982mm, mean Jan temp 20.15C.
- Hilltops
Elevation 450m (Young), annual rainfall 654mm, mean Jan temp 22.95C.
- Orange
Elevation 600-1100m, annual rainfall 942mm, mean Jan temp 19.6C.
- Beechworth
Elevation 320-800m, annual rainfall 951mm, mean Jan temp 20.35C.
- Mornington Peninsula
Elevation 46m, annual rainfall 737mm, mean Jan temp 19.2C.
- Yarra Valley (Healesville)
Elevation 50-400m, annual rainfall 1020mm, mean Jan temp 18.6C.
- Grampians (for Great Western, but measured at Ararat)
Elevation 240-440m, annual rainfall 607mm, mean Jan temp 18.7C.

So, Canberra goes higher than many comparable regions, but we tend to be a bit warmer (on one January measure anyway) and drier. I think this makes us marginal for pinot noir and for sparkling wine base (with the possible exception of the cava varieties and muscat), unless really rigorous micro-climate selection and viticulture (shadings, fruit loads, etc) takes place.

At Quarry Hill, we have shiraz (same clonal mix as Clonakilla), sauvignon blanc, pinot noir (several Bernard/Dijon clones, 777, and one other), plus albarino and tempranillo. Out of all those, it is the pinot noir that worries me regarding climate change, especially as we seem to have these compressed-ripening period years almost all the time.

We are lucky that we have good water though. Other district sites without access to reliable water will struggle with ripeness and flavour (not to mention yields and forst resistance) in these dry years. For pinot in the district, I expect that people with water might go a bit higher, or start (as with some Beechworth producers) seeking out some slopes that are not so north facing. Or ditch their own vineyard pinot (as Surveyor's Hill are doing) in favour of grafting over to something else, or bringing in pinot fruit from Tumbarumba.

To my mind, it is Spanish and Italian varieties that are worth serious investigation for the district. Sangiovese seems to work OK, especially with attentive viticulture, like Bryan Martin manages at Ravensworth. I'm keen to plant sagrantino if clean stock is available. Out of the Spanish varieties, tempranillo and albarino should work well. I'd also like to have a crack at varieties like mencia (red) and some of the other Northern whites, plus moristel from Somontano.

I've not done much of a regional comparison to Italy, but in terms of tempranillo at least, we share a bunch of climate and soil features with bits of Rioja (especially Rioja Alavesa) and Ribera. Our site has a good mix of limestone, some sandy patches, and granite (including as gravels), which is suiting tempranillo very well (as far as you can tell with vines in their second year).

I suspect that the marketing of the district and the availability of winemaking talent are the two biggest limiting factors (even more so than water) ahead of building a profile, or bringing forward other varieties. Ironically, the pull out of Hardy's/Constellation from the district is likely to free up parcels of great fruit (esepcially shiraz and viognier) and also free up people like Alex McKay (ex Hardys) to do some contract work and start their own labels. We are very lucky to have Tim Kirk as a kind of ambassador for the regional brand, as well as for the district as a shiraz producer, and this is something that can be built on.

[Billy Bolonski]

Paul,

Did you see the article in the 'Good Living' section of todays SMH?

Right on topic.


Billy B

[pstarr]

Just read that SMH piece on change in the Hunter. Good stuff there. The Hunter should do albarino really well, if anyone is interested (it could suck away some semillon sales, I suspect). The grape handles humidity, inconvenient rain and a bit of heat so well (thick skins, good acids, etc) that it might be a good Hunter option.

[Billy Bolonski]

Paul,

I was refering to the article on Clonakilla planting southern Rhone varieties.



Billy B

[GraemeG]

Paul,
Terrific summing up of the region from an insider's perspective. Logic says the wines that Clonakilla's doing well have an affinity for the region. And I did like Ken Helm's rieslings especially. Albarino's an interesting thought - even with my limited experience I'd still take it over Pinot Gris any day.
PaulV, it may have been that Brindabella came at the end of the day, whereas Lerida were at the start of Sunday, as far as my reactions go. But the $50 Lerida wines were a cut above anything of Brindabella's, to my mind (probably not worth $50, though). I didn't taste the very low-priced Lerida wines; they certainly seem to have a wide range for such a small winery. (Same might go for BH, as well, I guess).
I wouldn't write-off cabernet in Canberra just yet, either. It doesn't have to be big and juicy - not every cabernet ought to taste like Mamre Brook, for example. I rather like that underlying herbaceous quality you often find in 'cool-climate' wines.
As Paul's survey makes clear, there is a great range of vineyard altitudes available around the area. This ain't the Medoc! It's just a matter of finding the right places.
...which will inevitably be harder with pinot than anything else...!
cheers,
Graeme

[pstarr]

Just read that snippet from the SMH yesterday about Clonakilla and Southern Rhone varieties. Very interesting. I knew about the grenache and more shiraz plans, but mourvedre and cinsault were suprises.

I expect that these will work well, and might even be a good chance at getting a grenache with structure and spine. From memory, one or two other local growers have grenache in now, and graciano has worked at Mount Majura.