NSW Wine Awards 2012 Results
As a wine judge, there are few things more satisfying than looking at a list of show results and thinking ‘now that is a smart set of wines’.
That’s how I feel about the ‘Top 40 wines’ list from the 2012 NSW Wine Awards, a wine show I judged at recently (and thoroughly enjoyed doing so).
What makes this such a worthy list is the nature of the show itself – small classes (circa 40 wines max) and a very divergent set of judges (I was on a panel with a sommelier, 2 winemakers and a distributor).
As for the highlights, I personally judged a dual bracket of 2009, 2010 and 2011 Shiraz that had some superstars in it (particularly the 2011 wines – a great year for Hunter Shiraz) and a 2011 Chardonnay class with some piercingly fresh examples (a few of which appear in the Top 40 too). Unsurprisingly, quite a few wines in this list I’ve rated highly on this site too (so these aren’t just wine show anomalies).
All in all I’m proud to stand behind these wines as great representations of what NSW can offer – the sort of wines that I’d want to drink.
2012 Citibank NSW Wine Awards Top 40 (in alphabetical order)
1. 2009 Angullong Fossil Hill Shiraz Viognier (Orange) $22
2. 2011 Artemis Wines Artemis Riesling (Southern Highlands) $25
3. 2011 Ascella Wines Premium Chardonnay (Hunter Valley) $30
4. 2006 Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard Museum Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley) $60
5. 2010 Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard “The Ridge” Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35
6. 2012 Berton Vineyards Metal Label Vermentino (Riverina) $12
7. 2007 Brokenwood Stanleigh Park Semillon (Hunter Valley) $45
8. 2001 Courabyra “805” Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier (Tumbarumba) $55
9. 2008 De Bortoli Deen De Bortoli Botrytis Semillon (Riverina) $14
10. 2009 De Bortoli Deen De Bortoli Petit Verdot (Riverina) $13
11. 2009 De Bortoli Noble One Semillon (Riverina) $33
12. 2011 De luliis Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $25
13. 2011 De luliis Steven Vineyard Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $40
14. 2009 First Creek Wines Winemakers Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35
15. 2009 Gartelmann Hunter Estate Benjamin Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35
16. 2010 Grove Estate Wines Nebbiolo (Hilltops) $35
17. 2007 Hungerford Hill Wines Epic Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $55
18. 2008 Hungerford Hill Wines Dalliance Chardonnay Pinot Noir (Tumbarumba) $30
19. 2010 Leogate Estate Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley) $25
20. 2008 Logan Cabernet Merlot (Orange) $35
21. 2007 McLeish Estate Semillon (Hunter Valley) $55
22. 2011 McLeish Estate Semillon (Hunter Valley) $23
23. 2006 Meerea Park Terracotta Semillon (Hunter Valley) $30
24. 2012 Nick O’Leary Riesling (Canberra District) $25
25. 2012 Orange Highland Wines Sauvignon Blanc (Orange) $20
26. 2011 Pepper Tree Wines Coquun Reserve Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $55
27. 2011 Pepper Tree Wines Venus Block Reserve Chardonnay (Orange) $35
28. 2007 Pokolbin Estate Riesling (Hunter Valley) $25
29. 2011 Skimstone Barbera (Mudgee) $28
30. 2011 Tallavera Grove Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $25
31. 2009 Tertini Wines Reserve Pinot Noir (Southern Highlands) $58
32. 2010 Tertini Wines Pinot Noir (Southern Highlands) $53
33. 2012 Thomas Wines “The O.C.” Semillon (Hunter Valley) $22
34. 2012 Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon (Hunter Valley) $28
35. 2012 Toppers Mountain Gewurztraminer (New England) $30
36. 2012 Tulloch Wines Vineyard Selection Semillon (Hunter Valley) $18
37. 2006 Tyrrell’s Vineyards HVD Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35
38. 2010 Tyrrell’s Vineyards Vat 8 Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $50
39. 2011 Tyrrell’s Vineyards Vat 8 Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $50
40. 2010 Westend Estate “3 Bridges” Durif (Riverina) $25
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5 Comments
+1 for 2009 De Bortoli Deen De Bortoli Petit Verdot
Fantastic wine for its price (retail $10) from the Riverina. A big jammy Aussie ballbuster with good, balanced soft acidity. Not your type of wine I'd have thought, though 😉
Nothing wrong with well made cheap wine!
Wish you'd review more wines like this. The Australian wine journal blog used to do a great job in this dept. But, sadly, Chris stopped blogging a while back. Care to cover more of this area, Andrew. I'd guess that around 90% of wine buyers usually purchase under $20 bottles. There a huge potential audience just waiting for you!
To be brutally honest I don't write about cheap wines all that much unless they really inspire me. A rarity. Funny you should mention some cheap wines though, I have a few budget tips in the works now.
Look forward to that!