Almost Club March/April 2023 edition – 32 wines that almost made it

Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ‘ok drinks’, and some are just bad…

Here is a collection of 15 wines that almost made it in March and April 2023.

This is a bumper edition of the infamous Almost Club, and comes jammed full of simple white wines, punctuated by the odd middling red.

It’s not all fails though, there is a bunch of well-priced wines worth a call out in this assortment, especially the two Aldi-exclusive reds (a Shiraz and a Montepulciano) that offer a lot for $15 and under. Of all the supermarket chains, Aldi’s own labels are the value kings in my book.

Oh and I’ll be covering off a few wines that did make it this month later in the week for balance.

As ever, thanks for reading.

Burge Family Winemakers Riesling 2022

Expressive Eden Valley Riesling that promises much but just missing some palate intensity. Lots of lemon lime to start, but it feels a bit stunted through the tail before strangling acidity. Time might be kind I guess. It’s just missing a bit. Best drinking: maybe later. 16.8/20, 89/100. 12.5%, $25.

Clandestine Vineyards Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2021

A prime example of the challenges of whole bunches in Pinot Noir. From a vineyard at Woodside, there is 30% whole bunches in the blend but it feels much more dominant than that. Washed out coppery colour and smoky red fruit nose propels the whole bunch character to the front. Vanilla oak adds some sweetness to what is otherwise a pretty light and tight acidic thing. There is style here, and not poor quality but gee it could do with more generosity. Best drinking: now. 16.8/20, 89/100. 13%, $30.

Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Screams Sauv Blanc. A real gooseberry-laden West Aussie thing with an expressive tropical punch, then a big passonfruit palate and then a snappy finish. It’s a bit too sour and crunchy, but the intensity here will out-Marlborough many wines. I find the finish too firm to be great. 16.8/20, 89/100. 12.5%, $32.

Kirrihill E.B. Gleeson The Squire of Clare Shiraz 2020

A tale of two halves. On the one hand, a whole lot of lavish, ripe, thick-to-the-point-of-tarry plum Clare Valley fruit. On the other, a sense of desiccation that knocks down the purple plum fruited palate appeal a few notches. After a while, the warmth and hot year-drying finish beat me down, even though the impact is right up there. I get the feeling others will really enjoy that flavour hit – it’s a huge smudgey wine. Best drinking: now. 16.8/20, 89/100. 14.5%, $65.

Mayfield Vineyard Sophie’s Godmother Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Orange Sauv Blanc that has that isn’t shy. Intense herbs and passionfruit nose sings the variety, but again the palate ends up with green angular edges. Fresh and intense though. Best drinking: now. 16.8/20, 89/100. 11.5%, $28.

Mount Langi Ghiran Pepper Series Shiraz 2021

Aldi exclusive and quite a bargain. You get much of the Langi vibes in a fruity and light package. Glossy, light-bodied plum fruit with enough pepper to give some of that Grampians terroir and then a light, shortish, but recognisably house-style palate. Well played, even if it feels like Langi Lite. Best drinking: now. 16.8/20, 89/100. 14%, $15.99.

Soumah Tutto Bianco 2022

A bitsa Yarra Valley white blend that includes Viognier, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and more. It’s a fruit salad wine too – fleshy, with a peachy apricot sort of mode, but you sort of struggle for definition in it. Fleshy enough, crisp enough, but sweet/sour and ultimately just pleasant. Best drinking: now. 16.8/20, 89/100. 13%, $28.

Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022

Curious wine. Ripe, to the point of being warm, which I’ve never seen in this Margaret River stalwart before. It’s bold, with a cooked passonfruit nose and palate that has layers of melon and stonefruit ripe Sauv but it gets warm and bit throaty to finish. It’s still crispish, but lacks a bit of life. Why so ripe? Best drinking: now. 16.8/20, 89/100. 14%, $26.

Apricus Hill Pinot Noir 2022

Bold and inelegant Denmark Pinot. It feels too much – bacon bits, stewed raspberry, alcohol heat. Big flavour but a bit overdone and alcohol scorched on the finish. Another reminder that making Pinot in WA is a huge challenge. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 14% $40

Bimbadgen Growers Shiraz Cabernet 2021

Ripe and open Hunter Valley red in fun packaging. Raspberry/red berry paste with the warm year Hunter vibes and a round palate. Generous, but the cardboardy edges are a bit distracting. It’s pretty open and easy though. Simple fare. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 13.8%, $28.

Calabria Family Wines Alternato Montepulciano Nero d’Avola 2021

Great to see the Calabria family dipping into alternate styles. Packaging is smart too. This is Barossan fruit, and overflowing with purple jubey juiciness. It all gets a bit confected and simple (and tart), but the main appeal is pretty sound. Fully priced though – it needs a bit more stuffing methinks. 16.5 13% $45

Centare Vineyard Old Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

I always find the use of ‘old’ vines/block/vineyard bemusing. These are only 21 years old, but I guess that’s the oldest block and age is all relative. Anyway, this is leafy, slightly unbalanced Yarra Cabernet – a little minty, with sweet and sour palate that also sports cooked edges. Tannins are just a bit hard – it’s a raw sort of palate despite the low acidity. Tough year writ large. It’s not terrible, and these mid-weight Yarra Cabs always look good in the longer term, though I can’t fathom the price now. Best drinking: come back in five years. 16.5/20, 88/100. 13.5%, $85.

Corte Carista Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2020

Aldi exclusive made by Alberto Antonini. It’s a bargain, too. Tarry red berries with a bit of bitumen. There’s that tapenade plum and gamey berry thing that you see in good Monte, yet with a polish of modern wines making. Rustic tannins too, with that menthol and dark berry touch. It’s a bit astringent, but that’s kinda the vibe with late ripening Monte. In the Abruzzo this would be a good €6 wine, which makes the Aldi price more than fair. Reasonable intensity too. Exactly what you’d want! 16.5/20, 88/100. 13.5%, $11.90.

Harewood Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2021

Denmark fruit for this white. Aggressively herbaceous and snappy it is though. Great delineation but also sharp edged – all herbs and passionfruit, with more acidity than fruit flavour. Serviceable. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 13%, $20.

Harewood Estate Shiraz 2021

Great Southern although it’s mentioned more in passing. As usual, this could be South Australian too – it’s a big, plush, juicy ripe, blackberried thing that that just gets so big so and warm so quickly. I get the impact and the slickness but this vintage just feels like an attack. Best drinking: no hurry. Drink over the next five years easy. 16.5/20, 88/100. 14.5%, $35.

Head Red Grenache 2021

Plump, jubey, but a bit short, this is gluggable Barossa Grenache. Has some easy red jellybean candy fruit, plenty of acidity, but a somewhat short profile. Simple fun though. Best drinking: nowish. 16.5/20, 88/100. 13.5%, $28.

Hewitson M Blanc & Blanc 2021

Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc with a little Muscat (and at 15% it didn’t need to be disclosed). Neutral white wine with just a little Muscat honeysuckle is my take. I like the aromatic buzz from the Muscat. But it’s a pretty simple sort of vaguely stonefruity wine. Maybe it would have been better last year but it just feels a bit samey now, despite that lovely Muscat lift. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 11%, $30.

Paisley Six Strings Tempranillo 2022

Adelaide Hills Tempranillo. A surprising wine for Paisley, where Derek makes big wines normally. This instead has a thin edge despite the alcohol. Bright ruby, slightly confected raspberry fruit, plenty of acidity refreshes but it lacks body and generosity, with tannins then taking over. There is character here, but I felt like it was a failure to launch. Best drinking: nowish. 16.5/20, 88/100. 14%, $25.

Paisley Velvet Grenache 2021

Velvet, but gee it’s warm and a bit syrupy. A big Barossan Grenache. Cooked cranberry, figs, syrupy red fruit, warmth and some rich oak. It’s not harsh, indeed velvety, but the warmth and stewy nature of the fruit makes this a bit heavy going. The finish dries out a bit too. Not for me, despite the richness of texture. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 15%, $30.

Small Gully Wines The Formula Robert’s Shiraz 2019

Woof! They’re always hedonistic Barossan wines at Small Gully, with mixed success. This is a typical example. Dried plum and tar, mega ripe in its luscious flow of super ripe berries. The oak gives this an extra layer of sweet chocolate to make it even more plush. It’s not drying on the finish, which is the difference with Small Gully. Hard to avoid the alcohol though – the burn gives this a certain hardness that I can’t get past. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 15.9%, $25.

Yalumba Gen Organic Shiraz 2021

This range of Yalumba organic wines are pretty easy going, but I find myself looking for something more. This is packed with bright purple, jubey fruit – all slippery juicy raspberry and blueberry. No tannins, just fruit, which gets a bit boring after a while. Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. 14%, $22.

Calabria Family Wines Alternato Sangiovese 2021

Barossa Sangiovese, which is hardly a magic combination. I can’t see the interest here either. Fully ripe, authentically leathery, but just a bit tough and warm with raw acidity. Graft it over to Grenache. Best drinking: nowish. 16.3/20, 87/100. 14.5%, $45.

Clandestine Vineyards Pinot Grigio 2022

From a vineyard in Woodside, Adelaide Hills. Neutral nose. Already oxidising and getting flabby. Pleasant pear juice, but ho hum forward palate. Best drinking: 16.3/20, 87/100. 12.5%, $22.

Hungerford Hill Fiano 2022

Hilltops fruit. I guess it’s varietal, but a bit of a nothing wine. Less generous than the alcohol would suggest, pear and lemon with a grapefruit tang. It just sort of passes through. Best drinking: 16.3/20, 87/100. 13%, $27.

Angullong Fossil Hill Rosé 2022

Orange Sangiovese. Dry, yet there is this distracting candied pink fruit sweetness to it. Pleasant enough but it just seems one dimensional. Best drinking: now. 16/20, 87/100. 13%, $26.

Highgate Chardonnay 2022

Hunter Valley fruit. Simple bright peach juice, with a rather juicy middle ends up too much into the tinned peach territory to be refreshing. Best drinking: now. 16/20, 87/100. 12.75%, $25.

So French by La Mule Rosé Grenache Blanc Sauvignon 2021

Aldi-exclusive. So French, so middling. Generic, lightly textured white. Has some oily pear Grenache Blanc offers plenty but the carbboard palate lets things down. It’s not faulty, but that’s about it (and it’s cheap). Best drinking: now. 15.8/20, 86/100. 11.5%, $10.

L’Expression Du Pinot Gris 2020

Aldi-exclusive. Big gold medal on the front! Vin de France here, with a very light, slightly oily palate that has peach juice with some peach essence sort of sweetness. Generic stuff, but clean and well made. Best drinking: now. 15.8/20, 86/100. 12.5%, $9.

Giesen Pure Light Pinot Gris 2022

Part of Giesen’s range of low alcohol wines (you can find my interview with Giesen winemaker Duncan Shouler here if you’re interested) Just 6% alcohol. It’s a weird sweet and sour thing too. Texta and passionfruit. Too sweet to be delicious and the finish is tart and wrong. Sure, this is a wine of the future but it’s an average drink. Best drinking: now. 15.5/20, 85/100. 6%, $16.99.

La Gordonne Multi Millésime Rosé NV

A bizzarrre wine. Multi-vintage Provence rosé which is confounding as this is a style that demands freshness. This tastes flat and confected too, a cardboardy fail with oxidised edges. Why? I don’t get it. A flat, confected thing that is carbboardy with oxidised edges. Why? Best drinking: last year. 15/20, 83/100. 12.5%, $32!

One | Road Chardonnay 2021

Aldi-exclusive. Padthaway & Cowra fruit in this cheapy. Nutty dusty peach juice that is just a bit aldehydic. Doesn’t do much for me. Best drinking: now. 15/20, 83/100. 13.5%, $7.99.

Sunlight by Oxford Landing Chardonnay 2021

Part of a new range of low alcohol wines from Oxford Landing. Simple sunshine, unadorned peach juice in a forward tinned fruit sort of mode. Really juicy sweet flavours for this alcohol. Easy, but tinny, cheap tasting stuff. 15/20, 83/100. 7%, $15.