Last week, it was a flood of reviews on wines that didn’t make the Australian Wine Review grade (which is a silver medal equivalent) over the past eight weeks. But today, we have less snark and more good times, with a swag of 14 wines that did make it over the past eight-odd weeks.
Importantly, some of these wines fall into the ‘come back later’ camp. They’re quality drinks, but not there yet. Conversely, there is a smorgasbord of wines here that are just great value – inexpensive and deliciously so.
Collector Reserve Shiraz 2019
The top dog Canberra wine for Collector, released as a four-year-old. It’s still a work in progress – something that seems denser and thicker than 13% alc. suggests. Molten dark fruits with a palate that feels oaky and smudgey. That oak sticks out with a choc berry Kit Kat note. There’s an elegant Canberra Shiraz sitting underneath, and clearly quality, even if it’s shrugging off a few things at the moment. Best drinking: give it two years and drink over a decade. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 13%, $60. Would I buy it? A glass or two.
Corte Carista Chianti Superiore 2020
An $11.99 Aldi-exclusive steal, Leathery red berry Chianti Sangiovese fruit, in a light but varietal mode that is correct and with proper chewy tannins. This is great! The tannins are a bit rough-edged, but that sort of adds to the charisma. Best drinking: good nowish. 17/20, 90/100. 13%, $11.99. Would I buy it? A glass or two.
d’Arenberg The Custodian Grenache 2020
McLaren Vale Grenache. Still, some foot treading used to craft this Grenache, which is seriously amazing for a $22 red. There’s an ageless charm here – leather, tilled black earth, some aged meat, washed rind cheese, and then redcurrant rolled in dirt. It’s drying in a proper red wine way, and savoury rather than generous. It won’t win trophies, but such a consistent depth of hearty flavour. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $22. Would I buy it? A glass or so.
Faustino V Rioja Riserva 2018
Another Aldi-exclusive and proper old-school Rioja. Look at the frosted bottle and the hat! Condensed milk, brick dust and prunes rolled in dirt and dried raspberries. It’s quite generous on the palate, with this milky texture that is a bit contrived but generous and creamy textured before oak tannins drive the finish. Great freshness for what is ultimately a wine of artifice – this has character, too. Best drinking: now or in decades. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14%, $19.99. Would I buy it? Two glasses.
Freeman Prosecco 2023
You wouldn’t immediately pick the Hilltops as Prosecco country, but this is drinkable. Tart green apple Glera/Prosecco classicness with the preserved lemon a nod to some sunnier fruit. Plenty of froth, just a little sweetness at the edges, but good delineation. An easy drink. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 11.5%, $30. Would I buy it? A glass.
Gundog Estate The Chase Semillon 2023
Old vine Hunter Valley Semillon made with some extra flavour. Lemon and lime in a very open mode – it’s a riper, expressive wine. Lemongrass and gentle citrus generosity but with intensity. An expressive, warm year wine – pleasant though not profound. Best drinking: I like this as a younger wine. 17.5/20, 91/100. 11%, $35. Would I buy it? A few glasses.
Gundog Estate Rare Game Shiraz 2022
Glossy, yet mid-weight Hunter Shiraz that tastes like it has only just been racked from a toasty barrel. Lightly bitter, there’s an unformed feel to this, the palate savoury and drying, with a swagger of oak tannins. Curious wine – it feels just a bit ungenerous despite the obvious fruit, but the quality is there. Best drinking: come back in a few more years. 17.5/20, 91/100. 13.5%, $75. Would I buy it? A glass.
Hewitson LuLu Shiraz 2021
Barossa Valley Shiraz of simple styles but quite substantial. Mulchy edge gives a bit of heart to what is otherwise a pulpy sort of purple wine. It’s fleshy and substantial, and the finish a bit clumsy, but that makes it more likeable. Honest Barossan red. Best drinking: now and for a good decade. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14%, $30. Would I buy it? A glass.
Longview Queenie Pinot Grigio 2023
Rock solid varietal Pinot Giorgio from the Adelaide Hills. A definitive pear juice intensity to this – a congruency of flavour from nose to finish. It’s a straightforward wine – pear, cool vintage celery, and lemon, with a palate that is clean, lemony, maybe a bit diffuse but honest and tastes like actual Grigio. Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12.5%, $23. Would I buy it? A few glasses.
Lowe Bio-logical Preservative Free Rosé 2023
Mudgee Shiraz rosé sans sulfites. Bone dry and lightly strawberries there is a little gluey mothball oxidation character but a very pleasant dry and quite serious wine at the core. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 11.5%, $44. Would I buy it? Ultimately, no, especially not at this price. But I do appreciate it.
Meredith Spicy Bubbles Pet Nat 2023
A blend of Geelong Riesling & Semillon from the Pettavel Vineyard, turned into a clear but interesting pet nat. Less dramatic packaging for the spicy bubbles, as Ben Luker has refined the labels from the old ‘Good Clean Fun Wines’ label. I liked the fun of the old labels, but the Meredith packaging is a shedload more grown up. Anyway, this was wild fermented with no ads, the resulted yellow gold but clear and bright frothy juice. Yellow apple, a little mothball and bruised apple logo oxidative tang, but it’s a clean wine under. Tangerine, lemon, yellow apples – it’s a lofi tangy wine but clean and crisp. Not complex but really quite refreshing and long. Best drinking: right now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12%, $28. Would I buy it? A glass or so.
Schild Estate Moorooroo Shiraz 2020
From vines planted in 1847, it’s a big dog red in every way (and a great name. Look at all those os). All new and second-use oak, which just adds more lavishness to the style. Thick and dense, there are volumes of plum fruit, lashings of oak and then a warm finish. The oak is impossible to ignore, nor is the alcohol. It’s like a sheen of vanilla milkshake, and the berry fruit is ultra-concentrated stewed plum OTT flavour. A caricature wine. I can appreciate the sheer intensity of this – its an impressive mouthful, hence the high silver score. But balanced? Non. Still, time will be very kind as that extreme youth settles in. Best drinking: now or probs better in a decade, likely kicking on for two decades. 17.5/20, 91/100+. 14.5%, $199. Would I buy it? No.
Sapling Yard The Four Pinots 2023
I like the Sapling Yard diversity and entertaining suite of releases so much. This blend is Pinot Gris, Noir, Meunier, Blanc – the whole mutant family! It’s 60% Pinot Gris, the rest Pinot Noir + Pinot Meunier from Moppity’s Tumbarumba vineyard plus 5% Pinot Blanc from the Sapling Yard vineyard in Braidwood. Some old oak and some time on skins (for the Gris portion). It’s actually more white wine than orange or rosé despite the pale orange salmon colour. Has some lovely layers to it – rose fragrance, and a palate of orange juice, strawberry. There’s a murkiness here that makes it seem more fun and bright. Nice textures, even if I wanted a little more complexity rather than affable. I like plenty about the style. Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12%, $30. Would I buy it? I’d share a bottle.
Silkwood Estate The Walcott Pinot Noir 2022
Pemberton Pinot. Ripe and sweet-fruited too – all raspberry squish plush fruit with oak sweetness lifting it up even more. Plump and easy with raspberries with a bit of chocolate, the tannins a late swipe of dryness to finish. It’s more mid-weight, juicy red than classic Pinot, but entirely drinkable. Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 13.5%. $35. Would I buy it? A glass or two.
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THE VERDICT
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Comment
I recently bought 2018 Schild Edel Shiraz, same issue as the Moorooroo but perhaps a bit more balanced given its age. Not sure it’s going to go anywhere which is why it was heavily discounted I believe. But absolutely fine for $30.