The Classic May Dozen

Bidgeebong Tempranillo 2003

Winemakers Andrew Birks

Winemaker's Notes

The 2003 vintage was excellent – dry, an unencumbered ripening period. Winemaking style is for varietal fruit expression with subtle oak enhancement. A delicious, soft, well structured wine that shows the spicy, leathery flavours of this classic Spanish variety. It is beautifully balanced with subtle oak and is from the premium Tumbarumba region.

Cellar

Drink now and over the next couple of years.

Additional Notes

I wasn’t aware that Bidgeebong had a Tempranillo until a month ago, and as there were some positive comments about Robert Crabtree’s one in February it seemed a good opportunity to get another Andrew Birk’s wine in here. I have been going to try their latest vintage Shiraz which they are so good at, but at pouring this wine, the colour is so brilliantly crimson and scarlet you know you’re onto a good thing. Spicy and juicy according to its variety, the wine delivers a pleasant savoury finish, long, with a nice greeting from some fury tannins.

Availability

Available to Retail.

Winery Details

Phone: 03 9853 6207 Fax: 03 9853 5499

Open: Monday to Friday 9 to 4.

Address: 352 Byrnes Road , Bomen, NSW, 2650.

E-mail: bbong@tpg.com.au

Web: www.bidgeebong.com

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CANOBOLAS-SMITH STRAWHOUSE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2004

Winemaker: Chris Derez

Winemaker's Notes

This is the first stand-alone white from the Strawhouse Vineyard – and a fitting debut it is too. An almost clear colour, it could be mistaken for water except that the bouquet leaps out of the glass, all passion and tropical fruits. It is at the riper end of the style and reflects the conditions we had in vintage 2004. We expect most to be consumed as the great early drinker that it is. It is in limited supply.

Cellar

Bottled under screw cap to maintain freshness it is a wine that will develop over the next year or so.

Additional Notes

“Justin Byrne and his family planted a vineyard and built a strawbale house – the Strawhouse on the label immediately adjacent to the Canobolas-Smith Vineyard. This was in 1997. The selection of varieties and viticultural development has all been in consultation with Murray Smith and the vines have reached maturity using the same dryland approach as Canobolas-Smith. Justin is a fixture at the Cellar Door and is playing an important role in the development of Canobolas-Smith wines.” Good form continues for the ‘Monsieur S. Blanc’ of Orange, Chris Derez. Previous wines from this variety: Ibis 2003 and Burke and Hills 2003 also very well made by him.

Availability

Cellar Door or please contact me.

Winery Details

Phone / Fax: 02 6563 6113

Open: Weekends 11 to 5.

Address: Boree Lane , off Cargo Road, Orange, NSW, 2800.

E-mail:Canobolas.smith@netwit.net.au

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CLARENDON CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1998

Winemaker Mike Farmilo

Winemaker's Notes

The clean and clearly defined varietal characteristics of wines of Clarendon are not an unexpected characteristic. However the deep, brilliant colour that are such a feature of the Clarendon label are a little surprising from such a cool climate. The 1998 Cabernet is a classic example, a rich and velvet ruby / purple that looks so attractive in the glass and promises much from both the nose and palate. The wine is clean and beautifully balanced, and finishes with well balanced but not aggressive acid / tannin finish.

Cellar

"A totally satisfying drink now to 2008."

Additional Notes

Something not noted before: “Owned by David Hickinbotham who also owns Paringa and Finnis River. Many would know this ‘Clarendon Vineyard’ as ‘Hickinbotham Vineyard’ under the Clarendon Hills label.” It was virtually the last chance to get this superb wine into the May Dozens. The fact that one, it is a 1998 vintage and two, Mike Farmilo made it, you would have cause to wonder why. The answer is that Nicholas Gibson has had so many good reds to show.

Availability

Available to Retail.

Winery Details

Please contact Nicholas Gibson. Fine Lines Wine Merchants Pty Ltd

Mobile : 0422 717 606

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GIBSON BAROSSA VALE WILFREDA BLEND 2003

Winemaker Rob Gibson

Winemaker's Notes

All Barossa fruit: Shiraz 52%, Mourvedre 36% and Grenache 12%. Fermented in static and open fermenters and matured for 18 months in 5 – 6 year-old 300 litre hogsheads. Deep opaque purple in colour, with fine aromas of pepper and spice, vanilla and leather. A lively palate with medium body showing ample complex flavours of quince, tea leaf and leather. The wine is well balanced with natural tannin.

Cellar

Drink now and up to five years.

Additional Notes

Also from Rob’s notes: “Very hot during November and December, and cool in the lead up to harvest in March. Rain fell in February which caused extensive splitting of the smallest berried dry grown grapes in particular. These berries then shriveled and took no part in harvest quality. Styles were more elegant with very good Shiraz and Mourvedre resulting.” I thought these ‘Vintage Comments’ regarding quality were interesting in the light of Rob’s extensive viticultural experience. With several Gibson wines in the Dozens already, all have shown fantastic fruit quality. With Nicholas Gibson, telling me some of Rob’s career highlights, mainly with Southcorp, it was something to keep in mind along the way.

Availability

Available to Retail.

Winery Details

Phone: 08 8562 3193 Fax: 08 8562 4490

Open: Friday to Monday 11 to 5

Address: Willows Road, Light Pass, S.A., 5355.

E-mail: rob.gibson@barossavale.com

Web: www.barossavale.com

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JUNIPER CROSSING MARGARET RIVER SHIRAZ 2002

Winemaker Mark Messenger

Winemaker's Notes

The mild weather during the 2002 vintage allowed slow ripening in the Shiraz grapes, which shows in the resulting spice and berry fruit characters in the wine. Bright crimson / purple in colour, the wine shows spicy, black cherry and raspberry fruit characters on the nose along with toasty, mocha vanillin oak. Smooth, fleshy, juicy palate exhibiting spice and berry fruit with a touch of firmness on the finish.

Cellar

“Made in the style for immediate drinking pleasure, but has at least five years cellaring potential.”

Additional Notes

“The grapes were destemmed prior to being pumped to the fermentation tank where the must was inoculated with yeast and fermentation began. The wine was pumped over twice a day to extract colour and tannin. At 3 Baume some of the wine was drained off to complete fermentation in barrel. This helps to develop a smoother mouth feel and allows the oak to integrate into the wine sooner. The remainder of the wine finished fermentation in tank and was then pressed off. The batches were blended after malolactic fermentation and matured for twelve months in American oak of which 20% was new.” The 2004 Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc was included in the February all-white Dozen partly due to my discovery that Juniper Crossing is now the name over the original Wrights of Margaret River. Brilliant summer wine as it is, the point is, vines there date back to 1973, and that very much makes these Mark Messenger wines worth exploring.

Availability

Available to Retail.

Winery Details

Phone: 08 9755 9000 Fax: 08 9755 9100

Open: Daily 10 to 5.

Address: Harmans Road South , Cowaramup, Western Australia , 6284

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KALLESKE CLARRY’S BAROSSA RED 2004

Winemaker Troy Kalleske

Winemaker's Notes

Deep red in colour while the nose shows uplifting aromas of raspberry and sweet spice. The palate is loaded with fresh ripe fruit. Flavours of freshly crushed raspberry and plum dominate. Tannins are very soft and the Shiraz provides excellent weight and muscular structure. A very fruit driven and mouth watering wine.

Cellar

Made to drink now.

Additional Notes

These notes and what follows are from the Kalleske Newsletter Autumn 2005. “Clarry’s Barossa Red is named after my Grandfather, eighty seven year old Clarence ‘Clarry’ Kalleske. Clarry’s is a blend of Grenache 80% and Shiraz 20%. The Grenache is from Clarry’s block, low yielding sandy soils while the Shiraz is sourced from the Greenock Shiraz vineyard, consisting of shallow, sandy loam soil over superb deep red clay and limestone. The Grenache was fermented warm in open fermenters with hand pumpovers twice a day. To preserve the wonderful fresh fruit flavours of the Grenache, it was only aged in very old oak hogsheads and only for a limited time of ten months. On completion of maturation, a component of Greenock Shiraz was blended for added complexity. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered and is sealed with a screw cap closure to retain fresh fruit vibrancy.”

Availability

Available to Retail.

Please contact Nicholas Gibson Fine Lines Wine Merchants Pty Ltd

Winery Details

Phone: 0409 339 599 Fax: 08 8562 8118

Open: Not open to the public

Address: Vinegrove Road , Greenock, South Australia , 5360.

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KILIKANOON MORT’S RESERVE RIESLING 2004

Winemaker Kevin Mitchell

Winemaker's Notes

Appearance is pale straw with green tints. Clarity and appearance are brilliant. Lifted limes and lemon citrus flavours predominate. The nose shows amazing depth and intensity, displaying all the style and character that the region is famous for. The palate provides both power and elegance of flavour. Again the limes and citrus characters predominate and combine with the cleansing acidity to create a long, flavoursome and persistent palate experience.

Cellar

As with any high quality Riesling, early drinking is always exciting, and five years plus bottle age will be greatly rewarded.

Additional Notes

“Our flagship Riesling, the ‘Mort’s Reserve’ was sourced in equal parts from the renown ‘Mort’s Block’ vineyard and the dry grown premium Khileyre Riesling vineyard in the Watervale region of the Clare Valley. Both vineyards are at their quality pinnacle, being dry grown, hand pruned and harvested and at least 35 years of age. Yields tend to be 2 – 3 tonnes per acre with traditional methods of viticulture being engaged to preserve the integrity and longevity of these premium old vineyards.”

Availability

Available to Retail.

Winery Details

Phone / Fax: 08 8843 4377

Open: Weekends & P / Hols: 11 to 5

Address: Penna Lane, Penwortham, South Australia, 5453.

E-mail:info@kilikanoon.com.au

Web: www.kilikanoon.com.au

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LINDSAY’S WOODONGA HILL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2004

Winemaker Jill Lindsay

Winemaker's Notes

The nose is lifted, slightly Vanillin and distinctly Sauvignon Blanc. The palate has a clean refreshing impact, developing a tropical fruit opening into a sherbet mid palate, with a mouth cleansing finish.

Cellar

This style has always been made to be enjoyed young and fresh, but at Woodonga Hill they develop into interesting, complex wines right into the medium term cellaring period of five plus years.

Additional Notes

From Phill’s notes: “Sauvignon Blanc grown at Woodonga Hill (Young, NSW), has been undergoing a change of growing conditions over the past three seasons. Gradually we are altering the trellising to try and increase the lifted nose characters of the variety, while we attempt to maintain the intense tropical fruit flavours and extended cellaring capability which we have achieved in the previous ten years. Not a character that is common in this grape. In the winery a further rethink of this variety has been going on, and a lot of ‘what ifs’ have become ‘we should get’s’ in an attempt to present a wine from the variety that represents its true talents. With the 2004 we approached its winemaking with an attempt to put some if not all these ideas into practice, a wine that had some different approaches to the fundamentals of crushing and pressing, combined with some partial barrel fermentation.”

Availability

Available to Retail.

Winery Details

Phone / Fax: 02 6382 2972

Open: Daily 9 to 5.

Address: Road, Young, NSW, 2594.

E-mail: lindsay5@bigpond.com

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MIRAMAR ELJAMAR SHIRAZ 2002

Winemaker Ian MacRae

Winemaker's Notes

Full bodied robust wine. This wine is from the second crop of the now ‘famous’ four year old vines in our new Eljamar vineyard. A tight structured, smokey wine with a burst of chocolate fruit at the end. The finish is long and firm with subtle but clean tannins supporting the fruit.

Cellar

Enjoy now, but will cellar medium term five to eight years.

Additional Notes

This wine was in the most recent mixed dozen from Ian at Miramar. While on the point, it has to be one of the best Cellar Door offers in the country, as mentioned here many years ago. He has been making wine there so long and it seems, has so much to choose from including museum material, it is worthy of consideration. He says in the last lot regarding Rose style: “although it is becoming quite respectable, you can always give it away to a friend,” and you would still be left with great value. In August 1998, Miramar Chardonnay 1994 was in the Dozen. I remember at the time Ian had a more prominent reputation for his Chardonnay wines. Just now, as I am bashing away, I looked in Halliday’s Wine Companion to see if he had any notes on this wine. No, but he does mention that his red wines are taking the spotlight nowadays. I thoroughly and enthusiastically agree. Somewhere around vintage ’98 or ’99 both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wines arrived with a new found elegance, and I have travelled with them through many a glass since.

Availability

Cellar Door or please contact me.

Winery Details

Phone / Fax: 02 6373 3854

Open: Daily 9 to 5.

Address: Henry Lawson Drive, Mudgee, NSW, 2850.

E-mail: miramar@hwy.com.au

Web: www.miramarwines.com.au

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TRAFFORD HILL BENJAMIN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2001

Winemaker John Sanderson

Winemaker's Notes

Vintaged from Cabernet Sauvignon vines that are over thirty years old and dry grown under a heavy pruning regime. The year 2001 was an excellent one for premium red varietals in the Southern Fleurieu Region and a small patch of ‘Cab Sav’ grapes was set aside and picked separately before crushing and open fermentation. After basket pressing and twice racking off, the wine was matured in French oak for twelve months, then bottled. A further two years bottle maturation have resulted in a wine that has herbaceous aromas and chocolate blackcurrant on the palate.

Cellar

Smooth as silk, enjoy now or cellar for three to five years.”

Additional Notes

I was amused by the recent Trafford Hill Newsletter attached to an E-mail bearing John’s enthusiastic recommendation of this wine. “As many of our longstanding clients will know I have long harboured the desire to make a straight Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Various circumstances have prevented the exercise, not the least being opposition from Irene (wife) who prefers Shiraz and red blends. With a lovely crop of ‘Cab Sav’ in 2001 I set aside nearly a ton of excellent grapes and quietly made three barriques of MY favourite variety. With two years bottle age I had to reveal my secret to Irene who designs the labels and does all the labelling. After giving me a bit of a verbal bashing the wine was ready for release.”

Availability

Cellar Door or please contact me.

Winery Details

Phone:08 8558 3595

Open: Thursday to Monday 10.30 to 5.

Address: Lot 1, Bower Road, Normanville, South Australia, 5204.

E-mail: traffordhill@ozemail.com.au

Web: www.traffordhillwines.com.au

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ULEYBURY BASKET PRESS PETIT VERDOT 2003

Winemakers Anthony Pipicella

Winemaker's Notes

Blackcurrant aroma with a peppery undertone. Flavours of spice and fruit produce a smooth palate and firm tannins. This wine has wonderful bold fruit flavours now with blackberry nuances coming through. This is from the first crop of Petit Verdot and only a small parcel of this wine was made.

Cellar

“In your glass today, it is almost compulsive drinking and with long term aging will become even more spectacular: 8 -10 years.”

Additional Notes

As mentioned: “this is the first release Petit Verdot from Uleybury Wines and at it’s first two shows received two Gold Medals.” Also in the notes supplied by Natalie: “Petit Verdot originates from France and is one of the classic five red wine varieties of the Bordeaux region. However, in Bordeaux the variety is used as a minor component in some blends. The variety also has a problem ripening in such a moderate climate, but not in Australia which now actually produces more Petit Verdot than France! In Australia it has been described as a ‘SUPER CABERNET’ and makes dark, rich wines with wonderful concentrated flavours.” With the seduction of viticulturist Tore by this variety ongoing, it will be worthwhile to keep in touch with future vintages. That is of course if you think this one is anything to go by, which of course is a question of style.

Availability

Cellar Door or please contact me.

Winery Details

Phone: 08 8280 7335 Fax: 08 8280 7925

Open: 10 to 4

Address: Uley Road, Uleybury, S.A., 5114

E-mail: cella@primus.com.au

Web: www.uleybury.com

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ULEYBURY SEMILLON 2002

Winemaker Anthony Pipicella

Winemaker's Notes

This wine presents a distinct Australian style of Semillon with a crisp aroma and freshness. It has lovely developing nutty / lime/ apricot aromas. The palate has great length with lemon and snow pea like flavours. Furthermore, it will develop richness and complexity with age and will show slight undertones of oak due to its vinification and maturation process during winemaking. Whereby a portion was fermented in American oak with the balance in stainless steel tanks under controlled fermentation conditions.

Cellar

Five plus years.

Additional Notes

The 2001 Semillon was in the May 2004 all white Dozen. I thought it was an intense wine with great length and tight varietal flavours, truly a classy wine. There was a chance to try it again at Cellar Door, and it seems to be traveling very nicely. Next was a look at this wine, the 2002 introduced as “a multiple medal winning wine.” Under a screw cap it seemed remarkably fresh for a three year-old Semillon and left me in a wonderful state of perplexity. The other wine, under cork is only one year older and if you were told they were from the same maker you’d accept the fact. They just seemed to be doing different journeys. We’ve seen it written, heard it said: how will wines develop under screw cap? This was my first dramatic experience in this teaser and I can see it’s a real head scratcher. Great fun!

Availability

Cellar Door or please contact me.

Winery Details

Phone: 08 8280 7335 Fax: 08 8280 7925

Open: 10 to 4

Address: Uley Road, Uleybury, S.A., 5114

E-mail: cella@primus.com.au

Web: www.uleybury.com

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