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ine | Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2000
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| Leconfield Cabernets 1998 |
| Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1998 |
| Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 1999 |
| Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 |
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Do you remember the mid 80's when everybody bought a bottle of Riesling (or Benzene Moselle) for that special dinner and it was sickly sweet goo? Those days have passed, and I think forever! There are a couple of things you should know about that period - first, under labelling laws and conventions of the day, you could pretty much sell anything as Riesling. That means you probably "enjoyed" sickly, over-ripe, white grapes of pretty much any kind passed off as Riesling. If this has bent you all out of shape about Riesling it's time to take another look. Real Riesling (it's a specific grape) used to be called Rhine Riesling. Now that the industry has cleared all that up, when you buy a bottle of Riesling, that is precisely what you are getting.
Here's the big news - good Riesling is great. Jancis Robinson (she did the great series on SBS called "Jancis Robinson's Wine Course")says it is her favourite white wine. In its youth it is racy and fresh with typically strong citrus notes and depending on where it's grown, some floral and minerally characters. As it ages it gets "fat" and develops into a complex, multi-layered, mouth filling, long and complex wine that is absolutely beguiling!
You have to make a decision though - to age or not to age. With Aussie Riesling you can drink it up to 18 months of age or after 8 years (roughly), and you'll get the flavours described above. Drink it in the window in between and you'll notice a kerosene-like character, which some people quite like, but which I find annoying as it masks the typical varietal characteristics to a greater or lesser extent. For some reason, the same thing doesn't seem to happen with German or French wines - I suspect a feature of the much colder growing conditions (you'd be well served to ask Jancis about that though because I'm only guessing).
Now to the Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2000. This is outstanding value. You'll probably pay about $15 for this and let me tell you if it were a Chardonnay of the same quality you'd be paying $30+. It's made by John Vickery who is one of the best makers of Riesling in the country and made the spectacular Leo Buring Rieslings form the 70's to the early 90's. On the nose strong lemon and lime with a hint of toast, backed up by an acidy citrus palate. Great with a salad or lightly cooked fish and vegetable dishes or just for its own sake. It's available both with a cork or a Stelvin (screw top) and I'd buy the latter. There's no such thing as a corked wine with a Stelvin and although it doesn't offer the same opportunity for showmanship it keeps the wine in better shape.
Drink it for the next year, or post 2008. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Cheers, Bill
Good - it's finally off my chest! Cheers, Bill [January 2001]This is another Coonawarra Cab from the already legendary 1998 vintage. It's a different kettle of fish to the Wynns though. It's not as big as the Wynns, but is rather much more up front with the blackcurrant nose and strong berry palate. It's not quite as tannic and will not (in my humble opinion) be as long lived. It is, however, drinking really well now and will continue to do so for at least another 5-10 years, where as the Wynns is much better left alone for a good while.
The price - well it depends where you buy it. This has been gnawing at me for a while and I'll use this wine as the example. There are 3 major Coles Myer liquor chains - Quaffers, Liquorland and Vintage Cellars. The price of this wine at the 3 is $21.99, $25.99 and $28.99 respectively. Presumably they bought it together - why the huge difference? If you assume that Quaffers is making some sort of a return, then Vintage Cellars is making a killing! The whole point of this story is to say that don't assume that Vintage Cellars is cheap because it's part of Coles Myer because in my experience VC is one of the dearest liquor stores around.
No, it's not aged in new oak, nor is it the best available fruit from the Southcorp Group, and no, it is not the most sophisticated and complex wine on the market. Here's what it is - about the best value on the planet. I think it's close to the ultimate barbeque wine - and don't take that the wrong way. I like barbeques, in fact, like probably doesn't quite do it.
The term "barbeque wine" is not used in a critical or patronising way. If you, like me, end up with a bit of charcoal somewhere on your steak or chop, then you'll need a pretty robust wine to make its way through that and be noticed. You'd be wasting your time opening your last bottle of Mouton '82 if you were going to match it with a smouldering snag. This is where the Koonunga comes into its own.
It's always great value but the 1998 vintage is a joke. For around $13 a bottle you are getting a rich, plummy and chocolaty blend of Shiraz and Cabernet that has a great mouth fill, a big nose and a very full flavour. Buy a dozen and then put 9 safely out of view for 2-4 years and enjoy the other 3 over the next year. This is a wine that traditionally improves markedly over a few years - in fact so much so that when you have the last bottle of a vintage (as I've just done with the 1993) you curse yourself for having bought so little, and have trouble believing what you paid for it (about $8 in the case of the 1993).
So go on - you know you want to - get a doz! You'll be glad you did! Available through pretty much any liquor store. Like most other reviewed wines it is also available at Wine Planet <www.wineplanet.com.au>, though they are now onto the 1999 vintage which I've yet to taste, but that I hear is also a burster.
Cheers, Bill [January 2001]
You've done Chardonnay to death and think you are a rebel by buying the odd bottle of Riesling every now and then. Don't settle there - go buy a bottle of Viogner if you haven't already - and this is the one to start with. It's outstanding value at around $25.
Viogner is about the hardest grape to grow - worse than Pinot Noir even. Not only that, it's a tough wine to make - however, done well, it is an absolute treat. The benchmark is Condrieu - a wine made in the Rhone and comprised of 100% Viogner. In a good year it's magnificent, but regrettably it's priced accordingly - $80+. They should be served nice and cold, and go especially well with delicate salads and seafood. The thing I love about it as much as anything else though is that it doesn't get better with age so there's absolutely no reason not to drink it now. In fact, leave it for more than 3 years and it's well and truly on the decline unless it's blended, which leads me on to another interesting snippet.
Get this - Viognier (a white grape) blends superbly with Shiraz (or Syrah if you are a Francophile) to create one of the world's greatest Shiraz wines - Cote Rotie from the sunbaked slopes of the Rhone Valley. A mere 2-5% transforms a good quality Shiraz (oops, it's French - I mean Syrah) into a wine of greater complexity, interest and mouth-fill. It's being done in Australia a bit with wines such as the Yarra Yering Dry Red #2 and the Clonakilla Shiraz Viogner.
OK, so the Yalumba one doesn't compare to Condrieu, but neither does the price. It's bouquet is a captivating mix of floral characters, tropical fruits with a good smattering of stone fruit - especially apricot and peach. It has a huge, mouth-filling palate which is like a magnificent, rich fruit salad. It seems to go on forever, compelling the drinker to reach once again for the glass as it slowly fades into the distance. At the price, it's amazing value.
I've tried a few under $20 and have been consistently disappointed. In fact, if you've tried the Kingston Estate or the Dalfarras, just put it down to experience and start again.
Other Aussie Viogniers worthy of note include Heathcote Vineyards, Heggies, Petaluma (but the 1999, not the 1998) and the illustrious Yalumba Virgilis - the big brother of today's reviewed wine.
Your mission? Go buy the reviewed wine or one of the others I've mentioned in the para above and let me (and the Cookings team) know what you think (bill@surferdude.com). I reckon you'll be impressed!
Cheers!Bill K [January 2001].
This wine (also colloquially known as Wynns Black label)is always a great buy - the 1998 is extraordinary! At around $23 it's just amazing. A strong bouquet of Ribena, forest fruits, oak and a wee bit of eucalypt, backed up by a monstrous palate that goes on like a nagging mother (almost forever). It's chock full of tannin right now, and although clearly spectacular, won't be at it's best for at least 5 years.
This is the best Wynns Cab since the legendary 1986 in my view. Buy some and hide it away for a while. You won't be disappointed, and if you have the good sense to buy a dozen you may well name your first born after me.
Cheers, Bill K [January 2001]
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