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Penguin Wine Awards 2010- May-26-10
The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2010 By: Nick Stock Penguin Wine Awards 2010 Winemaker of the Year Vanya Cullen – Cullen The Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot and ‘Kevin John’ Chardonnay wines from the stunning 2007 vintage are delivered with all the skill, experience and wisdom that places this winery at the very top of the tree. Vanya’s role in leading this family operation to ever new heights is a shining achievement. Wine of the Year & Best Chardonnay Cullen ‘Kevin John” Chardonnay 2007 With the convincing resurgence of chardonnay in Best Value Red Wine and Best GSM Blend d’Arry’s Original The combination of authentic style, regional focus, workhorse price and a drink-now-or-later option place this in the spotlight in 2010. Five Star Wines – the Best of the Best Riesling and Gewurztraminer Kilikanoon Mort’s Reserve Riesling 2009 $35.00 96 pts. Chardonnay Cullen ‘Kevin John’ Chardonnay 2007 $70.00 97 pts. Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 2007 $140.00 96 pts. d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2006 $60.00 96 pts. John Duval Eligo Shiraz 2006 $100.00 96 pts. Cabernet Merlot Blends Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2007 $105.00 97 pts. Fortified Wines Chambers Grand Chambers Old Vine The Best of the Rest Riesling and Gewurztraminer Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Riesling 2009 $22.00 94 pts. Semillon Brokenwood Brycefield/Belford vineyards Semillon 2005 $36.00 93 pts. Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon 2003 $45.00 95 pts. Grenache, d’Arenberg d’Aryy’s Original d’Arenberg The Derelict Vineyard Grenache 2006 $29.00 94 pts. Kilikanoon The Duke Grenache 2006 $69.00 94 pts. Brokenwood HBA Brokenwood Shiraz 2007 $40.00 93 pts. d’Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz 2006 $80.00 93 pts. Cabernet Sauvignon d’Arenberg The Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $30.95 93 pts. Cabernet Merlot Blends d’Arenberg The Galvo Garage 2006 $29.00 93 pts. Penley Estate Chertsey 2005 $55.00 95 pts. Best Value Wines $25 and Under Riesling and Gewurztraminer Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Riesling 2009 $22.00 94 pts. Semillon Brokenwood Semillon 2009 $20.00 91 pts. Grenache, d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original d’Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 2007 $18.00 90 pts. Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz 2007 $20.00 90 pts. Cabernet Sauvignon d’Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $18.00 92 pts. Penley Estate Merlot Penley Estate Gryphon Merlot 2007 $20.00 91 pts. Sweet Wines d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Sticky Chardonnay 2008 $11.95 91 pts. Riesling and Gewurztraminer 2009 Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Riesling 94 pts. One of the constantly excellent Clare Rieslings, this is on point again in 2009. Really fragrant lime and lemon citrus, some yellow grapefruit here too; this has superb clarity. The palate is super-crisp with more lemon and some faint herbal notes, crackling with acidity; it finishes clean and brisk. Price: $22.00 Alc./Vol: 12.5% Drink: 2016 Closure: Screwcap 2009 Kilikanoon Mort’s Reserve Riesling 96 pts. More restrained and cryptic than the Mort’s Block at this young stage, this is a medley of elegance and power, nicely captured. Concentrated lemon/lime flavour in pure, precise form, driving deep on a laser-like finish. Quality: Alc./Vol: 12.5% Drink: 2018 Closure: Screwcap Sauvignon Blanc 2008 d’Arenberg The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 90 pts. Assertive herbal, leaf and nettle fruit on the nose with a lime leaf and passion fruit undercarriage; the wine has striking character – quite edgy. Plenty of volume in the mouth, there’s strong citrus and tropical flavour and fullish texture pushing right through. Adelaide Hills Price: $19.00 Alc./Vol: 13% Drink: Now Closure: Screwcap Semillon 2005 Brokenwood Brycefield/Belford Vineyards Semillon 93 pts. Sourced from two Lower Hunter vineyards, this has a classic youthful freshness with fine lemon balm and lanolin, some grassy notes here too. The palate is richer thanks to the warmth of the ’05 vintage, already showing the toasty lemon barley flavours of great, complex, aged Hunter Semillon. Terrific value. Price: $36.00 Alc./Vol: 11% Drink: Now Closure: Screwcap 2003 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon 95 pts. The flagship Semillon from Brokenwood , this aged release of the finest Semillon of the vintage is still sporting a greenish tinge in the glass and has built all the complexity of toasty bottle age – lanolin, waxy lemon curd and toasty notes. The palate has terrific nutty appeal, marking out a seamless, clean path from the start to crisp, almondine finish. Superb wine. Price: $45.00 Alc./Vol: 11.5% Drink: 2013 Closure: Screwcap 2009 Brokenwood Semillon 91 pts. A good all-rounder, this offers a mix of grassy elements and intense lemon citrus too – really settled and expressive in its youth. The palate has a fine, tangy entry with some rounder shape building through the middle and plenty of citrus flavour through the finish. Balanced like a champ! Price: $20.00 Alc./Vol: 11% Drink: 2011 Closure: Screwcap Chardonnay 2007 Cullen ‘Kevin John’ Chardonnay 97 pts. This vintage marks Cullen’s earliest ever harvest and it has a compelling mix of power with restraint and edgy nerve. The nose is all lemon, lime and grapefruit citrus, really focused and cool with precision and deeply wound winemaking complexity. The palate arrives with a sense of verve and energy, really light and airy thanks to impeccable balance, yet powerful and long-flavored. The finest Cullen chardonnay to date! Price: $70.00 Alc./Vol: 11% Drink: 2012 Closure: Screwcap 2006 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay 92 pts. Quite restrained nose and backwards fruit aromas, so give this some good air. Primary and pure ripe stone fruits and figs build with some gentle, clean, flinty fruit characters arriving on the palate; sparkling clarity. Impressive evenness and a grapefruity finish. Peach skin, good drive and lingering richness. Price: $33.00 Alc./Vol: 14% Drink: Now Closure: Screwcap Pinot Noir 2008 d’Arenberg The Feral fox Pinot Noir 91 pts. With floral red perfume straight out the glass, and lively raspberry aromas, it makes a light and an airy impression, quite pure and direct. The palate follows suit with light red fruit flavour and an easy going ball of fleshy tannin holding through the finish. Adelaide Hills Price: $30.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: Now Closure: Screwcap Grenache, 2006 d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original This 2006 bottling commemorates d’Arry Osborn’s 80th birthday and 64th vintage in the Vale, and I reckon they’ve steered some exceptional fruit the way of the original as a tribute to the old boy’s outstanding life in wine. It smells of ripe summer berries and red licorice, some plums and spice – really compelling and soulful regional style. The palate’s all wrapped in smooth, swirling tannin that cradles juicy plum and blackberry flavour gently from start to finish, lingering fruit presence. Superb drinking now and the potential to age with grace and charm. McLaren Vale Price: $18.00 Alc./Vol: 14% Drink: 2012 Closure: Screwcap 2006 d’Arenberg The Derelict Vineyard Grenache 94 pts. Chester Osborn chooses the most structured and tannic Grenache for this cuvee and it has immense personality, really forthright and packed with rugged charm. Aromas of dark berries and plums here; it has earthy, savoury complexity and some regional aniseed spice. The palate has savoury fine-grained tannins that sweep in flavour some, rounded formation, finishing with plum skin flavour and neat balance. McLaren Vale Price: $18.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: 2013 Closure: Screwcap 2007 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 96 pts. A superb and impressive wine with a dark, meaty, black-fruited nose, five spice and exotic, fragrant complexity – quite brooding. The palate impresses even further, offering supple, juicy dark plum flavour and building dark creamed spices through the finish. Really immaculate and layered. This has soulful depth and balance and will age gracefully for many years. Price: $140.00 Alc./Vol: 13.5% Drink: 2015 Closure: Screwcap 2007 Brokenwood There’s a layer of swanky, toasty oak across this impressive Hunter Price: $40.00 Alc./Vol: 13.5% Drink: 2013 Closure: Screwcap 2006 d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Deep, dark and brooding with blackberry and blueberry fruits, plenty of roasted coffee-scented oak making itself known here too, and there’s black licorice and tarry intensity. The palate wrenches itself into place and really grabs deep. Flavours rest in the plum and black fruit spectrum and are wound through muscular tannins – the intensity is staggering – with some darker, almost minerally flavours building through the finish. Worthy of many years in the cellar, this wine will live a long, long time. McLaren Vale Price: $60.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: 2018 Closure: Screwcap 2007 d’Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 90 pts. In the regional spectrum of plums, blackberry and licorice aromas, this has an approachable, laid-back style to it. The palate offers punchy tannin chew and a decent serve of plum and berry flavour – what it lacks in finesse it makes up for with good hearted, earthy appeal. McLaren Vale Price: $18.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: 2011 Closure: Screwcap 2007 d’Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Some bright, fresh wood shavings here, then it builds deeper, spicy fragrance with plenty of dark dried plum fruits, a subtle apricot nuance and earthy licorice too. The palate delivers strong licorice flavour, fiercely regional, there’s dark plum fruit washed along with fine, savoury tannin. Terrific shape and balance here, really nicely crafted from top to toe, impressive length too. McLaren Vale Price: $29.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: 2013 Closure: Screwcap 2006 John Duval Eligo Shiraz 96 pts. The very best Price: $100.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: 2014 Closure: 2006 Kilikanoon Covenant A strong and bold statement of the Price: $44.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: 2012 Closure: Screwcap 2007 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Nice richness and ripeness on the nose here – dark fruits and some gentle spice, fruit forward and appealing. The oak is serving the cause without intruding, allowing supple tannins and a ball of dense, dark berry and purple fruit flavour to take centre stage. Nice, drinkable balance and smooth texture. Price: $20.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: Now Closure: Screwcap 2006 Kilikanoon Oracle A big, rich wine with a layer of dark grilled nut aromas across dark, ripe plums, iodine and glazed berry aromas. The palate has impressive depth and richness with long, smooth tannins reaching deep and soulful through the finish. Will be great to see this with time to gather complexity. Price: $80.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: 2014 Closure: Screwcap 2006 Kilikanoon Parable The oak’s a bit on the punchy side to start with, but it breathes up to licorice, chocolate and dark plum fruits – plenty to love. The palate’s a rich, supple mouthful with long, fine, smooth tannins and some sweet oak poking through dark plum fruit. Price: $80.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: 2014 Closure: Screwcap 2007 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Very musky and bursting with fragrant lift, with some Eastern spice in the mix, complex, bright and youthful. The palate is medium-weight with decent concentration and purple fruit flesh, a gently smoky and supple tannin finish with some toasty oak to close. Price: $37.00 Alc./Vol: 14% Drink: 2013 Closure: Screwcap Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 d’Arenberg The A brooding, dark-scented cabernet from the deeply structured ’06 vintage, this has striking presence and ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude. Some roasting herbs and game meats, dark berries and boot polish – the oak’s been soaked up with ease by this rich, hearty fruit. The palate paints a thick stripe of sinewy tannin straight down the middle, placing ripe, juicy plum and ultra-dark berry flavour in its wake, building resonant tannin width through the finish, holding firm and flavoursome. Price: $60.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: 2016 Closure: Screwcap 2007 d’Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 92 pts. Excellent colour and a sweet dark cherry-scented nose with some mulberry and cassis, fresh brambly smells, really ripe and showing little in the way of oak. This is powered by a strong regional expression. The palate starts out sweet and has a fine sleeve of smoothly ripened tannin running across the palate, marking out even shape and driving lively dark berry flavour through to a chalky, savoury finish. Superb cabernet and magnificent value! Price: $18.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: 2011 Closure: Screwcap 2007 Penley Estate A solid campaigner in the best value cabernet stakes, there’s a good concentration and ripeness here in 2007 – trademark cassis and mint of the region with a good lick of oak. Supple, sweet dark fruits on the palate with a long modern, fine tannin finish and creamy oak spices to close. Coonawarra Price: $20.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: Now to 2013 Closure: Screwcap 2005 Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 93 pts. Penley really pushed the ripeness to the limit in 2005 and they didn’t lose their footing. A rich iodine and almost oily nose here, plenty of purple fruit and a good dose of spicy French oak. Neatly polished palate with an innate feel of solid ripeness with even-handed balance. Impressive push of warm berry fruit flavour and sturdy tannin through the finish – this really sings. Coonawarra Price: $20.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: Now to 2013 Closure: Cabernet Merlot Blends 2007 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 97 pts. Easily the best young Diana Madeline I’ve had the pleasure of tasting on release, this wears all the bounty of a great vintage, experience, and a mature vineyard that’s meticulously farmed. Fragrant roasting herbs that pin it to the heart of Margaret River’s great terrior, sweet leafy cabernet aromas, fragrant and impeccably fresh purple berry fruits. The palate is super-smooth with round, supple texture and masses of ripe berry fruit flavour, really curvy and delicious. Oak spice moves in through the finish, as does dark cherry pip flavour and gravelly savoury flavours. It’s deceptively concentrated with an essence-like intensity that completely occupies the palate – polished, poised and authentically Cullen in very regard. Price: $105.00 Alc./Vol: 13% Drink: Now to 2025 Closure: Screwcap 2006 d’Arenberg The Galvo Garage 93 pts. This is the full array of Price: $29.00 Alc./Vol: 14.5% Drink: 2014 Closure: Screwcap 2005 Penley Estate Chertsey 95 pts. Coonawarra Price: $55.00 Alc./Vol: 15% Drink: Now to 2018 Closure: Merlot 2007 Penley Estate Gryphon Merlot 91 pts. Kym Tolley’s workhorse merlot has a light fruit nose and bright, up-beat red fruits, slightly confected with brightness and simple appeal. There’s a little herbal edge amid light tannins that run throughout the palate, making a slightly more serious impression than the nose suggests. Sweet Wines 2008 d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Sticky Chardonnay 2008 91 pts. A luscious golden colour in the glass, this has a strong botrytis aroma, really big on dried apricots and cumquat marmalade, some candied stone fruits here too – really concentrated. The palate delivers straight-shooting dried apricot flavour with more than enough concentration considering the bargain price. This represents outstanding value. Adelaide Hills Price: $11.95 Alc./Vol: 10.5% Drink: Now Closure: Screwcap NV Chambers Grand Muscat 98 pts. The highest pedigree and most elegantly styled Rutherglen Muscat has long been the calling card of the Chambers family. This wine balances richness and intensity with fragrance and elegance. Haunting, moist, crushed rose petals and superb, fresh lift. Intense raisiny flavours unfold across the palate, building savoury rancio through the finish. Immaculate! Rutherglen Price: $50.00 Alc./Vol: 18% Drink: Now Closure: NV Chambers Old vine Muscadelle 96 pts. This is stamped with the hallmark of the Chambers style – great concentration with elegance. Rich malted caramel and black leaf tea aromas, candied citrus peel and savoury grilled nuts. The palate caressed on entry with fine, precise honeyed flavour, gentle caramel and more nutty characters building through the finish. Superb balance. Rutherglen Price: $40.00 Alc./Vol: 18% Drink: Now Closure: « Go Back |
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