Australian Wine
John McDonnell, Wine
Australia
1.
Green Point 'Brut', Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Fairly dumb. Nice,
clean acid feel, some biscuit, a little butterscotch and a load of baked
apple. This is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and although made in Yarra
it has some grapes from Margaret River.12.5%
€25
2. Sauvignon Blanc, Nepenthe,
Adelaide Hills, SA, 2003
Not much nose, and somewhat
sweet on first taste, followed by a more usual Sauvignon gooseberry.
Nice acid, some warmth of alcohol (13%), nice and ripe. I like this,
especially at
€10
3. Riesling, Tamar Ridge,
Tasmania, 2002
A bit off on the nose;
chemical, gas leak. OK in the mouth, lots of lime and fizzy acid.
I'd say it was lovely except for the taint. Shame there wasn't a
spare ...
Not yet available,
€15 - 16
4. Chenin Blanc, Brown
Brothers, South Eastern Australia,
Nearly as clear as water.
Creamy sweet nose. Clean, some good acid, slightly sweet, more baked
apple; apple strudel. Nice but maybe too sweet, needs more bite.
Different, though.
€12.95
5. Shiraz, Bridgewater
Mill, McLaren Vale, South Australia, 1995
Not much nose. Slightly
medicinal, still some coating tannins, somewhat like a Rhone - some rustic
flavours. Some thought it soft; I quite like it.
Current vintage
€15 - 17
6. Merlot, Shaw & Smith,
Adelaide Hills, SA, 2000
Big
nose. Good, plummy, clean, light. A bit twiggy - and something
quite odd about it.
Liberty
Wines, €15-18
7.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Balnaves,
Coonawarra, South Australia, 2001
Peppery nose. A cooler
climate wine. Condensed milk mwith crunchy tannins. Nice
blackcurrant without being jammy. Perhaps a teeny bit of (non
unattractive) bitterness at the end.
Liberty Wines, €20 - 25
8.
Chenin Blanc,
'Off the rack', Plantagenet, Western Australia
Wonderful nose and a
beautiful honey finish. Good acid and some wood coming through?
Apricots, apples. Clean and lovely. (Yes, it is wood - a
portion is aged in French oak).
€15 for 500 ml