Tim Kirk is one of those guys I will buy wine from every year. I’ve met Tim 3 or 4 times now, and always found him to be generous with his time, genuine in his listening, professional in his approach. There are now only four Australian wineries that are automatic buys for me – Clonakilla is one. And not just for the Shiraz Viognier! In many other operations this Riesling would be a star attraction, and really warrants your attention in its own right.
Ferreting around the cellar turned up this long forgotten bottle of the 2003. And its more than hanging in there - its a star! The early flushes of maturity show first in the mid straw colour. Its still bright and fresh though - waxy lemon and lime rind and pith nose with the first hints of petroleum waft up to greet you. The palate follows correctly, and there is a surprising spritz about this - bright and fresh on the entry, with some bottle age marching by in the second rank. Steely, minerally elements complement waxy white flowers and lemons, and a touch of kaffir lime. Still bracing in its acidity, long and lovely with some orange and mandarin on the finish, this will delight for many years to come.
Its not Clare, Eden, or South West Victoria but the Clonakilla Riesling truly warrants your attention.
For a Riesling nut I’ve gone a long stretch without one. There are Pork chops on the flame with some roast fennel, onion and apple in the oven, so to get back in the saddle its gong to be Spätlese. The 2007 Dönnhoff Oberhauser Brücke Spätlese gets the nod for no other reason than the label has a stain on it.
This is not a cheap wine - $A75 of you buy it locally in Aus with our rapacious wine tax system. But consider it an investment piece – and even at this early stage of its life it pays off handsomely.
This is a delicate, teasing spätlese. Clean and pure. Lemon and cumquat fruits and that electric tingle of acid. Not too ripe, not too green, but just right. A touch of herb, then a big lick of slate. This Everything is so finely balanced and elegant this could be kabinett at a passing glance, but as the wine finishes the fruit intensity is that bit more concentrated. It announces itself as spätlese and then lingers for an age. What a lovely balanced package. This is why I want to buy, drink and make Riesling.
Herr Dönnhoff, I tip my hat.
Its an odd day. Early in the Brisbane summer, and its 26, overcast and humid. A hapless Australia is thrashed at cricket. And there are Lamb shanks in the oven.
All things I’m unfamiliar with in an Australian summer. Off balance. Restless. So lets go a bit left field and try a few wines that might b a little different. Well, different for a Pinot Noir drinker anyway.
08 Domaine des Espieres Sablet Cotes du Rhone: Pepper, spice, merde. Well there’s an offbeat nose to start. Glossy black berries and plums introduce the wine and spread it across some tarry depth. Medium bodied, interesting and satisfying stuff. Eventually shows its tannins which are fine and grip tightly. Nice food wine, bring out your BBQ for this. A step up from the basic Cotes du Rhone from the same maker, and pleasant enough from a vintage that is being overshadowed by the ones either side of it. I’ve also had a chance to look at this wine after being open a number of days (kept in a 5 degree fridge) and it holds on well, still showing its pepper and spice and forest berries. Worth a look at under thirty bucks.
09 Jean Marc Burgaud Chateau du Thulon Beaujolias: If you want a change from intro level pinot, then a twenty buck note can buy you this. And a worth diversion it is. Yes it has a hint of bubblegummy fresh fruit, but the wine moves past that without getting out of first gear. Fragrant, fresh forest berries, fresh crunchy black berries if you don’t. This isn’t overly complex or challenging, but it is full of joy. Fine, silty tannins give this some interest on the finish, which is surprisingly dense and powerful. A food wine right here folks, worth your attention at this price.
07 la Deveze: Cotes du Rousillon, made by Olivier Bernstein who also makes some expensive burgundies. A bit of googling infers la Deveze is a terroir of some sort, but hey, who knows the details of Cotes du Rousillon? I believe this is a carignan dominant blend. Much darker colour than the last two wines, and it smells bigger and darker too. Tar, undegrowth, dutch licorice, sarsaparilla, a touch of aniseed. Well, that tells of a big ripe wine, and speaks of carignan and mouvedre. Take a sip and there’s no disappointing – this is indeed a big beefy lad. A hit of vanilla and coconut introduces the palate, which seems to have been well wooded. It’s a big rich warm beasty. Black olives, cedary oak, beef stock, roast meats, rich warm blackberry jam and more of that slightly salty dutch licorice. Reminds me a whole bunch of priorat – but about half the price! And yet this still seems quite closed, as wood reappears on the finish. Needs a big hearty dish…like lamb shanks.
And the lamb shanks? They went into a ragout, which was tasty and rich enough for a winters night around a fire.
Until next time,
Andrew