Thomas Cottrell is Bellevue Club’s contributing wine columnist and the Director of Wine at Grand Cru Wine Shop and Bar.
If you’re like me, you keep reading about the demise of the Australian wine industry, and how they’re losing market share to the new kids on the block—the South Americans—and you’ve heard about how the huge success of brands such as Yellowtail have diluted their reputation for quality wines and made them more difficult to sell.
Both points may be true, but recent tastings of wines from one of Australia’s largest wineries, and one of its smallest, convince me that quality is not the issue, nor is value. We’ll start with the big boy, Penfolds, producer of Australia’s most expensive wine: the world-famous Grange. The 2006 Penfolds “Thomas Hyland” Chardonnay (South Australia, $12.99) is one of their mid-range wines, and may be my favorite style of Australian Chardonnay. It combines the ripe fruit notes of the less expensive Penfolds’ Chardonnays with the oaky style of their best, most expensive Cuvée, the Yattarna. In fact, a bit of declassified Yattarna sometimes finds itself into the Thomas Hyland. The result is a finely balanced wine that tastes more expensive than it is. I especially like the solid backbone of acidity on display here.
2005 Penfolds “Thomas Hyland” Cabernet Sauvignon (South Australia, $14.99) is another delicious Aussie wine. While Shiraz is the red grape that comes to mind first when we think of Australia, I love their Cabernets almost as much, and wines like this are part of the reason. Ripe and intense, with strong cassis notes along with vanilla oak and sweet berry, this wine drinks well right now so don’t resist.
The Bin Series wines are a cut above the Thomas Hyland wines, and a bit more expensive, but the “Kalimna” is worth it. The 2005 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz (South Australia, $17.99) is a great example of pure, classic Shiraz in the Barossa style—bold, dark fruit, sweet, ripe, spicy and long. Think blueberries and blackberries, smoke and a bit of tannin. Think steak. If Penfolds represents the gargantuan side of Australian wineries, Glaymond represents the tiny, family-owned producer approach. For many years the Tscharke family sold their grapes to big wineries, but more recently they have kept most of the grapes for themselves and produced exciting wines under the direction of young Damien Tscharke. As an example, consider the 2006 Glaymond “Asif” Cabernet Sauvignon (Barossa Valley, $30.99), a beautiful, if unexpected, wine. Most of us don’t think of the Barossa and Cabernet at the same time, and yet this is a classic—ripe berry and cassis fruit, sweet oak touched with spice, smoke and earth.
Score another one for the little guy with the 2006 Glaymond “The Distance” Shiraz (Barossa Valley, $28.99). An experienced wine drinker would expect a Shiraz to be good from the Barossa Valley, but maybe not this good. Supple and smooth, almost elegant, this is a balanced, delicious Syrah in the Australian mode, with a twist.
While the Barossa is rightfully identified with Shiraz, Grenache does almost as well there as shown in the 2006 Glaymond “El Abuelo” Grenache (Barossa Valley, $28.99). It is a beautiful example of just how good these wines can be. Enjoy the classic raspberry fruit, touched with white pepper, spice and a sweet earthiness. Smooth and soft, it’s a wine that pleases just about everyone.
Okay, Shiraz and Grenache make sense in Barossa, maybe even Cabernet Sauvignon as a long shot. But Zinfandel? Come on. This is America’s grape! However, sip a glass of the 2007 Tscharke “The Curse” Zinfandel (Barossa Valley, $23.99), and you’ll become a believer. Lively and full of fruit, it has the classic brambly fruit, ripe sweetness and earthiness. It’s also balanced and polished, even graceful. You’ll love it.
Despite the critics’ observations, there is a future for Aussie wines—and it’s delicious.
