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This group revolves around the grapes of Bordeaux, and primarily blends thereof, but with some single varieties most notably merlot, the majority from moderately cool regions, Margaret River once again the leader of the band. Also included are the classic Australian cabernet and shiraz (or vice versa) blends.
The affinity of cabernet sauvignon with a maritime climate is put beyond doubt by its home in Bordeaux’s Medoc region. So it comes as no surprise to find that most (but not all) of Australia’s top-quality cabernets come from regions with climates similar to Bordeaux (conspicuously Coonawarra and Margaret River) and/or which are within 50 km of the sea, with no intervening mountain.
This list underlines the flexibility of chardonnay, whether as a fighting varietal or as a flagship of the modern industry. These wines come from 14 regions (more if you dissect Eileen Hardy), but all have cool to temperate climates, most with a maritime influence.
A relatively small but absolutely sensational group of wines, as quintessentially Australian as a Drizabone, and of unique style.
This group of wines shows that the ‘alternative’varieties’Charge of the Light Brigade is yet to inflict many casualties on viognier, pinot gris, verdelho and gewurztraminer. The cause of the newer alternatives was not helped by the embarrassing discovery that the CSIRO-supplied albarino is in fact savagnin, a gewurztraminer clone grown in the Jura region of France.
Only one wine falls outside the key areas for pinot noir, Abbey Creek from Porongurup, made by Rob Diletti, a winemaker of great talent and rapidly growing reputation. Older vines, except for plantings of new French clones, themselves a plus, and more sophisticated winemaking, are the drivers behind many excellent wines.
These wines, with one exception, give a remarkably accurate picture of the present state of play with riesling; the exception is Tasmania, which has a number of wines at 95 points. The Clare and Eden valleys remain the leaders, but Western Australia is closing the gap.
The number of roses on the market continues to grow, seemingly unabated and unstoppable. There are no rules: they can be bone-dry, slightly sweet or very sweet. They can be and are made from almost any red variety, red blends or red and white blends. They may be a convenient way of concentrating the red wine left after the rose is run off (bleeding or saignee) from the fermenter shortly after the grapes are crushed, or made from the ground up using grapes and techniques specifically chosen for the purpose. The vast majority fall in the former camp; those listed mainly come from the latter.
Sauvignon blanc is facing its moment of destiny as the woes of Marlborough gather force. Australia has stuck to its knitting, producing wines that have structure, and do not seek to emulate the Marlborough style. This variety is not going to go away any time soon.
If there is to be a challenge to the extent of the monopoly the Hunter Valley has on semillon, it is Margaret River’s vice-like grip on sauvignon semillon blends. The maritime climate replicates that of Bordeaux, the Old World home of the blend (the percentage of muscadelle is rapidly decreasing in Bordeaux).
Little needs to be said, except to repeat Bruce Tyrrell’s comment on the impact of screwcaps: ‘Hunter Valley semillon is entering a golden age.’ Every vintage between 2002 and ’09 is represented; as the years roll by that range may increase.
Here patterns within patterns emerge, driven by vintage. 2007 was a good vintage in the Hunter Valley and Western Australia, but not South Australia; 2006 was poor for red wines in Western Australia, but very good (along with ’08) in South Australia. And so it goes on, demonstrating that vintage variation is every bit as much a factor as it is in Bordeaux or Burgundy.
A class utterly dominated by Rhône Valley blends of some or all of shiraz, grenache and mourvedre, the Italians making a small mark with sangiovese and nebbiolo.
In best Australian tall-poppy syndrome fashion it has already become fashionable in some quarters to challenge the remarkable synergy obtained by co-fermenting around 5% of viognier with shiraz. When used in cool to temperate regions, the enhancement of colour, aroma and flavour is remarkable, as is the softening and smoothing of texture. It is not a panacea for lesser quality grapes, and yes, it is and should remain a subtext to the thrust of shiraz’s flavour. Nonetheless, the wines in this group offer pleasure second to none.
The best sparkling wines are now solely sourced either from Tasmania or from the coolest sites in the southern parts of the mainland, with altitude playing a major role. They are all fermented in the bottle, and the best have had extended lees contact prior to disgorgement, giving them great complexity.
Tasmania may have been under-represented in the dry riesling group, but it comes into its own here: from gently sweet Kabinett styles through to Auslese-equivalent or above, its truly cool climate gives the wines tremendous zest and length to the piercing lime-accented flavours of riesling.
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Wines considered to offer special value for money.