STM's Top 100 Summer Wines
Whether your favourite drop is a red, a white, a rose, a bubbly, imported or local, Peter Forrestal reveals the very best of the best to indulge in this summer.
SPARKLING
Champagne is the bubbly that comes from the region of that name in northeastern France. Here grape growing is tricky and costly, and the process of producing champagne is labour-intensive. As a result champagnes are expensive, but fair value. The best Aussie fizz is costly to produce because it comes from our most marginal sites – Tasmania, the highest slopes of the Yarra, Macedon and Tumbarumba. Here, however, are some local sparklers that won’t break the bank and there’s that glorious sparkling red, too.
Most will enjoy fizz as an aperitif, so its food match must have subtle, delicate flavours. Crustaceans are fabulous (especially freshly shucked oysters), sushi (make sure it’s at room temperature) and arancini balls are a favourite. Champagne also goes well with entrees – such as gravlax, smoked salmon, whitebait, salt cod fritters, anchovies, poached or grilled whiting. Sparkling reds do well with roast poultry such as turkey and duck, or with Christmas plum pudding.
Champagne
NV Devaux Blanc de Noirs, $75
Made from pinot noir grapes: creamily textured with great depth of bready, brioche flavours.
NV Mumm de Cramant, $159.95
Made from chardonnay grapes from Cramant in a softer, lighter, style. Great aperitif.
NV Pommery Brut Royal, $75
A powerful concentrated style with complex, bready characters and a soft, gentle finish.
NV Taittinger Brut Reserve, $80
A terrific non-vintage bubbly – clean, fresh, zesty, powerful and complex.
2003 Pierre Gimonnet Gastronome, $59.95
This is fine and intense with characteristic yeasty flavours. Good value. Exclusive to Vintage Cellars.
Australian fizz
De Bortoli Emeri Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, $13.95
Something different – maybe not for the purist, but enjoyable nonetheless.
NV Yellowglen Yellow, $13.95
A deservedly popular sparkler that shows how well we tackle budget-priced wines. It’s smooth and fruity, with a refreshing finish.
NV Jansz Rosé, $22.95
A fragrant Tasmanian rosé, which is pink, yet pure strawberries and cream, gently yeasty, with fine acidity.
2005 Majella Sparkling Shiraz, $30
A Coonawarra sparkling red crammed with flavour that has the power and texture to match the turkey or duck.
Seppelt Silverband Sparkling Shiraz, $35
A quintessential example of the style. Try with the Christmas plum pudding.
WA chardonnay
Western Australia and especially Margaret River have an outstanding reputation for the quality of its chardonnay. The warmer northern parts of Margaret River produce riper, more peachy, tropical flavours while those from the south are cooler with greener, white-fleshed fruit (nectarines, grapefruit). Many producers pick earlier than before and so the style of our best chardonnays is changing: they’re tighter, finer, leaner, less overtly oaky, with more savoury, minerally characters and with brighter, more vibrant acidity than before.
The best of these are special-occasion wines and deserve to be consumed at the dinner table with exquisite seafood – lobster, marron, dhufish or snapper.
2008 Feet First Top Hat Chardonnay, $21.70
Local wine merchant Fine Wine Wholesalers has created this brand and sourced the fruit from Pemberton and Margaret River. It’s remarkably good value.
2007 Flametree Chardonnay, $25
Jeremy Gordon can make white wines as well as Jimmy Watson-winning reds. This Margaret River chardonnay is irresistible.
2007 Hamelin Bay Five Ashes Chardonnay, $28
Cool Karridale produces some of the region’s most exciting whites. This is taut and spine-tingling stuff.
2007 Hay Shed Hill Block 6 Chardonnay, $33
Mike Kerrigan and the new brigade at this Wilyabrup winery continue to impress. I love the delicate, ripe fruitiness of this.
2007 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay, $33
Leeuwin’s second string is anything but
second-rate: classy, pure, fine and delicate,
deliciously dry. Value.
2006 Lillian Chardonnay, $27
John Brocksopp makes this from the Lefroy Brook vineyard of his neighbours, Pat and Barbara Holt. It’s one of Pemberton’s finest chardonnays.
2007 McHenry Hohnen Chardonnay, $37
From the southern Calgardup Brook vineyard comes another complex, powerful chardonnay.
2006 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay, $45
An outstanding show record and its sheer quality make this arguably Vasse’s best ever chardonnay.
2007 Victory Point Chardonnay, $45
For my money, the best chardonnay yet from the Bersons’ newish dry-grown Margaret River vineyard. The style is decidedly modern.
2007 Woodlands Chloe Chardonnay, $55
The Watson family makes outstanding reds and Margaret River’s most improved chardonnay in this drop.
Premium Aussie chardonnays
Anyone who says they find Australian chardonnay boring or over-oaked needs to try some of these wines as they represent some of the finest of the new wave of Australian chardonnay. These are thrilling, complex whites. Like the best of Margaret River, they are expensive to produce because they come from low-yielding vines and involve labour-intensive work. These are lean, tightly structured wines, which have savoury rather than fruity characters, as well as slatey, quartzy, minerally flavours. These are restrained whites that tend to finish with bright, racy acidity that enables them to age for longer than earlier generations of Australian chardonnays have.
They deserve to be matched with the finest seafood, though great chardonnay is also a match for roast chicken or even roast pork, as long as the sauces they are served with are not overpowering.
2006 Bannockburn Chardonnay, $55
From an outstanding vintage in Geelong, this richly concentrated, mellow and complex white is sure to satisfy.
2006 Chandon Chardonnay, $26.95
The table wines from Domaine Chandon continue to impress. This is no exception.
2005 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay, $129.95
Rare and expensive, this is consistently among the top five Aussie chardonnays. It is fine and complex with persistent deep flavours.
2006 Petaluma Chardonnay, $49
An Adelaide Hills chardonnay which is delicately spicy, creamily textured and deeply
concentrated.
2006 Scorpo Chardonnay, $37
A fascinating Mornington Peninsula wine from Sandro Moselle that’s funky and complex.
2007 Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay, $36
A single-vineyard chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills that is consistently excellent.
2006 Shelmerdine Chardonnay, $27
From the Shelmerdine family vineyard in the Yarra comes this classy, well-priced white that has intense flavour and finesse.
2006 Stonier Reserve Chardonnay, $42
Another outstanding Mornington Peninsula chardonnay with white-peach and spicy-oak flavours, all delicate, fine and balanced.
2007 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay, $75
A single-vineyard chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills to make any occasion special.
2006 Yering Station Reserve Chardonnay, $75
A premium Yarra Valley chardonnay that is complex with bold, lingering grapefruit flavours.
Riesling
Over the past 20 years or so a band of riesling zealots have transformed this noble grape into a thrillingly ultra-dry Aussie style featuring slatey, minerally flavours, essence of lime, and mouth-puckering acidity. World-class stuff. This chameleon grape also excites with sweet German or New Zealand rieslings and some excellent examples from Australian producers such as Frogmore Creek, Pewsey Vale and Howard Park. The show success of local wines such as the 2004 The Growers and 2003 Oranje Tractor indicates how much the grape improves with age.
The often bracing acidity of fresh, young riesling means that these are wines which improve immeasurably served with food. They are great with oysters, white-fleshed fish or shellfish, especially poached or grilled, and cream-based pasta dishes where the wine’s acidity cuts through the richness of the cream. I’m a fan of riesling with stir-fries, especially those that are delicately spiced and with fish or chicken.
2008 Clonakilla Riesling, $30
Tim Kirk may be best known for making the ultimate Aussie shiraz viognier, but he has a deft hand with whites, too, in Canberra’s chill. This is complex, fine and vibrant.
2004 The Growers Riesling, $25
Three trophies as Best WA Wine at the Perth Show: toasty yet fine and delicate. A triumph.
2008 Harewood Riesling, $19.50
James Kellie is making superb Great Southern wines from his Denmark base and this fine, zesty wine is great value.
2008 Heggies Riesling, $19.95
Intense, lemon-lime flavours from the cool of the Eden Valley. This is a thrilling wine. Value.
2008 Mt Horrocks Riesling, $29.95
Fastidious winemaking and attention to detail have marked Stephanie Toole’s riesling, once again one of Australia’s finest.
2006 Pauletts Antonina Riesling, $38
A luxury riesling from Neil Paulett, the Clare, and the best vineyard views in the country – there’s a lot going for it.
2008 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling, $29.95
A stunning vintage for one of the Clare’s and Australia’s best riesling sites. This is vibrant, youthful and refreshing.
2002 Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling, $40
Sublime riesling from Andrew Wigan and the Eden Valley. Trophies galore for the quality.
2008 Pikes Riesling, $23
Another fine Clare producer with a powerful, bold riesling that is juicy, fresh and vibrant.
2008 Pipers Brook Riesling, $27.50
Mature vines, an outstanding vineyard in the chilly Tamar, and an excellent vintage combine to produce a complex white.
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
This is the only category seriously challenging the dominance of Marlborough sauvignon blancs in the hearts and minds of Australian drinkers. And it’s largely owned by WA, in particular Margaret River. Our climate, especially in the cooler areas, seems to bring out unique herbal characters in semillon that melds beautifully with sauvignon blanc. The best examples have a vibrance, a soft, ripe-fruit sweetness that is particularly appealing, especially as their zesty natural acidity means they finish fresh, crisp and dry. Semillon sauvignon blancs can be such seductive quaffers that they can make for pleasant drinking without food. However, they are at their most refreshing with salads, pasta or stir-fries. The classic caesar salad would be ideal, as would a green-pea risotto or spaghetti with seafood.
2008 Barking Owl Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $17.95
Peter and Lee Fogarty’s Millbrook produces delicious quaffers under this second label. This is ripe, intensely tropical and balanced.
2008 Ferngrove Symbols Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, $15.95
The outstanding Frankland River producer offers great value in their Symbols range with heaps of cool, fresh tangy flavours.
2008 Moss Brothers Jane Moss Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $22
A Margaret River wine with restraint, complexity and a more interesting texture than most.
2008 Pitchfork Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $16
Margaret River’s Hay Shed Hill offers value with its Pitchfork wines – this is lively, clean and zesty, with heaps of flavour.
2008 Tulloch Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $16
The Hunter’s Tulloch has produced an intensely flavoured, refreshing wine.
2008 Watershed Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, $17.95
From Margaret River comes a subtle white that opens up beautifully with time in the glass and some enthusiastic swirling.
2008 Were Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $19
A newish Margaret River vineyard which produced some of the region’s best whites in 2008. This is one of them.
2008 West Cape Howe Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $16
A successful Great Southern producer that invariably offers excellent value, as it does here with this balanced, full-flavoured wine.
2008 Windows Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $19.95
From a newish Margaret River producer, there’s heaps of flavour here with dry, zesty acidity.
2007 Xanadu Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, $25
The Rathbone’s Margaret River winery continues to impress with a more complex, yet restrained SSB. A wine for the thinkers.
Sauvignon Blanc
While I accept the supremacy of the top Kiwi sav blancs, Australia does make some excellent examples of the variety. The best of these come from cool-climate regions. Australasian sauvignon blanc tends to show tropical fruit flavours – gooseberry, lychee, guava, passionfruit – and some more herbal notes (fresh garden herbs, cut grass). For many, it’s a wine to quaff in a relaxed manner over a meal. It’s best with Asian stir-fries or the whole range of salads. It does handle mild to medium spices. It’s at its best in summer when its fresh, zesty, tangy flavours refresh the palate.
2007 Carrick Sauvignon Blanc, $26.80
An appealing, ultra-cool sauvignon from the extremes of central Otago where its green-bean, green-pea flavours shine brightly.
2008 First Creek Sauvignon Blanc, $25
A new Hunter Valley producer has sourced this fruit from Canberra where its vibrant tropical flavours come deep and dry.
2008 Forester Sauvignon Blanc, $22
A local hero from Margaret River that is intense, tangy and bursting with flavour.
2007 Houghton Wisdom Sauvignon Blanc, $28.50
A complex, edgy, intensely flavoured sauvignon from the team at Houghton and its Pemberton vineyard.
2008 Logan Sauvignon Blanc, $22
This is from a family winery in Mudgee with vineyards in Orange, taking advantage of its ultra-cool climate to make a zesty wine.
2007 Montana Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, $19.50
An old favourite from Marlborough, New Zealand, with grassy herbal flavours and a tropical tang.
2008 Pizzini Sauvignon Blanc, $20
The cool King Valley produces a cool, appley sauvignon that has attractive succulence.
2008 Three Tales Sauvignon Blanc, $22.95
The De Bortoli and Marris (Wither Hills) families have made this terrific new wine with fruit from Marlborough. Crammed with gooseberries, lychees, green-pea flavours.
2008 Were Sauvignon Blanc, $22
Talented winemaker Amanda Kramer has
crafted a complex, intensely flavoured gold-medal winner at the Qantas show.
2008 Windows Sauvignon Blanc, $19.95
The newish Davies family winery in Margaret River shows promise with consultant Nav Singh turning out some classy whites, like this one.
Pinot Gris/Viognier
Some call these exotic because they are relatively recent arrivals in this country. Although their plantings are mushrooming, they are still not widespread. Pinot gris and pinot grigio are the same variety, the former following the style of France’s cold Alsace, and the latter Italy’s chilly northeast. Viognier originates from Condrieu in the north of France’s warm Rhone Valley. A common complaint about pinot gris/grigio is that it’s bland. This is certainly not true of the best of this variety, which is aromatic, delightfully viscous, with a savoury rather than fruity palate, and which comes alive when drunk with food.
Viognier, too, is aromatic. There’s a richness about viognier that enables it to go well with similarly rich and weighty food such as crab, lobster, prawns, roast chicken and pork. Creamy pasta sauces or even creamy curries are good matches. Try pinot gris with an appetiser plate, terrines, flans such as quiche lorraine, or pizzas. Pinot grigio would also be ideal with more subtle, delicate risottos, prawns on the barbie, mussels in a white wine sauce, and cream-based pasta dishes.
2008 Brown Brothers Pinot Grigio, $18
Subtle, delicate and savoury with a good mouthfeel and dry finish.
2008 De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Grigio, $21.95
Fascinating aromatics, savoury, weighty and deliciously mouth-watering.
2008 Joseph D’Elena Pinot Grigio, $28
One of the country’s best pinot grigio comes from Joe Grilli. This one has almost durian-like flavours, very dry and savoury.
2007 Millbrook Viognier, $22
Peter and Lee Fogarty’s winery in the Perth Hills makes three excellent whites. This (the cheapie) is my favourite: pure, juicy and fine, thickly viscous, with a dry finish.
2008 Odd One Out Pinot Gris, $20
Hanging Rock’s John Ellis is a winemaker who stands out from the pack and is ever happy to be the odd one out. Great packaging, terrific wine.
2007 Pirie South Pinot Gris, $22.50
Tasmanian pioneer Andrew Pirie continues to push the boundaries with this Tamar Ridge label. It’s aromatic, delicate, with an attractive mouthfeel, before a noticeably dry finish.
2008 The Ritual Viognier, $18.50
A local wine produced by John Griffiths from a vineyard in Dwellingup: intensely flavoured, pure and focused.
2008 Taylors Pinot Gris, $18.95
Musk and rose petal aromas, delicate floral flavours, succulent, dry and savoury. Brilliant value.
2007 Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier, $49.95
Up to 25 years of experience have gone into producing the best vintage yet of Australia’s ultimate viognier from the Eden Valley. A white of rare finesse and complexity.
2007 Zonte’s Footstep Pinot Grigio, $18
You wouldn’t expect a pinot grigio this good from Langhorne Creek, but here it is.
Rosés
A few years ago, rosés were so unfashionable that one aficionado started the Rosé Liberation Army to counter the problem. His work is no longer needed because rosé is now so popular that it seems every winery needs one. There’s a remarkable diversity of rosés in Australia, made from just about every major red variety including cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, grenache, pinot noir, merlot, cabernet franc, sangiovese, gamay, nebbiolo, malbec, petit verdot and more. The best rosés tend to be light-bodied and intensely flavoured and range across the spectrum from the fruity to the savoury, from ultra-dry to overly sweet.
There appears to be a move by the best producers towards dry styles, or at least bringing out the wine’s zingy natural acidity. This restrains sweetness and gives a finish that is crisp and dryish. Try a rosé as an aperitif with nibbles such as gravlax or smoked salmon or entrees featuring salads with poached salmon, grilled whiting or roast chicken.
2008 Angove Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rosé, $14
One of Australia’s best rosés tailor-made to suit its Riverland origins. Some sweetness in the mid-palate, yet finishing dry and savoury.
2008 Charles Melton Rosé of Virginia, $26.50
Australia’s best rosé is a Barossa grenache blend that is full of flavour, with a hint of sweetness and fresh, cleansing acidity.
2007 De Bortoli Windy Peak Cabernet Rosé, $15.20
A savoury rosé with a great mouthfeel and a long, dry finish that needs a subtle dish to bring out its best.
2007 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz Rosé, $15.95
Hugely popular for its ripe, sweet fruit before a clean, fresh, dry finish.
2008 Juniper Crossing Rosé, $18.95
A consistently impressive Margaret River rosé made from cabernet, shiraz and merlot: soft, fine, delicate, fruity, finishing crisp, dry and pure.
2008 Moondah Brook Cabernet Rosé, $18
Houghton makes two WA rosés, the dry Brookland Valley and this sweeter, fruitier style.
2008 Scarpantoni Ceres Rosé, $14
A consistent performer from the McLaren Vale made from Beaujolais’ gamay grape so it’s fruity, vibrant and juicy.
2008 Turkey Flat Rosé, $23
This Barossa rosé is an improbable blend of grenache, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and
dolcetto, but it has terrific intensity and a powerful, dry finish.
2008 Xanadu Dragon Rosé, $16
Here’s a Margaret River rosé that is mouthfilling, flavoursome and bone dry.
2008 Yalumba Y Series Sangiovese Rosé, $12.95
Made from the Tuscan grape sangiovese, so you’d expect it to be savoury. It’s deliciously fruity and finishes quite dry.
Pinot noir
At its best, pinot noir is the most stunning of all. It is a demanding grape, giving only scant yields, being difficult to nurture and too often disappointing. But it’s capable of bringing uninhibited joy. Its finest expressions come from France’s ultra-cool Burgundy region where the prices of the rarest bottles begin in the stratosphere.
New Zealand, Oregon in the US and Australia produce outstanding pinots at various price points, although only rarely cheap. The variety thrives in cold, marginal climates and so the best regions in Australasia are Central Otago, Canterbury and Martinborough in New Zealand; Tasmania, Mornington, Macedon, the Yarra, Geelong and the Adelaide Hills in Australia.
Some say the West is not cold enough for pinot, yet Picardy, Castle Rock, Wignalls and the new Howard Park label, Marchand & Burch, have made wines that challenge that argument.
Duck and pinot are considered a match made in heaven because the earthy gamey flavours of the duck mirror those of pinot. A stuffing or side dish that incorporates truffles will find sympathy in the wine.
2007 Bay of Fires Pinot Noir, $39
Brilliant Tassie pinot from WA winemaker Fran Austin. All finesse, delicacy, silky texture and deep, vibrant red-berry fruits.
2007 De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir, $20.95
A well-priced, intensely flavoured Yarra pinot.
2008 Devil’s Corner Pinot Noir, $19
From Tamar Ridge’s second label, a decent entry level pinot with bright red-berry flavours.
2006 Kooyong Pinot Noir, $43
Classy Mornington pinot from an excellent producer. Mushroomy complexity; velvety, too.
2006 Moorooduc Pinot Noir, $35
Mornington’s Rick McIntyre is a surgeon, an amateur baker and the maker of sublime pinot.
2006 Oakridge Pinot Noir, $32
David Bicknell will make some of Australia’s finest wines over the next five years. This has the essence of pinot.
2006 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir, $52
A key player in the Tasmanian industry, Steve Lubiana makes alluring pinot.
2006 Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir, $50
Restrained, complex, savoury and earthy flavours.
2007 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir, $45
Fragrant, succulent, powerful and complex.
2007 Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir, $30
A cheaper release that is more primal, straightforward and fruity, and yet enjoyable for all that. Silky smooth and delicious.
Unwooded summer delights
Soft, easy, round, youthful whites that are fresh, clean and just perfect for a WA summer. The grape varieties used in these wines are quite high-
yielding, which helps to keep the price down. So, too, does the fact they are unoaked – they are fermented and briefly aged in stainless steel – and released just a few months after harvest. They are uncomplicated, fruit-driven whites that are just delicious. Enjoy these wines with a fresh salad, an uncomplicated pasta dish, some fish and chips, or a hamburger.
2008 Capel Vale Debut Chenin Blanc, $16.95
This is a WA blend that is fresh and juicy with lively tropical fruit flavours and soft to finish.
2008 Faber Verdelho, $17
Our best verdelho comes from the Swan Valley. This is succulent and fruity, a little more restrained than some but all the better for that.
2008 Feet First Chenin Blanc, $16.40
Here’s another merchant’s wine (from Fine Wine Wholesalers) that hits the spot. There’s heaps of ripe, tropical fruit flavours crammed into the glass. Zingy, too.
2008 First Creek Verdelho, $22
This is a Hunter producer taking parcels of fruit from growers and making neat wines. It has bright fruit and riotous flavours.
2008 Kirrihill Companions Riesling Pinot Gris, $14.95
A blend that works in Alsace and, to my surprise, in the Clare Valley, too. Super fruity with some musk fragrances. My notes say "splashy" – you know what I mean.
2008 Peter Lehmann Chenin Blanc, $13.50
Chenin thrives in warm climates, so it’s no surprise that these Barossa guys do it well.
2008 Sandalford Classic Dry White, $18.95
A couple of trophies for this Margaret River stunner – a sem sav blanc blend crammed with passionfruit and other ripe tropical delights.
2008 Tassell Park Chenin Blanc, $18
A Margaret River producer that makes some terrific whites: attractive floral perfumes, fruity flavours and zingy.
2007 Voyager Estate Chenin Blanc, $20
A consistently good Margaret River producer of white wines showcasing the glories of the 2008 vintage.
2008 Willespie Verdelho, $19.85
This is the best Willespie that I’ve seen in ages, packed full of ripe, juicy, tropical fruit characters.