In a wine world ruled increasingly by multi-nationals, this past week’s visit by Australia’s first families of wine added up to a refreshing departure on many levels.
Arguably more than any other major producing region aside from California, it was Australia that first sowed the seeds of B.C.’s love affair with New World wines, a decade or more before the Okanagan finally blossomed in the 1990s.
The first families add up to the “dream team” of Australian, its ranks populated with iconic names such as Hill-Smith, Henschke, Jim Barry, de Bortoli and others. In short, they’re a great crew, who blend those classic traits of Aussie good humour and utter disdain for wine snobbery with, quite literally, generations of grape growing experience.
The series of tastings staged this week served to underscore not only that immense experience, it also emphasized with clarity the remarkable range of styles and regionality which, increasingly, define one of the New World’s oldest producers.
Led by Robert Hill-Smith, whose family founded Yalumba (Australia’s oldest family-owned winery) in 1849, this crew poured some pretty impressive drops, many of which will pop up on local shelves during a June BCLS promotion, as well as elsewhere. It really was a case of “too many wines, too little time.”
There was such an array of wines poured, from collectible rarities such as Henschke’s impossibly velvet-toned 2005 Hill of Grace Shiraz (also with a pedigree from the mid 1800s) to everyday classic great values such as Tahbilk Marsanne (another that can trace its history back to the 1860s). In all, a truckload of worthy wines to track down, some for now and others to hold a while.
Here’s a small sampling (prices include all taxes paid at the till):
Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2013: You could see that Yalumba was almost single handedly responsible for igniting our ongoing infatuation with Viognier. The Eden Valley label is a step up from the familiar “everyday” Y Series, sporting classic apricot and stone fruit, but with a much more intense and orange-toned palate that just keeps on going ($27.99, 91 points).
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2010 (Hunter Valley): Bruce Tyrrell jokes that British wine guru Jancis Robinson refers to him as “The Don Quixote of Semillon” and with good reason. Tyrrell’s has become synonymous with Semillon, precisely because of wines like this, which even at five years is still just a puppy. Right now it’s defined by a crisp, citrus-driven acidity underpinned by a structure and palate that will in time develop wonderful waxy and nutty notes (91 points). Tuck some away for later or console yourself with the still laudable “training wheels” Lost Block 2012 as an introduction ($17.99).
Jim Barry The Florita Riesling 2013 (Clare Valley): Precise and keenly focused, citrus-lemon-lime driven but with perfect fruit-acid balance. A splurge, at around $48 (if you can find it) but also one to tuck away (93 points).
Henschke Henry’s Seven 2013 (Eden Valley): This wine truly underscores the reality that the Aussies are masters at blending. A more complex riff on the standard Shiraz-Viognier duo, Grenache and Mataro bring added weight and complexity, with plummy black fruit and raspberry, plus peppery notes, wrapped in juicy acidity and balanced, approachable tannins with a finish that doesn’t quit ($44, 92 points).
Tahbilk 2008 Museum Release Marsanne (Nagambie Lakes): The “regular” Tahbilk Marsanne has been a BCLS mainstay for decades. Find the current release for $19.99. It’s a deal (even better with Dungeness crab and lemon butter). This special release gives a hint of what happens when Marsanne gets some age on it, with layers of honey and lemon and some mineral undertones. This wine will go at least 15 to 20 years ($26.99, 92 points).
BCLS has an extensive selection of exceptional Aussie offerings through June, well worth a look.
Tim Pawsey writes about wine for numerous publications and online as the Hired Belly at hiredbelly.com. Contact: info@hiredbelly.com.
