Chateau Guiraud G Dry White 2005

Words not included

This wine was something of a curio in a blind tasting.  The "G" is a "dry Sauternes" made by the eminent Chateau Guiraud, that is only entitled to a humble AOC Bordeaux as a dry wine.  In effect and fact, it is simply a semillon-sauvignon blanc blend.  What then of the wine?  Golden in colour, the wine opens to an aroma of intense peaches, grapes, grass, (less attractively) a touch of burnt rubber, stones and minerals.  On the palate, there is a good dose of grapey length, apricots and high acid.  Frankly, it's a good wine that is worth a look, although it is more than a little odd.  88 points.

Abv: 13.5%
Price: $25 (current vintage)
Website: http://chateauguiraud.fr/en/index.php

Bordeaux, dinner and a Mouton

I haven't attended a lot of wine tastings where a first growth Bordeaux is in the line up.  Maybe I usually attend the wrong sorts of tastings.  After all, I am shortly attending one on "natural wines", so my judgement may not be sound.  This occasion though was an importer's dinner at "The Botanical" in Melbourne: a restaurant that has always been very smart, with a more than handy wine list.  Here are some rambling observations on the food and wine.  The atmosphere was rather festive, so I have offered thoughts rather than scores.

The dinner kicked off with a casual glass of Chateau Brondell's Le Rosé de Brondelle 2009, a rosé from Graves, consisting of an even blend of cabernet franc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.  This wine was ably accompanied by canape style servings of ocean trout "gravlax" (raw, thinly sliced and cured, I believe) with creme fraiche and salmon roe.  The rosé itself was not really my style.  A viscous palate was accompanied with a touch of alcohol on the nose, together with minerals, short of medium acidity, stone fruits, peaches and short length on the palate.  But it is $22, dry, and certainly quaffable.

The first set of wines was matched to a glorious dish of mambo scallops with "air dried sea essence" (I don't know either) and beurre blanc.  It's hard to go past good scallops.  And these were good scallops - plump and fried just right.  Here, we met 3 semillon-sauvignon blanc blends, all from Graves.  All of them were good wines, and highlight the convergence, in my humble opinion, between some new and old world wine styles.  Much is said about the new world wines seeking to ape the old.  Less is said about the inverse.  I am particularly sensitive to this convergence, because I will shortly be examined blind on it, and it seems an unreasonable development as a result.  The first, Chateau Magneau Blanc 2009 from Graves is a blend of 45% sauvignon blanc, 45% semillon and 10% muscadelle.  It had some new world echos in style, with a developing medium intensity aroma of grass, hay, gooseberries, minerals and citrus.  On the palate, there was medium acidity, length and stone fruit.  A good quality wine.  The second, Chateau Brondelle's Grand Vin Blanc 2009 from Graves is a very good wine, designed to confuse any blind taster (I was not tasting blind), by its shroud of oak.  This time it is a blend of 50% sauvignon blanc and 50% semillon.  A pronounced aroma of oak and almost tropical fruits blew off, after a while, to reveal some grass and minerals.  The palate had good length, good oak and presented well.  The third wine was Clos Floridene's Blanc 2009 also from Graves.  This wine presented as the more balanced and interesting of the set with classic aromas of grass, minerals and stones, and a medium length, minerally palate, though I suspect the second wine is in fact the better wine.

The second set of wines was matched to a tasty suckling middle white pig porchetta (a boneless pork roast - who says wine requires translation?).  And here we got stuck into the serious (oops red) wines.  The first was the Chateau Les Clauzots "Cuvee Maxime" 2005 from Graves.  I'll say it again, buy anything from Bordeaux from 2005 that costs more than about $25.  Seriously.  I've reviewed this wine previously and liked it very much.  The next wine was Chateau Chasse Spleen 2005 from Moulis-en-Medoc.  This would be an insider's wine, were in not for the fact that it is well known and not generally cheaply found in Australia.  It had a developing aroma of fruit cake, cigar box, black fruits, and on the palate good length, quite pronounced tannins at this point, and perhaps, I thought, a touch of extraction.  It's very good though and will last years, and I have a few of these stashed away.  The third wine was Clos du Marquis 2005 from Saint Julien - the second wine of the esteemed Chateau Leoville Las Cases.  Blackcurrants and slightly surprising buttery popcorn like oak were there on the nose.  On the palate, which shone brighter, it had quite pronounced length laced with blackcurrants.  Undeniable quality there.

More please

The third set of wines introduced the star of the show, and was set to red wine braised beef cheeks with "reform" garnish.  I can't explain that one.  This dish looked nice, but since I've formed the mostly unfashionable view that I in fact don't like beef cheeks very much, I prodded it studiously.  I am very fortunate to have tasted the wines in this bracket.  First, we met Chateau Leoville Barton 2001 from Saint Julien.  2001 is often rated as highly in France as 2000 for the vintage, an observation I have found valid to this point, so I looked forward to this.  It disappointed a little: an aroma of capsicum and varnish, with more than medium tannins and medium acidity is all I wrote down.  My expectations of Leoville Barton may be a little high, as I wasn't convinced with their 1996 either in an earlier review.  The second wine, Chateau Leoville Barton 1989 was much better, performing with ease at 22 years old.  It surprised me how plausible it seemed to simply pop the cork on a Bordeaux from 1989.  The wine had a towards light fragrance of cigar box, herbs and a balanced palate with blackcurrants, medium acidity and length.  It would have been the star of the show, except that next to it was a Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1989 from Pauillac.  First growths have a certain magnetism.  More than one person wrung the bottle.  The wine itself had an aroma of utterly vibrant blackcurrants and oak, with a pronounced intensity and a timeless quality.  The palate soared with long length and blackcurrant flavours.  If I am to be a little pernickety, it perhaps lacked a little stuffing and raw power in terms of overall mouthfeel, but its balance, length and aroma were sublime.  An outstanding wine.

The dinner concluded with chocolate truffles matched to a Domaine Sainte Croix Rivesaltes 1909, a fortified wine made principally from grenache in southern France.  This wine was simply lovely, soft, with obvious oxidative handling.

Reflecting writing this, the wine world can do a good dinner.

Disclosure: I attended this dinner as a guest of the importer, Bordeaux Shippers.

Palacios Remondo La Montesa Rioja 2007

I tasted this wine blind in a set of 12, and it was the stand-out wine.  It is a blend of 60% grenache with tempranillo, graciano and mazuelo making up the balance.  Ruby-garnet in colour, the wine has a clean nose, with a medium intensity, developing fragrance of spices and cherry cola.  On the palate, the wine is dry, with long length, oak, medium acidity, red fruits, medium tannins and full bodied.  The flavour intensity, concentration of flavours and length is pronounced.  While the oak influence is obvious, under it, sits an excellent value and quality wine.  90 to 92 points.

Abv: 14%
Price: $45
Website: http://www.thespanishacquisition.com (importer's site)
Tasted: August 2011

Brown Brothers Tempranillo 2009

Sorry, here's another grumpy review.  Dark in colour, Brown Brothers' 2009 tempranillo had a medium intensity aroma of plums, strawberries and dark cherries.  The palate had similar flavours and medium acidity, but I felt the alcohol a bit pronounced, spiky and out of balance.  But then we are talking here about a wine that is around $14, and I tasted this wine blind not knowing this, so this may be harsh.  On day 2, it was better.  Decanting might be a good idea to soften this one up a bit.  Seemingly not as good as the 2008 or the 2004 that I've tried previously.  80 to 81 points.

Abv: 14.5%

Price: $14

Website: http://www.brownbrothers.com.au

Tasted: September 2011

Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

This wine looked like the sort of wine that might open up to reveal something stunning, but never really did.  It had an aroma of licorice, chocolate and some spice - quite promising and quite typical for Coonawarra cabernet.  The palate though seemed a little thin - lacking in depth of flavour and length.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing, and I expected a little more.  And now having read the series of good reviews it has received, maybe the bottle, tasted in far north Queensland, had been poorly stored.  Unfortunately I can only write down what I tasted.  82 points.

Abv: 14.5%
Price: $25
Website: http://www.zema.com.au
Tasted: September 2011

Lark Hill Viognier Dark Horse 2011

Viognier can be a difficult grape to get right.  It more often than might be hoped for  can result in a wine with an alcohol level that is unbalanced relative to its fruit (towards and sometimes over "15"), and can be bitter too.  Lark Hill's 2011 viognier from their "Dark Horse" vineyard in the Murrumbateman sub-region of the Canberra District happily does not fall into these traps.  Lemon-green in colour, it has an aroma of spice, lemon pith and apricot kernel.  On the palate, a viscous texture together with notes of apricot, spice and oil.  Good length too.  There is a subtlety and delicacy that distinguishes this viognier, particularly having tasted a couple of more brute like versions from the Yarra Valley recently.  Recommended.  Perhaps there is something in the region, as I like Clonakilla's viognier too, and this one is $20 less.  88 to 89 points.

Abv: 12.5%
Price: $25
Source: sample
Website: http://www.larkhillwine.com.au

Hewitson Baby Bush Mourvedre 2009

Go out and buy some of this.  Black in colour, this mourvedre based wine from Hewitson in the Barossa Valley from the 2009 vintage has an aroma of dark cherries and earth.  The palate is textured with good length, dark cherries again, and moderate acidity and tannins.  The texture and length are what stood out for me.  It sort of gently paws at you, soothingly suggesting more top ups than is sensible.  89 points.

Abv: 14.2%
Price: $29
Website: http://www.hewitson.com.au/

Wirra Wirra Church Block Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2009

This wine and I got off to a bit of a bad start, in that I paid $29 for it in far north Queensland, whereas google tells me that it is available at $15. At $15, it is quite a pleasant drop. Black in colour, there is a medium intensity aroma of spice, pepper, plum and Christmas cake. On the palate, pepper, medium acidity, a little short of medium length and at times spiky, but overall balanced, alcohol. Hits its price point and perhaps over achieves a little. 84-85 points.

Abv: 14.5%
Price: $15
Website: http://www.wirrawirra.com/

Bass Phillip Rosé 2010

The first thing that strikes you about this wine is the bottle. I didn't take a picture of it, but think a rolling pin with one arm, with 70s style design on the label. Interesting in the crazy uncle sense of that word. This wine has quite a lot going on: stalk, peach and struck match on the nose. On the palate, similar, with good length too: something not often seen in a rosé. The catch is that, while the quality is frankly very good, it is expensive for a rosé with a high $20s price point. If you are going to spend $20 on a rosé I find it hard to go past Turkey Flat's offering. 87 points

Abv: 12.2%
Price: high $20s
Website: http://www.bassphillip.com.au/

Tin Shed All Day Rosé 2010

This rosé had the sort of intense red colour that would not look out of place in a line up of pinot noirs. No salmon pink here. A blend of grenache, sangiovese, mourvedre and shiraz, this rosé had a bit more stuffing and flavour than your average rosé. Aromas of peach, spicy fruit cake and raisins were met with a similar palate, with a touch of residual sugar putting it somewhere between dry and off dry, without being clearly either. Happy summer drinking. 85 points.

Abv: 13%
Price: $16
Website: http://www.tinshedwines.com/

Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2007

I am tasting a lot of wines "blind" lately as part of preparing for the WSET diploma exams; this Guigal wine was one of them. Usually I find Guigal wines have a little more stuffing than this 2007 Cotes du Rhone. That said, in fairness, the wine did present very typically for its appellation. Purple in colour, there was a light aroma of plum skins, cherries and herbs. On the palate, medium acidity and tannins, prickily alcohol (which resolved with aeration), shortish length and thyme. Balance was achieved with time in the glass - I didn't much like it initially. Overall, nice but lacking x factor. 82 points.

Abv: 13.5%
Price: $20s
Website: http://www.guigal.com/

Steels Creek Estate Chardonnay 2004

Steels Creek Estate is a small Yarra Valley producer, which happily survived the 2009 bushfires which hit the region so hard. Their 2004 chardonnay is further evidence of my theory that this varietal produces the most regularly high quality wines from the Yarra Valley region. Cabernet can be outstanding but inconsistent, pinot noir can have its moments and shiraz and sauvignon blanc their share of difficult conversations. But chardonnay is where the region sings. In colour, the 2004 chardonnay from Steels Creek Estate is golden and almost flourescent. It has an attractive medium intensity aroma of oak, chunky ripe melons and ripe peaches. But it is not over-oaked. On the palate, good length and balance is accompanied by a viscous texture and a touch of petillance. Frankly a good wine. 88 points.

Price: low $20s
Website: http://www.steelsckestate.com.au/

Sandalford Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This wine is a stand-out, reminding me of a classed growth Bordeaux (from a not too shabby year either). This was in fact my guess having tasted the wine blind. Not the shabby bit, that is. It has an intensely saturated purple colour. On the nose, there is a medium intensity aroma of cigar box and black fruits. On the palate, its long length stands out. Also there are some blackcurrants accompanied by moderate tannins and medium "plus" acidity. For the price, a bargain. I will certainly be buying more of this. 95 points

Abv: 14.1%
Price: $45
Website: http://www.sandalford.com/

Cabernet Sauvignon – Which clone is that? Or a possible riposte to terroir.

I think I believe in terroir, I do.  Wines that taste of a place.  An identification with stones, earth, soil, salty or foreign winds, fog and weather that all play their role in maintaining and augmenting this belief.  Or care free holidays.  But, for my sins, I am also somewhat rational, and wonder, and perhaps sometimes fear, that what I think is terroir might be explained by something more banal.  A consistently good winemaker perhaps.  Or some particularly smart viticulture.  Or maybe the grapes themselves are behind it all.  And this latter point gave me the idea for this article.  And since I happen to like cabernet sauvignon, the somewhat less travelled path of which clones are used by some of my favourite Australian cabernet producers beckoned.  Here I should note that I am indebted to the wineries mentioned for taking the time to answer my silly questions.

First, let’s start with something really obvious, namely what’s a clone?  According to The Oxford Companion to Wine (3^rd Ed, 2006) (“Oxford Companion”), a clone “in a viticultural context is a single vine or a population of vines all derived by vegetative propagation from cuttings or buds from a single ‘mother vine’ by deliberate clonal selection”.  So think plant cuttings, rather than seeds.

What then cabernet sauvignon clones are out there?  Romance and clonal identification of grape varieties appear not to be correlated.  Though more than a couple of pinot noir drinkers will know off-hand whether the MV6 or other clone is in use, a similar appetite for alphanumerics is not something that I have yet detected in those who enjoy cabernet.  The main protagonists in the cabernet world appear to be the unhappily named C125, CW44, FPS12, G9V3, LC84, LC10, LC14, PDFS, Q390-05, R2V11, SA124, SA125, SA126, Reynella Selection and WA Cape Selection.  And please don’t take this as an implied advocacy for one grape variety over another.  My taste buds prefer the democracy of not being required to choose.

So, what can we expect from these particular clones?  An article authored by Nick Dry, viticulturalist at the Yalumba Nursery entitled “Yalumba Nursery: The Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Clonal Trial” published in the May/June 2011 issue of the Wine and Viticulture Journal (and kindly brought to my attention by Nick) provides guidance on more than of a few of these:

·         CW44 is the first “Coonawarra clone”  and was selected from the Richardson’s block by the Department of Agriculture and released in 1980.  It is said to be a moderate yielding clone that produces good fruit flavours;

·         the FPS12 was imported in 1991 from Foundation Plant Services in California, via Chile in 1971 and prior to that a selection from Bordeaux in the 1880s.

·         G9V3 is from the Foundation Plant Services in California;

·         PDFS is the “Plants de France Selection” from Michel Colomb in 2011.  This is said to produce moderate yields with medium sized berries.  A trial in Coonawarra in 2007 suggested it to have vigour, capsicum like flavours and quite good tannin ripeness but also quite acidic;

·         the Q390-05 was imported from the Centre for Plant Health in Sidney, British Columbia Canada and arrived in Canada from a private source in France.   A trial in Coonawarra in 2007 suggested it to have low vigour, small bunches, good tannin and flavour ripeness, and good maturity of flavour and tannin for its baume;

·         SA125 was selected from the Dorrien Vineyard in the Barossa Valley and is widely planted in South Australia.  It is described as a low yielding, early ripening clone that produces wines with good intensity and ripe tannins.  SA126 was also selected from the Dorrien Vineyard;

·         the Reynella selection is a mass selection traceable to the Reynella vineyard in McLaren Vale planted in the 1840s.  It is generally low yielding, but can produce inconsistent yields from season to season and performs better in warmer years.  “Mass selection” according to the Oxford Companion means “when many vines are selected to provide budwood” and “the identity of the individual vines is not maintained”.  Logically, it is therefore a cost effective means of propagation; and

·         the WA Cape Selection is a selection of 21 vines at Houghtons in the late 1960s originally sourced from selections from South Africa more than 100 years ago.  A trial in Coonawarra in 2007 suggested more acid than tannin, good growth habit and low vigour. 

And finally, and perhaps most importantly from a wine consumer's perspective, who says they use what?  Here are some anecdotal insights:

·         Tahbilk suggest that plantings in the 1980’s were all G9V3 but other earlier and later plantings and the source of all planting material are not known.  The peppermint and eucalyptus characters of the G9V3 clone are considered attractive;

·         Balnaves indicate that they have several different clones of cabernet sauvignon but the best results to date seem to be coming from the ‘Reynella Selection’ source of cabernet sauvignon. The selection seems to be less biannual in bearing, seems to cope better with stress and produce complex flavours;

·         over at De Bortoli, all premium cabernet wine is made from SA125.  Depending on the site SA125 tends to have less methoxypyrazine characters (herbaceous, bell pepper aromas) than other clones, but all clones are susceptible to bud mite damage and eutypa symptoms as they age;

·         at Yeringberg, the first cuttings planted were said to be from Great Western, and from the same (unknown) source as that planted at Mount Mary.  A number of years later Yeringberg obtained cuttings from Seville Estate, from clone SA126.  The fruit from both plantings is fermented together;

·         Vasse Felix’s cabernet clones are mainly the Houghton clone, but they do have some SA125 and SA126 planted.  SA125 is said to be low yielding and to have deeper, more blackberry fruits and a tough tannin structure.  SA126 is said to be higher yielding and tends to be a bit more herbaceous and lighter in weight and is not regarded as a preferred clone;

·         at Majella, the first cabernet sauvignon vines were planted in 1970.  There are small plantings of C125, LC84, R2V11 clones, but most of the plantings owe their heritage to the original Majella "selection"; and

·         Yalumba indicate that over the last twenty years they have used most clones, but have had most consistent success with  Reynella and SA125.  Other clones such as CW44 and G9V3 perform better under some seasonal conditions or on different soil types.

This is of course but a snapshot of cabernet sauvignon and the various clones in use around Australia.  And I must admit I found this fun to write.  Clearly, however, many wineries take clonal selection very seriously indeed.  If nothing else, I hope this article might add to a stimulation of thought on how important, or not, factors such as clonal selection might be to the ultimate flavours of wine.   It may be more important than is perhaps sometimes given credit.

See also RM Cirami, MG McCarthy and PR Nicholas, “Clonal selection and evaluation to improve production of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines in South Australia”, (1993) 33 Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 213-20.