Each month from now I will be posting reviews of my top 4 for the previous month. Today, I will review my top 4 from April 2012.
Gundog Estate Hunter's Shiraz 2011 ($30) - Available online
We sampled the Gundog Estate portfolio as part of the Canberra Harvest Festival. I had previously been acquainted with Gundog via their Hunter Valley cellar door. Their range includes 3 distinct styles of Semillon, or Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, a NV Rutherglen Muscat and some premium Canberra and Hunter Valley Shiraz's. The Hunter's Shiraz (the second tier behind the Canberra District Marksman Shiraz) was the clear favourite.
This wine is a perfect example of modern Hunter elegance. The fruit is sweet and intense, yet the palate is soft and gentle. The tannins are well integrated. A wine sure to convert the Hunter-haters. 93 points.
Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot 1998 ($90) - Purchased from Dan Murphy's Newcastle West
An absolute classic, and a proven performer. I picked up this bottle at Dan Murphy's in Newcastle West while looking for a wine to start off my brothers birthday celebrations. I wanted something that was reasonably well aged, and came across this after searching a few local shops.
Some serious decanting was required as a mountain of sediment had built up in the bottle. What remained was a dark, syrupy wine that filled the room with smells of spice and leather. The primary fruit had not completely gone either with remnants of dark berries and cassis still perceptible.
The palate exploded with rich spices, game and oak. The oak wasn't over-powering, although it was rich and balanced well with the wine. An impossibly smooth drink with perfectly integrated tannins. 93 points.
A relative newcomer to Gamay Noir, my only real exposure has been the odd bottle of Beaujolais. This wine was selected to match a sensational duck dish at SuBo, a restaurant owned and operated by a husband and wife team in Newcastle.
The wine itself was light and clear. A distinctive red tinge, almost like a deep rose. The nose was floral, with strawberry jam notes shining through.
The palate itself was dry, but with bursts of concentrated raspberries and strawberries. An impossibly light wine that complemented the delicacy of the rare duck breast perfectly. 91 points.
First Creek Botrytis Semillon 2008 ($25) - Liberated form my parents garage. Available online
On my last visit to Newcastle to see the family I came across this bottle in my parents garage. Not being big botrytis fans, they didn't mind my taking it home, however the temptation to taste overwhelmed me when we visited my grandparents place and dessert came around.
At only 9% alcohol, the wine is light and clear yellow; the aromas dominated by pear and apricots.
The sweetness is somewhat subdued, allowing the natural pear flavours to dominate, and the spear of acidity ensures that the wine doesn't drift into a syrupy dessert-topping. Incredibly fresh, complementing most non-chocolate based desserts. 91 points.
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