26 October 2009
It’s usually past closing time at the Post Office when we arrive back in downtown Bowen after a trip away, but Madam had been expecting a comfort parcel from Japan before we headed off to catch Elvis Costello in concert in mid-October 2009 so, despite the fact that we wouldn’t be able to collect anything too big to fit into the PO Box we checked it out before we got home.
Among the assorted bills, financial statements, junk mail and other correspondence there were, predictably, a couple of parcel waiting to collect cards, two for regular parcels and three bearing the ominous OBNRD code that indicated that the relevant item is at the back of the building near the roller door since it’s relatively large and heavy.
In other words, three boxes of wine...
We were back there early in the morning, coincidentally about an hour too early for Madam’s parcel) and once the package notices had been handed over I took delivery of a Michael Dibdin Aurelio Zen novel along with a Wine Society Best Value Selection, a Wine Club pack from Pfeiffers and a dozen Paulett Riesling which, at $15 a bottle freight free had been an offer that was too good to refuse.
I took my time before sampling the Wine Society box, since they’d need a day or two to get over transit trauma. In the interim I tried the 2005 Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Red, a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Shiraz blend drawn from McLaren Vale, Beechworth and the Hunter Valley.
It’s a middleweight drink now style that was nicely balanced with pleasant fruit flavours and a rounded mouth feel. Pretty good buying at the price we paid, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to track down another bottle.
The first wine I tried from the TWS box was the Kettle Lane 2009 Tasmanian Sauvignon Blanc. There’s also a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with the same label, Kettle Lane being a Wine Society label aimed at restaurants as well as Society members.
As far as the wine is concerned, it’d be interesting to try it alongside its Kiwi cousin, since there’s an abundance of the same characters that we associate with the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that are currently flooding the market.
With a RRP of $15 and a reorder price of $13.59 it’s reasonable value for money in terms of quality, but I’m not that big a fan of the passionfruit gooseberry cat’s pee style, so if I was looking in that direction I’d probably be grabbing a cleanskin or something that’s similarly discounted....
That flood of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc is attracting plenty of comment, of course, and there’s more than a few local critics who are scratching their heads as quality Australian Riesling continues to fly well below the commercial radar.
Catching up on podcast subscriptions when we returned to base the latest Wine Week offering was a Brad-less Danny engaging in a comparative tasting of a Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc and a Clare Riesling, with a predictable outcome given the lad’s oft-stated love of Aussie Riesling.
Richard Hamilton 2008 Slate Quarry Riesling (RRP $18 TWS $13.99 Reorder $11.89) mightn’t be up there with the absolute best on offer from the Clare and Eden Valleys, but it’s not bad. Some ripe citrus on the nose along with a crisp acidity in the mouth add up to the sort of wine that I’d have been quite happy to reorder eighteen months ago. A glance at the back label suggests a bottling intended for the Malaysian market, which probably accounts for the substantial difference between RRP and the TWS regular price. A wine of this quality for a touch under $12 would, under ordinary circumstances, be good buying. Having visited Clare last year ago, and having signed up to a number of winery mailing lists, I’ve got around two dozen Rieslings on hand that are at least this good, so that’s going to be enough for the time being.
On the other hand, the Printhie 2006 Chardonnay (RRP $18 TWS $12.99 Reorder $11.04), which Mr Halliday rates at 94, is something that I’m definitely about to reorder. There’s also a Wynns 2007 Cabernet Shiraz Merlot (RRP $21.49 TWS $11.99) in the current Member Catalogue, so I’ll be weakening in that direction as well.
The Printhie Chardonnay, an elegant high altitude cool climate number from Orange promises good things to come from the first whiff of peaches and nuts, follows through with buttery notes incorporated into a full and rich palate with a lingering finish. One of the best Chardonnays I can recall, not quite the big buttery style, though, as noted, there’s a hint of that in the mix. One to savour over the next year or two....
Of the reds, the Circle Collection 2008 Merlot from Littore (RRP $11.99 TWS $10.99 Reorder $9.34) is one of the ubiquitous South Eastern Australia models, with some pleasant fruit characters and balanced tannins and a lingering finish. While it’s not one to reject as undrinkable - on the contrary, it’s a very drinkable style, and excellent value for money at the reorder price - given previously noted factors it isn’t one to reorder.
The same considerations come into play where The Wine Society 2006 Barossa Valley Shiraz (TWS $12.99 Reorder $11.04) is concerned. Deep red, plenty on offer on the nose and a fairly rich palate with a rounded mouthfeel and a clean finish, it’s perfectly drinkable with none of what Madam terms that cheap wine Shiraz taste you tend to find at the lower price points, but I’m inclined to head to Coonawarra for my next supply of red.
According to the back label of the Kissing Bridge 2007 Cabernet Merlot (RRP $11.99 TWS $10.88 Reorder $9.34) each year the Cheviot Bridge Wine Company seek out the best wines from throughout Australia to ensure that each vintage will be the same outstanding wine. That’s a pretty big call.
While there’s nothing wrong with the wine per se, there’s no way it’s outstanding. For my money, another good example of the well-made wines Australia produces around this price point would be closer to the mark. It’s a wine that ticks all the right boxes at the price point - blackberries, chocolate and oak on the nose, pleasant tannins and a lengthy finish - without doing much to stand out from the pack.
Reorder? Don’t think so. Buy a bottle if sighted in a bottle shop suitably discounted? Quite possible. That’ll depend, of course, on what else is in the vicinity....