TASTE WINE
Crimson tide
From silky smooth pinot noir to perfectly
plump grenache, half a dozen of Australia’s
top-shelf sommeliers share their pick of the
season’s most drinkable red wines.
PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES MOFFATT
THE SOMMELIER
SELECTIONS
J U LY 2014 Q A N TA S 1 31
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05
MICHAEL HALL
LA VIOLETTA
SYRAHMI
BOOVABILITY
BLIND CORNER
Flaxman’s Valley Syrah
2011 $40 Eden Valley, SA
Almirante y Obispo 2011
$58 Geographe, WA
Mourvedre 2012 $38
Heathcote, Victoria
The Wanderer 2013 $50
Adelaide Hills, SA
Bernard 2013 $75
Margaret River, WA
A quiet overachiever,
Michael Hall makes classy,
precise wines that reflect
true varietal and regional
character. This mediumbodied shiraz is a superb
fresh style from a cool
year, with high-pitched
aromatics of Asian spice
and violet, ripe, dark
fruits, and great tension
and balance.
This harmonious
blend of grenache,
mataro and tempranillo
has big, spicy notes of
tobacco, nori and sweet
aromatics, with a tight
core of dark, brooding
forest fruits and
an almost crunchy
minerality. Supple, fleshy
tannins drive the long
and satisfying palate.
It’s not just shiraz and
sangiovese that Adam
Foster is known for these
days. He also makes one
of the brightest, most
energetic mourvedres
around. Christmas cake
spice on the nose is
supplied by a 30 per cent
proportion of wholebunch, juicy fresh fruit,
all in perfect balance.
Tom Munro has just
added this delicious
petit verdot to his roster
of amazing and always
fun wine. Wild and
expressive violet, pink
flowers and perfume
draw you into the glass
and from there it’s all
about pure, full-bodied
drinking pleasure. Ripe,
bright and un-oaked.
Tasting like Margaret
River cab with the
volume turned way
up, this biodynamically
farmed, air-dried,
single-vineyard cabernet
sauvignon has cassis and
menthol combined with a
crazy mouth-feel and big,
twisted tannins. There’s
not a lot of it around,
so be quick.
Jeremy Prus
Co-owner and sommelier at Lalla Rookh Bar & Eating
House in Perth, Prus spent a decade working as a
qualified chef before finding his true passion in wine.
“With an abundance of exciting
releases in 2013, we’re spoiled for
choice. There is no question that
we’re seeing more and more fine
wines from an array of interesting
Australian producers. Whether
it’s outside-the-box winemaking
or classic styles, Australian wine
has never looked better.”
1 32 Q A N TA S J U LY 2014
Banjo Harris Plane
Restaurant manager at Attica in Melbourne, Plane has worked in Adelaide, London and Sydney. He was Australian
Gourmet Traveller’s Sommelier of the Year 2013, and in October he will sit his Master Sommelier’s final examination.
01
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04
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R LOPEZ DE
HEREDIA
ATTWOODS
CASTAGNA
JAUMA
FORLORN HOPE
Old Hog Pinot Noir 2012
$45 Geelong, Victoria
Genesis Syrah 2010 $75
Beechworth, Victoria
Suspiro del Moro 2012
$60 Napa, USA
Troy Walsh is a man to
watch. This is only the
second release of this
wine and it’s already
impressive. Dark,
expansive and shapely,
this is modern, sappy
pinot with no lack of
stuffing. It caresses the
tastebuds and then kicks
you gently. Entrancing.
Biodynamic pioneer
Julian Castagna takes
things to the next level
with the 2010 release of
his flagship Genesis. It
has all the power, impact
and density of previous
releases, but with a
transparency and filigree
that’s almost unbelievable.
Seriously good.
Seaview Birdsey
Cabernet Franc 2013
$40 McLaren Vale, SA
Viña Tondonia Reserva
2001 $95 Rioja, Spain
There ain’t no school
like the old school. This
benchmark Rioja marries
oak, fruit and soil in a
package so harmonious
and complete, you
wonder how long it can
live for. Probably longer
than all of us, given the
plaudits of the vintage.
Pulpy, succulent, tangy,
vibrant, could these be
the new McLaren Vale
adjectives? When fruit
is grown this sensitively,
and the winemaking is
this intuitive, perhaps so.
A fruitful yet elegant cab
franc from one of our
best young winemakers.
This alvarelhao is an
aromatically exuberant
wine – imagine candied
violets, passionfruit and
peach lollies all bound up
with a weave of acid that
leaves you wondering
what the hell is going on.
It’s almost sour and not
for everyone, but then
not much was made. 
“These wines should
be enjoyed at different
times of the day, in
different moods. Each
will challenge not only
your tastebuds, but
your mind, as all great
wines should.”
01
02
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04
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AVANI
E PIRA E FIGLI
CHIARA BOSCHIS
DOMAINE DU
GROS’NORÉ
WANTIRNA
ESTATE
Barolo Cannubi 2010
$199 Piedmonte, Italy
Mourvedre blend 2010
$60 Bandol, France
DOMAINE
TAUPENOTMERME
Understanding nebbiolo’s
strange angular acidity,
its dusty, drying tannins
and its restrained
savoury fruits takes time.
Boschis’ fine production
makes embracing the
variety easy. Succulent,
concentrated red fruit
with terrific energy and
a little modern polish.
Deep and brooding,
perfect with winter
braises and roast game,
this wine is a gentle
giant. Predominantly
mourvedre with some
grenache and cinsault,
it’s a hearty drink with
persuasive tannins and
stunning transparency
and purity of fruit.
The Earth Syrah 2010
$60 Mornington
Peninsula, Victoria
Made by the gifted
Shashi Singh, this syrah
has found its mojo. Low
yields, biodynamics and
a long ripening season
pull off one of the most
ethereal expressions of
the variety in Australia.
Savoury, blue brambly
fruit, warm spice, minerals
and a silky structure.
Jane Semple
Custodian of the cellar at The Point
restaurant in Melbourne, Semple has
spent her life on the wine trail, touring
the world’s vineyards and restaurants.
Chambolle Musigny
La Combe d’Orveau 2010
$180 Burgundy, France
This domaine, with its
old vines and superb
2010 vintage, gives us the
chance to enjoy pinot
noir from its birthplace
with unbridled joy. Pure,
heady red fruit, a lovely
mid-palate sweet spot,
finesse and precision.
Amelia 2010 $75
Yarra Valley, Victoria
The Egans have been
making wine with
classical sensibilities since
the mid-1960s. Vintage
2010 Amelia carries all
the class that good
cabernet attains when
treated right. Merlot fills
out the mid-palate with
tenderness. Understated
and charming.
“Vintage 2010 was a majestic year for
reds in Australia and Europe. Intensity
without weight, power with finesse
– these are the hallmarks of great
wine and my choices have these
qualities in spades. It’s
certainly a heady selection
and the prices reflect a
vintage in demand.”
TASTE WINE
Richard Healy
General manager and beverage director of the Rockpool Group, Healy is also part-owner of Perth’s Bar Lafayette.
01
02
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TRAVIS EARTH
SI VINTNERS
MAYER
COS
Mataro 2013 $30
Barossa Valley, SA
Si Red 2012 $35
Margaret River, WA
R LOPEZ
DE HEREDIA
The apple doesn’t fall
far from the tree – Travis
is the son of winemaker
Robert O’Callaghan,
founder of Rockford
Wines. This is a great
medium-weight,
un-oaked option for
those who like bright
red fruit expression, but
it also shows dried red
earth and spice mix.
Si Vintners’ wines have
been quite a hit on the
sommelier circuit as
they produce a few
out-there styles. This
un-fined and unfiltered
wine blend is mostly
cabernet sauvignon.
Dark fruits dominate
the palate, but notes
of violet and chocolate
add complexity.
Viña Cubillo 2005 $65
Rioja, Spain
Close Planted Pinot
Noir 2013 $55
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
2011 $48
Sicily, Italy
This tempranillo blend
has showed up several
times in our sommelier
group tastings. Although
it has spent three years
in-barrel, the wine is still
buoyant and energetic.
Spice-riddled red fruits
dominate, but texture and
approachability are the
most appealing elements.
Timo Mayer has a
deft touch when it
comes to making sublime
wines and his pinots are
the standouts. This wine
is a symphony of Asian
spice in tune with layers
of red fruit and floral
notes. The wine is
silken, but with
texture and drive.
This nero d’Avola blend
has stunned me with its
fruit expression, spice
mix and sheer drinkability.
We pour it by the glass
and each day marvel at
how chameleon-like it is.
The wine expresses notes
of dark cherry, black tea
and dried flowers, and
unfolds with each swirl.
“The beauty of the current crop of wines
is their sheer quality and diversity, at all
prices. Importers are bringing amazing
wines from overseas and the renaissance
of the Australian wine scene is in full swing.”
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TATURRY
FREDERICK
STEVENSON
JAMSHEED
BRUNO GIACOSA
Seville 2012 $54
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Nebbiolo d’Alba 2011 $60
Piedmont, Italy
Sourced from the cool
southern vales of the
Yarra Valley, classic
cool-climate shiraz is
the style in this wine, and
very perfumed it is, too.
There are a multitude of
flavours including cured
meats, sandalwood, wet
earth, roasted spices and
blackberry. Classy and a
bit underrated.
This is like drinking
young barolo without
the oak, alcohol and
tough astringent tannins
that often make it
downright unpleasant
to imbibe. The nebbiolo
here sings as it should,
thanks to beautiful and
pristine fruit interwoven
with well-balanced
tannin and oak.
Mosselini Vineyard Pinot
Noir 2011 $42 Mornington
Peninsula, Victoria
From relative newcomer
Luke Curry comes a
beautiful example of
hands-off pinot noir.
The fruit is the star here:
bright, fresh, clean and
full of life. It’s lighter than
your average Mornington
fruit bomb, with savoury
Old World flavours,
shapes and textures.
Montepulciano 2013 $36
Eden Valley, SA
This montepulciano
is on the lighter and
more elegant side of the
variety, which is newish
to Australia. Highly
aromatic with violet,
mulberry, rhubarb,
liquorice and hints of
mountain herbs, it’s soft,
fruity and fresh with long
and persistent acidity.
Nick Hildebrandt
Sharon
Romeo
01
JAUMA
Seaview Birdsey
Cabernet Franc 2013 $40
McLaren Vale, SA
An enchanting wine full
of vibrancy and texture,
this cab franc by James
Erskine displays dark
chocolate, spearmint
and deep red fruits with
tannins that get your
juices flowing.
Co-owner of The Bentley Restaurant
& Bar, Monopole and Yellow in Sydney, Hildebrandt has been named Sommelier of the Year
by both The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and Australian Gourmet Traveller.
02
“What’s exciting me most at the moment are wines from Languedoc-Roussillon. There seems
to be a sense of freedom there that produces wine of great individuality and character.”
Syrah 2011 $110
McLaren Vale, SA
05
CLOS DE FÉES
De Battre mon Coeur
s’est Arrêté 2012 $60
Languedoc-Roussillon,
France
For me, the Roussillon
region of France is the most
interesting in the country
right now. Clos de Fées has
been a trailblazer for some
time and this shiraz is
meaty, dark and brooding.
Simply an excellent wine
with great length.
BEKKERS
Made by renowned
winemaking team Toby
and Emmanuelle Bekkers,
this vibrant syrah has a
plush velvety texture
and elegant structure.
Perfectly balanced, it’s
a stellar expression of
premium McLaren Vale
fruit and viticulture.
Romeo is co-founder of the award-winning
Fino restaurant in Willunga, South Australia,
and her wine list has been included in the Hall
of Fame at the Australian Gourmet Traveller
wine awards.
“Vintage 2013 is all about quality rather than
quantity. It was a drawn-out and relaxed vintage.
Yields were down, but the quality was high. The
wines I have selected all offer a mouth-filling
textural experience and reflect a sense of place.”
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04
OCHOTA BARRELS
BEACH ROAD
Fugazi Vineyard Grenache
2013 $38 McLaren Vale, SA
Nero d’Avola 2013 $45
McLaren Vale, SA
This dry-grown, old-vine
grenache is a thing of
natural beauty, as you’d
expect from rock-star
winemaker Taras Ochota.
There’s perfume, cherry and
red fruits on the nose. Lively
acidity and silky tannins
lead to a long, savoury
finish. Perfectly plump.
Briony and Tony Hoare
specialise in making wine
from emerging varieties.
This nero d’Avola is bursting
with strawberry compote
and a hint of cracked
pepper. A soft chalky
texture and underlying
earthiness make it both
alluring and comforting.