Category Archives: Australia

Xanadu, Margaret River (Western Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon “Circa 77” 2020

($18, RWG USA):  This charming and restrained Cabernet is exactly the opposite of the heavy weight Cabernets coming from Australia or California.  This mid-weight wine delivers a seamless and balanced combination of spice, black, and red fruit notes.  The small (six percent) amount of Cabernet Franc in the blend announces itself by subtle and alluring leafy and herbal nuances and amplifies the wine’s charms. Read more

Xanadu, Margaret River (Western Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon “Vinework” 2020

($27, RWG USA):  Glenn Goodall, Xanadu’s winemaker, explains that producers in the Margaret River they like to focus on what they do best — Cabernet Sauvignon.  He notes with great pride that Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon wins, on average, 75 percent of all trophies in Australian wine competition, despite accounting for only three percent of the Cabernet Sauvignon that is crushed. Read more

Yangarra, McLaren Vale (South Australia) Roussanne “Roux Beauté” 2017

($50, Sovereign Wine Imports):  Roussanne, an important white grape in the Rhône Valley, has taken hold in Australia.  Though usually blended with Marsanne and other varieties, Yangarra uses it exclusively in this wine.  The grape takes its name from the russet (roux) like color of the mature grapes, according to Jancis Robinson et al’s Wine GrapesRead more

Cloudburst, Margaret River (Western Australia) Chardonnay 2013

($225): It’s worth repeating:  Will Berliner, winemaker and owner of Cloudburst, his tiny estate in Western Australia’s Margaret River, turns out consistently superb Chardonnay, in addition to his stellar Cabernet Sauvignon, despite his lack of formal winemaking training. There’s a Burgundian Grand Cru sensibility about this 2013 Chardonnay:  Engaging toastiness that is replaced by minerality and fruitiness as it sits in the glass and blossoms. Read more

Grosset, Clare Valley (South Australia) Riesling Polish Hill 2014

($49): Jeffrey Grosset makes an array of fabulous Rieslings.  Despite the impression — erroneous, as it turns out — that Australia falls into the “warm weather” category for winemaking, the Clare Valley is home to exceptional Riesling. Jeffrey Grosset told me that they have such ideal conditions there for that grape that they have not needed to acidity the wines for the last 14 vintages since they transformed the vineyard to organic farming. Read more

Robert Oatley, McLaren Vale (South Australia) Shiraz 2012

($20, Pacific Highway Wines and Spirits): This is the kind of wine that made Australian Shiraz famous.  It’s a little meaty, a little spicy, a little fruity and most importantly, not over done, alcoholic or over wrought.  I’d even say it’s graceful, word rarely used to describe Australian Shiraz, and when it is, it’s describing a wine that’s far more expensive than this one. Read more

Vasse Felix, Margaret River (Western Australia) Chardonnay 2012

($21, Negociants USA): The cooling maritime influences from the Indian and Southern Oceans explain why Western Australian wines differ from those of South Australia, the country’s major wine producing state.  The cooler growing season allows grapes more time to ripen and develop complex flavors resulting in wines with great refinement, as exemplified by Vasse Felix’s stunning 2012 Chardonnay.  … Read more

Redbank, Victoria (Australia) Chardonnay “The Long Paddock” 2011

($15, Negociants USA): The conventional wisdom is that Australia Chardonnays are ripe, big and in your face.  Well, it turns out that conventional wisdom is wrong in this case (and in many others when it comes to Australian wine).  Victoria’s relatively cool climate compared to most of Australian grape growing areas is readily apparent in this Chardonnay and explains the wine’s alluring and captivating delicacy and enticing creaminess. … Read more

Cape Mentelle, Margaret River (Western Australia, Australia) Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2011

($17, Moët Hennessey USA):  I’m always surprised that the SBS (as they’re known in Australia) wines aren’t as popular here as they are down under.  Cape Mentelle, one of Western Australia’s leading producers, made a particularly alluring one in 2011.  Its creamy luxurious side–Semillon speaking–is offset and balanced by a pleasant tang from the Sauvignon Blanc. … Read more

Wakefield, Clare Valley (South Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon “St. Andrews” 2006

($50, American Wine Distributors):  Wakefield is best known for their stellar Rieslings.  After tasting this Cabernet and the Wakefield Shiraz (also reviewed this week), I’m sure that these varieties will be giving Riesling a run for its money.  St. Andrews is the name Wakefield uses for their top tier of wines and this Cabernet Sauvignon certainly deserves to be included. … Read more