Impressions of some new release Australian wines

A busy in store tasting. Managed to try most of what I wanted.

The two stand out wines for me were the Pikes riesling and the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay.

I was struck by just how sweet some of the shiraz based wines were, in particular the Wirra Wirra and the Pillar Box Red. Even higher up the price scale the sweetness was still notable - for instance the De Bortoli.

The prices are all approximate.
The scores give an idea of my preferences on the day, within the limitations of such an exercise (60 minutes 15 or so wines).

Pikes Riesling 2005. (Clare Valley South Australia). $A18
Clear, pure and fine. Pale white, lime, citrus, talc nose. Sherbert and mineral acidity. Exceptional length.
Very good - excellent. 18/20

Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2004. (S E Australia) Screw Cap $A45
Pale. Creamy sweet oak, nutty, cinnamon nose. Lovely in the mouth, fatty, creamy and lovely oak treatment. Crisp and long to end.
Lovely wine. 18.5/20 Drink 2007-2012

Stella Bella Chardonnay 2003 (Margaret River). Screw Cap
Pale. More subdued nose than the Eileen Hardy. Well handled malo, creamy and butterscotch in the mouth. Very good, but second rate compared to the Eileen. 17/20

Kooyong Massale Pinot noir 2005 (Mornington Peninsula Victoria). Cork. $A25
Lovely medium red, luscious. Good intensity nose, cherry, metal amalgam. Spicy, textural and warming. Sappy - perhaps overly so and bitter stems. A bit of a tadpole (all up front and no length). Still very good for its price point. 16.5/20

Stella Bella Shiraz 2003 (Margaret river Western Australia). $A30
Purple. Mulberry and earth nose. Perhaps faint brett effect. Very juciy attack. Drying and slightly hot finish.
Good. 16.3/20

Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Shiraz 2004 (Mclaren Vale). Screw Cap. $A12
Deep purple. Mulberry and a curious aftershave scent. Terribly sweet and confection like, short and warming end.
Fair. 15/20

Pepperjack Shiraz 2004 (Barossa). SA16
Deep. Good and typical Barossa nose. Prune, mulberry, chocolate. Again very sweet. Inky slick of tannins to end.
Fair 15.5/20

Hardy's Oomoo Shiraz 2004 (McLaren Vale) SA11
After the above two wines I wanted to recalibrate and compare to the Oomoo. Similar to my previous tasting note - but again quite a sweet wine. Something that I had not noticed so much when tasted on its own.

Pillar Box Red. Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2004. $A11
Deep red, almost black. Herbal, leafy and green sharpness on the nose, but in the mouth this is like cough medicine. Sweet, syrup like, silky and warming. Ends dry. 15/20

De Bortoli Shiraz Viognier 2004 (Yarra Valley Victoria) Approx $A35
Deep red. Dried apricot, almost confection like in its intensity. Dark berries. Sweet and soft in the mouth, again apricoty. Fine and long.
Very good, especially if you like apricot. 17/20

Pepperjack Cabernet 2004 (Barossa) $A16
Leafy, herbal nose. Juicy and a touch of sweetness. Soft, firm, well handled tannins.
Very good. 17/20

Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz 2002. (South Australia) Approx $A40
Sweet oak nose, this dominates and there was very little fruit to detect on the nose - this should settle with bottle age. Plump juicy fruit in the mouth, smooth and approachable. Very fine chewy tannins.
Very good. 17/20 (will improve no doubt).

The photo is of haystacks in Maraget River.

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