Canowindra’s Pig in the House

JOHN ROZENTALS looks at a new pig entering the house to join the ranks of organic wine,

One of NSW's leading organic wine producers, Canowindra's Pig in the House, has released two new wines in time for the summer break — Pig in the House 2017 Organic Rosé and Pig in the House 2017 Organic Chardonnay.

Both wines retail for $25 at full margin.

The growth in sales for Pig in the House correlated with the growth seen in the organic wine market over recent years, with figures revealing that the number of consumers who claimed to have purchased organic wine increased from 13per cent in 2012 to 20 per cent in 2016.

"We are also seeing this increase in consumption through our distribution channels," said winery owner and vigneron Jason O'Dea.

"This growth, along with increasing demand for rosé made it an easy decision to make the new Pig in the House Organic Rosé."

Visit www.piginthehouse.com.au.

WINE REVIEWS

Pig in the House 2017 Organic Rosé ($25): Winemaker Anthony D'Onise chose mainly sangiovese, blended with just a touch of shiraz, to make this wine, which is resfreshingly crisp, enticingly flavoured an quite dry. "Stylistically speaking, we were aiming to capture the varietal characters," said D'Onise. Mission accomplished.

Pig in the House 2017 Organic Chardonnay ($25): I like this modern style of chardonnay, with its just subtle of oak gained through 15 per cent barrel fermentation. D'Onise likes the "white peach purity" of chardonnay from the Cowra district. So do I.

Rowlee 2016 Chardonnay - Orange

THIS one began with a small vineyard intended
to simply keep its owner busy in semi-retirement.

ONE TO NOTE: WHEN Nik and Deonne Samodol bought 32 hectares (around 80 acres) of a once-sprawling 810ha (2000 acre) grazing property on the slopes of Mount Canobolas at Orange in NSW's Central West, they planted eight hectares of vineyards with the intention of keeping Nik busy hand-tending in his semi-retirement.

But with both site and climate being "just right" for a trio of grape varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo) and the backing of consultant viticulturist, Tim Esson, the Samodol's found the Rowlee Vineyard fruit they were selling was being made by others into multi-award winning wines.

And so Nik and Deonne and their daughter Nicole and Tim Esson and his family teamed-up in 2013 to create Rowlee Wines, and to make their own vinos with guidance and backing from "mentor  winemaker," PJ Charteris. Their 2016 Rowlee Chardonnay is a stunner, with a vineyard load of stone fruit and citrus flavours and a creamy texture that makes it a perfect match with a summer's chicken salad, or veal chops barbecued and topped with creamy mushrooms.

Order online at $40 through www.rowleewines.com.au

Margan Hunter Valley Chardonnay

REWARDING RESULT FROM OLDER VINES

David Ellis

IF like us you enjoy your Chardonnay, Margan Family Wines currently have a lovely 2017 made from the fruit of low yielding old vines originally planted by Lindemans on the volcanic soil of the Hunter Valley's Fordwich Sill over 40 years ago.

Close planted and managed with vertical shoot positioning to give a good mix of sunshine and shaded fruit, this early 1970s vineyard crops at around two tonnes per acre, which while quite low for white grapes, ensures full fruit ripeness at lower sugar levels, and high acidity.

The 2017 vintage in the Hunter Valley was hot and dry, resulting in outstanding fruit across the whole spectrum of wine grapes, with Chardonnay perhaps the stand-out performer. As a result Andrew Margan crafted a lovely 2017 wine, one that's got a wonderfully creamy texture, lively acidity and nice suggestions of nectarine, cashew nut and lime zest on the palate.

At $20 Andrew suggests that a great food match would be seared scallops with jamon serrano (dry-cured Spanish-style ham,) watercress, hazelnut and blackcurrant vinaigrette. Or for something simpler, a Summer's day ice bucket of fresh prawns.


[] A REWARDING drop from older, low yielding vines planted in the Hunter Valley over 40 years ago in the early 1970s.

 4 Dec 17

Robert Stein 2016 Reserve Chardonnay - Mudgee

STEEPED in a family history going back to 1838
and links to the pioneering Macarthur family's first
commercial vineyard in Australia.

ONE TO NOTE: WE don't hear a lot about Robert Stein Wines out near Mudgee in NSW's Central West, but here is a small maker with a prestigious history it is certainly justified in being proud of.

For current winemaker Jacob Stein is the third generation of his craft, his grandfather Robert Stein having planted their vineyard on the slopes of Mount Buckaroo in 1976, and his grandfather's ancestor Johann Stein sailing to Australia from Germany in 1838 to work on the famous Macarthur family's pioneering commercial vineyard as their "vine dresser," and bringing with him vine cuttings for them from his homeland.

A just-released 2016 Robert Stein Reserve Chardonnay was made from those vines planted in 1976, and has a generous body, wonderful citrus and yellow stone fruit flavours, some fine spice, and a creamy palate with nice acidity.

Pay $40 and pair with poached salmon, salmon fish cakes, or grilled pork or veal chops topped with a creamy mushroom sauce.

Azahara Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV - Victorian Riverina

IF you are starting to think about the
fast-approaching Festive Season,
here's a value-priced Aussie sparkler
for party-room or dining table.

ONE TO NOTE: IF you're starting to think about the fast-approaching Festive Season and a glass or three of value-priced bubbles to go with it, one worth consideration at just $15 a bottle is Aussie label Azahara Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV.

Comprising 89% Chardonnay and 11% Pinot Noir off vineyards that interestingly nestle amongst orange, citrus and mango groves at Red Cliffs in north-western Victoria, this is a creamy bubbly with bright acidity, fresh lemon, brioche and yeasty flavours, and has a fine and persistent mousse – the eruption of its tiny bubbles in your glass.

This is a rewarding local sparkler to serve well-chilled in the Festive Season party-room, or at the lunch or dinner table, with fare from oysters to petite roast vegetable tarts and sushi, and if you've a sweet tooth, strawberries dipped in chocolate.


 20 Nov 17

Eloquesta’s Olsen challenging our wine industry’s norms

Doing it the old-fashioned way … Stuart Olsen uses his feet to stir up a red ferment.

John Rozentals
The Australian wine industry may be brimming with characters but it is essentially a fairly conservative place, with just about everyone pursuing clinically perfect wines. It's a goal that Stuart Olsen, who makes wine at Dubbo under the Eloquesta label, principally using fruit from Mudgee and Orange, reckons leads to a boring sameness.

REVIEWS

Eloquesta 2014 'A Boy with Fruit' Orange Chardonnay ($32): Winemaker Stuart Olsen certainly thought laterally when he made this wine and consumers will have to do likewise when they taste it. The fruit comes from the Orange district, in two equal-size batches — from Gordon Hills Estate on the Cargo Road and from the warmer, lower-altitude Belgravia Vineyard near Molong.

It's made in an "antique style", as they did hundreds of years ago in places such as Croatia and Slovenia — foot-trodden on skins for two-to-three weeks, and pressed into old, new and reconditioned French oak and brand-new Hungarian oak, and matured for nearly two years. The barrels were stirred monthly on gross lees. It was only lightly filtered at bottling and retains some yeast sediment and hence potential cloudiness if stirred up —just like the best of Coopers ales. It shows a complex blend of fruit and associated flavours — Stuart sees dried stonefruit, mango, honey and acacia flowers in the bouquet, and I'm not going to disagree with him. It's a deeply golden-coloured, complex brew that won't be to everyone's taste but keen wine people will mostly love it for its uniqueness in Australia and the honesty of the winemaking approach.

Grab a couple of bottles and share them with wine-loving friends over some hearty, strongly flavoured eastern Mediterranean seafood dishes. And please excuse the lengthiness of this review, but it's a provocative white wine worth study, contemplation and much discussion about whether our wines are generally overly pure and too sanitised. Visit eloquesta.com.au.

Eloquesta 2015 ‘A Boy with Fruit’ Mudgee Rosalia ($22): This is another one out of left field. In Australia black muscat grapes are usually used to make frivolous pink moscatos and muscat liqueurs. Instead, Stuart Olsen has made a dry, quite aromatic rosé showing nuances of Turkish delight. It’s light, flavoursome, and good just about anywhere that doesn’t demand anything too serious. Rosalia, incidentally, is a Hungarian rosé festival — and the name of Stuart’s grandmother. Visit eloquesta.com.au.

Apple Tree Flat 2015 Chardonnay - NSW Central Ranges

A GREAT CHARDONNAY'S PRICE SURPRISE

David Ellis

WE'VE readily confessed in the past to being unabashed lovers of Chardonnay, a drop we'll defend to the end against the chorusing of the "not another Chardonnay" crowd.

And when recently offered a sip of a just-released 2015 from Apple Tree Flat in the NSW Central Ranges, we told ourselves that here was yet another reason for our love of the variety… although we did have one query: how come one of such elegance and complexity could be sitting on our local liquor store shelves at just $13?

So we put our query to the 2015's winemaker Peter Logan, who confessed his own love of the variety, and added: "When handled with respect and allowed to show its true elegance, this one's proof as to just what can be achieved at any price point."

Peter also spoke of the 2015 vintage that he described as a joy in his NSW Central Ranges, the region enjoying a sunny and dry spring and summer, and mild temperatures throughout both seasons.  And all of which, he says, then continued into autumn, ensuring a harvest of richly flavoured grapes with good texture and varietal character, and thus this ultimately lovely chardonnay with its flavours of pear, lemon and nectarine before a long clean finish.

A really great drop with seafood party platters or a dinner of grilled salmon.

3 April 2017

[] THWART the 'Not Another Chardonnay' crowd with this great drop.

St Huberts Wines 2016 The Stag Chardonnay - Yarra Valley

NEW WINE LABEL'S FASCINATING HISTORY

David Ellis

ACCORDING to company history, St Huberts Wines that was one of the first wineries in the Yarra Valley in 1862, was named after the Patron Saint of the Hunt, a 7th century English nobleman who turned a life of pleasures to one of helping the needy after confronting a magnificent stag between whose antlers hung a hauntingly shiny Cross…

And, the company adds, while the winery's founder was a Mr de Castella whose first name also just happened to be Hubert, he chose to name his winery after the Patron Saint and not simply Hubert after himself. By the late 1800s it had grown to be the largest winery in the Yarra Valley, but after WWI and then the Great Depression it was turned to more-profitable dairying, which continued until the Yarra rose to wine prominence once more in the 1960s, with St Huberts again a pioneer.

Today this premium cool-climate maker is hailed world-wide, and a new label it's just released and appropriately named The Stag, is fast winning praise from all quarters. Try in particular the 2016 The Stag Chardonnay that's all wonderfully vibrant citrus and pear flavours, lively acidity and with a mouth-pleasing freshness… at just $20 it's a really great drop to simply enjoy on its own, or to pair-up with salmon fish cakes.

[] NEW label from a Yarra Valley winery whose history goes back to 1862.

01.08.16

Logan 2015 Chardonnay - Orange NSW

A PERFECT CHARDONNAY WITH SEAFOOD

David Ellis

PETER LOGAN has been making Chardonnay at his Logan Wines at Orange in the NSW Central West for some nineteen years now, yet he still muses over whether he's got it as perfect as has been his goal.

"In fact I'm not sure that gaol will ever be reached," says Peter, "even though every year we continue to evolve this wine towards an even better place." And that includes as a sideline to that continuing evolution, now achieving exceptional sales not just here in Australia, but throughout Asia and in northern Europe as well.

Made from cold climate fruit (his vineyards are some 970m above sea level,) Logan Chardonnay has always been a wine of elegance and sophistication, and with his latest, now- available 2015, Peter strove to create a drop that would be "elegant but not anaemic, savoury with a touch of fruit, and having minerality with texture."

And beautifully balanced, it boasts a nice mix of subtle fruit flavours, plus a touch of almond, on a mineral palate with a gentle smoothness to it. And while it spent some time in oak prior to bottling, this has not overpowered the wine's fruit characters.

Pay $25 and enjoy it with shellfish, a seafood pie or chicken terrine. Is that perfect?

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

[] PERFECT match, Chardonnay and shellfish, or a chicken terrine if you aren't into seafoods.

for week beginning 24 October 2016 

Cape Jaffa Samphire Chardonnay blend - South Australia Limestone Coast

CERTAINLY different and interesting,
it's a white that was made as if it was a red.

UNIQUE WHITE CROSS DRESSES AS A RED

David Ellis

IF you've a sense for adventure in your pursuit of wine drinking enjoyment, a particularly intriguing drop to search out was released just recently under a Samphire label by Cape Jaffa Winery on South Australia's Limestone Coast.

Interesting because while predominantly Chardonnay with a little Gewurztraminer and Viognier, this one was made more like it was a red than a white, including not only unusually fermenting the fruit on skins, but doing so for six months… something that its makers Derek and Anna Hooper say "called for courage and patience."

The Hooper's were inspired to create this unique wine after seeing such drops on a visit to Georgia in Europe, and took a largely traditional Eastern European approach to its making on their return home. That effort has rewarded them well, as this is a lovely medium to full bodied wine with lots of mouth-feel and a relatively soft finish.

And with its suggestions of tropical fruit flavours it's also a white you can match up with foods normally paired with reds, Derek and Anna suggesting maybe duck that's not too spicy, a chicken liver parfait, or a rich stock-based lobster bisque. Pay $29, and if you've any problems locating it check out www.capejaffawines.com.au


17.10.16

Wolf Blass 2015 Yellow Label Chardonnay

FROM South Australia and consistently
fruit driven and full-on in flavour.

A CHARDONNAY MADE WITH FOOD IN MIND

David Ellis

IT'S over forty years now that Yellow Label has been at the heart of winemaking at Wolf Blass wines, delivering to buyers a range of wines from South Australia that are consistently fruit driven and full-on in flavour.

And amongst latest releases is a 2015 Chardonnay out of a vintage that started warm and dry, and was followed by much-needed rain and ultimately warm days and relatively cool nights. Then a final burst of heat in late January saw an early and condensed harvest, and as a result more of those wonderfully full on flavour wines.

The 2015 Yellow Label Chardonnay particularly benefited from all this, with loads of stone fruits to the fore and nicely integrated oak, and whilst made with food predominantly in mind, it can be equally enjoyed as a glass or three on its own.

And as well, although best enjoyed young and fresh, some short-term cellaring will see it develop further complexity.

Pay $18 and enjoy this one with what its makers suggest – creamy veal Stroganoff with mushrooms and parsley, or pumpkin ravioli with sage butter sauce.



for week beginning 10 October 2016

Domaine Chandon 2015 Chardonnay - Yarra Valley

MATCH this one with a Springtime pear,
walnut and goat's cheese salad.

ONE TO NOTE: DOMAINE CHANDON blended fruit from its coolest Upper Yarra Valley and more moderate Woori Yallock and Yarra Junction vineyards for its now-available 2015 Chardonnay, a lovely wine reflecting the rewarding intensity and flavour concentrations of low-yielding vines.

With naturally vibrant and zesty Chardonnay flavours and fermentation in French oak barrels, this is a drop that is all about fresh lime, ripe melon and nectarine flavours and a zesty acidity, and when poured stone fruit aromas and cinnamon characters.

At $32 Senior Winemaker Dan Buckle suggests that now that Spring has come, this is one that's ideal with a pear, walnut and goat's cheese salad.


for week beginning 05 September  2016 

McGuigan’s 2015 Black Label Chardonnay - South Eastern Australia

EXCELLENT value with dinner party starters, and equally
main course fish, chicken, pork or creamy pasta dishes.

GREAT BUYING $10 DINNER PARTY WHITE

David Ellis

IF a bulk-buy looks to be in order as the white for that next dinner party but you don't want to appear to being something of a cheapskate by sacrificing quality for price, satisfy quality and price with McGuigan's 2015 Black Label Chardonnay.

Because here's a great drop that's just $10 a bottle – and as little as $8 by the half- or dozen-bottle lot at some of the major chains – and when you taste it, you'll be wondering why it's not up to nearly double that.

Blended from fruit from across south-eastern Australia, this is a wine that's rich with tropical-fruit and melon flavours, has a touch of oak and an almost creamy palate, and not surprisingly has been the cornerstone white of the highly-popular Black Label range for many years.

Great to kick-off that dinner party with pre-mains finger foods, it's then equally at home with a whole range of main-course fish, chicken, pork or creamy pasta dishes.



for week beginning 29 August 2016

Heemskerk 2014 Abel’s Tempest Chardonnay - Tasmania

HERE'S a Chardonnay that's equally at home
with Chicken Dijon or a cold seafood platter.

ONE TO NOTE:  HEEMSKERK Wines brought together fruit from cool climate vineyards in the Coal River and Derwent Valleys of Tasmania's south to create their very flavoursome 2014 Abel's Tempest Chardonnay.

Reflecting just how well Chardonnay does in such cool conditions, this rewarding drop has generous flavours underpinned by lemon/citrus fruit and subtle oak, yet still remains quite soft and elegant.

Pay $25 and pair with Chicken Dijon as a hot main course, or with a cold seafood platter of oysters, prawns, spanner crab and smoked salmon.

The Abel's Tempest label is named after the violent winds that hammered Dutchman Abel Tasman and almost thwarted his discovery and landing on Tasmania in 1642.

Sirromet Wines 2013 Signature Collection Chardonnay - Queensland

A MUST-HAVE for Chardy buffs to enjoy
with a Winter's time chicken pot pie. 

GREAT WINES OUT OF HOWLS OF SCORN

David Ellis

ONE night at a dinner with colleagues in Victoria back in the mid-1990s, Queensland businessman Terry Morris mentioned how he'd recently enjoyed a great wine from Queensland's Granite Belt – and was almost laughed out of the room amid cries of there being "no such thing as a great wine from Queensland."

It was the proverbial red rag, and on returning home the entrepreneurial Terry immediately searched that Granite Belt, bought a substantial parcel of land, and established vineyards and a winery that are today not just amongst the most successful in Queensland, but indeed in Australia.

Terry named his venture Sirromet Wines and in 2000 launched his first reds and whites out of this cool-climate region in high country three hours south-west of Brisbane. The rest, as they say, is history… and guess who's laughing now?

Particularly rewarding is his 2013 Sirromet Signature Collection Chardonnay, a must-have for Chardy buffs that's beautifully rich-bodied with creamy green apple and pear flavours, suggestions of cashew paste and ripe rock-melon, and a finishing touch of lime acidity.

At $35 it's a perfect pairing with steamed or grilled fish, or a Winter's chicken pot pie.

for week beginning  18 July 2016

Fifth Leg 2015 Treasure Hunter Chardonnay - Margaret River

GREAT with crabs or prawns, or if you're not into seafoods,
with oven-baked pork belly and a creamy sauce.

SHARE REWARDS OF A TREASURE HUNTER

David Ellis

WESTERN Australia's quirky-named Fifth Leg have a new addition to their range that they've dubbed their Treasure Hunter series, embracing within it their "new-range treasures" of a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Merlot.

For those who don't know, the Fifth Leg label is named after the fossilised remains of a Tasmanian Tiger were found in WA's Margaret River wine region's Devil's Lair Cave, together with a fifth leg – and begging the questions: how did a Tasmanian Tiger end up in a Margaret River cave, and where did that fifth leg come from?

Whatever the answers, the company's new Treasure Hunter series is a rewarding one. In particular, try their 2015 Treasure Hunter Chardonnay that's wonderfully full-flavoured due to low, but intensely flavoured fruit yields as a result of unkind weather during vintage that reduced vine flowering. Concentrated lemon and white nectarine are to the fore in this one, with hints of hazelnut and green apple as well.

Pay $20 and enjoy with fresh crabs, prawns or other seafoods, but if they're not your go, match with oven-baked pork belly and a creamy sauce.

27 June 2016

Blass Noir Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2015

CHARDONNAY devotees will love
this one with hot smoked salmon and
blinis with chive crème fraiche.

WOLF DOWN A REWARDING CHARDONNAY

David Ellis

WINEMAKERS can be a charismatic lot, and one whose charisma never fails to transfer through into his wines is Wolf Blass – born in Germany in 1934, coming to Australia in 1961, diving straight into work with several local wineries, and amazingly just five years later launching Wolf Blass Wines in 1966.

Forever ready to push winemaking boundaries, Wolf quickly made a name for himself, and fifty years on his successor winemakers at Wolf Blass Wines uphold his philosophy, including more recently launching a new label called Blass by Wolf Blass that includes a most-rewarding Blass Noir Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2015.

Crafted from fruit off low-yielding vineyards, it's also the result of a vintage that began with good winter rains, an unseasonably dry spring, and a summer and autumn highlighted by warm days, cool nights and without the Adelaide Hills' normally characteristic autumn rains.

And which has all come together as one of those charismatic Blass wines, a Chardonnay wonderfully rich and elegant with white peach and melon flavours, subtly integrated French oak, a beautifully creamy texture and a long and balanced finish.

Pay $35 and enjoy with hot smoked salmon with blinis and chive crème fraiche.

Riversdale Estate 2013 Crater Chardonnay- Tasmania

STUNNER of a Chardonnay from
Tasmania's 2013 "endless summer."

TASSIE DROP PERFECT WITH A TASSIE CRAY

David Ellis

TASMANIA'S Riversdale Estate has released a 2013 Crater Chardonnay that's an absolute stunner from a cool maritime climate region that's less than 20km from the Hobart CBD, and interestingly whose vineyard was for years a key player in the development of Penfolds' famed Yattarna Chardonnay.

And while located in the island State's renowned Coal River Valley, rather than from a property devoted entirely to grape production Riversdale Estate's vineyard in fact occupies just a third of a 120ha mixed farming operation.

Established by Ian and Wendy Roberts in 1991, the vineyard flourished from onset, with Chardonnay in particular thriving in the soils and climate, and 2013 an outstanding year that'll long be remembered as a virtually "endless summer" – warm, dry and sunny, and giving way to an exceptional autumn and outstanding vintage.

Moderate yields of perfectly ripened fruit displayed superb citrus, grapefruit and apple characteristics, and winemaker Nick Badrice used oak simply to highlight what he sums up as "the wine's vibrancy, minerality and extraordinary length of flavour."

Pay $52 cellar door or online at  www.riversdale.com.au  and enjoy with – what else – market-fresh Tasmanian crayfish, or your favourite other seafoods.


25 April 2016

Margan 2014 White Label Chardonnay - Hunter Valley

PERFECT Australian Chardonnay to serve
with a French Chicken Cordon Bleu.

AUSSIE CHARDONNAY FOR FRENCH DINING

David Ellis

ANDREW Margan used fruit off exceptional low-yielding vines on his Saxonvale Vineyard in the Broke Fordwich region of the Hunter Valley for a 2014 White Label Chardonnay that Chardonnay buffs – and despite what many will tell you, there are still plenty of us around – will find a true delight.

Because as well as coming off vines some forty years old, the fruit also thrived under these vines' shaded canopies, giving Andrew marvellously fine-flavoured grapes for this lovely drop… one that makes for rewarding buying and enjoyment now, while showing its also got potential for aging if you've the patience to wait.

Bright and sprightly with fresh honey and vanilla, together with some citrus overtones on the palate, and with a beautiful creaminess and nutty finish, at $40 this is a wine that Andrew likes to put in the Modern Australian Chardonnay category.

And while he says Chardonnay may have found a home in this country with a natural affinity to sharing with a range of local foods, his suggestion is to match this one with rich, French-styled dishes… we'd suggest maybe Chicken Cordon Bleu – chicken rolled with ham and Swiss cheese and served with lashings of a creamy wine sauce.


 11 Apr 16

Peter Logan’s 2014 Apple Tree Flat Chardonnay - NSW Central West

SUPER value Chardonnay at just $13

ONE TO NOTE: CHARDONNAY buffs will find themselves doubly rewarded with Peter Logan's 2014 Apple Tree Flat label – firstly because it's simply a darn good Chardonnay, and secondly because its super value at just $13.

Both elegant and complex from premium fruit out of Mudgee and Orange, it's got rare finesse for a wine at this price-point, with flavours of white peach, citrus and nectarine, and a lovely long clean finish.

A great match to salmon with a buttery sauce, lemon and rosemary chicken, or a prawn salad – but hold the tomatoes as their acidity clashes with Chardonnay.

28.3.16