Past Issues: World Wide Wine: Yarra Valley
(jan05)
Welcome to the debut World Wide Wine column!
In this ongoing feature, we'll drop in on
exciting wine regions around the world and
bring you the latest wine reviews and other
happenings. Our first stop is Australia's
Yarra Valley!
We recently had the opportunity to visit
Australia's Yarra Valley and explore some
of the many wineries and cool climate wines
of this region just down the road from Melbourne.
That's right - cool climate! Despite many
people's general view of Australia as a
sunny, outdoorsy, drinking a beer on a patio
kind of place, the Yarra Valley is every
bit as cool and studded with hillside vineyards
as Oregon's Willamette Valley or even the
famed slopes of Burgundy. Indeed, the most
successful varietals are Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay, the twin poster children of
Burgundy.
Yarra's Pinot Noir is somewhat similar
to the New Zealand Pinots that are quickly
gaining success in the wine world, but with
perhaps more earthy, leather, tar accents
than you typically see from New Zealand.
And the Chardonnays are definitely not the
ones you might expect from Australia, offering
loads of Burgundy-like acidity to support
the lush flavors and oak aging.
Of the kabillion or so wines we tasted,
here are the ones that really stood out,
along with a few notes about the wineries.
(Please note: Wine prices are approximations
in some cases and may vary within the U.S.)
($45). Absolutely gorgeous, with a smoky
oak- and gunflint-accented bouquet introducing
loads of ripe, bold fruit flavors. Yellow
peach, quince, and orange zest meld seamlessly
along with cream, light vanilla and nutty
oak. Very good now and over the next four
or five years.
De
Bortoli's cellar door tasting facility
includes a quaint restaurant where a spectacular
seasonal antipasto platter is enough to
sustain you through an afternoon of wine
tasting!
($17).
Bright, tropical fruit mingles with warm
spices, juicy pear and toasty oak in this
good value, appealing Chardonnay. Finishes
with a touch of mineral. Ready to drink
now.
($12). Clean
fruit flavors with a zing of citrus acidity
and underlying earthy oak - great bargain
pricetag, too! Ready to drink now.
($32). Earthy,
warm spice aromas introduce deep, concentrated
red berry and cherry flavors, with integrated
layers of spice and earth, ending with a
touch of strawberry jam on the evolving
finish. Ready to drink now and over the
next three years.
($19).
An appealing dash of earth on the nose compliments
that concentrated red cherry and berry fruit.
Nice structure, showing some grip on the
lingering finish. Very good Pinot character.
Ready to drink now and over the next couple
of years.
($12). Vibrant
scarlet color, with bramble-scented red
cherry and currant fruit and a generous
dash of spicy accents. Packs a taste and
tannic structure punch - particularly at
this price! Ready to drink now.
($25). Yowza! Unctuous, honeyed and rich,
with marmalade, apricot, fig and cream aromas
and flavors that finish with an acidity
boost that adds excellent balance. Impossible
to resist. Ready to drink now and over the
next six or seven years.
At what must be the "Frenchest"
of Australian wineries (even more so than
Moet's Green Point), Dominique is the ninth
generation of Portets in the winemaking
business. The son of André Portet,
vineyard and winery manager at Chateau Lafite-Rothschild,
Dominique is a charming, enigmatic and occasionally
downright mysterious host at his eponymous
winery.
($30). Loved this wine - an outstanding
Cabernet in a sea of exemplary Pinots, this
one offers amped up toasty oak character
supporting the velvety currant and cassis
fruit, eucalyptus and smooth vanilla flavors.
Long, generous finish. Ready to drink now
and over the next three or four years.
($35). Big
and bold, with leather and tobacco accents
to the full-bodied red currant and plum
fruit, picking up mint and anise notes on
the lush, lingering finish. Very good now
and over the next four or five years.
($30). Distinctive
bouquet includes lime zest, peach and a
hint of bacon fat. Rich and creamy on the
palate, with clean, focused pear and peach,
wet earth and just a touch of spice. Nice
acidity supports a lingering finish. Ready
to drink now and over the next three or
four years.
 Easily
one of the most beautiful hilltop vineyard
views around (and that's saying something!)
along with some pretty cool varietal wines
and blends from some pretty cool people.
Phil and Allison Sexton founded Giant
Steps winery in 1997 and seek to
make wines that are "less overt and
obvious than is encouraged in Australia."
In addition to their regular lineup of varietal
wines, the couple occasionally releases
"Sexton" designated wines - small
quantities of special wines, including the
Cabernet Sauvignon based blend called Harry's
Monster. Cellar door tastings by appointment
only - definitely worth it!
($35). Pretty,
understated bouquet introduces pure apricot,
pear and orange blossom flavors. Long, focused
finish with just a touch of sweet cream
character and integrated toasty oak. This
was a favorite of a Chardonnay tasting!
Ready to drink now and over the next three
or four years. Shop
for the 2002 vintage of this wine now! 
($30). Bright
and juicy cherry and plum fruit are subtly
accented with touches of mushroom and wet
earth, finishing with sweet oak. Tasty and
easy to like, though on the expensive side.
Ready to drink now and over the next year
or two.
Green
Point is Moet & Chandon's Australia
property, established in 1986 when the famed
French winery chose Yarra Valley for its
cool climate and altitude differences across
the valleys and slopes of the Great Dividing
Range. Not surprisingly, the lineup of sparkling
wines was tremendous. But the table wines
- available in the U.S. - were very good
as well. Beautiful tasting facility has
the Chandon signature feel. Definitely worth
a visit.
($30).
Complex bouquet offers plenty of oak shadings,
but also ripe fruit. Fresh flavors include
orange blossom, citrus, nectarine and spice.
Ready to drink now and over the next three
years.
($18). Loved this
wine - and a great value, too! Appealing
whiff of fresh earth gives way to concentrated
black currant and berry flavors, white pepper
and anise. Balanced structure, with a generous,
evolving finish. Very good now and should
age beautifully for seven or eight years,
or more!
($25).
Distinctive and quite smoky, with focused
green apple, melon and orange zest flavors.
Ends with more, integrated smoky oak and
a hint of warm spice. Ready to drink now
and over the next three years.
($25).
Clean, pure red berry and cherry fruit flavors
are tightly wound and laced with warm spices
- anise and white pepper - with a fruit
driven, lingering finish. Pretty. Slightly
closed now but still tempting, drink over
the next four or five years.
Punt
Road's charming wines, winemaker
(Kate Goodman), and winery pup (Buster)
added up to a lovely visit!
($20). Pungent
and herbaceous, but balanced against lush
tropical fruit and refreshing citrus. A
complex wine, with an evolving finish that
picks up a touch of gunflint. Ready to drink
now.
($23). Touches of spicy
earth enhance the complex layers of an array
of clean fruit flavors - from fig to pear
to apple - finishing with toasted hazelnut
and light mineral notes. Full-bodied without
being heavy. Very nice. Ready to drink now
and over the next couple of years.
($23). Rich cigar-box
scented bouquet introduces dense, concentrated
red currant and cherry fruit with a complex,
integrated fruit-driven finish that lingers
generously. Delicious now and over the next
five years.
($20). Nice price on a single
vineyard wine (Lusatia Park Vineyard), offering
tight acid supporting fresh flavors that
include citrus, gooseberry and pea shoot,
with a clean, flinty finish. Ready to drink
now.
It was particularly fun visiting Sticks
winery around the time of the Australian
Football League Grand Final, given winemaker
Rob Dolan's history as a dual premiership
player with the Port Adelaide team. We did
manage to also talk about the wine, though!
($14). Pretty lime blossom
and cream notes accent clean pear and juicy
citrus fruit flavors, with integrated oak
structure supporting a focused finish. Very
nice. Ready to drink now and over the next
couple of years.
Striking architecture and the Museum of
Art distinguish TarraWarra
winery, along with its excellent
wines. A sleek wine bar offers nibbles like
wild mushroom and local goat cheese crostini
paired with house wines. The museum is a
must-see, with an impressive collection
of Australian works of art mostly from the
early 1950s to the present. Could have spent
hours there!
($50). Effusively
fruity bouquet is laced with smoky oak and
clove accents which repeat on the palate.
Intense flavors are balanced and focused,
with bright red berry and plum fruit persisting
on the generous finish. Nicely structured;
should age well. Drink now and over the
next five or six years.
($23). Smoky bouquet introduces pure tropical
flavors and creamy notes, ending with more
smoky oak and a touch of juicy citrus. Ready
to drink now.
Visiting Wedgetail
winery and winemaker Guy Lamohte
was great fun - don't miss the hole in the
wine cave wall for a fascinating glimpse
into the layers of the cave!
($28). Smoky oak bouquet
introduces mouthwatering acidity supporting
juicy peach and pear fruit, cream, earth
and nutty oak flavors. Very good now and
over the next four or five years.
One of the early Pinot Noir planters in
the Yarra Valley, David and Christine Fyffe
founded Yarra
Burn in 1975 with four acres of
vineyards and have since made their name
as true innovators in the region. In 1983,
they were the first growers in the Yarra
to make a commercial sparkling wine, and
in 1986 were the first to release a Sauvignon
Blanc Semillon blend - now a signature Australian
wine blend. Yarra Burn is now a part of
the BRL Hardy group and produces critically
acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay,
Shiraz, Pinot Noir and more from over 10,000
acres. Standing at the top of Bastard Hill
one brisk, windy early-Spring morning, it
was easy to believe that spot as the coolest
point in all of Yarra Valley. The high acidity
and mineral levels of the wines we tasted
all over the Yarra were particularly in
evidence at Yarra Burn.
($N/A).
A "wow" wine with notable fruit
intensity (particularly given the age of
the fruit), with a smoky nose introducing
sweet pear and apple flavors. Creamy mouthfeel.
Evolves nicely, picking up racy lemon zest
through the elegant, lingering finish. A
beauty. Ready to drink now and over the
next two or three years.
($N/A). Medium-bodied,
with earthy clove and cedar aromas and flavors
lacing pretty red cherry and raspberry fruit,
finishing long and supple with smoky oak
and a burst of strawberry jam. Ready to
drink now and over the next three years.
 Spectacular
Yering
Station winery and cellar door tasting
facility includes a wine bar and restaurant
where you can sup on dishes like pan seared
North Queensland scampi marinated in lemon
thyme with pumpkinseed oil or shop for wine
and local goodies at the produce store.
Don't miss the Yarra Valley Dairy's Persian
Feta!
($19). Like
a "body builder in a petticoat,"
offering ripe nectarine flavors layered
with smoky oak, mineral and almond notes.
Kicks in with a big, lingering finish that
maintains a clean finesse. Ready to drink
now and over the next three or four years.
Shop
for this wine now! 
($50).
Appealing mushroom and leather aromas and
flavors accent deep plum and berry fruit.
Tightly wound, with impressive acidity.
Tempting now, though give it some time to
breathe, and over the next four or five
years.
($50). A stunning example of beautifully
balanced lush fruit vs. firm structure.
With complex, exotic and aromatic blackberry
and plum fruit laced with pretty clove and
pepper spice. Firm tannins and acidity support
a lingering, elegant finish. Very good now
and over the next seven or eight years.
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