What I'm Excited About This Week: G'day Bruce!
This week, one of our newest buyers, Rachael Ryan, took us on a trip through Australia and New Zealand. With so many great wines and great wine regions, it's easy for some of them to fall through the cracks now and then, and I think it's fair to say that there’s so much to learn about these Southern Hemisphere darlings. Both Australia and New Zealand produce some high-quality, fantastic wines that are sold at super reasonable prices. Not only that, but I actually love that so many of them come in screw-caps. I'm all for the ritual of pulling a cork, but there's really something to be said about a wine being more accessible if I don't know where one of my 38 different openers when I go to open a bottle. It happens more than I will admit to you, dear reader. Screw-caps are more prevalent in these countries due to the New Zealand Screw-cap Initiative launched in 2001, with studies showing that screw-caps were better than corks, eliminated cork taint, and could even be made to allow micro-oxygenation just as a cork does.
I was most impressed by Australia this round. Rachael, who lived in Australia for a few years, made her passion for the country and the wide diversity of wines that are grown there palpable. This isn't like when we're talking about Europe and countries are packed closer together, this is spread-out land that would take 36 hours of straight driving to go from Melbourne to Adelaide to Perth. You can just imagine the variety possible, and that's why we see so many different kinds of wine coming from Australia as well. There are climates that mimic everything from Burgundy to Bordeaux to the Rhône Valley, and you'll find the wines to match. There's almost too much to talk about in a modest little scrawling such as this, so I’ll focus on a few key places and my favorite wines from the lineup.
2024 Tahbilk Marsanne Nagambie Lakes Victoria $14.99 Lake Nagambie is located in Central Victoria in the southeastern part of Australia, and the Tahbilk Estate is just southwest along the Goulburn river. The wine has a fresh nose, with a big tropical hit off the top note, before descending down into fleshy apricots and peaches accompanied with a hit of lemon. The palate is weighty with just a little bit of pith, and a lot of white peach with candied lemon, despite being completely dry. This will pair with most things, but really only needs a glass and some sunshine to get the job done right. This is something to be enjoyed and then excitedly picked up later with remembrances of the fun day you had while you drank it.
2023 Oakridge "Henk Vineyard" Chardonnay Yarra Valley Victoria $24.99 The Yarra Valley is located east of Melbourne, about 90 miles south of Lake Nagambie, and is one of the more prominent wine-growing regions in the area. The Oakridge is super pretty on the nose, a little bit of oak somewhere back there but mostly crisp green apples and pithy lemons. The palate is really similar: very crisp with a nice line of acid through the whole thing, and the lemon is more lemon curd, a creamier lemon than the nose. The time on the lees has given this that creamy note as well as a deluxe mouthfeel, making this drink super decadently for just $25. This is really fantastic bottle of Chardonnay for people who want a little bit of oak but without all that butter that you can get sometimes. There's great mouthfeel and roundness, but no buttery notes. Really impressive at this price.
2022 Domaine Naturaliste "Artus" Chardonnay Margaret River $34.99 Then jumping over to the western side of Australia, near Perth, we find a little jutting thumb known as Margaret River. This is your bigger and bolder statement of Chardonnay from our friends in Australia. This has a nose that leads itself first with a nice rich hit of oak, and underneath that some ripe and pretty fruit, with pear and apple working together with lightly candied lemon peel. The palate is dry but round with a little tiny touch of butter but mostly creamy oak surrounding the lush and delicious fruit. There's a lot more there than you might expect, and while this is big and has oak, it still has a lot of style and elegance, with enough acid to carry everything over the finish line.
2022 Swinney Grenache Frankland River $29.99 Southeast of Margaret River and inside what they call the "Great Southern" wine region is the Frankland River. This is a little bit of a mid-point stylistically for Grenache; it's neither the lighter and juicier sort of Pinot-adjacent style, nor is it fat, rich, and over extracted. The nose is definitely more opulent and rich—a lot of fruit there with a little bit of a stewed quality to it, but it stops short of being jammy or fat. Cherry, blackberry, purple flowers, and a touch of more neutral barrel influence. The body is overall medium-light with a lot of fruit and a bit of a cedar wood in the back. The fruit is dark and rich, very ripe with a moderate tannin grip. This is serious and absolutely begs for some food to be had with it. There's just a great level of acidity for all the fruit that's just pushing through the whole palate and driving everything up a notch. Absolutely sensational, and for the price a compelling late-week bottle.
2023 Ministry of Clouds Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia $29.99 Moving a ways west, we find ourselves just south of the city of Adelaide, in the McLaren Vale, another prominent region in Australia. This is such a pretty style of Shiraz, much more of a cool-climate Syrah. It's the kind of Shiraz I want to drink. This is so incredibly aromatic and floral, lots of purple and even some white flowers are part of the whole thing, which while a lot is never overwhelming or verging towards potpourri. Dusky black fruits, lighter red fruits, and a definite touch of something blue mixed it all in a layer underneath the floral top notes. The palate is everything the nose promised that it was: there's a heavy floral tone on the palate but also a mix between deeper and very ripe black berry and black cherry, and some slightly underripe raspberry, with just a touch of pomegranate. There's a little bit of a study in contrasts, but also restraint. This is really sublime, and something I could see myself just grabbing at so many different occasions—it's that pretty. I really want to have this with some pork chops, or maybe just as part of a set of wines along with some passed appetizers. Either way, at this price, you're winning no matter what you pair it with.
We've got a spectacular line up of wines this upcoming Saturday, August 9th all from Australia and hand-picked to show the range and depth of wines from the regions there. You'll be able to taste that 2022 Swinney Grenache from the Frankland River, and other examples from these producers, including a lip-stinging acidity perfect for quenching summer thirst. There's a balanced and well-crafted Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Margaret River, a delicious rose from Tahbilk, and a Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley. All that for just $10, it's a crazy good deal to introduce yourself to some new wines, or even just to revisit some old friends.