Wine Code Breaker #395

2021 Bird in Hand Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Cat’s pee can be detected at 50 paces and assails one’s nostrils with such force that no other odour is able to be perceived for days. Poorly made Sauvignon Blanc can do something similar. At its least offensive, it is flabby and insults the senses. At its worst, you get cat’s pee. At its best, however, Sauvignon Blanc can be exciting with its freshness and vibrant aromatics combined with crisp, crunchy acidity make it a truly attractive wine.

The 2021 Bird in Hand Sauvignon Blanc from Adelaide Hills in South Australia is a very pale straw colour that flashes brightly. The nose is highly fragrant with guava, white peach, gooseberry, passionfruit balanced by a touch of herbaceous cut grass and green bean nuance. The palate is all guava, gooseberries and citrus that combined are striking and intense. Against a tight texture, these flavours are balanced neatly by its crisp acidity, culminating in a finish that is far from flabby.

Enjoy!

Rating: 93 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 12%

Drink: Now; 1-3 yrs

Price: $25

Tasted: March 2022

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Wine Code Breaker #394

2018 Protero Capo Gumeracha Nebbiolo, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Adelaide Hills is a remarkable region as it seems to have pockets that mirror some of the world’s great wine growing regions. Altitude and valleys create a landscape of microclimates that play with the coolness across the dry ripening periods. Add a bit of fog during harvest and they are the sites that are perfect for Nebbiolo. Of course, this is the grape that is thought to have a name derived from ‘nebbia’, Italian for fog. And so, perhaps Adelaide Hills is a home away from home for the grape of Barolo in Italy.

The 2018 Protero Capo is a Nebbiolo from a single vineyard named Gumeracha in Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Its colour is a bright crimson that swirls proudly in the glass. The nose needs time for air to reveal its aromas; cherry fruits, earth, leather, spice, and a perfumed pot purri of rose petals sprinkled with desiccated cola. Oh, this is something special and this early conclusion was confirmed by the palate. The cherry, earth and spice flavours roll around in waves with coffee and sarsaparilla adding more complexity. The tannins are fine and firm and the acid crunchy aiding a long lingering finish. An aptly named wine as ‘Capo’ is Italian for boss!

Enjoy!

Rating: 96 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 7-10 yrs

Price: $80

Tasted: January 2022

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Wine Code Breaker #393

2018 Frankland Estate Shiraz, Frankland River, Western Australia

Frankland River as a wine region is the one closest to a Mediterranean climate in the Antipodes.  An inland area that experiences warm dry days and cooling nights.  The soils are a blanket of gravel ironstone above the mattress of hills and river valleys.  The beds divided by the rivers Frankland, Gordon, Kent and Tone provide the calming influence to the vineyards that sleep and thrive through the seasons.

The 2018 Frankland Estate Shiraz is from the Frankland River subregion of Great Southern in Western Australia. The colour awakens you immediately as it is poured; deep crimson with a bright purple hue. The nose is a caffeine hit to the senses with its distinct cool climate aromas including cherries, blackberries, black olives, cloves, herbs and a hint of chocolate that arouses further interest. The palate takes the cherries and blackberries to another level with some iodine, mineral and charcuterie. The fine velvety tannins are what lifts this wine to the next level as they wrap up the flavours and roll them gentle along on akin to the rivers flowing peacefully through the landscape.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 3-7 yrs

Price: $24

Tasted: February 2022

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Wine Code Breaker #392

2019 Ravensworth Hilltops Nebbiolo, Canberra District

The 15th of March is an auspicious day on our Gregorian calendar as it celebrates International Stab Someone In the Back Day, figuratively speaking. Harking back to less tolerant times, it is of course the Ides of March when Julius Caesar resigned to the smell of betrayal as the blade slipped all too easily between the ribs of his back. On this day, if you feel the urge, do what the modern day Romans would do and pour yourself a glass of wine.

The 2019 Ravensworth Nebbiolo is from a vineyard in the Hilltops region of New South Wales, not too far from the nation’s capital. The colour is a light crimson and flashes brightly along the edge of a blade. The nose is glorious with floral notes, rose water, red berries and hints of tomato relish dripping with savoury tarry nuances. The palate is keen with a balancing of lightness and power. Red fruits, tar, earth and savoury tones build in volume, splaying beautifully against the sharp tactile bed of tannins. Its persistence is alluring, calming and disarming; perfect for the day.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $45

Tasted: December 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #391

2020 Passing Clouds Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges, Victoria

Growing grapes in cooler to marginal areas is tricky business.  Let’s face it, agriculture is a tricky business where you can be confronted with frost during bud forming, managing light into the canopy to help with ripening and preventing disease in the canopy itself.  Add into the equation the fickle Pinot Noir and it is tricky business indeed.  The Geneva Double Curtain trellis system, or GDC, is a possible solution.  They are a little higher than traditional systems so you gain a little more protection from frost.  Secondly, it splits the canopy in two and trains it to fall downwards in the guise of two curtains.  This automatically thins it to help increase light and airflow through the precious bunches as they form and ripen as well as preventing disease. 

The 2020 Passing Clouds Pinot Noir is from a GDC trellised vineyard in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria. A bright, deep, crimson-coloured wine that immediately confirms this is not going to be tricky business to enjoy. The nose is spicy, charry and perfumed with a base of sour cherries. The palate is elegantly balanced that curtains cherries, cream and nuts on one side and silky, slightly chewy tannins on the other to draw a long fanning finish.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 12%

Drink: Now; 3-7 yrs

Price: $35

Tasted: December 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #390

2019 Musk Lane Vineyard Nebula #2 Nebbiolo, Macedon Ranges, Victoria

The Carina Nebula is the largest of the nebulae that adorn our night skies and is visible only to residents of the Southern Hemisphere. A complex system with many features, it is amazing we do not hear more of its wonders. The Eta Carinae, Homunculous Nebula, Keyhole Nebula, Mystic Mountain and WR 25, which happens to be the Milky Way’s brightest star… And then there is the Defiant Finger. Yes, this is the system that gives the “finger” to all systems surrounding it and if you look very carefully you will find it adorning the label of a defiant Nebbiolo from Victoria.

The 2019 Musk Lane Vineyard Nebula #2 is a Nebbiolo sourced from a vineyard on the fringes of Bendigo and Macedon Ranges in Victoria, about 8,500 light years below the Carina Nebula. Of course the positioning is relative but the colour is not. A light crimson that is easily seen from both hemispheres of the glass bowl. Its aromas are far from nebulous; floral red fruits, leather, tar, nuts, earth and a hint of cola fill the atmosphere. The palate is light yet intense, with an interesting and appealing sappiness threading through the red fruits. The tannins, akin to fine sand, are firm and stand out proudly, giving the crunchy acidity the finger as it marches defiantly along the palate, lingering and fading in unison.

Enjoy!

93 pts

Closure: Diam

Alc: 12.3%

Drink: Now; 3-7 yrs

Price: $40

Tasted: January 2022

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Wine Code Breaker #389

2008 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, South Australia

Cellaring a single bottle of wine has its risks and rewards. Tasting it in its optimum drinking window is the spiritual experience that you are aiming for. Keeping it too long and you will be disappointed. Conversely, drinking it too young and you are regretful. And so, here I was staring at an older vintage of wine and I called upon the angel number 389 to guide me. As my intention was to embark on a spiritual journey, I now had my angel’s full support with an impulse made known. I went for it with all my heart.

The 2008 Penfolds Bin 389 is a multi-regional blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from South Australia. Upon opening and decanting, it showed a deep red cerise colour that retained brightness at its core. The nose was glorious and inviting; plums, Chinese five spice, dark berries and an enticing entwining of liquorice and cassis. The palate whispered and roared with rich, voluptuous blackberries, black currants and those spices, this time with a plummy complexity. The tannins are fine and lingering somewhere between emery board and velvet. The persistence is spiritual and I am thankful for my angel’s guidance and support. There is no regret.

Enjoy!

Rating: 96 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 10 yrs still

Price: $100

Tasted: November 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #388

2019 Fallen Giants Shiraz, Grampians, Victoria

The Grampians dominates the township of Halls Gap in western Victoria. An imposing ancient sandstone mass with Dreamtime stories calling out the fallen giants that carved out the mountains, escarpments and ravines that the area is known for. And it is this landscape that provides a buffer to the afternoon sun for vineyards nestled at its foothills on elevated blocks. These sites benefit from the warmth of the day which abates early for a longer cooler period for ripening. This is a good thing for us.

The 2019 Fallen Giants Shiraz is from a vineyard at the base of the Grampians National Park located within the Grampians wine region in Victoria. It is a deep dark purple in the glass and you can do nothing else other than like it right there. The nose is a sea spray of spice, plums, soy, herbs and violets; highly appealing. The palate has a cool climate thread through it with cherries, plums, blackberries, spices, pepper and a hint of mocha. The tannins are velvety and elegant supporting a remarkably long persistence of flavours. It summary, this is a very good thing for us.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 7-15 yrs

Price: $35

Tasted: December 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #387

2021 Granite Hills Riesling, Macedon Ranges, Victoria

Burke and Wills set out on their remarkable, yet tragic, journey from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria, facing their first challenge in the winter of 1860 when traversing the Macedon Ranges. This is a range that is dominated by granite outcrops that rise and fall 300 to 800 metres with icy chills to match. 1860 is also the year that some small vineyards were established. The industry, if you could call it that, waxed and waned until the depression of 1890 where it faded away. A revival occurred in 1971 with Riesling at the helm.

The 2021 Granite Hills Riesling is from a pioneering winery started by Gordon Knight in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria. It is almost clear with a light tinge of green in the glass. With swirling there is an immediate interest on the nose with guava, limes, passionfruit, grapefruit and minerals. The palate is more than a match, including some juicy lemons and an intensity of flavours that is aided by the zingy acidity. A long lingering textural finish affords you time to pay homage to pioneers of past and present.

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 12.5%

Drink: Now; 7-10 yrs

Price: $32

Tasted: December 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #386

2018 Oakridge Vineyard Series Henk Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria

The colour of a wine is seen as a marker of its quality. It can be enhanced through the winemaking process with a number of options available. Ultimately it will come down to the quality of the grapes. When it comes to Pinot Noir, there is a saying that the colour is irrelevant. This fickle thin skinned grape is alluring with its perfume and enticing with the way the flavours bounce around in amongst silky tannins. The colour too can bounce around from a light to deeply coloured variation of red.

The 2018 Oakridge Vineyard Series Henk Pinot Noir is from a single vineyard in the Woori Yallock, a sub-region within the Yarra Valley. It is a gloriously cerise coloured wine that has a nose that is an enticing mix of a little perfumed, a little fruit and a little earth. When put together, it makes for a bewitching nose. The palate presents a beautiful array of cherries and cranberries that clashes marvellously with the earth and lightly savour oak. The tannins are silky. The persistence is captivating. The whole package is delightful.

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 13.1%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $40

Tasted: December 2021

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