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2007 Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling |
| Comments: |
Well, it's out! The book everyone has been waiting for: well, at least the legion of winelovers who can't resist a great bargain. Well, I hope so. Quaff 2008 is on the shelves. So it's time to reveal the Quaff Wine of the Year. First a word about riesling. I was judging in the Great Southern last week - at the Qantas Wine Show of Mt Barker, so plenty of good riesling then - although not from the tricky 2007 vintage. Then yesterday I was in Clare (I'm currently at Tasting Australia in Adelaide) so I spent the day in the company of some of the country's best riesling makers (Jeff Grosset, Stephanie Toole, Neil Pike, Neil Paulett, Peter Barry, Kevin Mitchell, Andrew Mitchell, Simon Osicka of Leasingham, Kerri Thompson of KT and the Falcon) tasting heaps of bright latest vintage Clare riesling and sipping some great mature classics. A couple of comments from the book - the popularity of riesling continues with, once again, a rise in the volume of the variety harvested in 2006. This is pushed by the strong demand for premium riesling which has resulted in an upward movement in the price of many of Australia’s best quaffing rieslings. There’s still heaps of great riesling available for less than $15 – in fact, the numbers received for the Quaff tastings are up by 25 per cent this year. Peter Lehmann Wines has done consistently well in Quaff over the years. Perhaps its most consistently good (or even great) performer has been the Eden Valley Riesling. This is the fourth consecutive year in which it has been rated Bloody Good. One thing that I love about the wine is its fresh vibrance as a young white and its ability to age gracefully. The 2007 is breathtakingly good: fragrant, pure, fine, and delicious. Against worthy opposition, it’s the 2008 Quaff Wine of the Year. It is unbelievably good, with an ethereal floral bouquet and just a hint of talc, intense yet pure lemon, lime citrus flavours before a zesty, mouth-watering finish of significant length. There is finesse, elegance and more than a touch of class, too. |
| Rating: |
Bloody Good |
| Cost: |
$14.95 |
| Winemaker: |
Peter Lehmann |
| Stockists: |
Limited availability in all states |
| Reviewed: |
19 October 2007 |
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2007 Ferngrove Symbols Sauvignon Blanc Semillon |
| Comments: |
To celebrate the fact that I was in the Great Southern, last week (now a couple of weeks ago), I should mention one of the top 20 wines from Quaff 2008, an innovation in this year's edition. In fact, it's one of two wines from Ferngrove in the top 20: quite a performance. Frankland River may be a remote sub-region of the Great Southern but it has produced some extraordinary wines over the past few years. Kim Horton and his team have been leading the charge with brilliant, succulent reds and bright, vibrant whites. This blend often takes some time to show its best – but not in 2007. There are fragrant floral, sweet pea and lavender aromas, juicy refreshing cool tropical flavours and bracing, crisp natural acidity.
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| Rating: |
Bloody Good |
| Cost: |
$14.95 |
| Winemaker: |
Ferngrove |
| Stockists: |
Limited availability in all states |
| Reviewed: |
19 October 2007 |
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19 Oct
