In a recent article in Purple Pages, British wine critic Jancis Robinson stated that “Chardonnay is arguably the varietal that Australia is best at currently. At least, to palates raised on wines produced outside Australia, particularly European wines.” She notes that many new examples of Australian chardonnay are tighter and leaner than they used to be, and in Europe these wines are filling a gap left by people avoiding White Burgundy because of the yet unsolved problem of premature oxidation. (Fine Australian Chardonnays rated blind 18 Apr 2012 by Jancis Robinson (For more information on the issue of premature oxidation of Burgundian wines, see A Few Interesting Facts about Burgundy: Masterclass with Burghound Allen Meadows, Cellarit Wine Blog, 13 March 2012)
On a recent visit to Australia, the Wine Spectator’s Harvey Steiman also picked up on the trend towards what he describes as chardonnays with less alcohol, less obvious oak, more savoury flavours and smoother textures from wild ferments and ageing on less. “Prevailing opinion suggests,” he remarked after meeting with Australian winemakers, wine writers and sommeliers, “that an emerging style modeled more on white Burgundy may supersede Australia’s reputation for making broad, big-fruit Chardonnays.” Action in Australian Chardonnay: New styles modeled on Burgundy make it the buzz of the country now by Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 2 December 2011)
Neither critic, however, was dismissive of the depth, power and elegance of the best examples of the older style of Australian chardonnay. Robinson singled out “unashamedly full-on wines” like the Giaconda Chardonnay 2008 and the Hunter Valley’s Harkham Aziza’s Chardonnay 2011 as highlights of a recent tasting of 35 Australian chardonnays. Harvey Steiman was rhapsodic about a recent vintage of Devil’s Lair from the Margaret River, which displayed “rich fruit – pineapple, pear, tropical fruits – layered nimbly in a plush-textured package, finishing with length and finesse.”
Here are some of the wines in the new, more restrained style that most impressed both critics:
Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2010, Yarra Valley
Yabby Lake Single Block Release Chardonnay 2009, Mornington Peninsula
Phillip Shaw No. 11 Chardonnay 2009, Orange
Pierro Chardonnay 2008, Margaret River
Shaw + Smith, M3 Chardonnay 2010 Adelaide Hills
Sidewood Chardonnay 2010, Adelaide Hills
Heggies Chardonnay 2010, Eden Valley
Oak Ridge 864 Chardonnay 2010, Yarra Valley
Merrill Witt, Editor
On the Cellarit Facebook page, I noted that Huon Hooke reported in the Sydney Morning Herald that Penfolds will now give people a choice of cork or screwcap. According to Penfolds’ chief winemaker, Peter Gago, “cork is a barometer of care.” It’s a better indicator of bad handling, heat damage or poor storage conditions, because the cork will leak or, if affected by heat, slightly push up into the seal. (Sydney Morning Herald, 10 April 2012)
David Hawkins of One Aussie Wines responded to my Facebook post with the following comment: “Peter Gago may be correct, but I’ve had plenty of wines with corks that were up or down and the wine was fine…unfortunately TCA doesn’t offer any clues and that’s a more relevant fault for most people. I’ve also had heat affected bottles where there was no leakage or cork movement.”
Penfolds’ move is certainly sparking a fair bit of controversy. Hooke followed up on his article in the Herald with a post on his website. He noted that for Penfolds one of the key factors behind the move back to cork is increasing exports to markets like China where expertise on how to store, transport and properly care for wine is still developing.
But whether reverting back to cork is the best answer to gauge whether a wine has been heat damaged is debatable. Ian Riggs, chief winemaker at Brokenwood, was just as skeptical as David about whether cork was a better barometer of care than screwcap. He told Hooke:
Why don’t they just admit that they have buckled to the demands of their export markets and gone back to cork? To state that it is a way of showing up badly stored wine reeks of April Fool’s Day. So now, wine from all over the world is going to be replaced as soon as there’s a slightly pushed cork or signs of weeping? Here’s an idea: get better storage up to the point of sale to the customer and then start an education program to get the wines looked after once purchased. The odd thing is that a wine under screwcap has a better chance of surviving adverse conditions than one under cork. (Penfolds Cork Disclosure, HuonHooke.com, 16 April 2012)
Riggs also questioned whether evidence of heat damage necessarily means that the wine is spoiled: “It may have been badly stored but there’s no loss of wine as the seal hasn’t been broken. The wine may been a bit more advanced (if heat affected) but it will still be in a presentable state. Once the cork has pushed and even if the storage temperature drops, the cork can’t go back to a perfect seal.”
Improving wine storage conditions in Asian countries like China is certainly of critical importance. I almost cried when I heard a report of Lafite being stored in a 30 degree celsius carpark in one of China’s main cities!
But with China’s growing interest in fine wine, technical know-how and strong history of fast-tracking development, I’m guessing that it won’t be long before its wine storage facilities are plentiful and state-of-the art. Also, preference for screwcaps seems to be growing in the US, which is now the world’s largest market for wine. Today Shanken News Daily reported that following the change of New Zealand’s Nobilo’s closure from cork to screwcap in 2011, the brand has been growing at double digits in the US.
So the debate over which is the perfect closure for a whole variety of reasons continues to rage on!
Photo Credit: Buckingham Valley Winery, Pennsylvania
Merrill Witt, Editor 
When I was researching this post on Wendouree, I came across an article in the Wine Spectator about a very successful Houston heart surgeon who had built an impressive wine collection. Of particular pride for the collector was a substantial grouping of reds from Wendouree totaling 90 bottles from 1990 to 2003. (The Pulse of a Collector: A surgeon builds a cellar that would get anyone’s heart racing by Jennifer Fielder, Wine Spectator, 30 June 2007)
The article brought back memories of a collection I once inventoried for another doctor, who also had a very deep collection of Wendouree verticals. Both doctors had created their cellars for long-term drinking pleasure. As the heart surgeon explained, “There’s no wine I buy for investment purposes. They are made to enjoy, not just to look at like trophies on the wall.”
The decision to buy multiple vintages of the Wendouree range may have a little bit to do with having a place on the winery’s coveted mailing list. (No easy task!) Wendouree proprietors Tony and Lity Brady only sell wine via their mailing list. Allocations are strictly limited and prices are deliberately kept at reasonable levels, so few customers pass up to opportunity to take what’s offered!
The Bradys see themselves as custodians of a priceless treasure. Many of the vines on the 28 acre Clare Valley property date back to 1892. The beautiful historic stone winery is also over 100 years old.
The Bradys purchased “A.P. Birks Wendouree” (the full name, as it still appears on the label) in 1974 and have limited production to straight varietals or blends of shiraz, malbec, mataro, cabernet sauvignon, and a dessert muscat of Alexander.
The wines are meant to aged – one of the main reasons why collectors hold onto their verticals. As wine writer Jamie Goode commented, “I have to be honest: these are my sort of wines. Unusual for modern Australian reds, they’re not terribly alcoholic. They are wines for the long haul, and sacrifice some early drinkability and seductive deliciousness from some future development – a wise investment. I can’t think of a more consistently excellent Australian producer.” (The Clare Valley, Part 4: Wendouree by Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com)
I’m always keen to discover what makes a wine exceptional. In the case of Wendouree, the quality of the terroir – low yielding, dry-grown, old vines on shallow red loam over limestone – is obviously very special. Work in the vineyard fits the best practice mode in being very meticulous and un-mechanised. Herbicides are avoided and the grapes are only hand-picked when each bunch is deemed to be at optimal ripeness.
But you can’t overlook what happens in the winery. In a very interesting interview with Goode, Tony explained that “The critical technology in winemaking is the method.” A few highlights: Lita and Tony use small open top fermenters, which have the advantage of blowing off alcohol by about one degree. Malolactic fermentation is finished in tank not in barrel, because it’s important and the tank offers more control: “If you finish fermentation in wood the wine looks good young but it’s not good for the long term,” Tony told Goode.
Other winemakers, I’m sure, would debate this last point. But it does highlight, in my mind at least, how making great wine is at some point an alchemic process. No matter the degree of skill, technical analysis, technology etc, with the right material a great winemaker just knows how to make magic happen!
Merrill Witt, Editor
A selection of back vintages of Wendouree are available on the Cellarit Wine Market
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