Penfolds Thomas Hyland Chardonnay 2008 ( Gold and Trophy,Class 1) Sourced primarily from the Adelaide Hills with components from McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula, this collected the trophy for ‘Best Wine Under $20, although it is generally priced a little above that mark in retail outlets. A lovely balance of fruit and oak maturation, this wine label generally includes some Yattarna fruit (Penfold’s ultra-premium Chardonnay)and is ideally suited to pasta, salad and seafood dishes.
Deen De Bortoli Vat 7 Chardonnay 2008 (Silver, Class 1). De Bortoli is a large winery with vineyards throughout New South Wales and the Yarra Valley in Victoria, utilising specific vineyards to give the stone fruit flavours required for this style of wine. This has a nice creamy, nutty texture and should drink well over the next 2-3 years with many chicken, seafood and light pasta dishes.
Heggies Vineyard Riesling 2009: (Top Gold, Class 2) Heggies is one of Australia’s highest altitude cool climate vineyards , and only the free run portion was selected for this vintage. The palate opens with grapefuit zest and a crisp minerality on the finish. The wine shows a fine balance between stylish Riesling fruit notes and natural acidity. Drink now or cellar for a minimum of five years.
Crabtree Watervale Riesling 2009: (Top Gold, Class 30) Crabtree Wines has built an enviable reputation for classic Watervale Riesling having been awarded the 2008 Riesling Wine Of The Year Award by Winestate Magazine, and now a Top Gold in the Adelaide Wine Show with their new vintage. Will age very nicely.
Rymill Coonawarra ‘The Yearling’ Sauvignon Blanc 2009: (Silver, Class 3) The Rymills are descendants of John Riddoch, one of the original wine merchants and pastoralists in the South East. Whilst the Coonawarra region has not generally been known for growing Sauvignon Blanc , we have included some excellent examples in our dozens over the last couple of years .
This one has subtle hints of fresh herbs, and a crisp finish revealing touches of lemon and lime . Enjoy well chilled while young and fresh, ideally with a light seafood dish.
Catching Thieves Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Top Silver,Class 9) A lovely crisp blend from the Margaret River, this one has passionfruit and stonefruit flavours and is beautifully supported by a citrus acid backbone giving the wine lovely structure and a lingering finish. An excellent luncheon style wine, well suited to a grilled chicken caesar or with any seafood while young and fresh.
Xanadu Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Gold, Class 15) This is the only other Margaret River winery in our selection this year, and shows how good the region is for Cabernet Sauvignon as well as their highly regarded white wines. Has lovely blackcurrant and berry fruits balanced with some toasty oak. Is drinking very nicely now or will reward cellaring for 3-5 years.
Leconfield Richard Hamilton Gumprs Shiraz 2008 (Gold and Trophy, Class 18) Collecting the Trophy for Best Shiraz in Show, this is a lovely Mc Laren Vale beauty made by Paul Gordon. Rich plum fruit and black pepper, this is a style which has always been very popular in our selections. Can be consumed as a young wine, but will also benefit from up to 8 years in the cellar.
Brands Laira of Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot (Top Gold, Class 21) Another superb vintage of this wine, the Brands label has enjoyed consistent wine show success. Showing ripe plum and cherry flavours, this is also drinking well now; but as with previous vintages it will easily handle another 5 years in the cellar.
Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage 2007 (Gold, Class 21) We first discovered this wine back in 2004, and it has always been highly sought after when we have included previous vintages in our Wine Show dozens. A rich blend of Cab Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, once again this wine shows lovely ripe plum and blackberry flavours and perfectly balanced oak integration. Drink to 2016 with any full flavoured meat dish .
Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz Cabernet 2008: (Gold, 18.5,Class 22) Renowned winemaker Ben Riggs has made some excellent wines under this label. This wine is a 55/45% blend from estate grown fruit at Morambro Creek near Padthaway; and was the only Gold Medal in this class . Has excellent upfront fruit, and would be best consumed over the next couple of years.
Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz Viognier 2008: (Gold and Trophy, Class 23) Having collected the Red Winemaker of the Year at the most recent International Wine Challenge, Wolf Blass has now also collected a swag of medals and trophies here. This wine was voted “Best Red Wine in Show’ with their first ever vintage of this blend, and is a superb example of how well these two varieties can work together. Although not made to be a long cellaring proposition, this is drinking very well now - 2012.
