Yarra Valley based vineyard owner Phil Sexton breezed through Brisbane with a swag of single vineyard wines under his prime brand Giant Steps.

Phil Sexton-Giant Steps owner-Yarra Valley

Phil’s story goes that now he has vineyards or vineyard sources with mature vines (planted 1976-1997), or plants in those places were the winemaking team have a handle on the way the wines are expressed.

But it all seems relative; we had Bruce Tyrrell through last week showing his centurion Hunter Valley wines-semillon and shiraz from plants 100 years or more.

The other interesting issue is that the company has now focussed strongly on single vineyard wines; and I was attending a pre-release party where guests bought in advance.

Giant Steps Winemaker-Steve Flamsteed

As chef cum winemaker Steve Flamsteed exclaims “in 2008 it was an era where we were grounded with these grapes, but from this great year 2010, we are flying”.

2010 was a year when ripeness came at quite low sugars so that these wines have little or no mouth hotness-say yes to lower alcohol here.

Chardonnays came from three sites: Sexton, Tarraford and Arthurs Creek.

Giant Steps Sexton Chardonnay2010; 13% (USD 36.75); ++++; lovely complex nose mixture, oak char, aroma power, taste has tempered richness, enjoyably a great creamy texture leading into fineness, lovely final tastes. 230-310m.

Steve notes this vineyard is on shallow, sandy soil over clay, and roots have now settled through that lower layer to give the vine balance he wishes. Note the low alcohol.

Giant Steps Tarraford Chardonnay 2010; 13% (USD 42); +++++; wow, restrained nose, lemon fruit, understated feral bits, palate is what does it for me-longer finish of the three, dries but holds on so long, that’s what full body is about. 100m.

Giant Steps Arthur’s Creek Chardonnay 2010; 13% (USD 47.25); +++; big nose which mutes, palate very fine and very drying, probably a young wine very closed up (should not be scored); tastes simple but is just backward, will aged well until 2020. 170m, only two harvests in five years.

Pinot noirs come from Sexton, Tarraford, Gladysdale and Applejack vineyards.

Giant Steps Sexton Pinot Noir2010; 13% (USD 42); +++; meaty ferment aromas, sliver of new oak, top fruits, very closed and tight, best not scored due to is backwardness, not fleshy, more linear.

Giant Steps Tarraford Pinot Noir2010; 13% (USD 47.25); ++++; lots of whole bunch maceration aromas, wine with muscle, yet aromatic and sweet fruit on front of the mouth, lots of weight and extract; great flavours to muse on and very defining.

Giant Steps Gladysdale Vineyard Pinot Noir

Giant Steps Gladysdale Pinot Noir2010; 13%; (USD 47.25);++++1/2; great aromatics meet the nose, very fruit sweet at first taste, lots of work with stalks and quite tannic, has the weight to carry the dryness, high on acid, stiff on oak; good little monster. 320m.

Giant Steps Applejack Pinot Noir 2010; 13.5%; (USD 52.50); ++++; very elegant, roses, perfume, raises the taste expectation, has style though very light bodied yet the high acid sustains the funk and the fruit flavour lift; extremely fine wine. 330m.

In conclusion owner Sexton said his main aim is a vineyard relationship-to have a continuum of grapes to make the types of wines that 2010 produced from these single origins.

 

Of the great white varieties of the world it’s the variety riesling which struggles to retain buyer interest.

And that’s not because it’s poor wine – just not as hip as sauvignon or pinot grigio perhaps.

Australia makers display wonderful riesling when it ages, so do the German, French, Austrian, American, Canadian, South African and New Zealand makers of similar styles.

Age-worthy. So what. Some of the greatest wines of the world, rieslings grown in the Mosel-Saar-Ruhr region of Germany hold for decades, and for some, half a century or more.

Australian rieslings, despite an incredibly well run annual International Riesling Challenge in Canberra, an industry scholarship and wonderful annual international tasting hosted by Great Southern WA producer, Frankland Estate, still slide in popularity.

They are a fad and a relic of the baby boomer era, and probably not seen as very hip by millennial drinkers.

So here is my bit for an international group of rieslings tasted recently, and generally not holding up to the reputation of several brands; some were spoiled by bad winemaking, or better put slack winemaking when contrasted with a pristinely-made Australian riesling.

Australian makers of these light, easy oxidisable and delicate wines take great care from when the berry comes off its bunch until all the safe bottling stages have been perfected.

In this tasting I was surprised to see stale wines , or Old World examples struggling with the screw cap such that the smelly reductive characters pervaded what ought to be a good drink. Disappointing. It’s all about winemaker detail and getting it right.

Wines are described in order of enjoyment. Pale colour in the younger wines is highly appreciated.

O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2010, 12.5% (USD 21) ++++1/2; very pale, slither of green, youthful, aromas of roses and limes, rejuvenating smells rent the air, austere in the mouth, has a high acid backbone which leads to the talc minerality and slatyness, steely finish of young riesling, aging range 2018-2020. Screw cap.

Dr Burklin-Wolf Riesling Trocken Rheinpfalz 2009, 12% (USD 29.25) +++1/2; pale, peapod green, sulphur dioxide on nose, dumbing the smell, honied, very ripe fruit assortment, lots of musk on the palate, ripe riesling, bitters from the solids ferment give texture and weight, slatey acid, very high acid, light bodied and bone dry, lovely limey final flavour zip. Natural cork.

Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett Mosel 2008, 8.5% (USD 50) +++; ultra-pale, almost clear with pea green shadows, nose musky and sulphidic (smelly), lots of solids in the ferment driving the aroma, very sweet on entry, lightest body imaginable, Mosel palate with the lemon sherbet sensation, slatey acid-like sucking a smooth stone, some yum to finish. Natural cork.

Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Trocken Rhinegau 2005, 11.5% (USD 26.25) +++; very pale, youthful, high SO2 which dulls the nose, neutral fruit not aromatic, more spice, fruit is very forward, wine has matured, dry/austere, high acid and really chewy, hot alcohol and bone dry! Natural cork.

Kientzler Riesling Alsace 2005, 12.5%, (USD 35.75) +++; quite advanced colour, probably some botrytis at birth, nose restrained, dry grass, herbal and honied, quite mature, lots of ripe fruit, palate big and drying for such a delicate drink. High acid, defining acid but a focused finish at days end. Old fashioned winemaking which encourages phenolics. Natural cork.

Summary: New World winemaking has much to offer Old World winemaking with respect to riesling. No wonder Germany is falling out of favour as a producer so reliant on riesling plantings which dominate its surface.

In today’s consumer-led environment, pulling some riesling and replacing with pinot gris, pinot noir, pinot blanc or sauvignon blanc sounds like a better trading proposition.

Last night I was fortunate to fall into a Tweetup #gamay11 on gamay. That’s something unusual because like pinotage there is only about twenty tonnes of it grown in Australia.

Brisbane’s very premier ecco Wine Bar was the venue serving a great plate of salumi and cheese exotica as the gamay from Eldridge Estate were poured.

Now I gave up gamay in the late 80s when I worked out that Beaujolais nouveau were just a wank: and that no, this form of gamay was not a very exciting drink.

At the same time many Australians thought likewise as pinot noir grown in the colder areas took a grip on this part of the market-the easy drinking lighter style of red with absolutely decent texture.

So then gamay could no longer complete. Pinot is easily bottled within a year of production and looks really good drunk young, and often chilled.

An underdone gamay drunk straight after fermentation with high unsoftened acidity, and only on a seasonal basis, again when the wine looks and tastes unfinished is not a good look against sophisticated or lower priced pinot.

Time passed until these delicious gamays from David and Wendy Lloyd of Eldridge Estate emerged yesterday. They have character, attitude, aromatic quality but still the essential palate softness that separates gamay from pinot.

Like barbera in Piedmont, the diversion from tannin in the mouth from nebbiolo is obvious.

Eldridge Estate Gamay 2008 (+++); 13.1%, USD 35, is gamey, now quite forward and funk-driven, on the palate slurpy, mature and soft as, acidity being the finishing flavour, a good drink yet reflecting the effects of the heat and bushfire season during its growth.

Eldridge Estate Gamay 2009 (++++); 13.7%, USD 35, is nose opulent, sexy, prolific sweet aromas and tight oak char, a very complete wine now at its zenith, ready to be consumed with some crunchy frogs or more inviting morsels such as prosciutto or bresaola.

Eldridge Estate Experimental Gamay 2010 whole berry (+++); 13.5%, USD 25 for 500 ml, smells of a standard gamay wine, bright and fruity, soft and drinkable.

Eldridge Estate Experimental Gamay 2010 whole bunch (++++); 13.5%, USD 25 for 500 ml, smells decent, lots of attitude, confection from the whole bunch ferment, importantly the palate is layered and textured and oh so wonderful to experience, delightful wine, also tied around some expensive but delicately applied oak.

Eldridge Estate Experimental Gamay Pinot PTG 2010 (++++1/2); 13.5%, USD 25 for 500 ml, has elevated fruit aromas, spice, violets, lots of flavour to boot, importantly the sweet fruit of pinot holds up the gamay palate to round the wine off; most impressive.

I cannot but reflect that the answer to this experimental set of wines is to blend them together as components-ending up with one very smart wine. It’s just the process of making gamay, and pinot.

The other additional winemaking X-factor is carbonic maceration; the process of whole destemmed berries or berries on bunches fermenting as a whole, producing the candy and flowery aromas not found in the traditional ferment process. This separates the wine from other varieties with an extra level of “prettiness”.

And of course a high level of whole bunches is standard process in good pinot making ferments.

This series of gamay wines tells us why we should continue to say no to Beaujolais and drink something more interesting.

So now I must rescind my membership to Les Companions du Beaujolais for being a heretic, and think more like an Australian. Sacre bleu.

Last Friday I flew into the Murray Valley town of Mildura to check out some grapes that were ripening slowly.By co-incidence the bright Italian-origin local Stefano de Pieri shared the flight. One chat after another and we were soon sharing some decently-brewed caffe lungos at his nearby cafe.

“Mildura has been a twenty year journey for me, and for that it’s meant perseverance in a large country town” says Stef.

I quickly processed the fact that Mr de Pieri had engineered some new directions with his commercial bent, and with these on the tip of his tongue I garnered the excitement.

First there is Stefano de Pieri branded wines. These wines dare to be made different but this has been underpinned by his stalwart support for the wine show of no equivalent-the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS).

“The first year of the show had just 17 entries. Last year there were over 600, and this year I expect 700″ says the expectant vigneron.

Stef has cleverly developed his wine to contain varieties figuring in this show, but probably not well known. Now they receive a moment of national glory when the publicity shines on the AAVWS and the results pour from this wine-producing town.

Stefano de Pieri’s Tre Vini 2009

His Tre Vini 2009 (three wines) or what I expect to be a three grape blend is in fact quite obscure: moscato giallo, greco di tufo and garganega together. If grown in Italy the wine would join three regions: Piedmont (north, white muscat), Campania (near Rome) and Soave (west of Venice). 10.5% alcohol.

Stef’s vision is quite clear. “I wish to make lower alcohol wines-10.5-12.5%-with more savoury characters for my styles of food; not to be heavy. They need to be inexpensive (USD 9.50), memorable and easy drinking summer wines.” I guess his request has been answered with Tre Vini.The next de Pieri enterprise is the Mildura Brewery (a disused picture theatre) now churning out artisan quantities of Stef-named micro-style beers.

Two beers caught my eye-his Pilsner (from a homeland taste influenced by the Austrians) and Choc Hops (640 ml), 5.2%.

Stefano de Pieri Choc Hops Stout

The choc hops is a dark, sweet, chocolated up with ample aromatic hops and superbly roasted malt in the stout mould. It’s a dessert beer.

And of course Stef comes from the Veneto town of Treviso, also the origin in 1910 of the very popular dessert tiramisu (means pick-me-up).

So I hope you can see it coming! The liqueur used in tiramisu being marsala can easily be substituted by Choc Hops, and there you have it-an original Mildura tiramisu recipe to enjoy alongside this vanilla-etched stout.

Also Treviso is the big city close to the most unpretentious sparkling wine region around-Prosecco.

Stef has gone the whole way and imported a single wine but only one in sync with his Slow Food convictions. This is an artisan wine known as Farmers Prosecco.

It is a wine having its first ferment in bottle and that’s the bottle you buy. It comes with the normal tirage closure which is a crown seal.

However the contents contain the original yeast, so it will pour cloudy, just like a Coopers Sparkling Ale where drinking the yeast is a religion.

The wine is non-vintage, historically the way Prosecco was sold, 11% alc, and as tradition would have it, a blend of the widely-known prosecco grape plus two rarer wines from the area in Valdobbiadene, verdisa and bianchetta.

For the iPhone App try Beer Buddy; it’s very instructive.