Prunotto Ochetti Piedmont Nebbiolo d'Alba 2008

My lament is that only one glass gets washed around here these days; Erin only having wine a few days a week, which is cool though. Pitiful lament I know. But its the case so half bottle season it is! The Prunotto Occhetti Piedmont Nebbiolo d'Alba 2008 is all bells and whistles; its really everyhting you love about Nebbiolo, or Barolo for that matter, only its in a little bottle and perfect for one glass - 2 1/2 really. Chicken or the egg meets tomato/potato kind a thing if you get my drift.

Drink with juicy lamb chops
Drink till 2020
96
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $40ish Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick

De Iuliis Hunter Valley Aged Release Semillon 2005

If you are in Melbourne this morning, look out the window, it's a stunning day. And on a day like today when all is said and done, when the garden has been sorted, when the washing has dried - from the close line not the drier, and when the kids have exhausted themselves from 4 hours of trampolining, drink this.

The De Iuliis Hunter Valley Aged Release Semillon 2005 is a Melbourne spring day in a bottle. Straw colour in the glass, the nose offers soft hints of honey, white flowers and waxy lanolin. The palate is driven with a mix of lemon and lime citrus sting with an almost whizz-fizz grainy finish. And like a Melbourne spring day, after a while it all changes. On looking at this wine the following day a real toastiness flows through the wine. Just beautiful, like today.

Drink with grilled prawns
Drink till 2015+
92
Screwcap 11.5%v/v $30ish at Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick

Viñero Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2010

This trade - the wine biz - is a funny beast. Out there in wine sniff land there is an abundant lot that crow about this Grand Cru and snort on how Montlouis is far superior to Vouvray in drier years; thats what they read or heard second hand anyway. The wine expert, yes indeed, a curious fellow of both genders.

With that said, it is rare to see two interested and curious fellows come along and take a genuine stab in the wine game on a primary level and go out and hang their hat on a patch of fruit in the woolly Macedon Ranges; pick it, crush it, blend it, bottle it, market it, sell it and finally chase over-due invoices. The fruits of their labour is the Viñero Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2010. A wine by two sommeliers; Matt Brooke and Liam O'Brien.

A dirty red in the glass with a faint translucency, the wine throws a great mix of spice a green sappiness on the nose - partial whole bunch I suppose. The palate is what I would call effeminate and long; supple musk stick/red skin on the front palate with more brown spices woven in with tort acid and super-fine tannins.

This is a wine though that if you do not have any now, you probably wont be getting any. I was fortunate enough to grab a few before they all went down the road at Albert Street.

Drink with grilled spatchcock of quail
Drink till 2017
95
Screwcap 13.5%v/v

Gioiello Upper Goulburn Merlot 2008

Merlot still gets a bad wrap unfortunately, from that stupid movie 'Sideways' to Neil and Bob on Youtube, Merlot is still the ugly duckling. But we all know what happened to the ugly duckling, it turned in to a majestical beast. Good Merlot too can be a majestical beast; look at the great Right Bank wines like Petrus, Le Pin and Cheval Blanc - all Merlot and all truly unforgettable.

With the soapbox put away, please welcome the Gioiello Upper Goulburn Merlot 2008. Pronounced 'Joy-ello', meaning 'jewell' in Italian, is a wine that came across my bow a few months ago and was penned in to the list when there was a spot. A great colour in the glass, the wine sings with pretty blue fruit with a hint of dusty tannins too come. The palate is a great example of what Merlot is; blueberries, ash, minerality, cedar and acid. And the producers of this wine have done the right thing and released the wine with a bit of bottle age, and not straight away where the real Merlot would not be seen. A ripping wine.

Drink with lamb back-strap
Drink till 2025
95
Screwcap 13.6%v/v $25 Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick  

Ruggerbellus Barossa Valley Efferus 2010

It seems in an ever changing wine landscape, there are some things that are just what they propose to be - wine without the song and dance. Enter the Ruggerbellus Barossa Valley Efferus 2010 Mataro blend.

I reckon I had this about 2 years ago for the first time at Fix in Sydney and was simply drawn to it by it pure simplicity; gorgeous fruit, gorgeous acid and tannin structure and gorgeous length. Gorgeous.

Forward 2 years and it is now a fixture at Albert Street Food & Wine, but don't put it on the burner, there's not much left. So the wine. Deep colour in the glass with an almost black/purplish hue. Massive wafts of black fruit and black olives on the nose with a slight ashed finish, the wine powers in the palate with flavour that ascends ever so lightly and seems to go on for ever; I didn't do a Robert Parker Jnr and time the flavour length - I do have a life thankyou! But I digress. Plenty more black fruit with a slight tinge of green leaf in the acid working its way at the end. Cracking good wine.

Drink with Côte de boeuf with Béarnaise - like I did last night
Drink till 2025
96
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $42 Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick

Produttori Langhe Barbaresco DOC 2009, Piedmont Italy

When it's cold you should drink wine that warms you up; gives you a hug is something I have been known to say in this case at Albert Street Food & Wine. Well this wine does that without giving you a nose bleed due to excessive alcohol. The Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe DOC 2009 from Piedmont is a wine that is oozing in all things sexy that is Barbaresco, which for those not aware surrounds Barolo in Piedmont. Dusty dark red in the glass as on the nose, the palate is all racy tannins and acid up front with a generous lick of tar and juicy black licorice at the back. But it doesn't end there. After about an hour or so in the decanter the wine opens with effortless floral notes of violet and garden herb aroma's. What is even better is the palate shakes off some of those dusty old tannins and effortlessly delivers sumptuous black and blue fruit with an almost earthy feel as well. And like the first sip, gives you gorgeous tar and black licorice at the end. Sexy as!!

Drink with 2 day old cassoulet
Drink till 2029
96
Quality cork 13.5%v/v (unfortunately not available at Albert Street, but in due time, it will make a return to the shelves)

Mandoleto Sicily Nero d'Avola 2009

It has a pretty label, a pretty nose and a pretty darn good palate. And for about $15 this wine is easily for bargain find of the year. The Mandoleto Sicily Nero d'Avola 2009 is for me the perfect winter fed without the nose bleeding alcohol levels that you can find with some imported Sicilian Nero d'Avola's.

Now Nero d'Avola is very much the raisin de l'année in these parts with plenty of growers in central Vic and the Tobacco Road resurrecting vines planted back when Australia was the destination for thousands of Southern Italian  immigrants back in the 1950's, with people like Chalmers, Pizzini championing Italian varieties.

So to the wine. Quite a deep colour with a purple hue, the nose throws great wafts of blue fruit  a with a touch of garden lavender. The palate is quite tight up front but washes along the tongue to finish with quite a brightness and an almost cooling sensation as well.

For the price, this has gotta' be a no-brainer for any occasion and anytime of the year.

Drink with eggplant parmegania

Drink now

92

Screwcap 13.5% v/v $15 Albert Street Food & Wine soon

Hoddles Creek Yarra Valley 1er Chardonnay 2010

I love this wine, and I have fallen back in love with Yarra Valley Chardonnay - this Yarra Valley Chardonnay anyway.

The Hoddles Creek Yarra Valley 1er Chardonnay 2010 is all heirs and graces (whatever that means I dont know) with a delicious blend of new world razor sharpness and old world finesse and style. Straw colour in the glass, the nose is singing between tart grapefruit, mealy almonds and licorice powder.

Like another recent fave of late - the Eastern Peak 2008 Syrah - this wine almost sits cool in the mouth. Not Fonzy cool, but temperature cool. From my tasting notes we drunk this wine at temperature range of about 6-10 Celcius, and the cooling idea comes from the way it just sat in the palate so effortlessly.

Back to the wine at hand. The palate was like the nose, with a wonderful mix of tight citrus acidity, but as the wine developed over the night, a denser Puligny-Montrachet feeling came to the fore with licore powder and minerlaity.

A welcoming wine from many years of citric acid madness I say.

Drink with veal cutlets
Drink till 2018
97
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $42 Albert Street Food & Wine

Benevelli Piero Piedmont Langhe Nebbiolo 2010

Since returning to the restaurant/retail side of this business, I have been reunited with one of the first loves of my wine life - Italian varieties.

Back in the dark days of the 1990's wine industry in Australia - where for the best part of 6 years I was away in the US and Europe honing my wine passion - pretty much all of the focus was on Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay and the new romance with Burgundy. What was lost were the Italian verities that Australia was effectively weaned on in its wine infancy; Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Barbera, Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano and the rich man's Italian Bin 389 - Nebbiolo.

Thanks to the Tobacco Road growers in North Eastern Victoria, Australian-Italian varieties were once again slowly finding their way back in to restaurants and retailers, but they were still seen as a poor man's wine with memories of the great Chianti Fiasco's sitting in Lygon Street eateries with a candle subtlety wedged in the top of the neck.

So it is no surprise to me that restaurants such as Cutler & Co - be it 2 years ago - were found to be pouring Brown Brothers Prosecco amongst other Australian-Italians on the list. I'd be going far these days to find a list that doesn't have at least one Italian variety on BTG; right now Albert Street has four BTG.

So this Italian segue has been brought to you by Benevelli Piero Langhe Nebbiolo 2010. A young Nebbiolo, but what a beauty it is. Dusty on the nose with wafts of violets and black fruit peaking through after a while in the decanter. After a while in the glass the palate opened up with mouth watering tannins and acidity tightly bound around tart cranberries and raspberries with an almost dried green herb finish.

NB this wine was positively singing three days later - could have gone a week, but who has the patience I ask?

Drink with osso bucco
Drink till 2020
96
Quality cork 13%v/v $37 Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick

Bests Great Western Dolcetto 2010

I gotta say, that in the last few years, that Best's are really bringing sexxy back to Western Victoria. The Best's Great Western Dolcetto 2010 from initial tyasting back in April with FESQ rep Brad was to date the most intiguing wine I had come across for the year to date; endless wafts of dried green garden herbs of oregano and even lavender drive the aroma with beautifully balanced acidity and tannins combined with another great mixof red and black fruit. One of the wines of the year for me.

Drink with lamb navarin
Drink till 2016
97
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $28 Albert Strett Food & Wine, Brunswick

Michel Niéllon Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy at Albert St

It would be very easy of me to waffle on about these wines, but I won’t. All I’ll say is that they were both exquisite, with the 1982 coming in just that little more perfect. And to think, Michel Niéllon has only .22 hectares; thats about 2000 vines. Thats Sweet FA!

Michel Niéllon Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 1982 – still holding its colour and acidity, this wine has soft crème brulee and licorice powder flowing the whole way through the glass. A pleasure to drink. 100/100

Michel Niéllon Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 1983 – colour had turned a slight orange with an abundant mix of truffles and crème brulee. 99/100

Foster Mendoza IQUE Malbec 2010 - Half Bottle

This is just a great wine and a no-brainer when it comes to value for money. The Foster Mendoza IQUE Malbec 2010 from Argentina hits this market when Argentine Malbec is still a rising force. Dense black fruit on the nose with a strong hint of dustiness, the palate weaves around structured tannins, tort acidity and bright blueberries. In the half bottle format, this wine is a fair-dinkum no-brainer and an easy mucho fantastic! Drink with rare sirloin Drink till 2015 95 Screwcap 13.5%v/v $14 for a half bottle at the wine store in Albert Street Food and Wine, Brunswick

The Wanderer Upper Yarra Valley Chenin Blanc 2010

This variety is vying with Pinot Blanc right now as my default wine; both are positively singing right now due to proper viticulture and dedicated wine makers. The Wanderer Upper Yarra Valley Chenin Blanc 2010 right now is in the groove. Bright and shiny nose - I know thats sounds like a bit of a wank, but hey, just works! Fresh ginger on the nose is followed by the gentlest of honeysuckle. Crisp in the palate, the acidiy is followed by more subtle ginger and the tiniest amount of white phenolics - sort of a talc feel in the mouth. I seriously do love this wine right now.

Drink with Hue prawn and pork pancake
Drink till 2014
97
Screwcap 13%v/v $26 Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick

Cantina Cellaro Luma Inzolia/Chardonnay 2010, Sicily Italy

This came across my bow about a month ago and from the first whiff and sip I was hooked. Massive fan. Huge!

On a segue, do you remember that corny wine commercial for Nottage Hill from the 90's where one of the two nimrods keeps saying, '... it's not-taa, it's not-taaa...' Basic proviso is that he couldn't pick A) the aroma and B) what type of wine it is. Well this sort of happened with the Cantina Cellaro Luma Inzolia/Chardonnay IGT 2010. I could get the shot of grapefruit citrus burst, but I was searching for the Inzolia - the native white variety from Sicily - and couldnt pick it, but you get that sometimes.

Like I said, a great burst of grapefruit and raw lick of minerality; the river stone type of minerality, with beautiful and pristine acidity that doesnt get out of control. Very austere and pure, and just a pleasure to drink. Just love it!!

Drink with spagetti and prawns
Drink till 2014
97
Diam cork 13.5%v/v $32 Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick

Between Five Bells Geelong Red Wine 2010

In life as it is in science, things just gel and go together; positve and negative ions, bees and honey and meatpies and footy. Yet sometimes some pesky butterflies in Japan have been know to disrupt Ying and Yang and all hell breaks loose; Marilyn Monroe marries Arthur Miller, Michael Phelps loses a race and George W. Bush wins two terms as President! Yes I know, head-scratching stuff indeed.

So when a group of Geelong wine makers decide to blend Shiraz, Sangiovese, Grenache and Zinfandel, yes Zinfandel, you gotta start thinking that these butterflies in Japan need a good dose of Mortein. But as it happens, this blend fucking rocks; you are safe this time butterfly.

The Between Five Bells Geelong Red Wine 2010 has all the hallmarks of becoming a cult wine very fast for two reasons; A) the whacky blend, and B)its so good God Damn it! This wine has it all with tart red and dark fruit but sitting so soft and smooth in the mouth, silky tannins, subtle licorice all-sorts and achingly perfect acid. It is such an easy wine to like and such a hard one too share.

Drink with Melanzane alla Parmigiana
Drink till 2015
98
Wax seal with Diam cork 13.5%v/v $39 Albert Street Food & Wine

Dinny Goonan Geelong Riesling 2011

A very smart wine this one. The Dinny Goonan Geelong Riesling 2011 is a wine that may not be on the tips of the rockstar sets tounges, but who cares. This winery is hidden on the northern foothills of the Otways and only surfaced on my radar while I was looking for Geelong wineries to pour at Albert St for March.

Perfectly restrained on the nose with a tickle of flint and tart lime, the palate is sort of a mix of half citrus acid, half minerality and half white phenolics (a Seinfeld grab for those who remember). But the great thing about this wine is that no flavour profile hogs the spot light, and the flavour profile is quite gentle and, as I said before, restraint. This is a great little wine.

Drink with kingfisk cerviche
Drink till 2016
95
Screwcap 12%v/v $24 at Albert St Food & Wine in March

Jamsheed Healesville Syrah 2010 - Third down and plenty!

So here I am. Its 12.20am and I’m watching the replay of Super Bowl forty something-or-rather and Madonna is singing something from when it was Super Bowl twenty something-or-rather. I’m watching the replay because I am a New York Giants fan and I got through the day without finding out the score, so if you know – zip-it!

As I said, its half time and Madonna interests me as much as a hernia so I thought I’d write a post. The Jamsheed Healesville Vineyard Yarra Valley Syrah 2010. Had this one a few days ago for the third time and loved it as much as, well as much as the first I guess. Quite dense in the glass, the Healesville Syrah for me is hard to separate from Silvan or Yarra Glen, but I guess it is pretty common these days to highlight mesoclimate, so Healesville, you rock! The nose throws a good amount of tart fruit and savoury notes and a good amount of dust which suggests a good amount of chewy tannins. I suggested right. Long and persistent with acid and tight chewy tannins built around subtle raspberry and red licorice with quite an intense purity throughout the glass. All in all I loved it.

There’s a flag on the play so I’m going to wrap up. Great length and plenty of time left in the tank. And for the rest of the mesoclimates in the Valley – lift your game!

Drink with Buffalo wings, in honour of the Super Bowl
Drink till 2018
96
Diam cork under wax seal 13.7%v/v $46 Albert St Food & Wine, Brunswick

Go Giants!!!

Eldridge Estate Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2009

After a weird call to the wine store this morning I thought this was appropriate.

A beautifully crafted Chardonnay from the peninsula. The Eldridge Estate Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2009 is sort of a step back to the close past – you get that? What I mean is this a Chardonnay that isn’t made in the Chablis style of tort acid and citrus. This wine has the beautiful texture of Chassagne Montrachet with a burst of stone fruit, soft grapefruit and persistent licorice powder. This is a wine that was made 10 years ago, before the time when it was uber chic to make chardonnay with piercing acid and nothing else. (Don’t get me wrong. I like acid and grapefruit in Chardonnay, but I also like complexity and fullness too.) Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

Drink with pork and pistachio sausage
Drink till 2016
97
Screwcap 13.7%v/v $47 Albert St Food & Wine, Brunswick

Vadiaperti Campania Falanghina IGT 2009

This is not for the faint of heart. The Vadiaperti Campania Falanghina IGT 2009 is a wine that cannot easily be pigeon-holed like a chardonnay, riesling or sauvignon, where all three in one way or another can be mistaken for the others. Very often with ‘exotic’ varieties you have people ask what other variety is it similar to; well this variety has a ‘hole’ all of its own! Captivating on the nose with a touch of candied grapefruit and dried herbs, the palate throws all manner of savoury notes of more dried herbs, acid and white phenolics. It is the mid palate where the dried herb aspect makes you stand to attention; its something that takes a while to put your finger on, but its there, trust me. A cracking wine and club house leader in my fridge right now.

Drink with risotto of goat’s cheese and asparagus
Drink till 2014
94
Natural cork 13%v/v $33 Albert St Food & Wine, Brunswick

Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2011

This is close to the best wine of the year for me. The Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2011. In past posts I have mentioned that I am an unabashed Sauvignon fan; done right that is and not to a regional formula. So the first thing to say is that I should not be confused with the ‘Savvy Bashes’ and secondly buy this wine. Full of cracked white pepper and fennel on the nose, the palate also too surprises with a crisp and, this next one I had difficulty with, unctuous and almost tangible herbal note to it. This persisted throughout the bottle. The only trouble with this wine was the glass and a bit I left in the bottle for the next day had no impact like the first three. So I went back to Albert Street Food & Wine the next day and picked anotherie up. A truly great Australian example of how to do this grape justice.

Drink with goat’s cheese
Drink till 2013
96
Screwcap 12.5%v/v $24 Albert Street Food & Wine, Brunswick