Random Wine Roundup September

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Vintage 2002 $120
Whilst non vintage Champagne from the bigger houses can be something of a quality gamble, the vintage versions are typically much more predictable. And predictable this is, in the very best possible way. A polished, powerful, firm and dense Champagne, in a blind lineup this absolutely glowed with class and distinction. Bloody good stuff. Given that you can pick this up for $100 around the traps it’s actually reasonable value too. Yum.18.5/94

Elefante Castila Blanco 2009 $12.99
A cheeky little Spanish white is a blend of Macebeo, Verdejo and Viura with a dash of Sauvignon Blanc.Grapefruit and citrus green fruit nose that has some fleshy Riesling character to it. Palate is dry, clean and tangy, dominated by green fruit if just a fraction green. Clean and fresh, this is an entirely serviceable dry white, if not overflowing with character. 16/87

Elefante Tempranillo Shiraz 2009 $12.99
The companion piece to the white above (with both imported by Fourth Wave Wine Partners), this again smells fresh and clean, indicating some switched on new world attention to clean winemaking. The nose is fresh, youthful and berried, with a nice dose of leathery Tempranillo fruit and little oak. Palate follows with a quite rich, tangy mouthful of caramel berry fruit. It’s just a little unfocused for decent marks, though it’s again entirely serviceable. Very fair value. 16/87

Knappstein Shiraz 2008 $23.99
Extremely tough year in the Clare Valley (for reds at least) and wines like this are bound to suffer. Suitably it smells very ripe, leaning into the licoricey, warm jam fruit end of the spectrum, though still fresh enough. Palate too is rich and caramelised, heady through the finish. It’s not a bad wine and if you picked this up for circa $15 (like it gets down to) you could call it good value (though I’d wait for the 09 personally – marked difference in quality between the years). 16.5/88