In what has become a semi-annual event, I ventured out into the Armageddon-esque sideways rain on Saturday to taste the trophy winners (and more) from the Sydney International Wine Competition.
You’re probably best to start here for an explainer on what’s different about this show, but to sum it up quickly, this is one of the only wine shows in the world where wines are judged with food. The winners are theoretically food-friendly as a result.
Actually, kill me now if I use the word ‘food-friendly’ again. What a lazy cliché. Food can mean anything! Who’s to say that my Pinot is going to match well with Twisties and half a Mars Bar at 3am outside a 7/11?
Anyway, I thought this year’s award winners were genuinely pretty good. I was critical of some of the boring trophy winners last year, but for the most part, I could see the appeal of many wines in this lineup (especially the reds).
That’s enough preamble, let’s get into the wines. Notes were written hurriedly while holding a glass and phone in the other. Background notes in italics.
Bracket 1: sparkling wines
Originally judged with ham, prosciutto, gruyere and parmesan pancakes.
Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs NV
Trophy winner. Gisborne fruit.
The Kiwi sparklings always do well here and reminds that NZ sparkling is somewhat underrated. This sparkling has a very correct nose, the palate is pure Blanc de Blancs too. It’s a little tinny and sour, but the style is there. Quality impressive for this sort of price, even though it gets a bit hollow on second taste. 16.8/20, 90/100.
Bracket 2: aromatic whites
Originally judged with octopus, fennel and black olives.
d’Arenberg The Dry Dam Riesling 2012
Trophy winner. McLaren Vale fruit.
I don’t get it. Never have. The fruit has gone but more interesting tertiary characters haven’t kicked in leaving something a bit shallow. Nope. 16/20, 87/100.
Dandelion Wonderland of the Eden Valley Riesling 2019
Top 100 winner. Patience, Grasshopper.
Tight. Slatey Eden sulphide character in there. It’s so wound up in itself that opening now is a bit of a waste. Solid lines for the future though. 17/20, 90/100+.
O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2019
Gold medal winner. Odd to see this so underwhelming.
Just a bit flat this year. You’d call it Clare Riesling but just a bit generic and washed out. 16.8/20, 89/100.
Bracket 3: Sauvignon Blanc
Originally judged with marinated zucchini, hazelnuts and goat ricotta.
Te Pa Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Trophy winner.
Old school definition here. Passionfruit nose, the palate ripe, defined and well fleshed out. Not aggressive, just lots of ripe fruit. Cleansing acidity. Not complex but a really good Marlborough Sauv in the traditional mode. 17.7/20, 92/100
Invivo Sarah Jessica Parker Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Blue-gold medal winner.
Celebrity wine alert! Sound the klaxons! This Marlborough Sauv. Starts off with a statement of gooseberry fruit but the palate falls away into softness really quickly. Pleasant enough. 16.8/20, 89/100.
Brancott Estate Terroir Series Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Top 100 winner.
Short. An attempt at texture but comes across as a bit tinny and muddled, even though you can see the layers of flavour. 16.5/20, 88/100.
Bracket 4: rosé
Originally judged with chicken tagine. I wonder if a more overt style won because it’s a stronger dish.
Risky Business Rosé 2019
Trophy winner. Not the sort of pink I could drink much of. Great Southern fruit.
Vinous style. Phenolic palate is commercial and sweet/sour. Slightly coarse. Can’t see the class here but I did appreciate the fruit. 16.5/20, 88/100.
Bracket 6: medium bodied white wines
Originally judged with chicken rillette. I curiously missed Bracket 5, light bodied whites.
Saint Clair Delta Chardonnay 2018
Top 100 winner.
Banana esters and oak, the palate difficult to see beyond the eatery characters. There’s quality here, but less defined. Still coming together? 17/20, 90/100?
Jacobs Creek Lyndale Chardonnay 2018
Trophy winner. Winner of multiple trophies too, including white wine of show.
Nutty and quite overt nose. Old school richness of oak and fruit on the palate. I see the oak as a dominant force here, but for a Jacobs Creek audience, it’s spot on. Give me more delicacy and I’m completely sold, but this is still well made and well-intentioned. 17.7/20, 92/100
Category 7: fuller bodied white wines
Originally judged with potato, jamon, pumpkin aioli and pinenuts.
Domaine Naturaliste Artus Chardonnay 2018
Top 100 winner.
Complex and layered style, nutty and has a solidsy chunkiness too. Impressive layers of flavour – rich oak, clever lees work. It’s powerful and really delicious. Yes. 18.5/20, 94/100
Capel Vale Black Label Chardonnay 2018
Trophy winner. Margaret River fruit.
Definitely varietal nose. Palate balances out the concentration of peach fruit with a back palate that is fresher. This is well judged, just missing a bit more complexity for really high marks. Good. 17.7/20, 92/100.
Bracket 8: Pinot Noir
Originally judged with coq au vin. An extremely strong bracket.
Ballewindi Pinot Noir 2018
Trophy winner. The first time in many years an Aussie Pinot has won the Pinot trophy.
Bright and exuberant red raspberry fruit. Real red fruit energy and brightness. Lovely fruit! It’s all fruit, sure, but given the price point and style, this is excellent young Pinot drinking. Superb value. 18/20, 93/100.
Akarua Rua Pinot Noir 2018
Blue-gold medal winner.
Great colour. Bright fruit, a little gaminess, real Pinosity. Maybe a little lean, but commercially sound. Tangy. Good. 17.5/20, 91/100.
Riorret Lusatia Park Pinot Noir 2018
Blue-gold medal winner.
Squishy raspberry fruit with a gamey edge. It’s sweet and sour, stalks and tannins. Arms and legs. I can see the power, but it’s not cohesive yet. 17/20, 90/100+.
Te Kano Kin Pinot Noir 2017
Blue-gold medal winner.
A new name to me and clearly one to watch. This is subtly powerful. Driving fruit, subtle tannins. A sense of something deeper than just another Central Pinot. Excellent. 18.5/20, 94/100.
Bream Creek Reserve Pinot Noir 2017
Gold medal winner.
Lovely. Distinctly bright and varietal red Pinot fruit. Cool but ripe fruit. I love the hints of mushrooms flowing through it. Very good, charismatic and moreish. What a wine. 18.7/20, 95/100.
Bracket 9: light bodied red wine
Originally judged with lamb, hummus, paprika oil and almonds.
Robert Oatley Signature Series G-18 Grenache 2018
Trophy winner.
Another very varietal style. Glows with Grenache character. Gummy red fruit and raspberry. It’s just a bit raspberry jammy with a simple personality and light fruit. But that flow of juiciness is very pure. Instant appeal here. 18/20, 93/100.
Bracket 10: medium bodied red wines
Originally judged with duck breast, parsnip puree and radicchio.
Alkoomi Black Label Shiraz Viognier 2017
Trophy winner. 3% Viognier.
Nailed it. Instantly recognisable as shirognier, and really quite pretty. Ham, red fruit, just enough dark tannins. It’s taking cues from the Rhone. Lightish, but not insignificant. Really well done and a bargain given the price. 18.5/20, 94/100.
Pask Gimblett Gravels Small Batch Trilliant 2016
Gold medal winner. Merlot, Malbec Cabernet. Heavy bottle and clearly ambitious.
A whiff of mint. Lots of oak. Awfully serous Gimblett style that is just starting to unfurl. Compact. Tannic. That black olive character seems like it’s Chilean not Gravels. Love to see this when the oak integrates. 18/20, 93/100.
Bracket 11: fuller bodied red wines
Originally judged with wagyu, potato gratin and fennel salad.
Hither & Yon Nero d’Avola 2018
Trophy winner.
Lots of dark berry fruit. I’m surprised at the finesse. It’s medium bodied, with fresh blackberries the star of the show. So throttled back this vintage. It’s just a smidgen short. Well done and balanced though. 17.7/20, 92/100.
Yalumba The Signature 2015
Gold medal winner. 51% Cabernet, 49% Shiraz.
Sings its tune. Old school oak richness, dusty tannins, a dusty profile. A flashback wine. Slightly sacrilegious drinking it now – it feels like a post-it note for the future. 17.7/20, 92/100+.
One Road Cabernet Merlot 2018
Blue-gold medal winner. Aldi cheapie that does a great job for sub $10. Victorian fruit.
A little cabbagey, drying but ultimately more substantial than you’d think. Solid drinking. 16.5/20, 88/100.
Leconfield The Sydney Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Blue-gold medal winner.
Minty. Deadly serious. A wall of tannins and eucalyptus. Real sticky tannins. A little made but so long and serious! Minty at the extremes, but feels like a super premium red. 18/20, 93/100+
Bracket 12: sparkling red wines
Originally judged with ‘country terrine’.
Saddlers Creek Bluegrass Sparkling Cabernet 2016
Gold medal winner.
Commercial appeal by the truckload. Chocolatey berry fruit, softness, generosity. Oceans of sweet fruit. I don’t think I could drink more than a glass such is the sweetness but good for what it does. 17.5/20, 91/100.
Bracket 13: dessert wines
Originally judged with banana, miso and coconut buckwheat pancakes.
Lillypilly Estate Noble Blend 2017
Trophy winner. 83% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Muscat.
Tastes like tinder stonefruit and passionfruit. Very sweet, candied and intensely flavoured but singular. It has just one gear; sweet flavours. I get it, but akin to drinking jam. 16.8/20, 89/100.
Bracket 14: fortified wines
Chocolate brownie with apricot and toasted hazelnut.
Morris Old Premium Rare Topaque NV
Trophy winner. Still one of Australia’s best wines of any style/colour etc.
Pours almost black. Coffee, treacle, burnt caramel. Impossibly rich and decadent. What makes this great is the layers of flavour – it moves between sweetness to this smoky coffeed savoury concentration. The finish throws up a constant stream of wavering flavours. Sublime, as usual. 19.1/20, 97/100.
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2 Comments
Hi Andrew,
The “mintiness” in Coonawarra Cabernet, and yes I am referring to the Leconfield above. In this instance where does the “mintiness” come from and can it be dialled up and down?
And is it a fashion thing that emerges periodically in Coonawarra?
Regards
Colin
There are a bunch of theories about the origin of mintiness in Coonawarra reds. There’s a short, but interesting, article about flavenoids and Coonawarra here: http://theconversation.com/the-good-earth-coonawarra-red-dermosol-and-cabernet-sauvignon-13051 I also see mint as less favourable in Coonawarra when it’s a signal of mixed ripeness and shaded fruit – both of which can happen with some of the pruning practises that Coonawarra was once famous for. You don’t see much minimal pruning much anymore, but still plenty of unripe wines.