Paul Ippolito Talks Wine: Volume 9

With Paul Ippolito

Something Special To Impress

Bimbadgen Estate Signature Shiraz 2005
This is Bimbadgen's crème della crème wine. You expect good things as the Hunter still makes damn good Shiraz, and let me tell you – you won’t be disappointed as this is top shelf and emanates from 35 year old vines. This is something to bring home to impress your partner, the boss, a birthday present for someone that likes a good red and a generally good special occasion red wine. Please treat this medium bodied well rounded typically Hunter Shiraz as a young flower – yes it has all the tight black fruit aromas, some savoury nuances, good oak and fine lingering tannins. Give it time, aerate it by decanting it and leave it for a few hours, come back taste it and let it truly develop it over its own time. Have the leftovers the next day when it may just taste even better. This is a still a wine baby and it will deliver the goods if you treat it right. Drink 2006-2015. About $40. 91/100.\

Discover Something New

Mount Majura Vineyard Pinot Gris 2006
The Australian scene is ablaze with Pinot Gris at the moment. It is the veritable darling of the wine consuming fashionistes who delight in finding their new and latest entrants and extolling their virtues to all and sundry. A note of caution however as it is one of those varieties that whilst everyone can make one, everyone doesn’t necessarily make a really good one. Indeed I have my share of flabby ones lately, ones that whilst I haven't shared with you, make me a bit of a tough marker when it comes to recommending Pinot Gris to you. Well folks this one from winemaker Frank Van de Loo from the Canberra region gets the Ippolito seal of approval. Pure watery white - all gushy pears, musk and with minerally overtones, it has very good acidity and alcohol may I say, along with a smooth richness on the palate that makes it really easy to drink. Try it with mango chicken. At around $18, good value as well. Drink 2006-2009. 88/100.   

Put This Away In The Cellar

Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
This is one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon’s I have tasted this year. It has the two main things you look for when hunting down a decent wine – balance and drinkability. Both of these are not necessarily the easiest of things to achieve out of Cabernet at the best of times. Indeed on one hand you want a degree of lean character, elegance and a good structure to your wine and on the other you also want well rounded ripe fruit that is well oaked and well balanced.  Anyway this one has it all and at around $28, is just spot on drinking. Try it with grilled chevapi sausages. Drink 2006-2016. 94/100.

Celebrate Spring With This

Mitolo Jester Sangiovese Rose’ 2006
The most asked question I get asked is how I don’t turn into an alcoholic with all the wine I have to taste. An easy answer for me really given that most of the time I only taste rather than drink wine (the leftovers normally go to the neighbours). Occasionally I do break my own rule though for special wines. This Rose’ is one of those wines. This is what I would call a serious wine drinkers Rose’ as this is top shelf stuff and goes to show when winemakers such as Ben Glaetzer and Frank Mitolo set put to craft Rose’, the results can be staggeringly good. A dark salmony pink, the fruit is ripe and well balanced with good acidity making for an easy drinking wine full of flavour and character. At around $20, it is well worth trying this Summer. Needless to say the neighbours didn’t stand a chance of getting their hands on this one. 92/100.

Treat Yourself

2006 Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato.
I keep saying that Moscato is the new Rose’. Call me a trendsetter (now there’s an eighties term). But seriously this crown sealed half bottled 375ml wine is just the perfect aperitif (another eighties word) for when you get home after a hard day’s work, and want something cold and wet to place down that throat. Spritzig, slightly sweet with a lingering length, it just hits the mark and wont go straight to your head allowing you ample time to decide what to have for dinner. Well made and delicious to drink. Around $11.

Value Drinking

Punt Rd Wines Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2005
These folk make really good quality, consistently reliable, value for money wines out of a premium Australian wine growing region. It's not often I can string all those words together in a sentence to describe a winery's product, especially the "consistently reliable" part but winemaker Kate Goodman has been doing this for a while now out of Punt Rd. Anyway, this is a classically varietal complex Chardonnay with typical peach, melon characters, some citrus and mineral overtones along with cashew and vanillin oak nuances. The wine has been well crafted and provides the drinker with a lovely long creamy finish with the just the right amount of acidity. At around $22, it is an excellent wine. Try this with fettuccine carbonara. 91/100.

Rating Scale - Points Out Of 100.

98-100 - Exceptional
95-97 - Superb
91-94 - Excellent
88-90 - Very Good 
85-87 - Good

Paul Ippolito is a Sydney wine writer who writes for publications across Australia, overseas and the Internet. He has spoken on ABC radio and writes a free monthly wine newsletter. Email him to subscribe..

About Paul Ippolito.