Riposte, Shadowfax and Halliday Top 100

Welcome the latest edition of Corker. This edition features a few outstanding Aussie whites for under $20 and some highlights from Halliday's recently released top 100. 

Particular mention should be made of a great offer on the highly regarded Riposte ‘The Foil’ Sauvignon Blanc 2007 that is available to Corker readers at the reduced price of $14.90. Usually selling for around $20 and rated 94 points by Halliday this represents great value for Summer drinking. We have also included The Growers Dedication Riesling 2004 again; the wine that swept the awards at the recent Perth Wine Show, and a great offer on the Shadowfax Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2007. 

The Halliday Top 100 was published in The Weekend Australian last weekend and we have included a few of the standouts in this edition. These include the McHenry Hohnen Rocky Road Chardonnay 2007 (96 points – Halliday), Paringa Estate’s 2007 Pinot Noir (96 Points) and the extremely limited Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 1998 (97 Points).

We hope you enjoy this edition of Corker.

The team at Auscellardoor

Ph - 1800 088 022

www.auscellardoor.com.au

Riposte 'The Foil' Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - $14.90

This wine usually sells for in excess of $20 however we have been given the opportunity to offer readers the last of the 2007 vintage at the special price of $14.90. Made by the experienced Tim Knappstein this is a wonderful example of Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. Fresh, crisp and lively with an underlying complexity, this is a superb Summer drinking wine.

"94 Points. A clean and expressive bouquet reflecting the abundant gooseberry/ passionfruit/ tropical flavours of the palate; crisp acidity to close. Screwcap. 13 % alcohol. To 2009. $19" - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition.  

"Riposte is the latest range from South Australian wine industry veteran Tim Knappstein. Adelaide Hills grapes find excellent expression here. The Foil shows minearlly aromas with crushed gooseberry and blackcurrant-like fruit. A thread of yeast lees adds interest and it tastes pure, intense, tight and clean with a mouth-watering ending". - Ralph Kyte-Powell.

The Growers Dedication Riesling 2004 - $17.90

This wine cleaned up at the recent Perth Wine Show claiming four trophies including “Best Riesling” and “Best Table Wine #1 in show”. This is not only a fine example of Frankland River Riesling but also demonstrates the varieties ability to age superbly.

4 Trophies Perth Wine Show

• Best WA Riesling

• Best Riesling

• Best WA Table Wine

• Best Table Wine #1 in show

“Hand picked over two separate days, fruit was chilled each night of harvest, whole bunch pressed with a tiny extraction of 500 litres per tonne of "free run". Minerally, limey and a great example of Riesling from Western Australia's premier Riesling district. The grapes were skillfully grown on the gravelly soils at the Powderbark Ridge Vineyard, Frankland River.” – Tasting Notes by ‘The Growers’.

Shadowfax Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2007 - $19.90

The popularity of Pinot Gris with Australian wine lovers continues to rise and with examples such as this it is not hard to see why. Fruit for this wine is sourced from Shadowfax's Adelaide Hills vineyards. This wonderful example of Pinot Gris is available at the special price of $19.90.

"Colour is medium straw with pale rim. On the nose are notes of nougat, nashi pear, some yeast lees complexity and a hint of citrus peel. Fig and nougat fruit at the front of the palate, with lanoline and citrus rind towards the finish. Acidity is significantly lower than in previous years, but the wine retains some charm and structure from fruit and oak extract. Our 2007 pinot Gris is a great food wine, which will give pleasure over the short to medium term." - Tasting Notes from Shadowfax.  

OLeary Walker Polish Hill Riesling 2008 - $21.90

O’Leary Walker have long been regarded as one of Australia’s top Riesling producers with both their Polish Hill and Watervale always gaining plenty of accolades with their unmistakably Clare Vale style. The Polish Hill is currently drinking superbly and deserving of its reputation as one of Australia’s best.

"95 Points. The Polish Hill River to the west of the Clare Valley is cooler and has slatey soils, resulting in later ripening. It has apple, lime and slate flavours on the beautifully structured and focus palate. These flavours flow on evenly from the bouquest, with impressive line and length" - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008. 

Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - $22.90

Whilst traditionally better known for it’s classy reds, Howard Park is fast gaining a reputation for it’s whites. Following on from the superb 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Howard Park have once again produced a sublime example with the newly released 2008.

"95 Points. A wine that shows the synergy gained by regional blending, each parcel contributing its own signature. It is vibrant from start to finish, with a mix of herbal, citrus and mineral aromas and flavours, the excellent mouthfeel aided by the texture enhanced by a small barrel ferment component. Margaret River/ Pemberton, WA.  Drink now to 2010 with lemon- marinated fish" - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008.

McHenry Hohnen Rocky Rd Chardonnay 2007 - $32.90

"I tasted this wine at a McHenry Hohnen dinner last month, of which it was the standout wine of the evening. This is a classic Margaret River chardonnay displaying all the characters that we come to expect of the top line Chardonnay’s of the region. Therefore it was not surprising to see this rated 96 points by Halliday in his Top 100." - Simon Arms, Auscellardoor.  

"96 Points. The Rocky Road vineyard is in the cooler southern part of Margaret River and the fruit is given full expression by fermentation in old French oak barrels, part with cultured yeast, part with wild yeast. The result is delicious white peach and grapefruit flavours in classic Margaret River style, and an intense, lingering finish" - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008.

West Cape Howe Shiraz 2007 - $16.90

We have long admired West Cape Howe of the Great Southern region of WA for the consistently great value they produce. One of the standout in the range is their Shiraz with the newly release 2007 vintage being included in Halliday’s Top 100. This is a superb drinking wine for the price.

“93 Points. The 2007 vintage was far kinder to south-western Australia that South Australia, warm but not hot with no rain during harvest. Bright crimson-purple, enticing aromas of spicy black fruits and toasty French oak lead into a medium-bodied palate with cherry fruit; superfine tannins round off the finish. Denmark, WA” - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008.

Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2007 - $57.90

We have been long admirers of Paringa Estate and inparticular their Pinot's. Once again this is a classic example and it is not hard to see why this is consistently rated one of the Mornington Peninsula's finest.

“96 Points. Will owner/winemaker Lindsay McCall ever make anything less than a great pinot noir ? Most unlikely; as ever, good depth and hue to an altogether serious pinot with magisterial depth to both the dark plum flavour and structure and to the commensurate length. Mornington Peninsula, Victoria” - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008.

Smith and Hooper Reserve Merlot 2006 - $34.90

"Whilst I am not a huge fan of Merlot, I have to admit that even I was impressed by this example when tasted earlier this week. Unmistakably varietal, with lovely balance and fruit vibrancy this is one for the Merlot lovers out there" - Simon Arms, Auscellardoor.

“95 Points. High quality merlots from Australia are rarer than hen’s teeth, so don’t look this one in the mouth. It is a distillation of the best grapes, then a selection of the best (French) barrels. Brightly fruited and clearly defined, its mouth-watering acidity provides a counterpart to the vibrant red fruits, then a dry, slightly savoury, finish. Wrattonbully, SA” - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008.

Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 1998 - $229.90

We are always interested to read the Champagne section of Halliday’s annual Top 100 given the fact that no imported wine are reviewed in his Wine Companion. The Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 1998 was the equal second top rated Champagne by Halliday, out pointing the likes of Louis Roeder Cristal Brut 2002 ($375) and Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque 1999 ($260). Only Dom Perignon Oenoteque 1993 (98 points, $570) out scored this. Suffice to say this is an exceptional Champagne that is limited to very small quanitites.

“97 Points. One of the most celebrated deluxe cuvees, linked as it is to Churchill, and given a sense of mystery by the refusal of Pol Roger to disclose the percentage of pinot noir and chardonnay in the wine, this vintage edged out the Pol Roger 1999 Blanc de Blancs. Its quality is obvious, full of power and grace with citrus blossom aromas, then fine, silky citrus and nectarine fruit that caresses the palate into paroxysms of joy, then a graceful finish” - James Halliday's Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2008.