2015 Voyager Estate Chenin Blanc

One of my fave Chenin Blancs is Voyager Estate and the 2015 is pale lemon in colour, traditional for an Oz Chenin, with fizz in the perfume, and lemon and lime on the palate.

2015 Wooing Tree Central Otago Blondie Rosé-style wine

Given the over-the-top price of the 2015 Wooing Tree Central Otago Blondie Rosé-style wine, it underwhelms. I was intrigued by its names, Blondie (part of my younger sister’s Facebook name), and Blanc de Noir (which I mistook for Pinot Blanc) meaning a white made from dark-skinned grapes. At 100% Pinot Noir, its gorgeous pink tinge results from minimal skin contact. The sweet, musky fragrance erupted from the opened bottle, followed by a little palate sweetness, like drinking between a Pinot Blanc and pink Pinot Grigio.

2015 Rosemount Signature Selection rose

A surprising go-to Rosé is the new Rosemount, economically priced in a big bottle (sticker claims 33% more). The 2015 Signature Selection is a smoked-salmon pink smelling of sweet salmon and honeyed milk, with milk and strawberries on the palate. (I don’t understand the absence of this wine on the Rosemount website which says McLaren Vale is Rosemount’s home, while its bottle address is the Barossa Valley. but I found out by posting to them. It's ... Chambourcin!)

2016 Rogers and Rufus Rose

 

Rogers & Rufus genuinely seem to be two pally winemakers in business together (as much as their website tells you) – making only Rosé. I can’t remember when I first discovered R&R’s Rosé. According to their website, vintages go back to 2009. R&R are an increasing presence in Northern Rivers’ bottle shops. The 2016 is ballet-pink in colour with a touch of copper; its aroma a combination of light piquancy and ripe strawberries; with a smooth palate much better than the 2015; and very drinkable. 

2016 St Hubert's The Stag Yarra Valley Chardonnay

The single engaging aspect the aroma of The Stag Yarra Valley 2016 Chardonnay from St Huberts is its soft, ripe peach, alongside, for this drinker, something more unsavoury, off-putting and unmentionable. It’s typically gold in colour, but, in this case, milder. And though it has classic stone fruit on the palate, it’s also a little severe. Nevertheless, with a deep and rich palate, again it would be good with fried or roast chicken. Overall, though, it’s disappointing for the price. 

Sigurd 2015 Fjörd Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

The label of Sigurd 2015 Fjörd Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is like Dan Graham’s label for his 2015 Fjörd Adelaide Hills Chardy: the hills feature. For the Pinot, the hills are green, and, in between the two bumps, blue sky features, which could double as a fjord. Pinot Noir is a challenging grape, though I know the cheap labels I like – WA’s Mud Fish and NZ’s Pencarrow, and in Rosé you can hardly go wrong using Pinot Noir. This Sigurd has been made in a cool climate, which is best. It’s deep ruby in colour, with mushrooms in the aroma, and light-bodied.

2016 Sigurd Barossa Valley Chenin Blanc

There are gold Chenin Blancs. I cannot go past a new Chenin Blanc, for it remains a rarity in Oz, with SA Coriole’s as my standard of excellence. In my mind, Chenin remains, like Coriole’s, pale in colour and light on the palate. Once, only once, at a restaurant in Sydney did I see a long speciality list of Chenin Blancs: we had a French one which was similarly delicious to Coriole’s. The South Africans make it stronger in colour and flavour. And the 2016 Sigurd Barossa Valley Chenin Blanc is one such, supported in its weight by being unfiltered. The typography for Sigurd, for this grape, is appropriately in green; Daniel Graham, the winemaker uses yellow for his Sigurd Chardy.

2007 Mount Pleasant Blue Label Cellar Aged Hunter Valley Semillon

 Semillon is a grape for adults. It’s far too sophisticated, reserved, even stern for the childish to understand or appreciate. The 2007 Mount Pleasant Blue Label Cellar Aged Hunter Valley Semillon is gold-gold in colour, with flour, red apple, custard and cheese in the aroma. The palate is also reminiscent of a light, milky cheese … or drinking smooth, gold silk.