|
Like Old Man River, the Visyboard Great Australian Shiraz Challenge (held at Tahbilk) just keeps rolling along - and inexorably grows bigger year by year. The winners from the field of 248 wines were announced at the black tie dinner held in Melbourne last night, and (as one of the judges) I have to admit a degree of relief when I learnt the identity of the 11 gold medal (and 25 silver medal) wines at the conclusion of the judging. The Challenge is no easy task. The hardest part was the first two days, when we ploughed through the whole field; I had predetermined that we would need around 70 wines to retaste on the third day. We came up with that number, which was whittled down to the top 50, gold, silver and top bronze medals falling out of that process. But, however much you may recognise the problem, there is always an element of forced ranking in any show competition. You know some wines are better than others, and it is hard to break the expectation of three to five per cent winning gold, around seven to ten per cent winning silver, and 33 per cent or thereabouts winning bronze. In the outcome just under five per cent won gold, nine per cent won silver, and close on 40 per cent won bronze. It looks like a Costello great set of numbers, but it was a super-elite field at the top end, and there really should have been more gold and silver medals. There were many icon wines in the silver and bronze brigade. Judging such a large group of wines, all the same variety, and by far the greatest number coming from the 2001 vintage, is no easy thing.
 |
| © Barossa Valley |
|
However, there was a convincing regional spread of the gold medal wines ranged from the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, Padthaway, and McLaren Vale (South Australia) to the Frankland River/Great Southern and Margaret River regions of Western Australia. The most notable absentee was Victoria, but it was represented in the silver and plethora of bronze medals. Apart from the regional (and hence style) spread, why was I relieved when I saw the identity of the top wines - Well, all but two have excellent credentials from prior tastings and shows, and the other two are new wine labels, but both with credibility. The trophy for Best Wine went to a classic Australian wine in the very best sense of that term: 2001 Turkey Flat ($40) from the very heart of the variety, the Barossa Valley. When the Schulz family purchased the vineyard in 1870, it was already known as the Old Garden, for the shiraz vines ad been planted in 1847, some remaining in production to this day.
Until 1990 the grapes were sold to others, but in that year the Turkey Flat label came into being, and hasn't looked back since. In best Barossa tradition, the wine is made in traditional, conservative style, open-fermented and basket-pressed. Peter Schulz (and winemaker Peter Schell) chase neither high alcohol, lavish oak or stratospheric prices. The wine came out on top for its exemplary structure, texture and balance. The runner up was 1997 Orlando Lawson's Padthaway ($57), a wine with countless trophies and gold medals to its credit. It has a silky smooth mix of black cherry, plum, mocha and powerful yet soft tannins, giving it great line and length. Two of the gold medal winners were eligible for the Best Wine Under $25 trophy, but one, the 2001 Kingston Estate Echelon ($18) had edged up in front of the bargain-priced Carbunup Crest Cellar Rage ($12.08) The Echelon is a new, top-of-the-range label for Kingston Estate, from the Adelaide Plains and Clare Valley. Largely driven by its black fruits and licorice flavours, it is so soft and seductive one imagines micro-oxygenation has been skillfully used in its making - and there is no shame in that. I think the Carbunup Crest wine does itself no favours with its Cella Rage name, and wonder how on earth a Margaret River wine of this quality comes on the market at this price. Made by contract winemaker Mark Lane at Flying Fish Cove, it rates 94 points in my 2004 Wine Companion, and was (I think) a gold medal winner at last year's Qantas Western Australian Wines Show. Kilikanoon's 2001 Covenant ($40) was entry no. 74, its 2001 Oracle ($40) entry no. 216; both made it through to the third day, and both ended up with gold medals, the first time a winery has achieved such a feat. ll the more remarkable is that the prior vintage of each of these wines gained trophies at last year's Clare Valley Wine Show. The other golds went to the much-awarded 2001 Chais Clarendon (part of Xanadu wines these days) $40), 2001 Wirra Wirra McLaren Vale ($29.50), Langmeil Valley Floor ($22.50), 2001 Houghton Frankland River Shiraz, and the other new label 2001 Gemtree Vineyards Paragon Shiraz ($40), from McLaren Vale. I have recently tasted another 2001 Gemtree Shiraz (called Uncut) and given it 95 points; Paragon is every bit as good. Published in The Weekend Australian
| 
Nov 10 2003 | Author: James Halliday
