Bearing this in mind I began to tread water cautiously at a recent Frankland Estate dinner at Tokyo's SALT restaurant with a glass of Isolation Ridge 2009 Riesling as an apero. Fortunately, what I once liked about Frankland Estate remains: understated wines with little flash but great purpose in that they work very well with food, age gracefully and reflect the site whence they hail. Joyously, they are also incredibly good value. These wines tend to receive solid rather than remarkable scores from critics. Funnily, I remarked at the dinner that my favourite wines tends to hover around the 88-91 RPP barrier. Beyond this, there is often an element of undrinkability.
This is what I was served:
2009 Isolation Ridge Riesling: iron-stone and gravel soils allowing for drainage and lower ripening propensity reflected in the talc and very slatey palate, brisk and highly citric. While I think this wine will fill out with age and show greater drinkability as a result, this style is too severe for me right now. A personal gripe: while many Australian Rieslings have sufficient fruit ripeness to be fermented bone-dry they are often overly acidified. Some age well; others less so. Either acidify less and/or leave some balancing residual sugar in the mix for balance. Otherwise, count me out as a customer! No fun in these chops despite a modicum of respect for the style. 88
2009 Poison Hill Riesling: quartz and white clay soils enable greater water retention and access to nutrients resulting in a thoroughly more enjoyable, rounder and riper experience without being fat due to Riesling's inherently high acidity. This wine boasts aromas and flavours more of the stone fruit spectrum-peach and apricot-and even a whiff of the highly exotic such as mango, despite being made in the same manner as the Isolation Ridge. Less austere citric notes but still tensile, vinous and very long. Far more natural in the mouth. Bravo! 91
Cooladera Riesling 2009: a thicker, slightly phenolic example spanning the spectrum of fibrous grapefruit skin to quince. Less austere than the Isolation although not as creamy and appealing at the Poison Hill. Texturally very interesting. While these wines get no skin-contact, they are fermented at very low temperatures for a long period of time-three-weeks if necessary and are enriched by extensive less contact. This method was inspired by a trip to Germany and Austria in 2001, apparently. I would like to see warmer fermentation temperatures, some skin contact and the use of ambient yeasts. Then again, this would mean that the wines would become completely different animals and there would be little point in writing about them in their current manifestation! 90
Isolation Ridge Riesling 1998: aldehydic and caramel-like; ginger beer notes with little fruit left on a drying frame. Cork? NS
Isolation Ridge Chardonnay 2006: effortless in mouth with judicious new oak and leesy, mealy notes for complexity. Controlled hint of MLF, melon and peach; nothing too broad. Again, this is a wine that epitomizes the Frankland Estate style. It doesn't try too hard and is delicious to drink. Certainly not overly complex but very well crafted. Everything is in place. 88
Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2002: White cracked pepper, olives and briar aromas lead to a mid-weight frame of modest complexity and some wild, grippy tannins for an overall impression of savouriness. Good sneaky length. Reminds me of a Languedoc Syrah rather than anything from the N. Rhone. 88
Olmo's Reward 2002: Appears to be the flagship red after the founding family spent some time in Bordeaux and were smitten by the wines on the right-bank in particular. Thus, the wine is unusually-for a New World red-dominated by the sappy, floral presence of Cab. Franc doused with a good dollop of Merlot. Slightly volatile tomato notes on the nose subside to coffee bean, some chocolate and peat. Good concentration if not a bit hot with slightly ropey tannins giving the impression of last-minute ripening in an overall cool vintage. 87
Olmo's Reward 1998: some real tertiary notes emerging here: leather, tobacco, sandalwood with the sweet/sour lift of damson plum. Suave oak tannins, real freshness and slightly rustic tannins indicating perhaps, a cooler year. Good length and overall, a lovely savoury style-if not a wee tad simple-that belies the New World stereotype. 90
Olmo`s Reward 1997: riper, more expansive and layered on the palate yet not at all overwrought. Real juicy vibrancy here with that sappy vinosity so typical of Cab. Franc, violets and saddle leather with a hint of mulch in the best sense. Great clarity, intensity and length. Very fine. 93
Olmo's Reward 2001: While I didn't taste this wine at the event per se, I had tasted it only the night prior and feel it useful to insert it here considering its surrounds.
Floral notes of violet and peat with a hint of savoury tomato skin given breadth by a full concentrated palate and mouth-watering acidity very much in balance. Gorgeous silky tannins imbued with a touch of classy oak add to the pleasure and complexity. The label states 14.5% but the wine handles the alcohol very well. Poised and perhaps the best red of them all despite its relative youth. 94
Olmo's Reward 2001: While I didn't taste this wine at the event per se, I had tasted it only the night prior and feel it useful to insert it here considering its surrounds.
Floral notes of violet and peat with a hint of savoury tomato skin given breadth by a full concentrated palate and mouth-watering acidity very much in balance. Gorgeous silky tannins imbued with a touch of classy oak add to the pleasure and complexity. The label states 14.5% but the wine handles the alcohol very well. Poised and perhaps the best red of them all despite its relative youth. 94
No comments:
Post a Comment