Watervale Clare Valley Riesling 2005 - Fantastic Aussie grape juice

This is a superb Aussie Riesling by Jeffrey Grosset in South Australia.

The Clare Valley, where it's made, looks pretty stunning from this collection of google images.

I'd be the first to admit to not knowing much about Australian wines, particularly the whites. Being so close to France here in London it's easy to be snobby about New World wines, particularly the whites.

That's why I'm mentioning this one on the blog. It's a superb example of what is, for me, an unusual white.

I've had a fair few Rieslings from Europe and they can be, as you will likely know, very varied. The range is possibly greater than any (or at least many) other grape(s).

Some can be, for me, a little too sickly sweet. That's personal given that the older I get, the less I like sugar in any form, even now in wine. Funny how your palate changes.

This was a gorgeous dry Riesling. What I found extraordinary about it was that you taste it in phases. I counted about five 'things' happening across a mouthful.

I've not encountered that quite so distinctly in any other wine I've had, which is why I must taste it again to check.

Here's what the maker has to say about it.

Jancis Robinson gives it 18.5 from 20 and said: "Intensely introvert and mineral. Very pure yet full bodied...Very persistent and fine. Racy and pure." I am not entirely sure what all that means, but this stuff is lovely. It seems to be hard to find, but worth the search if successful. 

Yalumba 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

Not cheap, but damn tasty

This 2005 Yalumba reserve from the longest-standing independent winery in the Barossa valley is a delicious specimen.

Huge legs, high alcohol. Big bold fruit opens up well after 90 minutes in the decanter.

Now it's smoothed out a lot the length is a lot more obvious. It still packs a velvet punch though.

It is, however, over priced. At £20 I'd be buying more. £30 is a bit much.

For five pounds more than this wine (£35) you can buy a Chateau Ormes De Pez 1995 from Majestic.

But now having written that I feel ungrateful.

Yalumba is independent and we should support them.

I guess one reason some Bordeaux left bank wines are cheaper is due to the fact that many are owned by big companies with deep pockets.

It's also a really distinctive wine. It couldn't be French for a moment, and it has a length, complexity and finish that Chilean and Argentinian wines just can't match.

I had a tasting of this Yalumba wine and many others from the region last year at Planet of the Grapes in London.

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon reserve is wonderful wine. Expensive at £50 though.

We had a wonderful evening with the head wine maker who was incredibly entertaining.

Another reason perhaps to support independent wine makers: they may be more likely to have independently-minded folks able to experiment.