$16; 12% alcohol;
screw cap; 90+ points
The Murphy Family came from Ireland in 1909 and eventually
grew grapes at Merbein, near Mildura.
Their proud Trentham Estate, across the Murray from the King's Billabong
Wildlife Reserve, was a more recent venture, having its first vintage in
1984. Trentham has always been one of
the leaders in making a better line of wine from the River, while maintaining prices
that should scare few and surprise many. With viticulturer Patrick Murphy,
MD/winemaker Tony Murphy is always testing the limitations of warm area
winemaking. Like this: Australia's first
Verdejo. This white grape is from
north-west Spain, and if this debut's any indication, the grape seems perfectly
suited to that sunbaked limestone and terra rossa Murray country. First, I was allured by its nice low number
of alcohols. Given that, the aroma is nevertheless rich and complex in a
smoky/spicy way, somewhere along the lines of a hearty Alsace
Gewürztraminer. But in its texture and
weight, the wine brings serious Chenin blanc to mind, in that it has a
candle-waxy feel, but around a really steely acid spine. You want me to name a fruit? Go Bartlett pear and honeydew melon without
their sweetness. Which all adds up to a drink
that makes me hungry for that Provence-style bean and pork belly stew which is
served warm, not hot, sometimes with artichoke hearts. The tannins peculiar to artichoke are very
tricky to match with wine, but this one would rock'n'roll. This is an exciting step for the
Murray-Darling wine business: as far as smart moves go, it's on a par with
Hahndorf Hill's introduction of Grüner veltliner to the Adelaide Hills.
Schlüter Wines
Schadenfreude Shiraz 2011
$25; 14% alcohol;
screw cap; 93++ points
This fruit grew at the northern end of the Barossa, on
the Moppa/Belvidere flats. As we are
gradually learning to admit, 2011 was very, very wet. Mick Schlüter says some locals reported 180ml
by early March. Unlike the many who
sprayed stuff everywhere to avoid mould and ended up picking oversprayed mush,
Mick sprayed nothing at all and ended up picking lovely clean fruit in rubber
boots and ankle-deep water. On April
Fool's Day. His wine is rudely in-your-face
in a very smooth way. Reminds me of
George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou as much as a ripe year
Hermitage. Tea-tin, blackberries, bitter
chocolate, the prickle of summer stubble ... it certainly doesn't smell
wet. Musk and lavendar. Mint. It's one of those Barossa rarities in
which everything clicks and wallows and sings in a sort of ragged rural harmony
that's separate from the rest. The
wine's all silk until its brusque satin tannins move on through. Its fruit is
as dense as to be almost jellied, but along with that tannin its sublime acid
spins it out in the most tantalising and appetising manner. It's a wicked and cheeky delight now, with
lots of corners and high notes. The
soprano bits will be contralto in four years, ultra-smooth bass in eight. How can I tell this? I have beside it a 2008 which has that same
summery dust prickle, and its edgy herbs are still there, but its fruits have hunkered
down into the sort of panforte complexity you'll smell in some Greenock Creek
wines. There's even some dried fig there
now. In the savour and swallow section
that fruit is jello heading to melted jello, and then there's this slow
deliberate rise of acid and satin tannin.
Open three days now, and it's even more alluring. I doubt that this wine had anything like the
belligerent structure of the 2011, but it's under cork, so the odds are it's
much more advanced than the screw-capped 2011 will be at five years of age. There are a few cases of this lovely 2008
left ($39; 14.5% alcohol; cork; 92+), but plenty of 2011. Call Mick on 0437 570
107 for supplies.
Norty Schlüter, left, with Miller Laucke and Mick Schlüter, in the Greenock Creek Tavern, pondering an old Peter Lehmann red after his wake. The Schlüters have had this classic pub in the north-western Barossa since 1870 ... photo David Murdock
And on a happier note, Micha Illic, Adelaide Club food and wine boss stands back while Tim Gregg, Old Lion Hotel boss, manhandles the belligerent author, and Mick Schlüter just sits back laughing like a Schlüter, having a merrie schlück at Greenock Creek Winery ... photo Leo Davis
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