Australian Wine: Classic & Contemporary

An excellent dive into the past and future of Australian wine by led by The Wines of Australia author Mark Davidson at the San Francisco Wine School. Focused on eastern Australia we visited the legendary Semillons of Hunter Valley which are thrillingly unique, rock solid Riesling and modern Chardonnay focusing on fresh fruit and a light touch. Beautiful Pinot from Adelaide Hills, Old Vine Grenache (one of the great repositories in the world), adventurous Nero d'Avola and Cinsault, Cab blends and impeccable Shiraz with no detectable oak.

The wake-up call here had two features. The first was impeccable balance of tannin, fruit, acidity and ABV with a focus on lift and aromatics rather than weight. These were not your uncle's wines, but lively and athletic, with a sense of grace and youthful balance. Several producers had gone through their natty phase and emerged with a relaxed precision that really let the vineyard-to-wine do the talking

The second feature supports the first: Old Vines. We will take a deep dive into old vines soon, but they are a critical feature in challenging climates where one must work with the vineyard rather than as production. From water efficiency and constrained growth to microbial minerality (everyone should use this word MORE) and balanced acidity, the finish on the older-vine wines told an obvious story as they echoed and unfolded. Thrilling stuff that I tend to forget about myself, and a great shake and wake-up call.

Of note: Tyrell's Vat Semillon (Hunter Valley), Ashton Hills Pinot Noir (Adelaide Hills), Yangarra Hickinbotham Grenache (McLaren Vale), Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier (Canberra District)