with Clive Hartley

Bordeaux blends
On the world stage cabernet sauvignon easily outguns shiraz/syrah. It dominates the ‘left bank’ in Bordeaux, France and is famous in the Napa Valley in California. In Australia we have the Yarra Valley, Coonawarra and Margaret River as specialist regions for cabernet. Yet it runs a poor second to shiraz in Australia.
Cabernet sauvignon can make full-bodied wines with plenty of acid and tannins, as well as elegant black fruit flavours wrapped in a cloak of oak. However, when not fully ripe they can appear to be a tad austere and have an herbaceous leafy, green edge. Some people like that style, but others don’t.
Making a Bordeaux blend can overcome some of these shortcomings. A traditional blend found in France is comprised of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc, with the occasional splattering of petit verdot. This blend of grapes produces a harmonious match.
Cabernet sauvignon provides the structure for the blend and contributes body, tannin and acidity. Merlot adds a plum fruit softness on the middle palate that cabernet can lack as well and a tad more alcohol. Cabernet franc provides fresh red berry, floral and violet aromas. Petit verdot can be difficult to ripen in some climates but does OK in Australia. It adds fruit, tannin and a deep colour to the blend.
Do blends make better wines? In my opinion they do. In Australia we pick and choose what makes up the blend. It can be as simple as a cabernet merlot which is more commonly found in Margaret River. Try Woodlands or Cape Mentelle.
Yarra Valley have some fabulous Bordeaux blends. Yeringberg is one of the best in the Yarra and is a classic Bordeaux blend with the touch of malbec as the fifth grape. Yarra Yering and Mount Mary also produce some of Australia’s elite Bordeaux blends.
We also have a wealth of shiraz cabernet blends where the shiraz takes over the role of merlot to provide more fruit flavours. One of my favourites is Sally’s Paddock from Redbank Winery in the Pyrenees. The wine has cabernet franc, malbec and merlot added to the cabernet and shiraz. The vineyard and family just celebrated 50 years in production and deserves more attention.

Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. Want to learn more about wine? Try his Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) now available for purchase from Paradise Books in Daylesford or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au

All points of the compass: Living in the Central Highlands of Victoria is like being in the centre of the universe. Well, in wine terms that is. Because at every point of the compass you can drive to a different wine region that offers you a diverse and interesting day out experience.
Travel an hour north and you can visit Bendigo. Here the climate is
considerably warmer and is ideal for producing cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.
Towards the north-east we have Heathcote. The rich, deep Cambrian soils
provide the foundation for delicious reds. These igneous soils were forced to the
surface by two fault lines that run through the region. The epicentre of the region
is just north of the township, and include classic producers such as Jasper Hill,
Munari, Sanguine Estate, Vinea Marson and Paul Osicka.
Staying more local, and lying directly east, we have the golden triangle of
vineyards around Lancefield, Kyneton and Mt Macedon. The cool climate dictates
that sparkling wines, pinot noir and chardonnay are the most commonly planted
varieties. Internationally renowned Bindi and Curly Flat make some of Australia’s
best wines. Hanging Rock ‘Macedon’ sparkling is superb. Other gems are Granite
Hills Riesling, Lyons Will Estate Gamay and Cobaw Ridge Lagrein.
In the south-east there is the tiny region of Sunbury and the renowned Craiglee
vineyard, a quiet achiever if ever there was one. Its medium-bodied, elegant shiraz
is listed on the Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine. Appointments only.
Driving directly south, and you pass through parts of the Ballarat region where
Eastern Peake reigns, before coming down to Geelong. You first hit the warmer
Moorabool Valley before ending up on the Bellarine Peninsula. The valley has
Bannockburn, Austin’s, Lethbridge and Clyde Park cellar doors. On the cooler
Peninsula there is Scotchmans Hill and Banks Road which both offer excellent
choices for lunch. Pinot noir features in both sub-regions. The peninsula wines are
lighter and more focused on red fruits, while the warmer Moorabool Valley has
more earthier, darker fruit-focused wines.
Turning west and north-west you enter the Pyrenees above Avoca, where more
full-bodied reds take over, namely cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. Top cellar doors
include: Redbank, Summerfield, Dalwhinnie and Taltarni. It is not much further to
reach Best’s Wines at Great Western. I might leave that one for another day.
Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. His Australian
Wine Guide (7th ed) is available for purchase – www.australianwineguide.com.au