f %TY_ 1 ' ) 1 Th c success of Australian wines
in this country has been largely founded on cheap and cheerful bottles. party wines; Hardy's, Lindeman's, Nottage Hill all offer decent, good-value drinking. Though I draw the line at Jacob's Creek. There was a scene in a Jancis Robinson programme in which she offered J.C. Chardonnay to a Chablis grower. He left his shed, the better
to spit it out, then asked 'People drink thces? Why'?' — the last word being a wail of near despair.
But Australia also produces wines of fantastic strength and subtlety in which powerful flavours mingle harmoniously — the kind of wines which, like great classics, allow you to sip them slowly, pausing to savour the last drop and look forward keenly to the next.
These come from Graham Mitchell Vintners in Thatcham, Berks. Graham is a sprig of the famous El Vino Mitchells, and one of his specialities is fine Oz wine, These are quite stunning — and he has knocked £12 off the list price of every case.
The only white is a Red Hill Estate Chardonnay 2000(1) from Victoria. ii has the lovely heady, fruity and nutty taste of a great Chardonnay, not over-oaked, but rich and crcamy, fresh yet mellow. It's just £10.50 a bottle. The same estate produces the Pinot Noir 2000(2). It's situated on the Mornington Peninsula, so the grapes get cool sea breezes, lowering the temperature and producing a perfect climate for this difficult grape. At under £10 a bottle it is perfumed. truffly and terrific value, certainly compared to Burgundy and Oregon.
Australian Shirazcs are celebrated, and at the very top end — Penfold's, Henschkc — can command fabulous, /100-plus, prices. This Hugh Hamilton Estate Rascal 2000(3) from McLaren Vale has all the concentration and depth, with that herby, minty undertone you get with the best. And it's just £12.70. Very heartily recommended.
If you found a wine as good as the Hanson Tarrahill Estate Arundel 1998(4) in Bordeaux, you'd assume it cost £30 or £40 a bottle, and reckon it a bargain at that. This costs £13.75. It has all the power, softness, richness and velvet of a sumptuous claret (no wonder: it is 50 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, combined with Merlot and Cabernet Franc). Only 100 cases are made each year, so get your order in early.
These would make a superb Christmas case. Delivery as ever is free, and there's a sample case(5) containing three of each.
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