Pfeiffer 2009 Marsanne

While there are plenty of cases where a winery is widely associated with a particular varietal or blend I can't think of too many examples where the reverse is true.

One case where it is, of course, is Marsanne, the Rhone varietal that has become almost synonymous with Tahbilk, which continues to set the benchmark for the variety in terms of both quality and price. there's no one else (at least no one I've managed to track down) who does it as well, and as consistently, and at $13 for the current release there aren't too many places that can compete on price either. There's also a vertical six pack with two bottles of the 2010, and singles of the four preceding years for a rather remarkable $75 freight free.

Which possibly explains why, much as I liked this take on the variety from Pfeiffers, it's not likely to be featuring in a reorder.

Pfeiffer 2009 Marsanne (4.5* $18.50) Pale straw green in the glass, stone fruits and citrus on the nose and a strong presence of honeysuckle across the palate and a crisp finish, this is a rather classy full bodied well weighted take on the variety and would probably handle a couple of years bottle age. Label me impressed, but there's the Tahbilk factor, so I'll probably be looking at the other Pfeiffer lines when it comes to filling a reorder.

Pfeiffer 2010 The Carson Gewurztraminer

There's no denying the existence of a substantial market out there for semi-sweet or off-dry white wines, but I suspect that many of us are still put off by recollections of the days when someone who turned up on your doorstep for dinner would almost invariably bearing a bottle of the old Ben Ean Moselle.

You can probably see the popularity of the Brown Brothers Crouchen Riesling  as a continuation of those days, and I can't help thinking that the failure of quality Riesling to sell in the quantities it deserves has something to do with the Crouchen Riesling mob sampling a wine from the Clare or Eden Valley and looking for sugar levels that aren't there.

At the same time if you're a Riesling drinker you may well see Crouchen or Traminer Riesling as enemy territory. Sort of east is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet.

That degree of sweetness, on the other hand, definitely goes well with dishes on the spicier end of the spectrum. The key issue, at least from where I'm sitting, is getting the touch of sugar in there without veering off into lolly water.

Experience suggests that varietal Gewurztraminer or something along the lines of the Rockford White Frontignac fits the bill rather well.

Pfeiffer 2010 The Carson Gewurztraminer (4* $16.50 C2 $14.85) Mildly aromatic, musk and rose petals on the nose, there's a slight sweetness across the palate (approaching 7 g/L rather than the thirty you may find in the current wave of off dry Rieslings) and subdued varietal character in a wine that's worth considering, but what's going in the rest of the box is the key factor. Interesting drinking in the right setting without making a persuasive case for actual inclusion.

Pikes 2010 Traditionale Riesling

 As remarked elsewhere, if the call from Pikes just after we'd returned to base from points south had been offering something other than the Traditionale Riesling (RRP $23) and the Eastside Shiraz ($25) for an effective $18 a bottle freight free, I may well have been issuing a polite not this time, thanks.

After all, I've subsequently ignored an offer of a reasonable Clare Valley red, marked down from $22 to $10 a bottle (plus freight) and my response to another offer from Margaret River will be tempered by what happens when I encounter a couple of acquaintances later this morning. Possibly two dozen, possibly four, possibly more

On the other hand when Pikes called I knew I was light on for everyday drinking Riesling, and I need at least one bottle every week…

Pikes 2010 Traditionale Riesling (4.5* $23) There's a pale green tinge to the straw in the glass and, as with the 2009 the traditional Clare Valley citrus on the nose along with some apples and stone fruit, lemons and slate on the palate, with a balanced acidity that palate, balanced style that suggests medium-term cellaring, though I expect I'll be looking to restock with this one or something similar by early August. Halliday, incidentally, gave it 94. At $18 on special, that's good buying and has me wishing I'd grabbed a bit more at the price.

Pfeiffer 2006 Merlot

Previous comments about the Pfeiffer C2 Club and the reluctance to upgrade to the three-shipment version came back to haunt me when I went looking for pricing details for this very food-friendly little number. I might have been inclined to line up for another bottle or two, but it was nowhere to be found, though I did note that there were Museum Releases of the '08 Merlot and the '06 Cabernet in the July dozen, which I won't be getting.

Given the fact that I write up these notes to help me sort out what I want in the next shipment from the winery you might question the point of carrying out the exercise for a Special Members Only Museum Release that won't be more widely available, but there's an anorak mentality lurking back there that prompts me to keep a record just in case I want to look at one of these from a more recent vintage as a short term cellaring prospect.

Pfeiffer 2006 Merlot (4.5* $n/a) Deep purple red with berry notes across the nose and into the palate, where they're matched by oaky tannins there's a depth to this that made it a versatile style with a lengthy finish that worked well with a steak but would work equally well in other settings.

Pikes 2009 Luccio Pinot Grigio

I've been watching the to-ing and fro-ing in the media about alternative grape varieties for a while now, and while I don't have the tasting background to contribute to those conversation about those varieties in their European contexts I'm always looking for something interesting to try.

I may be wrong, but it seems we're looking at an on-going evolution in Australian wine, and there's no way that process is going to grind to a halt any time soon if, indeed, it reaches a conclusion at all.

It also seems fairly obvious that most of the initial plantings were selected from a very small subset of the classic French varieties with a bit of Riesling thrown in, presumably because the German settlers in the Barossa brought it with them.

That's simplifying things, but we're talking about an industry that for years labelled bottles as Claret, Burgundy, Hock and Moselle, so it's fairly obvious that under those circumstances you're going to be using the grapes that traditionally go into those names in their European setting, or, more specifically, the ones that you can get to grow in Australian conditions.

Which means, of course, that you probably wouldn't have been seeing too much Pinot Noir going into something labelled Burgundy.

The growth of the Australian wine industry over the past forty years has, equally predictably, been based on increasing varietal labelling using those standard varietals with new regions and varieties being thrown into the mix as someone gets a bee in their bonnet or a bright idea.

Expanding into cool climate areas offers opportunities to try things that didn't work in more traditional areas, and whether you agree with notions of climate change you'd have to admit that there's a fair chunk of the Australian viticultural landscape that's closer to southern Italy and Sicily than it is to Champagne, Burgundy or the Rhine Valley, so it would seem to make sense to be experimenting with varieties that grow well in those conditions regardless of global warming issues.

While Pinot Gris/Grigio is a cooler climate varietal, and some of those considerations might not seem to apply it has been one of the notable beneficiaries of recent diversification.

It's also obvious why we've tended to go for other varieties along the way since it doesn't quite reach the same heights as Riesling, Chardonnay, Semillon or, more recently, Sauvignon Blanc. At the same time, when you're looking for something that's relatively low in terms of alcohol/volume, and easy food friendly drinking you can't go far wrong with something along the lines of...

Pikes 2009 Luccio Pinot Grigio (4.5* $17) Previously Pinot Grigio Blend, with substantial assistance from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, this 100% Pinot Grigio looked attractive in the glass, and that impression carried across the nose, with evident pears and tropical fruits and the palate, which delivered restrained varietal character. Food-friendly style that's one to bear in mind next time around. Sure, it's not top notch highly memorable five star drinking but there's definitely a spot for something along these lines in the fridge over summer.

Helm 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Since I'm writing these notes (largely) as a personal record of what I've tried that can be used when orders go in to wineries there's a pretty fair argument against posting anything about this one.

Frosts in November 2006 meant that only 380 cases of this one were produced, so you wouldn't expect stocks to last too long. On the other hand, of course, given the fact that Helm ships their wine in boxes of ten rather than a dozen (not sure why, and forgot to ask when we were there) I guess that'll make other decisions a bit easier, won't it.

Helm 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (4.5* $32) Bright red in the glass, with an interesting mix of elements on the nose there's plenty of varietal character across the palate with earthy notes rather than mint character, fine tannins and a rolling lengthy finish. They'll be out of the '07 shortly, but will be watching for the '08.

Pfeiffer 2004 Merlot

While I've been tempted to move from the C2 version of the Pfeiffer Wine Club to the C3 equivalent, which means an additional mixed dozen every year, but that extra dozen is a bridge too far as far as quantities from a particular winery is concerned.

Three dozen with a fourth when we stock up on the Gamay and whatever else has caught the eye is, after all, a substantial chunk out of the thirty-something dozen we're looking at buying each year when we're looking to buy from around twenty wineries.

Declining the three shipment option means that there's always going to be the odd wine we miss trying since it has only appeared in that third shipment, but on the other hand if it means that the Pfeiffers need to throw the odd museum release in to fill out the three dozens that's fine with me.

Take this 2004 Merlot for example.

Given the preponderance of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz at the notional quality end of the Australian market we tend to forget that we're talking about the variety that dominates the Bordeaux blends in St. Emilion and Pomerol. That's probably understandable when you look at the quantities of industrially produced Riverland Merlot that ends up on the el cheapo shelves at your local liquor outlet. It tends to be a drinkers' variety rather than one for the collector or connoisseur, so it's always a pleasure to get a reminder of how well the variety can come up when it's handled properly.

Pfeiffer 2004 Merlot (4.5* $n/a) Medium bodied with floral notes on the nose and rounded earthy tannins across the palate there's plenty to savour here and I'd be inclined to grab an extra bottle or two if it was Gamay-ordering time which, unfortunately it isn't (yet). There's a lush mouth feel that works well with a roast (beef in this case, though it'd go well with lamb) and there's a fair dash of leather and cigar box for after dinner as well.