Vin Diemen Tassie 2015

I think one region that has been a bit of a disappointment for me is Tasmania...Given the weather, I would expect some really great stuff to come out of there and frankly, a lot of it hasn't performed like I think it could...

But I think that is going to change..

I'll start off with the Pinots....Not too long ago these were still very overripe....very shiraz like in texture and how they were being made.  They had great acid, but they were just too big, too ripe, too bold, too much oak....so it was a great surprise to see quite a few Pinot Noirs from Tassie that have actually started to have that lighter mouthfeel, great acidity and still ripe but not overripe fruit.   Stefano Lubiana and Glaetzer Dixon are good examples..but you're seeing quite a few from several different places.

Don't get me wrong, still a lot of very shiraz like Pinots out of Tassie...but I do like that we're seeing some of them come out of their comfort zone and really make a Pinot that can compete with others from other countries rather than appeal to the fruit bomb crowd..

Whites

A few years ago, I started seeing a few winemakers experiment with some skin contact to give their wines some added texture...today, nearly every winemaker is doing that or having solids in the ferment to give their wines this added texture/grip.

Now, I think it is great as it adds a lot of interest..but I can't help to think, don't these winemakers want to make wine THEY want to drink or that they think is how it should be made? Forget about everyone else, just make something you think its great...instead, like what I think is typical of Australian winemakers (especially the over 30 crowd), they just follow a trend.

It isn't like this stuff is new...maybe more people are doing it now but this isn't new...so my question is, if you enjoyed it, why didn't you do it earlier?  And if you don't really want your wine to be like that, why do you make it like that?

I've probably mentioned Domaine A on here a few times...I'm not a fan of their Pinot Noir at all..in fact, except for the fact that it is made from a Pinot Noir Grape, it is nothing like a Pinot Noir...but one thing I can respect is the winemaker saying, I don't care what anyone says, this is how I want to make this...and he does...People that enjoy his style will buy his stuff and I think that is great...

I mean, I know winemakers evolve...I know there are trends...I know money is important....but to me this goes a bit beyond that.....I feel weird complaining about it because honestly, I like the fact that they make a Pinot Grigio that actually has some interest....I like what they're doing but I'd much rather see a winemaker really passionate about what they do and couldn't give a damn what anyone else thinks..I want to taste their effort, their philosophy, I want to taste the wine they want to make in their head...

Mac Forbes Riesling

Mac Forbes Strathbogie Riesling 2011
I'm generally impressed by most of Mac Forbes stuff...Some of it is just ok but I find the rieslings to be very interesting and in general, the wines to just be of very high quality.

The 2011 Strathbogie Riesling has 19 g/L of RS which is a fair amount, especially for Australia, but the great acidity really helps cut through that and provides a wonderful balance.  Slight petrol on the nose but not overpowering, toasty lemon notes, some bruised apple.  The palate has some slight grip to it which suggests extended skin contact although I don't know if that was really the case. I know their EB version does have this, would be interesting to see if this has any at all.

Overall, quite an enjoyable Aussie Riesling....I actually find the RS/Acidity/Fruit to be well integrated compared to most Aussie Rieslings.  90 points.