VOLUME 26, No. 1 {2012} DISCOVER WINE FROM DOWN UNDER Your selection WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1. Sauvignon Blanc, Howard Park 2. Mangan Vineyard, Cullen 3. Diana Madeline, Cullen† 4. Leston, Howard Park 5. Scotsdale, Howard Park SOUTH AUSTRALIA 6. Polish Hill, Grosset 7. Cab. Sauv., Mount Horrocks 8. The Armagh, Jim Barry 9. The Fifth Wave, Langmeil 10. Mourvèdre, Turkey Flat 11. Avatar, Teusner 12. Henry’s Seven, Henschke 13. Plexus, John Duval 14. Entity, John Duval 15. The Bogan, Kaesler 16. The Virgilius, Yalumba 17. Mount Edelstone, Henschke† 18. Hill of Grace, Henschke† 19. Kanta, Egon Müller 20. M3, Shaw and Smith 21. Serpico, Mitolo 22. The Soloist, Coriole Vineyard 23. Obsidian, Gemtree 24. The Mad Hatter, Hewitson 25. The Vicar, Chapel Hill 26. The Chosen Rd. Block, Chapel Hill 27. D Block Reserve, Shingleback 28. Liandra, Clarendon Hills 29. Astralis, Clarendon Hills† 30. Old Adam Shiraz, Bremerton 31. Cabernet Sauvignon, Balnaves 32. J. Riddoch Ltd. Release, Wynns 33. Michael Ltd. Release, Wynns VICTORIA 34. Langi Shiraz, Mt. Langi Ghiran 35. Farrside, by Farr 36. Block 5, Bindi† 37. Cab. Sauv., Yering Station 38. Chardonnay, Kooyong 39. Pinot Noir, Yabby Lake 40. Meres, Kooyong 41. Pinot Noir, Kooyong 42. Pinot Noir, Farr Rising 43. KBS, Stonier NEW SOUTH WALES AND TASMANIA 44. Vat 1, Tyrrell’s 45. Graveyard Vineyard, Brokenwood 46. Riesling, Josef Chromy 47. Yattarna, Penfolds 48. Kayena Reserve, Tamar Ridge Legend AGING POTENTIAL PLACE YOUR ORDER JH James Halliday – Mark out of 100 JH* James Halliday – Mark out of 100 The aging potential is the potential lifespan of a Drink now Red SPECIAL VALUE wine if kept in favourable storage conditions.The STARTING MAY 5! wine Drink now WA Wine Advocate – Mark out of 100 year that is indicated for each wine represents or keep until FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. the year in which the wine will peak and display year indicated WS Wine Spectator – Mark out of 100 its full complexity. Of course, depending on your Drink during the White JR Jancis Robinson – Mark out of 20 personal taste, you may find a wine is ready † Limit of three bottles per customer. wine FAVOURITE indicated period SKREW CAP ES Équipe Signature – Mark out of 100 to drink well before the year indicated here. of maturity AUSTRALIA, AHEAD OF THE CURVE— AND ON TOP OF ITS GAME. Australian wines are such charmers! Their astonishing complexity, personality, and exuberance can be attributed to the richness of their terroir and thoroughly modern wineries. THE HIDDENThe hidden side SIDE OFof Australian wine For 25 years now, Le Courrier vinicole has offered members a selection of fi ne wines deemed worthy of your cellar. Exceptional wines—most of them intended for keeping—to be heartily enjoyed whenever you choose to savour and share them with friends and family. AUSTRALIANIn this vein, we are pleased to present a heretofore unheard of issue dedicated exclusively to wines from Down Under. Australian wine production has been making great strides in the last twenty years or so. Quebec winelovers have been familiar with Australian viticulture since it burst onto the radar in the mid 1980s, and it has since expanded astronomically. Today Australia is Quebec’s fi fth largest supplier of imported wine. WINE This growth is due to the phenomenal commercial success of major labels that are now famous the world over. With this issue of Le Courrier vinicole, you’ll be able to discover the other side of Australian wines, from artisans who have truly transformed the winemaking landscape. This transformation—sparked by efforts to seek out top terroirs, invest in knowledge (major Australian universities now offer viticulture and oenology specialisations), and reach out to the world—has resulted in spectacular progress when it comes to the quality and authenticity of wine from Down Under. This catalogue refl ects wine made with high production standards to best display the characteristics of its terroir. You’ll fi nd a diverse selection here, with some wines embodying the elegance, good breeding, and complexity of the fi nest vintages. These are bottles that can inspire a whole new dialogue about wine, leaving you delighted and enraptured. Far-away Australia is so like Canada, sharing our diversity of terroir, climate, and wide-open spaces. Like us, it is a modern country determined to offer world-class wines to sophisticated afi cionados. Australian winemakers are also willing to innovate and take risks. “Oz” pioneered in the assemblage of grape varieties which, in the view of the Old World, was long considered heresy. Today, no one bats an eye over the use of these practices, which have helped give rise to the most desirable wines. Australian producers also adopted the use of the screw cap and are even putting it on their top wines. The use of screw caps—decried by purists some years ago— is becoming increasingly de rigueur. If you’re looking for passionate winemakers, Australia should be on your A-list. Fascinating discoveries await wine fanciers who want to enliven their collections by fi lling their cellars with elegant, generous, new choices that do credit to the terroir from which they come. Les Services SAQ Signature Team 2 The hidden side of Australian wine James Halliday A lawyer by education, James Halliday began writing about wine in 1979. Today, after racking up over 40 years of service to Australian wine and producing some 50 works on the subject, which have been translated into numerous languages, he is Australia’s best-known and most respected wine critic. His annual guide, the James Halliday Australian The taming Wine Companion, has been a Terroir smashing success since its fi rst of the screw edition appeared in 1986. (cap) One glance at the food industry shows how widely aluminum is used in packaging—it’s one of the most effective metals for preserving edibles. In the world of wine, however, informed oenophiles used to shy away from corkless bottles. The thinking then was that corkless wines were inferior. But today, - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, the screw cap is practically a must, 2012 Edition, Hardie Grant Books, 2011. relied upon by a good number of producers to preserve the quality In 1970, Halliday and two partners and consistency of their wines. founded the Brokenwood winery in the Hunter Valley of New South Australian and New Zealand Wales, and quickly earned great Wines for winemakers—ahead of the curve acclaim. In 1985, he and his wife cellaring when it comes to technical innov- In English, there is just no equivalent Suzanne launched Coldstream Hills ation—are largely responsible for the for the French term terroir, which in the Yarra Valley near Melbourne, screw cap’s burgeoning popularity. is so closely associated with France’s Victoria. Even though the property Passionate wine enthusiasts enjoy If the trend has crossed borders and stature at the pinnacle of winemaking has sold after 1996, James Halliday stocking their cellars with classic garnered new fans in both Europe nations. We hear the word used—or continues to reside there and serve crus and new fi nds from the world of and America, it’s because there’s overused—at every turn, so often it as a consultant to the winery. traditional winemaking. They love the much to recommend it. seems trite. But the Old World has idea of accessibility, of course, and the no exclusive dibs on the term terroir. possibility of being able to appreciate The screw cap is more than just wine whenever the time seems right. a simple closure that prevents the Australia has for many years produced degradation of the precious liquid wines that mirror the identity, authen- What kind of cellaring potential do inside—it’s cutting-edge technology. ticity, and distinctive character of their Australian wines have? As with any Screw caps allow just the right amount origin. These characteristics are refl ec- bottle, the wine must have a certain of oxygen to be transmitted while tions of the grape varieties used, the pedigree and substance. In addition, the wine is cellared and, as a result, climate, and the soil on which this the way it ages—based on time and provide a totally neutral barrier divine nectar fi rst begins to take form. other recommended parameters—will that keeps wine fresh and its aroma Unlike soulless “technical wines,” those enable it to mature gracefully. The unsullied. If you’re seeking a good chosen for this catalogue embody the majority of the crus selected for this way to spare prized bottles from outstanding quality that Australian catalogue are of such calibre that they unpleasant surprises after cellaring, wineries are capable of producing. can sustain medium to long aging say hello to the screw cap. This uniqueness of the terroir, so in a wine cellar. prized by winelovers, has nothing While certain wines are often already to do with “country”—and everything quite quaffable while still young, to do with “craftsmanship.” after cellaring they will astound more Planting good grape varieties in prime demanding connoisseurs with their locations based precisely on terroir, ability to deliver a truly sublime and then isolating, selecting, and aromatic experience. The results can vinifying the fruit separately (single be surprising! vineyard style) is an indication of a winemaker’s interest in offering the best—the exceptional. The hidden side of Australian wine 3 WESTERN AUSTRALIA IS FAMED FOR ITS CABERNET SAUVIGNON AND SHIRAZ FROM THE MARGARET RIVER AREA. 4 Western Australia This state, the largest in Australia, is home to a number of important wine regions. Margaret Cabernet The Margaret River area, at the far southwest of the continent, is among the best-known River Sauvignon for its climate, which resembles that of STAR OF THE WESTERN AUSTRALIA STATE, THE GRAPE VARIETY THAT HAS EARNED Bordeaux.