Access latest reviews from James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion 2009.
Forty-Two Degrees South NV Chardonnay Pinot Noir Bubbles for Summer $21 to $30 [price bracket] Pale bronze, layered complexity with biscuit and cheese characters, toast and strawberry fruit, good intensity and persistence. BEST WINES [in this price bracket]: Salinger 2005; Grant Burge NV; 42 Degrees South BEST VALUE [in this price bracket]: 42 Degrees South. Fruit of the Vine, Graeme Phillips (The Sunday Tasmanian, 23 November 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2008 FGR Riesling (forthcoming release) The “FGR” tag stands for forty grams residual, referring to the grape sugar left unfermented in the wine. Frogmore Creek has never before produced this style with such balance and precision. It’s a delicate wine, refreshingly sweet with a core of zesty acid. Top Drop, Tony Harper (Brisbane News, 19-25 November 2008)
Forty-Two Degrees South 2005 Chardonnay (unwooded) A much more aromatic and flavoursome drop than the previous wine with lovely developed honey and toast flavours underlying ripe stonefruit on the smoothly textured, full-flavoured palate nicely blanced and refreshed by good citrusy acid. 3 bottles. Fruit of the Vine, Graeme Phillips (The Sunday Tasmanian, 9 November 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2008 FGR Riesling (forthcoming release) The Frogmore FGR (Forty Grams Residual) have always been good, but this takes it to a whole new level. It’s the closest to a Mosel Kabinett or Spatlese I’ve seen from Australia. It’s only 8.5% alcohol and has a wonderful core of acidity. Coal River Valley, Tasmania. Tony Harper, The Wine Emporium e-newsletter (6 November 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2008 FGR Riesling (forthcoming release) Show Stunner At this year’s Riesling Rendezvous in Washington State, an international gathering of press, wine professionals and Riesling winemakers, the scene-stealer was Frogmore Creek 2008 FGR Riesling from Tasmania, made in the German Kabinett halbtrocken style. In a blind tasting, German, Austrian and U.S. winemakers were surprised it wasn’t from the Old World. The Tasting Panel (November 2008)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinot Noir Enticing spicy, complex aromas of plums and cherries – youthful, elegant palate with very fine silky texture and excellent length. Keep for another 3-4 years. Outstanding (WineWise, Volume 24, Number 4, October 2008)
Forty-Two Degrees South 2005 Chardonnay (unwooded) Still quite fresh, with papaya and pineapple overtones. The palate is satisfying and crisply acidic. Chardonnay, Recommended (WineWise, Volume 24, Number 4, October 2008)
2006 Forty-Two Degrees South Riesling (forthcoming) Distinctive ginger and spice nose followed by riper nectarine and lime-like fruit, with age providing roundness and an extra layer of developed appear still with zesty acid, impeccable balanced and a long, tangy finish. 3 bottles. Fruit of the Vine, Graeme Phillips (The Sunday Tasmanian, 26 October 2008)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinot Noir Frogmore’s Reserve gains complexity This wine was a stunner in its youth when as a 1 year old it won a Gold Medal at the 2006 Hobart International Wine Show. That was prior to its relatively recent commercial release but the charms of Frogmore Creek's 2005 Reserve Pinot have not diminished, if anything the wine has gained in complexity. The grapes were organically grown at Frogmore's vineyard in southern Tasmania at Penna, near Midway Point and Sorrell. Andrew Hood made the wine from a pearler of a vintage. Pinot Shop (28 October 2008)
2005 Wellington Riesling Certainly grabbed Hooke’s attention. “Restrained and delicate, with citrus fruit on the nose,” he wrote. “Finely structured. The palate’s tight and the length builds. It has a future.” Wellington’s wines are always typically stylish, and this one is no exception. Bottle-age is beginning to add some toasty complexity and the wine is drinking absolutely beautifully, yet it is still fresh and will clearly age many years further. 5 stars (94 points) Tasting, Isle of White, Nick Bulleid (Gourmet Traveller Wine, Oct/Nov 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2006 FGR Riesling Frogmore’s FGR was judged Best Sweet Wine and Best White of the 2008 Tasmanian Wine Show. Its FGR moniker denotes “40g of residual sugar”, a reference to its level of natural fruit sweetness. The wine is modelled on Germany’s gently sweet Kabinett halbtrocken style, one that makes perfect sense in cool climate Tasmania. Its aromas and flavours are woven from fine threads of lemon and lime. Pick of the Crop with Mark Smith (The Examiner, 15 October 2008)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Chardonnay Has developed beautifully in bottle, with its ripe, peachy fruit gaining more tropical and fruit-salad flavours. The oak is well-integrated and barely detectable now, as it usually is with this maker. The palate is full bodied and rich, while retaining some Tasmanian elegance, and finishes with noticeable warmth. It’s fully ready and will be great with robust white meat dishes. 4 stars (89 points) Tasting, Isle of White, Nick Bulleid (Gourmet Traveller Wine, Oct/Nov 2008)
Forty-Two Degrees South 2008 Pinot Grigio Fairly neutral nose but plenty of fresh juicy pear, spice and nutty notes on a palate with lovely depth, focu and balalnce and an attractive, savoury finish. Wine, Graeme Phillips (The Mercury, 24 September 2008)
Forty-Two Degrees South 2005 Chardonnay (unwooded) This is an aged release - highly unusual for an unwooded chardonnay. It’s from the excellent Frogmore Creek stable. I’m guessing that it was held back a) as a point of difference and b) because the 2005 vintage in Tasmania is considered by many to be a classic. Campbell Mattinson (www.winefront.com.au, 9 September 2008)
2006 Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir It’s getting to be a tough school when a pinot noir as good as this can only rate a bronze medal at a Tasmanian wine show. Pinot noir brings out the verbosity in wine writers and why should I be any different? The miracle of pinot noir is that it’s able to capture the melded essence of the grape and the earth it grows from – a magical mix that seems to be no less than the soul of the vineyard. This wine is a good example of that combination … rich ripe berry and cherry fruit blended with complex earthy, forest floor aromas. The wine is quite spicy with fine silky tannins and a sensual mouthfeel. Just a lovely pinot from one of our more difficult vintages and just beginning its journey. At $36 it’s a snip – you’d pay double that for a pinot of this quality from anywhere else. Tony Walker, Wine (Tasmanian Life Magazine, September/October 2008)
2006 Forty-Two Degrees South Riesling (forthcoming) The 42 Degrees South label is supposed to be the more approachable early drinking range produced by Frogmore Creek., but I wouldn’t mind having a case of this in the cellar. It’s an unusual style for Tasmania, more stately and minerally than floral, reminiscent of the great Rieslings of Eden Valley which have long been Australia’s benchmarks for this variety. It has fresh, bright lime juice aromas with just a touch of tropical fruit and a steely, mineral background, but in the mouth it’s all rich citrus fruit with long, lingering flavours and crisp finish that really get the palate tingling. This is a lively, refreshing style which certainly ha the structure to develop into a toasty treat after four or five years. Great value too. Tony Walker, Wine (Tasmanian Life Magazine, September/October 2008)
2006 Forty-Two Degrees South Gewürztraminer (forthcoming) I can never understand what pinot gris is walking off the shelves while gewürztraminer sits there unloved. Is it because noone can pronounce it? I love writing about it because everytime you smell it, it reveals another secret, like Salome dropping one veil at a time. My first impression was of those pink musk sticks of my youth, then a whiff of lavender, then it was crushed grapes, then honey, tropical fruit salad and hint of ginger. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the extravagant promises of the nose but it’s a real food wine, and would be great with anything Asian and spicy. It’s perfumed fruity and exotic and just a really interesting wine at a giveaway price. Next time you’re heading for the Thai, Chinese or Vietnamese, do yourself a favour and take a bottle of this. Tony Walker, Wine (Tasmanian Life Magazine, September/October 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2006 FGR Riesling This is a new style for Tasmania and really caught the judges’ eye at the 2008 Tasmanian Wine Show, winning not only the trophy for best sweet wine, but the trophy for best white wine overall. Where most dry wines have about 5 grams of residual sugar, this wine has 40 grams – hence FGR – forty grams residual. It’s a style made famous in the great wines from Mosel in Germany and could have an equally illustrious future here. Its attraction is that it is a sweet wine, but with plenty of fruit and clean acid to keep it fresh. It’s a wine made in the traditional way, but with the fermentation stopped before all the sugar is converted to alcohol. It has fresh and delicate citrus aromas and a lovely fruity sweetness which is never cloying. Would be great with fruit salad. Tony Walker, Wine (Tasmanian Life Magazine, September/October 2008)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinot Noir Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinots are not made every year. This one was made from specifically selected parcels of organically grown pinot noir from the Coal River Valley. Vintage 2005 was a nice warm one in these parts, and this wine shows those same seasonal characters. Gladly, it’s not fallen into the trap of being over-ripe or too alcoholic. Indeed, there’s a sense of elegance to this wine’s fine cherry/berry palate. Pick of the Crop with Mark Smith (The Examiner, 27 August 2008)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinot Noir At the bigger, less-ethereal end of the pinot spectrum. Pepper, black cherry and toasty oak aromas. Highly structured, powerful, with abundant tannins. Mouth-filling, rich, lush and concentrated. Promises to live for many years. 5 stars (94 points) 100 Top New Releases (Gourmet Traveller Wine, Aug/Sept 2008)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinot Noir Intense, concentrated, gamey and savoury, richly brooding with intriguing layers of flavours and depth, firm and silky, beginning to display some real developed Burgundian characters. Fruit of the Vine (The Sunday Tasmanian, 6/7/08)
Forty-Two Degrees South 2007 Pinot Noir Intense spiced cherry and plum aromas and flavours, beautifully structured and balanced, long finishing and an excellent food wine. Fruit of the Vine (The Sunday Tasmanian, 6/7/08)
2005 Frogmore Creek Reserve Pinot NoirThis is at the bigger, less ethereal, less varietal end of the Tasmanian pinot spectrum: a highly structured, powerful pinot with abundant tannins. Rich, lush and concentrated with pepper, black cherry and tasty oak aromas. Now to 10-years plus. 94/100 Huon Hooke, Tastings (Good Living, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 June 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2006 FGR Riesling Beautiful fresh pear and citrus, subtle-florals – crystalline smelling and Zen pond clear. Lovely textures in the mouth; plump, fleshy, pear and peel, and just a hint of tarte tatin, Gentle chewiness and lingering sweetness is held in check by pristine minerally acidity. 94(95)/100. Just 10 per cent alcohol. Wine, Tim White (The Australian Financial Review, 30 May – 1 June 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2007 Riesling (forthcoming release) A good example of regionally driven style, this Tasmanian Riesling breathes fine aromatics and some complex cool-climate spice. The palate shows steely restraint amid rich flavours – the acidity is the key here, making the most of the lime juice flavours, very pure and sweetly balanced. (Wine) Selector (Winter, May/June 2008)
Forty-Two Degrees South 2007 Riesling (forthcoming release) This shows the lovely fine fragrant aromas that have come to define great Tasmanian Riesling, winemaker Andrew Hood is a master. Backed by bright minerals, this has some real nerve and cut, walking a fine knife-edge of nervy sweet/sour fruit tang. Perfect alongside spicy cuisine. (Wine) Selector (Winter, May/June 2008)
Frogmore Creek 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir Attractive, fragrant sweet plums in here, mixed in with fine mocha oak and gentle peppery spice. Really fascinating this. There’s a dab of pepper on the tongue too, along with loads of brandied cherry fruit. The tannin is crisp, building and dry, pulling all that fruit along to a long finish. Excellent palate structure. 94/100. What to drink, Wine, Tim White (The Australian Financial Review, 11-13 April 2008)
