Top 100 Wines: Sweet and Fortified

Top 100 Wines: Sweet and Fortified

When the desserts are served, there's nothing better than a sweet semillon or riesling with citrus tarts and flans, while with chocolate and richer dishes, our traditional tawnies and muscats are unbeatable.

Deen de Bortoli 2009 Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon

News_Image_File: Deen de Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon

While de Bortoli’s Noble One Semillon is the one destined to take all the glory, this extraordinary little bargain never ceases to amaze. Mid-dark gold in the glass with immediate and familiar botrytis personality - fruit flavours in rich and ripe yellows such as apricots, oranges, cumquats and peaches, with honey and marmalade sweetness swelling in the palate.

★★★★1/2

Riverina, NSW

Food: Fruit tartlets

$14/ 375ml

Brown Brothers 2009 Noble Riesling

News_Image_File: Brown Brothers, Noble Riesling. Wine for Graeme Phillips Wine review. Dessert Wines

A regular wine show stopper and wonderful example of how riesling performs once it has been influenced by botrytis, this is eye-catchingly golden in the glass with a come-hither blossom and honey attraction to start, great citrus tang - mandarin and lime - with amazing freshness and zing in the finish. Glorious with pate as well as desserts.

★★★★1/2

King Valley, Vic

Food: Chicken liver pate

$37/ 375ml

The Sticky Italian 2009 Botrytis Semillon

News_Image_File: Two Italian Boys The Sticky Italian 2009 Botrytis Semillon

Another supreme example of this classic sweet white style from its go-to region, with deep golden tones and an endlessly complex nose - woody tones, Seville orange marmalade, intense apricot puree, followed by great spice lifts and brilliant citrus balance against dessert richness. This deservedly won the sweet trophy at the Sydney Royal Wine Show.

★★★★1/2

Riverina, NSW

Food: Lime curd tarts

$25/375ml

Henschke 2013 Noble Rot Gewürztraminer

News_Image_File: Henschke 2013 Noble Gewurztraminer

As a table white this variety shows alluring florals, musk and spice, which also come into play as a dessert wine, here as Stephen Henschke describes it, “almost like Joy perfume in a glass”. With highlights of jasmine and rose, the wine is gloriously aromatic, a honeyed spiced apple seam in play yet not overly sweet.

★★★★1/2

Adelaide Hills

Food: Meringue and berries

$30/ 375ml

Mt Horrocks Cordon Cut 2013 Riesling

News_Image_File: Mount Horrocks 2013 Cordon Cut Riesling Clare valley $37

While the previous three picks have been botrytis affected with all their exotic concentration, this is a fresher, lighter approach, the vine canes cut to intensify the fruit sugars in this famed Clare riesling focusing on lime marmalade and spiced apple flavours with a delightful honey layer contrasted by brilliant and edgy varietal acidity. Yum.

★★★★1/2

Clare Valley

Food: Lemon delicious

$35/375ml

919 Wines Pale Dry Apera

News_Image_File: 919 Wines Pale Dry Apera

Crafted out of Eric and Jen Semmler’s solero to an average age of three years and reflecting a “fino” style, it exudes all the salt-air, apple and almond notes you expect while the palate shows a fuller roundness and generosity making it quite accessible to those otherwise challenged by its bone-dry nature. Chill and sip as a delightful aperitif.

★★★★

Riverland, SA

Food: Bowl of green olives

$30/500ml

Dandelion Vineyards NV “Legacy of the Barossa” Pedro Ximenez

News_Image_File: Top 100 Wines - Dandelion Vineyards Legacy of the Barossa Pedro Ximenez bottle shot

A beautifully fresh and vibrant wine considering the average age of wines contributing to the final blend now tops 30 years. Even the smallest pour reveals a heady swirl of grilled nuts, praline, candied orange peel and the classically aldehydic characters covered by the term “rancio”. A rare treat.

★★★★1/2

Barossa Valley

Food: Orange Custard Tart

Price $30 (375ml)

Tscharke 2007 “Lumberjack” Vintage Fortified Touriga

News_Image_File: Top 100 Wines - Tscharke Lumberjack vintage fortified

Touriga is a key component in the great fortified wines of Portugal, and Damien Tscharke has put some of the Barossa’s rare old plantings of the variety to great use in this dark-hearted and brooding fortified wine. Black skin fruit’s hints of bracken and woody herbs on the nose, a tightly coiled core and dry, savoury finish.

★★★★

Barossa Valley

Food: Grilled morcilla

$30

Grant Burge Liqueur Muscat

News_Image_File: Top 100 Wines - Grant Burge Liquer Muscat

A beautifully fresh and fragrant fortified, well balanced, perfectly proportioned and utterly delicious. It opens with swoon-inducing aromas of orange peel and lime pickle, burnt sugar and partially dried muscatels. The palate is complex and plush but the wine’s abundant sweetness is cleverly constrained by its vibrant acidity and clean finish.

★★★★

Barossa Valley

Food: A great chocolate brownie.

$75

Bleasdale Fortis et Astutus

News_Image_File: Top 100 Wines - Bleasdale Fortis et Astutus bottle shot

One of the most extraordinary fortified blends you’ll come across, with close to a thousand different stocktake parcels averaging around 20 years, this takes in rich old verdelho to more usual tawny styles, and has a concentrated dried apple to orange peel range with pure spirit and beguiling fresh and zesty finish. Brilliant.

★★★★★

Langhorne Creek

Food: Tarte tatin

$150 / 700ml

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