Hibernating Wines for January

If you’ve been hiding away this January, here are some wines to lay down for when you feel like celebrating again.

After all the Christmas and New Year festivities, you may well be struggling to contemplate buying more wine:  But now is the best time to put away a few bottles for later in the year, or even to lay down a case or two to forget about for a decade or so.   For those on a ‘dry January’, your clear head will enable you to  pick out some gems from the January sale; but for those still struggling to think straight, here are some ideas of great wines to hide away.

Most wine collectors only think of cellaring traditional French wines, like those of Bordeaux. But here we’ve hand-picked a selection of Australia’s very best wines, some perfect for drinking now, some for drinking in the mid-term and some to pop in the cellar for a few years, perhaps left for a celebratory birthday or wedding.  These wines have the same power, grace and finesse as some of those from the unreachable upper echelons of Bordeaux, but without the need to re-mortgage your house in order to invest.

Heartland Director’s Cut Cabernet Sauvignon, Langhorne Creek Limestone Coast 2012

The sheer force of the blackcurrant and ripe red cherry fruit is as much a testament to the vineyards as winemaker Ben Glaetzer’s skill. The mouth-coating texture and supple tannin structure create an experience of perfect equilibrium, but the true character is most easily appreciated in the complex layers of liquorice, nutmeg and star anise spice. Drink 2015-2025

£23.50  £19.50

The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon, d'Arenberg 2005

Already 10 years old, this is a great opportunity to try a maturing Australian wine. However, d’Arenberg’s care and attention in the vineyard and winery mean its style is designed to keep on evolving. The fruit is sourced from their best Cabernet vineyard, using a near-extinct clone which yields tiny quantities of intensely fragrant grapes. Lush blackcurrant gives way to violet, developing hints of cedar and fennel with time. Drink 2015 -2025

£39.50  £26.50

Kooyong Haven Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula 2011

An emphasis on single vineyards and individual terroir is Kooyong’s mission statement - Burgundian style combined with a can-do Aussie attitude, all tied together by an Italian winemaker. This cool climate Pinot could quite easily be a Premier Cru Volnay with its classic Burgundian nose of frosted rosehips, mushrooms and leather. On the palate, gently perfumed fruit and complex truffle, tobacco and black tea flavours are just beginning to emerge. Crisp acidity and just a nip of tannin mean that this will benefit from decanting if drunk now, while further bottle age will start to reveal layers of complexity over the next five years or so. Drink 2015 - 2020

£39.50  £29.50

Henschke 'Abbotts Prayer' Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

The Henschke family pioneered the use of single vineyard and single variety bottlings at a time when Australia was just making fortified wines. Fifth generation winemaker-viticulturists Stephen and Prue continue their pursuit of excellence with the world-famous Hill of Grace as well as developing new viticultural areas like Adelaide Hills, with their 'Abbotts Prayer' Merlot/Cabernet. The ripe aromas of violets, mulberry and cedar are so inviting that it is hard to leave alone in the cellar. Drink 2015-2025

£39.50  £29.50

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Abercrombie is Howard Park’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, named after owner-winemaker Jeff Burch’s great-grandfather Walter Abercrombie. Produced only in the very best vintage years, consisting of the top 1% of Cabernet grapes grown in their oldest vineyards, it is now one of Australia’s most collectable red wines.  Crammed full of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, and backed by earthy truffle nuances, the firm acidity and fine oak tannins guarantee a graceful old age. Drink 2016-2025

£45  £29.50

Glaetzer Anaperenna Barossa Valley 2012

Glaetzer’s old bush vines are up to 110 years old, yielding miniscule quantities of elegant, intensely aromatic grapes. Ironically, the newest generation of the winemaking family, Ben Glaetzer, has become a legend in very short time – he was the youngest ever winemaker to be named ‘Baron of the Barossa’ in recognition of his prodigious talent. This is benchmark Glaetzer, a wine full of cassis and blueberry compote flavours, tamed by peppery spice. Drink 2015-2028

£44  £29.50

Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz 2012

One of the most distinguished single-vineyard wines from Australia, this 100% Shiraz is sourced from a site nestled between two dramatically beautiful mountain ranges on the southern edge of Western Victoria’s Great Dividing Range. The 2012 vintage was exceptional, creating an intensely fragrant wine full of blackcurrant, woodsmoke and pine forest aromas. The tannins are smooth and velvety, structuring the hints of black pepper, cedar and the merest hint of Aussie eucalyptus. Drink 2018-2030

£45  £36

 By Chris Penwarden

Prices stated above valid until midnight 01.02.15