Red Bigots do
Notice the typical red bigot hair style on Brian
Introduction
Some months ago in an almost sober state of weakness I talked Red Bigot (Brian Handreck) into a red bigots tour of McLaren Vale, the Barossa
and Clare. As soon my mate John Daviswho lives in McLaren Vale learned that Brian and I were coming over, he
snuggled up to his wife Sue and begged for permission to join in our decadent
antics and excesses . Sue being the kind and generous human being that she is, said
"go and enjoy yourself" and we all did.
This report is not
exactly short, its about 40 pages without the
pictures. There are tasting notes on over 160 wines, tasting vibes made
on many wines that accompanied more good dinners than my ever expanding waist
line needed, loads of information on the wineries and winemakers visited, a few
comments on the vintage conditions and the odd photo too (some very
"odd.") My apologies in advance if some of the
tasting notes seem boring and repetitive, but it's
difficult to fake journalistic talent on this scale. Hopefully
you will find this will be more of a reference work than a good read, after all
when was the last time you found the yellow pages or a street directory
riveting reading.
Finally, before I
get into the detail of the trip report I have some people I would like to thank for
making my trip so memorable and enjoyable. Firstly to my good friend Brian Handreck (Red Bigot,) it was great having you along for the
period you were able to join us. Your knowledge and depth of experience on
Australian wines has been a great help and has taught me much over the years.
To John Davis , thanks for the
hospitality at your place and joining me for the entire week. If you ever get
sick of your day job, you can always get a job as a comedian, or a priest, or
possibly both and I think in a week or two my sides may recover from the
laughing pains.
Prior to the trip I
emailed or phoned a number of wineries to arrange appointments. The majority welcomed
us with open arms and were more than generous with their time. Most went to a
great deal of trouble to make our trip a memorable event. Many opened rare or
yet to be released wines. Some let us taste our way through numerous barrel
samples including many icon wines. These are experiences that are very special,
valued, and your generosity won't be forgotten.
As a disclaimer I would like to restate that I have no vested interest in
the wine business or commercial tie up with anyone. Whilst I do have
friends in the industry, I rate their wines on the wines merits and do not let
my personal feelings get in the way, if I think one of their wines is crap, I
will say so rather than removing it from the tasting notes. I also refuse to
accept gifts or even free bottles of wine (other than a single bottle for
tasting.) During this trip one winemaker was generous enough to give me a case
of their 98
General Recent Vintage Impressions
There is absolutely
no doubt that 1996 and 1998 were great vintages in most of SA. Equally, there
is no doubt in my mind that 2000 was a shocker and there were very few
2000 wines that I would contemplate buying, but no doubt there will be a few
shining stars amongst the black holes.
The industry has done
a great job talking up the quality of the 2001 vintage.
After an average 99 and terrible 2000, a good vintage was needed and the 2001
vintage fit the bill neatly however it was incredibly hot and the grapes
ripened very quickly and were picked early. On the other hand, 2002 was poor to
start, the year was much cooler than normal and ripening was very slow and
gradual. Most
winemakers I spoke to felt that the 2001 wines will show very well when young
but will not have the same longevity as 2002. The 2002 vintage wines showed
great structure, especially the tannins, with wonderful natural acidity and
complexity of fruit flavour.
Whilst I am not an expert and don't pretend one, my prediction based on the
barrel samples I tasted is that 2002 in McLaren Vale
will be an unbelievably good vintage and this region may eclipse the quality of
wine from the Barossa.
Bottle Faults at Wineries
On my last trip 12 months ago I found the atrocious levels of corked and off wine being
served
at cellar door and in some cases I was pretty blunt in pointing it out. Since then there has
been a remarkable improvement in the checking of wine for TCA and other faults by
cellar door staff. I was most impressed at Peter Lehmann
where two staff members checked every bottle opened. (Last year they were
embarrassed when I pointed out a bottle of their wine was suffering from TCA
even though it had previously been checked. Obviously they are taking quality
very seriously.) There were a few bottles of oxidised wines when they then
opened too long but generally speaking there were very few "dud" or
faulty wines being served.
Wine Balance and Style
Over last couple of years it appears the use of oak is being scaled back and
there were far fewer example of over oaked spit tooth
pick wine. Many of the winemakers were consciously talking about "letting
the fruit speak" and "the judicious use of oak." It appears that more
wineries are striving for a little elegance, even in full flavoured
On the downside,
there were some examples of pressing the grapes to hard and the tannins showed
it.
New Vines
It looks like the
exponential planting of new vines has come to an end and whilst there are still
some new vines going in, they are insignificant in comparison to past years.
Grenache
People who are familiar with my tasting notes will know that I am not a big fan
of straight Grenache and feel the variety is best blended. For my taste, ultra
sickly sweet one-dimensional lolly water does not make good wine, however I am
sure that many people do enjoy it judging by the amounts sold. On this trip it
was most pleasing to find a number of straight Grenache wines that were well
made with some character whilst not being overly sweet. Almost
enough to convert me.
The TORB Rating
System.
In order to be able
to better understand this missive, it would help if you understand how I rate
wines. My rating system does not use points, it used a
nine category standard that is based on the fact that wine quality forms a
pyramid. The majority of the wines produced are at the bottom and these form
the base of the pyramid. As you get higher up the pyramid, the wines become
fewer and as you get near the top, fewer still. The majority of the wine I
purchase normally fall into the Recommended and above segments.
The TORB Wine
Quality Rating System
Cats
piss
(not devoted to NZ Sauvignon Blanc.)
Barely
Drinkable
(possibly applies to most Oz PiNot.)
Acceptable (normally used for GreenAsh blends.)
Agreeable (not exclusively
for cheap Cabinet Sauvignon)
Recommended (not exclusively
for drinkable
Highly
Recommended (not restricted to S.A only.)
Excellent (unusual to find anything other than RB material here.)
Outstanding (must be top notch,
normally benchmark wines)
The
Ultimate
(almost as rare as rocking horse dung)
Wines are also
assessed on vale
The TORB Wine Value
System
* BAD news - wines where the producer has delusions of adequacy
** Normally not worth buying unless its very high
quality special occasion wine.
*** Pretty much industry standard cost.
**** The extra good QPR drops that we all search out.
***** Like hens teeth, typically some poor sod has sold a dozen at six pack
price.
The First Night Get
In The Mood Dinner
Just to get in the swing of things while I arrived John tossed a half
a highball glass of 15-year-old The Macallan Malt
Scotch into my hand that I gently sipped as we sat on the veranda and watch the sunset
over the vines as we talked about things past and our upcoming trip.
It was then off to
the Victory Hotel which is a typical Australian pub set high on a hill
offering a panoramic outlook and kaleidoscope of colourful lights over the
countryside and onto the ocean beyond. The cellar under this pub has, to say
the least, an impressive array of wines that most people (like us) would kill
to obtain. And what more, you can even bring your own wine when eating in the
restaurant, which is exactly what we did. The food is simple but well cooked
and main courses range in price from $10 to $21.
The first wine
opened was a 1992
The 1992
Rosemount Balmoral is more complex and had a longer finish than the
The daytime view from John front veranda.
When we got back the
McLaren Vale
The first wineries visited was Olivers Hill where we were once
again made more than welcome by Stewart and Linda Miller. (Hi Linda, hope you
are still lurking.) This winery is starting to do good things. Last year I tried a
barrel sample of their 2001
First wine tried was
the Olivers Hill 2001 Grenache with has
a lightish ruby hew showing slightly floral perfume,
pepper notes and the hint of chocolate. The wine comes in a whopping 16 percent with a good tannic
backbone, piquant lively acid, and medium weight fruit. Whilst the wine is
still very youthful, it has good balance and the hard consistency may be due to
bottle shock. It's a big wine full of youthful pepper with a big chocolate
finish and is slightly undrinkable due to its youth. Finally it did seem
slightly green. Rated as Acceptable with *** for value at $18.
Olivers Hill Jimmy Section
Shiraz 2001 has also just been bottled. The vines were planted in 1972 and
are cropped at three tonnes to the acre. Dark purple in colour the big nose of
liquorice and eucalyptus is closed down tight. The strong deep fruit combines
with refreshing acid and a big dusty tannic backbone to support the 16 percent
alcohol creating a wine that doesn't seem out of balance or hot. Sweet black
berry fruit leads across the palate to liquorice and chocolate. It has a full
robust bodyweight, solid structure, an agreeable level of complexity and
definitely qualifies as a glass stainer. I would love to see this wine in a few
months when it settles down. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value
at $25.
Olivers Hill 2001 Cabernet
Sauvignon will be bottled next month. The barrel sample was selected at
random looks good. It showed some VA (which might blow off) and tight Cabernet
characters with loads of drying tannins that dominate the sweet lurking fruit.
No new oak has been used on this full-bodied wine. (I don't rate barrel
samples.)
We also tried barrel
samples from the 2002 vintage and whilst it very early days, the fruit looks
like it has enormous potential. The purity of fruit was marvellous. The tannin
structure is excellent and the wine has a wonderful level of natural acid. Olivers Hill are getting better
and better and this is a winery to watch.
Scarpantoni has long been a
favourite winery of mine and if ever there was a barometer of the McLaren
Vale vintage conditions, this winery would be it. The 96 and 98 Block 3 Shiraz seemed
to disappear from my cellar in remarkably quick time. The 99 was not purchased
and as you'll see from these tasting notes I am unlikely to buy the 2000.
Scarpantoni Block 3 Shiraz 2000 is purple in colour
with a light hue. Aromas show coconutty oak, sweet
plums and menthol. Minimal amounts of unobtrusive tannins don't detract from
the wines balance but will make this a fairly early drinking proposition. The
ample bodyweight is supported by a supple consistency and simple complexity. So
what it tasted like you may well ask? Very sweet, some savoury pepper taste to
counter the initial sweetness that returns as the pepper fades and the
sweetness returns. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value at $22.
Scarpantoni Estate Reserve (
When I received the
last Scarpantoni newsletter I couldn't believe the
price of the Black Tempest Sparkling. It was raised from about $25 to
$36 in one hit. Now I know why. This harmonious seamless wine is very different
from the previous version. Its showing more complexity which has been achieved
by the subtly and judiciously addition of a sweet fortified which has
complement the savoury black cherry, plums and chocolate. It's now rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value
and worth buying.
Shottesbrooke mades good value
well made early drink wines and their Reserve that has only been released twice
(cellar door sales only) is worth seeking. In addition the staff is extremely helpful
and have a reputation for doing more than necessary to look after their customers .
Shottesbrooke Cabernet Merlot
Malbec 1999 sells for $18.50 at CD but can normally be found for less at
discount retailers. The wine shows sweet fruit and tart acid that seems to work
in synergy. It could be best described as a medium weight soft style crowd
pleaser. A drink now wine and Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
Shottesbrooke Shiraz 2000 has aromas of
medicinal iodine and liquorish. Tannins are soft and unobtrusive and the medium
weight fruit tastes of sweet blackberry, cherry and liquorice. This honest well
made wine has a supple consistency and another crowd pleaser but holds more
interest than the Cab blend. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
Last time I visited
the winery I fell in love with the Shottesbrooke
Eliza 98 Reserve Shiraz and was surprised there was still a small amount
available so I took the opportunity to taste the wine again. The wine is dark
purple with a deeply brooding complex nose. Smooth tannins are enhanced by the
judicious use of French Oak. The purity of deeply seated fruit provides a wine
of fine balance and structure. The lip smacking taste of sweet cassis,
blackcurrant, plums, liquorice and mint fills the mouth and finishes long. The
structure is tight and elegant despite its full-bodied weight. A sophisticated
level of complexity completes the package which is rated as Excellent and ****
for vale at
$35.
Tatachilla is a winery that
produces consistently good wines year in and year out. Even in poor vintage
they frequently are able to lift the quality above the average level . A few weeks ago I
tried the basic range so there was no need to try them again but I did manage
to try their two flagship wines. (Thanks to the CD manager for opening them
especially for me.)
Tatachilla 1901 Cabernet
Sauvignon 1999 sells for $40 and contains 35%Padthaway fruit with the balance is
from Coonawarra. There is nothing subtle about this wine, from its dark purple
colour to its slightly lifted cedar, cassis, high-toned mint, leafy notes and
blackcurrant nose. Smooth tannins, crisp acid, and strong concentrated fruit
combine to a present a well-balanced full-bodied package with a solid backbone
and a long liquorice and blackcurrant finish. There is not much varietal
definition with this wine, but when it tastes this good who gives a toss? Rated
as Excellent with *** for value
this wine should peak around 2006.
Tatachilla 1999 Foundation
Shiraz is deep purple in colour with a marvellous deep hue. Velvety
tannins, refreshing acid and deep fruit, support an inviting nose of plum,
aniseed, white pepper, and perfumed blackcurrant. Considering the full-bodied
robust weight and the big solid structure of this wine, it's surprisingly
elegant for its size. The black cherry, blackcurrant, pepper, liquorice and
other mouth filling flavours complement the silky mouth feel. Rated as Excellent with *** full value
this wine should peak around 2005.
At this point John
said, "do you know what time it is?"
And as we were both wearing watches I figured he didn't want to know the hours
and minutes so I replied, "no, what time is it" which in
hindsight was a very bad move. "Pie o'clock was the answer."
Oh boy, oh boy, I should have
remembered from my last trip that John is a pie addict and knows
where every bakery in the state of
So it was off to the first of many bakeries. I actually managed to avoid a pie
and eat an almost healthy sandwich. This is of critical importance as John is
also a fibre and carbohydrate free zone, unless the carbohydrate is found in a
meat pie.
One of the icons and
best-known wineries in McLaren Vale is d'Arenberg . Some of their
low-end wines are priced reasonably but unfortunately most of the icons are not
great value.
d'Arenberg Footbolt
2000
d'Arenberg 1999 The Twentyeight Road Mourvedre is a closed up
locked down tight wine that shows little on the bouquet except the lifted light
plummy perfume, which flows on to plums and liquorice across the palate. The
wine is medium weight with a very firm consistency, elegant structure and the
agreeable level of complexity. It's rated as Recommended with ** for value
at $35.
d'Arenberg 1999 Ironstone
Pressing (GSM blend 70/20/10) is dark purple in colour with a spicy milk
chocolate sweet and berry nose. The wine has a good balance but will require
lots of time to show its best. The palate follows the nose. A well build wine
with medium body weight, very firm consistency, layered structure showing some
elegance, and a developed level of complexity. Rated as Highly Recommended it a good wine but at $65 it's only
gets * for value .
d'Arenberg
D'Arenberg 1999 Dead Arm
Shiraz should need no introduction. A dark purple wine with a dark hue,
the deep brooding slightly lifted nose is the sort of bouquet you want to sniff
all night. Aromas are plums, liquorice, vanilla and a subtle lactic note. Full
body weight, a developed level of complexity and "an
elegance for weight ratio" combine to provide excellent balance.
Soft sweet berries, plums and liquorice initially dominate the palate but this
surprisingly approachable wine will improve as it ages. Rated as Excellent with *** for value
at $65 there are other wines that tempt me more.
When I visited Penny's Hill last year I was
impressed with the operation. Ben Riggs used to be to be their contract
winemaker has left Wirra Wirra and works with them
full-time. Hopefully this will play dividends in the future but unfortunately
on this visit I didn't see much to make me smile.
Penny's Hill
Specialised 2000 is a Shiraz Cabernet Merlot blend that costs $24 from cellar
door. It's a lighter style of wine with a lifted (VA) nose that smells somewhat
soapy. A fruit forward drink now wine with reasonable balance of flavours in
the red current/cherry spectrum and a milk chocolate finish. And
Agreeable crowd pleaser with ** for value.
Penny's Hill 199
Shiraz has a nose dominated by Cedary oak and
raspberries. A well-balanced wine with lots of dusty tannins
taking centre stage, the pure but lighter spectrum sweet raspberry fruit moves
through savoury chocolate and onto a long liquorice finish. The wine has
an almost elegant structure and should peak around 2004 plus. Rated as Recommended with ** for value
at $25.
Dowie Doole wines are available
here too and their 99
Dowie Doole
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon was a much better proposition. Nose is dominated by
varnishing cedar and lux soap. There is a deceptively sweet uptake that is well
balanced by the savoury plummy mid palate and chocolate finish which unfortunately
is slightly short. A full body weight, firm consistency and agreeable level of
complexity combine to make a good, but not terrific wine and the level of
varietal expression is not huge. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $21.
As five o'clock was
approaching and the cellar door staff were inconsiderate enough to want to go
home and John decided to try and fain interest in his family it was time to go
back to his place for a drink on the veranda, a BBQ leg of lamb and a bottle of
plonk. When we arrived at his place, John's 13 year old (going on 19 trainee
brain surgeon) daughter came out to greet us and John being the caring fatherly
type stuck his black and purple stained tongue out at Hosanna who almost threw
up from the shock of that awful sight. However, she ate less than she normally
did at dinner that night and the next morning complained of having nightmares.
Bright and early the next morning, after I had a good nights sleep (the only
one for some time) we were off on the next leg of our adventure.
Brian Light makes the wines at Sylvan Springs and this winery was
one of a highlight finds on my last trip. David Pridore's
family has been growing grapes and making wine in McLaren
Vale for generations so it was a natural progression for him to go from grower
to producer. This very committed small producer is in for long haul and not
trying to make a quick buck. Although the 2000 wines are not as good as the
previous vintage they are still a very credible effort and good value for
money.
Sylvan Springs 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark purple with an almost
black hue. The wine exhibits and acceptable level of varietal Cabernet
characteristics with leafy notes, cassis and the aroma of chocolate. Forty
percent new French oak has been used. This fruit driven wine has minimal
tannins but they are velvety, almost glycerol. On the palate the purity of the
fruit comes across with blackberry, cassis, cherry, chocolate and minimal
amounts of cedar to finish. This is a well-built wine with good length, supple
consistency and seamless structure that would be a great crowd pleaser. Rated
as Recommended with **** for value at $17.50. A good effort from a difficult vintage.
A high tec cellar door at Sylvan Springs helps keep the cost down.
Sylvan Springs 2000
Shiraz has a tight nose showing Cedar, (French Oak) black fruit,
liquorice, menthol and a slightly green note running through the wine. Smooth
dusty tannins are unobtrusive and the pure fruit translates to very sweet
plums, black cherry and a liquorice finish. Whilst the wine has muscular
weight, it lacks the complexity of the previous vintage. This wine is suitable
for current drinking and the very sweet fruit makes it an ideal crowd pleaser
and very good value **** at $17.50. It's rated as Recommended .
Sylvan Springs 1998
Shiraz was opened by David to allow a comparison between vintages. The
wine is dark purple with a clear and bright hue. Drying dusty tannins provide a
good backbone for the refreshing acid and sweet plummy, black cherry fruit with
tinges of chocolate. This is a harmonious wine with solid structure, full body
and developing better than I expected. Rated as Highly Recommended it should peak in
2004.
Phil Christiansen used to work is a
cellar hand for BRLH and there is no doubt he picked up a lot more than just
moving barrels. He now produces his own brand "Longwood" at the old Chalk
Hill winery as well as doing a stack of contract winemaking. This guy really knows
how to churn out some good wine. Unfortunately the majority of the wine is exported
to the
Longwood 2000 Shiraz exhibits a youthful
and closed black nose showing some liquorice and other dark fruit. Pure deep
strong fruit provide a full-bodied wine with solid consistent structure and
agreeable level of complexity that finishes long. The slightly bitter smooth
tannins should resolve themselves in time as the
liquorice plummy and chocolate fruit comes to the fore. Rated as Highly Recommended this wine is worth
tracking down for those of you in the
Dennis is a winery whose
products have never done much for me in the past but it looks like things are
improving. We went through a line up of five wines and they were credible crowd
pleasers.
Dennis 2000 Cabernet
Sauvignon sells for $20 a cellar door. I had a great deal of difficulty
trying to nose this wine and work out what was it. The cedar was reasonably
obvious but from thereon in all I got was a sweet overpowering perfume until I
realised that the entire winery had pervasive perfumed aroma that was being gratuitously
provided by the owner's wife. The ample weight Cabernet Sauvignon is well
structured with a palate of sweet cassis, mint, chocolate and leafy characters.
Rated as Recommended with *** for value
this is a credible performer in its class.
Dennis 2000 Shiraz is a well-balanced
wine showing sweet black cherry fruit and liquorice, ample body weight, supple
consistency and simple level of complexity. Rated as Agreeable with *** for
value, it's a crowd pleaser.
Dennis 2000 Shiraz
Cabernet Merlot has nose that I found a bit bizarre. The wine shows reasonable
balance with dusty but unobtrusive tannins, ample body weight and soft
consistency. This is a Nutra sweet fruit driven drink
now wine with multiple dark berry flavours that drift through to savoury characters.
Another crowd pleaser and rated as Agreeable with *** for value at $20.
Dennis 1999 Merlot exhibits dusty
tannins that dominate the wine at present. The persistent ample weight fruit
that provides pleasant savoury flavours should win through as the wine reaches
its maturity in 2005. I am not a great Merlot fan, but this is better than most
in the category and is rated as Recommended with *** for value at $20.
Dennis 1999 Grenache exhibits a young
tight nose with perfume like soap, sweet fruit and a lactic note. This unusual
Grenache is dominated by loads of powdery drying mouth puckering tannins but
the medium weight persistent fruit is a lurking. I am not sure which will win
out in the long run. The upfront sweet taste immediately goes into savoury
flavours that finishes long. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.
The next producer
visited was a real down-to-earth Australian character by the name of the Glenn
Snook. Most of the production of his Twelve Staves Wine goes to the
(Why is at almost
every winery I go to, they insist on trying to pour Grenache down my throat
before showing their good stuff, grumble grumbles, moan moan,
mutter mutter?!!!!!)
Twelve Staves Grenache is produced from a single
vineyard dry grown 70 year old vines at Blewett
Springs. We were "fortunate" enough to taste three vintages of this
wine.
The 99 vintage has good balance and
structure initially showing incredibly sweet fruit that moves through some
interesting peppery flavours and then revert back to a sweet finish. It should
peak around 2004 but unfortunately not my taste. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value
at $17.
Seventy year old dry
grown Grenache vines .
The 2000 vintage also has good
balance and is more approachable than the 99. The flavour profile is more
interesting and has lots of savoury chocolate to offset the sweetness. It's an
ample weight wine with supple consistency, a fairly simple complexity and
adequate finish that should peak fairly soon. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.
The nose on the
2001 is dominated by perfumed spicy sweet cinnamon. This is a full-bodied
wine with loads of drying powdery tannins. The strong fruit flows through to
the palate expressing itself as savoury yet sweet fruit and chocolate and is
dominated by liquorice. An interesting wine that resembles a
The final wine in
the line up was the Twelve Staves 2001 Shiraz. This wine will retail in
the
Guess what time it
is? Its pie o'clock but Glenn Snook insists that we accompany him to Blewett Springs to look at his 70-year-old dry grown
Grenache vine and to me that sounds better than facing another pie, so off we
go. By the time we finish there, we are running out of time so as we race to
our next appointment. The time is now pie o'clock plus one and John is getting
anxious.
The next cab of the rank was driven by Duncan and Susana Ferguson who run a very esoteric winery called Casabel located south of McLaren Vale in a cooler wind blown microclimate.
They definitely do
not produce big in your face McLaren Vale Shiraz. The flavour profiles
their wines are extremely interesting and have a complexity of flavours that
rotate through the palate in unusual ways. For example many Grenache start off as
raspberry and moved in to chocolate. The barrel samples of Grenache I tried
start off as chocolate, move through to raspberry and then these two flavours
keep rotating through the palate.
Casabel 2000 Grenache retails for $23
cellar door. Liquorice and sweet perfumed fruit dominate the nose and flow
through the palate as pleasant spicy peppery fruit moving through to liquorice
with an intense but elegant flavour and long finish. Tannins are unbelievably
light and the acid cuts through the sweetness. The wine is medium weight with a
soft consistency creating a very good Grenache. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.
Casabel 2000 Shiraz is a single
vineyard wine that sells at cellar door for $30. The fruit is cropped at two
tonnes per acre and comes from
At this point John
is starting to go green from withdrawal symptoms has its pie o'clock plus two
and a half but we are late for next appointment so we will have to wait. (I am
really having fun here.)
Arakoon is another winery that I was unfamiliar with
so I took the opportunity to see what they are all about. 1999 was their first
vintage and Patrik Jones is the winemaker. A fair amount of
their production is sold in the
I'm not sure what to
make of this winery. Were tried numerous barrel samples and whilst some were very
good, some were not as good as other wineries are able to produce at a similar
price. There is a fair effort going into the marketing of the wines, let's hope
the same effort goes into the growing and production process.
Arakoon Sellicks Beach 2000 that is a blend of
60% Shiraz and 40% Grenache and retails around $19. This is an interesting big
wine with intense pepper flavour, a big whack of chocolate with perfumed spicy
and sweet pepper with a liquorice finish. It's a drink now wine and better than
a lot of Shiraz Grenache blends, its rated at Recommended with **** for value.
I was also able to
try the blended (but not bottled) 2001
Arakoon Lighthouse Cabernet
Sauvignon (56%)
This winery has a
larger range of wines than we tried, unfortunately these three wines were the
only ones made available for tasting.
Alas there is no
longer any excuse, it is now pie o'clock plus three and a half and try and as I
try to convince him otherwise, we do have time and I am out of excuses so it is
off to the bakery. Another get out of jail free card for me, a turkey salad
roll is available, John tucks into two of his favourites.
I first visited Kayswinery over a quarter of a century ago and
I'm pleased that not much has changed at Kays. They
are still producing some of McLaren Vale's best
quality and best value wines. The Block Six in particular is a stunning
long lived wine and is every bit as good as many wines that are two and three
times the price.
Kays
Kays 2000 Merlot has a palate that
is slightly overpowered by piquant acid. It's a basic simple wine with
reasonably sweet fruit on the uptake and a savoury finish. It has ample
bodyweight and supple consistency. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value at $22.
Kays 1999 Cabernet
Sauvignon is still available at cellar door and the pick of the finished
wines tasted. The aroma shows lots of cedar, leafy notes, cassis, blackcurrant
and plums. This is an interesting wine where the palate does not reflect the
nose. Rich full-bodied plums, blackcurrant and pepper are the dominant tastes.
This is a full-bodied wine with a more than an agreeable level of complexity,
and whilst it is not varietally correct, it is very good. Rated as Highly
Recommended with **** for value it is worth buying at $22.
When I arranged the
appointment to visit the winery I asked if it would be possible to taste and
review the 2000 Block 6 and Hillside Shiraz but was informed the wines were not
being released for some months and tasting the finished wines would be
possible.
However they went one better. Colin Kay who is one of the most understated,
modest, quietly spoken, gentle, and passionately eccentric people you could
ever wish to meet. Colin was kind enough to show us through the barrel rooms
and provide many samples of the 2000, 2001, and 2002 vintage wines.
Based on the barrel samples of the 2000 Block 6 , I placed an order. The wine has a
full-bodied solid structure and developed complexity showing intense flavours,
but not as huge as previous vintages and there is a definite refinement. It's
almost ready to be bottled and I would hazard a guess it will wind up being
rated as Excellent in the long term.
The barrel samples
from the 2000
We also tried barrel
samples of the 2001 and 2002 wines and they will be worth waiting for. Its interesting to note
that quantity for many McLaren Vale producers was way
down in 2002, but Kays quantity was up. It's hard to beat
fifty years experience and knowing exactly what the winery is likely to produce
from any given situation.
At the end of a
sampling we stood outside cellar door overlooking the panoramic view and had a
chat. In his own right, Colin Kay is one of
Finally
in passing, Colin stated how happy he was selling his wines into the
That night it was off to dinner with Auswine
Forum Dictator Gavin Trott and the very
knowledgeable 707 aka Steve Norman and my
trusty sidekick John. The restaurant selected was Mitcham Buzz . Unfortunately it
was a bit overcrowded as besides the four of us, a table for two had the hide
and temerity to eat in the restaurant at the same time were
there.
The patronage of the restaurant was not indicative of the quality of the food
or the service, both of which could not be faulted.
Steve Norman aka 707 picture taken the
next night.
The first wine
presented by Steve was a mystery wine and it was a classy drop. Being the sort of
guy that he is, he likes to mess with people's minds by playing silly childish
options games……. Oooow did I say that? Now I am going to be
in trouble in more ways than one. (grin) The first
option was Yarra, Coonawarra or
The next wine opened
was a 1996 Seven Hills
The final wine of
the night was 1994 Saltram No 1
Back to Johns place
in McLaren Vale and after a short nights sleep, it's
onto the
We
thought we would kick off for the couple of icon wineries so the first visit
went to Turkey Flat where I tried the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon. The
nose exhibited almost brambly notes, white and milk chocolate with spice. A
well-balanced wine with piquant acid, ample bodyweight and solid structure
produces an interesting wine with loads of flavour without being heavy. The
palate shows cherries and a long smooth chocolate and mint finish, it should
peak around about 2005. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $27.
Rockford 99 Basket
Press Shiraz was released to Stonewall members last year but the remaining
supply went on sale at cellar door recently. The wine is dark purple in colour
and has a seductive sweet nose showing cherry, cassis, milk chocolate and
subtle oak on the tail end. (What sort of nose has subtle wooden tail end?
Grin) The wonderful mouth feel is created by the ample
weight fruit, supple consistency, layered but still tight structure, refine and
harmonious complexity. Smooth velvety drying tannins and intense distinct fruit
enhance the balance of the wine and it should peak around 2007. Rated as Excellent with *** for value
at $41 cellar door.
As you can see, 
Versus the very modern, the new Branson Facility - still under
construction.
Rockford 1996
Vintage Port is a rare beast. The fruit is sweet but not cloying, it's not
overly heavy in anyway and almost to refined to be Port. This is in a class of
its own with great Brandy spirits and a finish that lasts longer than a boring
Opera. Rated as Outstanding, it's a pity about the price ($55.)
I have never been a
great fan of St Hallett wines and whilst I did find some wines that were more
to my liking, some of the pricing left me wondering.
St Hallett 99
Cabernet Sauvignon shows blackcurrants and spearmint on the nose with lots of dusty
oak tannins and balanced acid. It's a muscular wine with very firm structure
and a plain level of complexity that finished short on the palate. The taste of blackberry, plums and liquorice whilst most enjoyable
is not varietally correct, but because it's from the Barossa it doesn't need to
be. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value at $18, it should peak around 2005.
St Hallett 2000
Faith Shiraz has an "interesting" nose, drying tannins and balanced
acid. This ample weight wine has a supple consistency, layered structure and
agreeable level of complexity that should improve as it reaches its peak in
2004. Tasty red cherry, aniseed and an earth flavour. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value
at $19.40.
St Hallett 1996 The Reward Cabernet Sauvignon shows fragrant
sweet cherry, cassis and mint. The loads of dusty drying tannins still need
about 4 years to integrate. The deep persistent fruit comes across as cassis
and blackberry will ensure this well constructed wine will be long lived.
Whilst being full-bodied it's not heavy and the structure is solid and tight
with a harmonious level of complexity. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value.
St Hallett 1996 Old
Block Shiraz has been re-released at cellar door as the 98 is sold out. Sweet
blackcurrant and coconut on the uptake immediately changes to a slamming dose
of savoury flavours which go through liquorice, spice and chocolate. This is a
full-bodied wine with a long structure and developed complexity. Rated as Highly
Recommended with ** for value at $50 at CD it should peak around 2004+.
St Hallett 1998 The Third Century has an appealing fruity lifted nose showing
vanilla, plums, subtle spice and menthol. The aromas flow through to the palate
as overly sweet cherry fruit leading to spice and a savoury pepper finish with
an underlying stream of sweet fruit running through the whole palate. The wine
has a rich bodyweight, firm but fleshy consistency and an agreeable level
complexity. Unfortunately due to the sweetness it comes across as an expensive
upmarket crowd pleaser. Rated as H ighly Recommended
with * for value at $54.
Where has the
morning gone? It's that bloody time of the day again! But this time I have a
win, and we find a coffee and sandwich shop and John relents and forces
something other than a pie past his tonsils. Had I have only known what was in
store over the next few days, I would have had seconds!
Grant
Burge
has an impressive cellar door facility that is one of the best in
Grant Burge Filsell 2000 Shiraz is dark purple in colour and shows spicy
sweet perfumed dark fruit and varnished oak. The nose was a right bastard to
analyse so I gave up trying. Tannins are unobtrusive, the acid balanced and the
fruit strong. The palate has an interesting taste with sweet fruit on the
uptake, black pepper, liquorice and loads of spice. This is an appealing
package with muscular bodyweight, softish
consistency, tight structure and an agreeable level of complexity. The unusual
flavour profile creates a definite interest. In some ways, the rating of Recommended does not do this
wine justice, and it scores *** for value at $26.95. If you can find it on
special for less, it's more than worthy of consideration.
Grant Burge RMB1
1998 Merlot sells for $29.95. The wine has lots of dusty tannins, balanced
acid and obvious fruit that come across the palate as overly sweet fruit with a
dark cherry finish. The wine may improve in time as the oak integrates, but
this wine is not for me and I just don't get it. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value
it should peak around 2007.
Grant Burge 1998
Holy Trinity sells for $29.95 at CD. The Mourvedre
shines through on the bouquet and with the French Oak the aroma profile holds
lots of interest. There are huge amounts of drying puckering tannins, lively
acid and persistent fruit that combine to form a well-balanced and constructed
wine that has been built for the long haul. Dark cherry, blackcurrant,
liquorice, raspberries and chocolate are some of the complex flavours found in
this medium weight sophisticated wine with a tight structure that shows some
elegance. In short, it's an impressive wine that demand
cellaring and I am going to buy some. Rated as Excellent with **** for value it should peak
around 2006.
I loved the 1996 Shadrach
Cabernet Sauvignon and was looking forward to trying the 1998. The
bouquet seemed OK with loads of cedar, leafy tobacco notes and warm fruit.
Unfortunately sickly sweet Nutra sweet fruit
initially dominates the palate until the oak overtakes it. I found the
complexity of the wine to be disjointed and rated it as Acceptable with ** for value
at $39.95.
Grant Burge 1998 Meshach is undoubtedly a very good wine. It has a complex nose
showing sweet plums, black cherry, liquorice savoury plums, spice coconut and
vanilla. An excellent balance is provided by the dusty tannins, well judged
acid and deep, distinct, concentrated fruit. The palate follows the nose and
flows from sweet to savoury flavours. However there is an underlying sweetness
that stays on the palate throughout. This is a rich full-bodied wine with a
layered structure and harmonious complexity and will be long lived. Rated as Excellent with ** for value.
The two icon wines
from Grant Burge, the Shadrach and Meshach seem like
they are being aimed fairly and squarely at the Parker market and from
my perspective I don't think the overly sweet flavour profile of these two
wines does anything positive for them.
The 
I appreciate the time the Robin spent with
us and she was busier than a one-armed wallpaper hangar trying to get ready for
the official opening. The new high tech, architecturally minimalist cellar door building
would have to be the largest of its type in
Orlando 1998 Limited
Release Jacobs Creek Cabernet Sauvignon sell at cellar
door for $25.00. This wine celebrates the 25th anniversary of the
Orlando St Hugo 1999
Cabernet Sauvignon is due for release in August. The wine is dark purple in colour
and has a ripe fruit driven nose with a touch of varnish oak. This is a
full-bodied wine with buckets of powdery drying mouth puckering tannins and
enough deep concentrated strong fruit to balance the package. Whilst there are
ripe black cherry fruit and savoury nuances on the palate, this wine is all about
a sensational structure that will improve as the wine matures. It's not as
fruit forward and approachable as the 98 but in the long-term I believe 99 will
be the better wine. Rated as Highly Recommended (this rating should improve) with *** for
value - if
you missed out on the 98 don't worry, buy the 99 instead, you won't be
disappointed if you let it mature.
Orlando 1997 Limited is a blend of 71%
Barossa
Orlando 1997 Lawson has recently been
released. This wine is almost black in colour with a big succulent inviting
nose of sweet berry fruit, chocolate, and tell-tale Lawson mint. The wine has a
big long finish that is made more interesting by the tannins. They slowly sneak
up on you by starting off velvety and then turn dry. The mouth is filled with
blackcurrant, plums, a field full of mint, rich chocolate
and liquorice. In typical Lawson style this is a rich full-bodied wine with
velvety consistency, a big solid structure and a harmonious complexity that
should live happily past 2008. Rated as Excellent with *** for value at $55.
Unfortunately the 1997
Jacaranda Ridge was corked and as it had come across from the old cellar
door especially for this tasting another one was not available. They also
offered to open the yet to be released 1996 Centenary Hill but as I had inhaled
a bottle of it fairly recently, I knew exactly what it tasted like so there was
no need, although John was not impressed with my decision and threatened me
with grievous bodily injury.
It was now time to
drive back to
The Winestar Dinner in
The 1994 Tahbilk 1933 Vines Cabernet Sauvignon
was blown away by the 1999 Torbreck The Factor and in reality it was unfair comparison. The
Factor was a young fruit driven wine with loads of youthful fresh fruit
flavours and brimming with typical Barossa chocolate. Whilst it was most
enjoyable and seductive, it didn't have a huge amount of complexity but it left
a big stain in the glass.
The next two wines are both from the outstanding 1996 vintage and both from
The Wolf Blass
1998 Platinum Barossa Shiraz has a humongous amount of sledge-hammer fresh
fruit combining with soft tannins to create a silky, seductive wine In terms of
sheer lush enjoyment, the Platinum was the winner on the night and I am glad that
I had the opportunity to try the wine. Is it better than The Factor or the two
My order of ranking
in terms of quality would be Lawson followed by the Centenary Hill followed by
the Platinum and the Factor. In terms of "drink ability" the Platinum
would top the list. Would I purchase either The Factor or the Platinum, not at
current prices, but no doubt may would love to do so due to their seductive, in
your face nature.
Yours truly getting an ear bashing from an
Having been to a few of the Winestar dinners over the
years, a few things are becoming evident. Firstly, expectations by all
attendees are incredibly high and attendees rightfully expect to be wowed by
the wines. Secondly, the fruit forward big young wines seem to show best. At
the last Great Shiraz Dinner in
Many of these wines
would be considered top notch wines in their own right and most attendees would
feel lucky to be able to drink them at home. Indeed many people would consider
the Lawson (to use just one example) a "special occasion wine" yet
when served against a bigger more fruit forward wine, many people think it is a
lesser wine. In my opinion, that may not be the case. It all has to do with
expectation, order served and the food match. And that does not take into
account the subtly of an older wines.
All in all, another
great night and if you get the opportunity to go to one of the Winestar dinners, grab it; it's a terrific experience.
Early, but not so
bright the next morning, after a fix of bacon and cackle-berries, Brian and I
headed off and picked up John who looked a lot brighter and healthier than he
had a right to be. And it was back to the Barossa for another day of tasting
and excess, and the excess came in spades later that night, but you will have
to wait for that past of the story.
We were given some "interesting" directions to find our next location. We
were told to take the second exit, (which we did,) keep going straight up
Kurtz
family winemakers have been growing grapes in the Barossa for a long time and have
started to produce their own wines which are made by John Zilm who is a first-class wine maker. Steve is
passionate (in a quietly spoken humble away) about the wines he's producing and
has every right to be proud of his achievements. I first tasted their wines
last year and was impressed. They are going from strength to strength. Their
are wines are available in the
Kurtz Family 2001
Grenache comes from old vines Grenache and is vastly improved by the
addition of 6%
Kurtz Family
Boundary Row 2000 Shiraz was tasted by way of barrel sample last year and it was
good to see the progression. The wine is dark purple with iodine and black
cherry dominating the aroma. Black cherry and light aniseed dominate the
palate. It's an ample weight wine with a well-balanced brooding structure,
well-managed tannins and supple consistency. It's not a huge wine, but a more
than credible effort considering the vintage. Rated as Recommended with ****
for value
(at $15 plus freight at mates rates) it should peak in 2003.
Kurtz Family Luna
Block 1999 Shiraz is a single vineyard wine that was cropped at 1.4 tonnes to the
acre and then spent 27 months in new French Oak. A very good solid structure is
provided by the huge amount of fine-grained drying tannins, fresh acid and deep
concentrated fruit. The flavour profile is unusual with floral violets, black
cherry, an expressive level of cloves, liquorice and
plumy fruit. It's a full-bodied robust wine with more than an agreeable level
of complexity that deserves its Highly Recommended rating which may increase as
the wine matures. There are only 60 dozen available so if you are in
Because
of the late start and the drive to the Barossa even though we had only visited
one producer, it was that time of the day again. Unfortunately it turned out
that Brian was also partial to the dreaded "three letter" fodder so I
was outvoted and it was off to the nearest bakery, and this one sold almost
nothing but pies so I relented and had a potato pie. To add insult to
indigestion, it was my turn to pa y!
The next winery
visited is another small one, and new to me. Tait Wines is owned and
operated by Bruno Tait who was originally an engineer and freely admits
to "experimenting to try and get it right." He is an extremely
passionate young winemaker trying to learn as he goes and is committed to
improving his skills and his wines. Give time, Bruno could be producing some good
stuff in the future. The 2001 barrel samples in particular look like they may turned
into some pretty credible wines. The winery is set high on a hill overlooking
Charles Cimicky and Yaldara
Wines.
Tait Wines 2000
Shiraz shows some VA, an obvious high alcoholic porty
nose and blackcurrants. The wine is hot in the mouth with black cherry,
liquorice, burnt caramel and some overripe fruit. This is a full-bodied wine
with slightly cloying consistency and no doubt some people would just love it.
Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.
Tait Wines 1999
Shiraz was a more impressive wine. The nose is warm and sweet with a
reasonably good structure and smooth tannins that sneak up on you. Upfront very
sweet fruit lead to savoury flavours including clove flavoured oak that then
drifts onto a liquorice finish. This full-bodied wine is not for wimps and
takes no prisoners. Rated as Recommended with *** for value it should peak in the
next couple of years.
The next winery is
another one and I had never heard of and it's very frustrating to find a new
gem and not be able to buy any of their wine because it all being exported to
Winter
Creek
is located in Williamstown at the extreme southern end of the
Winter Creek 2000
Barossa Shiraz sells for US$25 and is a clean fruit driven wine with some
unusual camphor notes (caused by the ferment.) The wine is well made with fine
drying tannins, tingly acid and persistent deep fruit. Chocolate flavour builds
slowly across the palate, some cherry is thrown into the equation, liquorice
then comes to the fore and the flavours enveloped the mouth with a long
lingering finish. This is the sort of wine that you can sip all day, provided
you live in the
The final winery
visited that daily was the new Branson facility where Michael Twelvetree and his partners are investing a truckload of money . 
Michael is very enthusiastic and proud of his efforts. It's a shame he has to
find another winemaker, as I understand Rolf Binder is pulling out of the
project on the 30th June. We tasted numerous barrel samples and there is no
doubt Michael has access to some quality fruit.
Two Hands 2001
Angles Share McLaren Vale Shiraz is a dark purple
wine with the lifted nose and sweet upfront plummy fruit going into chocolate
flavours with a reasonable length finish. The dusty tannins are drying and the
muscular weight fruit is persistent in its intensity. The wines complexity
doesn't require a brain surgeon's understanding but when the wine peaks in the
couple of years it should be pretty good drinking. Rated as Recommended with *** (just) for
value at $25.
Two Hands 2001 Brave
Face
Hi ho, hi ho, its off for a quiet dinner we go to the 1066; or was it the
1812? No it was the 1918 Restaurant, that's it! And we were joined by
the quiet, shy, retiring and humble Rolf Binder and his good mate Rick
Burge who is always welcome as he normally brings some reasonable plonk. In
all seriousness, Rick is a very quiet and humble guy who lets his wine to the
talking for him, and they have a lot say. Also joining in the festivities was Robin
Shaw (from
The first wine tried was a 1990 Rick Burge Semillon that unfortunately
was passed its best.
This was followed by
a 1999 Austrian Riesling of some description that I was forced to try
but do not feel qualified to comment on as I was holding my breath at the time
of forced infliction. (Thanks for insisting on asking what I though about it
Rolf! grin)
The 2000 Laughing
Magpie is a good wine but a bit sweet and simple for my liking and in all
honesty, the other wines on the table overshadowed it. Rated as Recommended , no doubt this
crowd-pleasing wine would be very attractive to a lot of people.
We then had a mini
vertical of Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. The 93 vintage was
slightly passed it and on the downward slope, rated as Acceptable . As soon as I pull
the cork on the 1994, I was concerned as there was no pop. I am very
familiar with this wine because I have consumed many bottles of it. The wine
opened on this night was not representative of the way it should tasted. The 1995 was a bit green, vegetative, full of
capsicum and oak. It too was fading and was rated as Acceptable .
The Veritas 1997 Heysen Shiraz is a good wine from an ordinary vintage.
It was most enjoyable not outclassed by a number of other wines drunk on the
night and was rated as Recommended .
One of the Veritas
wines that is overlooked and underrated is the Bulls Blood, a Shiraz Mourvedre Grenache blend and every time I drink this wine I
am impressed at how well it goes with food. On this night we have in 1998
that is drinking beautifully now and rated as Highly Recommended but it may continue
to improve.
Brian brought the 95
Jack Mann and I was looking forward to trying it. The wine is still a baby.
It has a superb tannic backbone and outstanding depth of fruit. It was right up
there as one of the best wines of the night and rated as Excellent but there were
others I preferred.
Tim Adams 1994
Aberfeldy was one of my favourites of the night. It has lots of solid fruit
flavours but the tannic backbone was not as solid as it could be resulting in a
slightly round-shouldered wine. Finish was very good, but not great. However I
still rated the wine as Excellent because of its sheer enjoyment factor.
These flowers are real, they came from John's own garden.
Rick Burge was generous enough to bring along three other bottles of his very
high-quality wine. (Is this why Rolf invited him?) The 2000 Olive Hill
is a very drinkable and enjoyable wine with absolutely no faults but was
overshadowed by the other Burge Family Winemaker's wines and was rated as
Highly Recommended.
1998 Draycott Reserves
The '98 vintage was
the last time a Reserve label Draycott was produced.
The fruit that was previously used in Reserve now goes into the normal Draycott Shiraz and Rick feels a reserve label is
unnecessary due to the very high-quality of the Draycott.
In addition the vines are now of a sufficient age to be able to produced
excellent quality fruit. The next wine tried was the 2000 Draycott
The final wine of
the night was a Brown Brothers Very Old Tokay which I decided to inflict
on Rolf. The last time I saw him in
As the witching hour approach four of us were left standing on our feet and two
reprobates that shall remain nameless (Brian and John) decided a few cleansing
ales were in order. As we are in the month of May I had already consumed by
annual quota of one beer, so I sensibly ordered a bottle of mineral water. John
got his second wind (just as well you didn't smell the first one) and wanted to
kick on, but Brian and I being geriatrics decided it was time for bed and left
John to walk across the road to the pub.
Nights like these are
the ultimate wine indulgence. Great wine, food (I think there was just enough,
grin) and good camaraderie are the factors that make drinking wine so special.
There was so much wine left over many would think we should have been arrested
for criminal wastage, but unfortunately it was impossible to finish them all.
To say a good night was had by all would be an understatement.
We must be mad! Obsessive compulsive at the very least.
At 8.30
the next morning we ready and raring to go and by
As I recently tried almost the entire Elderton range
I took it easy and only tried two wines, whilst the others were sipping,
sucking, spitting, swallowing and chocking on the range.
Elderton 1998 CSM shows a soft nose
of liquorice and black fruit underneath coconut. The dusty tannins need time to
integrate and in time this wine should have a seamless structure with supple
consistency and harmonious complexity. It is a very smart wine, seductive in
its nature and has a great mouth feel. The palate is very chocolatey
with black cherry smooth liquorice flowing on to mint and whilst its rich, it's not cloying. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** (just) for
value.
Elderton 2000 Botrytis
Semillon is a very sweet soft seductive wine with a palate that is
dominated primarily by apricots and then raisins. Unfortunately it slightly
lacking in acid. It has a fairly plain level of complexity and is rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
Our first
appointment for the day was at the other end of the Barossa with Ross Estate. I first went as
winery last year and was impressed with what they were doing and the way they
were doing it. Rod Chapman is a competent winemaker with many years
experience and it shows in the results. When we first arrived I was very disappointed
to find the only wines being offered to taste were the wines that I had tried a
year ago. I couldn't work out what was going on. Last time they welcomed me with open
arms and were prepared to open anything and everything but this time there was
nothing new on offer. And then it became clear. Nothing has been bottled since my last
visit however Rod was happy to let us taste away through numerous barrel
samples.
In summary, the 2000
wines are pretty good drinking now and whilst they are more elegant than many
of their competitors they are well balanced. The 2001 wines are looking
sensational and will be released later in the year. The wines are clearly worth
keeping an eye out for and I wouldn't be surprised if they disappear quickly.
The 2002 barrel samples are also looking good with wonderful natural tannins
and acid. (Prices range from $17 to $25 at cellar door.)
Langmeil is a winery that
continually gets favourable reviews by many forum members, unfortunately their
wines have never appealed to me and this visit did nothing to change my mind.
Langmeil 2000 Cabernet
Sauvignon has a somewhat flat nose showing spice and cassis. On the palate
you will find sweet chocolate and liquorice finish. This is a lean the wine
with elegant structure and a plain level of complexity that has a reasonable
balance. It's okay now but should improve in the short term. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value
at $19.50.
Langmeil 2000 The Fifth Wave Grenache retails for $28. The dumb nose is
dominated by oak and has some sweet and spicy fruit behind it. The wine is not
a sweet and is many other Grenache and has huge tannins, but seems unbalanced
at this stage. Frankly I don't understand this wine. Rated as Acceptable with * for value.
Langmeil 2000 Valley Floor
Shiraz has lingering powdery tannins, soft balance acid and the palate
shows sweet raspberry spectrum fruit with chary oak
influence and finishes with a spicy savoury taste. A lighter style of red
reflecting the vintage conditions this wine is rated as Agreeable with *** for value
at $22.50.
Part of Johns Rose Garden.
Peter Lehmann is a consistently good Barossa producer but
unfortunately even this winery reflects some of the poorer conditions
experienced over last few years. One of the great plusses in visiting Peter Lehmann is when they see you are serious about wine, even
without the appointment, they are happy to let you taste the entire line-up.
It's a pity more cellar doors are not as accommodating. Finally the staff at Peter Lehmann are some of
the most professional around.
Peter Lehmann 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon has a light nose
exhibiting some volatility, cassis and sweet oak. The structure is fairly
ordinary with powdery tannins, supple consistency and simple complexity all
adding up to an uncomplicated wine showing sweet raspberry/cassis spectrum
fruit finishing with chocolate. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value it can happily be
consumed over the next few years.
Peter Lehmann 1999 Merlot has a dumb tight nose (which is fairly
common for Merlot that has recently been opened) that's not showing a lot
except for deep musky notes. The powdery drying tannins overshadowed the musky
fruit and this wine was rated as Acceptable with ** for value it should seek fairly
soon.
Peter Lehmann 2000 Shiraz exhibits subtle sweet red berry fruit over
equally subtle white pepper and earthy notes. The palate is a surprise showing
sweet blackberry fruit going through to liquorice and an earthy taste from the
powdery tannins. This is a very credible effort for the 2000 vintage and is
rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Peter Lehmann 1997 Mentor was a wine that I was looking forward to
trying as I have enjoyed this label for ages. The nose showed some complexity
with lashings of black chocolate, black and blue fruit, mint, eucalyptus,
vanilla and some VA. The wine contains a fierce level of powdery drying
tannins, balance acid and strong fruit however to my palate this full-bodied
solid wine was slightly unbalanced by the tannins. Rated as Recommended with ** for
value .
Peter Lehmann 1998 Eight Songs Shiraz is one of the few
Peter Lehmann 1994 Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz is available
(from cellar door only at $35) and I was delighted to see this wine was still
available. I could have kicked myself for not buying it last year. It's a sweet
rich wine with lashings of chocolate, liquorice and a very long finish. Rated
as Excellent
with *** for value John, Brian and I each bought a six-pack.
Unfortunately
it was that time of the daily again and as we were pushed for time the closest
available option was a bakery had sold nothing but pies and pastries. Do you
ever feel like you just can't win?
However the next winery was a big win. In the past I have seen a few tasting note
on Kaesler wines but for no particular reason have never tried any of their wines or visited a winery. Reid
Boswell is a partner in the operation and their wine maker. Like many
winemakers he is passionate about his craft, but as well as being passionate he
is competent and knows exactly what he wants to achieve and how to do it. The budget to improve
this winery would probably rival that spent by Imelda Marcos on shoes. The whole operation
screams quality from top to bottom and obviously no expense has been spared. In this case it may
be a little easy than in most as Reid's partners are Swiss merchant bankers who
only have to convert a few Swiss francs to purchase a truckload of Australian
pesos.
This winery is
somewhat of a contradiction and whilst quality is the underpinning factor, the
mind boggles when analysing their philosophy and how it translates into the
wines produced. The cornerstone foundation is to "let the fruit
speak" and they achieve that objective admirably. The range of wines
extends from the huge biggest in your face
We spent about an
hour tasting barrel samples with Reid and the one consistent attribute of the wines
is the silky seductive mouth feel and obvious high-quality fruit used .
Kaesler 1999 Old Bastard
Shiraz retails for $165 assuming you can find some. This is an inky
black wine with a complex inky the black nose. (Get the picture?) Tannins are
the silky smooth and the concentrated fruit is both deep and persistent. A rich
full-bodied wine with velvety consistency and harmonious and intricate
complexity, this is a wine that makes you sit up and take notice and is one of
the rare wines that expresses a "WOW" factor. Its
totally seductive now but will last for many years. Alternatively it could be
described as a big illegitimate testicle tearer
that's the sort of plonk you want to consume when you don't wish to use any
cerebral energy and just want to wallow in the rich lushness of its all
consuming fruit. Rated as Excellent with ** for value. (I have mentioned I am a hard marker
haven't I?)
Kaesler 1999 Old Vine
Shiraz retails for $60 and is another well-balanced seductive wine
showing black plums, blackcurrant and high-class silky liquorice. This is a
full-bodied rich wine with a silky fleshy consistency and tight structure with
harmonious complexity. The fruit is obvious and strong which combine
beautifully with the silky drying tannins. Rated as Excellent with ***for value.
Kaesler 1998 Old Vine
Shiraz retails for $75 and shows some slight char on the nose and is a
well-balanced full-bodied wine with rich fruit and a long finish showing iodine
and liquorice. Unfortunately anything with char I find hard to take so this
wine didn't appeal to me but I can see why many people would love its silky
consistency, solid and seamless structure and harmonious complexity. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.
Kaesler 1998 Stonehorse
retails for $34 and is worth buying if you can get hold some. Even from the
nose you can tell this is a fruit driven wine with gentle oak treatment. The
silky drying tannins are obviously from the fruit and they provide a silky
mouth feel with a long finish. The structure is solid and seamless which
typifies the wineries philosophy of "letting the fruit speak for
itself" which this wine accomplishes to great effect. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value
it should drink very well over the next four years.
From one fantastic
winery to another, next stop was Veritas where the larger than life Rolf
Binder, produces some of the Barossa's best larger than life wines. Many of these wines
are icons and very difficult to get hold of so now Rolf also produces an
ever-increasing range of less expensive, quality, value for money wines to
cater to the balance of the market. Due to the poor vintage conditions in 2000
no Hanisch was produced and the fruit that was
destined for this wine went into the Heysen.
Not much of this
(acid adjustment) at the time of frement will be
required in 2002.
Rolf has a very pragmatic and honest view about vintage conditions. He readily
admits that 2000 was very difficult and unlike many others he is taking a more
conservative view towards 2001. According to Rolf, the industry in SA needed an
exceptionally good year in 2001 to counteract the difficulties of the previous
two vintages. Whilst he agrees that 2001 is very good he is not as enthusiastic
about it as many of his contemporaries. In terms of 2002 Rolf feels that is
superior to 2001 but not as good in the Barossa as say 1996.
One thing you'll
always get from Rolf is an honest forthright opinion without any sugar coating
or bovine manure, which is why I like the guy. Oh….. and
he also likes a Q.L.D (quiet little drink) but beware (and very afraid) if he
ever offers you a glass of Tokay, he's deadly with it.
All the wines sampled were finished wines and in the bottle, but are yet to be
released in
Veritas 2001
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot sells a cellar door for $15. This wine has an
attractive nose with sweet juicy fruit and musk. It's an ample weight wine with
good balance, soft consistency and agreeable complexity. The black fruit
flavours build well through to liquorice and finishes off with musk. An obvious
warm climate Cabernet with honest full flavour, it can happily be consumed now
and will be appealing to many people, especially at this price point. Rated as Recommended with **** for
value.
JJ Hahn 2000
Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $30. The aroma shows cedar, formic acid and some good
fruit below it. The palate shows sweet upfront fruit that slightly thin and a
bit green. The wine is medium weight with a plain complexity and not exactly
great. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.
Veritas 2000 Heinric h (a blend of 40%
Veritas 2001
Christina Rolf (60%
Veritas 2001 Shiraz is available from
cellar door only and retails for $20. A meaty cherry and chocolate nose with
loads of drying tannins, balanced refreshing acid and persistent fruit
translates to a muscular chocolate and cherry tasting solid structure and wine
with an agreeable level of complexity. A very good value
simple drinking wine that can be enjoyed with or without food. Rated as Agreeable with **** for value it will continue to
improve over the next few years.
Veritas 2001
Stephanie is an export only blend of
Veritas 2000 Bulls
Blood
(Shiraz Mourvedre and Grenache) retails for
approximately $30. A complete wine with good balance, full bodyweight, layered
structure and diverse level of complexity this wine is made to go with food.
Sweet black fruit, chocolate and liquorice flow through to a spicy reasonable
length finish. Rated as Recommended with *** for value the wine should peak around 2005+.
JJ Hahn 2000 Shiraz would retail for
about $25 CD if it is sold in
Veritas 2000 Heysen Shiraz is not sold in
The final stop of
the day was Heritage Wines, just down the road from Veritas. Steve Hoff is
a down-to-earth sort of guy that is very easy going and friendly. His winery
has been around for a while and the wines are exported to the
Heritage 1999
Barossa Shiraz retails for $22. This is a full-bodied wine with firm
consistency, a big solid structure and an agreeable level of complexity that is
supported by loads of dusty tannins, balanced acid and strong fruit. The huge
black cherry, liquorice and big chocolate flavours bang into the mouth and
finish in much the same way as they start. Anyone who love is a big wine will
enjoy it; there is nothing subtle about it. Rated as Recommended with ****
for value
this wine should peak around 2006.
Heritage 1999 (75%)
Cabernet Malbec sells for $17 at cellar door. The nose is all American oak and
warm fruit. The wine has ample bodyweight and expresses ripe dark cassis, sweet
fruit and a very drying mouth feel. A different sort of wine but then there are
not many Cabernet Malbecs made in the
After
a big day of tasting wine it's time to sit down and relax, have a meal and a
good drop or two of red so we went to Vintners Bar & Grill . This is one of the more
upmarket establishments in the Barossa although their prices are fairly
reasonable at about $22 for a main course. The decor in this restaurant is also
probably the most elegant and refined (but you cant
drink it) in the Barossa. The food and service were excellent and once again we
took our own wine. Rolf joined us and we kicked off with a bottle of Peter Lehmann 94 Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz which was every
bit as good as expected. We then drank some of the previous nights
leftovers plus the 2000 Veritas Heysen that
Rolf had opened earlier that day. Rolf also brought a bottle of his 2000
Aries but I made no notes, took the night off and just enjoyed the wines. I
turned my back for 30 nanoseconds and John had consumed the Aires. After the
main course John left us to try and fain interest (again) in his marriage and
rang his wife to grovel, apologise and beg for forgiveness for his excessive
wine purchases. He was gone for quite awhile.
Bright and early
the next morning it was time for another cholesterol bacon and egg roll fix, don't these guys ever eat anything healthy? My body is
positively screening for some high carbohydrate and high fibre food. Forget the
liver function test, I am going to need and colonoscopy and triple bypass when
I get back home.
Unfortunately we
have to say an unscheduled goodbye to Brian at this point and our thoughts went
with him.
It was back into
the meat pie king's car for the trip to Clare that thankfully only took
about an hour. "Thankfully" because to quote an
email from John prior to the trip. "I have just had my 40th
birthday and am going through the mandatory crisis. I am merely clutching at
straws and looking for scapegoats to vent my frustrations on. Looking forward
to a whole week of you guys, in a car, no escape, captured audiences for my
gripping oratories on the futility of life :-)"
First stop was 
Taylors St Andrews 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
sells at cellar door for $55. The staff member opened a fresh bottle and poured
it into my glass without checking. The first sniff had enough VA to blow my
sinuses out. The second bottle opener was slightly better but still had enough
VA to make me think this wine is flawed . If a whole batch is like this, one can only
wonder why it was released. The tannins are also bitter. Rated as Barely Drinkable with * for value.
Taylors St Andrews 1998
Shiraz also sells for $55 and made the visit to this establishment
worthwhile. It has a lifted nose showing soft chocolate and liquorice. Tannins
are slightly dusty, the soft acid is balanced and the fruit deep. Despite the
seductive rich chocolate, cherry and liquorice mouth feel, the wine has a good
tannic and backbone with a full-bodied solid consistency, seamless structure,
harmonious complexity and a long finish. Rated as Excellent whilst it's
drinking beautifully now, it should last for many years and gets *** for value
if you can pick it up the right price.
The next stop was Reilly's Cellar Door and I'm not sure what to
make this operation . 
Despite being a difficult vintage their 97
wines were very good. 1998 was a great vintage in Clare but Reilly's wines
didn't impress me at all that year. Reilly's cellar door is a very cute
operation and is run by an eccentric, egocentric ex restaurant owner by the
name of Andre who proudly professes to know nothing about wine. However,
besides being able to talk with a mouthful mumbles, Andre could no doubt sell
ice cream to Eskimos at the same time. I don't think many people are able to
escape from the cellar door with out parting with some money. It was difficult
to assess the wines fairly inside the building, there
was an ashtray full of cigarette butts behind the counter and some herbaceous
aromas from some of the other products available for sale. I left John who is
not exactly short of a word or two to see who was the marble
king whilst I went outside to try the wine. Interestingly enough the
wines are made by one of
Reilly's 1999
Cabernet Sauvignon has a warm dark lifted nose showing mint, cedar, cigar box and
warm fruit. The bodyweight is muscular, the consistency firm, the structure
layered with dusty drying tannins and balanced refreshing acid; it has all
components of a good wine but seems disjointed and jarring on the palate. The
red cherry, blackberry, mint and liquorice flavour profile is not your typical
Coonawarra Cabernet but I wouldn't mind seeing how this wine develops in a few
years. Rated as Recommended with ** for value at $30 it should peak in about 2007.
Reilly's 1999 Dry
Land Shiraz has a savoury black nose showing iodine, blue and black fruit
flavours finishing off the eucalyptus. Powdery drying tannins, ample bodyweight
combine with a supple consistency and a solid structure with some elegance to
provide an average wine. Rated as Recommended with ** for value at $30 this wine
should peak around 2005.
The previous vintage
of these wines retailed for $22 (locally) and represented better value at that
price point. No doubt Andre's selling ability is responsible for moving a large
volume of this winery's production.
In the
past I have enjoyed Pikes wines but it's obvious the 2000 vintage posed massive problems for
them.
Pikes 2000 Shiraz
Grenache Mourvedre sells for $20 at cellar door. This
wine has an incredibly sweet perfumed flowery nose with dusty tannins, crisp
acid, a lean bodyweight, layered structure and an agreeable level of complexity.
This is an excellent lighter style wine with a reasonable level of interest
that should peak in about 2003. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Pikes 2000 Shiraz has a nose that
does not yield much except the liquorice notes. There are loads of drying
tannins, balanced acid but where is the fruit? There is ample bodyweight but it
all seems to come from the tannins. Rated as Barely Drinkable .
Pikes 2000 Cabernet
Sauvignon has a nose of dusty Cedary Oak and
lashings of minty leafy notes. Once again there are huge levels of drying dusty
tannins, fresh acid and deep fruit, but I doubt there is enough fruit out last
the tannins. The taste is typical cassis in mint, but tannins dominate the
palate. Rated as Acceptable with ** or value it should peak around 2008.
High on the Hill
overlooking Pikes, Pauletts has a wonderful
view to the East, what a great spot for cellar door.
Pauletts 1996 Cabernet
Merlot is available as a back vintage for $30. There is some fairly
obvious signs and bricking and the nose shows Cedary
Oak that dominate the leafy notes and light fruit.
This is a lighter style Cabernet with almost medium bodyweight, a simple level
of complexity and the pleasant enough fruit flavours are dominated by the oak.
The wine is ready to drink now and is rated as an Agreeable with ** for value.
Pauletts 1999 Cabernet
Merlot sells for $20 and has a similar nose to the 1996. This is a lean
green wine dominated by tannins. Rated as Barely Drinkable with ** for value.
Pauletts 1999 Shiraz sells for $20 at
cellar door. Savoury pepper spectrum fruit goes through sweet berry and onto a
pleasant liquorice finish. The acid is soft, the fruit
is delicate but persistent with a lean bodyweight and supple consistency. This
is a good food wine that is drinking wrll now and
rated as Acceptable with *** for value.
Pauletts 1998 Andreas is their flagship
wine and sells for $42. The nose is seductive without being over the top
showing sweet soft liquorice and mint. Once again there is a fair whack of
dusty tannins and balanced acid. The medium weight but persistent fruit comes
across the palate with sour red cherry and subtle chocolate undertones. The
wine has a lean structure with an agreeable level of complexity, a nice enough
wine but way overpriced. Rated as Recommended with ** for value it should peak in
2004.
After Pauletts and Pikes, it was time to pull out the razor and
shave the accumulated last five days worth of tannins from my tongue, book
hotel accommodation and have a bite to eat for lunch. Praise the Lord, John
found a bakery that also had chicken burgers with salad. It had been so long
since I'd seen a bit of lettuce; I almost wondered what it was. Needless to say
John consumed his 39th pie for the month, but whose
counting.
Guess which way I didnt let John turn?
One of my favourites
winery in Clare is Seven Hills that has been run by the Jesuits for over 150 years and
it seems like I have been drinking their wines for almost that long. Their 1992 are just
starting to peak, these are long lived wines made in the old-fashioned
Australian way . In 1994 the wine
maker was given instructions to up production and make the winery more
profitable and in my opinion between 1995 and 1997 inclusive the winery lost
its way lost whilst trying to achieve their objectives. In 1998 they were
right back on form and I'm pleased to say is even more so with a 99 vintage.
Seven Hills 1999 St Ignatius is dark purple in colour with a strong nose
of liquorice and blackcurrant. The smooth tannins are much less pervasive then
they have been in previous vintages. The sweet upfront fruit quickly goes into
the savoury spectrum and then onto liquorice. The wine has a muscular
bodyweight, supple consistency, solid layered structure and harmonious but
simple complexion. This is a big wine and worth buying. It should peak in the
next couple of years and is rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Seven Hills Seven
Brothers (75%) Cabernet Sauvignon (25%)
Seven Hills 1999 Shiraz sells for $19 at cellar door and like all Seven
Hills wines is dark purple in colour. The lifted nose shows black fruits, a
touch of the vanillan oak and eucalyptus that translates
to a palate as black cherry, liquorice and blackcurrant. The wine has a big
whack of tannins with the solid layered structure. The wine is worth buying
because there are very few wines of this size and fruit intensity at anything
like this price. Rated as Recommended with **** for value it should peak
around about 2007.
One of the other
consistently high-quality, good value wineries was next on the agenda and as
usual,
Tim Adams dog was very happy to see me and gave me a huge welcome. Tim said
hello and shook my hand too (grin.) It's always a pleasure to speak to Tim
because he is forthright, open and honest, just like his wines. Whilst we were
there Tim was bemoaning the cork issue. He explained he was in the process of
sending over some samples to the United States and the only way to ensure the
wines were not suffering from TCA was to open a bottle of each wine, test it
for smell and taste, take a little bit of the same wine from the open cellar
door stock, refill the bottle, recork it (with the
same cork) and recap it.
Tim also espoused on his philosophy of wine pricing and felt that many wineries
were way over the top in their pricing and they would come unstuck sooner or
later. He believes in providing good quality wine at a reasonable price that
people can afford and that explains explain why his wine sells quickly.
Tim Adams 2001 The Fergus sells for $18 and shows floral notes with
good liquorice undertones. The wine has a good balance and mouth feel with
sweet upfront red fruit moving through savoury flavours and finishing off onto
liquorice. It has medium bodyweight with supple consistency and harmonious
complexity and has John said, "This is a food friendly wine that
just slips down your throat and will not take long to make your head go all
funny." Rated as Recommended with ****for value its ready to be
consumed now.
Tim Adams 2000
Cabernet sells for $19. Dark purple in colour the nose shows dusty Cedar
notes, ample bodyweight, a consistent structure and harmonious level complexity
means this wine is very approachable now but should continue to improve over
the next two years. The palate shows sweet and savoury fruit including cassis
and blackberry which tail off with light aniseed. This is a classic case of
letting the fruit speak. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Tim Adams 2000
Shiraz sells for $19. The aroma is violets, oak, black earthy tar and
liquorice. The silky tannins provide a wonderful seductive mouth feel and the
obvious strong fruit provides a long rich finish. This is a muscular wine with
an almost seamless structure and harmonious complexity that is very
approachable now. Rated as Recommended with **** for value this is worth
buying.
Tim Adams 2000
Aberfeldy is the benchmark wine that retails for $38 at cellar door and is
restricted to six bottles per head. The wine has a "WOW" nose showing
allspice and builds and builds into warm black fruits. The black cherry flavour
builds across the palate into the chocolate spectrum and anaesthetises the
taste buds with flavour and tannins without any heavy hitting power. In fact
this is a long and lean wine with ample bodyweight that is reasonably elegant
considering the fruit intensity. An absolute baby, the fruit is there but
lurking under the massive tannins, the wine should peak around 2008. Its rated as Excellent with *** for value.
Also available was
the Tim Adams 1995 Aberfeldy that is available as a back vintage for
$60. If the pantechnicon load of tannins ever integrates this will be a
terrific wine. The pure distinct fruit shows sour cherry, sweet blackcurrant,
milk chocolate and liquorice. A sophisticated complexity, layered structure and
firm consistency add up to a rating of Highly Recommended .
According to the map
over last two years since my last visit to Clare and number of new wineries
have opened up so it was time to the brave and see if we called find any new
gems (in a possible pile of manure.)
Penna Lane is located behind Kilikanoon and first plated their vines in 1994. The 2000
vintage is their third commercial endeavour. Their
Penna Lane 2000
Cabernet Sauvignon is the same prices as the
Eldredge< winery is another
fairly new operation with a picturesque cellar door and restaurant overlooking a
lake/dam. It would be a very pleasant spot for lunch. The one consistent
feature of all their wines is the excellent structure.
Eldredge 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon ($21)
has a peppery nose dominated by mint. The mouth feel and taste builds through
initial sweet fruit and into savoury pepper and liquorice that comes across as
a very
Eldredge 1999 Blue Chip
Eldredge 2000 Blue Chip
Eldredge Boundary Sangiovese Cabernet blend ($25 CD) has loads of powdery drying
tannins, the balanced fruit is all and lean but not green. This is an elegant
wine with a very good structure and rated as Recommended with *** for value.
(Unfortunately I don't get it.)
That was a last
stop for the day so it was off to the motel for a quick shower (well it was
Saturday and time for John's weekly scrub whether he needed or not) and time
out before dinner. We went to a fairly new restaurant called [Georges] of Clare
that also has some interesting artwork for sale. John immediately fell in love
with an impressionists painting of grape vines in their autumn tone colours.
Naturally it was the most expensive painting the place and he was sorely
tempted to buy it. John contemplated selling his daughter to the
The service was
impeccable, the food excellent and the prices very reasonable, it cost $55 a
head for three courses and corkage.
The first bottle
opened was Orlando 1991 Lawson Shiraz.
This is a very complete wine with integrated soft tannins, wonderful mouth
feel, a great intensity of flavour, and a long lingering finish. If ever you
needed a reason to cellar wine, this is it. The nose of tar and mint flowed
through to the palate. Rated as Excellent , I turned sideways
to open the next wine and pour it, only to notice the John had inhaled deeply
and had finished the bottle.
The second wine was
the Wynns 1991 Centenary Reserve Shiraz
Cabernet blend that has a complex rich nose of cassis, blackberry and mint.
Blackcurrant, chocolate and mint flavours fill the mouth with a wine that is
totally seamless and as smooth as a newborn babies bum. This wine shows perfect
balance and a long finish. It is also rated as Excellent .
These wines also bring
into question the theory of bottle shock . They had been in the boot of
the car for about 5 days and had been over many bumpy roads, twist, turns and
bends. They showed absolutely no ill effects from their ordeal.
Bright
and early the next morning John drove us to a little coffee shop specialised in
bacon and eggs for breakfast with some dishwater they had the audacity to call
coffee. I have changed my mind about the need for a triple bypass, I think a
transplant maybe required.
It's
always gratifying to find some people who are prepared to get to work at a
reasonable hour, rather than working bankers hours , so we were outside Jim Barry waiting
for them to open at
One can only get the impression that Mrs Barry does it for love of the job and
to keep busy, not because she is short of a dollar. Good'on'ya'luv
as they say in the classics.
Jim Barry 1999 Clare Cabernet sells for $19 and has a nose that shows
some varnished oak and savoury berry fruit. This fault free good quaffing wine
has medium body weight, supple consistency and sweet blackberry fruit flavours
which immediately turns peppery and goes into sour cherry on the palate. Rated
as Recommended with *** for value its ready to be drunk now.
Jim Barry 1998 McRae
Wood Shiraz has a seductive blackcurrant nose with an obvious American oak influence.
The silky tannins and obvious muscular distinct fruit have a supple consistency
and harmonious complexity that contribute to a seductive wine with appealing
savoury black sour cherry taste without being sweet or over the top. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** (just) at
$35 this wine should peak around 2004.
Jim Barry 1999 McRae
Wood Shiraz has a tight gentle aroma with a good silky tannic backbone showing
mulberry and milk chocolate. The wine has ample body weight with a layered
elegant structure and a refined level of complexity that finishes long and
would appeal to those who are looking for something a bit different. Rated as Highly Recommended it should peak
about 2005.
The next wine was
served blind but you didn't need to be Einstein to work out what it was from
the first sniff. Jim Barry 1999 The Armagh Shiraz is
dark purple with impenetrable hue. The wine has a very complex nose and all
sorts of interesting nuances. The incredible balance and finesse are provided
by the silky soft tannins had still need loads of time to integrate, piquant
acid together with an explosion of multiple fruit flavours provide a finish
that lasts forever. A full-bodied wine that's almost elegant despite its
weight, a layered seamless structure, a sophisticated harmonious developed
complexity add up to a wine that deserves its rating of Outstanding . Although
approachable now, it should continue to develop and improve for a long time. At $120 CD it's worth
consideration (and I don't consider many wines in this price bracket.)
Jim Barry also has a 1986
Not a view from around here, it's Blewetts
Springs (McLaren Vale)
Clos Clare is a winery that
was established about 10 years ago and produces Riesling and
Clos Clare 2000 Shiraz comes from 30
year-old vines and is dark purple in colour with a mocha nose and American oak
influence. The wine has a terrific structure and balance which is enhanced by
the almost silky, dusty tannins that provide a great mouth feel. The wild berry
and subtle milk chocolate flavours finish slightly short on the palate which
reduces this wine rating from highly recommended to Recommended with ****
for value
. The ample weight, seamless structure and harmonious complexity should peak
around 2006.
Mount Horrocks 1999 Cabernet Merlot has a soft gentle
nose showing cassis, dusty oak and mint which flows through to cassis, leafy
tobacco and chocolate on the palate. This is an uncomplicated very well-made
wine with no faults but lacks excitement. Rated as Recommended with ** for value
at $30 it should peak in 2005.
Mount Horrocks 1999 Shiraz has a closed nose that will need time to
open up. There is a good fruit lurking under the obvious French oak.
Sensational smooth tannins combined with an almost elegant structure, medium
body weight together with an agreeable level of complexity to make this a very
well-made classy drop. Palate flavours are black cherry/mulberry, subtle mint
and chocolate. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value at $32 the wine should peak around
2006.
Mount Horrocks 2001 Cordon Cut is a damn good sticky with pure
citrus marmalade and apricot fruit. A silky consistency and seamless flowing
elegant structure combined with a harmonious sophisticated complexity that can
only be rated as Excellent with *** for value at $27 CD.
The obvious quality of
the wine and subtle use the French oak was evident across the entire range at
Tim Gramp produces wine from fruit grown in both McLaren Vale and Watervale. We tried both his wines. The
first, the 99 McLaren Vale
Tim Gramp 1999 Watervale Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium body
wine with a simple consistency and a plain level of complexity showing cedar
and mint over dusty oak that underpins the whole wine and finishes off to
chocolate. It's a good wine for the price ($20) and is rated as Recommended with *** and should
peak in about three years.
The next winery, Claymore was another entirely forgettable
new winery that is selling McLaren Vale wines from
the cellar door in Clare until they are able to source and produces local
offerings.
Claymore 2000 McLaren Vale Cabernet has slightly volatile nose with
dusty earthy notes. This is a bland young forward early drinking wine with a
lean body, plain complexity and soft consistency. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value
at $20.
Claymore 1999 McLaren Vale Shiraz will appeal to those that enjoy lighter
style wines that are ready to the drunk now. This is a long and lean wine with
an elegant structure that doesn't have much complexity but on the plus side the
black berry flavours and subtle background aniseed creeps up on you. Rated as Agreeable with *** for vale
at $20.
Yesterday, during
our travels a number of winery that were listed as being open were closed so
this being Saturday we decided to go back and try again. We got lucky - will
sort of.
Kilikanoon 2000 Blocks Road
Cabernet Sauvignon was the only red available for tasting at this winery. A full-bodied wine with a fairly diverse complexity and palate of blackcurrant
and other black fruits that carry over to liquorice with a warm and friendly
mouth feel. This is a good wine as long as you are not looking for a
cooler climate Cabernet. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value
this wine should peak around 2007 and is worthy of consideration.
John's car outside the winery, care to guess why the boot (trunk)
was in the shade? WINE!
The next winery was Mitchell where we tried the 2000
Pepper Tree
The next winery
visited was Stringy Brae that has been around for about 10 years but I don't
think I have ever tried their wines. Once again we found a charming character
at the cellar door. This almost septuagenarian within the first 30 seconds
informed us that she didn't drink wine but had recently won and options game at
a ladies wine luncheon. She may not drunk the product,
but she certainly knew what she was selling.
Stringy Brae 1999
Shiraz retails for $22 at cellar door. The hue is fairly light for its
colour. The smooth dusty tannins are subtle with the blackberry, pepper and
chocolate flavours building slowly across the palate. The structure is seamless
and layered with a harmonious refined complexity. Rated as Recommended with **** for
value.
Stringy Brae 2000
Shiraz is very lean with drying tannins and my only other words on the
tasting sheet are "forget it!"
Stringy Brae 1998
Cabernet Sauvignon retails for $24. The nose is a rich, warm and inviting showing
cherry fruit with a good dose of spearmint. A most enjoyable
well-made wine with ample weight, a seamless structure and some elegance.
Sophisticated and harmonious complexity flows through the mouth with cherry,
chocolate and mint. Rated as Recommended with **** for value it should peak around 2005.
Stringy Brae 1999
Cabernet Sauvignon retails for $20. Tannins dominated the sweet upfront cherry fruit
flavours then move into a large dose of dark chocolate. A medium body wine with
layered structure and agreeable complexity, with this a lighter wine than the
98 and although they are both rated as Recommended I think the 98 is a better wine.
This one gets *** for value and is ready to drink now.
Its pie o'clock, we are a little
of nowhere and John is starting to suffer from withdrawal symptoms. We find the
general store but no pies! Shrivelled up dried out chicken and chips no problems, that they can do. John sensibly asks if hamburgers
are available and there are chuckles of laughter from behind the counter and it
was a while before I realised what they were laughing about.
John ordered two
hamburgers with the works that arrived about 10 minutes later. There were a
certain number of implements required to eat this hamburger. The first was a
four inch chisel to scrape the 1/4 inch thick burnt crust off the base of the
bun. The second was and a car jack to enable the eating orifice to be opened
sufficiently wide enough to insert said hamburger. The third was an ambulance
to take any normal person to hospital to have their stomach pumped after eating
said hamburger. I being of sound mind took one bite and once I got to the grey
meat threw the rest out. John being John, scoffed his
down and licked his lips with no apparent ill effect, well no more
"ill" than usual.
The next winery was Stephen John and in all honesty after
one bite of that hamburger I don't think I did his wines justice.
Stephen John 1999 Shiraz sells for $20 at cellar door. This is a medium
body wine with supple consistency and a fairly uncomplicated complexity showing
black cherry and light liquorice on the palate. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value
it is ready to drink now.
Stephen John 1999
Reserves Shiraz has silky tannins, balanced acid and distinct sour black cherry
fruit, a hint of mint and milk chocolate that flows into dark chocolate. It has
ample bodyweight, a solid almost elegant structure, sophisticated complexity, a
long finish and a great mouth feel. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for vale
at $40.
Stephen John 1998
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon shows dusty French oak and cassis on the nose which
translates to sour red cherry and chocolate on the palate. I loved the 1997
version of this wine and purchased it. 1998 was a better vintage and Stephen
John was able to produce a very high calibre Reserves Shiraz (which I also
purchased) in that year. For the life of me I can't work out why this wine
didn't grab me and how I only managed to rate it as Recommended with **
for value. Was one bite of the hamburger enough to destroy my palate?
The last winery
visited before we headed back to John is place in McLaren
Vale was Annie's Lane
where I was looking forward to tasting the 1998 Copper Trail
When I was making my
appointments for this trip I emailed Koonawala Winery to try and make an
appointment to see them when in Clare. Unfortunately Andrew Michael was going to be
interstate at that time that he very kindly mailed me samples to try . Tasting notes are
as follows.
Koonawala 2000 Cabernet
Sauvignon has an inviting an interesting lifted aroma of blackberry, subtle
cigar box, menthol, mint, tobacco and a smidge of chocolate. There also appears
to be some perfumed notes so I would not be surprised if there was some Merlot
in the wine too. The first thing that jumps out at you when you taste this wine
is the incredible velvety silky tannins which makes
the word "seductive" look like an understatement. There is a fair
amount of plumy fruit provided by the ample body weight and the flavour then
finishes off to tobacco/chocolate with a lingering taste. Unfortunately the
wine finishes short on the palate. Perfect to drink now, this is the sort of
wine that just disappears in record time. Rated as Recommended , it's a hedonists
delight.
Just for the record,
I tried this wine again after it had been open for a couple of hours and the
wine finished green and bitter. Based on the later tasting it would now only
rate as Acceptable. It's possibly an off bottle, but unfortunately there is no
way of checking.
Koonowala 2000 Shiraz has a dumb flat
nose (that's slightly lifted by the alcohol) showing raspberries, a touch of
pepper and some spice. Slightly sweet fruit on the uptake turns sptitzy as the acid hits the front of the tongue and then
moves into a savoury earthy chocolate taste. Tannins are negligible and the
wine is basically round and ready to drink now. Rated as Acceptable frankly the wine is disappointing.
Assuming the Cabernet
Sauvignon was off bottle, it looks like this winery is capable of producing
some credible wines so I'm looking forward to trying their 2001 offerings when
they had better vintage conditions and improved fruit .
Time to drive back
to McLaren Vale and once again
John had a captive audience to espouse his philosophy and theories behind the
meaning of life. Luckily sleep claimed me and I didn't die of boredom or a
broken eardrum. I certainly hope the John gets over his mid life crisis and
philosophical rants before our next trip together.
Finally when we
arrived at Johns place, whilst John was saying hello
to his wife, it was my job to speak his ill gotten secret purchases into the
house without Sue seeing them. John had promised that he wouldn't buy much and
I guess he didn't, it only took six undetected trips to sneak his wine into the
house. (Oh, that was six trips using a fork lift. grin)
Speaking about
John's Cellar, its a bit unusual! How many cellars do
you know that have thier own ensuite
bathroom and toilet?
And then it was the
most important time of the day in the
There were then off to the Barn restaurant. This establishment
was the first restaurant I ever ate at in McLaren
Vale over a quarter century ago. The ambience is absolutely fantastic and we
sat in a covered outside heated courtyard with a vine leaf canopy and walls
covered with creepers. The prices were reasonable, the service extremely
friendly and good. Three out of the four starters were good but John's soup was
too peppery. When the mains arrived, the quality of my steak was superb but it
was medium when I had requested it rare. Sue was not overly keen on her rabbit
dish either. The vegetables were also overcooked and soggy. Desert
time. I ordered a Mille Foie with apple and cream. I assume the pastry
was made around about the time I last ate at this establishment because the
puff pastry was a rock hard and almost impossible to pull apart.
I knew there was a
reason to going out to dinner on my last night in McLaren
Vale and that because it was a great excuse to raid John's wine cellar. The
first bottle wine was a Tatachilla 96
Foundation Shiraz and unfortunately I can't find the piece of paper on
which I wrote my brief tasting vibes. I am not going to tell you what the final wine
of the night was, but I will say, "Mike O,
you are a bastard for cornering the market and you are right! But it's
almost ok, because this bottle came out of John's cellar and my merger stock is
still intact. I will leave the rest of mine alone for a few more years. "
Sunday
was Mother's Day so for once in his life John decided to the right thing and go
antique shopping with Sue which let me the morning to a couple more wineries.
It's amazing how quite the wineries were on Mother's Day,
I was the only "bastard" around.
Fox
Creek 2000 JSM has a warm lifted liquorice mint and menthol nose. Soft
and smooth dusty tannins combined with refreshing acid and some obvious spicy,
cherry, pepper and liquorice to form a well-constructed medium weight wine of
agreeable complexity. This is an unusually flavoured crowd pleasure and should
peak in a couple of years and is rated as Recommended with *** for value at $23.
Fox Creek 2000 Duet
is a Cabernet based blend with a fairly muted nose and I found the palate
lacking fruit and with dominant tannins, I'm not sure they will ever come into
balance. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.
Fox Creek 2000
Reserve Merlot has cedar dominating the nose and underlying subtle musk. The
palate flows from sweet upfront fruit through to savoury cherry going all the
way through the palate with a musk like herbal undertone. The dusty tannins
will need time to integrate. Rated as Agreeable with ** full value at $36.
Fox Creek 2000
Reserves Shiraz has a complex nose of intense tarry notes, peppermint, lashings
of subtle pepper and blackcurrant. The wine has ample body weight, a firm
consistency, and developed complexity. I found the wine finished short on the
palate and it should peak in about three or four years. Rated as Recommended with **
for value at $65, this is not doing Fox Creek's reputation any favours.
Fox Creek Vixen is a non vintage sparkling that is undergone a change in
style from previous versions. There is much less sweetness and the initial
palate of this wine shows forward sweet raspberries that turned savoury with
pepper underpinning the whole show. The dusty tannins also help cut through the
sweetness. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $22.
Hamiltons 2000 Hut Block
Cabernet Sauvignon has an inviting nose of dusty cedar, cassis, mint and leafy
notes. The wine has ample body, a solid structure agreeable complexity and
loads of tannins that need about three years to soften. This is a credible wine
from a difficult vintage with flavours of sour red cherry, savoury blackberry
and mint. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $19.
Hamiltons 2000 Grumpers Bock Shiraz shows green unripe tannins with pepper and
liquorice. Rated as Acceptable with ** full value.
Hamiltons 2000 Egremont Reserve Merlot is a wine that I just don't
understand. It is one-dimensional with little interest, a good mouth feel, its soft, subtle and the French oak tastes nice. No doubt in
time it will be a muscular wine that is seamless. Rated as Acceptable with *
for value.
Hamiltons 1999 Centurion Old
Vine Shiraz has intense earthy nose showing white pepper, warm fruit and the
hint of eucalyptus. The ample body weight, layered structure and refined
complexity provide a great mouth feel to the black pepper, dark fruit and
liquorice that are underpinned by dusty oak tannins. The wine has a long finish
but it is not huge buy any stretch of the imagination, it should peak about
2007 and is rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value at $45.
Pirramimma 1998 Reserves
Petite Verdot is a wine was lashings of cherry,
blackberry and liquorice flavour that is provided by the strong distinct deep
fruit and is well balanced by the loads of dusty tannins. The wine is medium
weight without being heavy due to the strong fruit flavours and needs about
five years for the loads of dusty tannins to integrate. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value
at $25 this is something a bit different.
Pirramimma 1999 Reserve Petite
Verdot when first opened had nose that was
dominated by Smokey Kippers. Now I don't mind Kippers and eggs for Sunday
breakfast but I sure don't like Kippers in my Petite Verdot
on a Sunday morning, even if it is Mother's Day. I finally convinced the young
lady at cellar door that I thought the wine was off and she kindly opened
another bottle. This wine still had a smokey nose but
at least there was fruit underneath and not fish. The palate tasted of
liquorice and black cherry. This wine is not good as the previous vintage and
is rated as Recommended with *** for value it should peak very soon.
Pirramimma 1999 Reserve Cabernet has an aroma that
is dominated by dust rather than dusty oak, chocolate and vanilla. The wine has
medium body weight and a simple complexity with lots of powdery tannins and I
wonder if the fruit will ever emerge. Palate flavours are dusty oak, cherry,
cassis and milk chocolate. This wine seems ordinary and is rated as Agreeable with ** for value,
it should peak around 2005.
In light of BRL Hardy's 60 percent price
increase on the premium range of wines with their last release, in my mind they
no longer represent value but I called into the cellar door on the off chance
there was some premiums available for tasting. As usual there were no premiums
available, but the very obliging helpful cellar door staff member remembered me
from my last visit (how could he forget, I bet he is still having nightmares) kindly opened a 1999
Hardys Tintara Shiraz
for me to try. I must admit that this wine was a surprise. As the wine had just
been opened, the aroma was pretty tight and showed some char from the French
oak, subdued fruit, liquorice and mint. The body weight of the wine is medium
with a structure that shows some elegance and finesse. The wine has good
length, balance and subtlety. The previous vintages of this wine were not
exactly renowned for their subtlety, more like their sledgehammer approach.
Rated as Highly
Recommended with ** for value at $48 the wine should peak after 2005.
The cellar door
staff member stated that Hardys will be moving towards the use of
more French oak and producing more subtle and elegant
Now I know Hardys make some pretty good wines, but is this their
secret?
Hardys Tintara
1998 Cellar Door Reserve Shiraz is a wine that was originally released at
cellar door almost two years ago and then withdrawn from sale as Hardy had
other plans for the remaining inventory. These plans have now changed and the
wine is for sale again. I understand this wine is made up from parcels of fruit
that were left over from the original 98 Tintara. The
nose shows tar, blackberry with mint and menthol. This is a muscular wine with
a slightly round structure and an agreeable level of complexity. The smooth
drying dusty tannins provide a good counterfoil for the concentrated fruit.
Rated as Recommended
with **** for value you had better the quick as there is not much left.
Last winery before
the airport was the new Rosemountfacility that has just moved
into the old Seaview Edwards and Chaffey winery. As a
matter of interest, the Seaview range will cease to exist (with the exception
of the sparkling) when current stocks are sold.
Rosemount 1999
Traditional has an aroma that shows slightly dusty oak with subtle leafy
notes and sweet fruit. Although the dusty tannins dominate the palate, there is
enough hidden fruit with cherry, blackcurrant, chocolate and liquorice to win
through in the end. This is a good clean well made ample weight wine that
should peak around 2005. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $25.
Rosemount 1999 Show
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has very green capsicum and sour cherry on the palate
that is currently dominated by tannins. I doubt this wine will ever be very
good. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value at $25.90.
Rosemount 1999
Balmoral has a classy nose showing clean fruit, liquorice and spearmint.
The fruit whilst delicate as an incredible persistence and the wine shows great
structure and balance. This is a refined classy wine with sophisticated
complexity, an elegant seamless structure and medium weight fruit. The flavour
profile of the wine builds across the palate starting with sweet berry and
cherry and moves through to savoury liquorice with an incredibly long finish.
This is a binder of the wine and a great way to finish the trip. Rated as Excellent with *** for value
assuming you can find on special for around $50 it should peak around 2007.
At long last after
a week of John is unhealthy lunches, I am one my own and can choose what I
want. You ripper! On the way the airport there is a KFC, now that's real food!!
And then it was onto the plane and home for a total body transplant.
If you
are still with this report after forty pages of text, I trusted you enjoyed
reading about this trip and have received some benefit from the tasting notes.
Cheers
Ric ©