TORB's 2003 South Australian Tour Diary
Chapter Seven - Friday – The Barossa Valley (Click here for Chapter Six)
Woke up early, checked the
obituary page in the local paper and I am not dead so it should be a good day.
The first
appointment of the day is set for the well respected Barossa Icon winery, Veritas and as Rolf Binder is normally
extremely generous and opens up the whole range, it promises to be a
great day of tasting.
Good colour at the hotel 1
What
does one say about Veritas and Rolf Binder that has not been said
before? This winery and the man (and the woman, his sister Christina) behind it
have an awesome reputation and deservedly so. Rolf
would have to be one of the most respected winemakers in Australia today,
but as well as his ability to invoke his magical voodoo on grapes he is also
just as well respected as a human being. When ever you mention the word “Rolf”
in any winemaking circles anywhere in Australia, or indeed even in a taxi cab
in the Barossa everyone know exactly who you are talking about. Almost without
expectation they all have good things to say about the man. (Oh, and the one
exception, his wife Linda, but then she’s allowed.)
Why one may well ask? As someone who has gotten to know Rolf a little over the years I can partially answer that question both from what I have observed and heard. For one thing, you always know where you stand with the gregarious Rolf, no bovine manure about this man. But beyond that and more importantly he is an incredibly generous hospitable human being in many ways and is happy to share his knowledge and wine passion with anyone. He gives of himself freely, which is a rare commodity in today’s world.
And why do the taxi drivers all know him? Cause they have to take him home when he is to p***ed to walk.
The winery was started by his father and his mother still guards the cellar door sales area from time to time. About four years ago the winery was in what was not much more than a small old brick building and a tin shed. Expansion plans were drawn up and they moved into a much larger new custom built winery, the front was rendered but it still had a ‘shed’ out the back. Only this shed was huge by comparison and allowed for the anticipated expansion. When I visited the new winery in 2000 just as they were moving in, it was almost empty, with loads of room for future barrel storage. Last years, when I visited it looked respectably occupied. This year Rolf showed me the new barrel storage room that had just been added, effectively doubling the size of the storage. This is as big as they plan to get.
When many wineries grow so quickly the quality suffers, but not Veritas. They have access to some excellent grape sources and that’s a big part of the secret. The reason there are so many labels is because there are some joint venture projects with growers. For example the Magpie range is one such partnership, J.J. Hahn is another.
I love tasting at Veritas because besides knowing the chances are I will taste good wines, Rolf always opens the complete range for me to try which provides a great picture of what they are doing. In addition, I respect the fact that he locks me in a room by myself and doesn’t try and influence my opinion.
Let me preface these tasting notes by saying there was not a single bad wine in this line up, in fact there was not one that I wouldn’t drink. They are all good; it’s just a matter of how good.
Veritas 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot will sell for less than $18 when it’s released in July. The nose was reasonably dumb as the bottle was just opened but it did show sweet vanillan oak, dark berry fruit and mint. Tannins are noticeably powdery, the acid is crisp and the fruit obvious, but then it is a very young wine that should improve over the next three years. It’s a good honest fruit driven wine that has the oak and tannins in support and has a big mouthful of intense flavours of blackberries, sweet black cherry/mulberry, liquorice, mint and chocolate on a good long finish. Nothing subtle about this muscular weight wine bit it should soften and improve as it ages, rated as Recommended with **** for value.
JJ Hahn 2001 Homestead Cabernet Sauvignon will sell for $25 when it’s released in September. Dusty earthy nose with sweet cassis, savoury notes, mint and vanilla lead to a varietally correct Cabernet palate with initial slight sweetness that leads to very savoury flavours of dark berry fruit, hints of chocolate and lots of green minty cool flavours bordering on capsicum. Unobtrusive dusty tannins are there with refreshing acid; this ample weight wine has an agreeable complexity but needs time to settle and integrate. Rated as Recommended with *** for value. Best drinking 2006+.
Magpie Estate 2002 The Schnell is a Grenache Shiraz blend that should sell at CD for about $15 when its released in late June. Smooth silky powdery tannins provide a slippery mouth feel and combine well with the ample weight supple consistency to form an enjoyable simple fruit driven party wine. Pepper, blackberry and chocolate provide lashings of fruit flavour which finish respectably. Rated as Recommended with **** for value, it a good buy and can be enjoyed now.
Veritas 2002 Christina Rolf Shiraz Grenache sells for $20 at CD. Bright purple with a vivid hue the nose is all sweet berry fruit with spicy nuances. The distinct obvious fruit and unobtrusive soft but drying tannins and refreshing acid combine well to form a muscular weight wine with harmonious complexity and supple consistency. The palate is fruit driven with savoury multiple berry flavours that finishes to pepper with good length. This wine has more fruit intensity than The Schnell but may improve in the short term. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, it’s a good wine for the price.
Veritas 2002 Heinrich (SMG blend) will sell for $22 when it’s released in June. The wine has an agreeable palate profile showing chocolate, raspberry, and pepper with dark chocolate on a drying finish from the smooth but powdery tannins. It’s an interesting ample weight wine with reasonably strong fruit and a solid but layered structure that should peak about 2006. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Veritas 2002 Curvee Stephanie will mainly be exported to the UK and will sell for about £10 when it’s released in September. The wine is a Shiraz Mataro Viognier blend with a sweet lifted nose of apricots and floral notes. A wine not for the faint of heart, there is some serious structure to this full bodied glass stainer which is very firm and has a rock solid backbone of drying powdery tannins and a diverse complexity from the deeply seated strong fruit. Initial brief sweetness goes savoury with black cherry, blackberry and liquorice on a long drying finish. This is an interesting wine that’s currently rated as Recommended and could become seriously good in time which it demands and should be ideally be cellared till 2008 and beyond.
Great colour but there in not much of it in the Barossa – this was from McLaren Vale 1
Magpie 2002 Grenache Mourvedre will be exported
to the UK and will sell for about £7.99 when it’s released in September. Hold onto your hats with this
one! There is nothing usual about it from its unusual nose showing floral notes
with raw meat and spice to the pick axe that’s required to chip the powdery
drying tannins off the tongue. When the term ‘dry red’ was invented they had
this wine in mind! It’s a musculare weight wine with a very firm consistency
and very solid structure that demands time to come together and soften. Whilst
it’s hard to judge at this stage it seems like it has all the elements in the
right proportion and should age well. The flavour profile is also interesting
showing pepper, blue and black fruit that is neither sweet nor savoury with chocolate
on the tail. Rated as Recommended I am sure
that the rating will improve by 2009 when the wine is at its peak.
Veritas 2001 Binders Bulls Blood sells for about $30 at CD. It’s a Shiraz Mataro Pressings blend and is consistently interesting and enjoyable from vintage to vintage. A muscular wine with a well developed complexity from the persistent obvious deeply seated fruit which is off set with refreshing acid and well balanced by the abundant dusty drying tannins. Upfront sweet red berry fruit goes savoury with liquorice, dark chocolate, black berry flavours and mint on a long finish. Very good wine, different from your normal Shiraz, I love it! Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.
Magpie Estate 2001 The Sack will sell for about 22-$25 and is due for release in June. A well made good easy drinking ample weight fruit driven wine with smooth tannins, a soft consistency, layered flavour profile and harmonious complexity. The initial sweetness flows through the palate and contrasts well with the savoury plums, spice, chocolate and mint. I know why they called this one “The Sack” – take it to a party and after a bottle that’s where you will be on a ‘promise’. Rated a Recommended with *** for value, its great drinking now and it gives a whole new meaning to the expression “bang for your buck.”
Magpie Estate 2001 The Election Shiraz is due for release in June and will be a bit over $50 retail. Already mispronounced (for good reason) by those that have tried it. A full bodied wine with smooth tannins providing a good mouth feel and balancing the strong pure distinctive fruit which also provides a harmonious developed complexity and solid layered structure. The black cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry and chocolate fills the mouth and just keeps going forever finally finishing warm, but with all that fruit flavour its not extracted. Rated as Outstanding with *** for value its splendid drinking now but will get better over the next few years. This is a boot posterior vinous substance that will develop a sect following as it becomes known in the land of the free.
J.J. Hahn 1928 Shiraz – vintage 2001 has just been made available in the US but is yet to be released in Australia. The 1928 refers to the year the vines were planted. A seductive mouth feel is provided by the silky tannins and upfront pure concentrated fruit that comes across with savoury cherry, plums, aniseed, chocolate and mocha on a long finish. Its muscular weight and supple consistency with well developed complexity makes this a soft easy drinking wine that should become seamless as it matures over the next few years. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.
J.J. Hahn 1914 Shiraz – vintage 2001 is due to be released in Australia in August or September. The 1914 refers to the year the vines were planted. This wine is more savoury than the 1928 vines wine and not quite as big. Tannins are smooth and it has a beautiful mouth feel and a noticeably well built structure. A well developed harmonious complexity is assisted by the savoury dark red berry fruit and chocolate that has a long drying finish. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value now, this rating may improve as the wine reaches maturity around 2006 and beyond. It’s simply a lovely wine.
Veritas 2001 Heysen Shiraz is due for release in August or September. This wine lives in a big shadow of its brother which is a pity because it’s a very fine wine in its own right. When I first tried it the bottle had been open for about 10 nanoseconds and it didn’t show brilliantly but I had the opportunity to try it again after about 10 hours of air time and the transformation was stunning. It’s a well built and balanced ample weight wine with excellent flavour intensity without heavy extraction or weight. The flavour profile is complex and amongst other things shows dark plums, black cherries, chocolate and mocha on a classy long finish. Rated as Highly Recommended now with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2006.
Veritas 2001 Hanisch is due for release in August or September. The wine is dark purple with a bright but vivid intensity and has a brooding nose of great depth and complexity. If you think this wine is just all about flavour you would be selling it way short, it’s just as much about structure which in this case is simply excellent. The deep pure persistent fruit is currently dominated by profuse drying tannins that between them are mouth numbing but with its exceptional depth and structure there is absolutely no doubt that in the long haul this will be a stunning wine.
Savoury dark fruit, plums, chocolate, aniseed, mint etc all combine to present a well developed and stylish level of complexity. Although this is a full bodied wine it’s not a huge blockbuster or overdone but it demands time, at least till 2008 or beyond. Currently rated as Excellent with ** for value the rating should improve in time. This is one of the best wines to ever come from this winery, and that’s saying something. Forget testicle tearier, this is a scrotum detacher.
Veritas Summary – As I said in the introduction, all the wines are good is just a matter of how good and how much you want to spend. Frankly the Hanisch is not great value but not many wines at this price point are and you are paying for the scarcity as much as anything. Many of the other wines are almost as good and a lot less money so you can still appreciate the Veritas magic and spend a lot less money if you choose wisely.
There is a huge range of wines here in all sorts of different styles but they have a few things in common. Firstly without exception they are all well made, secondly they are all fruit rich and pretty clean.
The most noticeable factor in the wines is that over the last few years they have been scaled back in intensity and are no longer the monolithic wines they were a in the late 90’s. In fact some are almost elegant by comparison but they still retain the great fruit component and complexity, just much more judicious and clever use of oak. The wines are better for it too.
After all the wines were tasted, we had a cup of coffee and discussed my tasting notes. My next appointment was at Burge Family and as Rolf had kept me “after school” to discuss my class work, he rang Rick Burge to tell him I would be late. Rolf also suggested to Rick that he open up a couple of c-thoughs for me to try. I just love a bloody comedian.
On the way to Burge Family wines I had to pass
the famous Lyndoch Bakery and could not help sparing a thought for my mate John
who thinks the pies from this place are some of the best in South Australia,
and he should know!
Burge Family is about a twenty minute drive from Tanunda. As I got there
another car had just arrived and the older gentleman was getting out of his car
and walking towards the cellar door. Rick knew I was coming and was waiting for
me at the door as I walked in. We shook hands and said g’day and Rick shook
hands with the older guy that was behind me and they also said g’day. Rick
invited us to sit down and the three of us then went and had a seat at the
table and started to discuss things vinous. The conversation was reasonably in
depth and finally after about 10 minutes I said to Rick, can you please get to
the wine mate, I haven’t got all day. 
(I do know him well enough to be blunt and honest.)
So, Rick tells me that Rolf
suggested that Rick should get me to try this wine and he pours me a ^*&*#v
glass of c-through! Because his other guest is there I can’t be rude and tell
him to kindly place it where the sun don’t shine. 
So I sniff and mumble and sip and spit (very quickly)
whilst I think of mother England. After jotting a few words down I am ready for the next
bottle and low and behold, its another $%^&*()!@#$%^ c-through!! This is
now getting serious!!! 
Same routine only this time I beak
the worlds record for tasting a wine and writing a tasting note and finally we
are ready to move onto the reds (at long last.) Rick pours it for me and I am
trying hard to concentrate but its very difficult as Rick is on my left and his
mate is on my right, I am in the middle of a talk fest. This is impossible! I
can’t analyse this wine and write a tasting note with both ears being bashed
battered and verbally bruised 
so I got up and went over to the counter and did it then.
On completion I went back to the table and got the next wine but these two still have verbal diarrhoea so it was back to the counter for me, same with the fifth wine. By now I am just about through the line up and Ricks mate says he has to go and its shake hands all round as he departs.
Once he is out the door I politely
asked Rick why he invited his mate to join us. Rick said, “But when he walked in
behind you 
I though he was with you!” 
Boy, did we have a
good laugh at that one!
Now you are about to see something very strange from me, a token tasting note on a c-through (and I think Rick Burge was at his parents wedding, he must have been to be able to have inflicted this upon my person. What’s more Rolf Binder must have been at his Grandparents wedding because he is an even bigger bastard for putting Rick up to it.)
Burge Family 2002 Riesling (I don’t give a toss what it sells for at CD.)This is the last Riesling this winery will make (praise the Lord) as the vines have been pulled to make way for more Shiraz, sounds like a good plan to me. Minerally perfumed aromas lead to a palate which has a sensational mouth feel and pleasant high quality sweet fruit with an excellent intensity and sustained finish. Rated as ??? now you don’t really expect me to go that far do you!
Burge Family 2000 Clochemerle is a Grenache Cabernet Blend that retails for $12 at CD. It’s a fruit driven Côtes-du-Rhône style wine that’s sweet with pure persistent upfront front sweet fruit and chocolate that’s well suited to food due to its smooth tannins and easy drinking nature. A well made wine that’s soft and almost seamless and could best be described as “a yuppie rich kid from the eastern suburbs meets a rough kid from out west.” Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
Burge Family 2001 Garnacia is an old vine Grenache that retails for $27 at CD. Musky perfumed nose with interesting characters and chocolate. This is a high quality wine and a very interesting and unusual Grenache. Loads of drying tannins, refreshing acid and pure deep fruit with a firm consistency and a solid layered structure with well developed complexity means this wine has been built to last and in fact will need till about 2007 to show its true colours. Flavour fills the mouth and there is some mid palate sweetness but the chocolate foils it well but the biggest contrasting factor is the almost searing tannins that rip through the fruit sweetness and continue to form a long drying finish. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures. If I was ever going to buy a straight Grenache, this could be it!
Burge Family 2000 A Nice Red is a blend of 67% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon that retails for $20 at CD. A good well made soft easy drink red with a perfumed nose and sweet raspberry, red and blue spectrum fruit and chocolate that’s medium weight, supple and seamless. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Burge Family 2001 The Renoux is a blend of Shiraz, Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon that retails for $27 at CD. This wine should have a sign around it that says “closed down until further notice.” It’s tight and obviously has great structure with drying smooth tannins, buried (two fathoms down) fruit and in time it could be sensational but it will take years to merge from hibernation. I would be prepared to risk buying this wine and those that do should be well rewarded. Gut feel is Highly Recommended with *** for value.
Burge Family 2001 Olive Hill is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre that retails for $29 at CD. This is as good as structure and balance gets at twice the price. Loads of smooth dusty tannins and deep fruit produce an ample weight wine that’s layered but still shows a tight structure and a well developed complexity, it will need time to open up. Rich fruit flavours of blackberry/mulberry, blue berry and chocolate combine to form a lovely wine with some serious aspects. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.
Burge Family 2001 Draycott Shiraz retails for $38 at CD. An inviting and enticing aroma of rich plums, spice and other things nice. Concentrated pure intense fruit combine with smooth silky tannins (from the French oak) to provide a full bodied wine with a seductive mouth feel that drinking well already. The complexity is sophisticated and harmonious with flavours of blackberry, plums and rich sweet fruit that’s lively and without any dead fruit characteristics that can plague wines with this sort of profile in a hot year. The structure is solid and layered which should become seamless in a few years when it peaks. Rated as Excellent with **** for value, I am glad I bought this on release last September.
After we had tried the wines and in an endeavour to get me speak to him again and also to make amends for pulling that c-through stunt on me, Rick insisted on buying lunch so we headed off to the restaurant at Yaldara. (At least lunch wasn’t next door to the winery at the Lyndoch Bakery for a pie; then I would have really got a persecution complex.) The view from the Yaldara restaurant is pleasant overlooking a small creek and the whole place is bright and airy. The food was excellent and seemed to be reasonably priced. If you are in the Barossa, you will have to go a long way to do better at lunch time.
Burge Family Summary – This is a single vineyard operation and after a tour in Rick’s Range Rover through the vines, it’s obvious he is as passionate about his vines as he is about his wines. All fruit is sourced from the one property and production is about 3,500 cases so this is not a big operation. Rick is a very hands on guy and has an intensity of passion for his craft and a striving self demand for perfection that is seldom seen. As a result he is always “at it” working very hard and is his own most critical opponent. The result is a portfolio of interesting well crafted smart wines and some very unusual blends. Some people are blessed with loads of talent and everything seems to come easily to them; some others have to bust a gut to make it happen and the latter are the ones that are to be most admired. Rick Burge falls into that category.
French Oak Chips from an unnamed winery
1
I have purposefully placed this picture of French Oak Chips here because this picture was not taken during the wineries visited in this Chapter. It was in fact taken at a winery that is well regarded and one whose wines overall I rated highly. The use of chips is becoming increasingly common as is other ‘manufacturing’ cost reduction techniques. This is not necessarily a criticism, just a stated fact. If it makes inexpensive young wines more approachable and lower in price and the average consumer can not tell it’s been used then what’s the harm? However when if and when oak chips are used in more expensive wines as a cost cutting measure and it affects the structure and quality of the finished wine, then I am not so sure it’s a positive move.
Although I have read about the wines produced by Wayne Dutschke I have never had the opportunity to try them and last year when I tried to visit, Wayne couldn’t see me because he was inconsiderate enough to get married and be away with his new bride at the time.
Almost all the grapes come from one block at the southern end of the Barossa near Lyndoch that is currently owned by Wayne’s uncle, Ken Semmler. Prior to that it was owned by Ken’s father, Oscar; so the land has been in the family for generations. The vines were first planted in 1975 and as no bought in fruit is used, the resulting three red wines can be classified as single vineyard products. The Merlot and Cabernet that make up the WillowBend were planted in1978 and 1980. Approximately 25% of the grapes grown each year on Ken's block go into Dutschke wines; the remaining 75% is sold to other wineries.
The one exception for the source of grapes is the Tokay which is taken from the one remaining row of 30 year old Tokay vines on cousin Jeff Semmler's property which is across the road from Uncle Ken’s land.
Wayne joined Yalumba in 1979 and decided to start “playing around” fourteen vintages ago making his own wine (first vintage 1990) with production ranging between 200-600 cases per annum. For a decade nothing happened and just as Wayne had become resigned to the fact that it was not going to be a viable business, one US agent came along and after some good reviews in the US the situation was reversed almost overnight. Now, after having worked as a winemaker for many companies both here in Australia and overseas, Wayne likes being his own boss and has one long term objective, to be able to play golf on Fridays. In a good year four thousand cases are produced and Wayne doesn’t want to get much bigger. Currently Wayne is hiring spare space at the old Saltram winery so that’s where the tasting took place.
We tried many barrel samples and two things soon became obvious. There is a lot of fruit and a lot of oak used in these wines. All the wines are stylistically similar and as Wayne doesn’t produce any c-through I immediately like the guy. The wines only receive a course filter and are unfined, so you can expect some sediment.
Wayne’s real passion (besides his wife) is fortified wines and he playing around with some very credible wine which I was also lucky enough to sample. He purchased some very old stock and has started his own Solero system and is producing a Tawny Port, a Liqueur Muscat and Tokay. Just for the hell of it, he is also playing around with some Fortified Shiraz but that’s way off being released. All the fortified wines I sampled were very credible and worthy of consideration. They sell for between $15-20 a half bottle (mail order only.) No tasting notes on these, I was too busy enjoying them to write much more than yum, very good complexity, rancio characters, etc, so if you have an opportunity to buy them, they are worth the tariff.
Wayne gave me some samples to take with me and have with dinner that night (with some winemakers) and one who shall remain nameless (Rolf) just about scoffed the lot before the rest of us had a chance to drink any.
Dutschke 2001 St Jakobi Shiraz retails for about $30-$37. Smooth silky dusty unobtrusive tannins and deep pure persistent fruit provide the stuffing for this solid muscular wine that has a great mouth feel and diverse but harmonious complexity. A big mouthful of fruit with multiple berry flavours including blackberry, plums, chocolate and subtle mint builds across the palate in an impressive manner. It’s good drinking now but should become even better in the short term, rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it a great buy and 2,500 cases were produced.
Dutschke 2001 WillowBend retails for about $27-$32 and is a blend of Merlot Shiraz and Cabernet. Although the Merlot is the dominant grape, not much of its character comes through on the bouquet which shows dusty French Oak, mint, cassis and liquorice. A very interesting wine with a good palate profile that has been provided by the pure obvious persistent fruit that produces sweet upfront fruit flavours that goes savoury with plums, chocolate and liquorice with dusty powder drying tannins that produce a good backbone and finish. Complexity is diverse and whilst the wine is drinking well now, it will improve over the next three years. Only one thousand cases were produced and it’s rated as Recommended with *** for value; the wine represents honest value and the rating should improve as it matures.
Dutschke 2001 Oscar Semmler Shiraz retails for about $45-$50 a bottle and only 500 cases were made. This wine has a black nose and an almost black palate showing blackberry, liquorice with a sweet mid palate and a dark chocolate and mint finish. A full bodied wine that’s driven in equal amounts by strong deep obvious fruit and oak, the tannins are smooth and have a lovely mouth feel. The structure is solid and whilst the wine is harmonious now, it will become seamless as it ages. This will fly out the door as it has “lush” appeal and its not hot despite its 15% alcohol. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as it reaches maturity about 2006.
Dutschke Summary – Wayne seems like a competent and relaxed winemaker that knows what he wants and how he is going to achieve it. The wins are stylistically consistent which is a positive attribute and speaks volumes about his ability. His passion for fortified wines should also produce some excellent wines.
As Dutschke was in the Saltram Winery building and it was late in the day, it made sense to go and say hello Richard who manages the Saltram CD facility. Its always enjoyable visiting and tasting when Richard is there as he is a long time Auswine Forum lurker and the guy really knows his apples (and possibly grapes too.) For many years Saltrams and Metala wines were staples in my cellar but I must admit I have not purchased much from them since the 1996 vintage.
Saltram Metala 2001 Shiraz Cabernet sells for $15 at CD. The aroma is lifted but seems a little alcoholic. A smooth medium weight reasonably fruit driven BBQ wine with warm blackberry, pepper notes and a green Cabernet flavour finish. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
Saltram Metala 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $15 at CD. The aroma is warm and typical of a varietal Cabernet. An ample weight wine that’s still tight and solid backed with dusty drying tannins and a solid layered structure. Fruit is sweet on the attack turning savoury on the mid palate and finishing with a wheel barrow load of ripe fresh mint. An OK wine for the price, its rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Metala 2000 Original Planting Shiraz sells at CD for $55. A high quality well balanced and constructed wine with noticeable dusty drying tannins and medium weight fruit that is intensely flavoured leading to a savour palate of spice, white pepper and plums that finishes long. The wine shows some elegance and has a stylish refined complexity. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value it should peak about 2007.
Saltram No1 1999 Shiraz sells for $65 at CD. This wine has got more medals on it than a war hero on Anzac Day. Fruit quality is obvious with persistent pure medium fruit of great intensity going from prune all the way through the black flavours into a forest of berry flavours which are impacted by some charry oak. The char is not overbearing and there should be enough fruit to absorb it in the longer term. The wine is still tight and shows some elegance. It has a diverse and sophisticated flavour profile and its well constructed and balanced with the ultra fine grained drying tannins beefing up the fruit weight to make the wine ample weight. A reasonably clean wine, its rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value but that rating should improve as the wine matures around 2008. I am sure it will fly off the shelfs despite its price tag; the obvious class will make it worthwhile in many people’s eyes.
A top notch wine is always a good way to finish a days tasting but this day was far from finished. Dinner had been arranged at the 1918 Restaurant with Rolf Binder and Rick Burge and between the three of us we only had 18 wines to drink our way through. When these two have a quiet glass or two with dinner they do it in style.
Many of the wines were wines that we had tried during the day and it was great to have a look at them again after they had been open for a few hours. In almost all cases they showed much better after some aeration. The following are some of our combined very brief impressions. It’s very important to understand that these guys are super critical and looking as much for what’s wrong and can be improved as what’s right about the wines we tried.
Wayne Dutschke was kind enough to let me take the samples that we had tried and I was keen to get Rolf’s and Rick’s feelings on these wines.
Dutschke 2001 St Jakobi Shiraz – it felt a lot of the flavour came from the coconut oak but we all still liked the wine.
Dutschke 2001 WillowBend – a good drop, don’t overlook it.
Dutschke 2001 Oscar Semmler Shiraz – lots of sweet vanilla oak flavours and would best be consumed over the next three years as after that fruit may not hold up.
Veritas 2001 Binders Bulls Blood – lovely nose with lifted perfume of violets and petals with sweet vanillan oak. It had softened considerably with airtime and should become seamless in time. I loved it.
Veritas 2001 Heysen Shiraz - this was the wine I was most concerned about when I tried it in the morning. It was locked up tight and showed about as much expression as a Bart Maverick when is sitting on a flush. With the day’s air, it had opened considerably with savoury fruit that builds across the palate with terrific complexity. It’s smooth with some elegance and refinement. A solid rubber truncheon in pantyhose.
Magpie Estate 2001 The Election Shiraz – Rolf blinked and the wine was finished. Phenomenally enjoyable wine and Rick; I got right into it. No spitting of this one.
Veritas 2001 Hanisch Shiraz – rich fruit of wonderful intensity with weight. Jack hammer in a silk lining.
Burge Family 2001 Garnacia –
had gained considerably with the exposure and was now as smooth as a new born
babies bum, but as it didn’t have any Brett, it wasn’t as stinky. 
From here on in it was into full bottles. Unfortunately the
Jaspers Hill 1992 Georgia I had taken all the way was corked!
Wendouree 1992 Shiraz – proved to be dominated by oak, to the point of almost being unbalanced. Not much of the bottle was consumed.
Brokenwood 1998 Rayner Shiraz – was intensely sweet with rich fruit and smoky pepper characters. Obviously a heap of new oak was used and it was felt by the experts the wine could have received less time in oak. It did have a lovely mouth feel but was a bit one dimensional and boring.
The next two wines were served totally blind.
A seamless wine with good structure. Savoury off sweet fruit, with classy oak, well made and technically perfect. I said “it finishes short.” Rolf said “it has no finish.” Rick said “It’s like a 16 year old fronting up for the grand final, looks good but won’t last the first quarter.” It was Giaconda 2000 Shiraz.
When he presented the next wine, Rick said “I really want to get your honest opinion on this one.” I took one sip of the wine and spat it out and said “What is this sh*t?” The group felt it showed stewed prune, jarring acid and was unbalanced, however it did have a long finish. “Rolf said “it doesn’t conjure up images of greatness.” Rick said “it seems like is a ‘put together’ wine.” It was not an unrepresentative bottle; Rick had tried it very recently and was completely disappointed with it as it was very difficult to obtain and he had to call in some favours to get a six pack. To make matters worse, it was $200 a bottle. Guigal 1999 Chateau d’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie.
I then let Rolf and Rick taste the fortified wines made by
Wayne Dutschke and disappeared for about two minutes and returned to find them
all gone. Rolf sort of liked them because it took him less than five minutes to
scoff the three sample bottles. If they had have been ordinary, it would have
taken Rolf more than two minutes to down them and they would been on the table
for between five and six minutes. Not that Rolf likes fortified wines. 
And with that it was time to say goodbye to two of the Barossa’s most respected winemakers. It was one hell of a way to finish one heck of a day and one of the most enjoyable of the whole trip. But tomorrow is another day, the last I was to have on this trip so there are more adventures and wines ahead to look forward to in the final chapter.
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Copyright © Ric Einstein 2003
