"TORB Tortoises Through SA" – (The 2005 South Australian Tour Diary)

Day Five Tuesday – Goodbye McLaren Vale, Hello Barossa

Click here for Chapter Three

The drive from the Deviation Road Winery was entirely uneventful and I was left with a couple of hours to taste wine. By the time I arrived in the Barossa the temperature was well over 30° and not ideal for tasting red wine. On previous occasions in May, when I have been to the Charles Melton Wines, I have invariably fared poorly with the range of wines available for tasting. To make matters even less attractive, the cellar door, whilst rustic and attractive, is not air-conditioned and the wines are usually too warm to appreciate properly. I must have helped a little old lady across the road or have done something else good recently, for the gods were smiling upon me. Firstly, although the cellar door is still not air-conditioned, the wines had been kept cool enough to be tolerable. Secondly, there was a full line up of wines and there was not a single disappointment.

On past visits, I had been welcomed by Charlie's Dalmatian, but unfortunately he has gone to greet people at that great cellar door in the sky. I did receive a welcome from the felines, who have their own chairs in cellar door. They are more pampered and have more control than the average film director.

Charles Melton 2002 Nine Popes sells for $42.90 at cellar door. The bouquet is bright and vibrant with hints of meat and liquorice. The dusty, smooth, chalky tannins provide a solid structure with a firm but supple consistency. The pure fruit delivers cherry, plum, meat, chocolate, and aniseed; very savoury on the uptake with sweet underlying characters, the flavour profile is layered and finishes with excellent length. Complexity is well developed and the wine shows a modicum of class; it should be terrific when the tannins resolve around 2007 and beyond. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

Charles Melton 2000 Laura Shiraz sells for $31.90 at cellar door. The bouquet is subtle but shows obvious, clean, dark fruit driven characteristics including blackcurrant, chocolate and liquorice. Everything is in balance; the fruit is clearly leading the charge and is well-backed by fresh acid and smooth, unobtrusive drying tannins. The palate shows distinct barnyard characteristics as well as meat, multi red and blue berry fruits, dominant chocolate and aniseed to finish. Medium-weight with a soft consistency, a solid layered structure that will be seamless in time; the complexity is harmonious and like the preceding wine, it also exhibits a modicum of class. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

Charles Melton 2002 Barossa Shiraz sells for $41.90 at cellar door. The wine showed volatile, lifted alcohol, but that could be as a result of the heat of the day, with blackberry, chocolate menthol and coffee. A terrific balance has been achieved between smooth, tightly-grained unobtrusive tannins that combine with fresh acid but the fruit is the most noticeable component. Savoury, off-sweet plum, cherry, raspberry, with rich black chocolate, mint and black coffee flavours finish with good length and is just YUMMO! Medium-weight with a supple, soft consistency and an almost seamless structure, this is a solid, refined wine that is drinking will now but will improve till 2007 and beyond. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

Charles Melton 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $38.90 at cellar door. The bouquet of this wine is absolutely charming with lifted, perfumed aromatics. Sumptuous, sweet, pure, persistent fruit drives the palate with blackcurrant, chocolate, liquorice, loads of tomato leaf and a touch of cigar box finishing to coffee; it's 100% varietal. Ample-weight with a firm consistency, a solid structure and layered flavours; the complexity is both diverse and refined. The best of the line up for me, it is rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value with room for improvement as the wine matures around 2009 and beyond.

Wow, what a great tasting and a very pleasant surprise. Without a doubt my best visit to this winery. Not a mediocre wine amongst this lot; the line up was high-quality, impressive and enjoyable.

In typical Charles Melton style, all the wines were (approximately) medium-weight and well crafted. Charlie’s philosophy stems from the premise that you cannot make good wine without good fruit. His objective is to cultivate the best fruit possible. Recently, Charles embarked on a barrel assessment program. Prior to blending the wines, a team rates every single barrel in the winery with a score of between 96 and a 100 points (why they use that range is beyond me.) The objective is to only use barrels that rate 100 for their wines.

They prefer to keep their wines for a reasonable period of time after bottling to allow them to settle down and come together, unlike some wineries that are releasing 2003’s and 2004’s.

This is the first time I've had the opportunity to meet Charles; he is a quietly spoken, amiable and personable sort of a guy. I should have known that prior to meeting him; because, after all, he loves animals with the two cats and the (vacancy for a) dog in the winery. According to Charles, he hopes to have another Dalmatian puppy in the winery in three or four months. You can see he is counting the days. The good news for the winery and its guests does not end there. Whilst I was chatting to Charles, we had an interruption. It was in the form of two people delivering a quotation for the cost of air-conditioning the cellar door facility. Charles is finally going to bite the bullet and air-condition the place; whoopee!

As I drove out of the winery I was on a high; but I could not help noticing an impressive looking, new, structure right next door to this winery, so it was time to play Dr Livingstone and go and investigate. The sign said Kabminye and a little bit of quick research told me the winery had been started by Rick Glastonbury, an architect by profession, who has been a home winemaker for many years. The building consists of a reasonably sized, very modern restaurant and a dual-purpose bar which can also be used for wine tasting.

Kabminye 2003 Schliebs Block sells for $32 and is an unusual blend of 50% Mourvedre, 24% Carignan and 24% Cinsault. (A little bit of research afterwards told me “(Carignan) is used mainly to produce strong "Vin de Table" in large quantity. But Carignan is also associated to varieties such as Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah.”) The bouquet expressed spice with obvious raspberry/cherry fruit sweetness. A soft, easy-drinking, lighter style of wine with raspberry, liquorice and chocolate flavours that finished with excellent persistence. With enough smooth, unobtrusive tannin to hold the wine together, fresh acid and delicate fruit, the wine is lean in weight with a soft consistency, a seamless structure and a harmonious complexity. A good food wine that is ready to drink and now, it is rated as Recommended with ** for value.

Kabminye Irma sells for $22.50 and is a blend of 60% Shiraz, 20% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. 2001 was the first vintage but unfortunately I neglected to write down the vintage of the wine tasted. The wine has been sealed in Stelvin and exhibited an almost flat nose but with some coaxing showed floral aromatics, sweet rose petal characters and spice. Upfront sweet raspberry is offset by bracing acidity and the wine finishes to chocolate. Medium-weight with a supple consistency and a plain complexity, it is an easy drinking wine that is designed to be consumed with food. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Kabminye 2002 Hubert Shiraz sells for $37.50 at cellar door. A sweet, floral nose with spicy nuances; it is subtle but shows class and elegance. Smooth, unobtrusive drying tannins and lively acid combine with delicate fruit to produce a lean-weight wine, with a supple consistency, very elegant structure, and well developed complexity. Savoury plum, blackberry, raspberry, milk chocolate, aniseed and mint flavours finish with good length and persistence. Drinking well now, it may improve in the short term and is rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value. This is a good quality wine, but why oh why, would you want a wine styled like this (lean) with Barossa fruit?

Kabminye 2003 Au (gold) sells for $55 for a 375 ml bottle. An intensely floral, marzipan dominant bouquet is replicated on the palate with enjoyable flavours of apricots, marzipan, and orange. Reasonably light, it's not exactly sticky or cloying, and whilst it does have good acidity, the finish is a little short. Rated as Recommended with * for value.

In an area like the Barossa that is known for its big, juicy wines, I scratch my head and wonder why a winery would consciously make such light style wines, which are decidedly un-Barossa, and could be from almost anywhere. The answer could lie in trying to match wine with food in the restaurant.

Clearly, there is an emphasis on food here; this winery may be more about food and wine tourism, than about fine wine, although the person who served me certainly was supremely passionate about the product he was trying to flog. Generally speaking, from my perspective, the pricing of the wines were not competitive and the price of the sticky was ludicrous. It would have to be the most overpriced Australian sticky I think I have ever come across. They obviously do sell wine (to take away), but it would not surprise me to find a reasonable percentage of wine sold is to people who have had a few glasses with lunch, enjoyed the product, and shall we say, "were somewhat relaxed."

According to Halliday's 2005 Wine Companion, "Almost all of the wines are contract-made from purchased grapes.” Considering the obscure varieties being used, and the sales job given to me whilst I was there, this is surprising as I was given the impression they were growing some of the obscure varieties themselves. In addition, I was left with the impression the winemaking process, was closer to home. Not sure what is going on here, Halliday’s information is normally good but then so was the sell job on the wine.

One thing this winery cannot be accused of not doing is experimentation. There is certainly lots of it going on! I was informed, with a great deal of joy and glee, all about the grafting of a number of obscure varieties that this winery is intending to use. Believe me, the traditional European varieties that are finding their way into many Australian wines are commonplace, in comparison to the grapes of these guys are now growing; the names of some would have sent me scurrying to the Oxford Companion to Wine, should I have had a copy handy. Very passionate, very eccentric and very pricey!

After that experience, I only had time for one more winery and wanted to try and finish the day on a positive note, so I headed for St Hallett Winery. In years gone by, that is not something I would always have said, but my last few visits have been enjoyable. The winery is playing around with a trio of European varieties, which are seen as “small creations,” from which they hope, large structures will emerge; these three wines are only available from cellar door.

St Hallett 2003 Sangiovese sells for $30. Sealed in Stelvin, the wine had just been opened and exhibited an earthy, dumb nose with a touch of VA. Fine-grained, dusty tannins and assertive fresh, lively acid combine with delicate fruit to deliver black cherry, earthy mushroom, and dark chocolate flavours that were pleasantly enjoyable and finished dry. Lean to medium in weight, the consistency is firm and the structure "elegant." Complexity is plain and the wine needs greasy food to be truly enjoyed, but I must admit it grew on me. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

St Hallett's 2003 Tempranillo sells for $30. Dusty tannins provide a firm backbone and solid structure to this just medium-weight wine. On the uptake, the meaty, intensely earthy and savoury flavours provide an agreeable complexity, but the fresh, piquant acid rips the tongue out which is then pounded into submission by drying tannins that finish with good length. The wine screams for food. Rated as Recommended with ** for value, you're paying for the novelty value.

St Hallett 2003 Touriga sells for $30 and the fruit is sourced from 30-year-old of vines. Ripe cherry fruit with lifted aromatics and spice grabs a tired nose and gains its attention instantly. Intensely sweet on the uptake, with equally intense spice, coffee essence, aniseed and mint; this is a very attractive and unusual wine that people will either love or hate. I am in the former category and found it to be the best of the three new varieties. Smooth, drying, powdery tannins and persistent pure fruit form the basis of this medium-weight wine with a firm consistency, solid structure and diverse complexity. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

St Hallett's 2003 Faith Shiraz sells for $19.50 at cellar door. My first glass came from a bottle that was half-full and badly affected by TCA; you have to wonder how it got through and why no one who tasted the wine had commented. From the fresh bottle, a core of pure fruit delivered plum, black fruits, liquorice, chocolate, and coffee that finished with drying pepper; with its unobtrusive tannins and agreeable complexity the wine is easy drinking and good value. Ample-weight, with a solid structure and supple consistency, it is ready to drink now and rated as Recommended with *** for value.

St Hallett 2002 Blackwell Shiraz sells for $30 at cellar door I was looking forward to trying it as I had bought a six-pack on spec. A seriously attractive bouquet expressing ripe blueberry, plum, vanilla, coconut and earthy mushroom; the palate flavours were as attractive as the bouquet, showing savoury nuances, spice, plums and blackberry. Impeccably balanced and constructed, the smooth, fine-grained drying tannins suck the sides of a mouth in, but the supremely focused fruit is up to the task. A big, full-bodied wine with a firm consistency, a solid, layered and tight structure and a well-developed complexity; all the components are there but this baby needs time to show its best. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value (when on special,) the wine should peak around 2009 and beyond. I am delighted to have it in the cellar.

St Hallett 2001 Old Block Shiraz is sold out but I was lucky enough to find an open bottle. The bouquet is dominated by toasty, coconut oak and coffee essence; with ripe, rich fruit showing plum and blackberry below. An "old fashioned style" of wine, the abundant, dusty long-tannins currently bury the deeply-seated, rich fruit; in time, if the fruit surfaces the wine will be sensational. Muscular-weight with a firm consistency and solid structure; this veritable baby needs ages to build complexity and secondary flavours. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, one of two things will happen; it will either improve into a glorious wine or fall over.

The wines were certainly interesting and it looks like Lion Nathan is leaving St Hallett’s to get on with the job of what it does best. There is some talented winemaking in this place; and when the wines are on special, which they frequently are, the value can be well above average. I cannot believe, that Blackwell only cost me $23. On this visit, I was ably looked after by Vanessa who proved herself to not only be very personable, she had a thoroughly professional attitude behind her well used smile. The bird outside the front door was pretty good looking too.

By the usual standards, today was a bludge in terms of the number of wines tasted, but I did do a lot of listening and a couple of hours of driving. Despite having an easy day, or possibly because of it, I was looking forward to a quiet night by myself with an uncomplicated take-away meal. As usual, I checked in at the Weintal Resort where you can usually talk them down to a tariff of $80 per night. Normally, everything works and the rooms are clean and the beds comfortable. I asked for a quiet room and was placed at the very end next to the swimming pool (which closes at nine p.m.)

When working out what I was going to have for dinner, never in my wildest dreams did I expect the final outcome. Rather than driving into Tanunda to get take-away, I decided to be radical and headed in the other direction for Nuriootpa. At the entrance to the township, even before hitting Elderton, there was a sight I never expected to see in this area. Red Rooster had come to town with a brand new building that look like it was still in the process of being “tissied-up”.

The towns of the Barossa, in many ways remind me of the towns in my own area, the Southern Highlands of New South Wales; both are tourist areas and have tried, whenever possible, to maintain their heritage, and the traditional look and feel of the old towns. There may be a Dominos Pizza storefront, or a Tricky Dickey Electronics store in the main street of the largest town, that have snuck in under existing usage provisions, but generally blots on the landscape in the form of Pizza Hut or McDonalds buildings have been unable to get through the local council. So, when I saw the Red Rooster building, it was a surprise, and not necessarily a happy one.

Damn it! Sometimes you have to live dangerously and as I have never had Red Rooster chicken before, I decided I would brave the unknown and go for a new experience. I took the chicken, coleslaw and chips back to the motel, and tucked into it. It was an entirely forgettable meal, or one that I will try to forget, as quickly as possible. The bottle of Penfold 1995 St Henri Shiraz was far better than the chicken. Having said that, it would also be fair to say I have never had a truly bad vintage of St Henri, but this would come closest to it; at 10 years of age the fruit, is starting to fade and the tannins dominate the wine, to the point of it being almost hard. Even the 1993, which was probably a poorer vintage, held up better at 10 years of age than the 1995. So, if you have any 1995 St Henri in your cellar, drink up.

Day Six Wednesday – A Full Day in the Barossa

………….…Party time around the pool the night before

………………. I hope they didn’t forget anything else

I walk five or six days a week and normally, nothing eventful ever occurs; so when I left my room at 6.15, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the incredible experience the walk was going to bring.

After crossing the main road, as I walked down Para Road, which goes past Peter Lehmann and Richmond Grove, it was like peak hour in Sydney with cars flying everywhere. There was a real buzz in the air; you could tell it was harvest time. The cars were not driving sedately; everyone was in a hurry to get where they were going, vintage waits for no one.

Prior to getting to Peter Lehmann, a semi turned into their driveway and by the time I walked past, the place was a hive of activity, lit-up forklifts were buzzing around like busy little bees unloading the truck.

Further up the road, I experienced something I have never noticed before. Not far past the entrance to Richmond Grove; in the space of a few metres, the temperature dropped around 3°C. I thought it was strange, until about 20 meters later, the same thing happened again, only this time in reverse. Whilst I was on my walk, I noticed in three or four different places a similar thing occurred; sudden temperatures change over a short distance.

Think about what this means to the poor grape grower! How do you ripen grapes uniformly when you have a microclimate that is different to the surrounding environment, over 3, 4 or possibly even 10 rows; were the temperature is 3 or 4° cooler overnight, and possibly cooler during the day?

An interesting dilemma to ponder over as I walked past Langmeil and round the corner onto the dirt road; cars were still flying past, making the walk less enjoyable as I choked on the dust kicked up by their tyres. As I rounded the bend and climbed the rise, a red Subaru that looked familiar flew round the curve, covering me in a huge cloud of choking dust. About 100 meters further on, Rolf Binder and his son Alex popped out of the car. On the left-hand side of the road, at the start of the vines, was a picker, a dump truck and other assorted paraphernalia.

On the right-hand side of the road, the sun was a vibrant, deep-red ball; with intensely coloured wispy clouds in the sky overhead; everything was the way it was meant to be; the world, despite the turmoil of vintage surrounding me, truly was a beautiful and majestic place.

I crossed the road to say good morning to Rolf. After a quick chat, Rolf and Alex climbed up onto the harvester. Rolf told me Alex wanted to see the start of the harvest, so it looks like the third generation “Binder Wines” winemaker is in training and the winery will be in safe hands.

As I continued my walk, I approached Veritas and noticed the winery was in full swing. The huge doors had been swung open, and even at 6.45 the place was a hive of activity.

I headed back in the opposite direction; the sun coming up over the Eden Valley was changing colour to a bright, vivid orange ball. At this stage, the traffic had slowed down substantially and only the occasional car went past. It was interesting to note, on the return journey, I noticed the same temperature fluctuations in the same spots. The traffic was almost nonexistent and tranquillity had been restored. No doubt, the back-roads would remain just as quiet until about 10 o'clock when the cellar doors opened.

What a magnificent way to start the day.

After a shower, and a healthy breakfast of muesli, it was off to Angaston for my first appointment. I allowed enough time for coffee and had my choice of a number of establishments that opened early. The bakery, which is often a reasonable bet, looked like it had been tailor-made for the Pie King; their idea of healthy food involved bacon and egg sandwiches and the like. I took pot luck in a delicatessen; they made an adequate, but not great cup of coffee. I made a mental diary note, with a red flag for importance, to stop at Salters (who make great coffee) after my first appointment.

Healthy Food! For the Pie King Possibly

……. Andrew and his dog

I had seen rave reviews on Tin Shed which is another new winery I knew nothing about, so it was a likely candidate for investigation by Sherlock TORB. Notice dear reader, that’s Sherlock, not Shylock! The appointment was set for 9 o’clock opposite the ANZ Bank in Angaston. A ute pulled up, a young fella jumped out, introduced himself as Andrew and asked he to hang on for a second. He disappeared into the newsagent and came back with a paper. Andrew popped back to my car and asked if I wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes. True to his word, the ute re-appeared a few minutes later and it was blindingly obvious what he had left behind! This time, there was a dog in the back of the ute; every red-blooded Aussie bloke who lives outside the city knows you can’t have a ute without a dog in the back, it’s not proper!

We headed out of Angaston, about seven kilometres up the road towards the Eden Valley and Henschke. Just past the Equestrian Centre, we turned right and weaved our way up a typical dirt farm track. Judging by the look of the trucks and the buildings, which you will notice in the pictures, this place has been here for a year or three. I think the truck may be older than I am.

The partnership between Andrew Wardlaw and Peter Clarke commenced in 1998. Andrew started making wine as a hobby, whilst he was studying viticulture and working full-time at Henschke. Peter was also making his own wine and, by coincidence, both of them were doing it in their own tin sheds, although Peter appeared to be the more ardent hobbyist. In a quiet way, the wines were noticed and people wanted to buy them; slowly production has been increased and although they are still a micro producer, wine aficionados keenly seek out their wine. Peter still maintains a full time job but now that Tin Shed is an economic reality, Andrew devotes most of his time to the business.

Current production is 3,000 to 4,000 cases; the plans to grow the winery are still in a state of flux, the final number may be anywhere between 6,000 and 10,000 cases, depending on circumstances. Luckily for us Australians, only about 25% is exported.

We wondered around the barrel room, or in this case more aptly described as a barrel railway dungeon. Once again, the pictures will tell the whole story. The first wine we tried was a completed barrel sample of the 2003 Single Wire Shiraz which retails for approximately $50. The wine will spend 24 months in oak and should be bottled by the time you read this story. The wine is made from the best grapes from the top four or five vineyard’s fruit. The wine exhibited beautiful, rich and ripe chocolate, spice, plum, liquorice and blackcurrant flavours, filling the cavities with mouth-smacking, powdery long tannins. About 500 cases of the wine will be made.

We then wandered through the rest of both dungeons and sampled our way through a substantial range of differing barrel samples. Almost without exception, the individual components that will make up the 2004 range of wines were very credible, so there will be some good product coming from this winery over the next few years.

The majority of the fruit is sourced from selected growers in the Eden Valley. Andrew feels the secret behind his wines, and in particular the attractive floral, aromatic characteristics, come from the cool climate fruit grown in this area. The individual components that will make up their Rhône blend were particularly impressive.

From what I can gather, one of the secrets behind this winery's success is access to an exceedingly diverse range of fruit. They are buying tiny parcels of quality fruit from a broad spectrum of growers (mainly in the Eden valley); this gives them astonishing flexibility, and a fantastic opportunity to blend real complexity into their wines.

During our conversation, one thing became blatantly clear; with every individual barrel of unblended wine we tried, Andrew give me the complete rundown on the growing conditions and the viticultural history of the block the grapes came from. He knew each one of these barrels, and each individual block of dirt they came from more intimately than the average person knows their belly-button fluff.

They don’t waste money on fancy amenities here ……

It's impossible to make great wine on a consistent basis without that level of knowledge, so the success that Andrew and Peter have achieved in such a short period of time is not surprising, and from what I can see, there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to continue to do it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the bottled Single Wire Shiraz but I was able to try the 2002 Melting Pot Shiraz at home, at my leisure.

Tin Shed 2002 Melting Pot Shiraz sells for about $23 a bottle. The back label says "Barrels of Eden Valley Shiraz are blended with a dash of Grenache for spice, Mourvedre for funk and Cabernet for soul.” The wine has a pristine bouquet with cherry, chocolate, pepper, and mocha. On the palate, the wine is lighter than expected, medium-weight with ultra-smooth tannins; unfortunately the wine finishes short on the palate. Intensely savoury, there are no sweet characteristics found in the spice, white pepper, milk chocolate and berry driven, earthy fruit. A harmonious, easy drinking wine with a simple complexity that is ready to drink now. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value, the finish really lets this wine down.

After tasting such impressive barrel samples, I was looking forward to trying the Melting Pot; although it was very user-friendly, both the complexity and the clipped finished let the wine down. Until I tried this wine, I was extremely positive and enthusiastic about the winery; hopefully this was just a one-off, ordinary wine.

When I got back into the car, my mental diary system alarm-function alerted me that my next appointment was with a cup of coffee at Salters, so that's where I headed. Naturally, when I arrived at Saltram, I stopped at the bar to see what was available for tasting. They normally have a big range and I definitely wanted to try the 2002 Mamre Cabernet and anything else that looked like it was worth a shot. The facility had just opened, and by the looks of things I caused the staff meeting, which was running overtime, to finish. Elaine Wilson, the cellar door manager, who I had not met, looked after me on this visit. The previous cellar door manager, Richard, who was moved to the position of restaurant manager, was not there which was surprising as he is like a bad smell you can't get rid of, he is almost always at work. Apparently, Richard has a technical bent, and with lab equipment is your typical nutty Professor. In an apparent fit of insanity, or it may have been genius, depending on who you talk to, Richard was off having fun playing with all Beringer Blass's technical toys under the guise of assisting with vintage. That technical bent, may explain why half of what he told me over the years was never quite comprehensible.

Saltram 2002 Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon retails for around $20. The bouquet was inviting; with lifted dark berry fruit and ripe chocolate. Pure, distinct fruit delivers mulberry/boysenberry spectrum fruit on the uptake, with spice on the mid-palate finishing to persistent chocolate and a touch of herbaceous tomato plant; the flavour is ably supported by long, drying tannins that linger for ages. Ample-weight; the pleasant mouth feel and supple consistency combines with a harmonious complexity; and whilst the wine is not a great "varietal" Cabernet, it is certainly greatly enjoyable. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, it should peak around 2010.

Metala 2001 Black Label Shiraz retails for around $50. An inspiringly complex bouquet with a glorious abundance of activity; the floral characters, multiple fruits, chocolate, menthol and mint are pure Langhorne Creek. Distinct, deeply-seated fruit delivers plum, chocolate, raspberry, mulberry, and loads of spearmint spectrum flavours. The sweet and off-sweet nuances combine sensationally and are aided by refreshing, youthful acid. Just muscular in weight, the structure is solid but layered and is backed by smooth dusty tannins. With an impressive amalgam of activity, it needs time and I would love to try it around 2010. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures.

At this point, it was time to remind myself that when I walked in the door my original mission was a coffee fix, so I walked up to the other end of the building, bought a short black and took it back to the bar.

………. Seen outside Saltram Winery

Saltram 2001 No 1 Shiraz sells for around $50 - $60. It was good to be able to compare the Metala and the No 1 side by side. The No 1 has a serious, attention-grabbing bouquet showing excellent fruit complexity with planks of vanilla and coconut; it is not for the oak-a-phobic. Perfectly judged sweet and off-sweet nuances are delivered by the deeply-seated fruit which delivers sweet blackcurrant, aniseed, dark chocolate, smoky oak, coconut and mint. Despite the size of the wine, there is some elegance to the flavour profile, but that elegance does not apply to the weight or structure of the wine; drying, dusty tannins, much of it from the oak, blanket the fruit and the wine needs time for the tannins to integrate and the fruit to emerge. Whilst the oak is noticeable, it appears to be in balance. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value, check it again in 2007.

I preferred the Metala Black Label. Elaine was kind enough to open their flagship wine.

Saltram 2000 The Eighth Maker Shiraz sells for $160. The freshly opened bottle showed a little farmyard bottle stink over magnificent, pristine fruit; once it blew off, you could happily sniff it all day. Plum, chocolate, aniseed, liquorice, mint, coffee and a melange of berry flavours, ever so slowly build across the palate and surf a wave of flavour as long as a Hawaiian  pipeline. Abundant, dusty tannins finish long and dry; supporting a firm consistency, a solid, elegant, tightly-structured core, wrapped up in an ample-weight package. Complexity is sophisticated and the power fantastic, but the wine needs time for the tannins to integrate. Best consumed between 2009 and 2015, it is rated as Excellent with * for value, $80- $100 would be a more realistic price.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Eighth Maker but felt it was way overpriced. On release, supply was extremely limited, bottle shops were given tiny allocations, and yet it is reasonably easy to obtain nine months after release, which is a good indication of wine-buyers’ thoughts. The 2002 Mamre Cabernet, like the Shiraz, is sensational value and is right up there with the 1996 and 1998. The Metala Black Label is not exactly cheap, but is certainly a good wine and one I would be happy to drink at any time.

Some of the Saltram wines are made in a rustic style. Many wineries are backing off on the oak regime and making their wines more "user-friendly" at an earlier age by improving the mouth feel; but Saltram is still doing the same old thing. The No 1 has a large dollop of American oak and even the Mamre Cabernet, whilst a lovely wine, does have noticeable dusty tannins.

In some ways, Saltram is a little like Seppelt; both wineries are part of huge corporate structures and both are being left alone to produce excellent quality wines. Saltram has the potential to produce wines of the same quality as Seppelt, the question is, are they capable of doing it?

Whilst I tasted the wines, Eileen told me that her husband was a vineyard manager for Torbreck, so naturally we discussed that icon too. Without being prompted, Eileen freely admitted there had been some low-end wines, produced over a period of a number of vintages that were riddled with Brett. Apparently, Torbreck has a number of overseas workers (many from Europe) in the winery during vintage. These workers have come over to gain experience in Australian winemaking techniques. According to Eileen’s sources, some of the Brett problems have been caused by overseas workers not taking sufficient care or cognisance of cleanliness requirements. Apparently, the winery has now realised the problem and is cleaning up. It's fascinating what to you hear on the grapevine.

Finally, the quote of the day, indeed the quote of the trip would have to go to Eileen when she said, "I swing between the No 1 and the Black Label” - now that I would like to see.

When I first heard the name Mad Dog Wines, I knew I had to check it out. I met with Jeremy Holmes at his home in the main street of Tanunda which has a magnificent view overlooking the Turkey Flat Cabernet vineyard. The label started off as a hobby in 1999 by Jeremy and (his best man,) Aaron Brasher. In terms of access to fruit, Jeremy did well when he got married; his father-in-law is a third generation grower with 200 acres of vines. In that first vintage, they snaffled some fruit, cropped at one tonne to the acre, and made one barrique. The wine turned out to be all right but in 2000, the fruit was not good enough so nothing was made. In 2001 they produced 400 dozen and the wine was a success. In 2002, they made a similar quantity. In 2003, which is the current vintage, volume was down to about 230 dozen and the wine sold out in about six weeks. The 2004 vintage is due to be bottled in June or July and will be released later during the year. Volume is approximately 800 cases.

Jeremy's father-in-law is the chairman of Barossa Valley Estate and has to make his living selling grapes. The family connection does provide special access to high-quality fruit, and whilst they want to continue making good wine, it is nevertheless still a hobby; so when it comes to sourcing the fruit, some realistic business considerations do enter into the equation. The wine is made under contract by Ben Glaetzer.

With access to great fruit, and one of the most gifted, respected young winemakers doing his thing for you, if you couldn't produce a credible product there would be something seriously wrong. (Dean Hewitson made the first couple of vintages.) The wine is matured in 100% French oak for between 12 and 18 months and the amount of new oak used depends on vintage conditions. The plan is to sell most of it locally, which is good news for us Australians.

After getting the low-down on the background of the wine, I had to ask the obvious question, "What made you call it Mad Dog?" In order to protect the truly innocent, the answer to that question, will remain off the record; but it does involve a deeply god-fearing Lutheran and a wedding speech.

Their philosophy, or objective, is to pick ripe but not overripe fruit, use as little manipulation as possible in the winemaking process; with minimal oak influence to let the fruit shine through. I was lucky enough to be able to taste three vintages of the wine, which provided a reasonable understanding of what they were trying to do.

Mad Dog 2002 Shiraz sold for $35 on release. A very attractive bouquet showing lifted plums, spice, earthy characters; the package is tight. Two standout features are noticeable in this wine, terrific balance, and fruit purity. The components that make that possible are; well controlled, fine, dusty tannins, fresh unobtrusive acid and pure, deep fruit. With nothing jammy or in your face, savoury plum, berry, and spice, with a grind of black pepper, finish with good persistence. Just ample in weight, the structure is tight and shows some elegance, whilst the complexity is harmonious and well developed. The sort of wine you can sit and sip all day, it is drinking well now but will improve; rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value.

Mad Dog 2003 Shiraz sold for $35 on release. The first sniff of this wine in many ways reminds me of the Torbreck style; lifted floral aromatics, violets, with purple and black fruit characters, it is very youthful. Silky tannins provide a harmonious mouth feel; and the pure, deep, persistent fruit with unobtrusive acid forms a medium-weight package with a supple consistency, a solid, seamless structure and a harmonious complexity. Supremely focused blackberry, liquorice, dark chocolate, black coffee and other flavours completes a black package which is in no way jammy. Great drinking now, it will improve and is rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value. The previous vintage was technically a better wine but the 2003 will probably be preferred by many drinkers.

Mad Dog 2004 Shiraz will sell for $35 when it is released later this year. The wine shown to me was a blended sample. Smooth, slightly-dusty, drying tannins, refreshing acid and pure fresh fruit deliver an ample-weight wine with a very supple mouth feel and well-developed complexity. Plums, pepper, and blackberry finish with excellent persistence. If this barrel sample is any indication at all, there is no reason why this wine will not be rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value.

From my perspective, the 2002 wine was the best of the line up. It had the best structure, balance and flavour profile. The 2003 is heading towards prune spectrum and that concerns me. The 2004 showed a better balance than the 2003 but not quite as good as the 2002. On the end of the palate, there is a hint of prune so it will probably not last as long as the 2002 either. Overall, the wines are good and much of these criticisms are to some extent related to vintage conditions. With the experience they have now gained, when a top vintage comes around these guys won't just be making good wines, they will be making stunningly good wines and the price is reasonable which will make Mad Dog decidedly attractive for discerning wine lovers.

It was lunchtime and as I was only a short distance away, I stopped my favourite Tanunda lunch spot which also happens to be the local “ice creamery”. This little oasis makes its own bread and the sandwiches are filling, nutritious, tasty and they have a good range from which to choose. What's more, there is never any disagreement when I stop here with the Pie King because they sell his favourite fix. They make a mean smoked turkey and salad roll and whilst the coffee is drinkable, on this occasion, I preferred a cold Diet Pepsi.

As I had time up my sleeve before the next appointment, I decided to head over to Two Hands Wines. I hadn't made an appointment and just wandered in on spec. The place was buzzing; there was hardly room for me at the end of the bar. Despite the fact that I had a clipboard in my hand to make notes, in every other respect I tried to act just like another punter. I got away with the incognito act for the first 10 minutes until I was “busted” by the cellar door manager who remembered me from my last visit. As I had time restrictions, I had planned to taste a few wines only, but things don't always work as expected.

Two Hands 2003 Gnarly Dudes is a Barossa Shiraz that sells for $25 and is available only at cellar door. The bouquet of the wine was extremely hard to judge as the competing scents of highly aromatic Asian spices were wafting in from the kitchen. Obvious fruit delivered intensely, savoury plums, blackberry, and chocolate that finished with youthful, fresh bracing acidity. Ample-weight with a supple consistency and a solid structure, the complexity was agreeable but with its acid dominant profile, the wine needed food. Rated as Recommended with ** for value.

Two Hands 2004 Yesterday's Hero sells for $35 and is a Barossa Grenache. Once again, I was unable to ascertain much from the bouquet due to the food aroma. Very sweet strawberry on the uptake with chocolate and raspberry, the bracing acidity cut through the sweetness. Medium in weight with a supple consistency and simple complexity, the wine seemed to be disjointed because of the acid. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Two Hands 2003 Shovel Blanc sells for $32.50. It is a blend of Barossa Valley Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Medium-weight, the consistency is supple and the structure solid; cassis, blackcurrant and mint provide an agreeable complexity but the youthful fresh acid is noticeable. The best so far, it is rated as Recommended with ** for value.

At this point I was decidedly unimpressed with the wines. From my perspective, the acid in these wines was noticeable to the point of being disturbing; as was the value aspect. I would have been quite happy to walk out, but the cellar door manager had been kind enough to rustle up three wines for me to try that were normally not available for tasting.

Two Hands 2003 Samantha’s Garden is a Clare Valley Shiraz and sells for $55 at cellar door. The wine spent 20 months in French oak; on the bouquet the mushroom oak dominated the focused fruit below. The palate was surprisingly savoury with plummy fruit, blackberry, liquorice, coffee nuances, and mint on the finish. The oak was obvious but in control; and combined with the abundant chewie, drying-tannins, the wine did not seem as polished as some of the previous Garden Series wines. Muscular-weight, with a firm consistency, well-developed complexity and a solid structure, it is rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value and needs time to show its best.

Two Hands 2003 Bella’s Garden is a Barossa Shiraz and sells for $55 but can no longer be purchased individually. The wine spent 16 months in French oak 30% of which was new. Substantially authoritative fruit delivers rich plum, chocolate, more plum, still more chocolate, mushroom and coffee on an impressively long, persistent finish. Ably supported by silky, tight, drying-tannins, the wine is muscular in weight with a solid, tight structure and harmonious complexity. Whilst it is drinking well now due to its seductive mouth feel it will improve over the next four years and is rated as Excellent with *** for value.

Two Hands 2003 Lily’s Garden is a McLaren Vale Shiraz and also retails for $55 at cellar door. Loads of dusty, drying tannins bury the deeply seated fruit resulting in a wine that is chunky in comparison to the Bella's Garden, but it does have the structure to turn into something worthwhile. Intensely savoury with red berry spectrum fruit, chocolate and coffee to finish; the wine is full-bodied with a firm consistency and the agreeable complexity needs time to build. A rustic old-fashioned McLaren Vale style Shiraz, it should peak around 2010. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value, the rating may go up as the wine matures.

The Picture Series wines I tried were frankly disappointing. The Garden Series (with one exception that was sold out), whilst OK, did not appear to be as good as previous vintages. Generally speaking, there is also far better value to be found elsewhere, but judging by the number of people going through cellar door when I was there; Two Hands slick marketing seems to be working.

My next appointment was another winery I knew nothing about but the tip off came from a well respected source in the business who has never given me a bum steer. Schubert Estate is owned by Steve and Cecilia Schubert, their property is across the road from Torbreck, and up the road from Greenock Creek; with a pedigree location like that, they had to be worth investigating.

…….  Schubert Goose Pie in winter, anyone?

 Cecilia gave me specific instructions on where to find the house but they were obviously not specific enough. Like a goose, I drove right around the property and wound up coming in through the backdoor from the wrong direction.  As it was a hot day, they invited me into the kitchen; we sat around the table having a good chin wag whilst we got to know each other. Both Steve and Cecilia are very personable people and a pleasure to talk with, so it was an easy visit.

Steve bought the property in the 1980s. At that time, you couldn't give grapes away. Steve consulted some well known and respected winemakers, including Peter Shultz and one of the head Penfold's winemakers, who all gave him the same advice. So, in 1986, along with a lot of other “brain surgeons” who thought it was a good idea at the time, he applied for, and was granted the vine pull subsidy and subsequently pulled out acres full of old Shiraz vines. He's still kicking himself for doing it.

Around 1992, replanting commenced and they now have thirty-seven acres under vine, three of which are Semillon. All (except two or three tonnes of the grapes which are used for their own wine,) are sold off to Torbreck with the majority of them ending up in The Struie and The Factor. The block where they get their own Shiraz from, was originally planted by Dave Powell in 1995 and the vineyard is basically managed to Torbreck specifications.

The grapes for the Schubert Estate wine are hand-picked, from the same block every year, and a small basket press is used in the winemaking process. French oak is now used exclusively and only a minimal amount of it is new. Two hundred cases of wine are produced. The current vintage, the 2003 sells for $42 a bottle and there are about 60 cases left. All Australian sales are a direct and the wines are not sold through bottle shops, US sales are through retail channels.

Schubert 2003 Shiraz sells for $42 by mail order. Tight, with lifted floral characters, black fruit, spice plum, coffee, chocolate and earthy; the bouquet certainly was attractive. The wine has some stand out features; the first is excellent balance and the second is mouth feel, but the fruit was best of all. Supremely focused quality grapes produced plum, blackcurrant, coffee and dark chocolate flavours that finish with excellent persistence. The wine needs time in the bottle to gain complexity and fill out the mid-palate hole. Ample-weight, the consistency is firm but supple and the structure tight and shows some elegance. This is a terrific, indeed classy wine that is rated as Excellent with **** for value that is worth buying and should hit its peak around 2010.

Naturally enough, when talking to a grape grower, at times like these when things are really tough, the subject of grape prices invariably comes up. During our conversation, we discussed the ins and outs of the topic including cropping level, quality and every other imaginable influencing factor. In relation to quality grapes, Steve summed it up succinctly when he said, "If you want to get chaff; the stuff that has been through the cow once comes a bit cheaper than the fresh stuff." Oh how true!

Paddy, their English Springer Spaniel is quite a character but apparently doesn't hang around when the glass is empty. It was delightful to meet both Steve and Cecilia. Cecilia has a very sharp wit. After tasting one mouthful of their wine, I ask Cecilia if I could use the bathroom. As quick as a flash, with a dead straight face, she came back and said "Don't tell me our wine makes you sick!”

This wine is worth seeking out and it is a winery that I will watch with keen interest.

After a great experience at Schubert's, what better place to visit than Torbreck. I tried the majority of their 2003 releases and the 2002 Run Rig at Wine Australia a few months previously, but at that time the 2003 The Factor had not been released. As I was across the road, it was the perfect time to try it. When I walked in the door, the place was deserted and I thought I could have helped myself to anything I wanted. After having waited for a few minutes, as I walked towards the office to see if I could find someone, in walked Liz Ellis, the cellar door manager. It turns out I wasn't completely alone; behind the counter was a vicious guard dog, aptly named, Bacchi, who would probably be capable of licking the average person to death.

………………….. Liz and Bacchi

Torbreck 2003 The Factor (100% Shiraz) sells for $125 at cellar door. Tight, with lifted, seductive aromatics showing plum and pepper, the wine is obviously from a cool year. It reminds me of a serious student; you know the type, thick square glasses looking like a nerd, sitting quietly and unobtrusively in the corner just waiting to be called upon so they can sprout forth, showing their brilliance. Strong elemental flavours of plum, pepper, chocolate, mint, and mocha finish, with authoritative persistence that lasts for minutes. Muscular-weight, the fine-grained, dusty tannins support a tight, solid-structure with a firm but supple consistency and well-developed, sophisticated complexity. A classy wine that needs ages to integrate, it is more rustic in style than The Descendant. Rated as Excellent with *** for value if I had any in the cellar, I would not approach them until 2010 and beyond.

Now, having tried all the new releases from Torbreck, it is obvious that even in a poor year, if you have access to truly top-class fruit, you are in front of the game and are still able to produce high-quality wine. The wine may not be as perfect as it would be in a great vintage, but it is still fine wine nevertheless.

As I had a little time to kill before my next appointment, I thought I was time to live dangerously again and try something new. They don't come much bigger than the old Chateau Yaldara operation which is now owned by McGuigan-Simeon. Now why would I want to go there, you may well ask, and the answer is their Farms Barossa Valley Shiraz which a number of people have rated highly. When I walked in the door, although the place is huge, it was all but deserted. A person wearing a tie, and looking like he held a position of importance, ambled past and asked me if I was there to taste some wine. I could have been sarcastic and given him a humorous smart-arse reply but said “yes.” As he ambled past me on his way to do more important things, he told me someone would be out to look after me fairly soon.

In due course, a lady came out to serve me. I gave her card and introduced myself. Big yawn, I got the distinct impression she was not interested and could not care less, she didn't even look at my business card. With that sort of reaction, I was on my “best, polite Sunday School behaviour.”  I explained that I was on a mission and had very limited time between appointments, and unfortunately, whilst I would like to try a number of the wines, I only had time to try one, and if the Farms Shiraz was available, that would be it. I was in luck, it was! The 2000 Vintage.

One sniff; but there was no way I was going to put this in my mouth, it was badly oxidised. There was not much left in the bottle, and when I politely inquired how long it had been opened, the answer was two days. After checking the sample, the lady serving me agreed with the prognosis and a second bottle was opened. After it was checked, by both sniff and sip/spit, a fresh glass was handed to me. One sniff, and I shook my head, even many casual drinkers would recognise there was something wrong with this wine. As I didn't want to make a fool of myself, I reluctantly took a sip and indeed, the cork taint was as bad as I had feared. By that stage, the phone had rung and the person who was looking after me was deeply involved in a conversation. When she was eventually free, in an extremely polite and nice way, I asked her to sniff the two samples and tell me which one she thought had the freshest, most vibrant fruit. She sniffed both glasses and said, “the first bottle” (i.e. the one that was badly oxidised.)

She was kind enough to offer to open up another bottle, but I politely declined, explaining that I had run out of time.

Is this situation caused by winery ignorance, or winery apathy?

The pricing of this label is shall we say "interesting." There is a stack of the 1999 available for $50 a bottle. The 2000 is also available and is $60 a bottle. The 2002, which won the South Australian wine of the year in a local competition, has a retail price of $95 a bottle at the winery “and is in limited supply.” (Vintage Cellars lists 2002 @ $50, $45 by the case, one retailer has the 1999 @ $37).

I am sure, regular readers will know what I thought about this experience and the pricing structure of these wines without me having to make any further comment. Judging by the fact that three vintages of the wine is available for sale, it looks like most of the smart wine buying public has been able to work it out too.

My last appointment of the day was one that I was looking forward to. A visit with Rick Burge, of Burge Family Winemakers, never fails to disappoint. Rick is a fairly intense sort of a guy but that intensity has led to a dedication and commitment to his craft, which in turn, results in fine wines year in and year out. Never being completely satisfied, or resting on his laurels, Rick is always tinkering with the most minor aspects of his craft in an endeavour to make ever better wines.

Just as important, in some ways more important, is his sense of family heritage and the need to continue the Burge Family name as quality winemakers. This family heritage was the primary reason for this visit to the winery; Rick wanted me to try his new fortified wines. As we tasted these wines, it was apparent there was a wealth of family history behind them, both by way of tradition and by way of physical attributes. Much of the base materials for these fortified wines were actually made many years ago, by Rick's father. At one stage, when we were talking about a specific wine, Rick disappeared for a few minutes and come back with charts that contained details that were originally notations made by his father. The amount of overall detail relating to each component that went to make up each wine was both fascinating and staggering. The intention to detail was completely anal, but Rick would be proud of that and consider it a compliment. The fortified wines are all named Wilsford, after Rick's grandfather and are bottled in 500 mL bottles.

The man has a sense of humour……….

Have a look at the label…………..

Burge Family Wilsford Old Sweet White retails for $28.35 for 500 ml. The base of the wine is Barossa Tokay grapes with the majority of the fruit coming from the 1991 vintage; but some of it is from 1986 and 1982. The bouquet shows good rancio characters and burnt caramel. The palate shows reasonable-length, attractive malty, burnt caramel, and orange peel; but its best attribute is its clean and dry finish. Showing some elegance, although the consistency is rich, it is definitely not an in your face style; unfortunately the complexity is simple. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Burge Family Wilsford Old Barossa Tawny will be released at the start of winter. The base of the wine is 82% Shiraz and for all intents and purposes, it could be almost be deemed a VP, as the vast majority of the fruit was from the 1991 vintage. At 21% alcohol, there is a controlled lift to the nose, with coffee and youthful perfumed characters. Deep, strong fruit delivers rancio, malt, caramel, butterscotch, coffee, orange peel and honey flavours that finished long; whilst the zingy acid cuts a swathe through the sweetness. Muscular-weight, it is a rich, fleshy wine with a diverse complexity that I found a touch jarring due to the acid. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

Burge Family Wilsford V.O. Tawny and as the wine has not been released yet, local pricing is still to be determined. Rick openly admits that he made nothing of this wine, it was all made by his father, who retired 18 years ago. Rick did freshen it last year with the addition of some youthful 1986 wine, so the 86 material is the youngest component. The wine is primarily a blend of wines from the early 70s going through to the early 80s. If you are expecting your average, sickly sweet, in your face port, this is not it; this wine is class! Supremely focused fruit endows apricots, caramel, and some rancio characters that finishes with substantial length; the crisp acid adds support to the wines moorish character. A lighter weight than most, it is rich and fleshy with a well-developed complexity and shows some elegance. A noteworthy wine with a focused structure and balance; it is Rated as Excellent.

Burge Family Wilsford 2003 V.P. is a Shiraz, Touriga and Souzao blend that sells for $15 (375 ml bottle). Rick originally wanted to abbreviate the name to Shi T z but thought he might have had trouble selling it in the US. At 19.5% alcohol, there is a controlled spirit lift to the bouquet which shows youthful plum, spice and chocolate. Rick does not use brandy spirit in the wine, preferring a neutral spirit as he feels it delivers "preserved aromatics and not warm, oxidised aromatics.” A lip-smacking mouthful of alcoholic plum and chocolate milkshake that had me turning around looking for a slab of Lindt dark chocolate. Velvety tannins and pure, deep, beautifully focused fruit combine to form a firm but supple, rich wine that is harmonious but still tight and shows some elegance and for a VP. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, it should best be approached between about 2009 and 2020. This was my personal favourite of all the fortified. I cracked the bottle a few nights later at Brian's place, and had to fight both Brian and Andrea for my fair share.

As well as tasting the fortified wines, I also took this opportunity to taste a couple of other normal reds. In particular I wanted to try the Olive Hill as the bottle Rick sent me was corked.

Burge Family 2003 Olive Hill sells for $32 at cellar door and is a SGM blend. The bouquet was closed, but the clean fruit was shining and leads to a decidedly rich palate of black pepper, spice, meat, plum, blackberry with lots of liquorice; the wine finishes dry with exemplary persistence, however there is a mid palate hole that should fill in with time. Silky tannins produce a delightful mouth feel and provide a firm but supple consistency; the structure is supple but firm and complexity is harmonious. The wine has fantastic power and is punching well beyond its weight class. One of the better SGM blends available, it is rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value and the rating should go up as the wine reaches maturity around 2010. Rick summed it up perfectly when he said "A beautiful mouthful."

Burge Family 2002 The Renoux sells for $22 at cellar door and is a blend of 54% Shiraz, 24% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon. With a touch of VA, the nose also exhibited subtle pepper, plum, coffee and sawdust. Medium-weight fruit delivers spicy black pepper, plum, mulberry and meaty flavours; it is well-balanced to the fresh, crisp acid; as well as the abundant, smooth tannins that finish dry. A firm, solid wine with an agreeable complexity the wine needs food to show its best but is good for the price. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, it should peak around 2008.

………… The newest Burge Family addition

Burge Family 2003 The Renoux has not been released; the blend has changed substantially with the inclusion of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Shiraz and 14% Merlot. This wine is very different to the previous vintage and the bouquet, although closed; showed dusty notes, earthy characters and youthful fruit. Blackberry, mulberry, spice, pepper, chocolate and other flavours are currently smothered by puckering, dusty-tannins and well supported by crisp acid. Medium-weight, with a firm consistency, solid structure and an agreeable complexity; the wine needs time but should be a lot better for it. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine matures around 2010.

After completing the tasting of Rick's wines, he told me he had taken home a bottle of wine that had been opened some time the previous day and would I like to have a look at it. Would I? It was a wine from a winery that I had tried to see on this trip, but they had not responded to my overtures.

Glaymond 2002 Landrace is a blend of 70% Shiraz and 30% Mataro. The bottle had been opened for some time, so it may not have been in the best condition. Intense plum, blackberry, pepper, and liquorice flavours finished with good length and persistence. The components were interesting in that the abundant, dusty, drying powdery-tannins; a reasonable amount of which were oak derived, showed substantial authority over the noble quality fruit. The tannins, combining with the glycerol catches on the palate. Full-bodied, with a firm consistency and solid, tight structure; the complexity is sophisticated and despite the wine’s size, it does seem well controlled. If the fruit lasts long enough to surface from below the tannins, this could be sensational; however as I'm not quite sure of the condition of this bottle, I will not rate it.

The more I see of Rick Burge's wines, the more impressed I become. Somehow, each time I visit the wines seem to get better and better. In his inimitable style, Rick is doing his own thing and ignoring market trends and fads. Where other companies are moving away from fortified wine, Rick is getting into it because he wants to continue a family heritage. This is definitely a wine maker that listens to the beat of his own drum, and it's a pity there are not more innovative winemakers following his example.

In general conversation with Rick, he had this to say, “Too much wine is being made to a formula. You go to the first bistro at the east end of Rundle Street and have a look at the wine list. You can bet London to a brick that 80% of the wines will be on every bistro or restaurant wine list on that strip. Those wines will be clean, fault free, technically perfect and enjoyable enough, but completely soulless.”

That was the end of the day's official proceedings and the only thing left to do was to have dinner. Originally, the plan was to have dinner with Rolf Binder and Rick Burge, an annual tradition, but unfortunately Rolf was trying hard to feign interest in his family and had to pull out. Considering the amount of time that Rolf spends at the winery during working hours, or with people in the business after hours, spending time with his family is an excellent idea, so I did not mind the cancellation in the least. Rick made up for Rolf's lack of attendance by bringing his wife Bronnie, who I had heard so much about over the years, but had never met. It turned out, not surprisingly, she was a lot better to look at then Rolf and what a delightful lady to boot; bright, bubbly and vivacious in a restrained way.

We had dinner at the 1918 restaurant in Tanunda and the food was damn good. For a starter I had bugs in a béarnaise sauce with a risotto ball that was superb. For my main course, I had twice cooked duck with kipfler potatoes, the incredibly rich sauce was chock full of mushrooms; the dish was absolutely divine and enough for two people. Service was adequate considering it was a very busy night, and it looked like the tables surrounding us were made up of people who worked for Barossa Valley Estate out celebrating a pre-harvest party.

The wines consumed that night included a “Claret”.  I have forgotten the name but it was a 2000 third growth. A very enjoyable wine with a good structure, it was approachable now, but in reality it could just as easily been a Coonawarra Cabernet as a French wine. We also consumed a Tim Adams 1995 Aberfeldy that was absolutely magnificent, especially with the duck. Beautiful pure fruit with tannins that are integrating well, the wine is well and truly in its drinking window. Rated as Excellent, at the end of the night, the Aberfeldy was finished but the Claret was not. We also had a bottle of Villa Maria 2000 Reserve Pinot and a shock horror; I had two glasses of that wine and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. With some typical Pinot feral characters, but not a lot of them, the wine showed perfect balance and an impressively focused finish. It went perfectly with my starter.

The day started with an incredible early morning walk and the high that generated continued right through the whole day and on into the evening. If only every day with this special. Needless to say, I slept well that night.

Day Seven Thursday – From the Barossa to Canberra

Shouldn’t this be a Shiraz Dog Wash …………

Not Champagne! ………………….

Last night wasn't exactly an early night and I had extreme difficulty getting out of bed in time for my early morning walk, so decided to be slack and sleep for an extra hour. For the second day in a row, my first appointment was in Angaston, and just like yesterday, I left time for a heart-starting, early morning cup of coffee. Whilst I was at Torbreck yesterday, Liz mentioned a place called “Blond Coffee” in Angaston and recommended it highly, so I decided to check it out.

I had a cup of short black and it was so good, I ordered a second. They also have an impressive array of cakes that are made on the premises. Being a bit naughty, I had a hot cross bun with my second cup of coffee, but unfortunately the bun, whilst okay, was nothing particularly flash -- perhaps I expected too much. If you are in this part of the world, it is worth a stop as it is one of the better coffee spots in the area.

Most serious wine lovers would be well aware of the name Torbreck, but not many are probably aware of the name Standish, yet Dan Standish is an integral part of Torbreck, he is their winemaker. He is also the wine maker in a venture called Massena. Massena is another one of those small, low profile wineries that is not even listed in Halliday's latest Wine Companion, but those in the know, are keenly seeking out Massena wines.

Jaysen Collins is the other partner, and is employed full-time as the general manager of Turkey Flat. Their relationship goes back many years, to when they worked together at Taylor’s on the midnight shift. As a result of that shift work, in 2000, when they produced their first wine, they named it “Moonlight Run.” Current production is around 1,000-1,500 cases and the wines were made at Torbreck and Turkey Flat. The aim is to expand slowly but surely, and as they don't want to borrow money, will need to fund the growth using profits.

Experimentation is key to their growth plans. All sorts of different varieties have been planted, from Durif to European varieties. What works gets bottled, what doesn't is sold off. They have 10 acres of their own vines at Mount McKenzie which will be planted to Roussanne and Viognier. They also have a close, but non-exclusive, working relationship with four other growers. All grapes are hand-picked, from low-yielding and, if possible, dry grown vines. Most bunches are de-stemmed and whole berries are placed in open fermenters, basket pressed and malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Minimal use of new oak is employed, approximately 5 to 10%, which allows the fruit to take precedence.

The 11th Hour, which has not been reviewed here, because it was tried at the first night’s dinner (see Chapter One,) should probably be called the 11th hour and 59th minute. After the first vintage of this wine had been made, they arrived at the vineyard where the grapes were sourced, to find a bulldozer had been put through the majority of the 65 year old vines. The owners of the land had had decided to pull out the old vines and replant them with young vines that could be machine harvested. After picking themselves up off the floor, and when they stopped crying, Dan and Jaysen came to an arrangement with the owners; they would leave the last five rows of old vines and Massena would pay them a premium for the grapes. The mind boggles!

Dan is a busy man at this time of the year, and although we agreed to meet at nine o'clock at his old house, (he is the process of building a new one,) he had already been out to the vineyards in the Eden Valley. He was also pushed for time, so we had to try and keep the tasting to the point, but that did not stop him from opening an impressive array of wines.

…….. Dan Standish coming up from the cellar

Massena 2004 Epsilon Shiraz is a new wine from this producer with about 2000 cases being made, the fruit comes from the Barossa and it should sell for approximately $18. The wine had only been bottled the few days prior and the effect of the recent addition of sulphur dioxide was evident; but the ripe, fruity, intense nose was still authoritative. Intense plum, cherry, black current, chocolate, and aniseed flavours together with smooth, dusty tannins combined to form an ample-weight, supple wine with a solid structure and a harmonious, agreeable complexity. An easy drinking wine that could not fail to please a crowd, it's very slurpable and over-delivers on value. Ready to drink now, it is rated as Recommended with **** for value.

Massena 2004 Barbera / Dolcetto is so new it doesn't even have a name yet. It should be released towards the end of March and will retail for $19. It had also been bottled in the previous week, and whilst it is a lovely, easy-drinking wine, it is no slouch. Silky, dusty tannins, balanced acid and deep, pure fruit produced a clean and stylish well-balanced drop. Blackcurrant, black pepper, and spice dominate the liquorish finish which presents itself as a chewy mouthful. Ample-weight, the consistency is supple and the structure both tight and elegant. Harmonious already, it is rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value and is worth buying for something a little different.

Massena 2004 Moonlight Run is an unusual blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Shiraz, 10% Mataro, and 10% Cinsault; it spent 20 months in oak, the wine retails for $23. The bouquet exhibits clean, juicy fruit with French oak influences which leads to a palate of red and blue berry spectrum fruit that finishes dry. The wine is well balanced; medium in the weight, the consistency is supple, the structure solid and the complexity is both agreeable and harmonious. A wine of undoubted quality; whilst it's easy drinking, it did not excite me, but that does not mean it will not excite others. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Dan also produces wine under his own family label. The first Standish Wine was made in 1999 but none was made in 2000.

Standish Wine Company 2002 The Relic the first release of this wine, it is a Shiraz base with 7% Viognier and retails for $80. The wine is produced from seven year old vines on the family's 20 acre property; production was 180 cases. The wine maintains perfect balance and is supremely focused; smooth, drying tannins are well matched to unobtrusive acid and pure, persistent fruit. Tight and unyielding, it resisted showing its true character. With blackcurrant, mulberry and black cherry; there was little sign of the Viognier except for a little apricot on the tail end which complemented the bitter chocolate. Medium-weight with a firm, supple consistency and an almost seamless, elegant and tight structure this is a complete wine. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value, the ratings should improve as the wine peaks around 2010.

Standish Wine Company 2001 The Standish retails for $80; there is a small quantity of the 300 cases still available. The grapes come from a vineyard that is almost organic and is cropped at half a ton to the acre. The processing is a little different; it was cold soaked for five days in open fermenters and then the wine was left on lees until it was bottled. The bouquet is earthy with a minor amount of char from the oak. Smooth, drying, dusty tight-grained tannins and pure, deep, persistent fruit interweave through a well-balanced, chic mouth feel. With an excellent power to weight ratio; the aniseed, plum, black chocolate, blackberry (almost into prune spectrum) flavours build slowly across the palate and just keep motoring along. Medium-weight with a firm consistency and a solid, tight, elegant structure; the complexity is harmonious and whilst it is not as refined as The Relic 2002, it's a bloody good wine. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value, it should peak around 2009.

Dan Standish is a talented winemaker, the wines speak for themselves. Across the range, the Massena wines represent good value for money. The Standish family label is certainly not cheap, but there is no doubting the quality of the wines. It looks like he is taken a leaf out of the Torbreck pricing book when he decided on the prices for the Standish wines.

And with that, my tasting in the Barossa came to an end but it was not the end of today's tasting, or indeed the tasting on this trip. On unbelievably short notice, I had contacted the extremely helpful people in the marketing department at Southcorp requesting an opportunity to try the about to be released Penfold Bin Range. After a bit of backward and forward negotiation, an appointment was arranged for me to try the wines at 1 p.m. at Magill Estate in Adelaide, on my way to the airport. So it was time to say goodbye to the Barossa and head for Adelaide.

Whilst I was with Paul Beard on Monday, he suggested that on my way back to Adelaide I should lookout for Uleybury Wines which was on the other side of the Eden Valley. I thought I got his drift but wasn't quite sure and so as I drove into Adelaide, I looked for the signs. By the time I started to hit the start of suburbia, I had given up, figuring I had missed them. And then, there it was, the big brown sign; so I hung a left and headed into them there hills, for how far, I had no idea. As soon as you leave the main road, the road starts climbing and after a couple of kilometres, it starts twisting and turning. After 7 km, just as I was about to give up, I spotted the vines and drove into what was a brand-new winery.

It was started in 1995 when Tony Pipicella planted the first vines. In 2000, they released their first wine. This operation is about as family orientated as it comes. Dad provided the money, built the place and his general manager, son Tory is the viticulturalist, whilst son Anthony is the wine maker and daughter Natalie, mans (or should that be womans ) the cellar door.

Still a work in progress …….

Uleybury Wine 2001 Unley Chapel Hill Shiraz sells for $19.50 at cellar door. Plum, chocolate, aniseed and spice on the bouquet are faithfully reproduced on the palate with a savoury profile; there are no sweet elements. A feather over medium-weight, pure, persistent fruit dishes up an agreeable complexity and the powdery, drying tannins provide a firm consistency and finish with respectable persistence. Drinking well now, it will improve in the short term and is rated as Recommended with **** for value.

Uleybury Wine 2002 A.P. Reserve Shiraz sells for $35 at cellar door. The wine is named after Anthony Pipicella, the wine maker. In its favour, the unobtrusive, smooth tannins present a good mouth feel, and tannins have been well matched to the fruit. Plum and blackberry flavours are super ripe; indeed pushing the envelope into the prune spectrum, whilst the mid-palate has sappy tannins, (under-ripe and over-ripe characters,) the wine finishes to chocolate. It's good winemaking; it's just a pity about the grapes. The structure is solid and shows some elegance, the consistency is firm and the complexity is agreeable. Rated as Recommended with ** for value.

Uleybury Wine 2002 Reserve Merlot sells for $30 at cellar door. Dusty oak is noticeable but this is a black bouquet; deep plum, black coffee essence, black pepper, liquorice and slightly perfumed undertones are faithfully replicated on the palate and finish with drying tannins and crisp acidity. Muscular in weight, the consistency is almost hard and the complexity agreeable. Not a wimpy wine, it needs time to soften and is rated as Recommended with *** for value, with room for improvement as the wine matures around 2008.

Uleybury Wine 2002 Reserve Grenache sells for $30 at cellar door. The bouquet showed stewed fruit characters and unfortunately the palate was starting to dry out. Sweet, stewed plum on the uptake, with abundant spice, and milk chocolate flavours finishing with good length; less ripe fruit would have improved the wine. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Uleybury Wine 2003 Petite Verdot has not been released yet and is likely to sell for about $17. The wine opened with bottle stink and was tight and unyielding. It was matured in 100% French oak of which 20% was new. There is some clever, structural winemaking here. Silky, drying tannins provides the backing and a lovely mouth feel; distinct, deep fruit delivers plum, blackcurrant, chocolate, and liquorice, which backs into the prune spectrum, and finishes with good persistence; whilst the unobtrusive acid cuts a swathe through the sweetness. Medium-weight with some elegance and a tight structure; this is a nice wine that is worth buying; unfortunately it won't age which is a pity. With better (less ripe fruit) it could have been something special and is a very good first effort. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

This winery could best be described as a no B.S. operation. Being relatively new, they are learning as they go; are as keen as mustard and determined to make the operation a success. The winemaking has potential, but clearly they have not got the viticulture right yet. They are extremely honest; even on the tasting notes provided at cellar door, they mention stewed characters in one of the wines. I would have liked or spent more time talking with them, but unfortunately the next appointment was pressing.

The car rental firm had not given me a street directory even though I had asked for one, so the night before, Bronnie had given me specific written directions (whilst Rick navigated and argued from the back seat) on the best way to get to Magill Estate. In reality, I was virtually driving from one end of Adelaide to the other. As my appointment was for one o'clock, I had decided to have a light lunch along the way. Considering the length of road I had to travel, any reasonable person would assume it would not be difficult task to find somewhere to eat. After all, on the road out of Adelaide to McLaren Vale, there were three Subway Sandwich joints in the space of about 2 km. I started looking for a place to eat around 12.15, and by 12.30, the only possibility I'd passed was a Red Rooster, and given my recent experience, one Red Rooster meal in this lifetime was one too many. There were a number of CrapDonalds, but I point-blank refuse to eat there and things were becoming increasingly bleak as time went on.

By the time I figured I was just down the road from Magill Estate, I spotted “Tequila Barbecued Chicken” which was also a hamburger shop. Having not had a good old-fashioned hamburger for sometime, this looked like a good idea. Wrong! It was a disastrous idea!! When the slab of "meat" that was grey in colour and look like it had been rolled by a rolling pin, until it was about three sheets of paper thick, was pulled out of the fridge, I thought I was in trouble. That was slapped onto the grill; and what looked like the worst possible example of a sugary McDonald's bun, was also tossed onto the top of the griller. That's right, not under the griller to be toasted, on top to be fried. The fried egg, by the time it had finished being cremated, was indescribable. I was asked if I wanted salad and sauce and I nodded. The salad consisted of about three bits of lettuce and a couple of bits of tomato which was then smothered in tomato sauce. The package was then assembled; I paid my money, walked out and seriously debated if even the Meat Pie King would be game to try this one. At that stage, I was really hungry and tentatively, and with great reluctance took a bite. It was just as well I was standing right next to a garbage bin, as a whole lot, including what was in my mouth wound up in it.

Luckily I had a bottle of water in the car and took a few big swigs to try and washed away the rancid taste. Unfortunately, the taste lingered longer than the best wine imaginable. Hell, at that stage I would have eaten a Villi’s pie if I could have found one.

When I drove into Magill Estate, it was all happening. Vintage had started and the pickers were hard at work. The restaurant patrons car park was full; the visitors car park was full and I resorted to parking around the back where the staff park. I was to meet Jamie Sach, who has an interesting background. He was the sommelier at the Magill Restaurant for about five years and has gained a degree in wine marketing. Jamie is the “Support Manager, Winemaking” and reports direct to Peter Gago. He gets involved in all sorts of winemaking activities as well as having to look after interruptions like yours truly. Jamie is an extremely personable character and is perfectly suited to his position. He carried out the tasting with polish and dignity but without any pretensions or grandiose wine wan*ing. The tasting took place in the Max Schubert room, which is the cellar below the restaurant. You could not pick a better atmosphere for a tasting.

When I requested the appointment, it was to taste the Bin Range that was just being released, so I was a very pleasantly surprised to see the line up of bottles; it went beyond the Bin 389 and included up to and including the RWT and Bin 707.

Jamie told me that normally, when they do a line up such as this, Grange is included; but the volume of 2000 Grange was extremely limited. To put that in perspective, the volume of 2000 Grange will be about 15% of the 1999 vintage production. Now that is minuscule.

Penfold 2003 Bin 138 is a GSM blend with a base of 69% Grenache. The bouquet is dominated by fruity, Grenache notes; followed by evident pepper and spice with meaty nuances. Whilst it is an attractive, well-balanced, well-controlled, safe wine it is certainly not boring. Savoury blackcurrant, mulberry spectrum fruit with chocolate, spice and meaty characters finish with good persistence.  Medium in weight, this is an excellent example of a GSM blend; it has a well-developed complexity, excellent mouth feel and well balanced structure. It's a reasonably serious wine for the price and should age in the medium term and develop into something fine. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, it should peak about 2007.

Jamie Sach …………………..

Penfold 2002 Bin 128 will be a wine that the people love or hate; those that find this wine attractive will probably not be enamoured with the Bin 28: those that find the Bin 28 appealing, will probably not find the Bin 128 particularly alluring. This wine exhibits an attractive, cool-climate bouquet that is refined and clean showing earthy aromas, plum, and peppery fruit. Plum, blackcurrant, spice, and chocolate oak flavours, all in the savoury spectrum; finish dry with credible persistence and are complemented by an underlying sweetness. Finishing short, and with a mid palate hole, it's not all that attractive now but given time in the cellar, it should turn into something refined and most enjoyable. It is a shy, lighter style of wine and expresses its cool climate origins and is typical of the style and vintage conditions. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the wine should be more enjoyable as it reaches its peak around 2008.

Penfold 2002 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz was aged in American oak and comes mainly from McLaren Vale and Barossa fruit. This wine is the complete antithesis of the Bin 128. Muscular in weight, the distinct, deep-fruit is juicy and delivers dark plum, black cherry and liquorice; and whilst it has loads of chocolate oak influence, it has been well judged and well-balanced. A bold, in your face wine, with dusty tannins providing a firm consistency, the structure is solid and the complexity is agreeable. Rated as (just) Highly Recommended with **** for value (based on the discounted street price at time of release) it should peak around 2008+ but is drinking well now.

Penfold 2002 Bin 407 Let me say from the outset that I have never been a particular fan of this label and whilst some previous vintages, particularly the early ones were attractive on release, they failed to do much as they developed. Aged in 32% new oak, this was an unmistakably varietal Cabernet. The fruit is gloriously sweet, perhaps too sweet, but the refreshing acidity reduces the impact; long, drying obtrusive tannins that keep going and going, producing an authoritative finish. Well balanced and built to age, it should be best approached after 2010. Sweet blackcurrant, plum, spice, and tomato leaf flavours finish to fresh spearmint. Rated as Recommended with **** for value (based on the discounted street price at time of release) this vintage should actually improve and not disappoint.

Penfold 2002 Bin 389 is a welcome return to form and probably the best under this label since 1996. This wine is an almost 50-50 blend and because the vintage was so prolifically good, contains a fair percentage of declassified Grange and Bin 707 material. The bouquet was very shy but showed fantastic intricacy with layer upon layer of aromas, the sort of wine you just want to sit and sniff all day. Muscular in weight, with a firm consistency, a solid and tight structure, the complexity is both sophisticated and diverse. A classy wine, it just needs time to show its best. Meaty, chocolate, spice and multiple berry flavours together with spearmint, finish with long drying tannins. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value (based on the discounted street price of the time of release) buying this is a no-brainer, and it is now in my cellar to be drunk between 2010 and 2018.

An impressive line up of wines

Penfold 2001 St Henri once again shows its class and refinement with an inky, black nose that was earthy and meaty. The wine is due for release in May. The dense, strong fruit portrays a black palate; spice, pepper, liquorice, black plums, bordering on being pruney; finishing to liquorice with drying, grippy tannins. Muscular-weight with a firm consistency, solid structure and well-developed complexity I have some concerns about the long-term future of this wine. Had I not had a bottle of the 1995 St Henri so recently, and seen so many examples of 1998 and 2001 wines that went into the prune spectrum, that have prematurely gone hard and leathery, I would not be so concerned. The wine is currently dominated by grippy tannins that should ensure this wine lasts for a long time; assuming the fruit lives as long. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value (based on the price of $55) this is one vintage I will not be rushing out to buy.

Penfold 2002 Magill Estate is due for release in May. When we were discussing this wine, the term “rigorous fruit selection was used” and it shows. The pure fruit driving the bouquet screams class. The finest grained tannins imaginable are perfectly balanced to a gob full of lip-smacking, pure, persistent fruit; structure and build are sensational. The flavour starts off verrrry slowly: with slightly sweet blackberry, progressing into savoury red berries, chocolate and meat; it finishes to clean liquorice with a long, persistent finish. Showing great harmony, this refined and elegant package blows away the rest of the line up. This is a serious-quality, complete wine and the best Magill I have ever tasted. It will definitely find its way into my cellar upon release; assuming I can find some. Rated as Excellent with *** for value.

Penfold's 2002 RWT is due for release in May. The wine has been matured in a hundred percent French oak, two thirds of which was new. I loved the 2001 so was looking forward to trying the 2002. Muscular in weight with a firm but supple consistency and layered but tight structure, drinking this now is the worst case of vininfanticide possible. Plum, blueberry, chocolate, spice, and liquorice flavours finish long. As much as I tried to like this wine, I couldn't. In its favour, it has loads of everything in the right proportions but needs a long time to settle down; and given time in the bottle, the dominant, grippy tannins should integrate, and the fruit should surface which will make it a whole lot more enjoyable. Rated as "come back and see me in 2010 or 2012” with ** for value.

Penfold 2002 Bin 707 is due for release in May. The fruit for this wine was sourced from Barossa, McLaren Vale and Pathway; there is no Coonawarra component and the wine spent 14 months in new American oak. Loads of sweet vanilla and coconut oak with pure blueberry fruit got better looking as the bouquet opened. A most impressive wine; it has both a super structure, and mouth filling, pure deep persistent fruit that just keeps trucking along. Showing blueberry, mocha, mint, cigar box, and plum; it is quintessential Bin 707 with a long drying finish. This is a full-bodied, complete wine with an intricate, well-developed complexity; it has all the components to turn into something very special; in fact it is the best 707 since 1996. Rated as Excellent with *** for value, it should be approachable around 2015.

An interesting array of wines and one that I was extremely grateful to have experienced. The knowledge that came with the tasting, by way of Jamie's interaction, added significantly to the experience. I must admit, I have had very mixed emotions about the Penfold's over last few years and most of them had been negative. This is by far the best line up under their banner for many years, and whilst there is still work to do, at least things are finally headed in the right direction.

Some of the wines are going to be a little controversial. Top of that list will be the Bin 28 and Bin 128. If you want something to drink now, the Bin 28 is the way to go, but if you want something a little more subtle and elegant and are prepared to cellar the wine, the Bin 128 is for you.

I can't see many people criticising the 2002 Bin 389, except for those who have moved on from the Penfold's house style, which brings me to my next point. There is a definitive house style to these wines and a consistency of winemaking. Some people see that as a positive, whilst some would see it as a negative. From Penfold's perspective, the more the wines are "bang on style" and the more they are obviously Penfold’s, the happier they are. That may not suit some people, but that's the way it is, and that is the way it will remain.

………  ……The pickers doing their thing

Whilst the Jamie and I were chatting, the subject of cork taint, and other associated cork problems arose, especially in relation to the Penfold's red wine clinics. According to Jamie, there are very few incidences of the older wines showing signs of TCA. The only conclusion that one can draw from that, is that the quality of corks today are not as good as they used to be, and cork taint is more prevalent. Jamie stated the biggest reason wines fail at the clinics are because they are oxidised; the biggest cause of the oxidisation, poor or inadequate storage.

When wines are corked, they are replaced but when they are oxidised the policy is not to replace them. The reason for this policy is that many of them are purchased at auction and there is no track record of provenance. If however, someone could prove they had an air-conditioned cellar, or a perfect passive cellar and proof of original purchase, then the matter would be referred to Peter Gago, as the client may have a valid case.

Sometime in the future, Penfold will release both a 2004 Bin 60A and a Block 42. This release will have on one unique aspect. For the first time, customers will be given the choice of purchasing these wines under either cork or Stelvin seals. According to Jamie, recently one of their winemakers completed a report on ageing reds under artificial seals and the conclusions were that the red wines tested aged quite gracefully under Stelvins, and the transference of oxygen was not required.

In another first, Penfold's will sell both these two wines en primeur.  The logistics haven't been worked out yet but it is anticipated the wines will be sold via the Web with limited stock allocated to each purchaser.

On our way out, Jamie locked a very sturdy door behind us; I guess that's not surprising when you consider there is about $1 million worth of wine in the Max Schubert cellar. On reflection, what better way could there possibly be to finish a wine tasting trip to South Australia.

It was just a short drive to the Adelaide airport. After that my disastrous lunch, I was still hungry and although Brian had warned me not to eat a big lunch, because they had a big dinner planned, I needed a snack. Normally at airports, the sushi and sashimi packs are not gourmet fare, but they are well and truly edible; however the pack I got at Zap Espresso at Adelaide airport was an exception. To say it was ordinary was an understatement. The rice was so sticky it was almost soggy; the salmon inside the roll was tinned and had probably been rejected by John West; and it didn't taste all that fresh and was entirely unpalatable. Brian had nothing to worry about, by the time I got to Canberra, I was ready to eat the soles of my shoes.

Both Brian and Andrea are accomplished cooks, so I knew I would not go hungry, to the contrary, it's harder to work out what you are not going to eat when you sit down at their table; there is always so much variety and choice, and it's always delectable. Brian did the cooking and did not disappoint. Whilst they are into “The Atkin’s Diet” it's a darn sight healthier than The Meat Pie King Diet; but still far removed from my low GI diet. The mixed grill, cooked on the barbecue, and containing all sorts of interesting and different goodies, was lip-smackingly good.

The mix grill consisted of tasty lamb chops, chevapi with a light chilli flavouring through it, and a humongous veal chop that was a meal in itself. There was enough meat to feed a regiment. Andrea prepared a salad of green and purple funny leaves with scrumptious parmesan and balsamic dressing. There was also a salad of homemade tomatoes and garlic with a touch of basil, or to more accurately describe it, a salad of garlic with homemade tomatoes and a touch of basil. Our breath would have been charming the next day. This certainly wouldn't have been any vampires around me during the night.

Jamie was kind enough to let me take a bottle of wine with me and I chose the Magill. The wine impressed Brian so it was a good choice. The Burge Wilsford 2003 V.P. also went down a treat and Andrea just loved it; just how much you will hear in the next chapter.

So, if this is the 2005 SA Tour Diary and I've left South Australia, what's next? The simple answer is a side trip to Rutherglen. Andrew Sutherland-Smith, the owner of Warrabilla, wanted an unbiased opinion on his Durif, so asked Brian, Campbell Mattinson and I to a humongous (bad pun intended) tasting of masked Durif wines to see how they stacked up. Naturally, whilst we were driving all that way, we made a long weekend out of it and you can read all about it, and a whole more in Chapter 5.

To be continued ……..

Chapter Five can be found here

Click here for Chapter Three

Copyright © Ric Einstein 2005