The 2007 South Australian Tour Diary
Click here for a printable copy (save to disk and then print)
Chapter One - Introduction
Wow! What a trip this turned out to be; we were fortunate enough to find such a bounty of truly good wine, as well as excellent value wines, far more than any previous trip. It wasn't just a case of getting lucky, or even good planning; South Australia has been blessed by three very good vintages in a row, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Readers will be aware that I missed my normal May trip but in hindsight, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Firstly by September, many more wines from these three top vintages had been released. Secondly, his Lordship, the Pie King (aka John Davis) had shot through to the UK in May. He went there to visit relatives that had been trying to forget him. He also wanted to expand his culinary horizons by sampling the local Scottish pies, whilst partaking in as many single malt whiskies as he could beg, borrow or bludge.
Naturally, my good mate Red Bigot (aka Brian Handreck) also came along for the ride. When booking appointments, I had let the wineries know there would be two people accompanying me, and that they were there in an official capacity, even though they look like a couple of layabout freeloaders. I appointed John as my official driver and Brian as my official bag carrier. I hoped by giving them positions of theoretical responsibility, they may actually behave themselves. Unfortunately, after day one, John refused to drive (his own car,) and Brian refused point blank to carry my bags. You just can't get good help.
The Pie King prepared his Limo especially for us! ...................
The one down side of the timing of this trip was the number of wine makers who had decided to leave town when they heard I was coming, or so it seemed. Normally at this time of the year, a number of the winemakers are overseas trying to shore up business before Christmas. This year it was made worse by the winemakers who were in the US presenting their wines to Jay Miller, of The Wine Advocate.
The vast majority of wineries and I approached, many for the first time, answered my request to visit the wineries and sample their wares positively. The requests were made by e-mail and if not answered then by fax, but unfortunately a few wineries didn't have the common decency to respond, even if it was negative. If someone takes the time to send a fax, even if the winery doesn't want to see them, at the least they should have enough manners to politely decline the request. This trip, the wineries that failed to respond were Glaetzer, Hentley Farm, Lanz Thompson, Spinifex, and Amicus.
Despite missing a number of winemakers I would have liked to have seen, our days (and nights) were kept busy and in excess of three hundred tasting notes were made. The Tour Diary contains the usual (or more likely unusual) antics of my travelling companions, as well as notes on the good, the bad, and the downright ugly food that was consumed.
The 2007 Diary is likely to run to either seven or eight chapters, which (hopefully) will be presented in weekly segments.
As usual, by way of introduction, a vintage perspective has been provided, together with key observations that were made during the trip. If you have not seen Vintage Perspective 2007 and Tour Diary Observations, it can be found here.
The TORB Rating System has been used throughout these notes. If you are unfamiliar with the TORB Rating System, it worth spending a minute or two becoming familiar with it; click here for details. It is important to understand that I am a very hard marker.
When serving wine, all wine lovers realise that it is imperative to have the right gear. That includes the right glasses, the right decanters, a range of bottle openers, and other assorted pieces of equipment. The same is true when going wine tasting. The latest fashion, started by yours truly, is a pair of mandatory wine tasting shoes. That's right, wine tasting shoes. About a month before the trip, I received an e-mail from K-Swiss in the US offering consumers the ability to personally design your own shoes, including colour schemes and the embroidery of a name. It was so tacky, I could not resist and the first pair of TORBWine tasting shoes was purchased.
Flying
out of Canberra is significantly easier than flying out of Sydney, and
considering it takes me about the same time to get to either location, I am glad
that my mate Brian lives in Canberra. After donning my wine tasting shoes and
looking the picture of sartorial elegance,
I dropped the dogs off at Lynn's
place and headed up the highway towards Canberra. It was well past, what the
boys would term “pie o'clock,” but finding food that is fit for human
consumption on the Hume Highway is even more difficult than finding gastronomic
fair in McLaren Vale. I took what I hoped was the least of all evils and stopped
at Hungry
Jack's. I
ordered an Aussie Burger, which included the mandatory beetroot, and in all
honesty, it was most enjoyable and very filling. The Canberra airport has a
Federal government licence to commit highway robbery for those who are stupid
enough to find feeding their face necessary, and as it would be quite some time
before we had dinner, it was important to have a filling and satisfying lunch.
When I arrived at Brian's, he was wearing a white shirt, something I thought was fairly silly to wear when you going wine tasting, but as he pointed out, he wouldn't be tasting wine until the next day. My logic was sound, even if the reason was wrong, because dirty paws from a large dog don't look much better than red wine splotches.
Brian's partner, Andrea was kind enough to
drop us the airport with just over an hour before the flight. Other smart people
have cottoned on to my idea of getting to the airport early to get one of the
escape row seats with lots of legroom. By the time we checked in, they had all
gone.
There was some good news. The plane was new and considering we were
flying cattle class, the legroom was generous and I didn't wind up having my
knees wrapped around my ears, and to make things even more comfortable, there
were a substantial number of empty seats, so we had three seats for the two of
us.
There
was absolutely no traffic on our journey to McLaren Vale and we seemed to breeze
though miles of green traffic lights, so the trip only took forty minutes. For
many years, I had given Sue a hard time about the weight of her two
Chihuahuas.
Not so this time. They were literally shadows of their former selves, and
weighed half of what they did a year ago. They also had twice as much energy, I
wonder if that works for people.
John was delighted to see his beer-guzzling, pie-munching apprentice, and Sue was happy to see me (and Brian.) Whilst Sue and I engaged in polite conversation, the boys chewed the fat about more important worldly matters, like single malt whisky. It didn't take long to get the first glass of wine into us.
Sally’s Paddock 1998 - The bouquet exhibited mushroom and coffee oak characters, menthol, mint, and earthy fruit nuances. The wine is still a baby with noticeable dusty tannins and fresh acid, which is complemented by a delicious fruit-flavour profile of blackcurrant, dark chocolate and cocoa powder characters. Ample-weight, it is intensely savoury and finishes long. Rated as Highly Recommended, the best years are still in front of it; if you have any in the cellar, leave them for another three years, by which time the rating will increase.
Whilst we were sucking on this wine, John
was busy in the kitchen endeavouring not to cremate the steaks, and I commented
on the intense waft of garlic that assaulted my nasal passages. The Pie King's
reply was that a little bit of garlic never hurt anyone, to which I responded,
except the poor people we have to breathe all over tomorrow. In his usual
tactful and sensitive fashion replied, "Well and least it will give you an
excuse for your bad breath."
Strike one for the pie King.
With our steaks, which were cooked to perfection, we had another bottle of wine which was an excellent match. Coriole 1998 Mary Kathleen Cabernet Sauvignon had and earthy bouquet with noticeable Merlot characters; mushroom and plum. Tannins have resolved nicely and the acid was still crisp. On the palate, whilst it was predominantly savoury, there was some underlying sweetness and the package finished long. Although the Merlot only represents 18%, it certainly shows up on the palate with loads of plum. Ample-weight, it was almost as good as the Sally’s Paddock, but the Mary Kathleen was at its peak now and will not improve further. Rated as Highly Recommended.
...John has been fixing stuff around the house again!
Whilst
we were having dinner, the phone rang and John picked it up and said, "Lord and
master of the
Davis
residence here.” According to Sue, he has also been known to answer the phone
"sex god." 
On this occasion it was (only) his daughter Hosanna, but Sue is
not impressed when she receives important work-related calls and John gets to
the phone first. I can't understand why.
Hosanna was all excited because she had just
found a flat and was going to fly the coop in a couple of days. John's reaction
to this announcement was unusual, but that in itself for John is normal. He
said, "Kids! ….. You can't live with them, and you can't shoot them!”
We had a big schedule planned, so when John suggested we have a quiet glass of single malt whisky, the red lights started flashing and I excused myself and went to bed, having no idea what condition the boys would be in the next morning.
Blow me down, both the lads fronted up looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It turned out discretion was the better part of valour, and they both only had a wee dram (or two.)
2007 was not a great vintage, but his Pieship must have been doing something right, because he produced a reasonable crop of fruit, and managed to sell it for an excellent price. Most sensibly, (for once,) the first thing that John purchased after receiving his grape cheque was a real espresso machine.
He
maintains his major motivation for the purchase was to avoid the absolutely ugly
mood of an unnamed guest, which was created by an inadequate level of caffeine
in his system, making him unbearable. I wonder who he could be talking about?
After the wedding ring John bought Sue, the coffee machine was his next most
intelligent purchase. Now that John has a good machine, we have work on the
strength of the beans so that I only need one heart starter in the morning, and
not two (or more.)
Our first port of call was Koffee and Snax, in the main street of McLaren Vale, where we were to meet Paul Beard, our host for most of the day. Paul is an agent that looks after a number of boutique, and even larger wineries in the McLaren Vale area. We met at 8.15 for breakfast, but as usual Paul only had coffee. Over the years, experience has shown Koffee and Snax is a safe bet when it comes to a good cup of coffee. Since our last visit, the place has changed hands and although the breakfasts were still cooked properly, the muffins and other assorted goodies didn't look anywhere near as appealing.
The
first appointment was at
Sylvan Springs. When we arrived, in his inimitable style, John said,
"Business must be good; they have a new humpy. So now they have a humpy on their
humpy.” I think someone has been humping with John's mind.
From my first visit to this winery about eight years ago, I always knew it was going to go places. The initial first couple of visits were terrific with wines that were credible and sensational value. The next few visits were not as good, and whilst I had faith they would get the wines right eventually, the reviews were not exactly glowing. Fortunately, David Pridmore was and is totally committed to making the project successful, and slowly, step-by-step, vintage-by-vintage they started getting it right again. With the 2004 vintage, in order to maintain cash flow, they declassified the top-quality fruit and blended it into other parcels of their fruit and produced a cheaper range of wines. These were an instant hit, not just because of the catchy names; the wines hit the bull's-eye in their target market, and over-delivered on value in a big way.
This move also gave them the cash flow to be able to age their top wines for a further twelve months in bottle prior to release. Having tasted their wines at all stages of their evolution, this was a very smart decision as the wines show infinitely better with the additional time in bottle. They have also moved what has now become known as their Reserve wine up a couple of steps in quality, and although the price has been increased, the Reserve wines are still fantastic value. They have also got their winemaker to reduce the oak influence, and they are all the better for it. The quality of the fruit has now been allowed to show its true character.
Sylvan Springs 2006 Hard Yards was a barrel sample that will be sealed in screwcap and sell for $18 from the winery. The bouquet shows very youthful plum and spice; the aromatics were lovely. Driven by pure, round, juicy-fruit and backed by dusty tannins and fresh acid, this ample-weight wine with a supple consistency and solid structure is very approachable now. If the finished wine is as good it will be a great buy. Plum, chocolate and a touch of char on the tail completes the package. Rated as Recommended with **** for value.
Sylvan Springs 2005 Filthy Boys sells for $15 from the winery and is sealed with a screwcap. (Now before anyone gets the wrong idea about the name of this wine, it's not about naughty boys doing disgusting things, it's about couple of members of the Pridmore family. See the “censored” version of the pictures below.) Driven by sweet, dark fruit and with a pine like oak influence on the bouquet, the palate shows loads of dark fruit flavours including chocolate, and moving into blackberry. Driven by pure-fruit, crisp acid and with enough tannin to hold the wine together, this medium-weight, soft wine is easy-drinking with loads of the fruit for the dollar. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
One of the Filthy Boys - Its the Only way to Travel .... and to Keep Clean!
Sylvan
Springs 2005 Shiraz is their current release wine; it sells for $25 from cellar
door and is sealed with a cork. The clean bouquet exudes classy fruit and
delightful aromatics. The palate is driven by pure, perfectly-ripe fruit that is
ably supported by refreshing acid and unobtrusive tannins. Muscular-weight with
a supple consistency, solid and almost seamless structure, the complexity is
both well developed and harmonious. The wine maintains terrific balance and has
flavours of plum, blackcurrant and milk chocolate. Rated as Highly Recommended
with **** for value, this is a must buy.
Sylvan Springs 2006 Shiraz is still in barrel. The nose shows very youthful plummy fruit with vanillin oak and hints of spice. Once again, the wine shows great balance and is driven by classy, pure-fruit and tight fruit tannins. Showing plum, blackberry and mint; the long finish is slightly sappy and shows a touch of warmth but it may have just been this one single barrel. Muscular-weight with a supple consistency, solid structure and harmonious complexity, whilst it’s riper than the 2005, if this was the finished wine it would still rate as Highly Recommended with **** for value.
If you haven't tried Sylvan Springs wines, you should. If you have tried them in the past, I guarantee you will be impressed with the increase in quality of the Reserve wines.
One of the oldest and most respected producers in McLaren Vale is Pirramimma. This family-owned winery has been doing good things for a long time. On my last visit I wasn't quite as impressed as I had been on previous occasions, but put this down to vintage variations and conditions, so I was looking forward to seeing what they could do in the good years.
Pirramimma 2005 Pirra is a blend of Grenache Shiraz and Merlot, is sealed with a screwcap and sells for $15. This wine originally came in at 16% but through the use of reverse osmosis, the alcohol level has been reduced to 11.5 percent. The nose showed mushroom, chocolate and red fruit. A medium-weight, supple wine that is solid, easy-drinking and best described as a light red. The noticeably powdery tannins and fresh acid support what seems like lightweight fruit. It delivers a sweet and savoury profile with savoury red berry flavours, milk chocolate, black cherry and plum. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value, for my palate, they missed the “sweet spot” in the reverse osmosis process.
Pirramimma 2004 Stocks Hill Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $15 at cellar door and is sealed with a screwcap. The bouquet shows an EA or sulphide character. Loads of drying tannins slam the palate and currently bury the fruit. Muscular-weight, the wine is firm, solid and has an agreeable complexity. The palate is savoury; off sweet and it finishes with green, sappy characters. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value, the rating may improve as the tannins integrate over the next few years.
Geoff Johnston ..............................
Pirramimma 2004 Stocks Hill Shiraz sells for $15 and is sealed with a screwcap. The freshly sealed bottle opened with sulphide notes that dominated the ripe fruit, but luckily it did not show on the palate. An ample-weight, firm, solid wine, it needs a couple of years for the fine, tight tannins to integrate. Intensely off-sweet with red berry, blackberry, and chocolate flavours, there is a slight sappiness to the tannins and I'm not sure whether that has come from being pressed too hard or from young vines. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine matures around 2009 and beyond.
Pirramimma 2004 Grenache sells for $18 at cellar door and is sealed with a screwcap. The nose was brooding but there was good stuff hiding below, including sweet fruit and vanillin oak. Made from 60-year-old bush vines, the wine has been well-constructed with fine, dusty tannins, fresh acid and pure fruit. It's deceptive. The structure seems old-fashioned but the finish is modern. Red berry flavours are off-sweet and combine with almost sour cherry spectrum fruit on the uptake, with milk chocolate on the mid-palate; it finishes clean and fresh. Just ample in weight, the consistency is supple, the structure solid, and the complexity well developed. It’s easy-drinking and food friendly. It has been solidly built and is rated as Recommended with **** for value; drink from 2010.
Pirramimma 2004 Petite Verdot sells for $26.50 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. Matured in 40% new American oak, the bouquet exhibited slight amounts of sulphide together with mushroom and black fruit notes. Smooth, fine, abundant tannins solidly back the fruit which needs time to surface. A muscular-weight, well-balanced and tight wine, it has an agreeable complexity. The palate is off-sweet with sour cherry, and milk chocolate that finishes long, clean and dry. It needs about three years to show its best and is rated as Recommended with *** for value.
Pirramimma 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $26.50 at cellar door and is sealed with a cork. The bouquet shows mushroom oak, vanilla and blackcurrant. A very-solid, well-built wine; the loads of tannins should become very-fine as the wine ages and softens. It's muscular-weight, tight, shows some elegance, and is an absolute baby at this point. Intensely savoury with blackberry, vanilla and milk chocolate, it's a delightful drop. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value based on the recommended retail price, but if you can find it on special, it would be **** for value. Drink from 2012.
Pirramimma
2004 Shiraz sells for $26.50 at cellar door and is sealed with a cork.
The bouquet shows a great expression of fruit, the best of a line up so far,
with blackberry and subtle mushroom. Muscular-weight with a solid, tight
structure and harmonious complexity, the smooth tannins support the wine and
enables it to sit well in the mouth. Off-sweet, almost sour, with blackberry,
plum, milk chocolate, and some char/tar flavours on the tail. An old fashioned
tannin structure, but the finish is modern, clean and long. Rated as Highly
Recommended with **** for value.
Pirramimma 2004 Tannat sells for $26.50 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. This is the first commercial release of this wine. The bouquet is clean and shows some gamey notes and shoe polish. The smooth, tight tannins are puckering and combine with the crisp acid, and pure fruit to form a muscular-weight, firm, solid wine that undoubtedly needs food. It's off-sweet and finishes dry. How to rate it? I have no idea.
The winery has embarked on a new project and will be releasing a top wine towards the end of this year. Matured entirely in French oak, a thousand cases have been produced. It looks like a small fortune has gone into the design and manufacture of the packaging. The new seal can only be applied by one company, and you have to wait your turn on their bottling line. At this time, only one other winery has used the seal. Much to the delight of Pirramimma, the wine has managed to pick up four gold medals and trophies already.
Pirramimma 2004 ACJ will sell for $55 when it is released towards Christmas and is sealed with a new type of Stelvin closure. The Stelvin Lux is smooth-sided Stelvin cap (as per the picture). It’s a blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Petite Verdot. The bouquet is dominated by Cabernet characteristics together with coffee and vanillin oak. This wine is the antithesis of an in your face, blousy Shiraz. An ample-weight, firm, solid wine with a harmonious complexity, it's all about structure at this time. Smooth, tight, fine tannins are perfectly matched to pure, deep fruit and lively acid. The wine is off-sweet with sour cherry, milk chocolate, and blackcurrant flavours that finish long, with both power and elegance. A serious wine that needs ages to show its best, it's rated as Excellent with *** for value, and should not be touched until at least 2014, and it should live a long life from there.
Geoff Johnston had some interesting comments about closures. In his opinion, the more you treat cork in the manufacturing process to try and eliminate cork taint, the faster the molecular cell structure of the cork will break down, which means whilst on one hand you are improving the likelihood of reducing TCA, on the other for long term ageing, you are exposing the wine to a greater chance of oxidisation.
Considering the inherent vintage conditions in 2004, I must admit I was disappointed with the Stocks Hill range. Whilst they have never been my favourite wines, they were always well-made and represented very good value. I don't know what's going on but I was left with the impression that the quality wasn't as good as expected, and it seemed as though they may have been stretching production. If anything the wine should be getting better as the age of the vines increase. The premium range of wines was good.
Unfortunately it was pie o'clock and as we were pressed for time, we headed to the McLaren Vale Continental Deli and Cafe. The Pie King got stuck into some form of his favourite, disgusting culinary choice and whilst I wanted a Turkey baguette, unfortunately the baguettes were sold out. They offered me a double-cut roll instead. I expected something that resembles a club sandwich with turkey, avocado and cheese, not something with enough bread to feed half a regiment. I must admit it was tasty, but more than enough. Brian must have been unwell; instead of a pie he had a BLT on the double-cut roll and couldn’t finish it all.
It has been a number of years since I have been to Cascabel. Located south of Willunga at the edge of the foothills, the climate here is more temperate than in McLaren Vale proper. This is a quirky, boutique winery run by husband and wife team, Susanna Fernandez and Duncan Ferguson. Susanna is Spanish, so instead of making Mourvedre, they make Monastrell; they don't make Grenache, they make Garnacha. In case you haven’t got the picture, there is an unashamed Spanish influence here in both the varieties used, and the styles made. As I hadn't been here in some time, it was going to be interesting to see how they have progressed in the intervening period.
....................................Paul Beard and Susanna Fernandez
Cascabel 2007 Tempranillo sells for $18 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The wine has seen no wood and is designed to be drunk young and fresh. The bouquet shows delightful floral aromatics and the pure fruit is sweet and juicy on the palate, but offset by crisp acid. The profile comes across as being savoury, with milk chocolate and a long cherry finish. Ample-weight, the wine is firm and solidly backed by loads of tight, fine tannins, yet it is a perfect lunchtime style wine and worth buying for something different. Rated as Recommended with **** for value.
Cascabel 2005 Tipico is a GMS blend (in the ratio of 40/20/20), sells for $23 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. Originally this wine was made with some purchased fruit, but it is now all estate grown. The bouquet has a meaty profile over subtle, perfumed aromatics; it's attractive. Fine, smooth tannins and pure, deep fruit combine with fresh acid to form a muscular-weight, firm, solid and tight wine that sits is well in the mouth. The complexity is diverse with intense, dark (80%) chocolate, vanilla, charcuterie, and the slight sappiness on the clean and crisp finish does not detract. It's a bloody good wine and rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value.
Cascabel 2007 Tempranillo Graciano sells for $38 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The slightly pongy nose blew off quickly to reveal red fruits and milk chocolate. The fine, powdery tannins, refreshing acid, and pure, deep fruit provides a very-good, solid, firm and muscular structure. A quality, modern, clean wine that is elegant and tight. On the palate it is off-sweet, meaty, with milk chocolate and loads of blackberry tailing off to red fruit flavours. It finishes clean and fresh across the palate with long tannins in support. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.
Duncan Ferguson .... It was ...... that big...... and it got away! ..............
Cascabel 2005 Monastrell sells for $38 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet has a burnt musk, oxidative-handling character with blackberry and meaty notes. It's noticeably sweet on the uptake with a savoury, meaty mid-palate that goes back to a very sweet finish. A full-bodied, firm, solid wine that is driven by deep, strong fruit and backed by powdery tannins; the 4 or 5g of residual sugar makes it a love it, or hate it style. Rated as Recommended with ** for value, it didn't rock my boat.
Cascabel 2005 Shiraz sells for $38 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows blackberry, vanilla, and earthy herbal characters. Driven by pure, deep, persistent fruit that is well matched to the fresh acid, and abundant, smooth, powdery tannins; it sits nicely in the mouth. Blackberry, savoury meaty/earthy flavours together with oregano, and coffee flavours finish long. Muscular-weight, its firm, solid, tight and shows some elegance as well as a diverse complexity. This is a very-good quality and attractive wine. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine reaches its peak in 2012 and beyond.
I'm glad I took the time to visit Cascabel again. Since my last visit, the wines have definitely improved and although they had a small Brett problem a some years ago in one of their wines, which I was informed came from used barrels they had purchased, the wines seemed very clean. They are doing good things with the Spanish varieties, and the chances are they will just get better as time goes on.
One of the most overlooked and underrated wineries in McLaren Vale is also run by one of the most genuinely nice guys you could ever meet. His wines fly so far below the radar that you require a submarine to pick up the signature. Yet despite this, if you speak to anyone in the business in McLaren Vale, they all know and respect him. As well as making Longwood wines, Phil Christiansen does a lot of contract work. My biggest beef with the guy is the majority of his wine is exported, and finding it in Australia is extremely difficult.
Longwood 2006 Clean Skin is a blend of 80% Shiraz and 20% Grenache. At sells for $88 a case in Australia, is sealed with a screwcap and is available by direct order. The wine had just been bottled and showed some sulphur, but there was bright fruit below. It's black and tarry with dark chocolate on the uptake, herbs on the mid-palate and finishes off to milk chocolate. Ample-weight with a supple consistency, the fruit is strong and the acid lively. Rated as Agreeable with ***** for value, it's available in Australia.
Longwood 2006 Twelve Staves sells for approximately US$14 and is a blend of 80% Shiraz and 20% Grenache; it’s sealed with a screwcap. As it has just been bottled, the reticent nose was not an issue. Pure, obvious fruit combine with unobtrusive tannins to form an ample-weight, supple wine with a diverse complexity. It has a lovely mouth-feel with juicy-fruit, but its savoury with spice, black cherry and chocolate. Bloody good at the price, you would be crazy to miss this one. Rated as Recommended with ***** for value, it's ready to drink now.
You come across strange wines in some wineries. Phil looking the picture of sartorial elegance...........
Longwood 2005 Reserve Shiraz sells for US$40 and is sealed under corked. The wine opened with a touch of McLaren Vale bottle stink together with vanilla and dark fruits. Having had experience with these wines going back to the 1999 vintage, this bottle stink generally blows off to leave a beautiful bouquet. The grapes are sourced from two individual vineyards. An impeccably balanced structure is backed by the smooth, fine, dusty tannins, crisp acid and pure fruit. Red spectrum flavours and dark chocolate are complemented by the coffee and vanillin oak, but there is more than enough fruit to absorb the oak in the long term. A modern, rock-solid wine that finishes clean, crisp and long. It is ample-weight, has a supple consistency, a tight, elegant structure and harmonious complexity. A class wine that needs time, it is rated as Excellent with *** for value and should best be drunk from 2012 and beyond.
Longwood 2006 Shiraz sells for US$26 and is sealed under screwcap. Attractive, floral aromatics with coffee/mocha oak, which leads to a palate showing plum, dark chocolate and coffee flavours. The lovely flavour profile is ably supported by unobtrusive, smooth, long tannins and fresh acid which ensures the wine finishes clean. Ample-weight with a supple consistency, a solid, tight structure, and complexity that is already harmonious, it sits well on the mouth. Considering it was bottled eight days ago, this is the worst it's going to look! Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, drink from 2010.
Phil's wines are consistently well-made and represent good value, so it is no surprise that they sell quickly. Every time I pull one of his wines out of my cellar, they bring a smile to my face.
Everyone has heard the story about Max Schubert's closet experimentation, innovation, and pushing the limits, which led to the invention of Grange. In today's corporate environment, that sort of closet experimentation is virtually impossible, however experimentation and pushing the limits to find new and better ways of making wine is imperative. Many of the young-gun winemakers feel the same way and that was one of the major motivations behind setting up Red Heads Studio. This was my third visit to this establishment. On my first visit, which was in May 2005, I was informed that they intended to be open by Christmas. On my second visit in September 2006 I was also informed that they expected to be open by Christmas, and in my tour diary I sarcastically said, “but they didn't state which Christmas.” Finally their liquor licence has been granted, and you guessed it, they expect to be open by Christmas. Good luck guys!
Red Heads Studio has a number of different functions. The first is to provide a processing facility for small batch wine making, that when necessary, will provide the winemaker with support and guidance, and allow them to experiment and innovate. The second is to provide a UK distributor with a unique range of artisans’ wines for his direct mail customers. Finally, once the studio is finally open to the public, a tasting facility which will increase the scope of distribution within Australia. All of this naturally requires cash flow, so a number of Red Heads wines have been created to fill this need.
Justin Lane is the energy behind the day-to-day operations. The word energy was deliberately chosen to describe Justin's place in the scheme of things. He certainly is not your quiet, shy, humble and retiring sort of dude. He talks and moves as though he is on the speed and for an extra charge, has his fingers permanently in the power point. Non-stop constant action; you can get tired just watching this guy.
As usual, he provided a terrific line up of wines for us to taste through.
Red Heads 2005 Yard Dogs Bordeaux Blend sells for $9.95 and is sealed with a screwcap. The nose has a little VA and was a bit pongy. It's a medium-weight, soft wine with blackberry flavours and minimal tannins that produces a wine with a short, green acid finish. Rated as Barely Drinkable with ** for value.
Justin doesn't normally look like this smart (sic) but I could not resist a bad photo!
The first bottle opened was far worse than
this one; the nose was highly reductive and it was obviously a defective bottle.
Justin's comment, "It smells just like a rank, French man’s arm pit.”
After
that comment, I don’t want to know what he gets up to on his overseas trips.
Red Heads 2006 Yard Dogs Bordeaux Blend sells for $9.95 and is sealed with a screwcap. This wine was much better. An attractive, perfumed bouquet with savoury aromatics. An uncomplicated, medium-weight, soft, easy-drinking quaffer with bright red berry fruit together with milk chocolate's that finishes with a crisp herbal finish. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value, drink now.
Red Heads 2005 The Red Sedan sells for $9.95 and is sealed under screwcap. It's a blend of Shiraz (73%) and Malbec; 14,000 cases have been produced and it was to be bottled within days. The bouquet shows bright red fruits with earthy characters. Unobtrusive, powdery tannins combine with distinct fruit and lively acid to produce a medium-weight, agreeable, "table wine." This is a very drinkable pasta wine. The uptake shows juicy, red raspberry fruit with a meaty mid-palate and a crisp clean finish. Rated as Agreeable with ***** for value, this is one of the top value every-day drinking wines on the whole trip.
Red Heads 2005 Barrel Monkey sells for $24.95, is a Shiraz Grenache blend and is sealed with a screwcap. The bouquet shows mushroom oak which leads to a peaty, meaty, warm, palate, with black pepper, and whilst the profile is unusual, it grew on me. Medium-weight with a supple consistency and seamless structure, this modern, clean wine is driven by pure fruit, refreshing acid and unobtrusive tannins that provide a seductive mouth-feel. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, it's ready to drink now.
Red Heads 2005 Rack One Shiraz is a UK label, selling for ₤8.99 and is sealed under cork. Coffee oak dominates the nose which also shows mushroom, and peat characters. An ample-weight wine with a supple consistency and diverse complexity, it is sweet on the uptake with a spicy, peppery mid-palate together with dark chocolate, and a sweet finish which is clean and long. Driven by pure, deep, persistent fruit that combines with fresh acid and smooth tannins, this is certainly a good wine. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it's ready to drink now.
According to Justin, this peat character,
which we were to see on the bouquet in a number of wines, comes from an inherent
characteristic within the grapes grown on the sandy soils of Blewitt Springs.
Every time the subject of Blewitt Springs came up, and unfortunately it was
frequently mentioned in many conversations, like an automated recording, we
heard, "Blewitt Springs -- -- -- the best grapes in the world grow there."
A
broken record has nothing on the Pie King.
Whilst Justin has been responsible for the day to day running of Red Head Studios, his own label is starting to take on a higher level of importance. In order to avoid any perceived conflict of interest, Justin is moving his own Viottolo label out to its own location. Total production for this label is approximately 400 cases in total, so it's not a huge amount of wine by any means.
A big line up of wines..................................................
Viottolo 2006
Nebbiolo sells for $29.95, is sealed under cork, and hundred and ten
cases have been produced. The wine has had a 10% addition of rosé which accounts
for its pleasant, perfumed aromatics with pepper, vanilla and mocha oak.
Unobtrusive tannins combine with refreshing acid and medium intensity fruit to
form a medium-weight, supple wine that is elegant, almost seamless, and
harmonious. A well-structured wine that is perfectly food friendly, flavours of
red cherry, milk chocolate, and green herbs finish long, clean and dry. Rated as
Recommended with *** for value.
Viottolo 2005 Viale sells for $36.99 and is sealed under cork. The wine has just been released and is an unusual blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon (75%/25%), and is made from McLaren Vale fruit. The bouquet shows meaty, spicy aromas with subtle peat characters. It's sweet on the uptake with a savoury mid-palate and crisp acid finish. Flavour of red fruits, chocolate, charcuterie, and herbs finish long. The structure is excellent with pure fruit, crisp acid, and loads of fine, dusty tannins that sneak up on you. Ample-weight, it's firm, solid and needs time to show its best. An enjoyable, food-friendly wine, it is rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, and by 2012 when it enters its peak drinking window the rating should improve.
The Nebb 2005 is another unusual blend; this time Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the first release of this wine, fifty cases are to be released; it will cost $36.99 and has been sealed with a Diam. The bouquet shows bright, lifted aromatics with perfumed mandarin peel and peat. It's an ample-weight, solid wine with a diverse and well-developed complexity, and whilst it is damn good, it is very different. The pure fruit delivers a lovely flavour profile, with red berries on the uptake followed by orange peel, milk chocolate, peat and coffee essence that finishes with long, dusty tannins and fresh acid. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine reaches its peak drinking window in 2012 and beyond.
La Curio 2006 Reserve Bush Vine Grenache had been bottled two weeks previously. The bottle shock was evident. Vanillin and mushroom oak dominated the bouquet which led to an earthy, savoury palate with red fruits that finished with crisp acid. The wine is all about structure at this point. Backed by fine, dusty tannins it is muscular-weight, firm, tight as a drum, and needs time to settle down. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it should enter its peak drinking window around 2011.
The Viottolo 2006 Shiraz sells for $36.99 and is sealed with a cork. Fifty cases have been made available for Australia. The bouquet is meaty, peaty and shows spices and cedar. When I noticed the abundant, dusty, drying tannins I was told a little Durif has been added. The wine has a terrific structure but needs ages for the tannins to integrate. Tannins are well matched to the pure fruit and crisp acid. A full-bodied, firm, solid wine with a well-developed complexity, if the fruit lasts, which it should, it could be something special. Blackcurrant, tar, spice, and black chocolate flavours finish with clean acid. It's not for the fainthearted. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine enters its peak drinking window in 2014 and beyond.
Red Bigot trying to make a c-through look red!
Pikka 2006 McLaren Vale Shiraz sells for $42 and is sealed with a cork. A hundred cases are available for Australia, and the wine has been matured in 100% French oak. The bouquet shows spicy fruit with mocha oak. The pure, persistent fruit and smooth, dusty tannins produce an excellent, solid, firm construction, as well as a harmonious complexity. A full-bodied wine with chewy tannins, it sits well in the mouth. The fruit is bright, juicy, and delivers mocha, red berry, meaty aspects, tar, and coffee flavours that finish with clean acid. A top-quality wine, it is rated as Excellent with *** for value.
Red Heads 2005 Whip Hand Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $39.99 and is sealed under screwcap. The vineyard that contributes the fruit for this wine also contributes fruit to the Two Hands Garden series. The bouquet is dominated by cedary, malty wood shavings. The palate shows sweet, bright fruit with and off-sweet mid-palate and leathery finish. The pure, deep fruit delivers flavours of milk chocolate, blackcurrant and coffee. It's a full-bodied, firm, solid and tight wine that needs time to loosen up. Backed by loads of drying, dusty, tight tannins, it is currently rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, and the rating should improve as the wine reaches its peak drinking window around 2012 and beyond.
Red Heads 2006 Esule is a Bordeaux blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance being Cabernet Franc. The wine was to be sealed under screwcap when it was bottled the next week and will sell for $39.99 when it is released. The name Esule means “outcasts”, or someone who lives in a dumpster, and Cabernet Franc in some ways fits this description. The bouquet shows dark fruit with bright floral aromatics including violets, together with mushroom oak. It's a full-bodied, firm, tight, solid wine that is well-backed by abundant tannins. Blackcurrant, blackberry, coffee, chocolate and tar/charry characters complete the package. The wine has been aged in 100% French oak and is rated as Excellent with *** for value; it should reach its peak drinking window in 2013.
As part of the experimentation process, the studios has been able to obtain a number of batches of the old grape varieties that were used to make fortified wines at the start of the 20th century. The majority of these have been sourced from the Barossa. The varieties included all the “Tintas” you could possibly imagine is well as many other very obscure varieties. In many cases these grapes were just thrown into wines as fillers. In their inimitable style, the studio decided to make, not as one would expect fortified wines from these grapes, they decided to make table wines. The objective was to make a couple of different styles of wines using multiple grape varieties. We tried two of them. They were called Night of the Living Red and Return of the Living Red. These names were chosen because when they first considered this project they thought that many of the grape varieties they were after had been pulled out long ago, and were well and truly dead. Luckily that was not the case. The grape varieties themselves are primarily used for port.
The Return of the Living Red was chock-a-block full of everything. The fruit was intense, the acid fresh, and the oak noticeable. It's a huge, rich wine that feels like a truck is travelling down your palate. Robust is an understatement. Six hundred cases of each of the two wines will be made.
When I first sipped the Night of the Living Red, I felt like I needed a vacuum pump to suck my face of the back of my head. Tannins have the pulling capacity of a Sherman tank. Needless to say, the wine won’t be due for release any time soon.
Now I wonder why there is a mattress outside Red Heads? ............
Another unusual and interesting project that the boys are involved in involves not just cross regional blending, but crossed state blending. They are bringing in juice from Margaret River and processing it here, and it's not Cabernet Sauvignon is one would expect. It's Graciano and Barbera. And you'll never guess what they blended it with! Bloody Blewitt Springs Shiraz! The Pie King was jumping over the moon; more potential demand for his grapes. The first release will be from the 2006 vintage and the wine will retail for around $33. There will also be other similar, but equally outrageous Margaret Rive/McLaren Vale type blends.
Many of the ideas you hear when visiting Red Heads sound like they are wacky and unusual but when Max Schubert was mucking around with Grange in the 1950s, I bet that the wine lovers and winemakers at that time thought what he was doing was also wacky and unusual. It's this pushing of the boundaries and testing limits, or if you will, the innovation, that will be responsible for eventually producing both new and better wine styles.
One final point I need to add. A number of the wines opened that Red Heads were defective, something that was going to prove to be a bit of a problem through much of our tour. The wines I sampled were not stored at this location. Justin arranged for the producers to drop them off. We do know that one of the producers was away, and the wines that he left had been sitting around in his car for who knows how long. As a result I couldn't review any of his wines. But that was not the end of the problem by any means. Unfortunately the bad cork fairy was having a field day, and a number of the wines that had been produced under screwcap were also defective. I will have more to say about this in a later story.
We said goodbye to Paul who dropped us off in the main street at John's car. Our next appointment was at Oliver's Taranga Vineyards. The Oliver family boasts a rich, long history in the farming and wine business in McLaren Vale; all six generations of it! As long-time growers, the Oliver family have access to some of the best fruit in the district and are here for the long haul. The vast majority of their production is sold to the major corporate producers, but as time goes on they are slowly ramping up their own brand.
Around the time I first visited Red Heads, I also visited Oliver’s Taranga. During that visit we went down to a wreck of the building that they planned to turn into their cellar door. I admit my imagination isn't particularly good, and whilst I understood the concept, even when I saw a the construction part way through during my visit last year, never in my wildest dream did I expect what I saw on this visit. In a word, it's stunning.
The new offices are functional, the new winery practical, but the cellar door facilities are striking, extremely well thought out, and a class act. It's easy to throw money at a project and say that no expense has been spared, and although this project is modern, it has style and doesn't look like it has been built for or by the nouveau riche.
They have a new range of wine called the Small Batch series which include three reds and two whites.
Oliver’s Taranga 2006 Cadenzia (Grenache) will sell for $28 when it is released in November, and it has been sealed under screwcap. The bouquet was very earthy with mushroom characters and milk chocolate. It is an ample-weight, solid wine with a supple consistency, and diverse complexity. It's well-structured and backed by dusty tannins that provide a seductive mouth-feel. Blackberry, milk chocolate, mocha, raspberry, dark chocolate, spicy notes and earthy characters are primarily all off-sweet, and it finishes crisp and clean. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, this is what good Grenache is all about.
Oliver's Taranga 2006 Tempranillo sells for $28 and is sealed under screwcap and it will also be released in November. The bouquet showed savoury, pongy, earthy mushroom with milk chocolate/mocha. The wine was fermented with natural yeast. It's well-structured with distinct fruit, dusty tannins (which sneak up on you) and lively acid. Red berry, milk chocolate, earthy/flinty notes and smoked meat/reductive type characters are found on the palate. It’s medium-weight with a firm consistency and diverse structure; rated as Recommended with *** for value, drink from 2010.
Oliver’s Taranga 2005 Corrina's Blend is a Shiraz/Cabernet which is co-fermented; it sells for $28 and is sealed under screwcap. The nose was dumb an unyielding. The silky, drying tannins provide a good mouth-feel and firmly back this ample-weight wine that has a diverse complexity. The juicy-fruit is a lot more attractive than the nose suggests; with red berry fruit on the uptake, it's savoury and also shows mocha, and a touch of meaty characters. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine reaches its peak drinking window in about 2010 and beyond.
Oliver's Taranga 2006 Vine Dried Cabernet is sealed under screwcap and will sell for $28 when it is released in November. The bouquet shows earthy notes, mushroom and red berry aromas. Distinct, obvious fruit delivers juicy jube-jube characters to the palate with blackcurrant, meaty flavours, blackberry, tar and mocha oak. It's a muscular-weight wine backed by silky tannins that produces a supple consistency and rock solid structure. Its sophisticated complexity makes it both an interesting and a good wine. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value.
Oliver's Taranga 2005 Shiraz is sealed under screwcap and will cost $28 when it is released in November. The bouquet shows coffee oak, vanilla, and dark fruits; it's clean and slightly lifted. The pure fruit and silky, dusty tannins are well crafted and balanced, providing a pleasant mouth feel. Ample-weight with a tight, solid construction, this lovely drop delivers red cherry on the uptake with milk chocolate and coffee oak, its finish is clean and long. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, it's another terrific value wine.
Oliver's Taranga 2004 HJ Reserve Shiraz is sealed under cork and will cost $45 when it is released in November. The class of the fruit is obvious from the first sniff, although it is currently dominated by coffee oak and hints of orange peel character. The construction is exemplary with tight tannins and pure, deeply-seated fruit. Coffee oak on the uptake is complemented with clean, juicy-fruit showing blue and black flavours which finish long and intense. It's a muscular-weight, solid yet elegant wine that has a harmonious and refined complexity. A very smart drop; rated as Excellent with **** for value, it should enter its peak drinking window about 2014 and beyond. On my last visit, I rated the 2003 highly, and if anything this is better, so get in early before it flies out the door.
There will be no Corrina’s Blend in 2007 as Corrina likes co-fermenting the grapes, and during this vintage they did not ripen at the same time.
I have been watching the progression of wines from Olivers since the 1997 vintage and the wines are quietly getting better and better. As time goes on, there is no doubt in my mind this winery will eventually take its rightful place alongside the established, great names in the area. If you are in McLaren Vale, you must visit the new cellar door because not only does it look good, but the wines taste great and they deliver above average value.
The Pie Kings ability to park is legendary
That was the end of the formal proceedings for the day and all we had left to do, was to organise dinner. Brian had volunteered to cook a couple of his favourite Thai dishes, so I knew we would be in for a treat. We stopped off at the local shops to buy the necessary ingredients and although Brian couldn't find absolutely everything he needed, he was able to cobble together enough to do the business.
Corrina was kind enough to give is the open bottle of HJ Reserve Shiraz to take with us so we could see how it opened up over time. As expected, it became more enjoyable with air time. Although I keep telling myself I don't need to buy any more wine, I certainly won't have any hesitation placing an order for these, and possibly even some of the Vine Dried Cabernet and Grenache.
A bottle of Bullers RLB Sparkling Shiraz (latest disgorgement) was opened, mainly for Sue – it was corked! Sadly the first of many from our respective cellars on this trip.
We also opened a bottle of Tarchalice Blackstone 1998 Shiraz. It's just as well this one wasn't corked as the producer is long gone out of business. This wine was one of my favourites from that vintage. Unfortunately this bottle was not as good as some of the others I have consumed. Although the fruit has softened considerably, on this bottle it was starting to fade and take on the first signs of tertiary characters. Still, it was very enjoyable with leathery flavours and characters, as well as black cherry, coffee, and chocolate. The tannins were still noticeably dusty and the acid was holding up. Rated as Excellent, the coffee oak is starting to become very noticeable as the fruit starts to fade.
Brian's Thai food was a hit with everybody except Hosanna, who couldn't handle the heat, even though he had halved the level of chilli in the recipes. The dishes were Larb Gai (minced chicken salad,) and Nua Yang Nam Tok (Waterfall Beef). Follow the links for the ‘destructions’ on how to make these dishes; they are simple, quick and very tasty.
John listening to Sue. Sue saying would you believe it was this big? Sue then saying, "I thought not, it was really only this big!
After dinner, when the boys mentioned the magic words of “single malt” I politely excused myself and shot through to the bedroom as fast as I could for an early night. We had another huge day planned for tomorrow, as well as dinner out, and I didn’t want to start the day off wrecked.
Click here for a printable copy (save to disk and then print)
Feel free to submit your comments!
From: Mike Pollard October 5 8.30am
Hi Ric,
Your post on the West Coast Wine Net (WCWN) forum suggests a return to less ripe styles with more (added) acidity. I know its a bit late to ask for this information. But any chance of getting alcohol levels on the wines tasted, or even some comment on whether the Baume levels for the 2004-6 vintages were any different than previous vintages? Or were the differences you saw more a refection of extra addition of acidity than in the past?
Mike"
TORB Responds: October 5 10.30 am.
Hi Mike,
I did not record the alcohol levels of many of the wines tasted. I am not an alcohol Nazi. From my perspective, the only thing that is important about alcohol is that it doesn't stick out. If the wine is balanced, the alcohol level does not concern me even if it is regarded as high. I doubt that there would be a great deal of difference in the Beamue levels of these three vintages. There is an incredibly fine line between being perfectly ripe and being overripe, and given the more effective yeast is being used, I don't think that a tiny change in alcohol percentage would be all that noticeable.
I put the better balance down to a number of factors. First and foremost better viticulture. Secondly, picking just a tiny bit earlier, and finally, going back to the past practice of adding acid judiciously, rather than being afraid to use the stuff.
Copyright © Ric Einstein 2007