2007 South Australian Tour Diaries Chapter One

The 2007 South Australian Tour Diaries

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Chapter Two – Friday - McLaren Vale

I was up in time to kick the sparrows out of bed and catch up with some of my internet work. The Pie King Hilton and Vineyards is located way out of town so there is no broadband internet connection. Whilst I had thought it was slow on previous trips, although I was connecting at about 33k, the download speed this day would not have provided a penny turtle with competition. Not impressed! If I dummy spit enough in front of his Pieship, he may put in a satellite connection just to shut me up. It worked with the coffee machine.

I don't know what the Pie Family is trying to tell me, but this was in my room!

.......................... I refuse to wax an part of my anatomy

The boys did it again! When they surfaced, they were both in good nick; I am starting to wonder if they are talking about drinking single malts after dinner just to get rid of me.

By breakfast time, I was on my third shot of espresso and feeling like a regular human being. John decided that just in case we didn’t have a cholesterol problem before we started the trip, we would have one by the time we finished. He shot out to the chook shed and picked up the latest batch of fresh googies. It’s just as well he doesn’t keep pigs, as knowing him, we would have had half a fresh pig each to go with the eggs. And I wouldn’t like to help him “get the bacon” under those circumstances.

If you ask John about his diet and cholesterol, he will say, “I take pills that allow me not to have to worry about cholesterol. If I wasn’t meant to eat what I wanted, medical science would not have invented the pills.” What gets up my nose is that if I so much as looked at the amount of food the Pie King eats, I would be twice my current size.

After a hearty breakfast, we headed off for our first appointment at Wirra Wirra. “Wirra Wirra” is an aboriginal name meaning “amongst the gums”. Over the decades, I have been to this winery on many occasions and I seem to remember drinking their wines for even longer. Since about the mid 1990’s I have thoroughly enjoyed many wines from this producer, yet for some inexplicable reason I have never written a serious story about them. It was time to rectify the situation. Our host was Julian Forwood, the Australasian sales manager. I had previously met Julian at Wine Australia on a couple of occasions. He is both very knowledgeable and a very smooth professional.

When Greg Trott arrived at the property in 1969, there was not much of the winery left. There was one wall and some open, one ton wax-lined open fermenters that were truly open; there was no roof! According to Julian, the winery had been associated with eccentric, borderline alcoholic, visionary men.

The original building was built by Robert Strangways Wigley, and by the sound of things, he lived up to his middle name. Robert was landed gentry from Adelaide, and according to Julian, history has shown he was a ratbag. After a long day on the turps at the Criterion Hotel, Robert rode his horse through a Town Hall meeting, which led to his family banishing him to McLaren Vale, to rusticate and learn how to behave like a gentleman. He planted the vineyard in 1894 and made his first wine with Alec Johnston (Pirramimma) in 1897 and by the turn of the century, he was the owner of one of the best wineries and vineyards in the district with 100 acres under vines.

Wigley was a very interesting character. He was extraordinarily afraid of lightning, drank far more than was good for him, got up to all sorts of escapades and practical jokes which disgraced his family name; oh, and he liked cricket too, a condition that afflicted later owners of the winery as well.

He died a single man, having never been married, and his family refused to have anything to do with the business that he had established, so they sold it off. Unfortunately the winery fell into disuse and was completely neglected. It was one of the three original wineries in the district that was built on three tier, gravity-fed principle; the other two being Pirramimma and Hardys.

Following his first vintage, the new owner, Greg Trott, with the help a stone mason and an enthusiastic band of friends spent the next five years rebuilding the cellars. For walls and floors, ironstone and slate were quarried, and bricks taken from the century old demolished cottages. Huge Oregon beams and flooring from the historic Pirie Street Methodist Church in Adelaide were used to make a mezzanine floor. Jarrah railway sleepers from the abandoned Adelaide to Willunga rail line forms the lintels, mantelpieces and tasting room bar. Wherever possible, recycled materials were used to make the building look as authentic as possible.

We arrived at the winery at a good time. The new releases were scheduled to take place on the 1st of October. One interesting thing this winery does is that, wherever possible, they keep every single parcel of fruit separate, and once a year get the growers in to taste their own and other wines. This enables the growers to see their individual fruit, rather than their fruit within a blend. It also helps the winery to explain why certain barrels have made certain grades, as well as the allocation of bonuses. When we arrived, the normal tasting room that would have been used to walk us through the wines was unavailable. It had been set up for the growers tasting, but we were quite happy to use the cellar door facility, and even more so because we had the place to ourselves for an hour before it officially opened.

Wirra Wirra 2006 Scrubby Rise is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot; it sells for $15 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows char and blackberry which leads to a similarly endowed palate, together with pepper and blackcurrant. There is a touch of sappy tannins on the tail, as well as a hint of bitterness but the fruit seems ripe. There is loads of flavour for the dollar. Driven by pure fruit, there is enough chalky tannins to hold this muscular-weight wine together. It has a supple consistency and an agreeable, harmonious complexity making it very drinkable and terrific for the price. It is rated as Recommended with **** for value. Although the wine is marked as a product of South Australia, the majority of the fruit actually comes from the Scrubby Rise vineyard but it also sources from the wider McLaren Vale area, Langhorne Creek, and Adelaide Hills. It was matured in primarily old oak.

Given the inherent quality and especially its ready drink-ability, I was not surprised to learn it had been selected to be served in Qantas economy class. It’s probably far better than most of the plonk served in cattle class. Three million, that's right folks, three million of those single-serve bottles were produced. That's one hell of a bottling run.

Every good winery has at least one resident dog! This one has two; one of which is a real tart!

Wirra Wirra 2005 Church Block contains 48% Cabernet Sauvignon as its base, together with Shiraz and Merlot; it sells for $20 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet exudes pleasant, lifted aromatics with subtle spice and vanillin oak characters. Well-structured but driven by obvious, pure fruit, there are enough silky, powdery tannins to hold the wine together. An ample-weight wine with a supple consistency, solid, almost seamless structure and harmonious complexity, there is loads of fruit flavour, and this very enjoyable blend has an attractive mouth feel. It's sweet on the uptake but goes into off sweet characters with blackcurrant/blackberry, vanillin oak, mocha, spices, and herbs on the tail. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value.

Many people are probably not aware that there was a very close association in the early days between Greg Trott and Brian Croser (and Tony Jordan) when they ran their Oenotec Consultancy business.. Some of the earlier wines were actually made by Croser at Petaluma. Many of the early wines in McLaren Vale and Church Block were actually Grenache blends, (same as d’Arry’s Original blend). The Church Block was made from Grenache (with small percentage of Shiraz pressings) from the first vintage in 1972 through to the early Eighties. At that time, Croser convinced Trott to change the blend to its current Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot.

The winery makes a series of wines which are normally available at cellar door only. These are frequently small-production, experimental wines, or wines were they have received exceptional fruit, but not enough of it to release a commercially quantity to the general market.

Wirra Wirra 2005 Catapult is only available at cellar door and restaurants, and sells for $20 a bottle; it is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet is black, with intense blackberry and pepper characters. An ample-weight wine with a supple complexity and almost elegant structure, the complexity is harmonious; and it is well-backed by loads of smooth tannins that sneak up on you. The palate profile is all black with blackberry, dark spices, dark chocolate and tar characters; it is a good wine but it does not do it for me. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, drink from 2010 and beyond. The good news is that the small amount of Viognier that has been added to this Shiraz provides little more than textural enhancement.

Wirra Wirra 2006 Catapult will only available at cellar door and restaurants when it is released on the 1^st October, and sells for $22 a bottle; it is sealed under screwcap. The wine had been bottled less than a week ago and was showing the effects, but it was still a better wine than its predecessor. On the palate, the red and blue fruit flavours are off-sweet, with chocolate and it finishes with a little dried herb character. Once again, there is no sign of Viognier flavours. Ample-weight, with a firm consistency and some real-elegance, the complexity is well developed; this is a good wine that just needs time. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating is probably not fair due to the bottle shock, but I fully expect it to increase to Highly Recommended as it enters its peak drinking window in 2010 and beyond.

Trott was a bit of an eccentric character, and believed that his winery was his castle. It has been said that the only difference between men and boys, is the cost of the toys, and Trott had always lusted after a particularly big toy; a real, live catapult to enable him to turn back the marauding hordes. Hager The Horrible, eat your heart out. When Greg Trott was diagnosed with cancer, his good mate Robert Hill Smith decided to build Trott’s dream toy. Based on a catapult that was built in Yorkshire, the original is so big, it can throw a small car about 100 m. The Australian version is is slightly smaller, and can throw a watermelon about 200 meters. The catapult was shipped from Yalumba to Wirra Wirra in pieces last year, where it was used for the first time. James Halliday was honoured by firing the first shot. Just as well Robert Parker was not visiting the region at the time.

Wirra Wirra 2004 Mourvedre sold for $27 at cellar door but is sold out. After tasting it, I am not surprised. The nose was closed but revealed pleasant aromatics with signs of perfumed notes, spice and as Julian described it, "provincial herbs." Fine, velvety tannins and pure fruit combine to form an ample-weight, supple, elegant wine with a terrific structure that is bloody drinkable. It's savoury with star anise, blueberry, and a mocha oak finish that is long and shows plenty of grip. A great food wine, it is rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value.

Wirra Wirra 2005 Woodhenge Shiraz sells for $27.50 and is sealed under a screwcap. The bouquet shows blackberry and coffee oak which leads to a palate that is very-sweet on the uptake with blackberry flavours, it then moves into a savoury mid-palate with a hint of oregano on the finish. A muscular, firm, solid wine with an agreeable complexity, it is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

The Original Tasting Room .........................................

Wirra Wirra 2006 Woodhenge Shiraz will sell for $31 when it is released on 1st October; it is sealed under a screwcap. The aromatics are interesting and more attractive than the 05, lots of floral aspects with sweet, juicy-fruit. Well-balanced by pure fruit, fresh acid and dusty tannins, this ample-weight, firm, solid wine shows some elegance, and has a diverse and harmonious complexity. Sweet, juicy-fruit on the uptake flows into a savoury mid-palate with coffee oak on a clean finish. It's a lovely wine and rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it should enter its peak drinking window around 2012.

The Woodhenge Shiraz has actually been made since 1999 but was originally called McLaren Vale Shiraz. The plan is that over time, Woodhenge Shiraz will move up in both price and quality towards the RSW. This has not come about by accident. The RSW is not a single vineyard wine, but it is made up of fruit from their oldest vineyards, and the best fruit from the best blocks their growers are able to provide. The average vine age varies but is around 50 years old. Nearly all vines are on their own roots; most vines are pre clonal and considered regional “Heritage” blocks.

They have a number of growers who are striving to grow fruit of the highest quality. Naturally enough, as the quality of the available fruit improves, so will the wine, and the price has to rise accordingly. Hence the need to differentiate between the two levels of Shiraz. In addition, fruit that is not quite up to the quality that’s required for the RSW, also goes into the Woodhenge. The 2004 is being served in Qantas business class.

Wirra Wirra 2005 RSW will sell for $60 when it is released on the 1st of October and it is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows an interesting profile; there are subtle blackberry and floral notes, it's clean and classy. A beautifully-structured wine with a classical balance between pure fruit, fresh acid, and fine, smooth, powdery tannins; it's a muscular-weight, firm, solid, very tight and shows some elegance. Black cherry, blackcurrant, and dark chocolate flavours are intensely savoury but it finishes clean with a hint of (ripe) sap from the very long tannins, with flavours that just keep going forever. A baby that needs time, it is rated as Excellent with *** for value and should enter its peak drinking window around 2014. This wine certainly gets the thumbs up.

The RSW is named after the winery's founder, Robert Strangways Wigley. It is just as well he wasn’t named Peter Ian Smith. Since 2003, due to vigorous fruit selection the quantity of the RSW has been reduced by two thirds. Moving forward, as quality is everything; the objective is to make the best possible wine that the vintage can produce. This vintage is the first wine that has been released under screwcap.

Just a small part of the new tasting room

Wirra Wirra 2005 Sparrow Lodge Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $27.50 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows delightful aromatics that is 100% varietally correct. Silky tannins back a classical structure and allows the wine to sit well in the mouth. The wine exudes an excellent core of ripe Cabernet fruit with blackcurrant, chocolate, blackberry, and herbs; it is supported by long, drying tannins and a subtle, but clean acid finish. It's a muscular-weight wine with a harmonious, refined complexity that is terrific value at the price. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value. It's a pity this wine is only available at cellar door, and if you visit, it's a must buy.

Wirra Wirra 2005 The Angelus will sell for $60 at cellar door when it is released on the 1^st October and is sealed under screwcap. A serious bouquet that is squeaky clean, its quality is blindingly obvious. An impeccable balance and construction has been achieved by judicious use of powdery tannins, unobtrusive acid, and pure, deeply-seated fruit. With sweet, juicy-fruit that delivers blueberry, vanilla, and all sorts of other good things including varietal herbs on the back palate, it finishes long but needs time to show its best. It's a muscular-weight, supple wine that's as tight as a bank vault and has a harmonious complexity. My favourite in this line up, it is rated as Excellent with *** for value and should best be approached after 2014.

The Angelus, together with the RSW was first released in 1989. Although the Angelus has always been 100% Cabernet, it has not always been 100% McLaren Vale fruit. For many years, this winery swapped one or two of their best barrels of Shiraz for an equivalent amount of Cabernet with Penley Estate. This was done to ensure that the wine retained its varietal Cabernet characteristics, because the winery insists the wine should smell and taste like 100% varietal Cabernet. (According to Justin, in his opinion the 2002 The Angelus was the best wine the winery has ever made.)

In the last couple of vintages, the barrels swap with Penley Estate has not been necessary. The winery is now sourcing some of The Angelus fruit from the south side of the hill on Seaview Road, and the fruit from this property achieves their stated objectives admirably. The name The Angelus is only used in Australia, and internationally it is known as The Dead Ringer; this is to save a legal stoush with the Bordeaux producer. Apparently a two star Michelin restaurant in Bordeaux was serving the Australian wine right under the winery’s nose, and that got right up their nasal passages in a big way. Wirra Wirra received an incomprehensible “French letter” but they were able to interpret ‘The Angelus’ and ‘€100,000’, hence the (cheeky) new name for this wine overseas.

Julian told us about a fascinating experiment the winery carried out. It was a totally blind tasting, and I mean blind. Six wines were presented in black Riedel glasses, three of the wines were Shiraz Viognier and the other three were straight Viognier. Not one of the participants was correctly able to guess all six glasses and get the colour right.

That's one hell of fence!............................................

They take quality seriously here, and do a few things that put them a little ahead of the pack. One perfect example is as the tracking of the temperature their wines endure during shipment between their warehouse and their distributors, both in Australia and overseas. There is a temperature sensor on the outside of every pallet, as well as a temperature sensor in the middle of one of the boxers on the pallet. Once the wines reach their wholesale destination, the sensors are sent back to the winery for analysis, to ensure that optimum temperatures have been achieved during transportation. That is a commendable move, and one that I applaud, but the issued still remains, what happens to the wine between the distributors’ warehouse and the consumers’ hands. Although Wirra Wirra can't be held responsible for the entire distribution process, at least they are doing all they can to ensure that for the segment that they control, the wine is shipped in the best possible circumstances.

The winery has gone back to using one ton, open fermenters that are now temperature controlled. They can have up to thirty of them going at once. They use gravity to empty the fermenters to oak. The oak used in the wine winery is primarily French. Even in the 1990s when the majority of wineries are using American oak for Shiraz, Wirra Wirra was using mainly French oak. Many thought that they were out of step with the trend; the reality is that the industry is now catching up to them (in this regard.)

Earlier on, I mentioned how all the parcels of wine are kept separate. Naturally enough, every single barrel is tasted individually and classified, but they don't do it just once, it can be done up to six times before the final blend is put together. This is an enormous labour-intensive job, as it necessitates moving many of the barrels around. It also gives them the opportunity to use six coopers instead of three and has given them far more flexibility in the finished wine. Fruit that may have been destined of for the Scrubby Rise may go up a grade and be put into the Church Block, and fruit that may have been destined for the Church Block may be downgraded to the Scrubby Rise. Prior to building the winery extensions, this was not possible as they just did not have the room to move that many barrels around on a frequent basis. Whilst it is labour intensive, the end result is better quality wine.

Speaking of keeping wines separate, after we had finished tasting the wines we had a tour of the barrel room and on our way in I noticed two things that every winery should have as basic, standard equipment. The first was a good-quality coffee machine and the second was a barbecue. Justin told us that during last vintage the coffee machine and one of the rota fermenters broke down at the same time. Some people in this place have their priorities right; the coffee machine was fixed first.

Standard equipment in all good wineries!

Whilst in the barrel shed, we tried numerous samples of the (potentially) 2006 RSW and Chook Block wines. At this point it has not been determined whether there will be a Chook Block or not, but all the samples were very fine wines. One exercise which was most interesting was trying a number of different samples of the Chook Block, where the only difference between the wines was the type and age of oak that the juice had been stored in. It dramatically showed the influence of oak on wine.

The Church Block was the first wine that Greg Trott produced in 1972 and is the most recognized wine produced from this winery. The story goes, there was Trott making the wine under a tarpaulin, which was supported by the one remaining, freestanding wall when the Mayor drove down the road and saw what was going on. The Mayor of McLaren Vale drove in and questioned what was going on, as he had not seen any development/building applications for the property. Trott grabbed a flagon of d’Arrys Original Blend and gave it to the Mayor. He said, “It's just repairs and maintenance my dear man." And with that, the Mayor got back into his car and drove off. Trott eventually got around to submitting a building application……. about three years after it was finished.

This was absolutely typical of Greg Trott. Eccentricity certainly ran through the genes of the owners of this winery. Although he loved making wine, he wasn't into the business side of it in any way shape or form. Amongst other things, he had been known to turn up late for vintage, but not by a couple of hours, that was not good enough for our Mr Trott. No, not even a few days; he was once a week late for vintage.

The man himself - Greg Trott

In the late 1980s, during the middle of vintage, never a good time for a journalist to arrive, Jancis Robinson was due on a Friday afternoon. On the Monday morning the crusher broke. Being a picture of winemaking sartorial elegance, he was dressed in his traditional gumboots and a moth eaten jumper, Trott headed off for Adelaide with the broken parts to get it fixed. When he didn't return that afternoon, it was no great surprise; he was well-known for his disappearing acts. He didn't come home on Tuesday either. On Wednesday morning the staff began to worry. They rang his mobile but there was no answer. With Jancis coming on Friday, they needed him at the winery. So what would you do under those circumstances, when you couldn't get hold of the boss and needed him desperately? They placed an advertisement in the Australian newspaper with a picture of Trott saying, “Have you seen this man? If so please ring the winery.”

One of the members of the touring English Cricket Team happened to see the advert and responded to the winery's call for help. Mr Trott had been propping up the Members Bar at the Melbourne Cricket ground since Monday afternoon. They rang the Members Bar, reminded him of Jancis’s visit and he arrived by plane on Friday morning. Apparently this behaviour was typical. An eccentric larrikin who thought it was more important to attend the cricket than be at his winery during vintage, and he didn't even bother to tell the staff he was going on walkabout.

Wirra Wirra seems to be doing everything right. Right throughout the tasting, one key aspect was made abundantly clear time and time again, in many different ways. The emphasis is on quality, and once the quality is delivered than the price will follow, and given how quickly their wines sell-out, this philosophy seems sound. The entry level wines are good value for the quality. Wirra Wirra is now one of those rare wineries where if you see the label in a restaurant or in a bottle shop, you can buy it with confidence, knowing that it will be a “safe purchase.” And that's high praise indeed.

Whilst we were on our way to the next winery, John gave us a perfect example of how to win friends and influence people, specifically people who really matter, like your potential parents-in-law. John was twenty-four and Sue was twenty. In John's own words, he was an arts student, had long hair and drank too much. The first time he met Sue's parents, and Sue’s father was a conservative surgeon, John walked into the house and said, "Where's the fridge? I am starving.”

We also drove past the new Noon Winery. It looks impressive. Drew built it with his own two hands, plus some help. Drew has also been busy and now has his own website too.

In the May 2005 Tour Diary I did a complete write up of the d'Arenberg winery. This is a winery that is going from strength to strength both in Australia and internationally. The range of wines over the last ten years has grown exponentially, and there is something that will appeal to everyone's tastes. The success of the winery can be seen by the number of people who were tasting wine when we arrived. It was the busiest cellar door I have seen in a long time. Whilst I thought it was busy when we arrived, if anything more and more people kept coming. The place was like a zoo. You don't have that many visitors unless you are doing an awful lot right.

The winery has now (almost) completely switched to alternative closures, primarily screwcaps, but there are some wines sealed with Zork. In 2002, the winery started doing trials whereby they sealed some of the wine under cork and some of the wine under screwcap. According to Mark Bolton, the screwcap wines have consistently been better and remained fresher for longer. A further reason for switching to alternative closures came about after the 2004 vintage.

Although each batch of corks used is tested, they lost twenty five percent of one of their icon wines from the 2004 vintage, to cork taint. Luckily the wines had not been released and due to stringent quality control measures and standards, they were able to track back to particular one Spanish supplier’s batch of corks. A huge exercise was mounted to ensure that the problem had been isolated, and exact details were required for the insurance claim. It cost the winery bundle, because although the claim was paid, the insurance only paid for the cost of production, not the loss of profit.

d'Arenberg 2006 Feral Fox Pinot sells for $30 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows attractive, floral aromatics that lead to a savoury palate, with white pepper and cherry flavours; it finishes clean and with reasonable length. It's a lean wine with a supple consistency that sits well in the mouth, and is driven by pure-fruit with just enough tannins to hold it together. A nice, food-friendly wine it is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

d'Arenberg 2006 Stump Jump is a GSM blend that is sealed under screwcap and retails for between $9 and $13. The wine sees no oak. A medium-weight easy-drinking wine that shows red Berry fruit, milk chocolate and meaty notes that finishes with clean, fresh acid. There is reasonable intensity to the fruit but having minimal tannins it is short on the back palate. Rated as Agreeable with **** for value at $13, if you can find it for $9, it's a steal.

A big attendance

d'Arenberg 2005 High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon is sealed with under screwcap and sells for $20 at cellar door. The bouquet has lovely, perfumed, sweet fruit evident. It's sweet on the uptake with a varietal Cabernet profile that finishes dry, and there is a little sourness on the finish too. Medium-weight with a supple consistency and simple complexity, it is still very-drinkable and rated as Agreeable with *** for value. Drink over the next four years.

d'Arenberg 2005 Custodian Grenache sells for $20 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet was funky and slightly pongy with black notes and vanillin characters. Wild yeast was the catalyst for the fermentation, and that could explain the bouquet. A measured balance has been provided by the pure fruit, and smooth, unobtrusive tannins that are well and truly there. The consistency is supple, and the structure is tight, approaching elegant. There is nothing confected; in fact it's savoury, clean, tight and dry drop with chocolate, meaty, and black cherry/plum flavours. Rated as Recommended with **** for value, drink over the next six years.

d'Arenberg 2006 Custodian Grenache is sealed under screwcap and is due for release in December 2007. The nose is tight; it's not showing much except mineral characters with white pepper emerging. It needs time in the glass to open up. Now this is a serious Grenache. The juicy fruit on the uptake is off-set with clean, crisp acid and a respectable length is provided by the persistent tannins. Red cherry, milk chocolate and blue berry flavours move into a ripe, sappy finish. The complexity is both harmonious and agreeable, and the consistency is supple. A sensational wine for the price and a great food wine to boot, this is one of the best Grenache buys available and it's rated as Recommended with **** for value, but the rating is bound to increase as the wine matures around 2010 and beyond.

d'Arenberg 2005 d'Arrys Original Grenache-Shiraz sells for between $18 and $20 and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet is dominated by blackberry and mushroom. Smooth, unobtrusive, dusty tannins provide a solid backbone and supple consistency for this medium-weight, uncomplicated wine. It has a good flavour profile with red fruits, milk chocolate and it finishes with loads of crisp, clean acid. With a couple of years in the bottle it should improve, and whilst it is good, it doesn't grab me, but I am willing to bet that many will love it. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

d'Arenberg 2004 The Love Grass is basically the Footbolt with the addition of other grape varieties. The sweet uptake is cut through by fresh acid and the blackberry, tar and chocolate flavours are not just food friendly, they demand it. Medium-weight, the structure seems short and it's a bit simple. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

d'Arenberg 2005 Cadenzia is a GSM blend that is sealed under screwcap and will have a recommended retail price of $25 when it is released in the October/November time frame. The bouquet is lightly and subtly perfumed with spicy aromatics and meaty aspects below; overall it shows good complexity. A serious wine, it has an immense tannins structure from the drying, smooth, dusty tannins which are well matched to the pure, strong fruit. It's a muscular, firm, solid, tight and yet considering its sledge hammer like tannins, it’s almost elegant. With cherry and milk chocolate, there is also a fair amount of minerality, but it needs ages for the tannins to resolve. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2011. Oh, did I mention the tannins?

d'Arenberg 2005 The Galvo Garage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc; it sells for $30 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet is unyielding with very dusty tannins noticeable. It's a muscular-weight, tight and solid wine that needs ages to settle down. It's well-structured with smooth, powdery tannins dominating proceedings, but there is enough deep fruit and bright acid to eventually kick through. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, don't even think about opening a bottle before 2012.

A big line up of red wines ........................................................

d'Arenberg 2004 The Sticks and Stones is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Souzao; it sells for $30 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. Another wine that comes across with mineral characters; it is a very well structured with abundant, dusty tannins and pure, deeply-seated, strong fruit. It's a muscular-weight, firm, solid drop and it has a diverse, sophisticated complexity. The palate is a bright expression of fruit that is cut through by racy acid, and finishes long and clean with herbs and minerals. A lovely wine, it is worth buying for something different; rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, drink from 2014 and beyond.

d'Arenberg 2005 The Derelict Vineyard Grenache sells for $30 and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows earth and subtle spice with interesting fruit nuances below but the palate is better than the nose suggests. It is sweet and savoury with juicy, mineraly fruit; it's impressive. Ample-weight it is tight, shows some elegance, and has a diverse complexity. It needs time to show its best but should be bloody good and is absolutely worth buying. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, drink from 2012 and beyond.

The Grenache from d'Arenberg just keeps getting better and better.

d'Arenberg 2005 The Twenty Eight Road Mourvedre sells for $35 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The wine has just been released. The bouquet is certainly interesting with mushroom and meaty notes, together with black fruit scents. It has an unusual flavour profile with blackberry, meaty characters, earthy notes, and a mineral like finish. A very young wine, it has enormous tannins structure and is muscular in weight, incredibly tight and has a diverse complexity. At this stage, I preferred the previous vintage but this wine is very young and difficult to judge. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, drink from 2013 and beyond.

d'Arenberg 2005 Ironstone Pressings GSM sells for $60 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. A superbly structured wine with fine-grained long tannins; it is full-bodied and is tight as an aqua lung. Classic, sweet fruit that is juicy, is cut through by fresh acid and finishes long. Red fruits, milk chocolate, meaty characters and blackberry flavours complete the palate profile. This is a damn fine wine with a diverse complexity, and one of the best GSM blends around. Rated as Excellent with ** for value, if it was $10 cheaper, it would be far better value, but it is still worthy of consideration.

d'Arenberg 2005 The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $60 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The incredibly perfumed aromatics leapt out of the glass and show intense, dusty oak, cigar box and 100% varietal Cabernet characteristics. Abundant, drying, almost puckering tannins are impeccably matched to the deeply-seated, strong fruit. Cropped at three quarters of the ton to the acre, it is not surprising that this is an impressive wine that is in nappies, and needs a about 10 years to start reaching puberty. The sweet fruit is buried by tannins but is strong enough to win the battle; it finishes long, dry and clean. It's full-bodied, rock solid, skin-tight and the best Cabernet we had tried so far on this trip. Rated as Excellent with *** for value, drink from 2015 and beyond, this wine could give anything from Coonawarra or Margaret river a run for their money.

A bloody big limo!

d'Arenberg 2005 The Dead Arm Shiraz sells for $60 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet was closed down, shut tight; with heavy swirling it started to lift its skirts and show blackberry, mushroom and coffee. The palate shows blackberry, tar and dark coffee; much of the influence at this stage comes from the oak. It is a full-bodied, firm, tight, solid wine with a well-developed complexity, and whilst it is rated as Excellent with *** for value, I preferred the previous vintage. Given time, as it loosens up, it will look more attractive.

d'Arenberg NV Nostalgia Rare is presented in a 375ml bottle, and was bottled a couple of months ago. It's a solero system going back to 1960s material. The bouquet has lots of rancio, burnt characters, and the palate follows the bouquet providing a pleasant flavour profile. It’s not overly sweet on the uptake but the sweetness kicks in later. Worth buying, it is rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

d'Arenberg 2003 VP is presented in a 375ml bottle and costs $19 from the cellar door. The wine is actually fortified Dead Arm Shiraz with a fairly clean, neutral spirit. It’s linear across the palate but will fill out will time. Liquorice, blackberry, char, dark chocolate and plum; its delightful. A full-bodied wine with silky tannins; it will be seamless in time and whilst it is slurpable now, give it time and oh boy! Rated as Excellent with **** for value.

During the conversation, Mark gave us a very interesting throwaway line. According to Chester Osborn, 2006 is the best Shiraz vintage he has seen in McLaren Vale. That may turn out to be true, especially for d'Arenberg, but the 2005 the Coppermine Road was a class act; certainly my favourite from the line up.

There was a noticeable trend in many of the wines tasted. Even the entry level wines are well-structured and many of them will age reasonably. In some ways the winery is reverting to its previous style of wines, and whilst there is demand for instant gratification and these wines are drinkable now, at least it gives purchasers the option, and those that want to cellar them will be able to reap the rewards.

Having tasted so many good wines, I can understand why the cellar door is so busy. This is one winery that certainly doesn't have any problem selling its product, and for good reason.

I am surprised the Pie King did not take advantage of this special offer - he only had one coffee flavoured milk.

Pie o'clock had come once again and we headed back to our usual deli in McLaren Vale. When I started dictating the lunch notes and said John had two meat pies, I was rudely interrupted and told in no uncertain terms to include the word “Vilis” in front of the words “meat pies”. It's not often you hear of people sending back meat pies, but that is exactly what happened on this occasion. Brian cut into his pepper steak pie and unfortunately it was cold in the middle, so it had to go back. When the two pieces arrived back at the table, the meat/gravy had not run and was still solid. I wonder what’s in it to stop it running, but on seconds thought, its better not to know some things.

For a change, I ordered a BLT and it was actually pretty good.

After a quick lunch, it was up to Samuel’s Gorge. It's not often that one goes into of wine region and when you ask at the wineries if there is anyone that is new that is worthwhile going to see, that everyone responds with the same answer. That is exactly what happened last year, and the recommendation was for Samuel’s Gorge.

The winery is owned and operated by Justin McNamee. Justin was born in the Yarra Valley and said, "It’s a very beautiful place, but like any winegrowing region that is marginal, the variable weather can make it a pig of a place to make booze." This is typical of the forthright comments that Justin will seem to just throw out; he may look like a clown and act like the consummate showman, but there is a very serious side to him as well. The philosophy of his winemaking style is blindingly evident from the first sip of any of his wines. The wines are all well structured, but the fruit, rather added oak, is the expressive factor.

Justin is very keen on Grenache and knows what he wants. “The funny thing about Grenache is, it's very fickle from season to season. Vintages like last year can make a wine that is a very rich and has Christmas cake type characters, but in 2002, there was so much white pepper in our Grenache it was ridiculous. In other years, it can be clove like with an incredibly perfume. It needs to have enough intensity so that is not rosé water, and yet it should also not be sleek and rich. The hardest thing to manage with Grenache is the alcohol equation.

A longhaired Weimaraner - you don't see many of them ..............

In the 1990s, a lot of people were asking what else they could do aside from Shiraz. Many of the wineries went down the Italian path, but I think in Australia they make a pretty ordinary wines. I love Nebbiolo and I love Sangiovese blends.

I am for ever challenging people to show me a great Australian Sangiovese or Nebbiolo, and then they start with the explanations and the long-winded stories. I have never had one made in Australia that is as inspiring as those made in the motherland.

I went for a trip in the north east of Spain. The rugged landscape and the coastal influence were as impressive as the people and the culture. We need a little piece of that in McLaren Vale, and that's why I went for the Spanish varieties. I think they really suit our region.

Then along comes Tempranillo, with no expectations, no precedence, and no mindset; it's bitten me on the arse; I love it. It's not driven by fruit palate, it's driven by perfume and texture and it is the kind of wine modern Australia is looking for.

I think that one of the problems is the way people are tackling it in Australia. It's a very tannic varietal to start with, if you compound the problem with new oak tannins, you wind up with something that is pretty aggressive. In Spain, Tempranillo wines are ideally aged in old oak and in bottle for long periods and result in leathery wines which are more about the culture than an expression of the land; I want our Tempranillo to be vivid and bright. And that depicts our place, McLaren Vale really well.”

When I asked Justin when he went to Roseworthy, he said, "In 1991/1992 and I learnt to drink beer very quickly. And then I started to learn how to make wine when I left. My first job as was at Seville Estate, before I actually went to Roseworthy. When I finished Roseworthy I had a number of jobs at various wineries in Victoria. I do like a challenge, but there is nothing more soul destroying than a vintage were you can't get Shiraz riper than the 11.5%. We had rain, more rain and even more rain; we couldn't even get a tractor into the vineyard. In December 1995, I went to work at Tatachilla. McLaren Vale is the complete reverse of the Yarra. Here we have to manage power. The upside of working in the Yarra is that training in this regions has allowed me to appreciate subtle nuance, balance, grace and harmony.

The awesome power of the wind recently "sculptured" the roof of the shed

After Tatachilla was taken over by Lion Nathan, four key production people were asked to move to the Barossa. Three of us resigned pretty much on the spot, and Michael Fragos was left holding the bag. The three of us set up a lunch at the Star of Greece to thank Michael for looking after us for all those years. At that lunch, he told us he had accepted a position at Chapel Hill, so the last man standing had fallen. It was at that time I revealed I had been working on the Samuel’s Gorge project for some time. It was one hell of an occasion, four of us manage to spend a ridiculous amount of money, and I have no idea on what. The next day when I looked at my credit card receipt, I went “oh my God!”

I got started on the Samuel's Gorge project straight after harvest in 2003. I went for a walk in the national park and was amazed at how rugged the countryside was in this area. From the base of the Gorge, I looked up and saw this old barn, and thought, that would be a crazy place to make booze. I did a title search and wrote a really sucky letter to the owners. After they wrote a formal reply, we had a meeting. I could see it in their eyes; they took one look at me, someone who is not well presented and feral; they were obviously thinking “we weren't expecting this!” Luckily they loved wine and good food, so we settled into negotiations and had a number of dinners. Finally a deal was struck and we were in business.”

In conversation, Justin expressed another one of his philosophical statements, which goes to the core of his winemaking style. “There are so many shelf labels with no integrity. People and place are as important as the vineyard, if not more important. The culture of the place impacts on style.

We ferment in wax-lined hundred year old slate tanks. We ferment using wild yeasts, so our wines are very heavy in texture and have a lot of earthy influence. Having a place like this gives you the mindset to make these sorts of wines.

The relationship with the growers is of prime importance. With us, they are not selling at the weighbridge. They take much delight in coming to the barrel hall and seeing their family name on a barrel. Sure they've got to finance the whole thing, but that name on the end of the barrel means so much to them.”

Naturally, whilst all this conversation was going on, we were also tasting the wines.

Samuel’s Gorge 2005 Grenache sells for $35 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. The bouquet shows interesting and different characteristics including spice and perfumed notes. A well-structured wine that sits beautifully in the mouth, it is backed by silky tannins and driven by pure fruit. It's an ample-weight, supple wine with red fruit on the uptake that quickly goes into blackberry, spice, liquorice, and coffee. It’s intensely savoury and crawls across the palate at a snail's pace. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value; it's approachable now but the rating should improve as the wine matures over the next seven years.

Samuel’s Gorge 2006 Tempranillo sells for $35 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. And ample-weight wine with a supple consistency and diverse complexity, the bright, pure, deeply-seated fruit is well-balanced to the abundant, silky, gravel-like tannins. The palate shows perfumed fruit with violets, dark plum and rich chocolate. It's approachable now but will last. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, drink over the next eight years.

Samuel’s Gorge 2005 Shiraz sells for $35 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. The bouquet shows strawberry with dark fruit below and perfumed aromatics; it's sexy. Velvety, dusty tannins combine with fresh acid, and pure, deep fruit to form a muscular-weight, supple wine that is well-built and sits beautifully in the mouth. Black cherry, blackberry, strawberry, hints of herbs, and subtle coffee flavour finishes clean and long. A credible wine, it's approachable now but will improve. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, drink any time over the next 10 years.

Justin has also completed three vintages in Bordeaux and three vintages in California. He produces around 2,000 cases of which 35% is exported, mainly to the US but smaller parcels of it winds up all over the world.

He is certainly a colourful character; indeed larger-than-life. How much of his flamboyance is showmanship and how much of it is inherent, I couldn't begin to guess but one thing I do know, this guy makes damn good wine. Eccentric? Absolutely! But eccentricity like this coupled with a certain level of winemaking genius, results in damn fine wine.

For once, I will let the winemaker have the final word in my write-up. During our conversation, Justin said, “I will be here for the rest of my natural life."

Our next visit was to a perennial favourite, Kay Bros Amery Vineyard. We were lucky enough to find Colin Kay manning the counter. This winery has an awesome reputation for its Block 6 Shiraz, but from my perspective the Hillside can be stunning even in a bad year like 2000, and the entry-level wines are very good value. They have an unusual philosophy. Retailers have to pay almost as much as the mailing list subscribers for their icon wines. That's good news for the mail order customers, but the bad news is that as the list increases every year, the allocation of Block 6 gets smaller and smaller. It is now down to two bottles per customer, but must be part of a mixed six-pack.

Kay Bros 2006 Grenache sells for $17 at cellar door. A fruit-driven wine with loads of tar, it is medium-weight with a supple consistency, harmonious complexity and a very-easy drinking wine with minimal tannins. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Kay Bros 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $20 to mail order customers and is sealed under screwcap. The wine has a varietal, dusty Cabernet bouquet. It’s a muscular-weight, firm, solid, tight wine with an agreeable complexity that is well backed by dusty tannins. The palate has blackberry with loads of herbs and milk chocolate. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

There were two vintages of the Hillside open, and then Colin was kind enough to open the unreleased 2005, so we had three vintages to compare; now that's a nice treat.

Kay Bros 2003 Hillside Shiraz sells for $35 to mailing list customers. The bouquet shows blackberry, and prominent plum with coffee oak. The palate is attractive with smooth, tight tannins; it's muscular-weight, has an attractive mouth-feel, and a solid, well-built structure. Although it will take another few years to reach its peak, it is approachable now and rated as Excellent with *** for value.

Kay Bros Hillside 2004 Shiraz sells for $35 to mailing list customers. The bouquet has lovely, perfumed aromatics. It has ample-weight, is backed by beautiful, fresh and vibrant fruit, but there is a certain amount of tarriness to the oak. Currently dominated by both oak and tannins, it will take a few years for the fruit to surface. Whilst the 2003 is no slouch, it will probably be drinking earlier than this one, and the 2004 is a slight step up in quality. Rated as Excellent with *** for value.

Kay Bros Hillside 2005 Shiraz sells for $35 to mail order customers and is sealed under screwcap. 5,500 cases have been produced. Although the wine had just been opened, the juicy-fruit was gorgeous and exuded violets, perfumed notes and vanillin oak characters. Velvety, dusty tannins are perfectly balanced to the pure, deeply-seated fruit which provides a supple consistency and harmonious complexity, for this muscular-weight wine. Blackcurrant, vanilla/coffee oak trundled down the palate on great, long tannins. The best of the three vintages, it is rated as Excellent with **** for value and the rating should improve as the wine matures.

Its the first time I have seen this dog without a ball in its mouth! .........

Just before going to the winery, I heard Kay’s was about to release a new wine called the Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon. When I asked Colin, “what was the story,” he heaved a big sigh and said, "Okay; I'll be generous and open a bottle." That received a big laugh from the boys, and a clarifying question from me; not that I was objecting to tasting the wine.

Naturally only their best Cabernet grapes are used. The wine receives extended maceration; it spent six weeks on skins. It was then matured for 28 months in brand-new Hungarian oak. Three hundred and twelve dozen bottles have been made.

Kay Bros 2005 The Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $35 to mail order customers and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet was incredibly tight and whilst it was hard to identify individual components, it was perfumed and varietal. Deep, strong, pure fruit is currently buried by a serious amount of tannins, but there is enough of everything to kick through eventually. A full-bodied, firm, solid wine that needs about 10 years before you even think about opening one, it should be very long-lived. Blackcurrant, blackberry, tons of coffee/mocha oak, and chocolate flavours, finish long. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating has a mile of potential to increase as the wine enters its peak drinking window in 2015 and beyond.

From my perspective, it is impossible to go to Kay's and come away without wanting to buy a number of different wines. In that regard, on this trip, nothing has changed.

Mark Wickman of Wickman’s Wine Auctions met up with us when we were at Kay’s. Mark was joining us for dinner that night, but arrived early. The Pie King, being a caring, sharing sort of person, asked after Mark's wife. Mark swallowed and told John that they had recently split up. In his usual, sensitive style, John immediately asked what had happened to their wine collection. Mark responded, "Well unfortunately we had to sell it, but I auctioned it on my own site and charged her a 10% auction fee.” No mates rates there!

It has been many years since I first went to Gemtree Vineyards, although I have managed to taste some of their wines at various events since that time. They always struck me as being particularly good value for money. A couple of nights before I left on this trip, I opened up a Gemtree 2001 Paragon Shiraz (which is now called Obsidian) and was most impressed by the quality. I was really looking forward to trying their current releases. Since my last visit, they have (recently) moved into the Salopian Inn and together with Dowie Doolie, now have a cellar door that they can call home. We were looked after by Mike Brown, their winemaker.

If you rock on up to cellar door, you can look forward to a "structured tasting of 4 wines together with a plate of regional cheese and lavosh.” There is a choice of three flights. Naturally, there is a small charge for the service but if you buy a case, the charge is waived.

The majority of their wines are sealed under screwcap; about 75%, but the balance is sealed under cork, most of which is exported.

Gemtree 2005 Tatty Road sells for $18 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet exudes musty notes with blackberry, plum and lots of mushroom. The palate is very different; there is juicy-fruit with blackberry, violets, coffee, and other varietal Cabernet characters; it has all sorts of good things. Ample-weight with a supple consistency and diverse complexity, this is a very-drinkable, good bistro wine that over delivers for the dollar. It's driven by obvious, deep fruit but well backed by unobtrusive, dusty tannins. Rated as for Recommended with **** for value.

Gemtree 2005 Bloodstone Tempranillo sells for $25 at cellar door and is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet shows meaty characters together with mushroom which leads to a savoury palate but there is some fruit sweetness in a twin layer. It finishes with a hint of herbs and has good length. The wine has oodles of structure with pure fruit, fresh acid and silky tannins, but it needs food to show its best. Ample-weight with an agreeable complexity, it is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Mike Brown is spending a lot of his time in Europe in the off season and much of it is devoted to Tempranillo. He thinks it has a big future in McLaren Vale and he is confident that the Bloodstone will get better and better as he gains more experience working with the variety. The wine is matured in 5 year old French oak to minimise the oak influence on the fruit.

Gemtree 2005 Cadenzia is a Grenache Tempranillo and Shiraz blend and is sealed under screwcap. I found it to have a hard, unpleasant finish and when I asked if that was the way it was meant to be, I was informed that it was a sound bottle. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Gemtree 2005 Uncut Shiraz sells for $20 at cellar door and is sealed under cork. The wine was matured in 60% new oak, 95% of which was French. A muscular-weight, firm, solid wine that is backed by smooth, fine, dusty tannins, and fresh acid. The palate shows a good expression of fruit with chocolate/mocha, red and blue and black berry fruits, and whilst it is ripe and juicy, it also has savoury undertones and finishes to coffee. It's good now, but will improve with a couple of years in the bottle. Rated as Recommended with **** for value, it's a stand out value wine that is worth cellaring.

Brian paying for our wine- it arrived home before we did! ...........

Gemtree 2005 Petite Verdot sells for $27 at cellar door. The bouquet shows mushroom oak characters over musk. The palate expresses bright, floral fruit flavours with liquorice, chocolate and coffee. A full-bodied firm, rock-solid wine that needs ages to show its best, there are loads of dusty, puckering tannins which support the pure, deeply-seated fruit. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it should enter its peak drinking window in around 2013. It’s got power, and the juicy-fruit finishes long right across the palate, but it demands time in the cellar.

Gemtree 2004 Obsidian Shiraz will now be sold out at cellar door but there should still be some with retailers; it costs $45, and the vast majority was sealed under screwcap. The bouquet is similar to the Uncut Shiraz but is a step up in quality; the oak is very noticeable, which is not surprising as the wine has been matured in 100% new French oak for three years. It’s an unashamedly old fashioned, conservative wine. Do I mention fruit or structure first; they are both top-notch. It's a full-bodied wine with a supple consistency, solid structure and it should become seamless in time, and the complexity is already harmonious. Driven by pure, deep fruit which is perfectly backed by silky tannins and fresh acid, the flavours of plum, blackberry, chocolate and dark coffee will be improved when the oak is absorbed. This should be very long-lived and I wouldn't touch a bottle of until 2012. Rated as Excellent with **** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures. Both Brian and I bought some of the last available bottles without a second thought.

The 2005 is not ready yet and is still in oak.

All wine lovers will have heard the expression and it all starts in the vineyard. Gemtree is owned by the Buttery family, who are long-term growers with large holdings of vineyards in McLaren Vale. Naturally they have access to superb fruit. Mike Brown is a pretty talented winemaker and has the ability to turn that fruit into fine wine. There two Shiraz offerings in particular, over-deliver on value. It's not all that often that you see a wine that is rated as Excellent with four stars for value.

As long as this winery keeps plugging away, doing what they are doing so well, they should continue to prosper.

That was the end of the day's formal activities. The boys couldn't wait to get back to The Pie King Hilton Hotel, so that they could sit on the hill, have a beer, and watch the sun go down behind them. When we got back to the house, I went inside to do a couple of quick things, and by the time I had finished, they had already gone up the hill without me. By the time I joined them, they were happily guzzling their beers. Did they bring up a bottle of Sparkling Shiraz for me? Not on your Nellie! So much for looking after friends. I was not in a good frame of mind and it was made worse by needing a sugar fix, so it was back down the hill for a snack and to fix myself a glass of single malt.

John gave me his typical, caring response. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shortly after I joined the gathering, Sue arrived. Now I have always known that his Pieship was a bit strange, but I never realised he was perverted as well. It turns out that he has a G string fetish; I kid you not, he actually collects them.

He proudly told us all about them. There was the elephant one; it has a big trunk and ears. He also has a “candy one” but he didn't give us a description, which is just as well sometimes you can have too much information. He has one with a pouch; it has a zip down the front. I wonder if he keeps his small change in there?

Sue was happy to provide further details, it all started when they lived in McLaren Vale. One Christmas Sue’s sister, who was very straight and conservative, arrived with her two nephews, who were three and five years old respectively. There it is, Christmas morning and they are all gathered on the veranda, and out comes John wearing the latest addition to his collection. Shock horror, Sue's sister almost collapsed from shock. According to John, it wasn't a pretty sight, and I think he was referring to himself rather than his sister-in-law's condition.

John then said, "I am not a body builder, so Buddy (his term of endearment for Sue) just close your eyes and imagine. Imagine anything.”

I responded, “Yes!.... And think of England.”

John turned to me and very seriously said, "How can one lie back and think of England when you don't know who's on the team.”

After all this fun and frivolity, it was off to the Victory Hotel for dinner. We were meeting Roger Pike from Marius wines, and Glen Green and his partner Vasiliki, so there would be eight of us. Some of the wines were served open; we played options on the rest.

Roger gave me a bottle of his Marius 2006 Symposium (a Shiraz/Mourvedre blend) to take with me so I could try that my leisure, so I will include the tasting note here. The wine is sealed under screwcap and will sell for $30 when it is eventually released. From past experience, I know that some of Rogers wines can be a right bastard to assess when very young. This one did not let me down. The tannins are smooth, silky and drying, and are well matched to the pure, deep fruit, and the acid that provides a crisp, clean finish. The palate is off-sweet with blackberry, milk chocolate, subtle mock/coffee oak, and meaty characters, but when the wine was first opened there was a touch of green sappiness to the finish. It's a muscular weight with a supple consistency and a solid, tight structure. In many ways it is a restrained wine, significantly more elegant than any of Rogers previous efforts. Even after 12, and then 24 hours in the glass the wine was tight. It needs time to build complexity. At this point, it was angular and everything is all up front. Based on Roger's past track record, it should improve in the short term, and I would like to see it again before giving a definitive rating.

The first wine opened was a Hardy 1994 Eileen Hardy Shiraz which was served from a magnum. The bouquet was very pleasant showing blackberry and perfumed fruit, together with vanillin oak. Being in a magnum, this particular bottle still have a long way to go; the tannins were dusty and the acid still fresh. Initially the flavours were blackberry, plum and tar, but with time in the glass, some attractive chocolate characters started to emerge. Rated as Excellent.

The next bottle opened was an options wine that was brought by Glen. He once again proved his superior level of wine options bastardry by bringing a “super Texan” wine. However, this time because I was playing the man rather than the wine, and by choosing the most obscure options, I got all bar one correct. Unfortunately my track record for the night started and finished here. For all intents and purposes, the wine actually looked like a Pinot. Unfortunately it did not show all that well.

The next mystery wine was brought by me. It was a Lagier Meredith 1999 Syrah from the Napa Valley. The wine wasn't as good as I had hoped, but most people did like it. It was youthful; in the options game the majority of people thought it was a 2004, and if you had any of these in your cellar, you'd probably want to keep them for another five years before trying it again. At 14.8% alcohol, whilst it did show a bit of warmth initially, once it opened up it seemed to calm down. The cedary French oak was prominent on the nose, but there was excellent fruit to back it up. The fruit was very sweet on the uptake, but there was a secondary layer of off-sweet characters below. The flavour profile contains loads of meaty characters; in fact in the options game, all except one person thought it was Mourvedre based. The wine finished clean with lots of chocolate and cocoa characters. Rated as Highly Recommended.

For a starter I had cumin spiced whitebait which was served with a garlic aioli, and it was delicious. It was a popular dish, half the table ordered it.

The next wine opened it was a Wirra Wirra 1999 RSW Shiraz. The bouquet showed very-sweet fruit in the red and blue spectrum, as well as mushroom characters. The palate was terrific and driven by luscious, sweet fruit and whilst the acid has softened, it is certainly not flabby, and the dusty tannins provided solid backing. With sweet berry fruit on the uptake, the mid-palate has oodles of chocolaty oak. Glen picked up a very interesting characteristic. The wine has a slightly cheesy note to the bouquet, which he thought was probably caused by some rogue bacteria. It also showed up on the palate with acid that was slightly sour and lactic, but even then, the wine was rated as Highly Recommended.

The next wine was another mystery wine and was brought by Roger. The bouquet showed perfumed characters, almost slightly soapy. It was an extremely young wine, driven by bucket-loads of fresh fruit with noticeable, fresh acid and bombastic dusty tannins. The palate showed coffee oak character, chocolate, as well was lots of meaty notes and blackberry. It finished clean with copious quantities of coconut oak, and I rated it as Highly Recommended with ** for value at $60. The wine was unveiled as a Meerea Park 2005 Alexander Monroe Shiraz. It was interesting to note, that in the option game, without exception, everyone thought this wine was from South Australia. Possibly that is why for a Hunter wine, it is so popular; it looks like a South Australian wine.

Roger received a gold star for options bastardry for bringing this wine.

The next mystery wine, my nose did not like at all, the first sniff made me sneeze. On the palate, it was incredibly sweet but one-dimensional. I didn't want to go any further with this one.

Finally, after some very ordinary options wines, and a corked Craiglee 1998 Shiraz from John’s cellar, we opened up a Kay Bros 1996 Block Six Shiraz, which was the wine of the night by a country mile. Well-backed by dusty tannins, it had tons of rich, dark chocolate and finished long, clean and dry. Rated as Excellent, its still has a long way to go. Roger commented that he thought it was both old-fashioned and modern at the same time.

For a main course I ordered salt and pepper squid. It was served with chips on the side, and they were cooked to perfection. The salt and pepper squid was as expected.

I decided to pass on dessert, as nothing really took my fancy, although most of the others did partake. It was a most enjoyable night, but the one downside, believe it or not, was the wine. Trying to be super tricky with the options may be a lot of fun, but it certainly does not result in a night of great wine, so next year we will have new rules of engagement. Options will still be allowed, but the wines have to be top-notch.

For reasons that weren't so strange, at the end of the night I was remarkably sober, but the same couldn't necessarily be said about the three other guys in the car. Sue volunteered to drive, which was very kind of her. On the way there, Brian had been shoehorned into the middle of the back seat and didn't find it comfortable. On the way home, he crawled into the cargo area, grabbed a six-pack of wine and a woolly jumper, and made himself a pillow. He kept on telling us how comfortable he was, no doubt an indication of his sobriety, or lack thereof.

That was the end of a big day, but there were more planned that would be just as big and just as good! Stay tuned and do not adjust your set. The next transmission will be next week.

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From: David October 10 1.39pm

Not to be a pedant, but I think you will find that the siege engine is a trebuchet not a catapult.

TORB Responds:

The Wirra Wirra section was proof read "for inaccuracies" by Julian prior to it going live. As a result of the proof reading, some changes were made to the "catapult" text as I had a couple of things wrong, but Julian always referred to as "catapult." That is not to say that you are incorrect David, but the majority of people probably have no idea what a trebuchet is, where as they would know recognise the word catapult. Wirra Wirra may use that term for simplicity. It always amazes me the depth of knowledge have in so many obscure subjects, wine included.

From: Mike Pollard October 11 4.11am

Not that I know much about this stuff but the Wirra Wirra catapult looks very much like a Trebuchet. The key is the presence of "a massive counterweight on one end of an arm, and a sling on the other end." (see http://www.catapults.info/). But then catapult covers a diverse range of