TORB’s Trek - The 2004 Victorian Tour Diary Chapter Two Chapter One can be found here

Day Two: Friday – The Pyrenees

It is very quickly becoming apparent the central Victoria wine region is unlike many other traditional Australian wine growing areas. It seems that many of the wineries are located in the middle of nowhere with no other wineries nearby. From Great Western to Berrys Bridge winery is about 120 km but it is from one region to another so that does not seem unreasonable, but then it’s a further 42 kilometres to the next winery in that same region. This sort of distance between wineries is not at all unusual in this district. This means a lot of driving and hours of what would normally be tasting time sitting in the drivers seat with the auto pilot engaged; at least the traffic is very light and the roads are in good condition.

Berrys Bridge, which was started in 1990, is located down a dirt road at the north eastern corner of the Pyrenees surrounded by open broad acre farming country. This small producer has a reputation for high quality reds which tend to sell out quickly and as a result their prices have certainly risen substantially in recent years. So, I was interested to see if their wines were still going to be worth the dollars. They only grow red grapes, Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot. Jane Holt is the winemaker and she believes in combining the best of the old world wine making (like hand picking, hand plunging etc) with some of the more modern techniques available.

All fruit used is estate grown and as there is no water available for irrigation, it’s dry grown. They have an interesting pricing structure. Pay in advance prior to release and get a substantial discount, pay when released and you pay full price.  The 2002’s which I was fortunate enough to try will be released in a few months. I was fortunate to get to try three vintages of cabernet, two of their Shiraz and one of Merlot.

Berrys Bridge 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon sells at CD for $30 a bottle by the case. It has an attractive easy-to-take nose with berry and subtle spices. Tannins are fine grained, the acid is refreshing and the medium fruit, whilst finishing bone dry with a good length minty finish, has oodles of sweet up-front fruit. It’s a solid wine that shows some elegance whilst maintaining a well developed agreeable complexity. Well constructed, its an easy drinking, good food wine that should peak in the next year or two and hold for a while after that, it’s rated as Recommended with *** for value.

For the balance of the wines the winery has a two tier pricing structure which by the look of it is designed to retain and reward regular customers. The first price is available to existing mailing list customers who have purchased wine the previous year. In essence, by paying for the wine a few months in advance considerable savings are offered. For example the 2002 Shiraz under this scheme will cost existing mailing list customers $42 a bottle. However the price from their web site will be $63.80, a very considerable difference.

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Berrys Bridge 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon is the current release and also sells at CD for $57 a bottle or $50 by the case or $63.80 from their web site.  A typical warm rich Cabernet bouquet which also exudes some vanillin characteristics. Muscular in weight, with a firm rich consistency which is amply supported by loads of fine drying tannins, the fruit, which is pure, obvious and deep, flows across the palate richly with intense sweet and savoury flavours, then into chocolate and finishes with minty eucalyptus. It has all the necessary components and just needs about 4+ years to show its best. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value. Nice wine but there is far better value available.

Berrys Bridge 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon will be released later this year and is currently being pre sold. Very sweet on the uptake with blackcurrant, chocolate, mint and coffee, its bone dry on the finish whilst there is a tussle between the sweet and savoury aspects of the wine. Ample in weight with a well developed complexity, its tight structure needs loads of time. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value I expect there to a big improvement when this one matures after 2009. The value rating of *** is for those that pay the $42 a bottle in advance.

Roger and Shadow...............

Picture from the Berrys Bridge web site.. ...

Berrys Bridge 2001 Shiraz is the current release and also sells at CD for $57 a bottle or $50 by the case or $63.80 from their web site.  Although the wine was closed, the bouquet did show some excellent complexity and obvious class with plum, some subtle dusty oak nuances, blackberry and spice. Fine grained, drying, puckering tannins dominate the palate but the quality deep, pure, distinct fruit delivers what the nose promises. The power in this wine is excellent and although it’s muscular in weight, the structure is rock solid and very tight. This is a classy wine that will be very long lived and if you have any in the cellar don’t even contemplate opening it till 2009. Rated as Excellent with *** for value (just) at the $50 price. At the $63.80 price there is better value around.

Berrys Bridge 2002 Shiraz is being presold for $42 a bottle and if you are going to buy it, now’s the time rather than paying over $50 when it is released in a few months. Very dark purple with a dark hue, the wine is cropped at between 3 and 3.5 tons per acre. The wine was bottled in September and is still slightly disjointed and showing the shock. Like the 01, the nose is closed and tight but it does have obvious class and complexity. This wine sings as you sip, it has definite ‘sit up and take notice of me’ qualities whilst there is a contest on the taste buds between the dancing sweet and savoury flavours of plum, black coffee, chocolate, blackberry, and mint; all on a very long finish of fine grained chewy tannins. A full bodied wine with a solid long tight structure, and sophisticated, very well developed complexity this wine has it all - great construction and perfect balance. Rated as Excellent now with *** for value, the rating should increase in time as the wine matures in about 2009 and beyond. The value rating of *** is based for those that pay the $42 a bottle price in advance.

Berrys Bridge 2000 Merlot sells at CD for $57 a bottle or $50 by the case. This wine is cropped at one ton to the acre. This is a serious Merlot with an excellent structure. Ample in weight, it’s still tight, has some elegance, a refined complexity and loads of fine gained tannins with plum, mulberry and coffee flavours which finish long. Rated as Recommended with ** for value, the rating may improve as the wine matures in about three years from now.

All the wines tasted show the quality of the fruit and the skill of the winemaker. There is a consistency in style across the whole range which is unmistakable. Whilst it’s admirable to look after existing customers the pricing structure here is confusing. If you are on the list and have purchased direct from the winery the previous year you get a realistic price that offers good value, say $42. If you buy for the first time during a visit to the winery you will pay a different price but it will be the post release price, say $57 by the bottle or $50 by the dozen. If you don’t visit the winery and buy via their web site you will pay $63.80 for the same wine. If you buy retail the price will obviously be set by the retailer and will be about the mid $50’s. The 2002 wines are good vale at $42 but not great at $50+.

Berrys Bridge also has two very friendly cattle dogs that insist on lying in the doorway so that they get your full attention as you fall over them (not that mine have ever been known to do that in my pet shop).

It was well and truly lunchtime but I was in the middle of nowhere and eventually when I got back to the main road I found a B&B that had a tea room attached. The sandwich was, shall we say, “interesting” but at least the apple juice was cold which was just as well because it was 40 degrees (104F)!

…………………………...Redbank views

Next stop was the picturesque Redbank Winery whose Sally Paddock is normally a high quality, refined, long lived red wine.

Redbank Winery 2001 Sally Paddock sells at the winery for $49.80. The inside of the winery must have been about 30 degrees plus. The open bottle of this wine was volatile and badly oxidised so the lady behind the counter opened another one. The wine was way too hot to be able to try and assess with any degree of accuracy but I did try. Medium in weight, the very fine tannins are deceptive and provide a solid backbone whilst the crisp acid is needed to cut through the sweet ripe fruit which then goes savoury with blackberry chocolate and liquorice. This is a refined, classy wine with a well developed complexity but the flavour profile is jarring (probably heat related). Rated as Recommended with ** for value, any winery that serves their red wines under these conditions can’t seriously expect their wines to show well.

Having left this winery hot and bothered I was not in the best frame of mind, especially seeing how the next winery on the list was found to be very disappointing the last time I was there a little over three years ago. But you have to keep an open mind so I was prepared for anything when I walked into Summerfield Wines. Lined up on the counter were four bottles of red that interested me, a Shiraz, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Reserve of each.

Summerfield Wines 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $23 at CD. Tannins are unobtrusive but there, the fruit is pure and obvious which is sweet on the uptake and intensely savoury on the mid palate and finishes with reasonable length. Loads of savoury blackcurrant and chocolate provide an agreeable complexity and the supple consistency and ample weight combine to form an easy drinking fruit driven wine. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, we are off to a good start here as this is good honest wine.

Summerfield Wines 2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $43 at CD. An intense Cabernet bouquet showing blackberry, chocolate, coffee and a hint of mint but unusually, there is also some burnt butter on popcorn characters too. The plate follows the bouquet providing a refined well developed complexity of flavours and whilst the wine is medium in weight, it has good power and excellent length finishing with very fine grained, drying tannins. The structure is solid with some elegance and should become seamless in time; it’s a good wine with a lovely silky mouth feel. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine matures in 2007 and beyond.  

Summerfield Wines 2001 Shiraz sells for $23 at CD. The nose on this one is dumb! Some pepper and not much else. Sweet berry on the uptake which immediately turns savoury with full on pepper and plum. The time it takes to fade is good but the wine stops a little short on the tongue. Ample weight and fine grained, unobtrusive tannins makes this an easy drinking red but it’s a typical ‘man in a grey suit’ wine that gets lost in the crowd. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Summerfield Wines 2001 Reserve Shiraz sells for $43 at CD. The old cliché ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove’ describes this perfectly. Pure deep concentrated fruit provide an initial sweet uptake with powerful savoury plum and chocolate that finishes *very* long. It’s muscular in weight with ultra fine grained, slightly powdery, drying tannins providing a firm solid structure and backbone. It’s already seamless and has a well developed complexity. Rated as Excellent with *** for value it should peak after 2007.

At this point I must admit I was impressed and wanted to meet the winemaker if possible. Mark Summerfield came out and we had a long chat. Summerfield is a family concern and proud of it. The winery was started by Mark’s father. The family were originally traditional farmers but decided to plant grapes in 1960’s and got into the wine business in the 1970’s. Although I had rocked up without an appointment Mark was happy to open the up coming releases for me to try.

It’s easy to make good wine in a great year but the sign of a good winemaker is one that can make great wine in a poor year. Due to the drought conditions in Victoria in 2002, that year certainly qualified as a poor year in much of the state. The 2001 vintages wines were without exception impressive and I was looking forward to seeing how the 2002’s shaped up.

Summerfield 2002 Shiraz will retail for $23 at CD when released in April. The bouquet shows dominant ripe fruit with subtle oak coffee essence and that’s despite the fact there is a lot of new French oak being used. The wine is intensely sweet on the uptake which almost instantaneously turns savoury and then the acid kicks in which also counterbalances the sweetness of the ripe plum flavours and pepper. It’s a muscular weight wine with a firm but subtle consistency, a tight structure and well developed complexity. Intensity is excellent without loads of weight; the fruit is rich, strong and pure with mouth feel a little seductive. Like all the Summerfield wines, the tannins are smooth and fine so whilst it will be approachable in 2005, it will improve for ages. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value. 

Summerfield 2002 Reserve Shiraz will retail for $43 at CD when it’s released in April. Glass staining dark purple in colour the ‘iodine black’ nose comes as no surprise. Tannins are ultra fine grained with balanced acid that produces a creamy mouth feel. This is the sort of quality drop that one can not help just loving. It would be an injustice to say that its all about structure and construction, the wine has the fruit to back it up too. It’s a full bodied wine that’s firm and supple at the same time; the complexity is both sophisticated and harmonious. Approachable now, the ultra fined grained tannins and unobtrusive acid will ensure it’s seamless as it matures around 2010 and beyond. The plum, liquorice, coffee and other flavours result in power without excessive weight and an excellent length finish. Rated as Excellent with **** for value this is a must buy premium wine. It will be very interesting to try this wine alongside the 2001 when they are both mature as I am not sure which will be the better wine.

Summerfield 2002 Tradition is the first release of this label and it will retail for $23 at CD when released in April. It’s a fifty-fifty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. (There will be no entry level straight Cabernet this vintage as there was insufficient fruit of the required standard.) The bouquet is currently dominated by oak but the fruit is lurking underneath. Tannins are smooth, the crisp acid sticks out a little and whilst the fruit is deep and the wine needs time to integrate, I found it to be a little disjointed.  It’s ample in weight with a firm consistency, and an agreeable level of complexity which should come good in time as it reaches maturity in 2007. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Summerfield 2002 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will retail for $43 at CD when it’s released in April. Dusty oak currently dominates the deeply buried blackcurrant and blackberry fruit but this bottle of wine had just been opened and to say it was closed and tight is an understatement. This wine has all the components; fine grained, very drying tannins, balanced acid, pure, deeply seated, ample weight fruit, a very firm consistency, a solid but elegant and tight structure and a well developed complexity. For all that, it’s a cerebral wine that requires thought to appreciate its real character, charm and beauty because right now it’s like a clunky teenager that needs to grow up and it would be a criminal waste to drink the wine now. However everything is there in the right proportion and whist the 2001 looks better now, I am confident that in the long run the 2002 Reserve Cabernet will be the better wine. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value now, don’t even think about opening a bottle till 2010 or beyond as by then the rating will have gone up and the wine will be showing its true class. 

In selected years, like 1999, 2001 and 2002 Mark purloins the best few barrels of fruit for the family and produces a wine called Summerfield Family Indulgence. This wine is not for sale but Mark was kind enough to open a bottle of the 2001 for me to try. 90 dozen bottles were made; it must be a large family. The bouquet of this wine is incredibly complex showing cold meat, cloves and coffee but the bottle had just been opened and there is obviously a lot more to it. A clean wine with fantastic fruit purity which is sweet, ripe and powerful; the liquorice plum and chocolate flavours are intense. It has lots of everything except weight and finishes with incredible length. Complexity is sophisticated and refined, the structure is layered and the mouthfeel sublime. Tannins are fine and the wine is muscular in weight. Rated as Outstanding it will be very long lived. This is a stunning wine with wow factor.  

There was not a bad wine in the lot; they are all very consistent in style, from oak treatment through to the finished product. Mark is a very unassuming, modest, winemaker with no formal winemaking qualifications that has been largely been self taught by doing it alongside members of the family and now on his own. He is doing an outstanding job in what he is making. Volumes were down in 2002 due to drought but the wines are very good. The wines show some elegance with varying levels of power without weight and all are well balanced and well made. No wonder this winery has so many devoted followers. I was having such a good time I spent many hours there when I hadn’t planned to so I had to stay in the area overnight. There is accommodation on the premises and the rooms are large, clean and inexpensive. No phones, no mobile reception either; no air-conditioning but there is a fan in the room which is comfortable and modern.

Mark suggested that I have dinner at Warrenmang Resort and was kind enough to book a table for me and arranged for me to be able to take the open bottle of Indulgence with me. The ambiance is delightful and the restaurant has wonderful views overlooking the vines and the valley. Service was good but take the word “wonderful” away from the waitress’ vocabulary and every second word would have been a blank. For a starter I had (a single) ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and all sorts of other goodies, presentation was wonderful, and it tasted wonderful too. Only problem there was only one and I could have happily eaten two or possibly three.

For a main course I had squab and the breast was cooked just the way I ordered it, much to the probable disgust of the chef who wanted to present it rare. It was accompanied by a whole four beans and a large gow gee that had been stuffed with squab leg and some small, very tasty pikelets. The sauce was also wonderful and its sweetness provided a good contrast for the strong poultry flavour. The gow gee (as well as the ravioli) pastry was al dente where it was thin but where it was double layered it was plain hard, rock hard in the case of the gow gee, rim casing.

The terrine of summer berry with ice cream was wonderful, in fact double wonderful and I loved every mouthful. The bill, $70 for the three course fixed price menu including corkage. If I had not had two bread rolls I would have been looking for a hamburger shop after that three course meal, but it was wonderful overall.

First Rant

This resort is reputed to have the best restaurant in the area and the comments I am about to make apply not just to them, but to many supposed fine dining establishments (and some cellar doors). When I arrived it must have been 30 degrees, possibly more, in the restaurant which appears to lack air-conditioning. The windows were wide open waiting for the cool of the evening to work its magic but that didn’t happen whilst I was there. I had brought a bottle of wine (with the kind permission of the management) which had been kept cool by placing it in the fridge for a while prior to arriving. The restaurant was so hot that I had to get an ice bucket to keep the wine at a drinkable temperature. So I was ok and not affected but that deflects from the issue.

The restaurant sells a number of premium high quality red wines which are kept in the open. During the heat of the day these wines would heat up and no doubt, had I ordered a bottle of red, it would have been 30 degrees and undrinkable. If the windows are left open at night and it cools down to as low as 14 degrees then the wine would also start to cool. However a 16 degree daily temperature fluctuation would soon take its toll on these wines. So in essence there are two problems. The restaurants which are guilty of bad storage are serving red wine at undrinkable temperatures and the wine may not be as the maker intended. If these establishments don’t wish to air condition their premises and make their customers feel comfortable and think that eating in 30 degree heat is conducive to fine dining then so be it, but at least they could purchase an inexpensive wine cabinet to keep their quality red wines at a drinkable temperature and stop them from being ruined. But I guess expecting professionalism when it comes to wine from many of these establishments may be too much to ask.

As an aside, when I visited Jasper Hill, Elva Laughton told me a similar story where she and Ron had dinner at a fine dining establishment and ordered an expensive bottle of Pinot to also find it virtually undrinkable because of the heat. The restaurant also stocks Jaspers Hill and Elva was very concerned about the conditions their wines were stored and served in and the effect it would have on the reputation of their winery. It’s quite possible, indeed probable, this restaurant will not be sold any more Jasper Hill wines until the storage and serving temperature issue is fixed.

Good on Jaspers, shame on these restaurants and cellar doors that indulge in this slack practice. Rant over back to the story.   

Day Three: Saturday – The Pyrenees continued

Up bright and early with a 9.00 o’clock appointment at Warrenmang to taste their line up of wines. They have a large range of wines to select from which is probably about to get a whole lot bigger with a prospectus out to raise $6,000,000 to enable a consolidation of a number of companies (including Bazzani and Massoni) whilst leaving capital for further acquisitions. Warrenmang is already getting started on its expansion phase with the excavation for a new storage shed as you can see from the attached photo.

The winery has an unusual pricing structure with 10% off for dozen lots and 20% if you are a resort guest. Basically, there is not a single one of these wines I would even contemplating purchasing at their full price but with the 20% discount some do represent reasonable value.  

Bazzani 2002 Vinello is a blend of Barbera, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Dolcetto and sells for $20 at CD. Violet in colour, the bouquet is all raspberry, milk chocolate, and spice with some pretty obvious acid. A very drinkable, fun wine, especially on a hot day or with fish, it has pleasant fruit flavour with well balanced, soft acid that finishes dry. The fruit is delicate and the weight lean. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Bazzani 2001 Cabernet/Shiraz/Dolcetto sells for $18 at CD. Dusty oak nuances over warm fruit but the bouquet does not reveal much. A medium weight wine with almost delicate fruit, the tannins are there but unobtrusive and provide a supple consistency. Non red wine drinkers would like this, it’s smooth, light and easy drinking. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.

Warrenmang 2000 Grand Pyrenees is an unusual blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Shiraz that sells for $35 at CD. The bouquet shows some class with coffee oak dominating subtle sweet blackberry fruit.  Colour of violet, medium in weight with supple consistency, it has some elegance with a solid, layered structure and whilst it’s approachable now, it should become seamless in time. Flavours are savoury, the acid is crisp which would cut through oily pasta dishes or pasta sauces; it has a harmonious long finish. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

……………….Barrel Storage for their top wines

Warrenmang 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $33 at CD. The aroma profile is almost Shiraz-like with plums, coffee and menthol. A good quality lighter style red, it needs time for the smooth, drying, slightly chunky, chewy tannins to resolve. The medium fruit is sweet on the uptake with red berry fruit in a savoury tussle whilst tantalising the tongue with refreshing crisp acid. Rated as Recommended with ** for value.

Warrenmang 2001 Estate Shiraz sells for $60 at CD. A subtle but complex nose showing all sorts of goodies, this is a lovely wine and not at all a block buster, in fact it’s medium in weight and the solid structure shows some elegance with a well developed, sophisticated complexity. Savoury plum, chocolate, blackberry and subtle aniseed combine to form an interesting flavour profile that finishes long. A well made, refined wine, the fruit is pure, deep and persistent but the powdery, drying tannins need time to integrate. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value don’t even think about opening till 2007 or better still even later.

Warrenmang 2001 Black Puma Shiraz is their top wine and is priced accordingly. The nose is lifted but tight and has good complexity with ripe berry flavours and menthol. The deep, pure, persistent fruit provides an initial sweet hit, going into savoury blackberry and plum whilst maintaining an underlying sweetness which finishes dry with loads of fine grained, powdery tannins. Ample in weight, the structure is solid, layered and tight and the complexity well developed. This is a classy wine that need till the end of the decade to show its best. Rated as Excellent with ** for value.

The wines at Warrenmang are good quality and well made in a lighter style which will appeal to many people. Whilst to some extent I can understand the philosophy of giving the resort guests a 20% discount, for the rest of the paying public there is much better value to be found elsewhere.

From there it was off to see an unscheduled new face, would this be a real find or a waste of time? Never having heard of Peerick, only the experience of a cellar door visit would let me know. Down a dirt road, it’s a bit off the beaten track; in fact it’s at the end of “Wild Dog Track” which is an apt name. It’s a six hectare property which was established in 1990 and by the look of things, family run. The gentleman behind the counter in the garage was very helpful and keen to show his wines.

Peerick 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $26 at CD. Dark purple in colour, dusty oak, strong coffee essence and blackberry fruit and chocolate is an accurately reflected lead on a sweet and sour palate. Muscular in weight, the dusty, powdery tannins are chewy and provide a firm consistency and solid structure to the agreeable complexity which is approachable now but will be better in three years. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Peerick 2000 Shiraz sells for $32 at CD. The wine appears to be somewhat fruit driven with obvious plum and mulberry flavours which provide an agreeable flavour profile that’s just a bit different. Tannins are drying and the acid is still fresh. Rated as Recommended with ** for value.

Peerick 1999 Shiraz sells for $25 at CD. Apparently there is more of this available than the 2000 hence the lower price. The bouquet is reasonably complex with a spicy character so the palate flavours of pepper, spice and a hint of chocolate come as no surprise. Whilst there are loads of fine drying, puckering, powdery tannins there is less oak tannin than the 2000 wine and the pure, deep fruit is well balanced to match, completing a tight, medium weight wine that is well constructed and shows some elegance. This is a better quality wine than the 2000 and is rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating may improve as the wine approaches maturity about 2008+.

Peerick 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon also sells for $26 at CD. The deep fruit is all coffee, blackcurrant and blackberry but will need many years for the loads of drying tannins to soften and integrate. Ample in weight, the wine has a solid structure that’s increadibly tight and an agreeable level of complexity. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, drink this one in 2008 and beyond.

The wines from this winery are credible but nothing stands out as being great value or a must buy but if you ever see the wines, some are worth trying, particularly the last two.

Dalwhinnie is stalwart of this area and I always enjoy their product. David Jones is a talented winemaker and has produced some great wines, even in poor years, which to my mind is the sign of a craftsman winemaker. He must always have advance warning of my arrival and he has never been there when I am around. The winery itself is a reflection of the philosophy and wine standard. At the entrance to winery is the sign, its simple, black writing on white background but its simplicity shows class. It’s like a statement that says we don’t need flash and glitz to sell our wine. The building has clean lines and has an understated ultra modern elegance but then so has the wine.

 Dalwhinnie 2001 Shiraz sells for $46 at CD. A seductive bouquet that’s as clean as a whistle showing red berry spectrum fruit and pepper. The tannins are powdery but smooth, the acid crisp and the fruit pure and deep. Just ample in weight, structure is solid with some elegance and the complexity is sophisticated. Very savoury berry fruit also produce white pepper, spice, chocolate and aniseed. A classy, high quality wine that’s rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value and is guaranteed to rate higher as it matures in 2009 and beyond. 

Dalwhinnie 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $42 at CD. A typical varietally correct cabernet nose that’s beautiful, clean and inviting. Plum, blackcurrant, chocolate, mint and cigar box on a long finish roll across the palate between sweet and savoury layers. Abundant drying almost puckering dusty tannins are well matched with the fresh acid and deep pure fruit. Medium in weight, the structure is solid, layered but tight and is somewhat disjointed at this early stage but this is just a baby that will need ages. The complexity is well developed and shows signs of sophistication. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve by 2010 and beyond when sane people will drink it.

I called in at Blue Pyrenees Estate but unfortunately they didn’t have much in the way of reds available as they are between vintage releases.

Blue Pyrenees 2001 Shiraz sells for $18 at CD. The first bottle was a little flat and lifeless and finished short on the palate and I thought it was corked. It was replaced with another bottle which was clearly better but in all honesty the second bottle had a musty earthy aroma that seemed like it was also corked to me but the duty manager checked it and said it was fine and that was the way the wine was meant to be. The nose was lifted and also showed some varnished oak, berry fruit and subtle oak influence. An easy drinking red of medium weight that has an open structure, supple consistency and an agreeable complexity, the flavours are chocolate plum and mint that finish with smooth drying tannins. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Blue Pyrenees 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $18 at CD. A similar varnished oak character to the Shiraz with warm sweet fruit; on the palate the sweet fruit is currently dominated by plenty of drying powdery tannins but there is enough deep distinct fruit there to come up in time. Ample in weight, the complexity is agreeable and the wine is rated as Agreeable now with *** for value and the rating should improve as the wine comes together in a couple of years.

It’s not all wine country there is plenty of farming in the district   …….

That was the last winery I visited in the Pyrenees but not the last wines that will be reviewed in this section. Mark Summerfield is the winemaker for Polleters Vineyard and arranged with Peter and Pauline Bicknell to send me samples of their 2002 release wines. This is the second release of their wines and the fruit comes from their 19 acre vineyard just out of Moonambel. According to the information received, “our aim is to produce a consistently high quality wine at an affordable price with focus on low yielding and minimally irrigated fruit” so now let’s put that aim to the test and see how the wines performed on the tasting bench.

Polleters Vineyard 2002 Merlot sells for $25 from the winery. The bottle was corked so I was unable to review the wine.

Polleters Vineyard 2002 Morgans Choice sells for $25 from the winery and is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz and Merlot. Dark purple in colour with a solid hue, the bouquet is sweet and reasonably clean with blackcurrant, cigar box, dusty oak, chocolate and mint. On the palate there are loads of powdery tannins and an interesting flavour profile which in some ways is a bit of a surprise.  The wine is not as sweet as bouquet suggests and whilst there is some underlying sweetness from the blackcurrant, it’s more than offset by the bitter chocolate and pepper from the Shiraz component that finishes with some green sap characters and dusty oak. Ample in weight, the complexity is diverse and, in all honesty, I am not quite sure what to make of such an unusual flavour profile. There is more than enough fruit to manage the tannins when they integrate in a few years. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Polleters Vineyard 2002 Shiraz sells for $25 from the winery. Also dark purple in colour, the nose shows sweet rich fruity character, subtle spice, chocolate and a hint of mint. The wine is well balanced with loads of fine drying tannins, unobtrusive acid and the obvious fruit provides a very complex flavour profile including plum, blackberry, chocolate, mint, savoury spicy characters and a slight sappy green liquorice finish. A solid wine that’s muscular in weight the wine is approachable now but should improve in the short term and is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

The wines are well made and it’s only their second vintage so this winery has potential but the sappy tannins detract from the wines. Possibly the crush was too firm or it could be from new vines.

Pyrenees Summary – There are a few shining lights in this area, some of them are well established like Summerfield and Dalwhinnie and small number are new like Berrys Bridge. As in all the wine regions in Australia today there are a number of new players that will find it difficult to make their presence felt in a crowded and competitive market place. In five years time this region will probably look as different from today as it did five years ago as wineries get swallowed up, merge or give up. Just making me-too wines that are ordinary value or plain overpriced is not a recipe for survival, even if you have good financial backing.

That’s the end of Chapter Two but Chapter Three will have reviews of some very special wines and a few interesting characters and experiences. Stay tuned to this channel.

Copyright © Ric Einstein 2004

The previous chapter can be found here

The next chapter can be found here