2010 Henschke Johann's Garden Grenache Mourvedre Shiraz

Henschke - a classy, historic winery. I don’t try or buy as many of their wines as I would like.

The Johann’s Garden, Henschke’s Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz blend,  opens with a nose of fresh Black and red fruit, largely raspberry and black cherry.  Similar juicy, vibrant fruit continues on the palate, supported by some mixed spice and low key, ripe tannin. Finishes with a meaty, herbal, Mourvedre-charged edge. Surprisingly savoury on the finish and mellows-out with air yet the savouriness becomes more pronounced.
I like the fact this is blended with 66% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre and 8% Shiraz: I tend to prefer Australian GMS/GSM blends that have a backbone of Grenache, a capable 2IC of Mourvedre and a cameo support of a small amount of Shiraz. There are too many GMSs out there that have marginally more Grenache than the other two varieties (or a 33-33-33 ratio), and the end result suffers, or the wine becomes a vehicle to move on the lesser shiraz in a given vintage. Not a problem with the Johann’s Garden.

There are plenty of GMS/GSM blends available in Australia, and this is arguably priced a bit high given the competition. However, the quality is up there and it should please many.

91pts

ABV: 14.5%
RRP: $37-45+
Website: http://henschke.com.au/

Gruner Veltliner Face-Off: 2012 Hahndorf Hill (Adelaide Hills) vs 2012 Lark Hill (Canberra District)

A lovely dinner at the Brown household last month proved a great opportunity to try some interesting wines both single and double blind. With the recent emergence of Gruner Veltliner, and having received samples from Hahndorf Hill and Lark Hill, we thought a good way to kick off the evening would be with a Gruner Face-Off. Below are our notes and thoughts

2012 Hahndorf Hill Gruner Veltliner - $28 (Tasted Single Blind)

Red: Quite a mute nose. On the palate there is some generous citrus fruit with hints of more tropical fruits. Some nice spice and interesting herbal notes as well. Good acidity balances the fruit nicely and it finishes with decent length. Good drinking over the next few summers, and fair value at $28. 90/91pts

Postscript: I got to drink this over subsequent days and it drank very well. Lovely aromas of apple emerged, as well as an interesting rocket lettuce note. Good wine. 91 pts

Brown: Subtle tropical, floral, pear and mixed spice nose, texturally fine boned or even dilute. Nice, crisp acidity. Spiced pear and a touch of lemon/citrus on the palate. Not an intense wine, more light and fragrant when tasted. Not much discernible white pepper, though some mixed spice. More in the citrus/pear spectrum than vegetal. 90pts

Postscript: Lean but not mean. Struck me as a little closed when opened, and happy to hear it evolved in subsequent days.


2012 Lark Hill Gruner Veltliner - $40 (Tasted Single Blind)

Red: Immediately reveals a nose of pears and some more tropical fruits. The palate follows this up with some nice richness, including notes of apricot. It’s a touch oily and has some nice spice. What’s missing though is the acidity to provide balance and restraint. Finishes with ok length, and is decent drinking, but a touch too broad for mine. 87/88 pts

Postscript: Was surprised to see it revealed as the Lark Hill as it bears little resemblance to previous impressive vintages. For those that talk about embracing all the vagaries of vintage variation this wine represents an opportunity to walk the walk.

Brown: A nose of ripe pear and lycee, preserved lemon with some florals, more spice and less pepper than previous vintages. Pear, lemon and a trace of lycee once again show up on the palate, the texture is nectar-like (I jotted down mango nectar as one of my initial textural references).  The acidity is fresh and clean, but not as prominent as previous vintages, and is rounded in step with the fruit.  The minerality is calcium-like. Finishes with some spice and a bit of oiliness. 88pts

Postscript: The wine held up well over 2 days, and developed a more nuanced nose. Still, texturally different to previous Lark Hill GV's. I personally preferred the Lark Hill Viognier from the same vintage (to be reviewed soon), though given the wet vintage, this is still a solid effort. It is promising to see our Austrian new arrival can handle tough Australian conditions..

Hahndorf Hill Winery ‘Blueblood’ Blaufränkisch 2010

I am always of two minds when it comes to rare wine varieties grown in Australia. I like the novelty, though often find the wines are more ‘dry red’ than varietal, or at least (and more understandably), something different. The Hahndorf Hill ‘Blueblood’ was, up until recently, the only Blaufränkisch grown in Australia. Unlike a number of the rare/new varieties grown in Australia it delivers.

The Blueblood has a nose with some aniseed, all-spice, traces of white pepper, and as the name suggests, blue fruits. On the palate, integrated oak enmeshes effortlessly with liquorice, aniseed and more blue fruits (with riper blue fruit becoming more apparent with some air). After a day on the tasting bench, white pepper emerged more prominently. There was cleansing acidity and interesting  ripe tannins on the palate.

After 6 days on the tasting bench (an accidental occurrence after another busy working week!) the wine held up nicely –a big surprise. A pleasant smokiness had evolved on the finish, along with salted black liquorice. This wine should cellar nicely.

In summary, an age-worthy ‘point of difference’ wine that is fun to pronounce, will please many, but doesn’t taste like a ‘solid dry red’.

Rating: 93+

Price: $35
ABV: 14%
Website: http://www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au

2011 Scott Fiano (Adelaide Hills)

If you had asked me a week ago where to go for a good Australian Fiano, I would have said Coriole, maybe Oliver’s Taranga, and then have been stumped for much else. I can now add Scott Wines from the Adelaide Hills to that list. I initially tasted it blind in amongst a line up of 35 other whites, courtesy of wine scribe Mike Bennie, and it really stood out then, and only subsequently improved upon retasting over a couple of days.

This is a wine of nice weight and richness of fruit that remains taut and trim all the same. It tastes of melon and pear, lovely spice, and some appealing herbal notes that really add to the wine. Crisp acidity, a sense of minerality, and that bit of viscosity, all give it a texture that distinguishes it from more run of the mill white wines. A great length of finish rounds it all off.

This 2011 Scott Fiano is terrific and worth seeking out if you want to see what we are capable of with this Southern Italian variety.





Rated:


ABV: 13.5%
RRP: $26
Website: http://www.scottwinemaking.com.au/


Red

2009 Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir

I have been meaning to try this new entry in the Penfolds Range for a while, and purchased it on a whim.

The colour is off-putting. I know colour can mean little and may even be a psychological barrier to enjoying some wines, but for a Pinot Noir this baby is dark – rich Grenache / ‘Syrah’- style dark.
It smells like cinnamon sprinkled on cherries with a bit of added vanilla from the oak. In the mouth the cherries are once again apparent (considerably so), as are the tannins (which are firm and robust).There is a sour edge to the cherry fruit, and the finish is quite savoury and stalky, though not in a raw and unpleasant way.
This wine does not scream out as being varietal, though it has enough tannin and fruit in balance to suggest it will develop if you give it time. Not sure it will please many of the Pinot Noir devotees out there, though it is a solid first effort from Penfolds, provided you ignore the RRP.
However, on that note, at $40 a bottle there are numerous examples of Australian and New Zealand Pinot Noir that are far superior – from a value for money perspective and an overall quality perspective. Still, as a ‘Bin’ wine, Penfolds are aiming high, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves in style in future vintages.

Details
Rated:***+
RRP: $40
ABV: 13.9%
Website: http://www.penfolds.com.au/

2007 S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo (Adelaide Hills, Retail)

This is a wine that has me excited.

Ever since my wife and I visited Barolo during a trip to Italy in May last year, I have become somewhat obsessed with the Nebbiolo grape, and it has fast drawn alongside Cabernet as my favourite variety.

In loving this grape variety, one of my hopes is that a region can emerge in Australia that produces quality Nebbiolo on a consistent basis. At present the Adelaide Hills, Heathcote, and the King Valley are all throwing their hands up, however, I think another 5-10 years is needed before a clear winner emerges (not that there needs to be a winner – all three regions producing quality Nebbiolo would make me very happy).

This wine is from the Adelaide Hills and is the closest I’ve got to Barolo since my visit there. I tasted it over 3 days and it just got better and better in that time. It’s brickish and light in colour. It has a beautifully aromatic bouquet of roses, cherry, earth, and tar, along with a hint of chocolate. On the palate it tastes of sour cherry, spice, licquorice, and chocolate before delivering a long finish that has some tarry and tobacco notes. Young Barolo is almost invariably very tannic, and while this wine has beautiful, drying tannins, it’s actually less tannic and more approachable than young Nebbiolo often is. I believe it’s going to age superbly, and could be something quite special by the time it hits its 10th birthday and beyond. I toyed with a higher score but for now it’s a comfortable 4 star wine, but with plenty of +’s for the future!

Rated:
++


RRP: $45
ABV: 14.0%
Website: www.pannell.com.au


Red

Dan Murphy's Shiraz Expo, Part Three: South Australian Shiraz

Wines from South Australia will always loom large in any Australian Shiraz tasting (whether the trend setters like it or not). Predictably, there were more than enough examples of SA Shiraz sampled on the day to put a smile on our face. Brief and scratchy notes are below: 
2004 Eileen Hardy Shiraz (McLaren Vale) – beautiful nose – coffee and mocha oak. On the palate super smooth with superb dark fruits with a long finish. Overall a very nice wine.

2008 Mr Riggs Shiraz (McLaren Vale) – nice nose of cedery oak, sweet fruit, and chocolate. More of the typical McLaren Vale bitter chocolate on the palate but not over the top.

2006 Jim Barry McRae Wood Shiraz (Clare Valley) – Elegant, sweet berry fruit nose. Lovely, juicy palate, with some spicy oak and chocolate. Good length.

2007 Chapel Hill Vicar (McLaren Vale) – lovely understated nose of plum, aniseed and some nice oak. Firm tannins and great length on the palate with the typical chocolaty finish.

2008 Shaw & Smith Shiraz (Adelaide Hills) – Lovely perfumed nose of berry fruit and hints of pepper. Nice blueberry fruit on palate, along with more subtle pepper and spice. Nice tannins and length, finishing relatively savoury. Another great result from a winery in good form.

2008 Mike Press Cabernet Sauvignon ($10 from the cellar door, $14 retail Chambers Cellars)

The Mike Press range of wines (http://www.topdropwines.com.au/ ) became all the rage in 2007 when people realised their amazing value for money (including yours truly!). I have tried several bottles from the range in the last 18 months and must concur with all the positive reviews. If you are not familiar with this label, grab yourself a bottle. They are some of the best value wines on offer in Australia, and are pretty much dependable across the range, though especially with the red wines.

The 2008 Cabernet (and also the Shiraz from the same vintage) has distinctive vanilla oak on the nose and has medium to full bodied varietal dark berry fruit on the palate. The tannins were supple and the wine did not finish too hot or overly sweet (pleasant change for a wine in this price range). It could cellar for a few years, but is drinking very nicely now. For the price it is neither soft and simple or harsh and tannic, but ‘just right’. Mr Medvedev recommended it as well – a true peoples wine.

Red to Brown 'Face-Off' : Shiraz Blind Tasting - 07 Shaw & Smith, 07 Cape Mentelle, 07 Tyrrells Stevens, 06 Heathcote Estate

This is the first of what will hopefully be a steady stream of 'face-offs' from Red to Brown involving wines we have both tasted. It is hoped that in future months some more blind tastings with approproiate food matchings will be posted, including an Australian vs New Zealand Pinot Noir and Multi-regional Cabernet Sauvignon tastings.

(Red) Brown, myself, and our better halves had a dinner the other night where we kicked things off with a blind tasting of four Shiraz from four different states – NSW, Vic, SA, and WA. We'd each brought two of the wines, mine from NSW and SA, and Brown's from Vic and WA, so we knew the identity of two of the wines in the line up, but were clueless as to the other two.

Wine 1 (2007 Shaw and Smith Shiraz) – (Red) - Beautiful aromatic nose of berries and French oak. On the palette the wine had a great mouth feel, with good length and nice tannins. Berries and a pleasing bit of spice. First up wine and I loved it. Correctly picked this as the Shaw and Smith (my only correct pick of the night!!)
(Brown) - On the nose I picked up the strong scent of French oak (perfumed, not over-done), along with some vanilla and a hint of spice and pepper. This wine had by far the strongest nose of the 4 out of the bottle. On the palette it had typical black and red fruit, a hint of pepper and some sour notes (in a good way). It was medium bodied with very good length and a tight structure, finishing smooth with perfectly ripe fruit. Knowing Red was bringing SA and NSW wine, the spice and use of French oak (and the fact it was obviously not from the more familiar Barossa, Mclarenvale or Clare Valley) made me assume it was a newer style Coonawarra Shiraz (Ba-bow! wrong). The other half gushed about this wine, and it was the consensus pick for the night.

Wine 2 (2007 Cape Mentelle Shiraz) – (Red) - As we were to discover this wine needed a good decant. There was virtually no nose at all at this stage, maybe a bit of French oak. On the palette the distinguishing feature were the pepper notes to match the berry fruit. Decent length and stronger tannins than the Shaw and Smith. Had no idea where it was from, but the given the pepper I figured it was one of Brown's wines
(Brown) - Classic example of why decanting is good for even young wines, why this wine deserves its universally high rating, and why it will also age wonderfully. Even factoring in my terrible sense of smell, the Cape Mentelle had no nose when first opened. You had to work the wine like a rusted FJ Holden to get some life out of it initially (eg minutes after opening). My notes highlighted the subdued nose, which had sweet hints. The tannins were powdery and fine, it had structure, even if the fruit had not yet opened up to flesh out the wine. There was no obvious new oak. I assumed this could have been the Cape Mentelle, without really having much of an idea (had not tried that many south Margaret River Shiraz). As it turned out, this wine really opened up during the night and on the next day. So much so that by Sunday night it was very nice – the pepper had peaked on Saturday night, and though it was still there, the fruit had come out and the overall package was a very nice, fruity, fully flavoured, yet elegant wine.

Wine 3 (2007 Tyrrells Stevens Shiraz) – (Red) A bit of earth, sour cherry, and well integrated oak. Medium bodied, with good length, gentle tannins, and a hint of spice. Very nice wine. Reading my own notes it's amazing that I didn't pick it as a Hunter (especially given that I'd bought the wine!!!). My two poor excuses are firstly the touch of spice on the palette got me thinking about WA and Vic, and secondly while tasting the wine I had one of those absent minded swirling the wine moments where I swirled just a bit too vigorously and spilled the wine all over myself!!!
(Brown) - Having survived Red spilling wine on himself (at the end of a boozy night maybe, but after 2 small tastes, quite amusing :-) ), I noted that the wine was an almost blackish red (contrasting with the other two). On the nose there was aniseed/fennel, spice (cloves). In the mouth it was savoury and meaty, yet juicy and medium-full bodied. It finished with a bang of (non-fruit bomb) ripe juicy fruit and had admirable length and intensity. I successfully picked this as a Hunter Valley Shiraz (the only wine I can lay claim to confidently outing!) – the taste of the previous two wines, the odds of one of the last two being the Heathcoate and the meatyness to this one swung it for me. The Stevens shows that though a modern Hunter Shiraz can stay true to the traditional style (earthyness, meatyness) yet also have secondary characteristics like spice and nice, juicy fruit.

Wine 4 (2006 Heathcote Estate Shiraz) (Red) – Blackberry, sour cherry, a hint of a pepper and chocolate. Reasonably savoury and not quite full bodied. Good tannins though less well structured than the previous three wines. Given that I had (incorrectly) deduced that none of the previous three wines were the Stevens shiraz, I let myself be convinced that the cherry notes in the wine, as well as its bit of savouriness, indicated it was a Hunter. It certainly wasn't an obvious Heathcote, but once again reading my notes it definitely wasn't a Hunter!!!
(Brown) - This wine had an elegant nose, with coconut scented French oak evident, yet not overpowering . Given that we made notes in silence, I concurred with Red that sour cherry was on the palette (having not identified sour cherry in the previous wines). Once again there was a hint of aniseed and spice, though with stronger, almost syrupy black fruit underpinning the wine. The Heathcote Estate had decent intensity, and drying, pleasant tannin. I picked up an almost citrus tinge at the end, possibly due to higher than usual acid.

(Red) - Very enjoyable tasting. Following the tasting, we then proceeded to drink the wines over the course of the evening while eating a leg of wild boar. The Shaw & Smith was my favourite wine during the tasting and remained my favourite throughout the evening. The Cape Mentelle really opened up. The pepper remained, but berry fruit and liquorice started to come through. Beautiful medium-bodied wine. The Stevens was a wine of real character, and I'd love to drink it in 10 years time to see how it had evolved. Given the quality of the other three, the Heathcote Estate was probably my least favourite. If I'd drunk it on its own, I reckon I would have really enjoyed it and talked it up (it is a very nice wine), but against the other three it seemed just a very slight step down.
Overall, I think it was a good snapshot of where a lot of quality Australian Shiraz is heading. The wines were all closer to medium bodied rather than full-bodied, the highest level of alcohol was the Heathcote at 14.5%, and the use of oak was French and reasonably subtle. All four wines could be cellared for at least 10 years and possibly a lot longer.

(Brown) - I concur with Red, very strong group of affordable reds, underlining the fact that Shiraz is Australia’s signature grape (whether you love it or loathe it), that the different states and wine regions can produce diverse styles and that with trend towards Pinot and lighter styles of wine, Shiraz is amazing value for money.
For me the Shaw and Smith was the most instantly appealing wine, followed by the Tyrrell’s. Both will age for a decade or more. I agree that the Heathcote Estate wine came last, though was not disgraced – it is a quality drop, if a little atypical of some of the bigger, bolder Heathcotes out there. Based on my tasting of it the following evening, I doubt it will develop greatly over time, but will retain its primary characteristics. In my opinion, the Cape Mentelle will evolve into the nicest wine of the 4. As the night went on, and especially on the following evening, the Cape Mentelle developed more fruit flavour and complexity. It will hopefully age gracefully in the years to come.

*Compliments must go to the Chef (Red) who sourced a delicious leg of wild boar – the meat was perfectly matched to the wine – wonderful!