Coriole Masterclass – Moncur Cellars Tasting Room 3 June 2010

Coriole is a well regarded winery with decades of experience making wine based on Italian grape varieties. Given the current trend towards alternative varieties, Coriole are well-placed to take advantage of the Australian public’s increasing love of something other than the more common Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and (dare I say it) Sauvignon Blanc.
Back in June, Red to Brown was treated to a ‘Masterclass’ with Coriole wine maker/owner Mark Lloyd (go here for a review of their 2009 Sangiovese (Link)

Below are some notes brief notes on some of the other Coriole wines we tried on the evening:

2009 Fiano
Floral nose of Honeysuckle and subtle lemon/grapefruit. On the palate some more lemon/grapefruit, bees wax/honey along with a touch oiliness and spice. Nice wine that is a great point of difference to the more common whites out there (and a consistent performer for Coriole).

2007 Coriole Sagrantino
This wine was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise on the night and a variety that we are keeping a close eye on. A nice herbal nose with a bit of plum, liquorice and leather. On the palate, the Sagrantino has robust, but not overpowering tannins, black, slightly liqueur fruit and more herbs (cloves), leather and earth. Good acidity as well. A very promising muscular wine with nice tannins.

2007 Barbera
Bit of a forest floor smell on the nose, some nice macerated red berry fruit and spice supported by fine tannins. Mouth filling and juicy. A versatile food style of wine.

2007 Coriole Nebbiolo
Has the Nebbiolo light red brick colour (never judge a Neb by its colour!), and a nice spicy, floral nose. In the mouth, some liqueur cherries and some spices, framed by robust tannins.

2007 Coriole Reserve Sangiovese
Darker than the standard Sangiovese, with a nice spicy strawberry and cherry nose. In the mouth there was lovely savoury red fruit, substantial tannin and acid, and some nice earthiness. However, it is balanced nicely, finishes with good persistence and is the perfect match for numerous Italian dishes (making me hungry thinking about it).

2007 Coriole Mary Kathleen Cabernet Merlot
Deep crimson colour (a clear contrast from the Italian wines we had been tasting). Black fruits, herbs and a hint of menthol on the nose. Some dusty blackberry fruit flavours in the mouth, ripe powerful fruit but not over-sweet. Tannins were surprisingly restrained. Surprisingly elegant given the tough vintage, and a very nice wine.

2006 Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz
A rich and interesting nose with bit of a barnyard smell  and a slight hint of what I would say smells like cooked salmon skin (even RedtoBrown can come up with some questionable descriptors, but that is what came to mind). The wine is a powerful one, but it is not a bruising fruit bomb – the fruit is relatively restrained and elegant though intense. The usual suspect of dark chocolate has a support role. The wine has nice intensity and persistence. A great way to end the tasting.

Summary
Many thanks to Mark Lloyd and to the Moncur Cellars crew. It was a shame we could not keep talking with Mark about the wines as the evening was very informative and enjoyable. Based on the wines on display, Coriole delivers at all price points, and even in tough vintages.

2003 Andrea Oberto Barbera D'Alba Giada

My wife and I spent a few days in the Barolo area in Piedmont, Italy earlier this year. We both fell in love with the place and the wine of this region. I will be writing something on this trip soon. Ever since coming back I've had a thirst for not only Barolos and Barberescos, but also the "lesser" wines varieties of this wine region such as Barbera and Dolcetto.

The 2003 Andrea Oberto Barbera D'Alba Giada is an enjoyable and interesting wine. I was really looking foward to drinking this wine, and the light, yet bright purple colour of the wine looked promising.

The first sniff of the wine however was a shock. Alcohol. The most noticeable thing on the nose was almost a searing heat on the nose from the alcohol. 2003 was a hot vintage in Piedmont and I thought this might have been a wine that was going to be too alcoholic. I'd seen that the wine was 14.5% alcohol, not exactly low, but certainly not something that would normally disturb me. However the nose would have seemed to indicate an alcohol level a lot higher than 14.5%.

I left the wine for a while to breathe a bit, and when I came back the heat on the nose had died down a bit and I could actually smell something else! Cherry, plum, spice, and a bit of vanilla oak. I guess somewhat typical of a barbera, though also reminded me a bit of a good merlot nose.

On the palette, the initial main flavour was sour cherry, but then as the wine opened up over time, I noticed more the savoury, earthy flavour on the finish. Its good through the mid-palette but then is a tad short on the finish. Interestingly, there is a tiny bit of heat on the palette, but its not especially noticeable, and is certainly less than you would have expected based on the nose.

If ever there was a case for giving wine a chance to breathe this was it. It started off with a very alcoholic nose that made me question whether I'd enjoy it at all. After a couple of hours it evolved into a wine of real personality, with a nice balance between the fruity and the savoury. Very enjoyable!

Red