Face-Off: 2011 Pardas Rupestris (Penedes, Spain)

Red: The second of the Pardas wines from the Penedes region in Spain that Brown and I conducted a little Face-Off on.

How’s this for a mouthful of a blend - 70% xarel.lo, 10% xarel.lo vermell, 10% malvasia de sitges, and 10 % macabeu. Indigenous varieties from Penedes in Spain. If you’ve never heard of any of these four varieties you could certainly be forgiven, though Xarel lo and Macabeu are traditionally blending components of Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine. So how do these varieties go as a table wine? Well if the Rupestris is anything to go by then they certainly hold merit.

Opens with a bit of funky pong that largely blows off with a bit of air. Prominent acidity throughout and very dry in style. Nice flavours of citrus and peach are revealed with a bit of time before an appealing flinty/earthy minerality kicks in. Good length. Perfect with fresh seafood. A lovely, textural, dry white wine. 90.

I tried what remained in the bottle a couple of days later and the acidity had become better integrated and touch of honeyed generosity had appeared. Worth holding onto for another a year or two before drinking. 91

Brown: largely neutral nose with air, though if pressed, initially some hydrogen sulphide pong (that blew off a few minutes after opening), pork crackling and very subtle lemon florals.

Understated citrus fruit, unripe white nectarine, and lemon. Taut acidity at the front and back palate. The fruit and mouthfeel fleshes out a bit in the mid palate, and finishes taut, dry and clean.

Interesting, rather austere wine with clean acidity though nice mid-palate texture that would complement a range of seafood options and even poached chicken. 89-90pts + (bonus for its uniqueness and versatility with food)

RRP: Not sure but the LUC is $18
Closure: Cork
ABV: 12.5%
Importer: www.120ml.com.au
Winery: www.cellerpardas.com

Face Off: 2012 Yelland and Papps Devote Roussanne and Second Take Roussanne

''From Yelland and Papps comes two different takes on 2012 Barossa Valley Roussanne:  The Devote and the Second Take. Three weeks ago, RedtoBrown put both bottles through their paces in a good old ‘Face-Off:’

2012 Yelland and Papps Devote Roussanne

Brown: Fruit taken from 10 year old vines, barrel fermented, matured in French oak (22% new) and racked from barrel.

A nose with subtle, understated aromas of apple and citrus with an oak-derived nuttiness. Texturally quite creamy and nutty - a sprinkle of cashew and almonds.

Relatively restrained fruit (white nectarine, citrus and a touch of pear) is framed by subtly spiced nougat oak.  The finish includes pleasant lemon-pith notes, more spice and clean acidity.

Should flesh out with age, and has a solid frame for when the wine develops further in the cellar. Versatile food wine – with rich seafood, or chicken cooked several ways. 91pts

Red: This is currently quite an austere, dry white wine that would go well with some fresh seafood. There is some intensity to the citrus fruit and a touch of creaminess, but apart from that, this Roussanne is keeping everything close to its chest at the moment. The structure, however, is undoubtedly there.   The oak spice sits a touch apart from the fruit at the moment, though this should come together in the next year or so. The acidity is persistent yet unobtrusive, while the length of finish is very good. A quality Roussanne that requires a couple of years in the cellar before it drinks at its best. 90+pts

ABV: 13%

RRP: $35

 

2012 Yelland and Papps Second Take Roussanne

Brown: Yelland and Papps have taken a small batch of Roussanne intended for their Devote range and given it the ‘Second Take’ treatment – wild yeast ferment and lees stirred in barrel with 10% new French oak and then bottled unfiltered.

Firstly, there is no point serving this blind with its Devote partner in Roussanne crime to try and guess which one is which – the cloudy, freshly squeezed apple juice colour and look gives the game away. On the nose, the freshly cut apple, pear and spice, matched with subtle supporting oak are an appealing combination. Lemon pith and citrus fruit on the palate combined with a round, slippery texture adds to the overall appeal.

This is a yeasty, slightly funky wine, yet approachable and moreish. Served cold, it would be perfect in the warmer months in Sydney (or right now, given the lovely sunny autumn weather). The type of wine you want several glasses of. 92+pts

Red: In contrast to the Devote, the Second Take is great drinking now, and while it may age well, there’s certainly no vinicide in opening a bottle today. It’s a cloudy wine, though that shouldn’t stop anyone drinking it, as I think there’s enjoyment here for everyone from the everyday drinker right through to the “full cloud” wine geek. It opens with an expressive and appealing nose of apples, with hints of citrus and pear. In the drinking of this wine there is lovely fruit intensity as those flavours of apple and citrus flowing through onto the palate. More than that though there is genuine complexity here, and a great sense of texture. Yeastiness, spice, some bitter pith, lovely acidity, and a kind of graininess all contribute to this. Much drinking enjoyment here and a real point of difference. A great addition to the Yelland & Papps stable. 92pts 

ABV: 13%

RRP:$40

Brown: In summary, bravo to Yelland and Papps for their new ‘Second Take’ range of wines. ‘New world wine in an old world way’ is the mantra, and for many punters out there it is one that will resonate in the minds and on the palate. Love the labelling and the general vibe of this series of wines. The Second Take Roussanne is arguably natural wine without any of the hyperbole or vitriol. When you also consider the Devote Roussanne, as well as the positive impact of the Roussanne in their Devote Shiraz Roussanne (review not yet posted) it reveals that Yelland and Papps are onto a good thing with this variety.

Website: http://www.yellandandpapps.com/

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..

Face-Off - 1998 Tarrawarra Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley)

Introduction (Red): The ageability of Australian Pinot Noir is something that continues to impress me, and I think it’s only a story that’s going to build as an increasing number of our Pinots sail into their second and even third decades.

My first experience with aged Tarrawarra Pinot Noir was the 2001, which I had earlier in the year at a Tarrawarra dinner hosted in Sydney, and in amongst some fantastic competition it was my wine of the night. It was a seductive Pinot right in the groove with plenty of years in front of it.

Red: The 1998 is perhaps not quite at the level of the 2001, but is still a very good wine and drinking very well at 13 years of age. Funnily enough it reminded me a bit of aged Hunter Shiraz, or put another way, it reminded me that aged Hunter Shiraz starts to look like Pinot.

A lovely aged nose of cherry, pot pourri, caramel oak, and leather. It still has some lovely fruit on the front palate, but then very quickly moves to more secondary notes including earth, tobacco, and sour cherry. It’s finishes with good length and there’s still some fine tannin in support. It’s eminently drinkable and fantastic with food. It could be cellared for a few more years, but I think it’s more or less at its aged peak now.

Brown: I echo Red's comments about the 2001 Tarrawarra Pinot - it was a standout wine on the night of the tasting. Given our mutual enthusiasm for that wine, I was interested to see how the 1998 compared.

Bottle variation may have been at play with my sample, but I did not pick up the same level of fruit on the palate. The nose of the wine I tasted was quite complex, and a definite strength: Primary fruit had given way to somewhat aged characteristics, including wild mushroom, moist earth/soil, forest floor, with a subtle liqueur cherry scent.
On the front palate and to a lesser extent, the mid palate, there was some nice black cherry, all spice, leather and earthiness. The back palate was a bit disjointed, with slightly astringent acidity and possibly alcohol heat at the finish.

Given how alluring the nose of this wine was, I would suggest for this particular bottle it may have been at its peak a few years earlier when the fruit would be more prominent/ in balance at the finish. Still, it settled down with more air, and was a solid wine.

Closing Comments (Brown)  It is promising that Tarrawarra wine maker Clare Halloran managed to produce a Pinot that has survived 13 years (when many of its vintage/era could have fallen over after 4 years). The quality of the 2001 Tarrawarra adds further weight to the opening introduction from Red about the increasing age-worthiness of Australian Pinot. While I would be surprised to see an Australian Pinot emphatically reach its 30^th year, I find it increasingly difficult to rule it out based on this teenager from 1998.

Brown's Belated Top 5 for 2010

In December Red posted his Top 5 Wines for 2005 (link), and I have finally jotted down some 2010 highlights of my own. The wines have been shortlisted based on their enjoyment factor. There were more complex, expensive, expressive wines consumed in 2010, though many of these were at tastings / conducted in a tasting (as opposed to drinking) setting. All of the wines below were accompanied with a nice meal, except for #5 which is not a wine, and was not 'consumed' while eating :-)


Top 5 Wines consumed / Wine related events for 2010:

#1 - Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2006 – Yarra Valley
This wine is made in a style that I love – it has oak, a creamy grapefruit flavour profile, and packs some punch, yet does not go overboard: A bit of a halfway house style. This was the perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken with chicken liver, thyme, garlic and rosemary stuffing. The 2 remaining bottles will be opened and enjoyed in the next few years.

#2 - Thomas Sweetwater Shiraz 2007 – Hunter Valley
Thomas wines in the Hunter Valley is one of the premier up and coming wineries in NSW. Andrew Thomas’s single site range of white and red wines are doing a great job of highlighting the differences in terroir that exist in the Hunter, and are also dispelling some of the myths about what defines Hunter Valley wine. The Sweetwater was an effortlessly enjoyable wine – sweet red fruit and approachable tannins, juicy and fulfilling. It is the lighter, more easy going partner to the 07 Kiss Shiraz - a fantastic wine that will live for 25-30 years with ease. Exciting times in the Hunter.

#3 - Toolangi Pinot Noir 2006 – Yarra Valley
The Toolangi Pinot Noir was blind tasted in one of our Face Offs (link) and acquitted itself very well. I had tasted a bottle of it before and after this tasting and on all occasions felt it was a wine that punched above its weight (especially when going up against more expensive Pinots from Mornington Peninsula and New Zealand). With Hoddles Creek/Wickhams Road and DeBortoli releasing top quality though affordable Yarra Pinot (vintage conditions permitting), the Yarra Valley is increasingly able to produce good quality Pinot Noir for under $20. I hope to see that trend continue in 2011 and beyond.

#4 - Teusner Independent Shiraz Mataro 2009 – Barossa Valley
This is one of those wines I have yet to ‘taste’ and take detailed notes - it is too delicious and moreish. The Independent (and Teusner winery in general) represents all that is good about the Barossa Valley and little of what it sometimes is criticised for: Oodles (or, dare I say a ‘gobfull’) of red and black fruit, some chocolate, but not of the bitter kind, nicely balanced oak and tannins, and a relatively savoury and restrained finish.
For less than $20 this wine represents bang for your buck on a scale that makes me shake my head and smile at the same time – give me one of these over 3 bottles of industrial mass produced red wine 130% of the time.

#PS - The 2008 and 2009 Dog Strangler were also highlights of 2010, as were a few of the Barossa Valley Grenache and Mourvedre released in the last year from producers who focus on these varieties. A very promising trend for the Barossa Valley.

#5 - James Suckling Promotional videos
I loved these videos, probably irrationally and disproportionally. They remain a highlight of my wine year in 2010, and worthy of a top 5 position. As noted in my rambling analysis of the videos (here) I am hoping James takes them to an absurdist/surrealist level and creates more of his ‘art’ for my amusement.


As an aside, I thought I would briefly stray into ‘foodie’ territory and list 3 memorable meals (served with wine) for the year. Going to Tetsuya’s in the month prior to it losing a Good Food Guide toque was an interesting, if inconsistent experience (I still question that decision and put it down to Terry Durack wanting to shake things up). The wines served at the Tetsuya’s degustation were almost 100% Australian – quite rare for a fine diner, and interesting in light of the #allforonewine 'drink Australian' initiative that has been so controversial in January.
Other finalists that didn’t make the cut include a night at Restaurant Balzac (in the year they too lost a toque!) and one of the many simple fish and chips meals we had at the beach in early 2010 (accompanied invariably by an Eden Valley Riesling).

Top 3 Restaurant/Cafe meals for 2010:
#1: Sepia (Sydney CBD) – For once I went to a restaurant on the rise, not suffering a Good Food Guide setback. Was lucky to have booked Sepia 2 months before it received a well-deserved second toque in the Good Food Guide, and experienced a consistently high quality meal with above average service. Of particular interest, the wine list for the degustation was 90% international, quite quirky and well-matched to the food – a chance to try new wines I rarely taste and the other side of the #allforonewine coin.
PS: There may already be a backlash against it, but the Sepia Forest Floor desert has to be seen/consumed to be believed. I still have a hankering for it 4 months after going there!

#2: District Dining (Surry Hills) -  Number 2 on the list primarily for the pork belly in lime salt (accompanied by a Shaw and Smith Chardonnay) and the lovely evening that was had. If we can see more restaurants in Sydney serving this type of share plate food I will be happy. Will have to go back here in Winter and with friends.

#3: Nancy’s Bacon and Egg Rolls (Randwick) – Nancy’s is one of our regulars in the North Randwick area, and we probably consumed too many of their bacon and egg rolls in 2010. The tangy aioli, melted gruyere cheese and semi sun dried tomatoes add a twist to a usually predictable formula. The roll is a Panini sourced from Sonoma bakery, and it is all matched with lashings of bacon and a drizzly egg – yum.

Bring on more fine wine and nice food in 2011!

Face-Off: Canberra District, Tasmanian, Great Western and Frankland River Rieslings

If you have stumbled across this site even once or twice, you might get the impression that we both love our Riesling. For all the Riesling fans out there, in the next few weeks there will be a series of wine tasting events to celebrate the ‘Summer of Riesling’. A link to the Summer of Riesling Website can be found here.

For any Sydney residents who work in or around the CBD, wine bar/restaurant Fix St James is hosting the Sydney Summer of Riesling launch party and several top examples from Australia and around the globe will be available to taste. Entry to the tasting is free and I would highly commend it to you.


With the Riesling festivities about to begin, RedtoBrown decided to take a trip down an Australian Riesling road less traveled by. Being huge fans of Eden Valley and Clare Valley Riesling, we decided to run a Face-Off tasting Rieslings from regions we are less familiar with (in terms of their Riesling at least).

Included in the single blind tasting was a bottle of 2010 Freycinet (Tasmania), a 2010 Whicher Ridge (Frankland River WA), a 2010 Best’s Great Western and a 2009 Mt Majura (Canberra District).


Wine 1 (2010 Freycinet Riesling)

(Red) –Reveals itself straight away as an off-dry style with its sweet, expressive, floral nose. On the palate the sweetness is equally to the fore, though it’s matched by some nice acidity. It tastes of apples, citrus, and a touch of tropical fruit. Excellent length on the finish. Not really my thing but a very good wine in its style. Fans of off-dry Aussie Rieslings should enjoy this. – 4 stars

(Brown)- Floral, ‘feminine’ nose with a little gewurtz-like spice. Varietal lemon and lime became more obvious on the second day (with red apple and traces of lycee evident on opening). Had a pleasant slippery texture with natural acidity to the fore, but not blocking the view. With cellaring, my guess is this will shed its tropical nose and flavours and become more focused. At present an almost off-dry wine (without obvious residual sugar or a cloying finish) that would be well suited to spicy foods. – 4 stars* (Was far superior of the second day and I am confident it will be even better after 1 more year in the bottle).


Wine 2 (2010 Whicher Ridge Riesling)

(Red) - In comparison to Wine 1 the nose immediately appeared a lot more muted, but nevertheless revealed appealing aromas of citrus and talc. On the palate, it once again was less expressive than wine 1 and with more subtlety. There were citrus flavours, but the impression was more about its very fine acidity and a nice minerality. Excellent length. This was my second favourite during the blind tasting. As we then consumed it over dinner and the wine got closer to room temperature, that minerality and a sense of texture really came to the fore. The driest of the four Rieslings. Highly impressive and quite similar to the 09 Whicher Ridge Sav Blanc for its sense of texture. – 4 stars

(Brown) ¬ Obviously more flinty and mineral than the Freycinet when tasted blind, lemon and lemon rind, slate and flint flavours up front, matched to a fine chalky/wet chalk texture that combined well. More bitter lemon and citrus tang on the long finish. An austere style that uses texture and minerality as its weapons, though if I had a minor quibble it would be that the fruit could have been a little more expressive. A very interesting point of departure from the Riesling I normally consume nevertheless. – 3.5 Stars

Wine 3 – (2010 Best’s Riesing)

(Red) – This wine sat in between wines 1 & 2 in terms of style. It’s a dry Riesling with some noticeable residual sugar. It’s a good wine but it didn’t show up well against its 3 competitors on the night. Apple and citrus flavours were supported by a gentle acidity that just seemed a touch disjointed and didn’t really match the sweetness in the way I would have liked. I was surprised when it was revealed as the Best’s, given that it has been rated highly by a number of critics and reviewers. 3.5 stars

(Brown) – Not a bad wine by any means. Probably came across as rounder and sweeter following the quite austere and mineral Whicher Ridge. On the night it had tropical roundness, sweet fruit and soft acidity and was a little sweet for my liking. There is pleasant and ripe apple fruit on the palate to complement the tropical fruits and citrus, and the finish is pleasingly drier than the nose and front palate would suggest. Once again, curious to see if this develops with more bottle age, as it composed itself on day two of tasting and might develop more focus in that time. Will report back next summer!. 3.5 stars+ (for pure, populist enjoyment and quaff factor, this gets a +).



Wine 4 – (2009 Mount Majura Riesling)

(Red)– My favourite Riesling during the blind tasting (the Whicher Ridge drew alongside it over the course of the dinner), and perhaps not surprising given that I find that an extra year makes a big difference with young Riesling. An almost savoury nose with aromas of citrus, bath salts and something that I wrote down as a “nuttiness” to it. On the palate everything is nicely balanced and proportioned. Nothing sticks outs awkwardly, and instead the citrus flavours, the minerality, the acidity and just a tiny amount of residual sugar all fall in beautifully. Excellent Riesling. 4 stars.

(Brown) – If Paul Keating’s 1988 Federal budget was the one that brought home the bacon, the Mount Majura was the Rizza that pleasingly ‘brought back the funk’ on the night (relatively speaking). After two wines leaning towards apple/tropical, and one in the austere lemon and slate camp, this had some funk, possibly due to bottle age. The nose smelt of citrus, yeast, and a slight whiff of kerosene, and the wine tasted primarily of lime (almost reminiscent of a savoury version of Schweppes Lime cordial (a positive in my view)). The fruit was balanced nicely with tight, pleasant acidity, a dry chalky texture and at the finish there was a bit of smokiness and traces of lemon zest. Nice balance and focus. 4 Stars.

In conclusion, all 4 wines had their strengths and weaknesses. The styles on display showed that there are definitely emerging and lesser known wine regions in Australia that are producing nice Riesling, and also that this grape can be crafted into wines that can and should please most tastes. The Summer of Riesling is here – crack open a bottle!!


Winery Websites:
Freycinet: http://www.freycinetvineyard.com.au/
Whicher Ridge: http://www.whicherridge.com.au/
Best’s Great Western: http://www.bestswines.com/
Mount Majura: http://www.mountmajura.com.au/

Face Off: Cote-Rotie/Shiraz Viognier

Red - When we received a sample of the 09 Head Blonde Shiraz Viognier a few weeks back the temptation was to taste and review it straight away. Thinking on it a bit though, we realised that RedtoBrown hadn’t got around to a doing a Face-Off for a while, and that this wine could be a part of a very interesting Cote Rotie/Shiraz Viognier Face-Off.

Cote Rotie is the appellation in the northern Rhone Valley whose wines are typically a blend of Shiraz and a small percentage of Viognier. This addition of Viognier to the Shiraz tends to give the wine lifted aromatics. In the past decade an increasing number of Australian wineries have tried emulate this style of wine. In the Australian context it can on occasions be a bit of a polarising wine, and indeed this is somewhat reflected with myself and Brown.

I’ve generally been a bit of a sceptic when it comes to the blend, although just in the past 12 months I’ve had several examples, both Australian and French, which have demonstrated to me that at its best, this blend can undoubtedly produce beautiful wines. Brown on the other hand is a fan, with plenty of Clonakilla in the cellar to show for it.

So we had the Head Blonde, and thought we should get another Aussie example, along with a Cote Rotie. For the Aussie we decided on the 06 Turner’s Crossing Shiraz Viognier. Like the Head it’s an Aussie example that we have both been impressed by in the past, as well as being very reasonably priced at $25 RRP. For the Cote Rotie, it was basically a case of finding the least expensive bottle we could. With Cote Rotie generally being very small production, and factoring in import costs, you struggle to find any Cote Rotie in Australia for under $100. The 07 Les Vins de Vienne Cote Rotie Les Essartailles was found at Dan Murphys for $85.

While the three wines come from different years they are all from good to excellent vintages in their respective regions. We initially tasted the wines single blind before then going on to finish them over dinner.

Brown - It's Face-Off time again. As Red notes above, we roadtested 3 examples of arguably the red blend of the ‘noughties’ in Australia, Shiraz Viognier.

Shiraz Viognier is a blend that has arguably entered the tall poppy backlash zone for some, such is its relative ubiquity. The sticking point with the blend appears to be the occaisional use of too much viognier in some (many?) examples, which imparts a sweet dried apricot flavour and aroma. If you hate viognier or apricots, there may be quite a few SV blends that do not take your fancy. I love dried apricots, but not overtly in my wine.
Personally I am a fan (or definitely not a sceptic) of a good Shiraz Viognier blend, and I also happen to appreciate a good example of a straight viognier as well. My favourite bottles of SV tend to be ones that the winery have taken some care in making (eg: not just a wine to make up the numbers at the cellar door or tap into the demand), and also wines that have a relatively small amount of viognier in them to provide the aforementioned floral and spicy lift. With all this in mind I was intrigued to find out how these wines would shape up blind, and tasted back to back.


Wine 1 (07 Les Vins de Vienne Cote Rotie Les Essartailles, $85)

Red - this wine opened with a nose of spice and cinnamon and some nice vanillin oak, but then over the course of dinner the Viognier became more evident with apricot becoming quite dominant, and ultimately a bit distracting for me. It has good line and length on the palate with ripe, yet balanced fruit, supported by an interesting and appealing citric acid. Based on it’s nose while tasting blind (and before the Viognier started to dominate) I thought it might have been the Turner’s Crossing. 3.5 Stars

Brown – Same nose for me (vanillin oak the most obvious at first). Initally only a suggestion of apricot, though the palate was quite stewed and ripe with some meaty, olive flavours. With more air the wine came to life, and more vibrant black fruit and acidity, though as noted, apricot, white pepper and mixed spice were dominant. Assumed this was from a warm vintage / warm wine growing region. 3.5+*Stars - Good point of  difference to the Australian SV's, though the RRP was a bit steep, though that was the fault of the import duties, not the aspirations of the wine.

Wine 2 (2006 Turner’s Crossing Shiraz Viognier, Bendigo, $25)

Red - There’s a nice complexity to this wine. While tasting blind it appeared to have more evident Viognier on the nose when compared to Wine 1, but then over the course of dinner it grew in complexity and the lovely berry and five spice aromas came to the fore. There’s a lovely ripe, richness to the palate while still retaining a sense of restraint. The tannins didn’t seem completely integrated yet, but it delivered a long finish. Really enjoyed this and reckon it’s one for the cellar. 4 Stars

Brown – The nicest wine when tasted shortly after opening. More expressive nose, fruity, primary. Apricot was evident, though not obtrusive and in balance with the other fruit aromas and flavours. Medium bodied, with similar black fruit flavours to wine 1. Some sweetness and a bit of apricot and unobtrusive bitterness at the finish. With air some cinnamon and all spice became more noticeable, though the tannins remained quite robust. A very solid wine (especially for the price). 3.5 *


Wine 3 (2009 Head Blonde Shiraz Viognier, Barossa Valley, Sample, $30)

Red – During the blind tasting this was the least impressive wine, having a fairly closed nose and tasting almost dilute on the palate. It was completely different from the previous two wines, and as such I assumed it was the Cote Rotie. Suffice to say I was very surprised to find out it was the Head Blonde. Then, however, over the course of the next couple of hours it just built and built in the glass. In the end it showed itself as a beautiful wine. Berry fruits, chocolate, spice, and just a hint of apricot. Far from being dilute, once unwound it delivers beautiful layers of lovely fruit, supported by fine tannins and nice acidity. Looking forward to seeing how this shows up over the next 5-10 years. 4 Stars

Brown - The most intriguing wine of the night (noting Reds comments about it building with air), and a lesson for us in needing to decant certain wines for several hours to try it at its best. A clear point of difference from wines 1 and 2 when first opened. Subtle apricot on the nose, and initially lighter bodied, raw and generally thinner than the last two. Any apricot flavours were restrained and not over-ripe or dried. Strong, slightly edgy but balanced acidity evident. With air, the wine underwent an impressive transformation - really fleshing out. The elegant yet powerful black fruit was balanced with a nice, clean citric acidity. Like Red, assumed this was the Frenchie, purely for how different it was to the others, though I must say I had a smile on my face when I found out it was a wine from the Barossa Valley that had the balance and integrated acidity to suggest it would age as well as any tasted on the night. Maybe Andrew Jefford should tuck into some of these babies.


Conclusion

Red - Ironic that the overt Apricot style of Shiraz Viognier that I'm often critical of in Australian blends was in fact the Cote Rotie. The two Aussie examples are both excellent wines and excellent examples of the style. At their respective prices i'd highly recommend both the Head Blonde and the Turner's Crossing.

Brown - Another very interesting night where we both learned more about a wine (or a blend) and the different regions that they come from. Both Australian examples on the night were representative of the style of SV that I like drink, and I would recommend them both. Thanks to Red to a lovely meal that complimented the wines very well (roast rib of beef on the bone with a northern Rhone red wine jus).

We would be interested in everyones thoughts on the Shiraz Viognier blend, and also would love to get any recommended imports at a reasonable price.

Face-Off: 2009 Coriole Sangiovese (McLaren Vale)

Last Thursday, RedtoBrown braved the torrential rain in Sydney to attend a Coriole ‘Masterclass’ at the Moncur Cellars Tasting Room. The tasting was hosted by Coriole winemaker/owner Mark Lloyd. A more detailed note will be posted in upcoming days, including our impressions of the new Coriole Sagrantino.

Over the weekend, both Red and I could not resist cracking open the 2009 Sangiovese that was handed out to attendees as part of the tasting. As a result we decided to hold an impromptu ‘Face Off’.

Brown: Firstly, for anyone wondering why the 2009 Sangiovese has come out early, Mark informed the Masterclass on the night that it was due to the 2008 vintage selling out very quickly. Demand is high, and Coriole are meeting that demand!

The 2009 Sangiovese has a nose of raspberry, slight hints of strawberry and subtle vanilla that gives way to robust savoury tannins and red fruit on the palate (at the front and on the finish), chocolate and spice. There is a taught natural citric acidity that calls for food to accompany it at this stage.

I was lucky to have tasted this over three days, and by the third day, the wine was more integrated; the acid was more stable, the tannins had softened a bit and it was drinking very nicely. I would wait a few more months for it to integrate further before cracking the wine open without food, though it shines best when accompanied with a nice Italian meal anyway.

Red: This is a wine that is faithful to both the variety and the region it is from. It has quite a fragrant nose of cherry and musk, with hints of earth, spice, and vanilla. On the palate it delivers a wine that is enjoyable to drink now, and yet has the acidity and structure to be worth putting in the cellar for a few years. It tastes of sour cherry, aniseed, earth, and a bit of chocolate. It also has citrus taste that is not unappealing. It finishes savoury and sour with some nice drying tannin. Stands well on its own two feet, but was even better when complimented with some Saltimbocca Alla Romana.

PS: For an alternative take on this wine from a fan of Sangiovese, see the review on Wine Will Eat Itself run by Jeremy Pringle (and check the blog out generally – RedtoBrown are fans).


Details:
RRP: $27
ABV: 14%
Website: http://www.coriole.com/

Face-Off: Right Bank – Merlot Blends: 2007 Blue Poles Allouran, 2006 Alluviale Merlot Cabernet Franc, 2005 Chateau Corbin Montagne Saint Emilion

“No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f#cking Merlot!”

This classic quote from the movie Sideways probably sums up the attitude of Red to Brown towards Merlot up until a couple of years ago. Given that we’d only been exposed really to entry level Australian and American Merlot, I’d say it was an understandable attitude. More recently, as we’ve had the opportunity to try some Merlot blends from Bordeaux and Hawkes Bay in NZ, we are starting to look at the variety quite differently. Of late we’ve even had a few Australian Merlots that have been impressive. As such we thought we’d put Australia, NZ, and France to the test in a Right Bank Face-Off.

Given the scarcity of Australian merlot blends we reckon we did pretty well in lining up 3 wines at similar price points and from similar vintages (both in terms of age and quality).

The Chateau Corbin was a wine I purchased in Paris for 15 Euro (about $A22) and is from the much hailed 2005 vintage in Bordeaux. Montagne Saint Emilion is a satellite district to the famed right bank commune Saint Emilion.

The Alluviale from Hawkes Bay in NZ costs $30 NZD ($A24) and 2006 is meant to be a good but not great vintage. We’d had the 2007 Alluviale previously, and it is a beautiful wine. Unfortunately we couldn’t get our hands on an ‘07 for the night, so the ’06 got the call-up.

The Blue Poles Allouran is $25 a bottle and is from the fantastic 2007 vintage in the Margaret River. Blue Poles is one of the relatively few wineries in Australia that produce Right Bank style, Merlot dominant blends.

All three wines from $20-$25 AUD and all from good to excellent vintages. We tasted them single blind, and then enjoyed them with some slow roasted Venison afterwards. So how did we go?


Wine 1 – 2006 Alluviale Merlot Cabernet Franc

Red: The wine was a vibrant crimson colour and reasonably transparent. The nose was fragrant, with red fruits, hints of cherry and plum, along with some more savoury notes. The palate was juicy, with some nice sweet fruit on the front palate before turning savoury with a hint of sourness through the finish. Some nice spice, good tannins and persistence of flavour. Decent length.

Brown: Aside from the notes above, I found a bit of inoffensive greenness on the palate, and a bit of mocha/chocolate on the back palate. A refined and elegant wine that had a very nice nose and good length.


Wine 2 – 2007 Blue Poles Allouran

Red: This had a deeper, purpler colour. A beautiful and interesting savoury nose. There was a hint of sweet, red fruit but the more prominent aroma was a lovely savoury smell which reminded of frying lightly salted mushrooms. The front of the palate is surprisingly sweet (in a good way) given the nose. It is mouth filling with nice drying tannins, and lovely hints of those savoury, mushroom flavours flowing through the long finish. A nice level of complexity to the wine and should age well. My favourite of the three.

Brown: To anyone reading this who does not like the smell or taste of mushrooms, rest easy – you will still love the 07 Allouran. Personally, I did not get the mushroom in a glass vibe from this wine (just kidding Red). Compared to the other wines, the Allouran was sweeter on the nose and palate, though only in a relative sense; this is a restrained wine and not jammy in any way. Given the blind tasting, and my relative inexperience with this blend, I assumed this could be the Bordeaux wine (cultural cringe kicking in?). Chalk that one down for experience – it was Australian and a clear favourite for me on the night.


Wine 3 – 2005 Chateau Corbin Montagne Saint Emililon

Red: A similar darker, purplish colour to the Allouran. The wine had an aromatic, sweet nose of berry fruit and oak. On the palate it was the lightest of the three wines, being also a bit dilute. It has some pleasant berry flavours and very light tannins. Ok length. A nice wine but my least favourite of the 3. Given its colour, and sweet nose of clean fruit and oak I confidently predicted that this was one of the New World wines! How wrong I was.

Brown: This is not a bad wine. However, like Dorothy finding out the Wizard of Oz was just an ordinary human, my naive wine tasting mind was (predictably?) brought back to earth with the knowledge that a true entry level Right Bank Bordeaux Red is not going to necessarily blow my socks off. Another lesson learned on the wine journey.
This was considerably more dilute than the previous wines. It had pleasant fruit on the palate, a bit of plumb and also a hint of vanilla. It finished with average intensity and was sweeter on the nose than in the mouth. If I picked this up for its French retail price, it would be a good wine. If I were to pay double the price as an imported wine I would not be happy.

Summary – A nice collection of wines and an interesting Face-Off. The Blue Poles was our favourite being the most enjoyable, complex, and cellar-worthy. It was also the only wine to provide a bit of Face-Off controversy, with Brown finding the nose to be more sweet-fruited compared to the others (while still acknowledging the savoury notes), while I thought the nose was predominantly savoury (while still acknowledging the sweet fruit). One interesting thing was how well all three wines performed as food wines. They all complemented the food and a wine like the Chateau Corbin gained extra appeal in this context.

In a Merlot blend Face-Off in which we pitted an Australian wine against a Hawkes Bay and a Bordeaux I wouldn’t have expected the Australian wine to show itself to be the most savoury and complex of the wines. A great achievement from Blue Poles, and hopefully more wineries in Australia follow their lead; firstly, by taking Merlot seriously, and secondly by blending Merlot with Cab Franc and Cab Sav as they do with the great wines of the Right Bank in Bordeaux.

Brown: All I have to add is that it is promising to try two new world wines based on Merlot that were superior to their equivalent French cousin. There is a long way to go, though the regions (Hawkes Bay) and wineries (Blue Poles) focusing on this style are already showing signs of success. An interesting and educational tasting. Thanks to Red for providing the slow roasted venison, which complemented the wine nicely.

Pinot Noir Face-Off: 2008 Port Phillip Estate, 2008 Mt Difficulty, 2006 Toolangi, 2007 Dog Point

As flagged previously, RedtoBrown have wanted to hold a Pinot Noir ‘Face Off’ for a while. Both of us are relatively new to Pinot Noir (compared to our staples of Shiraz, Cabernet etc), and are increasing our knowledge and appreciation of the grape with every payday. In preparation for the Face Off, we decided to grab 4 bottles from 4 different regions, split 2-2 New Zealand and Australia. We also set the rule that one bottle had to be from the Mornington Peninsula, and one from either Martinborough (ideally) or Central Otago (the regions in the respective countries which we believe make arguably the standout examples of Pinot Noir). The two other wines could be from any region in Australia and New Zealand other than the ones mentioned above. The wines were tasted blind followed by the odd glass or two being consumed with duck breast in a spice and port sauce.

Wine 1 - 2008 Port Phillip Estate – Mornington Peninsula ($33) – Red - Classic light, clear colour. The nose was aromatic and varietal with cherry, and some strawberry. Also had a hint of rose which reminded by a bit of the nose you get with many Barolos. The palate was savoury and complex. Flavours of sour cherry, spice with a dry finish of good length. Really didn’t know where this was from other than I picked it as an Aussie pinot rather than a Kiwi pinot, and was surprised to find out it was a Mornington Peninsula, given that most Mornington Peninsula I’ve had has been a deeper, more powerful style of pinot. Continued to really enjoy this as we subsequently drunk the wine over the course of the evening. Will definitely be popping a couple of these in the cellar.

Brown – Light crimson colour, not brilliantly bright and with a hint of brickish red. Varietal nose of strawberry underpinned by some cherry. On the palate the wine was savoury though given its potential, will probably gain more complexity in the cellar. The wine had good line, length and acidity, suggesting this wine is built to last, but will be great with many different foods from now till whenever you want to drink it. The structure and overall elegance (vs power) had me guessing this to be from Central Otago. Like Red, I was surprised this was a Mornington Peninsula Pinot (more in the Kooyong Clonale style than a Paringa Peninsula).

Wine 2 – 2008 Mt Difficulty – Central Otago ($48-55) – Red - This wine was noticeably darker in colour and had a deeper cherry nose with a hint of oak. Also has a touch of green on the nose. Through the palate it had more perceptible line and length, with some fruit sweetness on the front before delivering a savoury finish with a hint of spice. Seemed to notice a bit more alcohol on the palate than the previous wine as well (though subsequently discovered both wines are apparently 14% so maybe I was imagining things). Thought this might have been a Mornington. Reckon this wine will show up really well with a couple more years of cellaring.

Brown – Darker than the first wine and noticeably sweeter on the nose. I could not smell any extra alcohol. Softer and rounder than the first wine with fuller varietal fruit flavours on the darker side of the berry spectrum. Pleasantly savoury in the mouth with nice line, finishing with sour cherry, liquorice and spice. A more instantly accessible ‘drink on its own; style, that still had the structure to suggest cellaring potential. A very nice wine from one of New Zealand’s best.

Wine 3 – 2006 Toolangi Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley ($20-25) - Red - An interesting slight orange tinge to the colour of this wine. A sweet aromatic nose of cherry and strawberry with both a touch of oak and a hint of green. Really enjoyable on the palate with sweet fruit, a bit of spice, and good length through the dry finish. Thought this might have been the Dog Point which ended up being Wine 4. Continued to be a very enjoyable wine through the course of the evening, and at $20-25 was the value for money pinot of the night.

Brown - As a $19 pickup from Dan Murphy’s, the 2006 Toolangi is amazing value. It did not disappoint on the night, masquerading for me as a more expensive Mornington Peninsula Pinot (until the reveal made a fool of my limited knowledge of Pinot regions!!). The Toolangi punched above its weight among more expensive wines, and is a great advertisement for Yarra Valley Pinot. Nice dark crimson colour with strawberry and raspberry scents and a touch of aniseed and spice. The Toolangi has powerful fruit at the front of the palate, with a bit of pleasant savoury, drying stalky tannin on the finish.

Wine 4 – 2007 Dog Point – Malborough ($39) - Red - Darker coloured pinot, with an intense nose of dark fruits, cherry, and some meaty aromas. Powerful through the palate, with savoury flavours, good length and the most impressive tannins of the four wines we had tried. Thought that this might have been a Martinborough that Brown might have purchased. As it turned out it was from a ‘borough, just Mal rather than Martin! This was in many ways the most immediately enjoyable of the wines, delivering perhaps the greatest sense of hedonism, while still being reasonably elegant.

Brown – the Dog Point came out of the glass more like one of the crazy pooches from the movie ‘Best in Show’ than a disciplined New Zealand Cattle dog, but for me this was a bonus. Hedonistic is a suitable descriptor, though a Sarah Palin popularist (sans any Tea Party/ Glenn Beck mutual appreciation gumpf) this wine is not. Cloudy in the glass with a deep, slightly dull Cherry-crimson (which settled given time), the Dog Point had sweet strawberry and powerful dark berry scents. In the mouth the wine touched every base on the berry spectrum, though leaning towards cherry: in short, pleasing complexity and powerful, intense, juicy fruit flavours. There was some firm bitterness on the finish, though not a criticism. My favourite wine of the tasting, and also the most powerful (read into that what you will!).

Summary - Red - Four quality pinots that are all decent cellaring propositions. While they were all different, I’m not sure they gave me a greater insight into the characteristics of different regions. Instead a lot of the differences were as much I think a reflection of the winemaking styles of the different winemakers. The Toolangi was the best value pinot, the Dog Point the most delicious, and the Port Phillip the one I’d be most keen on cellaring and seeing how it develops.

Brown – A great spread of low-medium priced Pinots from the new world. All would benefit from some time in the cellar. I agree with Red that the Port Phillip Pinot should cellar well. I would like to see the Mt Difficulty with a few more years under its belt. As for the Toolangi – if you can find any of the 2006 left, snap it up as it is a great drop in the more full flavoured Pinot profile.

Red to Brown Face-Off – New Year’s Eve – 2007 Voyager Chardonnay, 2007 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Collector Marked Tree Shiraz

Our New Years Eve planning was a bit of a schmozzle (a very long story), but the fall back option saw Brown, myself and our better halves at my place for the evening. As it ended up being a night of yummy food, great wine, and plenty of laughs it all turned out well. To the wines . . .


2007 Voyager Chardonnay – $40 - Red - This is a wine that has all the components to become a wonderful chardonnay, but needs a couple more years before it hits its straps. A classic chardonnay nose of grapefruit, creaminess and spicy oak. On the palate it’s powerful, yet well structured and balanced. The flavours are savoury with a further touch of grapefruit. A few more years and it should be singing.


Brown – I cannot really add more to the assessment by Red other than to say this is a wonderful wine that smells and tastes like the modern expression of Chardonnay I am very happy to see being produced in WA, Victoria, Adelaide Hills and beyond. Nice balance of new and old oak and as mentioned, a wine with several years ahead of it (with a drinking date dependent on how you like your Chardonnay).

2007 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon – $35 - Red - This was my wine of the night. I’d tried it at a tasting previously - http://redtobrownwinereview.blogspot.com/2009/12/margaret-river-tasting.html - and this just reaffirmed my impressions. If you wanted to know what a Margaret River Cabernet smells like then you could do worse than smell this wine. Blackcurrant, violets, gravel, and a hint of chocolate combine to make this a beautiful smelling cabernet. The palate completes the promise of the nose. It has beautiful fruit, chocolate, a nice bit of minerality, and fine tannins, all of which are in balance, and suggests that this wine will age gracefully. Loved drinking this.

Brown – The Vasse Felix is wonderful value for money. I would put it in the upper echelon for reliable (easily obtainable in NSW) Margaret River Cabernets under $40. I agree that this wine had the archetypal Margaret River nose, with floral aromas and dusty notes. The balance and structure are typical of the 2007 Margaret River Cabernets I have had so far (not enough!), and I would assume this wine would last a decade in the cellar. A great wine to have with our main meal.

2008 Collector Marked Tree Shiraz – $25 - Red - While you would expect a Shiraz from Canberra to smell and taste different from a Cab Sav from Margaret River, it was still remarkable to me just how completely different the two wines were from each other. I would love to put these two wines in front of any naysayer when it comes to Australian wine, and then ask them to still argue that Aussie wine doesn’t express terroir and instead is industrial, over-oaked, and too alcoholic.

On the nose the wine reminds me a bit of other Canberra wines I have had, though also reminds me even more of a Rhone Valley Syrah. It’s got a touch of those pongy aromas that French syrah often has, along with some meaty/gamey aromas, and some spice. On the palate it is mouth filling, largely savoury in its flavours, with some pepper. Good length and I’ll definitely be interested to see how this wine develops and what secondary characteristics come through. Very nice drop.

Brown – Collector has picked up a few gongs (09 Penguin Guide best new winery) and receives justifiably impressive scores from respected reviewers, so stating that this wine was delicious is hardly a scoop. What I love about this winery is its range – 2 styles of Shiraz – the Marked Tree and the Reserve. We both have a few bottles of each in the cellar and this is the first Red and I tried.

For me the wine was medium bodied, though not lacking intensity. On the palate it had largely red fruit with the typical Canberra region spice and pepper (though not as intense as with other wines, in a good way). I agree this wine had the funkyness and gamey nose that Red refers to, and this gave the wine a uniqueness that I appreciated. As the label on the back of the bottle says – drink now or cellar for 10 years. I will be having an each way bet with the two bottles of this wine I have at home :- )

Summary - No real disagreements between the two of us on these three wines. The Collector shiraz provided a point of difference, but we both enjoyed and appreciated this. Three great wines that can be picked up for between $25-$35!

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!