2009 Chateau La Croix Romane Lalande de Pomerol

This is a good shout if you want to try a Pomerol from the much lauded 2009 vintage, and yet don’t want to shell out the silly money that is typically required.

It’s rich and plush as one might expect from an 09 Pomerol. Plummy fruit, liquorice, and an overall pleasing warmth. That being said it delivers a refreshing acidity, an ironstone like minerality, and lovely spice. It pushes through to a savoury finish that is framed by robust tannins. Plenty of enjoyment now and should age well over the next decade and beyond.

Rated: 4 Stars
RRP: $60
Closure: Cork
Drink: 2014-2024+
Website: www.vignoblesdubard.com



Red

2010 Tarrawarra K-Block Merlot (Yarra Valley)

From the wonderful 2010 vintage in the Yarra Valley, Clare Halloran has crafted a serious, savoury Australian Merlot. No mean feat. This wine vindicates the decision in 2006 to graft over an old, yet underperforming Pinot block with an Italian Merlot clone.

Put simply, this smells great and tastes even better. The balance of beautiful plummy fruit and a deep, smoky, savouriness keeps you coming back for more. A real spiciness contributes to the sense of texture, and notes of black olive and dried herbs add further interest. Underpinning these great flavours is structure. Fine tannins, nice acidity, and excellent length mark it out as a wine that has an eye to the future. Ultimately it is wonderfully moreish and over two nights was consumed with some gusto.

To my mind Merlot is one of those grapes that eludes cheap and cheerful expressions. You either have to be aiming high, or you may as well not try at all. Tarrawarra have chosen the former, and with the 2010 K-block have joined a very small, but select group of Australian winemakers making memorable Merlot. 4 Stars +

Rated:

+
 
 
RRP: $35
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Drink: 2012-2022
Website: http://www.tarrawarra.com.au/
 
 
Red

2009 Philip Shaw No.17 (Orange)

Philip Shaw is of the belief that Merlot can become a star in the Orange region, and based on this wine it would be hard to disagree. It was one of a number of Bordeaux blends that I was highly impressed by during my trip to Orange over Easter. 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 10% Shiraz.

It takes a while to open up in the glass, but once you’ve given it some time it drinks beautifully. Great structure and great flavours here. It’s a medium bodied wine of beautiful balance. Lovely natural acidity, fine tannins, and great persistence of finish. Ripe red fruits are balanced by spice, roses, and some Cab Franc grassiness. Overall, these flavours provide a lovely savoury edge to this wine. I tasted this over 3 days, and it was that last mouthful that was the most complex and complete. A place in the cellar is warranted and at $25 it is fantastic value to.

Rated:

RRP: $25

ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.philipshaw.com.au/

Red

2005 Huadong Merlot (Shandong, China)

Huadong is one of the largest and most prominent wineries in Shandong Province.

I bought this bottle while in Qingdao, and consumed it with some good friends we were staying with. It had quite a promising nose of berries and plums that tended towards being a bit jammy, along with a bit of spice and a savoury tobacco leaf note. If the palate could’ve matched the nose it would have easily been the best Chinese wine I had had. Unfortunately the palate was a bit of a let down. It still drank reasonably well, and worked as a serviceable quaffer. Those same fruit flavours were evident, though it lacked length or intensity.

Had it cost half the price I would have thought it to be ok value. As it was I thought it to be a good example of Chinese wine at present - on the improve, but at the present overpriced and lacking complexity.

Rated:


RRP: 180 RMB/$30 AUD
ABV:?
Website: www.huadongwinery.com



Red

2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz Cabernet Merlot

Edit: After reading a set of reviews posted by Andrew Graham on his Australian Wine Review blog (see the reviews and comments HERE), I did a quick browse of my own scores for certain wines. Looking at this review, it is painfully obvious that I over-rated it. At RedtoBrown, we have tended to post reviews of wines we rate above 85. For me personally, I do not want to spend my (increasingly limited) spare blogging time savaging a wine when I can praise, or critically asses a much more interesting, challenging wine (or try and produce some wine satire that invariably misses the mark, while drinking an interesting wine :-) ).

Nevertheless, I have written up notes on a few wines that I did not enjoy, partially to discuss the style of wine in question or query the judgement of the winery/corporation in releasing certain wines (see the Rosemount Botannicals post  (LINK) for arguably my most strident, negative review).

I did not enjoy this wine. It did not grow on me. It is made in a style I am not a fan of (a style foreign wine drinkers and critics think of when discussing Australian red wines). Looking back on the tasting notes, and my thoughts on the 2 bottles I tried 6 months apart, a rating of 86 points/3 stars is wildly inaccurate, and has to be addressed. The new, more accurate (in my view) score is below. Apologies for the flip flop; I do not have the time or desire to re-taste some wines I have my doubts on (and largely, I am happy with the calls made on most of the wine notes posted), but this one had to be addressed.

PS - thanks to Andrew Graham for leading the way in posting notes that are an honest view of what ones palate is telling them and not a complex calculation of fashion, wine trends, expectation and cliches.


I will have to come out first by stating that as an Australian, I had never heard of the slang term ‘mollydooker’ being used to describe left handed people until the winery of the same name stormed onto the scene in a rush of Parker points around 2005. If forced to offer up an Australian slang term for a left hander, ‘cackhanded’ would be my pick. Though not a national or personal emergency if it happened, the winery may be partly responsible for convincing Americans that we walk around our outback towns calling left handed people mollydookers.

In much the same way, Parkerised wines like the Mollydooker Two Left Feet have for some time been convincing Americans that Australia makes two styles of wine – the very cheap critter variety (Yellowtail, Koala Blue, random labels most Aussies will have never heard of) and the 90+ pointed Robert Parker blockbuster fruit bombs. Unlike the use or misuse of Australian slang, this perception, whether true or imagined, is definitely not the reality, and is not healthy for the Australian wine industry.

To set the scene, the wine being reviewed, the Two Left Feet is black-purple in colour. Following a ‘Mollydooker shake’ as instructed, its sweet nose of liqueur black fruit and tobacco enmeshes with spirity, pure alcohol fumes. There are porty black fruit flavours on the front palate, leading to bitter dark chocolate (both from heavy oak and fruit) on the middle and back palate, finishing in a crescendo of more bitter dark chocolate, porty black and some blue fruit, salty hard liquorice and a hit of powerful alcohol heat. The wine is not structurally out of control, though the alcohol is out of balance with everything else.

On day two, with ample time in the decanter, the flavour profile had not budged – if anything, the alcohol was more prominent. 2007 was a difficult vintage in the McLaren Vale, which would explain the harsh, bitter tannins evident (quite common in many of the MV Shiraz and Cabernet I have tried from that vintage), and might also explain the very high alcohol level that dominates the wine. However, this wine has obviously been made in a certain style regardless of vintage conditions, and it shows in the glass.

On reflection, the 07 Mollydooker Two Left Feet fits the pantomime villain description you see in wine forums criticising the style of Australian wines highly rated by Robert Parker and Wine Advocate. Unlike some of the Australian wines Parker rates highly, this wine conforms to many of the stereotypes: high alcohol clearly evident (16%abv, but more like 18%), porty, liqueur black fruit, difficult if not impossible to match with any food and too much to drink by itself (or to have more than one glass in one sitting). Yet this style of wine still sells in America, albeit in reduced quantities and for reduced prices.

However, there is hope. The way Australian Chardonnay has evolved since the ‘Sunshine in a glass / Dolly Parton’ era shows that the style of wine being made by wineries previously blessed with ‘Parker points’ could evolve in time, turning down the alcohol levels by several degrees, selecting fruit that is less over-ripe, and reining in the use of new (mostly American) oak.

Furthermore, the introduction of Lisa Perrotti Brown as the Asian/Australian rep for Wine Advocate (and noting her relatively high scores given to some Hunter Valley Reds early last year) suggests that such a move may actually be rewarded and not punished by Wine Advocate in the future.

Whether the aforementioned hope is realised, and whether wines made in the style of the Two Left Feet evolve accordingly remains to be seen. However, in light of the milieu the Australian wine industry finds itself in, it would be of assistance if this was the case.

Rating:
77 points (formerly 3 stars, 86 points)

ABV:16%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mollydookerwines.com.au/

2005 Lowe Merlot – Mudgee (Cellar Door)

I don’t trust myself when it comes to wines I buy at a cellar door. If you get talking to the person involved in making the wine, whilst sitting in amongst wine barrels and overlooking an invariably picturesque valley, I think it’s pretty easy to get caught up in the moment and see only the positive in a wine. Having purchased the 2005 Lowe Merlot off the back of such an experience over the Easter long weekend at Lowe Family Wines in Mudgee, I was a bit worried it mightn’t be as good as I'd thought it was when I cracked open a bottle the other night. Happily, in this case, my fears were unfounded.

This wine holds a lot of appeal for me. I like the fact it’s an age-worthy Merlot, I like the fact it tastes like a wine from Mudgee, and perhaps crucially, I love assonance in a wine’s name . . .

It has an interesting nose with aromas of rose, berries, plums and black olives. On the palate it is medium bodied and smooth, with tasty red fruits, chocolate, earth, black olive, and a touch of spice. It finishes with decent length and fine tannins. There’s a bit of complexity here, and it has that nice balance between sweet and savoury flavours that I personally find very appealing. Given where the wine is at, I’d assume it has at least another 5 years in it, at which point I’d reckon it will be an even more enjoyable wine (assuming you like aged wine). Give this wine a good decant first.

Details
Rated:


RRP: $28
ABV: 13.0%
Website: www.lowewine.com


Red

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.

Decade Old Wine – 2000 San Vincenti “Stignano”, 1999 Koppamurra Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc

These two wines were both gifts that I’d had in the cellar for a while. I’ve found it hard to find much information on either wine, so didn’t really know what to expect or whether they’d be past their best . . . happily they were both in fine fettle.

2000 San Vincenti “Stignano” – Super Tuscan - Merlot Sangiovese blend – Very enjoyable and surprisingly powerful. The colour was darker than I would have expected from a 10 year old red from Tuscany and it had a nose of dark fruits, earthiness and well integrated oak. It was on the palate, however, that it was most impressive. Round, plum flavours came across with drive, power, and some impressive tannins. Plenty of yum factor with this wine and it has at least another 5 years left, if not a lot longer.

1999 Koppamurra Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc – Wrattonbully – This wine received minimum filtration, and this was evident in the slightly murky, faded crimson colour. Some people might find this a bit unappealing, but a lot of “murky” wines are actually wines of character and taste (exactly because of the lack of filtration), which turned out to be the case with this wine. Reminded me of a Coonawarra Cabernet with a lovely smelling nose of blackcurrant, a hint of mint, and an appealing touch of musk (I've not had much Wrattonbully, and given that it is only 20kms from Coonawarra and also has terra rossa soils it was interesting to see the connection). Plum, blackcurrant, and some earthy flavours on the palate are supported by a nicely structured palate, that has reasonable length and some gentle tannins. Could be aged for a few more years but I would be drinking it now.

Red