Penfolds The Max Schubert Cabernet Shiraz

 Penfolds is essentially positioned as a premium wine brand. Lately, however, a number of one-off products were released where the pricing no longer relates to the cost or value of the product, but rather to a recognition and admiration for the Penfolds name. It positions these prestige products similar to brands like Rolex, Hermès or Birkin. The wine I am reviewing here is a single product wine, but it was created before the prestige strategy was introduced. The 2012 Penfolds The Max Schubert Cabernet Shiraz is of course a premium wine. It was created to mark the centenary of Max Schubert's birth. The wine is inspired by the famous 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A in that it is also a blend of premium Coonawarra Cabernet fruit and Barossa Shiraz fruit. In this case, the ratio is 61% to 39%.

It turns out, this is a remarkable wine. It is rich and concentrated. It also shows why a Cabernet/Shiraz blend is such a good idea. The red fruited Cabernet provides the drive, the Shiraz fruit fills the mouth. The palate is complex and layered. Redcurrant and mulberry unfolds first, followed by velvety blackberry fruit and finally a dose of mocca. The wine is in perfect balance, as the 100% new American oak is well integrated. (This can be a challenge and requires first class ripe, but not overripe fruit.)  The wine has a persistent and clean finish which goes on and on.

At 13 years old, this is a perfect time to drink this wine. The structure is strong, the fruit is still vibrant, and the tannins have started to soften. One of my favorite wines this year so far.

Score: 98/+++

Eisenstone Ebenezer Shiraz

 When I visited Stephen Cook, the winemaker of the relatively new winery Eisenstone in the Barossa, I think it was in 2017 or 2018, my book 'Barossa Shiraz' featured on the tasting table. He explained that his focus to showcase the different subregions of the Barossa was heavily influenced by my book. Since then, his winery has gone from strength to strength. Yesterday, I revisited the 2019 Eisenstone Ebenezer Shiraz, which I bought on this visit.

Given the location, I expect a fairly rich wine infused with chocolate flavours. And yes, this is what I got. Black plum and blackberry fruit flavours are concentrated. Sweet mocca flavours deliver a rich mouthfeel. Ironstone and charred meat flavours add to the complexity. The additional years in bottle deliver a well rounded wine. The fruit comes from the famous Hoffmann vineyard, some from 1965 fruit, some from young vines. The wine is full-bodied, and with a surprising lift on the finish.

This wine, as I think the general positioning of Eisenstone wines, sits in the middle between the ripe wines of, say Torbreck or Standish, and the new wave of winemakers who pick early, and sometimes a little green. As such, it takes full advantage of the uniqueness, the Barossa climate can deliver in Shiraz,

without going to extremes. One can drink more than one glass of this wine, but it is also totally safe to cellar this wine for many more years. 

Score: 95/+++

Shaw + Smith Lenswood Chardonnay

 I talked recently about the high quality of value priced Australian Chardonnays. This is not where the current Australian Chardonnay story ends. The premium Chardonnays can be of outstanding quality as well. One such example is the 2023 Shaw + Smith Lenswood Chardonnay of the Adelaide Hills.

2023 was a cold and wet vintage, not dissimilar to 2011. 2011 delivered very good white wines, though. And the same seems to happen with 2023 white wines. The standard and very good Shaw + Smith Chardonnay is called M3. It sits in the middle between the richer and lean styles. The 2023 Shaw + Smith Lenswood Chardonnay comes from special high altitude parcels of this vineyard. This wine sits closer to the leaner end, and what a wine it is.

The flavours are citrus, pear and ginger, and the acidity is quite high. What impresses is the incredible energy and drive of this wine. The wine is intense, steely and highly strung, with terrific precision. It is flinty and has a long mineral finish. It would not have to hide behind Burgundy Grand Cru.

Some Adelaide Hills Chardonnay can be truly exceptional, think Petaluma Piccadilly Chardonnay or Penfolds Bin A Chardonnay as well. As an aside, has Henschke ever produced a white wine close to this quality from their Lenswood vineyard?

Score: 97/+++ 

Spinifex La Maline Shiraz

The 2021 Spinifex La Maline is the successor of the 2018, but it arrives in a different reincarnation. It now comes from the Eden Valley (Barossa Valley before). In fact, it is a parcel of Peter Schell's and Magali Gely's own Rostein vineyard. As before, it includes a small portion of Viognier, 2% this year. I am not sure this label will survive or be subsumed into the Rostein wine. 

The 2021 vintage was another cool vintage. It is interesting to see how this effects a higher altitude Eden Valley wine, even more so, as 35% whole bunches are included. 

The colour of the wine is deep purple. It still looks very fresh.

On the palate, the first impression is the purity of fruit, but also the quite dense and concentrated mouthfeel. Blackberry, mulberry, black olive and leather deliver an attractive flavour profile. Black pepper is a big factor. The wine has some similarity to cool climate Victorian wines from a flavour profile point of view, but it is richer and riper. Tannins and finish are medium.

Score: 94/++

 

Devotus Pinot Noir

 Martinborough is a small and very special place for making Pinot Noir. This is where Ata Rangi is located, as well as Dry River, Kusuda, and a few others. For me, the silky tannins and ethereal character of the wines are the hallmark of this region. Now, a new specialist has emerged, Devotus. The 2.5 ha site is only planted to Pinot Noir. The winemaker, ex Dr River I believe, is devoted to Pinot Noir. This is obviously very small production. I was given a bottle of this special wine.

The 2021 Devotus Pinot Noir is quite concentrated. The purity of fruit, an indication of the meticulous work in the vineyard as well as the winery, is impressive. Black cherry flavours dominate. This is nothing like the much more savoury expression of Dry River. This is quite a big wine, still smooth and elegant on the palate. The tannins are quite soft. Overall, the wine is perhaps a little bit too focussed on fruit, but this is a very promising start. A winery to watch.

Score: 94/++ 

 

Moorooduc Shiraz

 Moorooduc is best known for Pinot Noir. Some time ago they offered a six pack of some of their strong wines, which included a 2015 Moorooduc Shiraz. I was intrigued.

It is immediately pretty obvious that this is not your typical Shiraz. The colour is bright red to start with.

It does not have the depth of South Australian Shiraz, nor the peppery notes of cooler climate Shiraz. Red cherry notes are prominent on the palate, but the wine tastes quite confected and chewy. It was sharp initially, but this disappeared after opening for some time. it did not reach the elegance though, a wine of this style should achieve. The bright acidity kept the wine alive, but also emphasizes the light finish. 

Score: 87/-

Larnook Grenache Gris

 

Here is another terrific value wine made from the seldom seen in Australia Grenache Gris grape. The 2024 Larnook Grenache Gris combines lightness and freshness with more textural elements, often found in southern Rhône whites. White flower, apple, and almond flavours combine to an appealing mouthfeel. The lively acidity delivers a crisp finish. 30% of the wine has been matured (for a short time) in oak.

Score: 93/+++ 

Miraval Rosé

 

In Asia, I enjoyed the Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé, as did many others. The domaine and winery has a glamorous history. There is a recording studio, where Sting recorded, and Pink Floyd laid down tracks for The Wall album. I think they once released a wine called Pink Floyd. In 2011, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt bought the Domaine and 50% of the wine business. Their share was sold to a Russian vodka business in 2021. However, the other 50% is owned by the Perrin family of Château Beaucastel fame. Marc Perrin is responsible for winemaking.

While the wine would fit into the pale Rosés of Provence, it is not pale to oblivion. Equally, it is not hearty, like some Barossa Rosés. Colour and flavour add up to a nice balance of this easy drinking style. The grapes are Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle, and Shiraz. Roses and strawberry flavours, backed by some citrus zest, deliver a refreshing mouthfeel. Natural acidity keeps the mouth fresh and dry and the minerality on the finish invites you to another glass.

Score: 92/+++

Three Value Chardonnays

 It is not a secret that the quality of moderately priced Australian Chardonnays has gone up dramatically in the last few years. They are now perhaps the best value proposition in the world. This is in particular true for Chardonnays from the Yarra Valley. Here are three I recently tried.

The first is the 2021 Wheeler Electric Lines Chardonnay. This is the first time I come across this producer, and I am very impressed. This fresh wine of citrus flavours is quite tight and linear in a modern style. The wine has good depth and bright acidity. There is minerality on the pretty long finish, like a classy Chablis.

Score: 94/+++

The 2024 Hoddles Creek Chardonnay is much better known. This wine  is broader and quite fruity, and fills the mouth with its citrus and pear flavours, and ends nicely on a mineral finish. It is very young now, and would be a better drink in a year's time.

Score: 90/+

The 2024 Giant Steps Chardonnay is a little superior, in my opinion. It does have intensity of citrus and stone fruits, but matches this with a good drive down the palate. This is a smooth wine with a crisp finish, but not as good value as the other two.

Score: 92/++

Cabernet's from Margaret River and Hawke's Bay

 

It was difficult to come to generalized conclusions in a recent comparison tasting of Cabernet's from Margaret River and Hawke's Bay. The wines varied wildly in age, grape composition, and screw cap vs. cork also made a difference.

The two Gimblett Gravels wines from Hawke's Bay, the 2021 Tom by Church Road, and the 2013 Sophia by Craggy Range, were full-bodied, with the Sophia quite rich and dense, whereas the 2021 Tom was more red fruited with a silky finish. New oak was significant in both wines.

In contrast, the Te Mata Coleraine comes from vineyards near Havelock North, with a different soil profile. This shows in the wine, which is a bit lighter, savoury, and higher levels of acidity. 

The Margaret River wines were very different from each other. The 2014 Woodlands 'Matthew' is quite open and fruit oriented, the 2008 Howard Park 'Abercrombie' was surprisingly sweet and ripe, whereas the 2005 Diana Madeline from Cullen impressed with its complex palate of various fruits, licorice, dark chocolate and earthy notes.

I could not draw any generalizations from this comparison, maybe other than 'when wines come from similar climates, it is down to the winemaker'.

Woodlands 'Margaret' Cabernet Blend

 The 'Margaret' Cabernet Blend comes from the estate block where these vines were planted in 1990. A couple of days ago I tasted the 2019 Woodlands 'Margaret' Cabernet Blend. This wine is always around 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, and so it is in 2019. The rest is Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

The red and blackcurrant fruit is very smooth. It is not overly concentrated, but with enough intensity, leading to an elegant mouthfeel. There is a savoury character to this wine as well, almost like a forest floor Pinot Noir character. The tannins are smooth, and the wine surprises with a long finish.

Score: 94/+++

Prowein, Day 3, Final

 The afternoon of day three was a mix of tastings, with some absolute highlights. It started with some wines from Argentina. First I tasted some wines of Colomé, the winery with vineyards with the highest elevation in the world. The 2022 El Arenal, with fruit grown at an altitude of 2700m was the highlight. The concentrated Malbec fruit is pure and intense, yet elegant and with good energy. The extreme is the 2019 Altura Maxima, from a vineyard at 3100m. I enjoyed the fruit here as well, but the tannins were quite blocky.

Then I tasted wines from Familia Zucchardi.I never really warmed to them, and this afternoon was not different. The 2023 Poligonos was fresh, but simple. The 2020 Altamira lacked depth. The 2022 Amphora was fresh and fruity. And the 2021 Piedra Infinita had good fruit intensity, backed by firm and dominant tannins.

In a strange way, I lost my notes on Norton, El Enemigo, and Alta Vista, but I remember I was very impressed with the Norton Privada.

Craggy Range showcased its premium wines. The 2022 80% Merlot based Sophia is excellent. The wine has a strong fruit profile. It is very balanced, and long on the finish. I preferred it to the flagship  2022 Le Sol, which has a very soft profile. It is a well rounded wine, but lacked some acidic backbone, in my opinion. The 2022 Te Kahu, a Cabernet based blend, is also a strong wine, with firm tannins and good length.

Australia did not have a major presence, but Yalumba showed their most prestigious wines. The 2020 Octavius came across as a little sweet and broad. The 2020 Caley is a big wine. It is more red fruited, and a bit alcoholic on the finish. The 2023 Centenary, which does not see any oak, was very young and a bit confected - overall, I was a bit disappointed.

Then I tasted some South African wines. This was interesting to me. I have not been exposed to these wines since the late 1980s, when I traveled there a bit. The red wines were fashioned along Bordeaux, but did not quite make it, with earthy notes often overwhelming. I now had a chance to revisit the same producers, after a break of 35(!) years or so.

I started with the well known Rust en Vrede. I liked their 2022 Syrah. The inclusion of 30% whole bunch made this quite an elegant wine. I also enjoyed the 2022 Cabernet. This wine showed the earthiness of years gone by, but in this case it just added to the complexity of the palate and was not dominant. The soft tannins lead to a long finish. I found the 2021 Estate wine, a Cabernet/Shiraz blend, and perhaps the flagship wine, less appealing.

Then it was on to Kanonkop. The 2021 Paul Sauer is a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated Bordeaux blend. This wine drank really easy - quite a crowd pleaser. The 2022 black label Pinotage, South Africa’s signature wine, was my preference.

The last stop was at Meerlust, probably my favourite 35 years ago. I tasted three reds from 2021, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon leading varieties respectively. These wines were good, but perhaps not as polished and balanced as they could have been. The 2022 Rubicon, their flagship wine, was more elegant and my pick from Meerlust.

Overall, the South African wines I tasted were quite attractive and an improvement over what (little) I knew. I am looking forward to taste more of these wines when I will be back in South Africa later in the year.

My final tastes provided an absolute highlight. I stumbled over the wines of Wine & Soul from the Douro, which I previously could not find. These were gorgeous wines. The 2022 Pintas, from 90 year old vines, is the standout. This is a field blend of more than 30 varieties, with Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) the largest contributor. This is quite a big wine, with a lot of complexity. It makes an elegant statement, and is not overripe. I also like the 2023 Character a lot. The fruit comes from vines surrounding the Pintas vineyard. This wine is a bit less concentrated, with a beautiful palate. The fruit is dark, with balanced acidity leading to a refreshing finish. The 2022 Manoella, from a different vineyard, but in eyesight, is based on Tinta Francisca. This is a somewhat lighter wine, very elegant, with silky tannins. After Vietti, these were my favourite wines at Prowein. They are now available in Australia as well.

These three days were quite full on. I hope I did not bore you too much with the many, but quite brief reviews. It was meant to highlight the variety of what was on offer, and I only scratched the surface.