Taste Champagne 2025

 The production of Champagne is relatively complex, but I find its evaluation quite simple. The things that matter are

1) The grape composition. A 100% Chardonnay Champagne tends to show citrus taste, and is often quite acidic. I prefer Champagne where the majority is Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier based, as these have greater complexity, including toasty flavours.

2) The percentage of 1er cru fruit. This is self explanatory.

3) The mousse and fineness of the bubbles. Fine bubbles is good, but there can be too much mousse.

4) Age. More complexity with age.

The sugar content. This tends to be low in all good and mainstream Champagne. 

Mr. Champagne, Tyson Stelzer, obviously happy with the crowd

Based on what I said before, it is no surprise that Bollinger is a favourite of mine, as all Champagnes are Pinot Noir dominant, and the fruit is 100% 1er cru. La Grande Année 2015, is based on 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. This Champagne has great depth and length, is very fine, with a brioche influenced taste (97 points). The 100% Pinot Noir PN VZ19 is equally impressive, but of younger fruit (96 points). And the Special Cuvée NV is still the benchmark for entry level Champagne (94 points).

I am also a fan of Pol Roger. The Brut Vintage 2018 is the same blend as the Grande Année. It has a lot of mousse and is quite fresh (93 points).  

Two very special Champagnes were the Louis Roederer Vintage Brut 2016, a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne with good complexity and a long finish (96 points). It also represents reasonable value for this quality. Much higher priced is the Rare Champagne 2013, the special Piper-Heidsieck project. This is 70% based on Chardonnay and has an interesting yellow peach flavour, showing the age (95 points).

The Charles Heidsieck Champagnes, the Brut Reserve and the Brut Millésime 2013, both Pinot Noir dominant, were good, quite acidic, with fine bubbles (93 points).  

I found Veuve Fourny & Fils and the Deutz Champagnes less appealing.

  

Neldner Road Loechel Shiraz

 A leopard does not change his spots, nor does David Powell change his winemaking style. The 2019 Neldner Road Loechel Shiraz is from Eden Valley, yet this is a concentrated and ripe wine, which you would pick to be from the Barossa Valley in a blind tasting.

The wine is quite dense, with blackberry and charred meat flavours. However, there is obvious black pepper on the palate, as an indication of cooler climate. The tannins are firm, blocky, and dry. I found the long finish a little harsh.

This is a bold wine, not elegant. The first glass impresses by the intensity of the wine, but it is hard to enjoy a second glass.

Score: 92/0 

Savaterre Frère Cadet Chardonnay

 The 2023 Savaterre Frère Cadet Chardonnay is the second label of Savaterre, but it is not an entry level wine like, for example, the Prelude of Leeuwin Estate. Nor is the price suggesting so.

The fruit comes from a vineyard close to the home block. The wine has a golden colour, with stone fruit aromas.

On the palate, there is white peach, apricots, marzipan, and hazelnut flavours. The wine has good depth of flavour and is very elegant. The oak integration is excellent. The acidity is mild, but enough to drive the wine down the palate.

This is an excellent modern Chardonnay with enough complexity to keep it interesting.

Score: 95/+++

Spinifex Moppa Shiraz

 The 2021 Spinifex Moppa Shiraz drinks like the little brother of the La Maline Shiraz/Viognier, which I reviewed some time ago. La Maline is an Eden Valley wine at higher altitude, whereas the Moppa Shiraz is from the Barossa Valley, but from the higher altitude of Moppa, as opposed to the valley.

The colour is deep purple. On the nose, ripe dark fruit flavours emerge from the glass.

On the palate, concentrated blackberry fruit is engulfed in strong black pepper flavours. At the same time, there is firm acidity on the palate delivering a nice counterpoint to the concentrated fruit. Some secondary flavours are developing, like black olive and leather. Overall, the wine delivers an attractive mouthfeel, without being overly complex. The tannins are firm, and the finish medium plus.

Coming back to the comparison with the 2021 La Maline, everything is similar, but not dialed up as high. This is a perfect wine for our cold winter days.

Score: 93/++  

Place of Changing Winds Syrah

 Robert Walters' passion is Pinot Noir. But his side kick Shiraz project in Heathcote should not be overlooked. I reviewed the 2020 Place of Changing Winds Syrah positively two years ago, and even found an improvement this time round.

The intellectual label is a bit difficult to decipher

The soil is mentioned on the left, the location on the right

This is a medium-bodied wine, unlike many from Heathcote. Purity and freshness strikes you on the palate. Red and black cherry are the fruit flavours, black olive, licorice, and a hint of black pepper deliver the savoury component, blending very nicely to a surprisingly intense mouthfeel. The tannins are medium, very dry and chalky. Every component has to come together very well. The wine has a long and lingering finish.

This wine is a very good example of a modern rendition of a medium-bodied Shiraz. It is quite complex and serious, but also delicious to drink, and good value. I liked this a lot.

Score: 95/+++