Rhone Rangers

The term Rhone Rangers was coined for Californian wine makers producing wines from Rhone varieties, in particular Shiraz and Grenache. It should really be a term for Australian winemakers, as Shiraz, Grenache and blends are much more prominent in Australia than in the US.

At this particular tasting, 14 wines were presented, 2 whites and 12 reds. The whites were nothing special, so I will focus on the red wines. I will describe them in three tiers of quality

The wine of the night was a real surprise. It was the 2014 Tellurian Heathcote GSM.  This wine was lively with lifted and spicy aromas, and a good intensity of plum, raspberry and strawberry flavours. The fine tannins lead to a smooth finish. The other wine at this level was the 2014 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier. This wine showed the typically fragrant bouquet. On the palate, dark berry flavours stood out, leading to a very long and silky finish. I just found the lifted element of the Viognier a bit too much.

In the second tier were the 2012 Chapel Hill Bush Vine Grenache with rich raspberry flavours and some earthy notes, but a slightly alcoholic finish. The 2014 Sons of Eden Kennedy GMS has a focus on ripe red fruit, cherries and wild berries, and was well balanced. The 2012 Spinifex Esprit, also a GSM with some Cinsault and Carignan thrown in, was fresher and more elegant, with good complexity, but lacking mouthfeel a bit.

The best in the third tier was the 2014 Tahbilk GSM. Grenache flavours dominate in this wine, but oak is more prominent than fruit. Having said this, the wine is quite harmonious and elegant. The wines I liked less were the 2012 Evans & Tate Redbrook Shiraz (harsh tannins), the 2014 McWilliam's Appelation Canberra Syrah (lacks mouthfeel), the 2015 Purple Hands MSG (not balanced), the 2013 John Duval Annexus Grenache (big and plump), and the 2014 Schild Barossa GMS (raspberry bomb).         

Two Hands 'Zippy's Block' Shiraz

I have been looking forward to taste the 2007 Two Hands 'Zippy's Block' Shiraz. Two Hands is mainly known for its Garden series, a range of Shirazes from different regions of Australia. This is the first time it made a single vineyard wine, to my knowledge. I thought this is a major challenge for three reasons
- Two Hands likes to make ripe wines, focussed on the US market
- 2007 was a hot, drought vintage
- Zippy's vineyard is on Roennfeldt Rd, Marananga, the golden mile of super charged Australian Shiraz

Will this wine be overripe and dead after eight years?

What a surprise I got! The bottle is very dark, so you cannot see any colour of the wine. And after opening, it is the bouquet which hits you first. Strong aromas of blackberry and plum, as well as oak flavours dominate. On the palate, this is of course a full-bodied wine, but it is balanced, with some charme. This wine is a perfect example of the 'Big Barossa', a wine style quite unique in the world. This Shiraz fires on all cylinders, it may be too much for someone used to a four cylinder car, but everything seems to be in proportion. The 14.7% alcohol is taken well by the fruit, as is the oak. The intensity and depth of the fruit is exceptional, a bit like a first class jam. Drinking a second glass could be a challenge, but I could not resist this exciting package. This wine will go well for another 7-10 years easily.

Score: 97/++

De Iuliis Charlie Shiraz

De Iuliis is one of the serious Hunter Valley Shiraz producers (not all of them are). The Charlie is their flagship wine.

I tasted the 2009 De Iuliis Charlie Shiraz. This is a medium-bodied wine. At seven years of age, it is still refreshing. The wine is well rounded with some spice, like a cool climate Shiraz. It is silky on the side of the palate. The finish is clean, slightly short. This wine made me want to drink a second glass.

Score: 94/++

Marchand & Burch Villages Chardonnay

The wines by Marchand & Burch seem to fly under the radar of most wine consumers. This is a pitty, as these Burgundian inspired wines in this French/Australian partnership of experienced winemakers are well worth seeking out.

The 2014 Marchand & Burch Villages Chardonnay obviously means in analogy to Burgundy that the grapes come from different vineyards, in this case from Porongurup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The colour of the wine is light golden. The flavours are pure, and the wine tastes of passionfruit and pineapple, with minerality underlying the palate. This is a well balanced, medium-bodied wine with a dry finish. More precision on the palate would have allowed an even higher score. Great value.

Score: 93/+++ 

Vina Muriel Reserva Rioja

Tonight, I am drinking the 2008 Vina Muriel Reserva. This is probably because I spent the last couple of days preparing my trip to Spain, where I will be visiting the wineries of Ribera del Duero in a month's time. However, this wine is a classically made Tempranillo from Rioja.

The colour is a bright ruby red, still. On the palate, there is the expected red cherry flavour. It is quite concentrated and deep, and also quite pure. Herbs add to the flavour spectrum, which otherwise is not too complex. The wine is quite acidic, and the tannins are surprisingly firm for a Tempranillo. The wine finishes quite dry.

Score: 92/+

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling

There is a lot of agreement that Grosset's Polish Hill is Australia's best Riesling - probably more agreement than about any other major variety. What stands out year after year is the purity and precision of the citrus flavour, the perfect balance and the long finish. But what happens with an aged wine?

Today, I am describing the 2008 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling. This middle aged wine has a brilliant golden colour, still quite light. On the palate, the flavours have shifted and become much more mature (more than I expected). The wine now tastes of glazed pear, macademia nut, and slightly toasted. The acidity and balance is still excellent. And the purity and precision are still present, leading to a long finish. The minerality lingers on the tongue for some time.

Score: 96/+++ 

Henschke Mt. Edelstone Shiraz

There are many Australian Shiraz lovers who rate the Mt Edelstone amongst their favorite wines. And there many very exquisite examples of this wine. However, vintage variation is significant. Yesterday, I had a bottle of the 2005 Henschke Mt Edelstone. How did it compare?

This bottle opened up to an intense forest berry aroma - remarkably fresh, but this is a screw capped bottle. On the palate, dark berries, mulberry and aniseed flavours combine to an exotic and intense mouthfeel. This wine is quite ripe, very smooth, with a slightly sweet core. You notice the alcohol, but it does not overpower, and the long, well structured finish is satisfying.

This wine is walking a tightrope of ripeness, but the wine holds together for a distinguished experience.

Score: 95/++ 

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Australian Shiraz tasting

A wine connoisseur friend needs to take an Australian Shiraz to an international conference in Shanghai, where it will compete with  Shirazes other participants will 'throw into the ring'. In order to improve his chances to win, he decided to invite a number of wine drinkers to rank eight different wines, from different parts of Australia and different vintages. He would then trust their judgement and take the winning wine. To cut a long story short, these were the wines and the final ranking:

1) 2009 Grant Burge Meshach, Barossa
2) 2010 Bird in the Hand Nest Egg, Adelaide Hills
    2012 Elderton Command, Barossa
4) 2003 Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier, Canberra District
5) 2008 Yalumba, The Octavius, Barossa
6) 2003 Voyager Estate, Margaret River
7) 2010 Giaconda, Estate, Beechworth
8) 1990 Penfolds Grange, South Australia (this wine was corked)

Surprising to me was the poor performance of the Giaconda Estate. I did not rate the wine very highly either. It was a bit weak on the mid palate and musty.

I picked the Grant Burge Meshach as the winner as well. It won clearly. This wine impressed with its silky tannins and long finish. In a month's time, I will know how it will have fared against wines from the Rhone, California, New Zealand. I rate the chances as quite good. It is a full-bodied wine, with a solid fruit core, but not overripe. It should also appeal to European palates. 

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2004 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon still displays quite a bright deep red colour. On the nose, there are currants and herbs.

On the palate, redcurrants dominate. The fruit is lively, but tastes a little underripe. As a result, the mouthfeel lacks somewhat. On the plus side, there is good balance between fruit, acidity and tannins. Cape Mentelle used to have strong chocolate flavours in their Cabernet, and sometimes brett. This wine is quite a departure. Freshness seems to be a new objective, and this wine still shows it after 12 years. With it come capsicum flavours and some greenness. Unfortunately, it also has the famous hole on the mid palate. Altogether, this is not a convincing wine, if you want to be in the top tier of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon.

Score: 90/-

Rockbare Coonawarra Cutie

Releasing new labels is increasingly difficult. How to stand out from the crowd? This wine tries it with a racy label, but then, it is on the back of the bottle.

So what about the actual wine? The 2013 Rockbare Coonawarra Cutie Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep dark red colour. The bouquet smells of ripe berry fruit. Flavours on the palate are intense, in a typical Coonawarra style. Blackcurrants, mulberry and black olive dominate. There is also vanilla from the oak, but in a supporting role. The tannins are subtle and soft. This is quite a seductive wine, with immediate appeal. I would not keep it longer than a couple of years, beyond which this wine might lose its attractive primary fruit flavours.

Score: 91/++

Swimming Against The Mainstream

When a tasting of Cullen, Bindi, and Ata Rangi wines is announced, you can't be anything but excited. I certainly was, given I have wines of  these producers in my cellar. But it is interesting to note what happens when three things come together
- High expectations set you up for a fall
- The setting of the tasting, including glasses is poor
- Some of the wines are not outstanding

I was aware of the influence of the first two factors and tried to be objective (from my point of view), as much as I could. This is what I thought:

The Bindi wines tasted are new labels and  in part from new blocks of the home vineyard.
- The 2015 Kostas Rind Chardonnay (formerly Composition Chardonnay) was very floral and a bit broad (88 points)
- The 2015 Dixon Pinot Noir ( formerly Composition Pinot Noir), which includes fruit ftom a new block K), tasted of kirsch and was very young and fruity (89 points)
These wines are too expensive for what they offer

In some quarters, the 2014 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir has been described as even better than the sensational 2013. I tasted
- The 2014 Crimson Pinot Noir. This is not a bad wine for a second label. It is savoury, with mushroom and licorice flavours on the palate. The wine is a little light (91 points)
- The 2014 Pinot Noir. The bouquet smells of roses, quite intense and unusual. On the palate, the mouthfeel is balanced, but not huge. The wine is savoury with good length and dry tannins leading to an expanding finish. This wine will increase complexity over time (94 points)

With Cullen, I have a mixed relationship. I simply do not 'get' the Kevin John Chardonnay, and while I appreciate the increased delicacy of the Cabernet, I wonder if some depth has come out of the wine.
- The 2014 Kevin John Chardonnay shows peach flavours and good lashings of (high quality) oak. I find the wine a bit broad (92 points)
- I was impressed with the 2014 Diana Madeline Cabernet. It has good depth of blackberry and blueberry fruit. The flavours penetrate without being heavy. It is a very harmonious wine with firm dry tannins on the finish (95 points)