Chateau Labarde

2009 and 2010 are the years, when it is really worth while to try cheaper Bordeaux wines. The 2009 Chateau Labarde is such an example. I have never heard of this Chateau, but was pleasantly surprised. The wine is not complex, but shows pretty fruit and enough weight to fill the mouth with its redcurrant, plum and raspberry flavours. The wine is from the Haut-Medoc, bordering the Margeaux district. It consists of 61% Merlot and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot features clearly shine through here. The wine is dominated by its fruit flavours, but it is not sweet. The finish is neither long nor tannic.

This wine is a pleasant food wine. I cannot score it overly high, as the structure is basic, but on a personal level, it gave me a lot of enjoyment.

Score: 88/++

Yealands Estate Gruener Veltiner

This 2012 Yealands Estate Gruener Veltiner is a curious wine. Yes, there are some pear flavours, but they are dominated by the grassy flavours typical for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is quite bland, I am missing the spices normally shown by this variety. The wine is clean and fresh, but not very varietal.

Score: 85/-

Kalleske Clarry's

This GSM is always a good value wine. The 2009 Kalleske Clarry's is of high quality. This blend is dominated by Grenache (55%) and Shiraz (38%), all coming from Estate fruit. Mulberry, raspberry and plum flavours dominate on the palate. The fruit shows depth and intensity and is balanced by savoury characteristics. No lolly wine, this one. The acidity freshens the quite dense and alcoholic fruit leading to a satisfying finish. The wine may be too big for some, but it is quite balanced. I would not keep it for long, though,

Score: 91/++

Tempranillo

Honestly, have you ever had your socks blown off by a Tempranillo? - Me neither. Below is an assessment of a few Spanish ones currently available in Australia, with an Australian one thrown in.

The 2010 Artadi Rioja Alvesa is not unattractive. This medium bodied wine is fresh and vibrant. It tastes of black cherry and has balanced acidity on the finish (90 points).

The 2011 Mt. Majura Tempranillo from the Canberra area has a flatter mouthfeel and is quite simple. There are earthy flavours and the acidity is quite noticable (87 points).

The 2009 Pesquera Tinto from Ribera del Duero is quite different. This wine is based on old vines, and it exhibits a rich and rustic feel. There are earthy characters and fine tannins leading to a long finish (90 points).

The 2009 Cillar de Silos Estate Tempranillo, also from Ribera del Duero, is more modern. The wine is elegant and fairly light, but has good length on the palate (89 points).

Henschke New Ultra Premium Releases

It is not often that you see a better trio of new releases than this. And I am making sure in this assessment that I am not influenced by the fact that they were presented at a dinner at Quay Restaurant or that I won a rare magnum of Tappa Pass Shiraz (pictured).

But before I get to this, I would like to report on the 2012 Henschke Croft Chardonnay. The grapes for this wine come from the Henschke's Lenswood Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Not many people know that these grapes are the oldest Chardonnay grapes in the Adelaide Hills, planted in the early 80s. The wine is wild yeast fermented and quite full flavoured. It is a clean and elegant wine with a lot of complexity, showing pear and white nectarine, as well as some nutty flavours. There is good acidity on the silky finish. This is a classy wine - a real surprise.

Score: 93/++

Then on to the main game. The 2009 Henschke Mount Edelstone jumps out of the glass with a rich bouquet of sage and black pepper spice. There are many descriptions of this wine, so what is special? The palate is fine, with layers of plum, blackberry and peppers, yet strong at the same time. I like a wine with paradox. The finish is long, on the base of silky tannins. The best ever?

Score: 96/+++

The 2009 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot.  The Cabernet Sauvignon clearly dominates. The complex palate oozes blackberries, violets and cigar box flavours. The outstanding feature? The extremely dry and dusty tannins underlying a ripe fruit intensity. This wine cries out for meat protein.

Score: 96/+++

Hill of Grace reminds me of Morocco, every time - the Grand Place in Marrakesh. It is the exotic spices in this wine.The 2008 Henschke Hill of Grace is a terrific example of this. No other wine in Australia has this scent and flavour - a real treasure. If we would loose these 150 year old vines, we would have to wait 150 years before we get them back. Think about that. Different soil structures in this vineyard contribute to the complexity of this wine. The paradox of this wine: This wine feels lighter on the palate than the Mount Edelstone, yet it is more intense. The tannins are ripe, yet soft and fine. Everything comes together in a balanced, elegant finish.  One of the most exciting Australian wines I have ever tasted.

Score: 98/+++

Most Popular Posts Over Last 13 Months

As my blog is approaching 50,000 page views, I thought I might list the most popular posts over the past year. It might surprise you.

1) Glaetzer-Dixon Shiraz, Jimmy Watson winner
2) Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
3) Superstar Shiraz Tasting
4) How long to age Australian wine
5) Cullen vs. Moss Wood
6) French Value Wines
7) Craggy Range Le Sol
8) Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon
9) Felton Road Pinot Noir
10) Clonakilla New Releases

This is not a bad list, I think. It shows you have an interest in high quality wines. Cabernet is as present as Shiraz, and two New Zealanders got onto the list. Most wines in this list are expensive, but you were also interested in French value. No white wine made it, but Leeuwin Chardonnay came close.

I am off to a Henschke dinner tonight, where Hill of Grace will be poured. The resulting post might make the list in the future, don't you think?

The Big (Slightly Modified) Barossa

I  tasted four Shiraz wines from the northern areas of the Barossa, where red brown earth reigns supreme. There is no doubt that ripeness and alcohol levels have been paired back a little in recent years, but this has not changed the characteristic flavour and structure profile of these wines.

The 2010 Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz is an attractive wine. Blackberry fruit dominates, the wine is very smooth and it finishes with fine tannins.

Score: 94/++

The 2010 First Drop Fat of the Land Ebenezer wine is a little bolder. Fruit flavours are similar, but there is more complexity on the palate. The tannins are more muscular and there is quite a lot of oak on the palate. This wine needs time.

Score: 93/+

The 2009 Peter Lehmann 1885 Vineyard Shiraz is only made in special years. This wine sits between the last two in terms of body weight. It has slightly minty flavours. The tannins are finely grained, but the wine lacks some mouthfeel expected of such a wine. The finish is long.

Score: 92/0

The 2010 Hentley Farm The Beast is full bodied, showing rich black and red fruit. This wine has the best colour of these four, intense yet vibrant. The wine has a strong structure pointing to a long life. The tannins are ripe and show some softness.

Score: 94/++

Thousand Candles (sneak pre-release preview)

Thousand Candles is a large new project in the Yarra Valley. It created quite a storm as a result of the amount of  (Chinese) money put into the venture, the very dense planting, the lavish opening last year, and the $100 per bottle price for a new and unproven release. The talented William Downie is the winemaker. Last year's first wine was a 2011 Shiraz. It received mixed reviews at best: a strange choice to open with given the price point. I did not try this wine.

However, I had the opportunity to taste the first offering this year, the 2012 Thousand Candles Pinot Noir. The wine is not yet released. The colour is purple, not overly bright. The flavour on the front palate is black cherry, but the overall profile is of a savoury wine. The wine lacks fruit density and tastes a bit metallic. On the other hand, it has a long expanding finish.

Overall, I was disappointed. Not only does the wine not justify its price, but it would not be in my front row of $30-40 per bottle Pinots.

Score: 88/--

PS: Has anyone counted the number of candles on the label? Are there 1000?

Head Wines

Alex Head is an exciting new talent in the Barossa. A bit like Spinifex, he likes to fashion vibrant and refreshing wines, with fruit intensity a minor consideration. This works well in years with a lot of sunshine, but in rainy and cool years, the wines can be a bit thin. As a result, this showing of seven current Rhone varieties was a bit disappointing.

2012 Head Red GSM: intense raspberry fruit, fairly forward but good length, opens up on  finish (90 points).

2012 Head Red Shiraz: plum and red kirsch flavours, grapes picked very early, strong acidity (88 points).

2011 Head Contrarian: slowly fermented, quite savoury, but not enough mouthfeel (89 points).

2011 Head Old Vines Grenache: a thin and quite earthy wine (86 points).

2012 Head Old Vines Grenache: light style, fresh and elegant with some backbone (92 points).

2011 Head Blonde: From a vineyard in Stonewell, this has good fruit and broadens out nicely. However, does the wine have the structure to age? I doubt it (88 points).

2011 Head Brunette: From the Moppa vineyard, this wine is quite fresh and forward, plum on the palate, and fine tannins on the finish (90 points).

Personally, I am looking forward to the 2012 Blonde and Brunette, which will come out in September.

Invivo Sauvignon Blanc

Remember the ABC (anything but Chardonnay) movement? Pretty dead these days. In my view, it does not pay to be dogmatic when it comes to wine. Sauvignon Blanc does not have a great image among 'serious wine drinkers', and I admit it is not my favourite grape variety: one dimensional, in your face, boring etc. But to completely ignore it is at your own peril.

 Invivo is a relatively new organic winery from Marlborough. Its 2012 Invivo Sauvignon Blanc is a beautiful wine. It displays the expected gooseberry and citrus flavours on the palate, but the wine is not harsh, rather gentle, with a rich mouthfeel, yet fresh. It has a smooth and lifted finish. Altogether, this is an attractive package which goes particularly well with sushi.

Score: 90/++

Pepperilly Wines

There are still many new wineries trying to make it in Australia and quite a few deserve a chance. From Western Australia comes Pepperilly, no it is not from Margaret River nor the Great Southern. Pepperilly is based in the Ferguson Valley, overlooking Bunbury i.e. north of Margaret River.

I recently tasted two of their wines. the 2010 Pepperilly Purple Patch is a GSM, with a very dominant Grenache component, maybe a bit too much. The flavours are very clean, with raspberry dominating. The Shiraz provides some darker flavours on the back palate. The wine has fine tannins on the finish. Overall, this is a well made wine; it is pretty, quite feminine. The high 14.5% alcohol is not noticable, which points to sufficiently intense fruit.

Score: 91/+

The 2011 Pepperilly Rose looks quite French, with its pale pink colour. It is based on Cabernet and Shiraz. Again, the flavours are very clean and crisp. I find the wine a little sweet and to me it is - all the prejudices coming out here - a ladies wine.

Score: 89/0

How much value is in the label? Well, these wines look very stylish and at less than $20 per bottle, they represent excellent value.

Three Barossa Icons, More Than 10 Years On

I drank three Barossa Icon wines over the last few days. There is always doubt to what extent these Shiraz based, and often high alcohol wines can go the distance. Well, the answer is clear: the well-made ones can.

The 2002 Wolf Blass Black Label is a blend of predominantly Barossa Shiraz and Barossa and Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Blueberry, blackberry and plum flavours are still strong and dominating a well balanced structure. Oak is still quite noticable. The tannins have softened and are quite silky now, and the long finish is fruity, but not sweet. The wine has medium to full bodied weight, quite pleasant, and it is a good time to drink this wine now, although it will last well for a few more years. This is an excellent example of the under-appreciated workings of a Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

Score: 94/++

The 2001 Henschke Mt. Edelstone has an incredibly strong and lifted bouquet of mulberry flavours. This continues onto the complex palate, where smoky and ham flavours are also present. The wine is quite peppery and elegant (more so than the other two). There is a lightness in this wine, yet it is strong at the same time, with silky tannins and a long finish This is a brilliant example of mature Australian Shiraz. Again, now is a good time to drink this wine.

Score: 96/+++

The 2002 Torbreck RunRig was massive on release, and the richness, boldness, and depth of blackberry fruit is still there. The tannins are firm, and the structure of the wine is holding up well. Unfortunately, there is a taste of a bit of burnt fruit on the finish, and the wine tastes slightly hot. The wine might  mellow over the next three years and therefore improve its profile.

Score: 94/+