Can You Criticise Wendouree?

There are some people or businesses in life that by strategy or luck seem to be beyond criticism. In music, Radiohead comes to mind, as they have not produced anything decent in the last 15 years, yet have maintained their reputation. Could this apply to Wendouree in wine? This thought occurred to me as I was tasting the 2002 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro. Wendouree has this cult status, as its wines are not easy to buy and because of their apparent legendary longevity.

Therefore I was not worried about opening this 15 year old wine. The cork was perfect and the colour still deep purple. The bouquet did not give too much away. On the palate, however, I was disappointed. The plum and mulberry fruit flavours are accompanied by eucalypt (which happens at Wendouree a fair bit and I do not like too much) and some spice. However, the fruit is overtaken by licorice and plenty of it. The structure stands up, but the flavours are not well balanced. The finish is medium with firm tannins. On day two, the wine is better balanced, but licorice still dominates.

Wendouree wines need a lot of airing, but against high expectations, this wine did not deliver.

Score: 88/--

Spinifex Indigene

From the master blender Peter Schell comes the 2006 Spinifex Indigene, a Shiraz/Mataro blend. In this year, the Shiraz component is high, at 69%. This is a full-bodied wine, yet it has retained some freshness. On the palate is an attractive mix of blueberry and blackberry fruit. Secondary flavours are mushroom, rather than oak. The wine is perfectly balanced between fruit, acidity and firm, but quite light tannins, before the wine moves to a lifted finish, as if it had a Viognier component. This is an excellent example of this blend from the Barossa.

The wine drinks well now, but has at least three to five years at this level ahead of itself.

Score: 94/++

Castagna, Seghesio, Wendouree

It is said that if you are at a wine tasting and want to buy wine, you taste wine with apple, whereas if you want to sell wine, you offer cheese. And it is true, cheese numbs the taste buds. Nonetheless, cheese and wine are a good and popular combination. On this particular cheese night, I thought to pair the food with three different wines, which represent a spectrum of Australian and Italian characteristics. As I did not take notes, the comments below are quite general and no points are awarded.

First up was the 2008 Castagna La Chiave. This is a Sangiovese grown at altitude in Beechworth, Victoria. It showed typical varietal characteristics with red cherry flavours and acidity. Being Australian, the acidity was less than from a typical Chianti, but there was enough to 'cut' through the cheese.

The 2004 Seghesio Barolo La Villa offered a different experience. The flavours of this wine are quite complex, more savoury, and with mushroom and earthy components at the forefront. This wine added taste experiences to the cheese. It was food friendly and an excellent compliment to the food.

The 2002 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro was different again. This is a big and quite 'fat' wine with strong plum and other dark fruit flavours. It matched well with soft, 'fat' cheeses. My main impression here was that the cheese made it easier to drink the wine, which - on its own - was very bold.

So while cheese may numb the palate, cheese/wine combinations can still be rewarding. The wines tried expressed their terroir and grape variety in a very typical fashion and offered different, yet sensible combinations.

Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro

Wendouree is next to the ultra premium wines of Penfolds the producer of wines with the best age-ability record in Australia. This 2002 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro needed a day to open, can you believe it. The wine was more rounded on day two.

Having said this, this wine is starting to show aging in colour and on the palate. The plum and blackberry fruit flavours are intense. There are meat and burnt coal notes as well. The wine is peppery with good density and softened tannins on the finish.

Score: 94/++

Spinifex Indigene

It is good to be back drinking Australian wine. I have reviewed the 2005 Spinifex Indigene before, but it is interesting to follow the aging process of this wine, made by a winemaker who wants to make fresh and vibrant wines, after nine years.

This Shiraz/Mataro blend is quite moreish. It is a savoury and quite well integrated wine, with flesh from the Shiraz and a tannic expression of the Mataro both contributing in a balanced fashion. Blueberry and mulberry fruit flavours dominate, on the structure of firm, but mellowed tannins. The wine has a long finish and has definitely gotten better with age. It is drinking very well now - a very modern and profound expression of Barossa Rhone varieties.

Score: 95/+++

Spinifex Indigene

The hallmark of Spinifex wines is their vitality, as the grapes come from higher lying vineyards in the Barossa and as they are picked early. As I open a bottle of the 2005 Spinifex Indigene, I therefore expect graceful aging.

This Indigene is a 55% Mataro, 45% Shiraz blend. The colour is dark and somewhat mellowed. This is a big wine. It is still fruit dominant, with blackberry and plum flavours dominating. It has a big mouthfeel and it runs seemlessly to the back palate before finishing long. The tannins are quite noticeable on the finish.

In a blind tasting, I would not have picked this as a Spinifex wine. Its profile is more that of a typical Barossa, with considerable weight. It shows Peter Schell's considerable talent in fashioning well balanced blends.

Score: 94/++

Spinifex Premium Releases

Every now and then a quote sticks to a winery. So it is with Spinifex when James Halliday said it out-torbrecks Torbreck. What is Torbreck known for? Predominantly the incredible richness of its wines and how David Powell managed to jack up the prices for his Barossa Shiraz. Now Spinifex does none of this. Peter Schell picks the grapes early, the wines are not very ripe, and the prices are moderate by comparison. So what does this comment mean? Beats me, but it gets repeated time and time again.

I recently tasted three Spinifex wines from 2010. The 2010 Spinifex Bete Noir is perhaps its only wine not consisting of more than one grape variety. This 100% Shiraz comes 60% from Eden Valley and 40% from the Eastern slopes of the Barossa, i.e. grapes grown at higher altitudes. As a result, the wine has cooler climate characteristics: it is savoury and peppery. The wine is vibrant and fresh. It has medium weight and good length (93 points).

The 2010 Spinifex Indigene consists of 70% Mataro and 30% Shiraz. This has been my favorite in a number of years, but not in 2010. The Mataro is very strong and dominant and as a result, the wine is quite tannic and acidic with a slightly harsh finish. It may be that the wine will mellow nicely, as the underlying fruit is good, but at this point, I rate it 91 points.

The 2010 Spinifex La Mouline is the pick of the bunch. This wine used to be a Shiraz/Viognier, but in this year it is 97% Shiraz and 3% Roussanne. I think this has been a master stroke. Rather than adding floral notes, the Roussanne adds weight and complexity. This wine is very elegant, as the plum and red berry flavours roll down the palate.The wine has a dry finish and considerable length - very appealing (95 points).

 

Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro

Some people would love this 2002 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro. I think it has enormous potential, but could have been better.

Wendouree is one of these iconic wineries, and as a result it seems to be beyond criticism. However, as an independent reviewer, I feel free to not be intimidated by that.

This wine shows both components very well. There is rich and deep plum fruit from the Shiraz, and there is redcurrant and tannin structure from the Mataro, some eucalypt, too. The two elements are not well integrated, though. They stand side by side. The wine seems a bit alcoholic, too. Curiously, there is no information about the alcohol level on the label. Is this legal?

The wine has quite a long finish and has mellowed somewhat, but the best years are yet to come. This could still turn into an outstanding wine, but I am not convinced it will achieve the seamless elegance I would like to see in a blended wine. To me, the winemaking is a bit rustic and, dare I say it, outdated?

Score: 93/0