Bass Phillip Issan Vineyard Pinot Noir

 The Issan Vineyard is situated 15km from the famous Bass Phillip home block. It was densely planted in 93 and 94 according to Burgundy principles. The Pinot Noir from it is Bass Phillip's cheapy, well, it is all relative.

The 2015 Bass Phillip Issan Vineyard Pinot Noir shows some development in the glass, as an orange tinge envelops the red colour. On the nose, beautiful rose aromas rise from the glass.

On the palate, red cherry and red and black forest berry flavours emerge. There are some earthy notes, but fruit dominates, leading to a soft mid-palate. The flavours are not that complex, but the wine is fresh and energetic. This wine is not as intense as the Estate wine. The tannins are fine and firm, and the finish is medium in length.

Overall, this is a balanced wine, but not in the league of the original vineyard. Perhaps this is a little disappointing, given this vineyard was constructed with high ambition. It will be interesting to see what the new owner will do with it.

Score: 92/++ 

Yes Said The Seal Pinot Noir

 

The name is unusual, but this was not the only thing creating interest when this wine was released. It beat all famous entries in some show. There was some concern raised how the 2016 Yes said the seal Pinot Noir would age, so let's have a look.

This wine is quite delicate on the nose, with an appealing strawberry bouquet. On the palate, the strawberry notes continue, but there are also black cherry flavours. More pronounced are savoury flavours, such as mushroom, earth, and wet stone. This wine has good Pinot Noir typicity. The palate is quite elegant and delicate. This is why people were concerned about ageability. However, the wine has a firm acidic backbone and silky tannins.

This wine is beautiful now. The structure is perhaps a little fragile. I suggest to drink this wine now to two years. 

Score: 94/+++

Classification Turmoil At St.-Emilion

 The classification of St.-Emilion needs to be renewed every 10 years. Wineries need to submit an application and supply their credentials. Cheval-Blanc and Chateau Ausone, who are in the highest classification, have decided not to make a submission for the 2022 renewal. Their reasoning? There is now some emphasis placed on the treatment of visitors and social media activities. They believe it should remain based on terroir, wine, and history alone. It is therefore likely they will drop out of the classification, and they do not mind.

Is this another stepping stone towards making these classifications irrelevant? The other being that some lower rated wineries on the left bank outperform higher rated wineries on a consistent basis.

PS: I visited Chateau Ausone some years ago, and was treated very well. 

A Premium Merlot Tasting

 Merlot is a fickle grape. If the wine is not from Pomerol or St. Emilion, it is a disappointment, most of the time. Merlot is a good blender with Cabernet, fleshing out the mid-palate, but on its own, it often lacks structure. A group of us got together to find out if there are excellent Merlot examples outside the famous Right Bank areas. And indeed, we found an outstanding wine, and several good examples.

The outstanding wine was the 2016 Henri Milan 'Le Jardin'. This wine comes from Provence, and the winemaker has the understated goal of achieving Petrus quality on this special plot of blue clay. The winery is biodynamic. Therefore, the beautiful perfume on the nose is perhaps no surprise. This is a complex wine with blackcurrant, truffle, dark chocolate and horse saddle flavours. The wine is quite tannic and has a huge amount of energy. Sadly, production is minuscule (96 points). He is on his way, I think.

The second wine was the 2010 Villa Maria Gimblett Gravels Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon Library Release. This is perhaps not an entirely fair inclusion, as this wine is only 67% Merlot, but still, Merlot dominates. Villa Maria produces wines of varying quality, this wine impressed.

This is a complex wine. Floral notes rise invitingly from the glass. The palate is very elegant and focussed. Herbal flavours reminded me of Italian origin. The wine is not underripe, in fact the core is sweet, and the tannins are silky (94 points).

The third wine is another small production wine. It is the 2015 Chateau Picoron. It comes from a right bank vineyard, if you will, which is situated 10-15km south-east of Saint-Emilion.

From a warm vintage, this is a powerhouse. It is a bit in your face and aggressive. Black and red cherry fruit dominates, and there are savoury notes as well. The tannins are high, as is the alcohol (15.2%). The structure is sound, and the finish long (91 points). I preferred the 2016, which was also tasted. It was similar in style, but gentler (92 points).

The last wine I would like to report on is the 2018 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot. It comes from the cool northern part of McLaren Vale. In fact the Merlot is grown from the highest altitude plots of this outstanding vineyard. 

The wine was not rated as highly as the last two, probably because of its strong fruit component on the palate. This wine makes a big statement. It is lush, but not just fruity. Mushroom flavours add to the very balanced mouthfeel (94 points). I liked it a lot, and a very experienced taster thought it was from Pomerol.

The Merlot grape is a very 'open' grape, which means it is influenced a lot by terroir. The 'Le Jardin' is grown on blue clay, and the Hickinbotham is also grown on very old silty loam and brown clay. I came to the conclusion that soil is a key factor for this variety, more so than for any other major grape variety. 

A number of older Merlots (more than 10 years) were also presented at the tasting. They had lost their fruit and were over the hill. Another lesson: do not age Merlot for too long.

   

Tertini Lagrein

 On to the second exotic. It is perhaps less exotic, as Lagrein is a Northern Italian variety. The name is Austrian, and it originates from Tyrol. I call it exotic, because it is not well known, even in Italy, and much less in Australia. This wine is produced by Tertini, an Italian family wine company in the Southern Highlands. The Southern Highlands themselves are not well known for premium wines, but Tertini stands out, and I encourage people to try their wines.

The 2018 Tertini Lagrein tastes of black cherry, sour cherry and herbs (not because of unripe). This is a medium-bodied wine with quite an attractive flavour profile. The acidity is very high, and would not be everybody's cup of tea. Tannins are medium, and the finish is very soft.

This wine needs time to mellow, and the ageing potential is good.

Score: 91/0 

Zorah Karasì

 Today is the first report on two exotics. Over the last couple of years, wines from Georgia have become more popular, in particular the natural wines. In a tasting some time ago, I found most wines sub-standard, I have to say. Today, however, the reviewed wine is from Armenia, the likely birth place of wine growing. 

The 2018 Zorah Karasì is grown close to Mount Ararat, at an elevation of 1400 meters. It is near the Areni cave, considered the oldest winery at 6100 years of age. The grape variety is the indigenous Areni Noir. It has a very thick skin and is well suited to the diurnal temperature variation of this continental climate. In 2012, an Areni Noir wine made it into Bloomberg's top 10 wines world-wide.

Zorah is the preeminent winery in Armenia today. I am not sure of the winemaking process, other than the wine is aged in amphorae. Karasì means 'from amphorae'.

Now to the wine. The colour is deep purple. It is medium- to full-bodied, with flavours of dark cherry and mulberry. Not a very detailed expression, but it tastes elegant in the mouth. Dry and coarse tannins cut through the fruit. 

This wine has some complexity, and the slightly harsh finish is quite long. It is a distinctive style, maybe closest to Malbec in its fruit orientation. Further refinement can make this an excellent wine.

Score: 90/+  

  

Gianfranco Alessandria Barolo

 Gianfranco Alessandria is not a division 1 producer in Barolo and 2011, while part of a string of decent vintages, was not a great one. How good can the 2011 Gianfranco Alessandria Barolo really be? It comes from the San Giovanni vineyard of the Monforte subregion.

The colour of the wine is a rustic red. It looks quite developed.

Cranberry fruit opens up on the palate, followed by savoury characteristics, such as leather, cigarbox and earthy notes. It is a complex and attractive profile. Overall, the mouthfeel is a little rustic, but the wine still has good energy. It is balanced despite the robust tannins, typical for a traditional wine from  Monforte. 

Overall, the wine has an interesting profile and personality. I recommend to drink this now.

Score: 93/+++

San Filippo Le Lucére Brunello

 When it comes to Italian wines, my favorites are Barolos from Piedmont. I love the aromatics, complex flavours, and tannin structures. The other star performers are the Sangioveses from Montalcino, known as Brunellos. While they are generally highly regarded, I find them less interesting and enjoyable. However, every now and then I should put this to the test. Last night I tried the 2013 San Filippo Le Lucére Brunello.

From a good year and a single vineyard, this wine delivers fruity and savoury flavours, with red and black cherry, espresso notes, leather and spice. It is a medium- to full-bodied wine with high acidity, typical of Sangiovese. I find it a bit flat on the mid-palate. The firm tannins play in the background. But then, it comes together well on a harmonious, slightly salty finish.

This is a good wine, no doubt, but it is also very expensive. My opening paragraph still stands.

Score: 93/+

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz

 The 2012 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz is a powerhouse. Intense aromas of blackberry and mocca rise from the glass.

On the palate, blackcurrant, plum and blackberry flavours blend the typicity of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz together in a seamless way. This wine is full-bodied, as you would expect, and quite dense, almost impenetrable, more than in other vintages. The tannins are firm and match the fruit weight. The wine is in balance and very long on the finish.

At 9 years, this wine still is a baby. It has at least a couple of decades to go.

Score: 95/++

Casal Figueira António Vital

 When I visited the Douro Valley in Portugal four years ago, I was also impressed with a number of white wines, in particular from vineyards at more than 500m elevation. Having access to these wines is close to impossible in Australia. So when I had a chance to buy some Portuguese white wine, I went for it. The 2019 Casal Figueira António is, however, from vineyards near Lisbon, 200-450m in altitude.

António Carvalho saved the Vital variety there. The limestone plots carry bush wines of 70-100+ years of age. The viticulture is biodynamic.

Tasting the wine, the first thing that you notice is the freshness and cleanness of the wine. Passionfruit and melon are detectable on the palate, but this wine is more textural. Really, the flavour is quite subdued and forward. The acidity makes this wine very refreshing. This is a summer wine quaffer.

Score: 87/0

Four In Hand Barossa Shiraz

 

The 2015 Four In Hand Barossa Shiraz, from a warm vintage, tastes of plum, plum, plum with a bit of mocca in the background. It is quite smooth to begin with, with an overwhelming sweet core. Then it turns into a hot and alcoholic finish. 

I was contemplating if I simply did not like this wine or if it was not well made. Well, it is not well made, in my view; not in balance, overripe. Robert Parker has retired a little while ago.

Score: 86/-- 

Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay

 It is not easy, and also not necessary, to say something new about the iconic Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay. That is, unless one opens an older bottle. This is not often talked about. Chardonnay in general does not age well beyond 7 years in Australia. This is a review of the 2011 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay. 2011 was a poor vintage for red wines in most of Australia. White wines fared a little better. However in Western Australia, vintage conditions were excellent.

The painting for this wine is a little whimsical, but there is nothing whimsical about the content. Citrus and grapefruit still dominate, the vanilla from the new oak is woven in well. There is a hint of honey now, but the wine is still fresh and fruit focused. The fresh acidity drives the great line in this wine. It is perhaps not the most complex Leeuwin, but the long finish is very satisfying.

Score: 95/+++