What Did We Drink For Christmas?

 My Christmas was quite small in scope and the wines were mostly disappointing.

A Pipers Brook Late Disgorged Sparkling was fine, but not very distinctive. The Tyrell’s Vat 47 was better, quite traditional with a nice peachy mouthfeel. On the red front, I was disappointed by two different Mataros (see post below). I then needed something special. I opened a 2009 Robert Chevillon 1er cru Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains. The fruit profile was fine, but nothing special. I enjoyed the silky finish.

What did you drink over Christmas? Get on the board! I would like some American or European contributions, too.

Mataro (Mourvèdre) Time

 The days around Christmas have been quite cool in Sydney, so I decided to open some Mataro. This variety is found most often blended with Shiraz and Grenache as a Southern Rhône or Australian wine. Mataro tends to produce tannic wines, with gamy notes. It is also difficult to grow. However, there are some straight variety wines.

The first wine I opened was the 2016 Powell & Son Kleinig Vineyard Mataro. Seven years seemed like a good age. However, the wine showed very ripe and burnt. Mulberry and earthy flavours were dull. Tannins had mellowed. The wine clearly lost its energy and had aged too quickly.

Score: 82/--

The second wine was an entry level 2021 Alkina Mataro. I expected this to be much fresher, due to the winemaker and its young age. It had a similar dark colour to the Powell. The typicity was quite good, with mulberry and savoury flavours. The wine had more energy than the Powell, but it was still very full-bodied and quite thick in the mouth - not very exciting.

Score: 88/0

I think I prefer to enjoy Mataro as part of a blend.

Wild Duck Creek Shiraz Reserve

 A few days ago, I was given a 2009 Wild Duck Creek Shiraz Reserve. It came with a warning: 17% alcohol. Wild Duck Creek used to be one of the Australian Parker cult producers. How did this wine hold up after 14 years? I was concerned.

The colour was a deep purple-brown - not a good sign. I could smell the alcohol.

On the palate, the wine was overripe, tasting of raisin and alcohol. I was inclined to say this wine was past its best, but did it ever have a best? It was hard to drink one glass.

So here we have a producer who liked to make ripe wine, in a drought year, and an attempt to enjoy this wine after 14 years. This could not work. It was a stark reminder how crazy some Shiraz got in the 90s and 00s. It was so misguided.

Score: 70/--- 

Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir

 I have been collecting Felton Road Pinot Noir wines for many years. They produce about five single vineyard wines, and then there is the blended Bannockburn wine from the remaining grapes. Obviously, the single vineyard wines are more expensive. Over the years, I have observed an almost perfect correlation between the price points of the single vineyard wines and the blend and the scores. Blind tasting? I found the blend often more layered and complex than some of the single vineyard wines.

The labels of these wines are very similar and quite boring, but the content is anything but. This is the 2019 Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir. There is a dark cherry and forest floor aroma arising from the glass. On the palate, red and black cherry flavours are matched with some underbrush and excellent oak integration. Fresh acidity and solid tannins produce a perfect balance. The finish is long and lingering.

Score: 95/+++

Don Melchor

 It has been a long time between drinks, drinks of Don Melchor that is. My last taste of Chile’s Grange was over 20 years ago, but yesterday I allowed myself a bottle of the 2020 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon. Like Penfolds in Treasury Wine Estates, Don Melchor has become a separate identity within Concha y Toro.

The wine is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon. Red and black currant flavours, as well as blue fruits (the Cabernet Franc influence?) deliver a complex profile on the palate. The wine is quite concentrated and generous in the mouth. A stony element keeps it energetic. The wine has substantial fruit weight, but not as much as Grange. It is a majestic and elegant wine. The racy acidity delivers good energy. The firm tannins are substantial and very dry, leading to a medium plus finish.

Based on this bottle, Don Melchor deserves the status of the classically fashioned top wine of Chile.

Score: 96/+++

Castello Banfi Summus

 When one thinks of Super Tuscans, the first names which come to mind are probably Sassicaia and Ornellaia, which are very expensive. However, Super Tuscans simply means world grape varieties, in particular Cabernet Sauvignon are added to Sangiovese, often in the majority. However, not all are expensive. Let’s see how this 2018 Castello Banfi Summus shapes up.

This Summus is a blend of 40% Sangiovese, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Shiraz. Red cherry and currant fruit flavours are added to by mocca, tobacco and herbal notes. The wine is quite spicy on the palate and tastes a touch underripe, despite its 14.5% alcohol. Acidity and tannins are quite pronounced. I found the wine a bit unbalanced. A super Tuscan? Maybe not.

Score: 89/-

Paul Hobbs Russian River Pinot Noir

 I am writing this tasting note after this 2020 Paul Hobbs Russian River Pinot Noir has been opened for two days. This is a good thing, as this wine is obviously young and a bit overwhelming.

This is a concentrated and rich wine. Selected from premium growers across the valley, the fruit delivers dark cherry, plum, beetroot and forest underbrush flavours. This is a brooding wine with firm, somewhat coarse tannins. The finish is long.

This wine is certainly on the big side for a Pinot Noir. Alcohol comes in at 14.3%. Paul Hobbs is a highly regarded winemaker, with operations in different continents, particularly in Argentina. He has a full throttle style, which you may or may not find appealing.

Score: 92/0

Lowestoft Best Barrels Chardonnay

 Following on from the impressive first release Lowestoft Pinot Noir reviewed a few posts below, I am now reporting on the 2019 Lowestoft Best Barrels Chardonnay.

Tasmania has become a hot bed for Chardonnay. And like the Pinot Noir, this is a blended wine of the best barrels from Tamar Valley, Coal River Valley and Tasman Peninsula. This wine was matured in large format oak (I think French), 35% new.

The flavours are complex, with citrus, grapefruit, and a hint of pineapple, added to by the cashew nut of the oak. This is a fresh wine with a balanced texture, and a firm line to the finish.

I would characterize this Chardonnay as occupying the middle ground between the lean types, currently so popular, and the full-blown Chardonnays, say California style.

Score: 94/++ 

Yangarra Rosé

 Yangarra grows all Rhône varieties on its estate. No wonder their Rosé is made in the Provence style with a very pale colour.

But do not be fooled if you plan to drive. This 2023 Yangarra Rosé has 13.0% alcohol. I do not get much on the nose. Purity and freshness are the main impressions on the palate. Flavours of strawberry and pink apple are quite restrained. The wine would work well with a light salad or salmon mousse. If you like your Rosé with low flavour impact, this well made wine is for you. 

Score: 88/+

Yangarra Piquepoul

 Piquepoul Blanc is mainly grown in the Southern Rhône and in Languedoc. It is predominantly blended into Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but the percentages are very low. It was first introduced in Australia in 2017. As there is more of a tendency for single varietal wines in Australia, you see this variety now displayed on bottles from McLaren Vale. Coriole was an early leader.

Now it has been picked up by the cannot do wrong Peter Fraser of Yangarra. Is it a worth while effort? I suggest it is. The 2023 Yangarra Piquepoul is a pale green in the glass. It gives fragrant aromas away on the nose.

On the palate, it is a fresh wine, with light pear flavours, good drive, minerality, and a little sweetness on the finish. It tastes a bit like a less serious Chablis. This wine should be drunk quite cool - excellent for summer lunch, in particular salads and also oysters.

Score: 89/++ 

 

Torbreck The Struie

 I often enjoy the mid level wines more than the top wines from wineries which are known to produce late picked, ripe wines. So it is with The Struie from Torbreck.

As always, there is Barossa dirt in an empty Torbreck bottle, but the 2018 Torbreck The Struie delivers a surprise. The colour is deep purple, typical of a full-bodied South Australian Shiraz. The fruit in this year includes only 25% Eden Valley fruit. Normally it is 50%.

On the palate, the complex flavours comprise blackberry, mulberry, black olive, spice, and tobacco. One experiences a full-bodied mouthfeel, and it is surprisingly fresh and alive. The wine is very balanced, matching the fruit with lively acidity and firm tannins. The finish has medium length.

This is an example of a well-made full-bodied Shiraz. It is pretty full throttle, with 15% alcohol, but quite satisfying to drink. It would appeal to a wide range of red wine drinkers.

Score: 95/+++

Lowestoft Pinot Noir

 The 2018 Lowestoft Pinot Noir is the first wine of this new Tasmanian label, put together by the Fogarty Wine Group, owners of Dalwhinnie, Deep Woods, Evans & Tate, amongst others.

This is not a single vineyard wine, but a best barrels selection from vineyards across Tasmania. The wine has been matured in large format French oak, 35% new. It is positioned as an ultra premium wine.

And the wine is impressive. It is a delicate wine of great purity, initially quite understated. Red cherry fruit and some darker and earthy flavours, backed by firm acidity, deliver quite a piercing mouthfeel. The fine grained tannins linger long on the palate.

Score: 94/+++