6 April 2010

The surprises continue here at Fine Wine Club.

This week’s panel tasting looked at a range of red wines, primarily made from Italian/Spanish grape varieties. Often, these wines can be savoury and structured in a style that is typically more suited to drinking with food than tasting on their own.

There has been a change in the approach made by many of the younger European wine makers over the last few years however. There is a trend toward retaining the primary fruit characters of the wines and adding some new oak into the winemaking mix. The result is a more modern wine that is more accessible to Australian wine drinkers who are used to fresh, modern and (importantly) clean wines.

The surprises came not from this new breed of imported wine, but from a range of Australian wines made from less common grape varieties. Highlights Included the wines from Banrock Station. Their new Mediterranean Collection has produced some great value wines. Both the Temperanillo and the Montepulciano are very smart wines and will offer outstanding value at $15 or less per bottle.

Another surprise came from the Paul Conti. Of all the wines tasted, this was the most traditional in style. A very good wine. The star of the tasting was the Running with Bulls Temperanillo. Made by Louisa Rose from Yalumba, this is a sexy wine that really hits the mark. Buy a six-pack and drink a bottle every year to see how it develops.

Tasted

Running With Bulls – Temperanillo -2008 (17.7). Dense yet pretty nose with lovely floral fruit tending towards roses. Ripe fruit characters on the palate with licorice and spice to add complexity. The dry finish lingers. Very long and fine, this will take some time in bottle. Very good wine.

Paul Conti – Temperanillo – The Tuarts – 2007 (17.2). Precise, focussed nose with menthol, tar, cinnamon and a touch of tobacco leaf. More of the same on the palate in a dry style. The tannins are fine but mouth coating. A textural wine that needs some food. More reserved, tight and structured.

Banrock Station – Temperanillo – Mediterranean Collection – 2007 (17.1). Ripe fruit with Satsuma plum on the nose. Fresh and vibrant palate with currants and some dusty spice. Remarkably soft finish makes this excellent short term drinking. Excellent balance with silky tannins to close. Probably has had some whole bunch fermentation.

Banrock Station – Montepulciano – Mediterranean Collection – 2008 (17). Dusty cherry characters. Savoury, but with some sweet fruit over tar and a touch of licorice. The palate is bursting with ripe cherries. Fruit driven, but with plenty of tannin grip on the close to tighten up the finish. Long and juicy. (Confusingly, Montepulciano is the name of both a grape and a town in Italy.)

Care – Shiraz Temperanillo – Carinena – 2008. (16.8). More savoury characters here and quite interesting. Fresh and fruit driven, with gentle tannins and acid to keep the balance. Not a big wine, but good drinking. (Synthetic cork).

Dominion de Goren – Vino De La Tierra De Castella – Codices – 2006. (16.6). Sweet fruit and clean winemaking. Cherry, herbs and a medicinal character work together on the nose with a touch of menthol. A structured wine with a souring cherry finish. Would work well with food.

Wild Oates – Temperanillo – 2008 (16.5). Less obvious nose, but this is a well put together wine. The palate has simple fresh fruit tending towards some stewed plum characters. A solid effort.