4 February 2010

A shiraz tasting is not what I would choose to do on a hot summer’s evening, but it is important to keep the samples turning over. So having said that, I actually quite enjoyed this tasting, as the wines were of quite high quality.

The highlight was the Pirramimma grenache. This is succulent, juicy and great drinking. At $20 direct from the winery, it is an absolute bargain. The St Cosme I have written about before, and it continues to impress.

Finally, the Voyager Estate shiraz is an excellent cool climate shiraz. This really improved over the next day or so and has received good reviews elsewhere. Kemeny’s has this at $27 which seems very fair.

Tasted

Pirramimma – Grenache – 2004 (18). Lovely dense nose. . Ripe fruit with a lovely sour cherry mid-palate. Builds sweet fruit on the finish. The slight confectionary character makes for easy drinking. Good structure to close. Showing the benefit of extra time in bottle, but will continue to develop for many years.

St Cosme – Cotes du Rhone (17.8). More earth, spice and savoury characters. Dense ripe fruit with excellent length and persistence. Develops some leathery characters in the mouth. Ripe fruit with plums and spice. Good texture and mouth-feel. Improved with being open for a day.

Voyager – Shiraz – 2007 (17.7). Denser and more serious fruit here. Licorice and spice, long and supple mouth-feel. Fine tannins and integrated oak build on the finish. A very good effort. And one that will continue to improve for several years.

MadFish – Shiraz – Gold Turtle – 2007 (17.5). Ripe berries over the top of a brooding dense nose, but a touch jammy. The palate is flooded with dense fruit, but the balance is out now. Will integrate and improve with a few years in the bottle.

Barossa Valley Estate – Shiraz – Ebenezer – 2005 (17). Sweet and plump fruit to start. Develops complex licorice and spice. Generous plummy fruit with some grip. More elegant and medium bodied than expected.

Delas – Cotes du Rhone – St Esprit – 2007 (17). This really opened up after being left open for 24 hours. Lovely perfumed ripe fruit. There is a mealy, spicy palate with cinnamon. Licorice and rhubarb fruit lead to an earthy and leathery finish. Worth a try.

MadFish – Shiraz – Sideways – 2008 (17). Raspberry, cherry – red fruits and sweet vanillan oak. Lifted and forward nose. Ripe, generous, soft and round. There is a silky finish and reasonable length. Not complex but excellent drinking. A good commercial style.

Hewitson – Miss Harry – 2008 (16.6). Starts off quite dumb on the nose, but the palate is a riot of sweet fruit with firm tannins and oak grip. May settle.

Millbrook – Shiraz Viognier – Barking Owl – 2008 (16.5). Floral notes to the red fruit characters. The palate is forward, but grippy. There is a dense finish, but again needs to integrate more. Could improve.

Hewitson – Mouvedre – 2008 (16.5). Closed but enticing nose. The palate is licorice, satsuma plum, spice and cinnamon. There is ripe fruit and elegant tannin structure. A fruit driven style.

Wills Domain – Shiraz – 2006 (16.5). Some earthy characters on the nose. The palate has earthy notes, but is relatively austere and tight. Would take food well, but the style may polarise.

Juniper Estate – Shiraz – 2005 (16.5). Subdued nose with some cherries. Dull plummy fruit on the palate. Coffee, chocolate, sweet fruit, complex.