5 December 2009

From time to time something will happen that makes me question my palate in the course of a tasting. This occurred this week during our panel tasting. After actually finding an excellent rose to recommend, I ploughed on into the bracket of reds. The first wine was absolutely stunning! The essence of shiraz. The next two wines were very good to excellent. It was at this point that I thought “am I doing something wrong here”?

As I progressed through the rest of the wines, I started to appreciate the quality of those earlier wines, confirming that my palate was working just fine. The Standish Wine Company’s Borne Bollene shiraz is the best wine that I have tried from the 2007 vintage in South Australia. It is a stunning effort. The Leeuwin Estate was also fantastic, but the winery has moved onto the 2007 vintage, so I will try that soon.

I am pleased to report that we have reached the end of the box of roses. To celebrate the fact, I am recommending the Sandalford. This will be delightful drinking over the summer.

Tasted

The Standish Wine Company – Borne Bollene – Shiraz -2007 (18.7). Intense powerful shiraz fruit on the nose. Think black fruits, tar, aniseed, spice and a touch of menthol. This is complex. So to the palate. Wow! A huge wine. Sweet blackcurrant fruit with some cedary oak characters. Very dense and ripe, this wine is of immense proportions. Vanilla notes round out the palate. This has the potential to improve with age, but it is succulent enough to drink now. The winery has this available for $99 per bottle and, yes, it is worth it!

Leeuwin Estate – Shiraz – Art Series – 2005 (18.5). Cooler climate fruit on this, with redcurrant, strawberry and cinnamon spice. Spice and fine oak to the fore on the palate, with fine silky tannins to close. Oak adds to the finish, but is well judged. Long and savoury close.

Moombaki – Shiraz – 2007 (17.5). Dumb to start, but has ripe fruit. Is not revealing much. The palate is closed and fine. Well-balanced lighter style with succulent fruit and good length. Drying finish maintains interest. Should flesh out in time.

Lamont’s – Shiraz – Swan Valley – 2007 (17.0). Another ripe and intense wine, without the concentration of fruit of The Standish. Sweet and succulent fruit. Tar, leather and ripe chocolate fruit on the palate. This is quite savoury. The oak is a touch obvious, but this should settle. Grippy to close, this should improve in the cellar if the alcohol does not dominate the finish.

Sandalford – Rose – 2008 (17.2). A more complex wine here. Savoury spicy nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant with enough juicy granny smith acidity to make this a great drink.

St Hallet – Shiraz – Gamekeeper’s – 2008 (17). Again, cooler fruit. The palate is flooded by black and red currants and some plummy fruit to close. Long and chewy finish. A solid wine that will reward mid term aging. A bargain.

Victory Point – Rose – 2009 (16.9). Dry, but with freshness. The palate is fresh, savoury and dry. The fruit is succulent and long. Very good quaffing. Moorish.

Silverstream – Rose – Cabernet Franc – 2008 (16.8). Paler than most here. Subtle nose with rose petal and musk scents. The fruit carries through to the palate with rose water and a touch of almond. A touch of phenolics on the close does not detract.

Flametree – Shiraz – 2008 (16.8). Deep smelling and silky too. Succulent fruit with chocolate and dusty tannins to close. Not as rich or dense as some here, but is well made and approachable.

Capel Vale – Rose – Shiraz – Debut – 2008 (16.3). Sweet and sour nose. The savoury characters add interest. Round and generous palate with enough intensity to make enjoyable drinking.

Madfish – Rose – Sangiovese/Cabernet Franc – 2008 (16). Juicy fruit with a drying finish. Lacks mid palate generosity. Opens. Would probably take lighter foods.

St Hallet – Shiraz – Faith – 2007. (16). Cooler fruit. Quite closed to start with. A touch herbal with some peppery fruit. Not generous. Perhaps a reflection of the year.