Fine Wine Wholesaler

Reviewed: 8 March 2011

Matt Holden, the State Manager for Fine Wine Wholesalers put on a tasting to show the panel some of his current portfolio. With the likes of Mosswood, Grosset and Pierro in the portfolio, the wines were sure to be interesting.

Abigail from Zarephath Wines also popped in to show off their current range. I was interested to note that all of their wines have a few years in the bottle, which means that some of the ageing has been done for you. I thought the chardonnay and pinot noteworthy and have included them in the review below, although they were not technically part of the tasting.

A highlight of the tasting was a bracket of 2010 rieslings from Grosset, Mt Horrock and Xabregas. I did not review these here as I have previously recommended these wines. The same also applies to the 2008 Mosswood Cabernet. (They all pointed 18 – 18.7 previously).

Reviewed

Grosset – Chardonnay – Piccadilly – 2009 (18+). This is a powerful wine with complex wine-making inputs. Restrained and taught, this has a fabulous mouth-feel. The creamy oak is seamlessly integrated, though the fruit is held back right now. There is a hint of the oak toast on the finish along with match strike and a touch of curry leaf. A very good wine with real length of fruit flavour, great acid balance and quality oak.

Pierro – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – Reserve – 2005 (18). Very closed and unyielding. The palate is powerful and very long. There is blackcurrant fruit with plum, hints of eucalypt, cedar and tobacco leaf to close. The length is outstanding as is the texture. Needs years to evolve but a superb wine.

Grosset – Pinot Noir – 2008 (17 – 18). The fruit is quite lifted on the nose, very pretty and quite floral. The palate has excellent length, but the wine is very closed. Becomes more expressive with air, showing powerful cherry fruit that is textured and mouth-filling. (I really need to see this again after being opened for a day or two to see how it evolves).

Chapel Hill – Shiraz – Vicar – 2008 (17.8). Now this is big! Lovely hue. The nose has masses of cherry, plum, spice, tar and licorice. This is layered and very dense. Very textured palate that is very long and really builds intensity. Very silky tannins coat the tongue. Not my style but an impressive wine all the same.

Lenton Brae – Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc – Wilyabrup – 2010 (17.8). Quite complex, yet retains a fragrant edge. Tropical fruit to the fore, with gooseburry and grapefruit. Vanilla highlights come from the oak. Tight and refreshing palate that is very clean. Almost seamless transition in the mouth and the quality oak influence adds complexity. Give it a few years. This is a serious wine and one of the best SSB wines I can remember from Western Australia.

Zarephath – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.7). A rich, round and generous wine showing the benefit of a few years in bottle. There is plenty of peachy fruit and the finish is very creamy courtesy of the oak treatment. Excellent length on a wine that is ready to drink now. (Not tasted blind).

Mosswood – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.5+). Peach and nectarine fruit, with minerals and a touch of flint. Pineapple fruit on the palate with quality oak that is a touch forward now. This will settle and integrate with a few years bottle aging. Quality fruit and wine-making, but this is a style that needs aging to show its best.

Zarephath – Pinot Noir – 2008 (17.5). The nose has cherry fruit to the fore, with strawberry, tar and licorice to add interest. The palate is quite soft and round, with fine structure and good acidity to close. (Not tasted blind).

Mosswood – Pinot Noir – 2008 (17.4) Fragrant cherry and spice aromas. There is a degree of complexity, and depth to the fruit. The palate is taught and restrained, but there is a degree of power underneath. The length is excellent, but this needs 5 years to open up and start to show its best. History suggests that this will blossom with a decade in the bottle.

Penley Estate – Shiraz – Hyland – 2009 (17.2). Fragrant, with pepper and spice to the fore and a density of fruit that is very appealing. Concentrated fruit on the palate, with lots of pepper and savory, spicy notes. Good concentration and length. Smart wine with herbal notes to close. Value.

Reviewed 5 April 2011

An interesting tasting with some quite diverse wine styles. The pinots mentioned are all good wines, though the style varies from the lighter Stoniers to the Penfolds Cellar Reserve, which is closer to a dry red in style. In their own way, all are good value.

With the whites, the Juniper Estate semillon is a quality wine that offers an interesting alternative to the grassy semillon blends we see from the region. This wine has more in common with quality chardonnay than a fresh and fruity white.

Reviewed

Henschke – Pinot Noir – Giles 2009 (17.5/18). Quite savoury fruit characters on the nose with some gamey/sappy notes. There is a lovely spice to the fruit on the palate. The acid balance is spot on and the textural components are complimented by very fine tannins. This really hit its straps after a couple of days on the tasting bench. A good each way bet.

Penfolds – Pinot Noir – Cellar Reserve – 2008 (17.7). Lovely perfume here. Ripe red fruits over strawberries. There are also earthy notes with a touch of sandalwood and fragrant spice too. The palate is forward, and the bright fruit needs to settle into the textural components. This is a big wine, with some charred oak characters. A wine to watch.

Penfolds – Pinot Noir – Bin 23 – 2010 (17.6). Deep and vibrant colour. Powerful wine with cherry and spice over leather and earthy notes. This has all the usual pinot characters, though you would never call this a delicate wine. The palate is dense and velvety with some cedar showing through. The complex finish is very long and fine, with excellent texture. The grainy oak needs to settle down a touch before this starts to show its best.

Stoniers – Pinot Noir – 2009 (17.5). More forward cherry fruit compared to some. Clear and precise nose that is very clean. There is fresh fruit on the palate with a slightly sappy, sour cherry finish that is refreshing. Not as complex as the others listed, but there is quality fruit and the wine is well made. Perhaps the most authentic pinot here, and certainly good value.

Juniper Estate – Semillon – 2009 (17.4). This took me by surprise, as the style is totally different. A serious wine that has been worked in the winery. The lemony fruit is complemented by fine vanillin oak. The lees contact has added a creamy component. The palate is rich and textured, though it really needs a year or two to settle down. Fume style.

Deviation Road – Pinot Gri – 2010 (17). Fresh and vibrant, with tropical fruit and passionfruit. There is also a touch of quince paste. The palate is fuller than the other whites here, with just a touch of viscosity. The finish is long and fine, with excellent balance. The length is a standout. A well made wine that is good drinking now.

Cumulus Wines – Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – Rolling – 2010 (16.7). Restrained tropical fruit on the nose. The palate is rich and vibrant, with a surprisingly soft finish. Whilst this is an easy drinking style, the quality of the fruit is evident in the glass.

Leeuwin Estate – Sauvignon Blanc – Art Series – 2010 (16.7). A soft and generous nose with very pleasant aromatics. The palate continues the theme, with fine talc on the close. A fairly neutral wine that opened up over a couple of days.

Geoff Weaver – Sauvignon Blanc – 2010 (16.5). More interest here. Vibrant and mouth-filling fruit. Juicy, almost succulent fruit with good acid balance and length. Refreshing, yet with enough going on to make for interesting drinking.

The Alchemists – Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – 2010 (16.4). Good fruit here. Quite a complex nose with lanolin, fragrant talc and gooseberry notes. The palate is balanced and round. Not overly complex, but pleasant drinking.

4 March 2011

I sometimes think that we pay too much attention to cellaring conditions. After all, I have drunk many old wines that have been kept in cupboards and under beds for 20 or more years and they have often been very good. Every now and then, however, I am reminded that temperature can make a big difference.

I included two bottles of one of the wines in this tasting. The first tasted liked stewed plums, the second vibrant and fresh. The fresher bottle had been kept in my cellar, while the tired bottle had been at another venue for a while.

This leads on to the issue of buying wine. Have you checked out the storage conditions at many wine shops or wholesalers recently? Whilst some have refrigerated storage conditions, many are not much more than a tin shed! My advice is to buy wines as close to release as possible, or better still, in winter.

The highlights in this tasting were the wines from Paulmara in the Barossa and the Craggy Range pinot. The pinot was a delight to drink and the Paulmara wines were very impressive. The pick for the tasting on a value basis was the Sandalford Elements shiraz/cabernet. This delivers great drinking at a bargain basement price. You could even cellar it for a couple of years.

Reviewed

Craggy Range – Pinot Noir – Te Muna Road – 2009 (18.5). Dense and a touch meaty. There is a core of sweet fruit with cherry and strawberry accents over a bed of subtle spice. A touch of licorice and tar add interest. The palate is exceptional. Concentrated red fruits entwined with quality oak make for an impressive wine. Silky and seductive, there is enough souring acidity and tannins on the finish to make this excellent drinking. This was even better after being left on the tasting bench for a couple of days.

Paulmara – Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon – The Marriage – 2008 (18-18.5). Incredibly dense, the colour and nose are almost impenetrable. Immensely powerful, with licorice and spice over dark fruits. Whilst this has impeccable balance, the palate is shut down by fine tannins and quality oak. The length is prodigious, but the fruit is shy at present. This took three to four days to show its best.

Paulmara – Shiraz – Syna – 2008 (18+). Licorice and tar to open. The nose is dense and very powerful. The fruit is ripe, serious and textured, with chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, leather and tar. Incredibly dense fruit that floods the palate, yet is surprisingly silky, with genuine length. Nothing out of place, it just needs ten years to show its best. This is not for the light-hearted, but an imposing wine that retains enough elegance to carry food. The bottle (very heavy and large) is a thing of beauty, but an environmental disaster.

Frogmore Creek – Riesling – Iced Riesling – 2008 (17.9). Quite restrained, this has a lovely riesling-like nose. Powerful palate with obvious botrytis. Impressive intensity and length. Viscous and mouth-coating, this develops complexity without being cloying. Very long and enough acidity to keep the balance. (Desert Wine).

Sandalford – Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon – Elements – 2009 (17.8). Floral fruit that is fresh and vibrant. Really lifted nose that has perfumed accents (violets). Hints of blackcurrant and cassis combine with cedar and a touch of cigar box. There is also a touch of mint and eucalypt. There is quality fruit on the palate that is, again, fragrant and a touch spicy. The tannins are fine, as is the gentle oak. Whilst not as complex as some, this is a good wine regardless of the price!

Cherubino – Riesling – Frankland – 2010 (17.7). (Dessert Wine). Quite a complex nose with some almond and apricot notes. A very pretty wine that has apricot, musk and fruit cake flavours. Very long and intense, I would like to see a touch more acid to balance the richness. Will appeal to many, and will go well with rich desserts.

Cherubino – Shiraz – The Yard – Acacia Vineyard – 2009 (17.5). Pretty and perfumed in comparison to the Barossa wines. There is white pepper over pretty red berries with a touch of tomato leaf. I wondered if there was a touch of viognier included in the blend. The palate has some apricot, over the top of raspberries and spice. The oak and tannins are fine and ripe, though they dominate the fruit now.

Amisfield – Pinot Noir – 2008 (17.7). Seductive nose. Taught and racy palate that is full of vitality. There is a density to the fruit that, when combined with the tannins makes this quite closed now. This is a serious wine with significant fruit weight and length. Not as pretty as the Craggy Range now, but will evolve and improve for several years.

Both Barrels – Tempranillo – 2008 (17.5). Fragrant and pretty. Ripe fruit on the palate that is juicy, with chewy tannins to close. Really needs food to show its best, but an authentic style with a good tannin structure. Quite silky, with high quality fruit and wine-making. Deliciously juicy.

Umamu – Shiraz – 2006 (17.1). Dense, yet fragrant, with licorice and spice. White pepper to the fore with silky tannins and oak that add structure. Not particularly open, but a smart wine with potential. Dense palate with length.

Mr Rigg – Tempranillo – Yacca Paddock – 2008 (16.8). Fragrant and spicy, with some earthy notes over the cherry scented fruit. Fresh and vibrant fruit on the palate with very fine tannins which are quite chewy to close. Minimal oak influence.

22 February 2011

The discussion at this tasting revolved around what it is, exactly, that makes a good wine. In particular, the question posed was whether it is the fruit characters or the textural components that are most important.

My personal view is that both are vital. Without appropriate texture and mouth-feel, great fruit lacks structure and balance. Sometimes, these wines can be referred to as fruit bombs. Conversely, I have tried superbly textured wines that have given me no joy to drink as the fruit has been subdued to the point of not existing at all. No amount of physiologically ripe tannins can make up for a lack of nicely rounded fruit.

In short, the best wines have ripe, though restrained fruit with a silky texture. The mouth-feel needs to be seamless and the length and persistence spot on. As you would expect, the Moss Wood fits the bill perfectly. At a more affordable price point, the Penley Estate – Phoenix is a very good example.

Reviewed

Moss Wood – Cabernet Sauvignon – Moss Wood Vineyard – 2008 (18-18.5). Very dense fruit. This wine is brooding. Some blackcurrant, cedar and spice slowly emerge from the glass. Hints of coffee and roast meat too. Incredibly dense palate. The fruit has tremendous power, but remains refined and elegant. The length is outstanding as are the textural components that make the mouth-feel superb. The oak is very tightly bound and the palate virtually seamless. Just bottled, so the faint smell of esters should dissipate rapidly.

Bests – Shiraz – Bin 0 – 2008 (18). Powerful aromas of anise, tar, blackcurrant and cassis, with fine spice and pepper running across the top. The palate is silky, refined and elegant with plum and textural components. Quality fruit and sophisticated winemaking in evidence. 10yrs +.

Penley Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon – Reserve – 2008 (18). There is powerful fruit on the nose, though the aroma profile is quite different to the Moss Wood. There are minty notes, but there are savoury, almost earthy notes that add complexity. The palate is rich, dense and displays a touch of viscosity. Very textured, this is a meal in itself. A very impressive wine, but perhaps not as easy to drink as some here. This could be described as a blockbuster. 15% alcohol, but does not show any heat.

Penley Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon – Phoenix – 2009 (17.8). Blackcurrant, cherry and cigar box on a really deep smelling nose. An inky wine with quality fruit. The fine grained French oak and supple tannins are holding the fruit back somewhat, so give it some air before drinking. Fine and dense, this will do well with a bit of age. Not as powerful as the Reserve, and better drinking as a result. (Received unanimous support from the panel).

Bird in Hand – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2009 (17.7). Much more restrained and fine than some here. There are typical cabernet fruit characters on the nose. Long, solid, closed and dense, there is potential here. There is a hint of dried sage and forest floor fruit. Good length.

Oakridge – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.6). Impressive wine. The nose is complex and inviting with quality wine-maker’s inputs such as barrel fermentation, aging on lees and maturation in oak. Think melon and grapefruit with creamy oak aromas. The lees, barrel ferment and oak all combine to provide a very textured palate. Quality fruit and oak, this just needs a year or two to open up.

Bests – Riesling – 2010 (17.5). Lovely fragrant, even floral, fruit aromas with some passionfruit, musk and lime. Bright and focused palate that is extraordinarily fine. Good length with enough weight to carry the palate. A powerful wine with a slightly chalky mouth-feel.

The Yard – Cabernet Sauvignon – Riversdale Vineyard – 2009 (17.2). Quite concentrated and dense, though there is lifted sweet fruit on the nose. This is a structured wine that is dense, ripe and long. The integration of fruit and oak is excellent. A serious wine that will benefit from bottle age.

Geoff Weaver – Sauvignon Blanc – Ferous – 2009 (17). Lemon and lanolin aromas with some barrel ferment/lees complexity. This is quite a restrained wine with lemony fruit on the palate with a touch of grapefruit.

Greed Sheep – Cabernet Sauvignon – Barrel Select – 2008 (16.9). Forward and fruit driven with a touch of herbal/medicinal notes. Generous palate is very pleasant. This is an easy drinking wine with plenty of appeal.

Juniper Crossing – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – 2008 – (16.7). Sweet ripe fruit with aromas of mint, eucalypt, redcurrant and cherry essence. The palate is silky but the very fine tannins (fruit and oak) dominate the finish at present. Smart wine.

Sarantos – Merlot – Soft Press – 2008 (16.7). Complex aromas of earth, mixed with vibrant red fruits and spice. The palate is quite lean and linear. Nothing wrong here, just a pleasant easy drinking red.

Bird in Hand – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – Two in the Bush – 2009 (16.5). More density to the fruit on this wine. Fleshy, juicy and round, the flavours tend towards the (slightly stewed) plum spectrum. Generous and easy drinking.

Bunn – Cabernet Sauvignon – Preservative Free – 2006 (16.5). Very concentrated fruit but the colour is starting to turn on the edge. Has a sweet and sour component, with tobacco, tomato leaf and Chinese five spice. Obvious cool climate fruit on the palate, this is dense and savoury. Not really my cup-of-tea, but interesting. Holding up well and worth a look if you are after a preservative free wine.

Louis Latour – Pinot Noir – Marsannay – 2008 (16.5). Fragrant and floral, with dried herbs and strawberry fruit. This is a very light and fresh wine with a structure akin to a rose. A pretty wine that is juicy and mouth-watering. Will take food well.

Sandalford – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – Element – 2009 – (16.4). Peppermint oil on the nose to start. There is also licorice, with tar and earthy aromas. The palate continues the theme with almost chocolate fruit. A very soft and generous finish makes this an excellent everyday red.

Sandalford – Merlot – Element – 2008 (16). Ripe and forward, with slightly stewed plum fruit. A generous wine that is made for immediate consumption. Typical of this style of wine.

Penley Estate – Merlot – Gryphon – 2009 (16). Mint and a touch of eucalypt with cedar and tobacco leaf accents. The grippy palate shows pleasant fruit underneath.