Category Archives: Shiraz – Wine Reviews

New Release Shiraz

21st July 2009

Every now and then, we are lucky enough to do a tasting where most of the wines are good to excellent. I was both suprised and relieved to have this happen with these wines. Any of the wines that scored 17 or more were good. Some might have scored more on another day. Most of the wines tasted much better the next day after getting a bit of air. It is certainly a bit unfair to open and taste the wines within a few minutes, but that is the way it goes.

The Single vineyard wines from Yering Station continue to impress. The Windrush was a real suprise.This is a bargain at under $25 full retail.

The bargain of the year is the CJ Pask Shiraz. Grays online are auctioning off palates of CJ Pask wines and they are going for $10 – $25 per bottle. They usually sell for between $30 and $60.

Of concern was the number of wines with alcohol hitting 15%

The Wines

Yering Station – Smedley Lane Vineyard – Shiraz/Viognier – 2006 (18.5). Opens with clean varietal fruit on the nose and the palate. This wine is all about perfumed fruit and elegance. There is summer berries to close. The finish is long and silky and builds in the mouth. Excellent balance. This is the iron fist in the velvet glove. Took a while to open up, but a real delight and my choice to drink with rare roasted scotch fillet the next night.

Yering Station – Carr C Block – Shiraz/Viognier – 2006 (18+). Closed, but displays some sweet fruit and oak on the nose. This is followed by dense, rich, cool climate fruit. It is grippy and tannic right now, but will soften. There is liquorice and chocolate to close. Well balanced, this needs a few years to settle down. Hides the 15% alcohol well.

Rosemount – Balmoral – Shiraz – 2004 (18). Complex and evolving. Cherries, ripe plum and aniseed dominate the nose. The palate is structured, dense and mouth watering. Long and builds. Mouth coating with fine dusty tannins to close. Fine oak t dominates finish, but this will settle. Riper style with real substance.

Windrush – Shiraz – 2007 (17.7). A real surprise here! Opens a touch earthy, with pepper and liquorice on the nose that follows through on the palate. This wine is earthy, dense and ripe. The fruit is lovely and ripe. There are chalky tannins to close and the oak is well judged. A long, persistent finish. Not the most complex now but will evolve. (Really fleshy the next day. Very good.)

Sandalford – Estate Reserve – Shiraz – 2005 (17.5/17.9). Complex, rich and dense. Black fruits and a touch of forest floor. There is red currant on the palate with fine chalky tannins that shut down the fruit now. Vanillin oak grip noted but fine. Really dense and chewy the next night.

CJ Pask – Gimblett Road – Shiraz -2006 (17.6). Starts of closed and subdued. Demonstrates clear cool climate fruit. The palate starts quite lean and fine, but opens to show bright fruit with some pepper and spice. Supple oak to close. An elegant and refined wine.

Peter Lehman – The Futures – Shiraz – 2006 (17.5+). More of everything here, with real quality fruit and excellent structure. The palate is dense and long with sweet oak to close. This is dense, viscous and mouth coating. Classic Barossa Shiraz.

Hentley Farm – The Beauty – Shiraz – 2006 (17.4). Impressive packaging on this hard to assess wine. Will probably develop very well, but did not show well on the night. Next day – sweet dense and ripe. Ripe but fine finish. Long and silky. Very well made and good quality fruit. 15% alcohol.

Hentley Farm – Shiraz – 2006 – (17.2). Lifted and opens with a touch of earthiness. The palate is clean and fresh, with vibrant red fruits. Raspberries, peppery finish, viscous and mouth coating. Very seductive wine that is good right now. Bring on the pizza (purists might note the alcohol at 15%).

Capel Vale – Mt Barker – Shiraz – 2007 (17.2). Closed, but with fine sweet fruit. White pepper and lifted nose. The palate has sweet fruit that is ripe and a touch angular. Lots of cool climate peppery fruit. Very young but enjoyable over the next 5 years.

KT and the Falcon – Churinga – Shiraz – 2007 (16.9). More robust and richer in style. Some mocha and chocolate fruit. Oak rich and lifted. The palate is dense and layered. Vanillin oak to close. Structured and long. A big wine.

New Release Shiraz and Blends

18 June 2009

A line up of shiraz is always hard work, as your palate becomes fatigued from all the tannins and oak. Changes in wine making styles over recent years has seen the amount of obvious new oak decrease. The trend being to use less oak, and use tighter knit french oak which is more subtle and refined. This was reflected in this tasting, which was pleasing to see. Some of the wines had cooler fruit characters that struggled to achieve optimum ripeness. The Brown Brother Patricia was a clear stand out. It and the Howard Park – Scottsdale received unanimous support. A winery to watch is Groom. There is serious fruit here and excellent wine making. A good effort given the vintage conditions.

Tasted

Brown Brothers – Patricia – Shiraz – 2005 (18.2). Another stellar release from Brown Brothers under the Patricia label. This is a big wine, with ripe fruit on the nose, obvious oak and spicy fruit. The palate is defined by luscious black fruits with plums. In the mouth it is silky, with supple fruit. The oak still shows now, and the finish is grippy. The plentiful tannins are very fine. Mouth coating and textured. This will be very good. (One panelist felt these wines represented the commercial wine making taken to the highest level).

Howard Park – Scottsdale – Shiraz – 2007 (18). Better than most here. Ripe and succulent fruit, with spice to add interest The palate is defined by bright and a spicy finish. Fruit quality is excellent with blackberry and cherry fruit, with a briary tarry finish. Must be old vine fruit with real depth. Very fine oak use and tannins Cool climate shiraz.

Groom – Shiraz – 2007 (17.5/18). I was the only one to support this wine, as I felt it only hints at potential. The fruit is ripe, bright and spicy. There is cinnamon and vanillin oak overtones. The finish is a bit clunky bit with cherries, tar. And some pepper to close. This was much better the next night. Needs years.

Willow Bridge – The Gravel Pit – Shiraz/Viognier – 2007 (17.5). Wow, lots of everything here. Opens with redcurrant and black currant fruit with pepper. The finish is spicy finish with a touch of cloves and fine oak and tannins. Grippy right now but will evolve. Rich soft perfumed (One panelist thought that the wine was contrived and manufactured).

Vasse Felix – Shiraz – 2006 (17.5). Polarized the panel, but I liked it. The nose is complex and a touch earthy, but is only hinting at its potential. Same with the palate, which is dense, long, very tight and closed. Quite seamless. Will be good. Others thought that the wine was highly worked to compensate for the lack of fruit quality. A reflection of the year?

Singlefile Estate – Shiraz – 2007 (17+). Dusty to start with, but opens with time. Some nice cherry and spice on the nose. The palate is bright, ripe and long. There is firm ripe fruit with fine oak and tannins to finish. Souring cherry fruit adds interest to the palate.

Lenton Brae –Shiraz – 2007 (17+). Again, not universally supported but… Dumb to start. Spicy, with white pepper. A medium bodied wine, but with a long and fine finish. Will open in time. Fruit builds. Still closed the next day.

Jim Barry – Shiraz Cabernet – 2005 (16.8). Pretty fruit. Ripe and seductive. Minty cabernet notes with ripe shiraz backbone. Plummy fruit. On the palate, the plummy fruit continues. This is ripe, succulent, soft and round. A good drink now and good value.

Capel Vale– Mt Barker – Shiraz – 2007 (16.5). Licorice and spice on the nose. Perfumed, but with a hardish finish. (Significant support from one panelist who liked the old vines fruit and found it smooth and round with good wine making and tannins).

Schwarz Wine Company – The Dust Kicker – Shiraz/Mataro – 2007 (16.5). Quite dense and unyielding. Spicy ripe fruit but lacks a little weight. Will be better in 5 years.

Arete – Shiraz – 2008 (16.5). Dusty, silky, but a bit herbal and medicinal both on the nose and palate. The fruit is long and fleshy. More support from TJ, who felt it was even better with dinner.

Lovedale and OP & OH

The Wine And Food Society of Western Australia

Reviewed: 10 October 2011

Hunter semillon is very Sydney. People (and wine critics/judges) in NSW love the stuff. Outside of the state though, the reception is a little mixed. I think the reason for this is the lack of exposure. With the plethora of white wines coming from regions like Margaret River, Adelaide Hills and Marlborough, Hunter semillon gets a little lost in the crowd.

It was with this in mind that I arranged this tasting. I wanted to get to know a little more about the style and what better way to do it than with a vertical tasting of Lovedale. This is an iconic wine with a show record that every other white wine in the country would aspire to.

The grape resources available to McWilliams are fantastic. Whilst the Lovedale is their top white and the Maurice O’Shea their top red, they also produce the OP & OH shiraz. This is a truly amazing Old Vines shiraz at a bargain price.

The Old Paddock (OP) vineyard dates back to the 1920’s and the Old Hill (OH) vineyard the 1880’s. That’s right, 90 and 120 year old vines! This counts for nothing if the wine is not made well though. The vertical tasting of OP & OH showed a gradual evolution in style. The latest wines are modern, though with hints of their Hunter origin showing through.

I would like to thank Greg West from McWilliams for kindly arranging the wines for this tasting.

As the tasting was not blind, my points are a guide only.

Reviewed

Mount Pleasant – Semillon – Lovedale – 1998 (18.5). Lanolin, lovely lemon curd and a developed richness. The palate is taut with plenty of lemony acid. Amazing length driven by fine acidity. A refined and elegant wine that, while aged, has a degree of freshness.

Mount Pleasant – Semillon – Lovedale – 1999 (18). Actually darker than the 98. Richer and more complex on the nose. The palate is fantastic, with honey and lemon. Falls away a touch before building to a very long finish. Balanced. Classic Hunter semillon with a lovely mouth-feel.

Mount Pleasant – Semillon – Lovedale – 2001 (18.1). More zest to the citrus nose here. Oily, but again with purity of fruit. The length is again a standout. This is still a baby and will probably open up with another year or two in bottle.

Mount Pleasant – Semillon – Lovedale – 2003 (18.3). Again, richer with more body than the last. Incredibly intense, yet beautifully balanced. Develops some toasty/caramel notes on the finish. The acid here is actually softer than in some of the earlier wines, but super fruit carries the finish.

Mount Pleasant – Semillon – Lovedale – 2005 (18.5). Wow, this is spectacular, with so much going on. Lemon zest, lime, vanilla and lemon all vie for attention. The palate is juicy, textured and very long. An amazing wine of real structure and poise. A star and perhaps more powerful than the rest.

Mount Pleasant – Semillon – Lovedale – 2011 (18.5). Restrained and taut. Lemon zest and lime juice to the fore. This is reserved, but totally seamless. Has amazing presence in the mouth for what is a fairly neutral wine at the moment. The acidity and length define this wine.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – OH & OH – 1996 (17.5). Wow, lovely nose. Developed, rich fruit. Think plum, mulberry, leather and spice. Very complex and intriguing. The palate is drying out a touch with dried herbs and spice and there is plummy fruit to close, with a touch of dark chocolate. Smelly but lovely. An old fashioned wine and the finish is not as long as some here.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – OH & OH – 2002 (18.2). Much fresher, with cherry and plum fruit notes. Wow, the fruit on the palate is fantastic. Cherry, but with tar and almost floral flavours. Very long and dense, this is just a baby. Fruit, dark cherries and chocolate carry the finish. A satisfying wine that has some earthy notes starting to show.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – OH & OH – 2005 (17.8). Closed. This is super fine and refined. Plum, mulberry, raspberry, cherry and tar all on display. Acidity freshens the finish and there is leathery fruit to close.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – OH & OH – 2006 (18). Fresh fruit here, but quite closed. Super long and refined, it is easy to dismiss this wine as it lacks the weight of the earlier wines. That would be a shame, as the length and persistence are spot on. Builds intensity in the mouth, with white pepper to close. A more feminine wine.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – OH & OH – 2007 (18 – 18.5). Amazing colour, nose and palate. This has it all. Super fruit and winemaking. The length of flavour is superb. The finish fans out and evolves. An evolution in style.

Mount Pleasant Shiraz OP & OH – 2009 (18 – 18.5). Almost purple in colour. A very tight/closed nose, but the palate is spectacular. Sweet, high quality fruit, and skilled winemaking combine to make superb wine. Very youthful and closed, this will be excellent. Delicate and perfumed, yet there is incredible intensity and complexity. Superb wine!

AP Birks – Wendouree 2008 Vintage

20 November 2010

Of the thousands of wines on the Australian market, there are a few truly great wineries/wines (both big and small). For example, Penfolds has Grange, Henshcke has Hill of Grace and Leeuwin has the Art Series Chardonnay. Then there is Wendouree.

The wines of Wendouree are, in my opinion, even more special. Yes, the quality of the wines is stunning, but it is the way that the Bradys go about things that sets them apart. Rather than selling their iconic wines to bottle-shops and restaurants, the wines are only available from the mailing list. The mailing list is closed however, so the only people who can buy the wines are their regular customers. This has prevented the price escalation and profiteering by retailers as seen with the likes of Grange.

At around $50 per bottle, the wines are not cheap, but their iconic status and sheer quality means that they are bargains all the same.

To celebrate the release of the 2008 vintage, The Wine and Food Society of Western Australia held a tasting of all the new release reds, (They also make a dessert wine). For many of us, this was a unique opportunity, as we tend to cellar the wines for many years, (as they deserve). We also tasted some back vintage wines to track their development. The results were spectacular!

If I had to make a generalisation, I would suggest that the blends are more approachable than the straight varietals when young, but all possessed elegance, combined with supple fruit that made them a joy to taste. There is, however, an extraordinarily fine tannin backbone running through the wines. The other fascinating observation was how the different blends compared. The malbec added both perfume and structure, whilst the Mataro (mouvedre) added lovely floral notes.

A special thanks to Lindsay Silbert for supplying the wines from the 1990s and to La Vigna for kindly hosting the tasting.

So to the tasting. In many ways, my points are irrelevant. The wines from 2008 were all fantastic. Whilst I had my preferences, they would all get a gold medal on their own. A word on vintage. It seems that Wendouree, like all single site wines, suffers from variations in vintage conditions and subsequent wine quality. My suggestion would be to drink the 2000 vintage while waiting for the best wines from the 1990s to fully mature.

Reviewed

(In order tasted)

Wendouree – Malbec – 2008 (18). Floral and very fragrant, with a touch of eucalypt. There is a firm seam of structured components running through the nose. The palate is silky and stylish, but the fine tannins present a striking backbone. Long and succulent fruit. Extraordinarily tight, yet very powerful fruit.

Wendouree – Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec – 2008 (18.5). More minty cabernet fruit components to the nose. The palate is fresh and has juicy blackcurrant fruit. The balance of the wine is exceptional, with the malbec providing structure on the finish. A joy to drink.

Wendouree – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18.6). More fragrant than the blend. There are ripe red fruits with a touch of blackcurrant on the nose. The palate is again silky, but there are masses of extraordinarily fine fruit tannins on the finish. Length and texture are the key, as this is less approachable. Will be stunning.

Wendouree – Shiraz/Malbec – 2008 (18.3). Subtle shift to more black fruits and Plum. There is also cedary oak and lovely gentle spice. Silky and seductive , the balance is again a highlight. This will drink a touch earlier though will still last for many years.

Wendouree – Shiraz/Mataro – 2008 (18.5). Wow. This is lovely. Perfumed and very pretty floral notes. The palate is textured, supple, subtle, very long and incredibly silky. Yes there is power, but this is slippery. Others commented on the balance and finesse, and the grippy tannins on the close.

Wendouree – Shiraz – 2008 (18.7). Plum and spice on the nose. Very tight and restrained, this develops mulberry, plum and cedar, with a touch of floral/citrus. The palate is full of finesse and subtlety, but it really needs 10 years to start to shine. The length of the palate is incredible and very youthful.

Wendouree – Shiraz/Malbec – 2005 (17.8). Quite structured. Floral characters, with a hint of aniseed. There is also menthol and Clare Valley mintiness. There is even a touch of eucalypt. This is a firm and structured wine that needs time. The length is superb, but the wine remains austere. Already showing development and generosity of fruit reflective of the vintage.

Wendouree – Shiraz/Mataro – 2000 (17.7). Developed nose. Plum and mocha notes with a touch of licorice and cigar box. A lovely developed wine with coffee, spice and plums. The acid and tannins have softened enough to make for a good drink. Approaching peak drinking.

Wendouree – Cabernet/Malbec – 1997 (17). Quite green fruit characters, with some eucalypt, mint and a touch of herbs. The palate is firm and less generous. The balance remains but it is a cooler style reflective of a difficult year.

Wendouree – Shiraz/Mataro 1996 (18.3). Lovely nose with chocolate, coffee and red berries. The palate is still closed, but there is a generosity of fruit on the palate that is seductive. Surprisingly fresh, this is a remarkably youthful wine. Lovely drinking. Others noticed that the wine was deceptively intense and powerful.

Wendouree – Shiraz/Malbec – 1994 (18.6). Somewhat different nose. The malbec is more obvious here. The palate has coffee and chocolate fruit with dense plum and licorice. Quite developed, this is approaching its peak. Tremendous length and depth to the palate. The silky texture is a highlight. Others commented that this really has everything. Smooth, and good drinking, this will still develop.

Wendouree – Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec – 1991 (18.5). Remarkably restrained. There are classic cabernet notes of mint, red fruits and blackcurrant. This is amazingly youthful! The palate is dense and ripe. The berry fruit is intense and fresh and the tannins are firm. Develops a touch of leather on the souring finish.