Author Archives: Julian Coldrey

Thomas DJV Shiraz 2007

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I bought some of this ages ago on the strength of some writeups but this is the first time I’ve sat down to taste it. What interested me about this wine — and it was a sufficient hook to prompt me to buy untasted — was a stated intent to create an “old school” Hunter red, lighter in body and acidified courtesy of Semillon rather than tartaric acid from a packet. All this by one of the hottest producers in the Hunter Valley, a region whose wines I enjoy beyond reasonable measure.

The nose is fleet yet intense, with floral notes, crunchy red berries, nutty caramel oak and a light dash of regional red dirt. A hint of minerality too? Perhaps. This is an elegant aroma profile in all respects, not battering the senses but rather suggesting its character slowly, building complexity as it speaks.

The palate does that wonderful Pinot-like trick of combining fabulous impact and intensity with deceptively light structure and body. Anyone who tends to mistake weight for substance should have sip of this wine. Entry is quite tingly, with bright red fruits and assertive acidity winding around each other towards the middle palate, where the flavours open out a bit. There’s a curiously juicy green streak here — green in the sense of flower stalks and the sap of succulents — that creates a really fresh overlay to more red fruit and dirt. The tannin-derived texture is fabulous, being light and loose yet even at the same time. Intense flavours ride right through the after palate and finish.

What a curious wine; it seems so modest in its styling, yet shows all the hallmarks of quality: complexity, intensity, persistence. Surely one to follow.

Thomas Wines
Price: $A35
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Dowie Doole Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

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I really liked the 2007 vintage of this wine, so approached the current release with some anticipation. As an aside, it amuses me sometimes to read winery press releases on wines from hot years – it seems no-one ever picks after a heatwave. And so it is with this wine, picked before the heat, with the intent of producing the lighter and more easygoing Dowie Doole house style. For the most part, I would say this is a success.

But vintage conditions will shine through, and here they translate to a very slightly cheap-smelling confectionary fruit note that, thankfully, seems to blow off fairly quickly. Once settled, the wine expresses as much darker, with black fruit and sexy nougat-marzipan oak the key aromas. It’s chewy (if an aroma can be described thus) and dense, and smells very honest to me. This is the smell of a winemaker getting the best from a difficult vintage, even if that involves applying a liberal dose of oak.

The palate flows freely, and is full of clean fruit and more of that obvious, but tasty, oak. Entry is clean and brisk, leading to a more complex middle palate where a nice earthiness contributes a sense of rusticity. Body is medium, as is intensity. The after palate is a bit lighter and shows caramel flavours plus quite simple berry fruits. The finish lingers well with fruit flavour.

Not a wine for lovers of sharply varietal Cabernet. Definitely a wine for those who want to enjoy their winter evenings. Tonight, I fall in the latter camp.

Dowie Doole
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Morandé Edición Limitada Cabernet Franc 2005

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I’m developing a mini-obsession with Cabernet Franc lately; it’s such a distinctive variety, and has a relatively low profile as a varietal wine. I’m sure weedy (or worse) Loire reds haven’t done it any favours over the years, even they have a certain austere appeal. This wine, from Chile, sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from something like a Chinon, being full flavoured and bodied. It manages to retain some of the angular elegance that I like in Cabernet Franc, though, and for that at least strikes me as worthy of attention. This is imported by Southern Cross Wine Merchants.

In the past, I’ve sensed a red capsicum note in Cab Franc that I’ve assumed is one of the more obvious varietal characters. This wine doesn’t have that note, but it still shows some vegetal influences, here — and oddly enough — closer to the crunchy gooseberry skins of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a fresh and frisky influence on what is otherwise a dense aroma profile, with ripe raspberries, tobacco and dash of the earthy rusticity that I associate with many Chilean red wines. Coherent and fun to smell.

The palate was initially too tannic to approach with much enjoyment, but a night’s rest has turned formidable tannins into a much more velvet-like mouthfeel. In fact, texture is now a real highlight of this wine. Lots of savoury berry flavour on entry, the sharper edges to the flavour profile provide movement to the middle palate, where pepper and tobacco spread over the tongue. Although it’s quite a structured wine, there’s good generosity of flavour and relatively unimpeded flow through the mouth. It’s fairly complex and what impresses me most is how well integrated the flavours are. Lovely buzzy texture through the after palate, and a decent finish, if perhaps slightly too influenced by nougat vanilla oak that is otherwise quite well behaved.

Good wine, well priced.

Morandé
Price: $A30
Closure: Cork
Source: Sample

Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

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I’ve tasted this over a couple of days. At first, the aroma created an entirely positive impression, being both varietal and strongly regional at the same time. I value Coonawarra Cabernet’s signature leafiness and fruit character, both of which this wine has in spades, along with a framework of rather glossy cedar oak. The reason why I let it sit for a while is because, on the palate, the acidity struck me as over the top; not outrageous, but a little peaky and unbalanced.

Interestingly, time and air have changed the flavour profile without significantly calming the acid. Today, two days after opening the bottle, the overtly vegetal side to the aroma profile has subsided, allowing dark chocolate to take its place.  What has remained constant is a decadent edge to the fruit character; it’s limpid and easy, like ice cream melting in Summer, and quite delicious as a result.

The palate remains on edge to an extent, a trait partially offset by the character of the fruit. As with the aroma, red and black berries express a syrupy dimension, in the most positive sense. Quite lush on entry, this is mostly fruit-driven until the middle palate, where very slightly raw oak impresses the palate, and tannins start to settle on the tongue. The tannins create a mouthfeel not unlike high cocoa content dark chocolate — full, perhaps raspy, quite pleasing to me. There’s just enough power in the fruit to ride atop all of this and carry some nice sucrosité through the after palate and into the finish. The finish itself is nice and long, not to mention delicious, though it needs time to fill out.

I really like the fruit in this wine; the question mark for me relates to structure, and whether all the elements are in balance. Still, I do like drinking this.

Leconfield
Price: $A30
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Prunotto Barbaresco DOCG 2004

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More and more, I’m interested in wine that expresses a tense, contradictory aesthetic. Aside from challenging the idea that wine ought to be harmonious and coherent, there can be something beautiful about pieces that don’t add up, or that seem to cancel each other out. It’s the beauty of death, of horror, or simply of a puzzle that defies resolution.

I like this wine because it smells of things that ought not to go together. Instantly, the smell of vinous decay and death; oxidisation, the leather and dried flowers of old red wine. Alongside, the smell of twenty different kinds of oak; nougat, vanilla, caramel, spice. Then there’s a big hit of tar and, paradoxically, a burst of fresh flowers. It’s like watching a life in fast motion, from birth to final days, moving so quickly the pieces blur and overlap. I could smell this for hours.

The palate is all about sensationally prominent tannins and deceptively light fruit flavour. Entry is fresh and full of savouriness: flowers, dried peel, almonds, and so on. There’s a sense of the sweet decay of autumn leaves that adds nuance to what is a powerful expression of Nebbiolo fruit. Impatient tannins creep in, fine and abundant, seeming to create a network of texture that rips across the tongue and shoots right to the back of the mouth. Overall, this wine has serious impact without sacrificing its essentially medium bodied, high toned character.

Not a wine of great refinement, then, but a true expression of this style at what I assume should be a reasonable retail price. Went very well with steak and chips.

Prunotto
Price: $A110 (restaurant wine list price)
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Offcuts

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My life and this blog have not coincided as much as I would have liked over the past week, which isn’t to say I haven’t tasted some nice wines. It’s been more about enjoyment than critique, though, with no detailed notes taken. Hence, the following impressions are broadly evocative rather than precisely descriptive.

Mesh Riesling 2009 ($A30, retail)

One of those astonishingly austere Rieslings we do so well in Australia. This is the archetypal dry Eden wine, completely focused and unswerving in its progression over the palate. Flavours at this stage are typically straightforward, mostly lemon-lime and flint on both the nose and palate. It lacks the floral lift one sometimes sees, expressing instead a sense of muscularity and power. Intense flavour and acidity in the mouth, this is almost too much to drink on its own. I’d pair it carefully with food now or just leave it alone for a decade.

Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay 2008 ($A45, retail)

This label usually impresses me with its sense of poise and balance while still showing a fair bit of winemaking. At the very least, it proves Chardonnay doesn’t have to be either/or in character. This is a good M3, with plenty of tight white peach flesh and mealiness, nicely textured in the mouth and sensible in proportion. The oak is used exceptionally well, I think, adding some subtle spice and warmth (emotional, not physical) to the flavour profile. It just tastes very right and is immediately complex. This is the dinner party guest who manages to do and say all the right things. No need to wait for it to settle.

Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2006 ($A65, retail)

This, by contrast, isn’t ready to drink (without a good decant, anyway). Quality isn’t in question, though, and what impresses me most at this stage is the wine’s immediate, unforgiving power. It’s like a punch in the mouth with a feather, mixing light bodied styling with quite brutal acidity and a detailed, etched flavour profile of red fruits, cedar, sap and general pinosity. Fabulous length. Despite its muscularity, there’s something alluring and seductive about it too; feminine, but in an angular, slightly severe mode. I can’t quite pin it down, but I love it just the same, and smile at the thought of how it might fill out in time (say, four to five years). Fascinating wine.

Clayfield Massif Shiraz 2008

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It’s been a few months since I last tasted this wine at cellar door. It wasn’t a rushed tasting as such, but it did take place in the height of summer, a couple of days before a catastrophic fire ban descended on Western Victoria, so you can imagine the conditions (42 degrees C from memory). I have been looking forward to tasting it again at leisure, which I did last night. Here are the results.

The nose shows thick, liqueur-like notes of plum flesh, cherry pips, chocolate dust and dark spices. This is such a deep pool of aroma one could easily, pleasurably, get lost smelling it; it’s just one of those wines. The oak is well-judged in character and volume, present yet never more than supportive. It lacks the detail and subtlety usually present in the Clayfield Black Label, but on its own terms is a lovely wine to smell, and probably easier to enjoy right away.

In the mouth, it is basically an explosion of concentrated Grampians Shiraz flavour. Perhaps not as spicy as some, it nevertheless possesses the beautiful plum flavours and general sense of elegance that are hallmarks of this region’s wines. Entry is full-flavoured and immediate, placing plum skins directly onto the tip of the tongue. Juicy plum flesh accelerates towards the middle palate, where a dense, expansive range of flavours spread generously from left to right. It’s rich for sure, and there may be some who prefer a leaner expression of this varietal from what is a cooler climate region. What astonishes me, though, is how the wine remains within the regional idiom and, at the same time, shows such scale and ripeness. Its generosity more than compensates for any tendency to stylistic brutality. Beautiful, flavoursome tannins creep over the tongue from back to front as the after palate progresses. The finish shows slightly sappy oak flavours and goes for some time.
This would be good value at $35; as it is, a dead set bargain.
Update: day two sees spice come to the fore, and the aroma now has a lovely rich fruit cake character to it. Delicious.

Clayfield Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Quarry Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2009

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Sauvignon Blanc isn’t a variety that immediately springs to mind when I think of the Canberra District, but this is a quirky rendition at a reasonable price. 

The nose is brightly faceted and stony with hints of brine; there’s little of the overt fruit character one sees in many other expressions of this grape (Marlborough, Adelaide Hills, etc). Because of this, the wine comes across as quite austere on initial sniff, an impression warmth and a bit of swirling changes only slightly. I like the fact this is focused away from obvious fruit flavours — its style sets it apart even as it makes it harder to embrace. 
Entry is full of zest and attack, leading to a middle palate that broadens with some interesting flavours. There’s an orange juice-like character to the mouthfeel and acidity that beefs up the body and creates the impression of thicker fruit flavours. I’m not sure the level of residual sugar, but suspect there’s a bit in here. The fruit flavours themselves are blurry, and one instead looks to savoury characters (crushed shells, that sort of thing) for definition. It’s certainly full of interest, and I note the winemaking involved some skin contact, which would have led to a higher level of phenolic extraction and I presume some of the grip I’m seeing on the middle and after palates. The after palate and finish are typically thin per the variety, though there’s a lingering lemon note through the finish that is stubbornly persistent.
The palate’s generosity is, one might argue, a slight cop-out after the lean aroma. I’m speaking to my own preferences, of course, and am mindful of not having tasted this wine when newly released. In any case, and as with the 2008 Shiraz, this wine shows stylistic interest beyond its price point. I’d be interested to taste a fresh one.

Quarry Hill
Price: $A16
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Quarry Hill Shiraz 2008

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Interesting wine, this one. At the price, one might well assume the style to be an easy drinking quaffer; it’s anything but. In fact, I didn’t feel able to taste it properly on day one, so left it overnight to open up, which it has. It’s now somewhat more expressive and does not seem to be tiring. 

On the nose, dark plums, cinnamon, nuts, pepper steak and nougat; indeed, the oak influence seems considerable, yet the fruit holds its own, dense and powerful in its expression. There are some nuances — notably a hint of earth and something slightly rubbery — but I would not consider the aroma especially complex. It is, however, serious in intent and savoury in character. 
The palate reinforces the savouriness of the aroma profile. Indeed, this is an uncompromising, regional view of Shiraz, and I enjoy its confidence. The entry is mostly fruit-driven and possesses a sense of luxe that does not require fruit sweetness. I love the acidity here; it’s really well integrated and sweeps dense fruit notes through to the middle palate, where they remain well-formed even as they curl into crisply defined strands of flavour. More sinewy plums, roast beef, spice and gentle oak. This is a medium bodied wine, with reasonable intensity; certainly, there’s nothing excessive or unbalanced about the style. The after palate freshens nicely with a sappy note, then ushers in a surprisingly long finish.
This isn’t a perfect wine by any means, but I really like the direction in which it is headed and, on the basis of this tasting at least, will be watching Quarry Hill with interest. Really good value.

Quarry Hill
Price: $A18
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Dowie Doole Merlot 2009

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I understand 2009 was a difficult vintage in some parts of the McLaren Vale. Certainly, compared to the 2008 Merlot, this wine shows less freshness of fruit character. It retains, however, the same sense of drinkability and charm, and for that I like it a great deal.

The nose shows plums, some spice and what smells like scorched foliage (the power of suggestion, perhaps?). There’s a prickliness to the aroma profile that may be partly due to the youth of this wine; whatever its origin, it is quite edgy, yet at the same time connects well with subtle, nougat-like oak notes. Overall, generously expressive, if a bit lumpy.
Entry is bright and fresh, with well-judged acidity carrying light plum fruit flavours through to the middle palate. Weight is light to medium bodied, intensity in a similar range, yet the components seem balanced overall. There’s an attractive icing-sugar sweetness to the middle palate, adding some nuance to the fruit flavours and contributing a welcome sense of plushness. The after palate begins to show some dried fruit notes that aren’t altogether welcome, which reside under a twig-like note and gentle oak flavours. 
A product of its vintage, no doubt, but eminently drinkable nonetheless. I like the acidity in particular.

Dowie Doole
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample