Category Archives: Red

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

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Quite a savoury, complex expression of Cabernet, totally different from Leconfield’s 2004 effort. This wine shows a classically leafy aroma profile, lean and a little angular, with some graphite and smokey cedar in amongst lithe blackcurrant fruit. There’s an interesting (and slightly odd) earthy note, plus a light edge of confected red fruit too. A lot going on here for a young wine.

In the mouth, equally lean but with a sour thrust that I find delicious. The entry is deceptively smooth, as it’s not until the middle palate that both sourness and fruit weight begin to register. It never reaches any particular heights in terms of presence, and at times it tastes a little dilute, but I enjoy the fact that this is a light wine, nimble and sprightly in the mouth. Tannins are firm and start to take over on the after palate. They’re a little raw at the moment and feel unevenly distributed, but add a welcome rusticity to the mouthfeel. Reasonable length.

If you must drink this now, make sure you accompany it with food, as this will smooth out the structure and fill the wine in to an extent. I think it will drink better as a more mature wine, and suspect it will transform into one of those ephemeral 1970s Coonawarra Clarets that, as aged wines, sparkle with decaying delicacy.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Price: $25
Closure: Cork

Ridge Mataro Pato Vineyard 2003

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Going by the label on the back of the bottle, I shouldn’t have waited so long to open it – but it doesn’t seem to matter too much.

It smells like strawberries and cream and/or refrigerated ground beef, but I honestly don’t mean that in a bad way. There’s a briary sweetness hinting at old age there too, blooming into old leather and cologne, oranges and cloves with a good swirl.In the mouth it’s, well, odd: initially a touch sweet, quickly replaced with milky chocolate tannin and savory red berries. Then, suddenly, the wine rears up with a harsh whack of acidity, explodes with alcohols, and settlies down into a long, harmonious finish of citrus peel and nutmeg.

It doesn’t all hang together particularly well; it’s like watching a Hollywood blockbuster with five screenwriters, two of them uncredited. Sure, every scene is a pleasure unto itself, but the narrative arc is just a little bit lacking here.

That being said, it’s surprisingly delicious and moderately complex. Bandol it’s not, but it’s a fine drink.

Ridge
Price: US $30
Closure: Cork

Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

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There was a bit of hype around 2004 Coonawarra Cabernet, so I bought a few examples but somehow never got around to tasting many. Consequently, I’m coming at this wine a fair while after its release. As an aside, I must be one of the few people on Earth who didn’t mind Leconfields “greener” wines from the 90s, and I recall the 1998 as an especially fine release.

This is a different beast altogether, though; there’s no hint of unripe fruit here. In fact, there’s barely any Coonawarra leafiness either. Instead, the nose is a mushroom cloud of smooth, elegant fruit notes and violets. There’s a hint of Christmas cake too, partly in the savoury nature of the fruit, and partly from sweet spice. Quite seductive. In the mouth, more savoury fruit that strikes me as somewhat Italianate. Medium bodied, there’s rich tobacco, smoke and licorice. It’s almost voluptuous in profile and mouthfeel. Perhaps I served it a tad too warm (easy to do in Brisbane’s Summer heat) but the wine seems to gain an extra plushness at this temperature. Tannins are soft and fine, and slightly sweet.

This is a luxury wine.

Leconfield
Price: $A27
Closure: Stelvin

Collector Reserve Shiraz 2006

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It’s the longest day of the year, and Julian and I are enjoying a glass of this together in Dunedin, New Zealand for no reason other than, well, we wanted to.

I got a sniff of this and squealed “oh, FRUITY!” Of course, that was a gross oversimplification; after a few more minutes, it started heading down a more oaky, yet still hugely Australian path. Good stuff. Gorgeously mouth filling and fairly well oaked (and yet still within reason), this is an exuberantly huge Aussie red that somehow doesn’t strike me as particularly Canberra in any way. Of course, I only know from Lark Hill and Canberra – and maybe that Kamberra stuff, not sure if that was really Canberran – but whatevs, this is delicious.

And here’s the bit where I transcribe some Julian: Pain grillé, he says, but I think he’s actually joking about one of last night’s wines.

Really dense red fruit, sort of clove-y, spicy oak. Kind of a slightly sappy edge to it as well, he thinks. So, in the mouth it’s quite bright and medium-bodied… structure seems quite acid-driven, fairly tannic here… he really likes the depth of the flavour profile. It’s not a huge flavour profile, but it has really nice depth and is sort of layered nicely. There’s also a really nice, sustained line through the after-palate, really consistent, quite a long wine as well, he thinks.

The awesome thing for me of course is watching Julian drink this – it’s always fun to watch someone caught up in the moment of enjoying something. And of course, it’s extra fun if you haven’t seen your mate in a few years.

That’s it for now, I’m off to finish the bottle while there’s still daylight (another thirty minutes or so, I’m guessing).

Mount Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 2007

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Mount Difficulty’s second label Pinot. I understand some Central Otago makers use fruit from a variety of regions for their second label wines but, according to the back label here, fruit is 100% Central Otago.

Bright aroma that shows a good whack of what I presume is stalk in addition to clean red fruit. The fruit doesn’t strike me as assertively “Central Otago” in character; it’s varietal but lacks the distinctive flavours I associate with Pinot from this region. Still, an attractive and fun aroma profile, albeit one that may not please those with an aversion to funky stalky notes.

In the mouth, very acid driven and in this respect a little coarse in mouthfeel. Bright, crunchy red fruits and more stalk. It’s dry in the mouth and, interestingly, although tannins are clearly an influence in this regard, they aren’t an obvious textural influence. Lots of flavour, impact and presence. It tapers on the after palate and finish, which are subdued in comparison to the entry and middle palate. I’ve heard Central Otago Pinot referred to as “tadpole” wines in structure, this being a good illustration. Very good value and an excellent, flavoursome wine that went very well with a lamb roast.

Mount Difficulty
Price: $NZ27
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: December 2008

Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2007

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I confess I loved many of the Hawkes Bay reds tasted on my last visit to New Zealand, so I’ve been keen to try a few more this visit. Whilst Gimblett Gravels Syrah is a spectacular style and very appealing me, tonight I’m trying a Bordeaux blend, which is historically more typical to this region.

Lovely bright purple colour, not overly dense, almost garish in its purity. On the nose, sweet red fruit and a distinctively Gimblett Gravels spice that reminds me of pot pourri. There’s a nice savoury edge to the fruit too. The more I sniff the deeper the aroma profile becomes, adding layers of complexity as I swirl. Very nice. The palate is currently highly structured with ripe yet very assertive tannins emerging quite early in the line. On entry, more bright fruit that edges towards confectionary but is held in check by spice and savouriness. Then the tannins come, powdery and even, masking the flavour profile a bit. That’s ok though, all it takes it some energetic swirling and chewing for a rush of fruit to register on the tongue, along with a well-judged amount of vanilla oak. It’s medium bodied, consistent in line and coherent. Reasonable finish.

A lovely return to Hawkes Bay.

Esk Valley
Price: $NZ30
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: December 2008

Château Musar 1997

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The nose is absolutely beautiful, reminiscent of baker’s chocolate, roses, fresh roasted coffee, and molasses.

The wine itself is however entirely undrinkable: a complete disjointed mess of unwelcome, shrill acidity combined with reedy fruit and unpleasant sourness. Cork taint? I’ve never had a Musar before, so I sadly have no frame of reference here.

I have nothing more to say about this wine.

Ch. Musar
Price: No idea
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2008

Rockburn Pinot Noir 2007

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Typical Central Otago aroma that reminds me of sweet and sour plums. Very clean and straightforward, and a little subdued perhaps. There are some herbal edges that add up to a moderately complex aroma profile.

On entry, a lovely sizzle of acidity and flavour. It’s lighter in tone than some other Central Pinot Noirs, which can tend towards larger scale, dark fruit. No, this wine is lightfooted by comparison, and one of its pleasures is that it has presence and impact without heaviness. Flavour intensity reaches a peak on the middle palate, where red fruits alternate deftly between sweet and tart. The whole is light to medium bodied. Alas, things start to go amiss on the after palate, where intensity drops too suddenly towards a finish that doesn’t match the scale of the entry and mid palate. It’s still quite a young wine, though, and I wonder if it might fill out a little with some time.

There’s a lot to like here but, for me, this wine lacks a sense of excitement and character that would make it truly compelling. Still, not a bad way to get your Central Otago fix.

Rockburn
Price: $NZ40
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: December 2008

Cayuse Syrah 'En Cerise' 2005

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At first smell, all I could think was “hey, this doesn’t smell American at all!” Unlike every other Washington syrah I’ve smelled, this wine gives me flashbacks to the Red Baron wine bar in Paris where I spent two lovely evenings drinking my way through obscure French wine regions just a few months ago.

Surprisingly, the nose is brutally thin, very mineral, with a very faint hint of the warmer Washingtonian climate almost totally obscured by what I can only imagine is old world winemaking: instead of plush, Australian raspberry jam, what you get is cold, austere, frankly barnyardy (but not Brett-y) funk edged with dirt. It’s quite a shock, especially as I had expected something quite different: Cayuse are a tiny, boutique, mailing-list-only producer, and even if the winemaker is French, I had just assumed that this would be a big, lush syrah something like the (amazingly delicious) John Duval-produced Sequel syrah, which is apparently from Walla Walla as well, just as this wine is – and yet this Cayus wine is utterly different from Duval’s.

It’s when you finally treat yourself to a sip of this that the New World components become apparently: there’s a fullness, a thickness that I wouldn’t associate with traditional Rhône wine that’s a thrilling counterpart to the austerity of the nose. Flavors are mostly in the realm of cured tobacco, black fruits, dried cherries, and just a hint of sourness to keep it all in check; there’s also a kind of burnt sugar sweetness that isn’t sugar, just sweetness that’s delightful as well. The finish does stay around for a while, reminding me somehow of Victorian toiletries (and I mean that in a good way: it’s like a once-popular floral scent that went out of fashion shortly before your grandparents got married), with a wonderful wood-coffee smoothness that leaves you very, very happy that you got to drink some of this wine.

Cayuse
Price: $45
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2008

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 1998

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Mentholated violets dominate the nose, which is straight out of a heritage candy shoppe of the sort you’d find in the California gold country (or Ballarat, I suppose). There’s a very rich, liquid smoked chocolate, coffee nose as well; it somehow doesn’t smell particularly old. It also strangely reminds me of waterblommetjebredie, a South African stew with a peculiar indigenous plant in it that’s vaguely like weak spinach or strong cress; it’s a watery, slightly meaty, slightly green smell that’s appetizing for sure.

Initially disconcertingly acidic, length isn’t so great at this point in history, tapering off quickly to a sort of stewed prune aftertaste. It’s weirdly like dealcoholized port, not particularly delicious; if I had some inexpensive brandy around, I’d probably add some to the glass in hopes of creating something more palatable. Still, it’s interesting enough for what it is, not entirely dead yet, and oddly flavoursome. Over time, you get used to the shock of it and what you get is almost a lamington sort of deal: bright, rich red fruits, a certain coconut aspect, and the dark toasted chocolate from the barrels as well.

OK, ten minutes later and I’ve changed my mind: this is delicious.

Penfolds
Price: about US$16
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2008

Fun fact: This was one of the first bottles of wine I ever bought; back in the early days of eVineyard.com (the company that eventually took over Wine.com), they had a ridiculous deal where you could buy bottles of wine for a penny each or something (I really should go find the receipts and scan them), so I lined up a dozen coworkers and we all ordered discount wine. Given a business plan like that, it’s a miracle they’re still in business in 2008!