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Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay 2007

9 Aug 2010

Chardonnay, let alone Hunter Chardonnay, is hardly at the vanguard of vinous fashion, so one could be forgiven for greeting this Scarborough wine a shrug. It pays to remember, though, the Hunter has a special place in the history of Australian Chardonnay, and continues to be the home of two of Australia's more sought after peaches: the Lake's Folly white and Tyrrell's Vat 47. Scarborough is something of a Chardonnay specialist, having earned an enviable reputation for this varietal, so I approached this wine with high expectations.

The nose is fresh and clean, showing aromas of butter, peach, a little bit of minerality, perhaps a herbal twang and some smokey toast. Complex, then, but its buttery balance speaks more of enjoyment than analysis. I like that the oak is subdued, the wine appearing to rely more on fruit character and other forms of winemaking input (some lees work, I suspect) to achieve its aroma profile.

The palate takes a step up in expressiveness, being quite rich and full-flavoured. Entry is strikingly flavoursome, a nice spectrum of peach, citrus and butter notes caressing the tongue and paving the way for a middle palate that is quite flooded with fruit. The flavours are very clean at this point, showing good definition and shape, supported by easygoing acidity. I feel this wine's textural dimension, though, isn't quite balanced, being too reticent and consequently somewhat overwhelmed by the fullness of the fruit flavour. I'd like to feel a bit more mealiness on my tongue on the mid-palate, which would add more sophistication to the palate structure. The after palate does offer a bit more in this regard, and this helps carry the wine through a finish that seemed a bit hot to me.

Lovely fruit here, made in a gloriously unfashionable style that I admit to enjoying more often than not. It's not over the top, simply generous and warm. Very well priced.

Scarborough
Price: $A21
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Mulyan Cowra Shiraz 2007

18 Jul 2010

It must be a Mulyan thing; the reaction I'm having to this wine is quite similar to that I experienced when tasting the 07 Block 9 Shiraz Viognier: fascination mixed with a sense of the wine sitting out on a limb in terms of correctness. I may be completely off the mark, but my first impression was "stuck ferment", though I hasten to add the offending aromas have blown off to reveal a much cleaner wine. Certainly, if you try this wine, give it a chance to show the positive side of its character.

The nose is peppery and meaty, with ripe blackberries wedged into the spaces that remain. Pretty classic cool climate Shiraz aromas, in fact, though certainly on the wilder side, with less floral spice and more meat than some. There's something masculine, almost brutal, about this aroma profile, but whatever one might think of the styling, my feeling is there's an intent and sophistication here that sits well above the wine's $20 price point.

The palate is nicely textured, with well integrated acidity and loose knit tannins that run most of the wine's length. Entry is positive and fruit-driven, flavours becoming more complex towards the middle palate. This is a medium bodied wine, showing moderately intense flavours in the context of an edgy, slightly aggressive architecture. A bright after palate is full of blackberries and pepper steak. The finish is reasonable.

It's impossible to dismiss this wine, despite that it comes across as over-eager and lacking the poise one might wish for. In some ways, it has me stumped. But I simply can't discount it. Well worth trying, especially at the price.

Mulyan Wines
Price: $A20
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Thomas DJV Shiraz 2007

13 Jul 2010

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

Blue Poles Allouran 2007

9 May 2010

Ever since I comprehensively fucked up my student wine earlier this year, I've had a fondness for Cabernet Franc. While crushing the grapes by hand, I smelled the most distinctively peppery aroma, fresh and sharp, that I recognised from wines consumed in the past but had never smelled with quite that combination of purity and deliciousness.

Pleasingly, this wine, though a Merlot-dominant blend, captures some of that distinctive Franc aroma. To my nose, the Franc component is quite evident. That mélange of of pepper and sweetly roasted red capsicum, both sharp and pretty, sits atop deeper Merlot aromas and some powdery vanilla oak. This wine smells highly integrated, so it's a little misleading to describe it in terms of separate notes; aromas melt into one another with pleasure. Overall, there's a fresh liveliness to this wine's aroma that is really attractive.

The palate shows genuine elegance. A rush of dark plum fruit flavour on entry, with some high toned pepper providing some light to the fruit's shade. The mid palate shows some nervy acidity that provides tight focus to the line. Indeed, this wine has a way to go yet before it allows itself deep relaxation. The flavours, though tending towards a slight simplicity in the plum spectrum, are very well matched and balanced. Oak character is sympathetic to the fruit and interlocks with its flavours like a lover's hands. The after palate shows the most sucrosité of any point along the line. The finish is decent, not thinning out until the last moments of its presence on the tongue.

Nice wine, exceptional value.

Blue Poles Vineyard
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese 2007

25 Mar 2010

I chilled this wine in preparation for last night's salmon dinner, but we didn't get around to drinking it. So it came out tonight instead, was asked to partner chicken, and did so with aplomb.

It had to blow off a fair bit of sulfur first, mind you. Quite prickly and stinky for a few minutes, leading to a much cleaner, rather candied expression of yellow fruits and citrus, along with a hint of cheese. There's a nice streak of savouriness too, minerality I guess, that cuts through the rich fruit aromas. It's not exactly slick; rather, it's a dressed up country cousin of a wine -- attractive and neat, but roundly wholesome too.

Great presence in the mouth. Entry is quite tingly and full-flavoured, leading to a middle palate of significant proportions and generous intensity. There's a degree of formlessness to the fruit flavours, which detracts a little from the precision of other components like the firmish acidity and mineral edginess. A chalky mouthfeel tightens the after palate, cleaning up a slight excess of sweetness and laziness of form, before a nice long finish fades slowly on the tongue.

Not bad at all, then. I like the interplay of sweet, almost crackly fruit with adult savouriness and delicious texture. A touch more focus would make this even better.

Schloss Lieser
Price: $A49.95
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Reinhold Haart Piesport Goldtröpfchen Kabinett 2007

14 Mar 2010

I've been a bit slow in tasting my stash of 2007 German Rieslings so, this evening, as I enjoy the company of a great friend, I have opened this Kabinett-level wine from the Mosel.

Opulent richness on the nose, beyond what one might expect for this ripeness level, along with some prickly sulfur and a hint of minerality. Fruit aromas are in the apricot spectrum and lack the vibrant freshness of brand new Riesling; to be expected, perhaps, given the age of the wine. I'm swirling this wine vigorously as I feel it will benefit from some air; a decant wouldn't be out of the question. There's an intriguing savouriness to the aroma profile that is becoming more prominent as the wine sits in glass; it's somewhere between pebbles and the smell of juicy, smashed weeds.

In the mouth, full-flavoured without being overly intense. The entry sneaks up on you, building towards a rather bling middle palate full of slightly simple apricot and rich lemons. There's a broadness to the flavours and structure that isn't entirely attractive, though there's plenty of flavour, so one always has a lot to latch on to. Minerality takes over through the after palate, and the flavour profile becomes a lot dryer towards the nicely textured finish. Unremarkable length.

I wish this wine were more focused and that flavours showed greater detail; as it is, a very pleasant off-dry white.

Reinhold Haart
Price: $A46.95
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2007

27 Jan 2010

Tension is an underexplored dimension of wine that, in some respects, goes against the grain of conventional aesthetics. Balance, harmony and elegance are all buzzwords of significant currency, dictating a serene, classical conception of beauty that, I'll admit, often holds a lot of appeal for me.

I also like Italian horror films from the 1970s. And Sandra Bernhard's lips. And Michel Houellebecq's politics. All angular, difficult things that, on some level, fill me with a sense of beauty. Lately, I find myself wondering on a regular basis whether a wine that is less than composed in its structure and flow can be equally, perhaps even more, beautiful than one which is perfectly built. I know the answer is "of course it can;" articulating why is more challenging.

In some respects, this wine is all over the place. Its flavour profile leaps from sulfur to rich, aromatic fruit to crystalline minerality. Its mouthfeel lurches from spritz to unctuousness to chiselled dryness. Yet, somehow, it all comes together in the most exciting, delicious way. The aroma shows slightly blunt sulfur, the dull ache of carbonated mineral water, tart marmalade and, strangely, the smell of white pepper. It's a question mark of a nose, darting this way and that. It's also subtly alluring, redolent of the smell of spice markets that I suspect have only ever existed in the pages of books.

The palate is a rollercoaster ride. Spritz registers on entry, cutting through what becomes a rich expression of Riesling fruit on the middle palate. Mango skins and lime juice, mostly. It's delicious, if sweet, and begins to cloy just as a swell of minerality rises to temper any excess of residual sugar. I have been sipping this wine all evening, and have not remotely tired of the contrasting interplay between sweet fruit and dry flintiness. It's one of the hardest things to get right with off-dry Riesling styles, and this wine makes it seem just effortful enough to help one appreciate the achievement. A lovely, long finish.

I see this wine as a contest of sorts, between elements that clash and come together not to cancel each other out, but to give rise through conflict to something quite lovely. It's fabulous.

Willi Schaefer
Price: $A42
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Flaxman Shiraz 2007

25 Jan 2010

This one's certainly got me thinking. I was quite partial to Flaxman's 2007 Stranger, largely because of its luxurious flavour profile and mouthfeel. This, by contrast, is an entirely different beast. For starters, it is made from estate grapes hailing from a dry grown vineyard at the top of the Barossa Ranges (so says the back label). Very Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush, not Emily Brontë). More meaningfully, it is quite distinct, stylistically, from its cheaper sibling.

Quite savoury on the nose, some twiggy, brambly notes sitting alongside dark berries that present in a restrained yet liquorous manner. There's an element of sous-bois and dirt to the aroma profile, a little unexpected perhaps but also quite interesting. The oak influence, such as it is, consists of a mocha-like note that remains subservient to the fruit aromas. I found it slightly hard going at first, its charms subtle, but its seduction has proved surefooted; an hour in and I'm enjoying the aroma very much.

The palate is equally coy, initially hiding its plush fruit behind a veil of savouriness. On the minus side, there's a hardness to this wine's flavour profile that, through an evening's tasting, never quite disappears. But wow, what impressive length and structure. In a top year, I'm sure this wine would be quite remarkable; as it is, it's still all quality, and transparent in a way many wine lovers will value and be fascinated by. Fabulously intense berries and coffee on the mid palate, with tannins that are both abundant and velvet smooth as the after palate gathers steam. And again, a satisfyingly extended finish, full of rich fruit flavour and textured tannins. There's a lot to enjoy here.

A really worthwhile wine.

Flaxman Wines
Price: $A45
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Vom Buntsandstein Spätlese 2007

13 Jan 2010

I was a bit underwhelmed by this wine initially; it's quite rich and I found it a little cloying. But extended tasting reveals a complex, delicate flavour profile. There's a lot to enjoy here. Besides which, the label looks totally home made, which is fun in a low-tech way.

On the nose, slightly sulfurous with powerful fruit aromas and some floral delicacy. It has gained better balance with some air, so do let it breathe a bit or give it a good swirl, even if (like me) you're feeling thirsty. Your reward will be good complexity and increased coherence.

In the mouth, some air has again worked to its advantage, lightening the wine's feel and allowing a wide range of flavours to express themselves. Entry is quite full and immediate, with fragrant mandarin and preserved citrus peel the dominant flavours. Sweetness peaks on the middle palate, before maximum complexity asserts itself through the quite wonderful after palate, with bitter orange flavours sitting alongside sweet, small stonefruit and a streak of savoury minerality. A gentle, sweet finish of impressive length. There's no doubt this is a richly flavoured wine, full of expressive, sweet fruit and, arguably, acidity that is too restrained. I'd still prefer a more nimble middle palate and slightly cleaner finish, but I can appreciate this wine's silky, sophisticated mouthfeel -- with just a hint of soft spritz -- and overall generosity.

Not my ideal style, but a quality wine nonetheless.

Ökonomierat Rebholz
Price: $A70
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Flaxman The Stranger Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

28 Dec 2009

Flaxman wines are, if nothing else, beautifully packaged. Pete Caton has created the design, and lovely it is too, but the words are also well chosen and applied, something I wish I felt more often about wine labels. It's all quite artisanal and cuddly in equal measure. The wine itself is made from purchased grapes (hence "The Stranger").

The nose is slow to emerge from its shell. At first, I got a bit of stressed stalk and old oak, which has in time given way to quite dense red and black berry fruit. It's not the most expressive nose -- not right now, anyway -- though it seems to express a coherent character in its low-key way. It's almost as if there's a whole aroma profile in there relaxing in shaded comfort.

The palate makes complete sense of the nose, bringing what is merely suggested by the aroma into full sun. It's also luxuriously textured. The entry shows dense, dark fruit, liqueur-like in expression and elevated in deliciousness. It also establishes a charismatic textural presence, with velvet-like tannins appearing almost instantly, weaving in and out of a fine acid line. It's a deliciously sour, orange-juice acid that risks disrupting the more voluptuous aspects of the wine's flavour profile, but which in the end just serves to keep things fresh and shapely. The middle palate is pure luxe, lashes of fruit flavour flowing over the tongue. There's perhaps a hint of overripe fruit here, tending towards a prune flavour. No matter. This is a sensual wine; satin sheets and chocolates and all that implies. A decent finish rounds the experience off with a gentle taper, neither too dry nor simple.

A really lovely wine with serious "x factor," particularly impressive considering the difficult vintage.

Flaxman Wines
Price: $A35
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Kabinett Riesling 2007

15 Dec 2009

There's something uniquely intimidating about German wine labels.

Then again, this wine requires very little translation - it speaks quite clearly all on its own. This has to be one of the most drinkable -- indeed sloshable -- wines I've had this year. Half the bottle is gone and I've only just started to write this note. Thank goodness it's only 8% abv.

The nose is complex and slightly prickly, with a fruit character akin to very delicate marmalade. There's a minerality that, as odd as this might seem, comes across as fluffy, perhaps even sparkly. It's expressive in a confident but measured way, like someone who knows just how much to project their voice at a social gathering. Very sniffable, and it's evolving slowly as it sits in the glass.

Not that it gets much of an opportunity to sit there; it's so very inviting. The entry is relatively full and fruit-driven, suggesting a level of sweetness that threatens, for a moment, to overwhelm. But almost immediately, the wine finds its balance, ultra-fine acidity rising to temper the residual sugar, minerality a natural foil to flavours of fine lime marmalade. Indeed, the way this wine seems to exude delicacy while retaining fullness of weight and flavour is tantalising. The after palate especially possess a lightness of movement through to the finish that is both fascinating and pleasurable, encouraging the next sip.

This can probably take a bit of age, but I'm going to drink mine young. Delicious.

Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken
Price: $A40
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Mulyan Block 9 Shiraz Viognier 2007

7 Dec 2009

Some wines tread a fine line between angular and offputting. This wine (or this bottle) is certainly a good example; at least at first, where the overriding impression is one of tacky New Zealand geothermal theme parks ("Craters of the Moon!") and mud. But just as I was about to reach for the term "European" to describe what felt like a borderline faulty wine, it has zapped into focus, becoming a peppery, meaty expression of Shiraz Viognier that is decidedly improving with air.

Full-on pepper steak aromas smother core of dense berry fruit, quite dark in character and brambly in expression. The aroma is actually quite fascinating in its cacophony; I can't decide whether it's disjointed or a radically different interpretation of coherence. I suppose that it prompts such aesthetic flights of fancy is a point in its favour, irrespective of taste.

The palate is also curiously styled, with a plump apricot presence alongside red berries and more cooked steak. It's flavoursome for sure; the entry has good immediacy and zips along in the mouth, thanks mostly to some fairly prominent acidity. The middle palate relaxes a little, though it's still bright. Medium bodied, this wine's mouthfeel is slippery despite the acid, and reminds me a little of the way apricots feel when you bite into a ripe one. Fruit character is quite sweet, which is a provocative counterpart to the funky, meaty notes and makes for a flavour profile that is full of contradictions. Good continuity through the after palate, and a nice flourish on the finish helps berry flavour to linger on for a good while.

Despite its oddity, I'm fascinated by this wine. Its profile is far from conventional, and tends towards exaggeration. But it's also more beautiful than many conventionally styled wines.

Mulyan Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Spring Ridge Merlot 2007

27 Nov 2009

There's something to be said for a well-executed commercial style. These are wines that I often tend to gloss over, but it's wrong of me to do so, at least in terms of my own philosophy of enjoyment. As tempting as it is to indulge in singular, ultra high quality wines whenever possible, I'm not sure they are always an appropriate choice, especially when in mixed (wine freak and normal people) company.

For example, I was having a very fun afternoon with some work colleagues during the week, and we ended up at a typical inner city eatery that surprised me with its thoughful, diverse wine list. Of course, I immediately geeked out and suggested a bottle of Seppelt's 2008 Drumborg Riesling which, while full of interest, is a difficult wine to approach due to its austerity. Once we had made our way through that one, the group's next selection was a much friendlier Pepperjack Shiraz, a plush Barossa style with plenty of oak and very low stylistic barriers to entry. And it was a much more enjoyable wine, with company, on the day.

Which brings me to this wine. I feel a train wreck attraction to Australian Merlot, which isn't renowned for stylistic coherence nor, indeeed, for elevated quality. And, to be sure, this wine won't change any of that. What it can do, though, is provide a well made burst of enjoyment.

The hue is ruby-like, of moderate density, and in general looks slightly older than it ought. The nose immediately signals this wine's intent: assertively cuddly, peanut brittle oak over fresh plum fruit. Digging slightly deeper, there are hints of olives in brine, but this isn't a wine of overt complexity. The palate is fresh and flowing, with good clarity of fruit. On entry, flavour slowly accelerates towards the middle palate. Medium bodied, there's better integration of oak and fruit in the mouth than on the nose, which creates an easygoing, smoothed out flavour profile. The addition of some lightly spiced notes add interest. Structurally, things are very much in line with the curvy flavour profile, with enough acid and pleasingly fine tannin to add shape and a drying, very slightly raspy mouthfeel towards the back palate. Decent enough finish.

If I scored wines (which, of course, I don't), this would sit in the mid to high eighties, as a wine of straightforward, well-made charms. It has no pretensions other than to offer accessible, cost-effective pleasure to as many tired office workers as possible as they share a bowl of deep fried something-or-other after work. As one such office worker, I'm very cool with that.

Spring Ridge
Price: $A19
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Schafer-Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Dry Riesling 2007

27 Nov 2009

I bought a selection of 2007 German Rieslings the other day from Eurocentric and will taste my way through them over the coming weeks. This is the first, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Lovely nose; what strikes one first is the richness of fruit, sort of tropical and apricot-like in equal measure, and sufficiently assertive that it initially masks the floral, mineral aspects of the aroma profile. Some more sniffing reveals the full extent of this wine's complexity, which is quite impressive and very well balanced. Once it has time to settle in the glass, it's simply a wall of quite luscious, detailed aromatics; something to sniff repeatedly for sure.

The palate is equally rich, without being especially intense. Again, the vibe here is balanced, a number of elements combining with good harmony. The entry is sharp and glossy, like a well-honed Wusthof knife, acid cutting a clear path to the middle palate. While the fruit is quite generous in flavour profile, with just a hint of apparent residual sweetness, it's curiously restrained and allows space for a range of flavours of a more pebbly nature to share the stage. The acid is lovely; prominent and shapely, a bit grainy even, without feeling coarse or out of control. Honeysuckle and mineral flavours flow through the after palate, whisked along briskly by an acid structure that here, more than at any other point, contributes sourness to the flavour profile. Talc-like aromatics on the finish with a squeeze of grapefruit for good measure.

Delicious wine on its own, and an admirable partner to awesome fish and chips from a renowned corner store down the road. I feel rather spoiled on this Friday evening. Totally worth the dosh.

Schafer-Frohlich
Price: $A60
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Collector Reserve Shiraz 2007

18 Nov 2009

I burned my mouth on soup today. Aside from causing me to wonder why on Earth I chose to drink hot soup on an almost-Summer Brisbane day, my tongue is now less than sensitive to the more subtle, textural nuances of this wine. I find the more I taste it, however, the more discerning I become (a fact not unique to this wine, or so it often seems).

It takes a few minutes to get going. On the nose, considerable complexity of spice-like notes overlaying rich, plummy fruit and sleek oak. Somehow, I'm reminded of modernist Californian residential architecture; think Richard Neutra. Clean, spatial and coherent, but with a sense of warmth missing from some harsher intepretations of the International style (and, in the vinous context, of cooler climate Shiraz). This is certainly well-formed and harmonious, and keeps getting better in the glass.

The palate is all class, showing a particularly compelling texture thanks to some bloody good tannins. Totally controlled on entry, dark plum fruit flavour leaps forward first, followed by a gush of spice and more of the cedar oak. It's medium bodied at most, and presents as both delicate and confident. Everything comes together on the middle palate, which shows a unified flavour profile underlined by a blanket of sweet, ripe, powdery tannins. There's also what seems to me like a thread of minerality running through the core of this that is fascinating. Fruit takes a liqueur-like turn through the after palate, and the finish is both dry and fruit-sweet at the same time.

Very Canberra, very classy. Just like me.

Collector
Price: $A46
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Yelland & Papps Greenock Shiraz 2007

11 Nov 2009

Some producers, often the more interesting ones, evolve a consistent house style that, presumably, speaks to a certain idea of wine. In the case of Yelland & Papps, there's an easygoing lack of pretentiousness to its wines that is, frankly, a relief after tasting more ambitious, overwrought styles. On the minus side, it can come across as excessively dilute and unstructured, as I felt was the case with the 2007 Cabernet I tasted (but did not write up) the other day. But when it works, as with this Shiraz, it's very pleasing indeed.

Once past an initial bit of stink, lots of expressive, soft aromas, with a mixture of milk coffee, sweet juicy berries, crushed leaf and warm brown spice. It just smells good really, the same way coming home to an almost-ready roast dinner smells good, and it's not hard to forgive a hint of overripe fruit that is also in the mix.

The palate is attractively structured, with the same prominent acidity I noted in this producer's 2007 Grenache propping up each flavour and tempering the sweeter tendencies of the fruit. The entry is straightforward and quite lively, introducing a core of clean blackberry fruit surrounded by supporting spice and coffee oak. The middle palate is just so easy and clean, it's hard not to enjoy. Nice movement through the after palate, with lighter red berry flavours coming to the fore. Decent, balanced finish with subtly textured tannins lightly brushing the tongue.

A very down-to-earth wine. Provided you don't have any issues with acid-driven, relatively fruit sweet red wines, it should go down a treat.

Yelland & Papps
Price: $A30
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

7 Nov 2009

Somes wines deliver an initial slap - excitement, intensity, distaste, and so on - as soon as you begin tasting. Despite what they might become over time, there's a frisson associated with this first impression that tends to stay with you.

In the case of this wine, it's a slap that says "don't even try to understand me." It's not a seduction, or a challenge. It's a blunt refusal to yield. Feshly poured, it shows an impossible level of concentration on the nose. There's a lot there, to be sure, yet it's bound up in its own depth and richness, and takes a hell of a lot of swirling (or a good decant) to let go of some secrets. Coffee grounds, freshly polished antique furniture, deeply steeped black tea, greenhouses full of ferns, the most essence-like dark fruit. It's a remarkable aroma profile that communicates seriousness of intent and absolute confidence.

The palate carries through on this concentrated seriousness. To begin, the entry sings with dark berry essence, and it's well before the middle palate that tannins emerge. It's worth lingering for a moment on the tannins, as they are a feature of this wine, not only in terms of abundance but character, too. Textured, even and quite sweet, they present the most prominent face of the palate and, if nothing else, promise a long future for the wine. For now, if they (inevitably) prevent the line from flowing as freely as it might, this can hardly be considered a fault, and as a tannin enthusiast I must admit I'm kind of getting off on it. The middle palate shows impressive, powerful fruit beneath all the tannin, such that the whole achieves a curiously correct sense of proportion. Perhaps even giants can be elegant. The after palate is more of the same, and the level of tannin here shows good control through to a finish that is dry and fruit-sweet at the same time.

It's hard not to be impressed by this muscular wine. Haul a bottle out in ten years' time to retaste.

Balnaves
Price: $A90
Closure: Procork
Source: Sample

Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

1 Nov 2009

I struggle to articulate more abstract, aesthetic dimensions of wine. It's one thing to list flavours and try to describe structure, all of which are quite tangible with a little experience of tasting and writing. But what of crucial notions such as coherence, style, philosophy? Much harder to crystalise intellectually, let alone write about. And so I grapple with this note, because it's a good wine, indeed well achieved given the vintage, yet there's something that separates it from the best years, and it's that intangible quality that I'd like to pin down, and repeatedly fail to do.

It's oaky for sure - arguably too much so, depending on one's tastes. The nose is flagrantly vanillan alongside varietal cassis and sweet dusty leaf. It has the dark, clean fruit for which I adore Coonawarra Cabernet and, in a sea of increasingly full, plush wines, I'm glad for the rustic simplicity of the style. Despite the modern slickness of the oak, this strikes me as a gleefully old-fashioned wine, perhaps less concerned with appearing seamless than it is providing a decent hit of flavour. At the very least, it seems totally unpretentious.

The palate is similarly rustic, perhaps lacking in fruit intensity (similarly to the recently tasted 07 Cabernet Merlot), but somehow managing to emerge with a good degree of satisfaction. Sort of like a diver who straightens up just moments before hitting the water. A nice clean entry, dark berry fruit and prominent vanilla oak creating a dessert-like flavour profile without, however, any overwhelming sweetness. It's home cooking to a glossier wine's night out. The middle palate remains lean, with little evolution in flavour profile, save for some attractively ferny herbaciousness. Straight through to the after palate and finish, then, with relatively abundant tannins that are chalky and somewhat lumpy in character. It certainly dries the mouth in a pleasant way, suggesting food, rather than another sip, is the right answer.

I've definitely tasted better Cabernets from this region, with greater complexity and less rusticity. But what value enjoyment? Drink with outrageously flavoured Italian food.

Balnaves of Coonawarra
Price: $A35
Closure: Cork
Source: Sample

Balnaves Cabernet Merlot 2007

31 Oct 2009

Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash (6.6%, or thereabouts) of Merlot.

A cool, clean, currant-like nose of moderate expressiveness. Some varietal, leafy notes too, and a fair amount of spicy cedar oak. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's also an undercooked aspect to the aroma profile - as if a banana cake hadn't quite finished baking in the oven. Not unpleasant so much as curious.

The palate is notable for a good amount of grainy tannin. This isn't a wine for those who seek "smooth, fruity" experiences. Being a tannin enthusiast, however, I'm just fine with that. Quite sweet, clean red and black fruits flow through the entry and middle palates, along with an assertive level of vanilla custard oak, all of which ends up tasting rather Christmassy, if astringent. This is a lean wine, verging on underdone in terms of fruit intensity, and I wonder at the level of oak present given the relatively subtle fruit contribution. I understand 2007 was quite a challenging vintage, so perhaps the fruit character is to be expected. For all that, a pretty impressive, long finish that is squeaky clean.

There's no question this is a drinkable, generously oaked wine whose tannin structure in particular is quite daring given the lean fruit.

Balnaves of Coonawarra
Price: $A24
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Yelland & Papps Old Vine Grenache 2007

28 Oct 2009

There's a lot of waffle about wine, to which I'm sure I contribute my fair share. So to read the back label of Yelland & Papps wines is a breath of fresh air: "[Yelland & Papps]'s sole aim is to enjoy all aspects of the process and sharing this with others." Hard to argue with that.

The nose was initially sweet-fruited, slightly one-dimensional, definitely generous. It's gained some complexity through the evening, with malty oak and a savoury, stemmy edge that runs alongside the main event: luscious, jammy Grenache fruit. It's not a facile wine, yet it's not intellectual either; the priority here is sensual enjoyment, which I respect absolutely as a stylistic goal. The fruit is quite dark in character, like a mixed berry conserve slathered over a fresh scone.

The palate is very much more of the same, with a nice rush of fruit quite early that accelerates through the middle and after palates. There's no stopping the fruit, except perhaps a personal aversion to fruit-driven, relatively sweet flavour profiles. Certainly, if one's bent were strictly towards Bordeaux, this might seem hopelessly naive as a wine style. Yet within its stylistic bracket, this wine delivers a nice hit of clean, varietal fruit without pretense. It's not flabby either, acid in particular propping up flavours and providing well-defined shape to the palate. The finish is quite long and doesn't thin out until it's almost out of steam; the fruit here really does have good thrust and penetration along the entire line.

Perhaps a matter of taste more than many other wines, this is a solid example of fruity, exuberant Barossa Grenache that fans of the genre needn't hesitate purchasing. Worked rather well indeed with spicy Thai food.