Tag Archives: 2005

Wirra Wirra Church Block 2005

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This wine’s full subtitle is “Cabernet Sauvignon – Shiraz – Merlot;” 47%, 35% and 18% respectively. 


Red-purple in colour, moderately dense. Nose bursts forth with sweet, ripe fruit of the blue and black variety. It’s very ripe, perhaps overripe for some tastes (there’s something almost spirity about it), but there’s no doubting how generous and up front is its flavour. There are also elements of spice and chocolate that squeeze in alongside all that fruit and add some savoury interest. The palate is dominated by more ripe fruit, quite sweet, and again perhaps too big for some tastes. Wines in this style succeed or fail almost entirely on the quality and interest of the fruit’s flavour profile and, in this wine’s favour, there’s at least some complexity of fruit character. But it’s unchallenging and, I suspect, designed for consumption without too much analysis. Acidity is soft and fine. Tannins prickle the finish but aren’t especially prominent or drying. Rather, still more fruit gushes through the after palate and sticks around for a little time on the finish. 

You have to admire a wine style that is so sure of what it is, even if it’s not entirely to your taste. We had this with dinner and it’s not a very food friendly style, lacking the structure to truly complement a meal. Instead, I would drink this on its own, perhaps even after dinner, to warm your insides and satisfy that craving for a McLaren Vale fruit bomb we all feel from time to time…
 
Price: $A21
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: January 2008


McWilliam's Barwang Chardonnay 2005

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McWilliam’s seems to have taken a stealthy approach to marketing of late, as some of their brands have decidedly slipped off my radar, Barwang included. I remember having some lovely reds in the late 90s from this Hilltops winery, and the prices were always excellent for the quality. But not so much visibility of late. So, in an effort to remain “with it,” I thought I’d give this Chardonnay a go tonight.


The nose is pretty forward, and shows as much nutty oak character as it does fruit. The fruit is riper, perhaps in the yellow peach part of the spectrum but with some citrus-like notes too. The entry shows quite intense acidity that tingles the tongue from the tip round to the edges. The ripe fruit flavour profile seems perhaps slightly at odds with the prominent acidity of the wine, but perhaps this is preferable to a flabby, fat wine. This is anything but flabby. Despite the acidity, it’s not a hugely focused wine, the middle palate spreading fruit flavour generously and somewhat formlessly on the tongue. In style, I guess you would describe this wine as acid-driven but relatively worked in flavour profile, with some malo notes coming through alongside the ripe fruit. The McWilliam’s website indicates weekly battonage, but this isn’t an especially creamy wine. The after palate tapers slowly, allowing flavour to linger a little as the reasonably lengthy finish takes over.

Pierre Brévin Pouilly-Fumé Le Marquisay 2005

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Even though I didn’t drink much of it while in New Zealand recently, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, specifically that from the Marlborough, is surely prominent in the consciousness of wine drinkers in this country. As singular as it is, there are other equally interesting expressions of this variety, one of which is, of course, Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley. Here’s a reasonably priced example from the notable 2005 vintage.

Synthetic cork provides an inauspicious start to the overall experience of this wine. At least there’s no chance of TCA. A green-gold colour, light, clear. The nose is moderately intense, showing rich tropical fruits and a hint of honey. There’s a soft delicacy to this wine’s aromas, despite its rich flavour profile, that I find attractive. No great complexity to speak of. The entry is firm with acid, though not unbalanced or harsh. In fact, the acidity of this wine is worth noting, as it’s steely and linear, yet subtle too, never creating more than a lively structure to carry fruit flavour. The middle palate is rounded and generous, with more tropical fruit, citrus and honeyed edges, a hint of fresh herbs, perhaps a bit of smoke. Again, no overwhelming complexity, but it’s tasty for sure. The after palate drops off pretty quickly, and the wine’s finish is more of an echo rather than a continuation of substantial flavour.

In pure QPR terms, this wine is probably slightly overpriced compared to Australasian examples, but the fact remains that our local styles are quite different in character. So, given we’re not talking huge bucks here, I’d suggest this wine as a good option if you’re after a generous, refreshing white wine and want something less aggressive than Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Serve well chilled. We had this wine with old fashioned Pommy fish cakes and it was extremely food friendly. I reckon it would also be killer with a fish pie.

Pierre Brévin
Price: $A20
Closure: Synthetic cork
Date tasted: January 2008

Montes Merlot 2005

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I suppose I was tempting fate by opening a cheapy after all the super Kiwi wines I’ve been having of late. However, one (or at least I) can’t drink at the $50 price point every day, so cheapies I must. We’re lucky in Australia to have a large range of reasonably priced wines that are far superior to industrial swill, so it has been reasonable to expect in the last few years that $15 or so will yield a wine of character and interest. So what does that amount of money buy one from Chile?


On the basis of this wine, a whole lot of DMS and not much else. On the nose, rather characterless with that signature DMS note of ultra blackcurrant flip-flopping with tinned corn (thankfully no two day old raw mussels). The entry is slippery and introduces a palate with more blackcurrant juice in the context of a mouthfeel that is all about smoothness. But it’s not tannin or acid smoothless, it’s actually a lack of these things that creates an almost watery effect. Certainly easy to drink, and for those challenged by a perceived “harshness” in most red wines might enjoy the ease of this wine. There are some sweet oak characters too, subtle and well judged in terms of what this wine is. Tannins start to creep in a little on the finish, but it’s nothing too harsh and doesn’t begin to challenge any other aspect of this wine.

So, what to think? Certainly, I found this wine boring to the extent of wondering what is its point. Reading the back label, the wine is described as an “elegant and refined wine with a marked fruitiness almost irresistible to Merlot lovers.” And yes, it has a “marked fruitiness” (if we accept the super blackcurrant juice flavour as fruit driven) that is inoffensive and very easy to drink. To be honest, though, there are a lot of local wines that are of considerably greater interest to this at a similar price point. 

Price: $A10
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2007

Black Barn Malbec 2005

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Black Barn has an interesting range of wines, including some that are unusual in the context of Hawkes Bay producers. This wine, a straight Malbec, is one of them (they also do a Sangiovese and straight Cabernet Franc in addition to a wide range of other red and white wines). I tried this at cellar door and it seemed promising at the time, so I picked up a bottle for more thorough tasting later on. Captivating, expressive nose of dried flowers (of similar character to Gimblett Gravels Syrah, though this wine is from a different sub-region in Hawkes Bay), sweet jammy Malbec fruit, some oak, some stalk/foliage. Complex without being forbidding. The entry is smooth and tactile; the point at which fruit flavour hits the tongue is quite palpable. Full bodied middle plalate is full of intensely sweet fruit, more savoury dried flowers, and toasty oak. The wine’s line continues strongly through the palate and rises a little during the after palate, creating a nice lift of flavour. The finish is characterised by fine, chocolate-like tannins that extend the wine’s flavour most satisfyingly.What a fun wine. There’s nothing super sophisticated about this number, but it’s full of flavour, shows good complexity, has character and is ready to drink right now. What’s not to like?Black BarnPrice: $NZ35Closure: DiamDate tasted: December 2007

Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Merlot 2005

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Had a lovely, professional experience at the Te Mata cellar door, and was able to taste a sampling of their range, if not perhaps some of the “heavy hitters” (ie Coleraine). Ended up purchasing a few, of which this was one.
Varietally dusty Cabernet nose, but not dominatingly so, as the primary note is of fleshy dark berry fruits, with some oak in support. The entry is one of those that widens immediately to a generous middle palate — instant gratification, if you will. The wine is medium to full bodied, and quite fruit driven. The fruit is of high quality and satisfying depth, never even hinting at simple, confected flavours. Instead, it’s masses of dark, juicy fruit, perhaps on the less structured end of the spectrum as Cabernets go, but certainly not flabby. The palate is quite linear until the end, where it spikes in a gorgeous lift of red fruits, before fading away on a blanket of fine tannins.
What an excellent wine this is. If you’re looking for a “drink now” Cabernet that is full of flavour and not an ounce industrial, give it a go.
Te Mata EstatePrice: $NZ35Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007

Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot 2005

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As the name indicates, a single vineyard wine from the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay. Mostly Merlot, with some Cabernet Franc too.Intense, slightly jammy but interesting red fruit flavours on the nose, supported by powdery vanilla oak and a distinctive clean salt water note (odd but attractive). Not hugely complex, and quite oaky, but nice nonetheless. The wine’s middle palate is disappointing in that it shows a good deal of fruit flavour, but also a prominence of oak that, for me, is detrimental to the wine’s balance. The oak continues to dominate the wine’s flavour profile as it progresses through the after palate and finish. Tannins are fine and puckeringly prominent.At the moment, this wine is way too oak-driven for my taste, and I’m not sure there’s the depth of fruit flavour to outlast the development of the oak-derived flavours in the bottle. It’s a shame because the fruit itself appears to be of good (if not outstanding) quality and interest. I’d like to see wine from this area done in a more restrained, fruit-driven style.Craggy RangePrice: $NZ29Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007

Ata Rangi Célèbre 2005

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Ata Ranga is well-known for its Pinot Noir, so I was curious to give this blend of Martinborough and Hawkes Bay Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot a go. I have no idea why it’s called Célèbre.
The nose is very expressive and shows a seductive blend of violets, raw meat, dark berry fruits, spice (clove-like) and a good whack of oak. There’s good intensity here, and the balance is impressive (though perhaps with the oak showing too much after some time in glass). The palate again shows good balance and a focused line. The entry is immediately flavoursome and leads to a medium/full bodied middle palate showing intense, deliciously savoury dark fruits and mouthwatering astringency. The finish is especially lovely, and showcases very fine, chocolate-like tannins, framed by caramel/vanilla oak and quite prominent sappiness.
This is an elegant wine, full of flavour and tightly structured. It lacks the complexity of the very best wines, but is seductive and balanced. I asked myself whether there was an element of underripeness, but if there is, for my taste it is question of style rather than fault. It went well with our dinner of beef and roasted vegetables, the fruit having no issues matching the intense beefy flavour of the lovely New Zealand meat.
Ata RangiPrice: $NZ32Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007

Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

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I’m in New Zealand at the moment for a bit of a camping holiday, but roughing it doesn’t quite extend to doing without wine. In fact, I’m hoping to fit in some winery visits while I’m here, as well as taste lots of Kiwi wines of course. Tasting notes may be somewhat briefer than usual during my trip.
We got in yesterday and weren’t up for anything especially challenging, so chose this Hawkes Bay regional blend to have with dinner. A curious, unfamiliar aroma of dusty vanilla custard was initially dominant on the nose, fading to a supporting element with some time in glass. Alongside this (presumably) oak-derived note sits lovely, somewhat savoury red fruit, very easygoing without falling into a confected, industrial flavour spectrum. The wine’s entry is lively, ushering in a medium bodied palate that echoes the sweet/savoury fruit seen on the nose. On the palate, the fruit edges a little further towards facile sweetness, but there’s still a delicious savouriness to the flavour profile. There’s lively acidity all through the palate, which is well integrated and creates a feeling of sophistication in the mouth. The finish is practically tannin-free but of satisfactory length.
There’s no notable complexity of flavour, but for a quaffing wine, this is a really tasty drop that doesn’t confuse  “easy drinking” with simple fruit sweetness.
Villa MariaPrice: $NZ15Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007