Last night the Pinot Grigio, tonight the Pinot Noir. I was surprised by the drinkability, if not sophistication, of the Grigio, so was interested to see what the Noir is made of. As with the companion wine, this one is priced keenly at $A14.
T'Gallant Juliet Pinot Grigio 2007
Cheap Pinot Grigio — surely I’m tempting fate. Nevertheless, this wine is in a super pretty bottle with a label that exists without paper. How could I say no? I’ve not tried either wine from T’Gallant’s budget “Juliet” range, and it’s always nice to see well priced wine from the Mornington Peninsula, so let’s see how we go with this one.
De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2007
More quaffers for me, including this one, which is a ridiculously cheap Pinot Noir. Already two things in its favour as far as I’m concerned. Grapes are from various regions in Victoria, including the Yarra and King Valleys.
Perfumed, lively nose showing strawberry-like red fruits and perhaps a little stalk. I’m not going to kid you and say there’s any significant complexity, but the fruit is varietal, clean and tasty. The light to medium bodied palate is surprisingly generous, with only a slight hint of the flavour dilution that marks this wine as a budget offering. Fruit flavour itself is attractive, with a delicious sourness adding itself to the simple red fruits observed on the nose. Again there’s slight stalkiness and well balanced acid to keep things moving. Mouthfeel is a highlight; it’s delicately textural without ever becoming coarse. The wine’s finish is light on tannin and of adequate length. If there’s any oak here, I couldn’t taste it.
I’m chuffed that $12 buys a Pinot of clearly varietal character, cleverly made in a style that rewards immediate consumption with food. We had this with salmon, and the combination was rewarding, the fish bringing the wine’s brighter flavours to the fore.
De BortoliPrice: $A12Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007
Morris Durif 2000
An Australian Durif (Petite Sirah) tasted as part of Wine Blogging Wednesday, this month hosted by the Wannabe Wino. Durif is grown mostly in the Rutherglen region, an area known for “big,” traditionally rather rustic reds. They certainly have their fans.
De Bortoli Windy Peak Cabernet Merlot 2005
Part of a six pack of cheapies I bought the other day at Dan’s. The Windy Peak range has often surprised me with wines that substantially overdeliver at their price points. How about this Cabernet Merlot blend, then?Varietally correct aromas of dark fruits, leafiness and a rather yummy fried bacon note (plus a hint of tinned corn, or DMS). The fruit has a slightly bright, “forced smile” character that starts to suggest industrial winemaking to me, but it stops short of being truly offensive, and is well and truly balanced by more interesting tomato vine-like aromas. The entry ushers flavours to the middle palate quickly. The palate is medium bodied and neatly balanced between those just-shy-of-confected fruit flavours and more savoury elements. Tannins are quite lovely and fine, kicking in towards the rear of the palate and carrying the wine through a finish that is satisfyingly long. Not hugely complex, but balanced and well made. No doubt this wine is excellent for the price. If one might criticize it for lacking individuality, it’s hardly a serious fault at this end of the market. Having said that, it’s also just good enough to make me pine for a better wine, if that makes sense. De BortoliPrice: $A13Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007
Chambers Rosewood Vineyard Grand Muscat NV
I love our fortified wines — in particular, Muscats and Tokays from North-Eastern Victoria. So when I saw this on offer, it was hard to resist. Material in this wine dates back to the 1950s. Consumed in lieu of dessert.
A brilliant deep brown, sparkling yet dense and rich-looking. The nose captured my attention for several minutes before I moved on to tasting this wine, so surprising is its mix of aged characters and fresh vitality. It’s one of the ironies of this type of wine that these older, concentrated versions simultaneously present a greater degree of both aged complexity and freshness than their younger, simpler and often more cloying siblings. In the case of the Chambers, a lovely floral note, slightly tea-like, but more exotically fragrant, sat prominently alongside intense aromas of dried fruits, plum pudding, etc. So balanced, such elegance and singularity.
In the mouth, the first thing that strikes one is the mouthfeel. The wine is so viscous that it doesn’t immediately unfold in the mouth upon entry. Instead, the wine seems to exist as a bubble for a moment or two, before collapsing and flooding the middle palate with flavour. The first sip I had of this wine shocked my palate with its concentrated flavour, and had the effect of drawing saliva from my mouth, in the manner of eating something tasty when very hungry. Amazingly, and as with the nose, the wine shows a floral dimension that adds lightness to the palate. This is aided by a surprisingly firm acid backbone which drives the wine’s line and helps it to be, ultimately, quite cleansing. The finish just goes on and on.
This is probably one of the best fortifieds I’ve ever tasted and, although it’s not cheap, it’s one of the best value wines I can think of. If you wanted to finish off a special dinner party in style, you could do a lot worse than pull out a bottle of this.
Chambers
Price: $A60 (375ml)
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: November 2007
Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir 2006
Time to taste the companion wine to the Chardonnay tasted a few days prior. I started on this bottle last night but wasn’t really in the mood for analytical tasting. And, I must say, the wine didn’t much suit my mood. Tonight, however, the wine and I are more in sync. Fickle, fickle me.
This wine is a savoury expression of Pinot Noir fruit, with little in the way of easy padding or obvious fruit flavour. Instead, the nose greets one with tightly held dark fruits, beetroot type flavours, some sous-bois, perhaps the slightest hint of sweetness peeping out.
The wine’s entry reinforces a savoury flavour profile and, whilst flavoursome, is very focused and structured as it opens out to the middle palate. It is here the wine’s mouthfeel asserts itself. It’s all about texture, this wine, with the same flavours indicated on the nose riding atop the wine’s structure. Savoury tannins kick in quite early and carry the wine through the latter stages of the palate to a lengthy finish. The tannins are again quite remarkable in texture but I wonder if there’s a slightly unripe edge to them too.
This is not an easy drinking quaffer but rather a Pinot that will reward those who enjoy chiseled, savoury wines; a more “intellectual” wine, if you will. It might surprise those who are accustomed to Yarra Valley fruit bombs. At this price, this is excellent value. Don’t serve it too warm.
Hoddles Creek
Price: $A18
Closure: Stelvin
Tasted: November 2007
Hoddles Creek Chardonnay 2006
I had this with food; specifically, a creamy chicken pasta dish. With a few minutes in the glass, this wine gave off aromas of roasted nuts, vanilla, coffee and spice (presumably oak derived), light sulfur, along with cool climate chardonnay fruit (white stone fruit, etc). It’s an attractive nose, with good volume and flavour integration, quite complex really.
The wine’s entry is smooth and focused, leading to a mid-palate that is again focused and reasonably intense. Flavours show tight preserved lemon and a range of noticeable, though not overwhelming, oak notes. There’s a nice crescendo of flavour towards the after palate, and this ensures pleasing persistence through the tight, acid-driven finish. This is an elegant wine of reasonable complexity. To return to the starting point, this wine went extremely well with food, graced as it is with ample acidity. It doesn’t jump out at me as a ‘wow’ wine in any particular way, but it’s also rather hard to fault. Excellent value.
Update: on the second night, this wine had upped the intensity an extra notch, without losing its focus and structure. I’m feeling happy to have bought a few of these.
Hoddles Creek
Price: $A18
Closure: Stelvin
Tasted: November 2007