2005 Heartland Directors Cut Shiraz

Country: Australia
Region: Langhorne Creek & Limestone Coast
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: €19,00
Closure: Cork

I plan on moving back to Australia within the next two years so I am busy trying to sort of the wines to drink, give away or move with me. It's an interesting job as you find wines hidden away in boxes that you forgot you had purchased. This was one of them, a single bottle of the 2005 Heartland Directors Cut Shiraz.

Heartland Wines is the creation of a small group of South Australian wine identities and friends who all share a passion for making great wine; second generation winemaker Ben Glaetzer and wine industry professionals Grant Tilbrook and Vicki Arnold. All the wines are made by Ben Glaetzer a member of a family as synonymous with the Barossa as Shiraz.

The Shiraz grape was brought to Australia by the father of the Australian wine industry, James Busby, in 1832. Since then it has become the "Australian" grape and has been the driving force behind the industries amazing growth over the past ten years or so. Australia is also home to some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world with a number of wineries having vines older than 100 years.

This wine is Heartland's flagship wine and is 100% Shiraz produced from fruit grown in Glaetzers own vineyards. In this case 60% of the final wine is Langhorne Creek fruit with the remaining 40% coming from the Limestone Coast. Here is what I thought of it:

Dark, deep and dense opaque purple in colour. Great nose with plenty of dark plum and berry fruit along with some coconut. The palate is big and full-bodied with plenty of upfront, almost velvety, fruit. Ripe rich plum, peppery spice with a fair dash of oak. Really good fruit concentration and intensity. Tannins are there but are not too obtrusive. The finish is quite lengthy with spicy dark berry fruit. I really enjoyed this even though it really deserved some more time before consumption.

2007 Leasingham Magnus Riesling

Country: Australia
Region: Clare Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: €12,00
Closure: Screwcap

When I think of Riesling I cannot help but think of the steep, hilly regions of Germany along the Rhine and the Mosel rivers.  The riesling, originating in Germany (Rhine region), is a very versatile grape which can produce wines in many different styles.  In fact it is one of the reasons some commentators, such as Jancis Robinson (and many others I may say), refer to riesling as the king of the whites.  

Riesling is possibly one of the most underrated white varieties after it's reputation was destroyed by wines such as Blue Nun, Liebfraumilch and Niersteiner.  Thouge these wines often contained little or no riesling in them riesling was tainted by association.  These wines gave riesling the reputation of sickly sweet wines; beginners wines that were not to be taken too seriously.  Over time Riesling is winning back some of the lost ground, although there is still a lot of ground to be made up.

In Australia the Clare Valley is one of 'the' places to produce riesling and is home to some of the best producers such as Leo Buring, Petaluma and Grosset.  With an average rainfall of 632mm and an average winter temperature of 13 degrees, the Clare Valley is one of Australia's coolest wine growing regions.  The long, warm summer days and the cooling nights allow the grapes to develop flavour as well as maintaining the crisp acidity Australian rieslings are known for.  In general Australian riesling is drier than those produced in Germany for example where a little residual sugar is often left in the wine left fermentation.  

This wine is the 2007 Leasingham Magnus Riesling produced in the Clare Valley.  Against all advice Leasingham was the first winery in the Clare to plant the riesling variety in the early 1950's.  The variety flourished and the rest they say is history.     

Here is what I thought of the wine:

Light; almost straw-like in colour.  Typical floral nose with a dash of green citrus.  Quite dry on the palate with juicy, lemon, lime citrus fruit and plenty of mouth drying acidity.  A little short on the finish but a nice, varietally correct wine.  While very clean and correct I do think it lacks that little bit of interest for mine.  I would, however, be interested in tasting this with some bottle age.

WBW#48 Back to Our Roots

For a variety of reasons I started this post but never managed to finish it. This was a milestone in Wine Blogging Wednesday; it had been four years since Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours fame kicked off WBW.

Unlike many I never started on white, sweeter wines; whites have been something of an investigation project later on. I started with the lower end reds. Jacob's Creek, Hardy's Nottage Hill etc. were all names that served me well at the beginning of my wine journey. I couldn't find any of these, even though I have previously seen them floating around the supermarkets previously, so I purchased the Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz instead. Here's what my thoughts on it are:

2006 Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz

Country: Australia
Region: Multi-Regional
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: €9,00
Closure: Cork

Deep purple red; quite dark and dense in colour. The nose shows red fruit and spice along with vanillan aromas. On the palate the red fruit is ripe, sweet and upfront and exhibits plum and dark berry flavours. Typical of Shiraz it also showed plenty of spice too. The oak was also evident but not overly so. Tannins were soft and velvety.  A very decent, albeit commercial, drop and pretty good value for money.

WBW#47 Today’s Wine Brought To You By The Letter “S”

This months Wine Blogging Wednesday theme is presented by the guys at Grape Juice. An interesting theme this one; Today’s Wine Brought To You By The Letter “S”. Well all I can say this wine was definitely brought by the letter "S". Read more to find out why.

NV Pertaringa The Full Fronti

Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Alcohol: 18.%
Price: €16,00
Closure: T-Cap

The liqueur styles Tokay (Muscadelle) and Muscat/Frontignac (Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains / Brown Muscat) are classically produced in Australia, especially the Rutherglen area in Victoria. This one, however, is not from Rutherglen but from McLaren Vale where the Hardy and Leask families have been fortifying grapes for well over 150 years. Today they own and run Pertaringa Vineyards releasing the Full Fronti for fun rather than necessity. The Liqueur Fronti is a blend of liqueur frontignac that averages to around 20 years in age.

These are my thoughts on it:

Amber-brown in colour with hints of olive green. Very thick and viscous. Powerful on the nose; the aromas almost leap out of the glass with ranchio aromas, raisins and currants, spice and just a hint of spirit. Thick, luscious and powerful on the palate with the same ranchio characters, raisins, currents, apricot, caramel along with hints of spirit. A spirited long, lengthy finish completes a seriously superb drink; stupendously spectacular, sensuous, and sublime. Oh heck why not? It's SUPER­CALI­FRAGI­LISTIC­EXPI­ALI­DOCIOUSLY good.

WBW#46 Rhone Whites

This month the theme is Rhone whites and is presented by dr debbs of goodwineunder20. I chose two wines one Australian and the other a Rhone. The wines ended up being totally different in style which made for interesting comparisons; one was quite fresh with good acidity as opposed to the other which was fatter and rounder with clearly less acidity.

2005 Yering Station M.V.R

Region: Australia
Country: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 14%
Price: €16,00
Closure: Screwtop

Yering Station has some of the oldest vines in Victoria and was one of the first wineries in Victoria having been established in 1838 by the Scottish-born Ryrie brothers. While certainly better known for it Pinot Noir, Yering Station have a reputation for quality across the entire range. This wine has been matured for 3 months in oak of which 22% was fermented in oak
and the remaining 78% in tank. The cepage of this wine are the classic northern Rhone varieties of Marsanne, Viognier and Roussanne.

Pale, straw-like in colour. Really fresh on the nose with plenty of peach and pear fruit. The same pear and peach fruits show up on the palate along with some citrus and mineral characters. The wine is lean and very fresh with good acidity. A lovely wine for a warm summers day.

2003 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage Mule Blanche

Region: Rhone
Country: France
Alcohol: 14%
Price: €19,00
Closure: Cork

This estate also have a long history with evidence suggesting that winery was found in the early 19th century. Until 2005 the estate was in the hands of the Jaboulet family when it was sold to the Frey family, who also own Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux.

Of interest is that the comes from the days when mules where used as pack horses in the vineyard. The wine is a blend of Marsanne 50% and Roussanne 50% sourced from a 7 hectare vineyard where vine age is between 40 and 60 years. It spends nine months in oak.

Bright intense yellow-golden in colour. Butter and honied melon on the nose backed up with some hints of oak. The palate is quite thick and oily with the same buttery creaminess and plenty of honey-like fruit. Acidity is quite low but the wine is not flabby. Oak gives the wine structure. Interesting, attractive wine that I would be more than happy to drink again in the future. Good stuff.

2007 Thorn Clarke James Goddard Shiraz

Region: Barossa
Country: Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Price: €9.99
Closure: Cork

Thorn-Clarke Wines was launched in 2002 as a result of the 37 year marriage between David and Cheryl Clarke (nee Thorn). The Thorn family have a long history in the Barossa having grown vines in there since the 1870’s. They still proudly own and manage some of the oldest vineyards in the region.

Thorn-Clarke abides by a strong philosophy of over-delivering in terms of the quality at every price level. They strive to ensure that whether people buy the Sandpiper range at $15 or the Shotfire range at $23 they are drinking wines that are excellent value for money. So far that has definitely been the case.

This shiraz is a tribute to the ambitious James Goddard, an ancestor of the Clarke family, who found gold in the Barossa Valley in the 1870's. Having migrated from England in the 1850’s, he moved to the Barossa during the gold rush, developing and managing the Lady Alice mine in search of riches. Here are my thoughts on the wine:

Dense, deep, inky purple-red in colour. Nice nose with plenty of black fruit and hints of vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate with black berry, plum and some sour cherry backed by toasty oak and fine-grained tannins. A lengthy, drying finish completes a nice wine that punches well above its weight class.

2004 Penfolds Thomas Hyland Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Adelaide, Coonawarra, and Robe
Country: Australia
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: €9.99
Closure: Cork

It was Thomas Hyland's hands that took over the reins after the passing of Penfolds founder Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold. Hyland was married into the Penfolds family and, together with his mother-in-law Mary Penfold, saw the company develop into one of Australia's most famous wine names.

This cabernet is one of a trio of wines that form the Thomas Hyland range honouring the enterprising, pioneering spirit of Thomas Hyland. Typically of many of the Penfolds range it is a multi-regional wine that draws its fruit from Adelaide, Coonawarra, and Robe. Here's what I thought of it:

Deep, dark dense red with purple hues. The nose is not super powerful but shows nice ripe red plum fruit, some black olive and hints of vanillan oak. Soft, round and fruit forward on the palate with the oak nicely tucked away behind red plum and berry fruit backed up by fine, grippy tannins. Decent length completes a drink-now wine that is well made, but is not all that exciting.

2004 Penfolds Bin 128

Region: Coonawarra

Country: Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Price: €13,00
Closure: Cork

Penfolds has been around since 1844 and over the subsequent 160-odd years has done much to put Australian wines on the world map. Their most famous wine is undoubtedly their flagship bin 95 (otherwise known as Grange), creation of the brilliant (and stubborn) Max Schubert. The naming of wines after bin numbers stems from the days when the wines were still stored in numbered underground storage bins at Penfolds Magill winery.

Penfolds has continued the tradition of labelling wines with bin numbers, among them the Bin 128. Formerly known as Bin 128 Claret, Bin 128 could be described as an oddity among the Penfolds range as it is one of the few wines where the grapes do not come from multiple regions; all grapes are sourced from the Coonawarra region. The wine is a cool climate Shiraz that is matured exclusively in Franch Oak.

I purchased this to assess whether I like it enough to purchase a case to stash in my cellar for a few years. This wine is, in my own humble opinion, a little too young to drink now.

Here's what I thought of it:

The first thing that hit me about this wine is the whimp of a cork used by Penfolds - what a joke. Anyway on to the wine. Really deep, dense red in colour with purple hues. almost black. The nose shows dark plummy, almost cassis-like fruit with some oak there in the background too. Medium in weight on the palate this wine shows nicely ripe dark berry, curranty, plummy fruit along with some hints of white pepper. This is all nicely framed with toasty oak. A lengthy, drying finish completes a really nice wine (though you need to appreciate some oak). Given the quality this is really quite decent value for money.

WBW#43 Comfort wine

Region: McLaren Vale
Country: Australia
Alcohol: 15%
Price: €15,00
Closure: Cork

Initially I felt that this is one the toughest WBW topics so far. I'm not really all that sure that I drink wine as a comfort drink, although I certainly do drink it when I am unwinding. Anyway here is my effort at this months wine blogging wednesday theme (presented by Joel over at Wine Life Today).

The past weeks have been pretty hectic for me; a wedding to plan for August and a new freelancing world (it's my second week). Initially I thought maybe a nice bottle of vintage port or a bottle of Tokaji. Living so far from home, however, I could not go past relaxing with a good glass (highly likely a few more than that!) of Aussie Shiraz.

My choice of wine for this theme is the Gemtree Uncut Shiraz from the low yielding and excellent 2003 vintage. Here is my tasting note:

Really good colour; deep red with tinges of purple. Nice nose with plenty of plum and berry fruit. Big and full bodied the palate is smooth with concentrated plum and black berry. Some spice in there too. Oak is there but definitely takes a back seat. Fine grained tannins provide for a nice lengthy, dying finish. This is delicious wine that really is great value for money.

2005 Leasingham Magnus Clare Valley Shiraz

Region: Clare Valley
Country: Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Price: €11,95
Closure: Screwcap

The Stanley Wine Company was established in 1893 by Joseph Knappstein (a merchant), Doctor Wein-Smith (a general practitioner), Magnus Badger (a solicitor), and John Cristion (a noted brewer). Now known as Leasingham (changed in 1984), and run by the Hardys Wine Company, it was started by the quartet in order to produce high quality wines in the Clare Valley.

Around one hundred and fifteen years later Leasingham has certainly shown that their vision for quality wine in the Clare Valley has certainly been realised. This is the Magnus Shiraz, a relatively new range, named as a tribute to solicitor Magnus Badger. Here is my tasting note:

Really dark, teeth-staining purple-red, almost black in colour. The nose is made up of peppery black fruit, along with some herbs. Quite tight and elegant on the palate with plenty of black berry fruit and nice firm tannins. Some vanillan oak comes through on the lengthy finish. This is the real deal, a lovely and good value for money wine.

2001 Tatty Road Cabernet Pertit Verdot Merlot

Region: McLaren Vale
Country: Australia
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: €15,95
Closure: Screwcap

I've read many good reviews about the wines produced by Gemtree Vineyards and have been looking forward to trying their wines. The vineyard is owned and run by the Buttery Family, and the wine made by Mike Brown (who is married into the family).

Mike Brown's winemaking philosophy is all about quality fruit and minimal intervention in the wine making process. He aims to produce wines that are powerful, concentrated, and express the true characteristics of each variety and the region.

The wine is a Bordeaux blend of cabernet (70%), petit verdot (25%) and merlot (5%) from a good year in 2001. According to the information on the wesbite cabernet dominates the blend and creates the platform and base, petit verdot gives the aromatics structure and tannin, and merlot the juiciness.

Here is my note:

Terrific colour: very deep, dark red in colour with purple hues. The nose is not that powerful but shows some olives, black currant and hints of oak. The palate is full-bodied and all about the fruit with spices, plums, and sour cherry. Oak takes a definite back seat as it should. Grippy tannins complete a solid wine that for some reason doesn't really do it for me.

2000 Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz

Country: Australia
Region: Barossa Valley
Alcohol: 14%
Price: €19,00
Closure: Cork

Sparkling Shiraz is quintessentially Australian. Living in Europe it was actually quite difficult to source any at all. A number of wine store owners informed me that there wasn't enough demand for sparkling reds which confirms that outside of Australia sparkling Shiraz is not really accepted or understood. Eventually I finally found a small quantity of Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz in a small wine store of which I purchased the majority.

Sparkling Shiraz was first produced in the 1880's in South Australia. The early 1930's-1950's saw the Seppelt winery at Great Western in Victoria become known as the home of Australian sparkling Shiraz, or sparkling Burgundy as it was commonly referred to at the time. Today Seppelt is still Australia's largest producer of sparkling wines, though there are numerous other wineries also producing sparkling Shiraz. More information about the history of Sparkling reds in Australia can be found in this well researched article by Dr. John Wilson of the Wilson Vineyard.

Peter Lehmann initially started with the production of a small number of cases of sparkling Shiraz for personal consumption in the 1980's. The first serious sparkling shiraz for public was released almost twenty years later in 1999 (from the 1994 vintage). The wine is produced using the method champenoise where secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. It has spent 6 years cellaring on tirage (or on the lees) before disgorgement which allows the wine to gain further complexity.

The wine is named after the Queen of Sheba (also depicted on the label), member of the Ethiopian royal family. Not all that much is known about her, although she is mentioned in a number of key religious books such as the Bible and the Koran. In the limited literature references to her she is described as a mystical, exotic, dark beauty; as "dark [am I] and comely". As wise as she was beautiful, she was blown away by the wisdom of Solomon, even converting to his God. It is also possible that more took place considering Solomon was quite the ladies man.

Here is my tasting note:

Pinkish, brown head when poured. This is black, red in colour with brown towards to the edge of the glass. Rich, fruity nose of ripe blackberries and some hints of American oak. Plenty of sweet rich blackberry and plummy palate with a lovely fine bead and some hints of tannin. Nicely balanced with good length on the slightly bitter finish. Certainly dark and comely, this is a lovely example of Sparkling Shiraz.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #40 - Que Sirah Sirah

This month the Wine Blogging Wednesday theme chosen (by wannabewino) is Petite Sirah or Durif depending on who you talk to. The wine I chose to review for this theme is the Westend Estate 3 Bridges Durif 2003.

Westend Estate is a small family-owned and operated vineyard with around 20 hectares under vine. The estate was established in 1945 by the the Calabria family who still own it today. The vineyard is located in close to the town of Griffiths in the Riverina region in New South Wales. Chief winemaker is Bill Calabria, who cannot consume his wines but is limited to taste and spit as he has allergy to acids in the wines.

Anyway now to the wine.

Typical of the durif grape, this wine is a very deep, dense, inpenetrable purple in colour. The is nose powerful and attractive with plenty of sweet fruit: plum, black berry and hints of vanilla. Massive is the only way to describe the wine on the palate. Plenty of fruit here with plums and black berries; also a little vegemite. American oak contributes some toasty vanillan flavours. Tannins are big and grippy but don't dominate the fruit. Thick legs sliding down the sides of the glass give testament to the high alcohol content which is nicely tucked behind a wall of black fruit. Still a baby this is a big wine that packs plenty of punch, just as Bill Calabria would have done in his amateur boxing days.

2002 Little River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Little River Winery is a tiny 15 acre winery owned and run by Count Bruno and his wife Jan de Tastes. It is located in the Swan Valley, some thirty minutes from Perth. The winery is run applying old world-style principles with new world technologies. The utmost is done to ensure wines of high quality; the vines are not irrigated, the fruit is hand picked and a traditional Basket Press is used to press the fruit.

I visited this Swan River winery while back in Australia and I must say I was very impressed across the entire range; both whites and reds. This is the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, a traditional Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon (50%), merlot (40%) and cabernet franc (10%). The wine has been aged in French oak for five years and does not undergo any fining or filtering processes.

Here is my tasting note:

Deep red in colour. A lovely elegant nose of red berry fruit with hints of mint and oak. Plenty of spicey red cherry fruit on the palate with hints of mint, eucalypt and some caramel-like oak. Great mouth-feel with grippy tannins. Smooth and well balanced. Spicey cherry lingers nicely on the finish. This is an excellant effort that is lovely drinking now, but definitely has cellaring potential.

2005 Pepperjack Shiraz

Coming from a town close to the Swan Valley I have come to realise that I really enjoy a glass or two of the warmer climate reds. I picked up this bottle of Barossa Shiraz on one of my daily, holiday tours through the local liquor store. Here is my tasting note:

Colour: Deep red and purple; i like wines with good colour depth, and this certainly has that.
Nose: A big, solid nose of black berry fruits and some vanillin.
Palate: Very soft, round wine. Plums and black berries. Generous wine typical of warm climate Shiraz. Good tannins round the wine off.
Finish: Nice soft, slightly spicey finish.
Comments: I loved this nice, generous Shiraz. Will also go a few years in the cellar.

2004 Waters Edge Merlot Cabernet

I was in the Swan Valley and swung by what used to be Olive farm. I saw it has been renamed Waters Edge and decided to stop by. It appears most of the wines have been made from fruit grown down south in places like Pemberton. I purchased two wines for further tasting at home: and Cabernet Merlot and a Merlot Cabernet.

Here's my tasting note for the Merlot Cabernet:

Colour: Vibrant cherry red in colour.
Nose: All fruit with Cherry and Plum. Some vegemite here too.
Palate: Cherry and plums. Nice soft tannins.
Finish: Short finish of Cherry and Plums.
Comments: Nice easy drinking wine. Plenty of fruit there when the wine opens up a bit.

2004 Faber Vineyard Riche Shiraz

I purchased a case of this wine a few years back. Pulled one bottle out to see how it was getting along. Here is my tasting note:

Nose: Deep intense purple; very intense in colour.
Palate: Gobs of juicy plum and dark berry fruit. Spice and some tar. Very round and big; voluptous with solid tannins.
Finish: Nice lengthy finish.
Comments: An impressive wine that got bigger as it opened up. Next time I will give it more airtime. Clearly still too young; needs a piece more in the cellar.

2004 Zilzie Cabernet Sauvignon

I am a big fan of the cabernet grape, and was looking forward to tasting this wine as I have read good reviews of their wines around the place. Here is my tasting note:

Colour: Deep purple in colour.
Nose: Black currents. American Oak and Vanilla.
Palate: Typical cab flavours of black currants and berries. Also some numeg spice. Good firm tannins.
Finish: Finishes with vanilla and nutmeg. Slightly weak on the finish.
Comments: Ok wine, but in my opinion lacking fruit. Expected more from this.

2000 Killerby Shiraz

I purchased this wine back in 2000. Over time I seen some less than postive reviews of the Killerby marketing tactics - I haven't noticed this as yet. Anyway, some six years later pulled one out to check how these are travelling. here is my tasting note:

colour: deep red bordering to purple in colour. some fading of colour to the edge of the glass.
nose: nice nose with spicey red fruit. hints of cedary oak and pepper also.
palate: a rich wine with a good dose of spicey red fruit; blackberrys. some oak imparted vanilla. nicely structured with lovely grippy tannins.
finish: nice long finish.
comments: i'm quite impressed by this wine. it's certainly travelled well so far.

2005 Zilzie Buloke Cabernet Merlot

I have read pretty positive reviews on the Zilzie range of wines in a number of different sources. The Buloke range (meaning Bull-Oak) is named after the range of Buloke trees overlooking the vineyard and aims to deliver everyday drinking wines that overdeliver in quality. In my opinion Zilzie have achieved this with this wine. Here is my tasting note:

Colour: Lively red in colour. Nice colour density.
Nose: I can only identify fruit here; mainly dark berry aromas. Oak is not noticable.
Palate: Dark berry and plum flavours dominate the palate. Very soft, smooth tannins. Some oak and spice decernable here.
Finish: Oak and spicey fruit linger a little on the finish.
Conclusions: Nice food wine for every day drinking; quite good value for money.