A structured tasting is offered where 5 wines are offered with tasting notes and 3 cheeses in a very pleasant surroundings of the tasting room. The tastings are by appointment only.  They are also working on the outside areas where functions for both inside and outside will be possible.

Now the wines…………

Second Nature Range
2010 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)
This is all you would expect from an Adelaide Hills Sauvy – aromas of grass and passionfruit that continues to flavors of straw and passionfruit. What I was not expecting was the citrus flavors as there was a really good level of acid in the wine. I also got a sense of some residual sugar just before the acid kicks in. For those that like this variety why not check this out – you could do worse, you could have a kiwi inspired wine.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Merlot ($A18)
When first opened the aromas were quite closed but eventually opened up to reveal a fresh berry compote with a small amount of freshly cut mint sprinkled over the berries. The berries continue on the palate with a fresh cherry chaser. A nice wine for this price point.

Dowie Doole Range
2010 Chenin Blanc ($A16)
This stable has a reputation for this variety and I have seen a number of good Chenin wines from these guys. Made from grapes from their Blewitt Springs and California vineyards and it is a little beauty. The glass smells of apples and citrus peel. The peel theme continues onto the flavors with some melons and the acid levels are again high – which is good. The whole comes together with the outcome being a good mouthfeel that makes you hungry for more. Bring it on.

2011 Chenin Blanc
Just been bottled and thus not released yet. Lots of passionfruit that jumps all over your nose and mouth. Will be a beauty once it has settled down after bottling, so one to look out for.

2008 Tintookie Chenin Blanc ($A30)
The Blewitt Springs Chenin vineyard is called Tintookie – Dowie Doole has been making good to great wines from this vineyard and in a climate of pulling out vines they are planting more Chenin here. What is also different is the wine is barrel fermented and it shows very quickly. The green apple aromas are complemented with the nuttiness of some French oak. Once you drink it you get lemons, but there is more to it. There is a creamy mouthfeel that is complemented by lengthy acid.

2009 Merlot ($A22)
Good fruit and smart oak has provided another good wine. Yes, I am suggesting a Merlot is a good wine. Plums with a hint of dustiness and a very interesting cloak finish to the aroma profile. The usual plums and cherries are here combined with some good dusty oak tannins. Again a surprise – minty flavors here as well.

2010 G & T (Garnacha & Tempranilo) ($A25)
55% Grenache and 45% Tempranillo to produce a Spanish theme. Only 6 months in oak has provided a really drinkable red under so many conditions. The red fruits almost smell sweet and combined with the subtle oak provides a vibrant lift out of the glass. Every mouthful asks you back for more with spicy red fruits with oak that does not dominate. An unusual blend that will not disappoint.

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($A25)
This was the surprise for me – I am not normally a Cabernet drinker but I could drink a heap of this. The aromas of blackcurrent and mint just fly out of the glass so much so, you don’t even have to do the “wanky thing” to get the aromas. I get cassis and chocolate with a minty finish. As I am finding with McLaren Vale Cabernet the usual donut effect where the flavors disappear in the mid palate, does not happen here. Good old McLaren Vale is having it’s effect and so the mid palate is there is spades.

2009 Shiraz ($A25)
Classical McLaren Vale plums and spice on the nose that makes one think of dark fruit cake. The classical McLaren Vale Shiraz comes through when you drink it as well – black cherries wrapped up with vanillin oak and a chocolate finish.

2008 Reserve Shiraz ($A60)
Things step up a notch here, the fruit and spice have so many extra dimensions. The aromas are so lifted with cherry and plum and the spice character gives you a sense of cinnamon and anise and classy envelope of vanilla. In the mouth the vanilla continues with a depth of plum and subtle spices of cinnamon and white pepper. An example of how good American oak can be with good Shiraz – it is a pity that generally we are moving away from American oak when it can produce such good wine.

N/V Moxie ($A25)
A sparkling red made from Shiraz, Malbec and Touriga with a distinct female play. The packaging has a sexy and fun feel with a take off of what could be seen as James Bond girl silhouettes. The grapes come mainly from Langhorne Creek to produce a mixture of fairy floss mixed with cherries and a few raspberries. There is juicy fruits and a fair hit of sugar here with the saving grace being the good acid hit that cleans up the palate. For me a bit sweet but I can see a lot of people loving it. The wine has a cult following in Germany and only a small proportion is kept in McLaren Vale for direct sales.

2010 Cane Cut Viognier ($A25 375 ml bottle)
As the name suggests the sweetness comes from cutting the canes on the vine to allow the fruit to dry and concentrate while still on the vine. There is no boytris infection here, but the juice still made over 17 Beaume. As expected for Viognier there is lots of apricots on both the nose and palate. What I found really good was the high level of acid that cleaned the mouth and tongue that allowed you to come back for more

They have 2 wine ranges, the normal company label (Battle of Bosworth) and the Spring Seed Wine Company.  The Spring Seed Wine Company was a label created for the American market.  With the issues selling into the American market they have decided to release these wines into the domestic market.  With the lower price point and the smart packaging these wines should do well.

Battel of Bosworth Cellar Door First Customer

They opened a new cellar door on 12th August 2011 and I could not resist being there – in fact I had the pleasure of being their first cellar door customer.  The cellar door can be found on Gaffney Road, Willunga.

Battle of Bosworth Cellar Door Roadway Sign

Check out their web sites at:-

www.battleofbosworth.com.au

wwspringseedwineco.com.au

Spring Seed Wine Company

2010 Forget Me Not Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon ($A15)

As expected this 60/40 blend of the 2 varieties is so different to the same blend from say Margaret River.  This is good as we do not want wine clones – different is good.  What I find very interesting here is that the Semillon seems to be dominate.  I get some grass on the nose and some passionfruit on the palate, but the unripe nashi pear seems to me to be dominate.  There is good acid here, which also adds to the overall length of the wine.

2010 Four O’Clock Chardonnay ($A15)

Unwooded Chardonnay with all the melons you would want.  I get honeydew and rockmelon like they were sitting in front of me.  Again the acid length was good.  For an unwooded Chardonnay this had a surprisingly good mouthfeel.  A project of the great vintage and good winery practice.  Chardonnay seems to be making a comeback and this sort of wine will only help.

2011 Sweat Pea Moscato ($A20)

Made from Brown Muscat grape and has a red tinge due to some skin contact when the wine was crushed.  With this introduction, I was looking forward to trying this wine to see if there was a little more complexity than most of the offerings of this type.  I was not disappointed with this spritzig style wine.  The aromas had the expected grape but some really interesting floral characters.  The flavors were just grapes, grapes and more grapes but had a interesting mouthfeel (that I expect was due to the skin contact).  I can see this wine walking out of the cellar door.

2010 Scarlet Runner Shiraz ($A20)

Starting with a very pleasant set of berry aromas (both blueberry and blackberry).  The flavors were the same fruits with a good hit of tannin and acid that means a good length on the wine.  Not over done with either the fruit or the oak, so I can see this wine being quite popular.

Battle of Bosworth

2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

Regular readers of the Lonely Grape will know that Sauvignon Blanc is not one of my favorite wine varieties.  This offering is not over the top like a lot of these wines.  There is some grass and passionfruit here but not too much.  The acid length is here which shows the vintage was spot on for this variety.

2009 Chardonnay Vioginer ($A18)

The start was lees than expected as the aromas were very closed.  I wondered if it was due to the wine being cold, so I waited for the wine to heat up a little, but it made no real difference.  The flavors show how much a little Viognier (about 5%) can make – the apricot of Viognier is noticeable but not overt.  This unwooded wine will split the wine tasting visitor to this cellar door.  Some will really like it and others will not, and for me …..

2010 Chardonnay ($A25)

Now we are talking.  A Chardonnay with some smart French oak treatment.  There is extra complexity here that the oak brings to this classic grape variety.  Melons mixed with cedar and lovely acid here as well.  The mouthfeel also indicates some lees aging.  This wine is a beauty and brings me hope that the classical lightly wooded Chardonnay is not dead.

2009 War of the Rose Cabernet Rose ($A18)

I have had this wine before and I have been pleasantly surprised over the quality of this rose from Cabernet – not the usual grape variety for Rose.  The aromas of strawberries and a very clean wine with watermelon and blackcurrent fruit.  I hear this wine has not been made since and so I urge you to check it out.  I have had a few bottles during the heat of summer with some crusy bread and soft cheeses – Yum.

2010 Preservative Free Shiraz ($A20)

This wine is very interesting.  Ever heard that people do not drink red wine because they get head aches?  One train of thought about this is that the head aches are due to a wine preservative – sulphur dioxide.  This wine is produced with no wood contact – aging in the wood requires the sulphur dioxide to be added to the wine.  The wine has been made with no additives at all.  I thought the wine may have been like a light red with minimal tannins and character.  I could not have been more wrong.  I got cherries, blackberries and blueberry aromas and the same clean fruit flavors with much more tannins than expected.  If you have trouble with the additives in red wines then try this wine – it will not disappoint.

2009 Shiraz ($A25)

This is why McLaren Vale is known for producing high quality Shiraz.  The aromas were voluminous with plums and dusty French oak.  Here is the great mid palate that McLaren Vale is all about all the fruits from the aromas that just last right across the whole tasting experience right though to a long lasting length.  Yes, I enjoyed this wine.

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($A25)

All that you expect from Cabernet – blackcurrent fruits all over the place.  Good acid length and the oak not being over done will mean the Cabernet lovers amongst us will enjoy this one.

2009 White Boar Shiraz ($A45)

An amarone style – the grapes are air dried to concentrate the grape sugars and flavors before the grapes are fermented.  From the few wines made in the style I have tasted, I notice a Current characteristic on both the aromas and flavors.  This wine continues this trend.  Everything about this wine is classy, concentrated flavors, smart use of oak, and good acid length means this wine is one to check out.

2010 Clarence Sticky Semillon ($A15 375mL)

The aromas were typical for this style – sweet tropical fruits with an apricot envelope.  The grass flavor is hear but the striking element of this wine is the level of acid.  The acid cleans the palate of the high levels of sugar so your mouth feels clean and ready for another sip.

A McLaren Vale icon d’Arenberg Red Stripe Shiraz Grenache. 2 of my favorite varieties at the moment. A joy to share with you and I hope you enjoy it too.

So why such an introduction?  Well after many many years of working on a map of the McLaren Vale geology project last year PIRSA (Primary Industry and Resources SA) together with McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association published this geological map.  The map shows the geological variations of the McLaren Vale region with an overlay of wineries and vineyards.

Being a wine nurd I find the information facinating.  The sandy soils of Blewitt Springs that provide a smokey / peaty flavors to the Bay od Biscay soils of the Willungs Plains producing wines of strength – what a joy they provide.

Want to know more – then read what one of the authors, Philip White, think about this wonderful creation by clicking here.

If my information is correct the map is available at member wineries of the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism.

_

2009 Maximus GSM
This wine was only 0.1 point from the Bushings King award from the 2010 McLaren Vale wine show. At the same show the wine was award the Trophy for the best Grenache based blend. Others have like it as it is now being served at our Prime Minister Hosted dinners. With this build up, I was looking forward to this wine. The wine did not disappoint. I enjoyed the 2008 wine from the same stable but this is just one big step up. The aromas are dominated initially by the red fruits of Grenache (raspberry and cherry). There is an interesting transfer to a savory aroma that I suspect comes from the Mourvedre. The flavors can be summed up by one word – balance. The red fruits of the Grenache come through again in spades and the tannin structure is just so complementary to that fruit. Plenty of acid here as well so it made my mouth water and think of food. This combination produces plenty of flavor that lasts and lasts at $25 per bottle this wine is a steal.

2009 Primo Estate Joseph Double Pruned Cabernet Magnum ($A275)
Joe Grilli, owner and senior winemaker has mad a career of being innovative. 10 years ago he made a wine from Angle Vale Cabernet (very hot climate area) and I am told the wine was an absolute beauty. The secrete was the vines were double pruned. In this case the primary crop was pruned early so a second crop would be produced by the vines. This second crop is much less than the initial crop would have been and the grapes ripen much later. In 2009 Joe decided to have another go at this unusually produced wine and put all of the wine into magnums. Well I am glad I was told this wine was from Angle Vale fruit as I would have made somewhat of a fool of myself with this review as all I could see were cool climate characters. The aromas showed the customary blackcurrent but then I got green herbaceous characters with an interesting hint of mint – which would immediately make me think this was a cool climate wine and even potentially from Coonawarra. There is also evidence of dusty oak. I do not like wines that show to many green characters and I was concerned this wine was going to be very green. Well I was wrong again – the wine was an amalgam of blackcurrent and very fine tannins. Lots and lots of character and lots and lots of time ahead of this wine. An absolute beauty that so many people will never see – what a pitty.

2007 Coriole Vita Reserve Sangiovese ($A50)
Coriole has a long history of growing and making wine from the Italian grape variety of Sangiovese. As a warming area McLaren Vale should be well suited to this variety. They have also been working on a Reserve style to produce a “Super Tuscan” wine. I have tasted earlier Reserve efforts and had felt they were just aged versions of their estate wines. This wine, however, was different straight away. The aromas were a mouth watering mix of juicy black fruits. The flavors continued in the juicy fruits mode with layers of very fine tannins. The oak influence is there but it plays an integrated part. Balanced and long lasting means this wine was wrapped up and brought home with me. My mouth is watering while writing this and I have put the wine away so I do not get tempted to drink it just yet.

2009 Penny’s Hill The Experiment Grenache ($A30)
The last 2 times I have been to the Penny’s Hill cellar door this wine was not available, so when I heard there Grenache was available then I just had to drop in. The aromas showed both the expected red fruits but a lot more cedar from the oak than I would expect for this variety. Even though the oak continued in the same vain in the flavors this wine was what I would call lovely McLaren Vale Grenache – all those red fruits and the oak mixed with a great acid profile that assisted the wonderfully long flavors and mouthfeel of the wine. Yes I love this variety and yes the wine has more wood treatment that I would normally agree with, but the whole thing works. Put the wine away for a couple of years and I would expect an even better wine.

Scarce Earth Shiraz post – Fox Creek

Scarce Earth Project Shiraz Part 2 – Shingleback, Brash Higgins & Five Geese

Scarce Earth Project #3 – Kangarilla Road & Sabella

Scarce Earth Project Shiraz #4 – Hugh Hamilton, Chapel Hill, Primo Estate & Coriole

Scarce Earth Project Shiraz #5 - Penny’s Hill, Paxton and Maxwell

Of the 3 wines below, which one was my favorite?  I am not sure, depending on wine age and what I was eating then there was a place for all 3.  The price range was double that of the average Scarce Earth Project Shiraz wine – so it would be up to you to determine if the wines were good value.

As usual these wines are only available at the cellar door and there is a $5 flight charge for the tasting of the 3 wines.

d'Arenberg Scarce Earth Shiraz

2009 The Fruit Bat Shiraz ($A99)

This wine comes from a part of a single vineyard.  The vineyard is on the corner of Foggo Road and Kays Road and the grapes were situated on the higher rows that have their roots in shallow grey loam.  The grapes were more de-stemmed than crushed with whole berries being foot crushed about two thirds the way through fermentation then transferred into new and old French oak plus old American oak.  The name of the wine comes from bats that used to find their home in an old building on the property.

The aromas started with red fruits that just seemed to jump out of the glass at my nose as it got closer to the glass.  I went back to smell this wine a number of times and I got some smoky peatyness and pepper then, somewhat strangely, eucalyptus.  When I tasted it there was a mouthful of tannic cherries that melted into a peaty mid palate.  I am not sure this was typically McLaren Vale Shiraz but it was a typical d’Arenberg wine.

2009 The Little Venice Shiraz ($A99)

From the same vineyard as The Fruit Bat, but from the lower (bottom of the hill) and has similar shallow soils.  The difference here is there is a spring and thus provides plenty of water for the vines.  This vineyard with plenty of water provides the reason for the wine name.  Part of this vineyard has been transferred into biodynamic practices as part of d’Arenberg’s experimentation into vineyard improvements.  The wine treatments are practically the same for The Fruit Bat Shiraz.

What a difference from essentially the same vineyard!  Here was aromas of plums with floral notes (maybe violets) some oak and cardamon pod spice hits.  The flavors started with some fruit sweetness (maybe from the berries being crushed part way through fermentation) that went into a more intense cherry and plum profiles.  The tannins were more chunky than The Fruit Bat – again so different for what was the same vineyard.

2009 The Eight Iron Shiraz ($A99)

Located on the original Osborne property near the winery, cellar door and restaurant complex, this vineyard is roughly shaped like a golf club and is said to be as wide as a good eight iron shot (not that I would know).  The soils are grey loam over limestone.

I understand that one cannot smell sweetness, but that is what I got straight away from this one.  Dark plums are indicating more ripe flavors and what I can only describe as typically McLaren Vale Shiraz here.  The mid palate length one expects with intensity of fruit and tannins.  Also get a hint of crushed ants, which is typical of d’Arenberg.

2009 Penny’s Hill Footprint Shiraz ($A65)

From the foothills vineyard this wine has been a pert of the Penny’s Hill range for a few years.  This 2009 offering starts with a mixture of spices, cedar and plums.  As expected from the Scarce Earth wines there is depth and strength here.  Flavors of plums and cedary oak and that McLaren Vale mid pallatte showing strength.  The tannins are not over done and I found the good acid providing assistance to the lengthy finish.

2009 Paxton Cracker Barrels Shiraz ($A50)

Paxton Wines 19th Vineyard

I have not had the Cracker Barrels Shiraz before and I was able to taste both the 2007 and 2009 version.  Interestingly the wines could not really have been more different.  The rationale for choosing the wine for this label is to find those couple of barrels of wine that are just superior to the others and really impresses the wine making team.  Thus the view is to get the best wine into this label and not to provide a consistent style.  The 2009 wine is from the 19th Vineyard (see photo) on Seaview road, near Olivers Vineyards.  Vineyard is double cordon trellised, biodynamic practices with a wild yeast ferment.  100% American oak for 22 months and bottles in March.

Aromas of smokey peat (maybe from the sandy soils) wonderful shiraz fruit that has that real plum swing.  The flavors shows so much.  Coconut character from the oak, the same smokey peat and plums.  Then black fruits kick in with such a balanced length to the wine.  This wine really needs time and it really is only just starting to clam down after bottling.

2009 Maxwells Eocene Ancient Earth Shiraz ($A45)

Maxwell Wines Estate Vineyard

From the block below the winery complex this vineyard is on loam over limestone (from the Eocene Epoch and hence the wine’s name) was planted in 1953 and on it’s own root stocks.  The aromas were very interesting with dark cherries and aniseed – not what I expected or had been experiencing from Scarce Earth Shiraz.  The flavors can be described as black.  Dark fruits (plum, blackberry and cherries) with balanced cedary oak with some lovely dark chocolate finish.  Even though this wine needs a lot of time in the bottle to see it’s best, I really enjoyed this wine.

The enterprise is the brain child from 3 mates – a vineyard owner, a marketing guy and a business tragic.  Their aim is to produce low cost wines that would appeal to every day drinking public, even to those new to wine drinking.  They also seem to be honing into the function market – so pricing is very important to this area.

90 Mile wines also have a wine club, called funnily enough the 90 Mile Club.  Membership is $20 per year and you get 25% discount on all wines purchased plus invitations to exclusive events (such as pre-release tastings).  Based on purchasing the Destination Shiraz all you need to do is purchase more than 2 bottles and your membership pays for it’s self.

Their web site link is here.

My take on the wines is that apart from the Destination Shiraz, the wines are clean and easy to drink.  I can see this maybe appealing to the younger set where wine is a new fashionable drink.  Maybe a semi sweet wine would be an addition to this range, if in fact that is what they are aiming for.  There are 3 ranges.  A cleanskin range which is priced to move high volumes.  The Beeamma Range from Padthaway and the 90 Mile Range from Fleurieu region (McLaren Vale, Currency Creek and Langhorn Creek).

Cleanskin Range

There was a couple of whites a rose and a couple of reds – I only tried one of the reds.

2009 Cabernet ($A78/dozen)

Good clean blackbery fruit with very soft tannins.  Nothing exciting here, but I have been told that at the price the wine has been walking out of the door.

90 Mile Range

This range is produced from grapes that come from the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula (Currency Creek, Mt Compass and down to Victor Harbor).

NV Brut Cuvee ($A14)

Made from McLaren Vale fruit with the aromas of clean stone fruit – which makes me think this wine is made from Chardonnay.  The flavors are clean and crisp stone fruit that will be drunk very cold at (as I have been told) many local weddings.  It is obvious that the wine is targeted to celebration events at a very reasonable price.

2010 Riesling ($A17)

I have had very few Rieslings from the region that I consider are good expression of the variety and this continues the trend.  Some orange rind and floral aromas that had little to consider for flavor.  Definitely a leave for me.

2010 Shiraz ($A20)

Made from Currency Creek fruit showing the lower end of the ripening scale.  Here the wine is all about cherries and spice to make it a little nice.  Nothing spectacular here but a number of people who are new to red wines may find this interesting.

2006 Destination Shiraz ($A40)

Hold the fort – this is a major step up and what a surprise after the rest of the range.  There is a level of complexity and interest not seen in the other wines.  16.5% alcohol and 2 years in American oak leave their mark.  Aromas seem to be loosing their fruit characters and are more leather and coconut.  The alcohol is not causing the nose to tingle – indicating a strength in the wine that helps balance the alcohol.  The flavors have lots going on – stewed satsuma plums, pepper, chocolate with that hint of coconut.  Again the alcohol is not prominent as the complexity copes so well with it.  Especially at the discounted price this wine is worth checking out.

Beeamma Range

They have a vineyard in Padthaway in the South East of South Australia.  The soils there are rich Terra Rossa soil on a limestone base – typical soil types for the Coonawarra and Padthaway regions.

2008 Chardonnay ($A14)

Straight from the fridge the aromas were masked, but as the wine warmed up I got some peaches and rockmelon.  I did not get any oak characters from this soft and easy drinking wine.  As expected there is melons and stone fruits here – not intensive fruit but at this cost one would next expect it either.

2008 Shiraz ($A14)

I got a greenness in the aroma profile of this wine that I do not normally find in Shiraz.  the greenness was combined with fresh plums, white pepper and cedar oak.  The wine has soft tannins though these tannins are quite drying on the teeth.  This continues the trend of soft easy drinking wine from the range.

2008 Cabernet ($A14)

Just lots of cherries and ribena (blackcurrent) fruit with the same soft tannins – just an easy drinking style.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($A14)

This wine seems more complex than the 2008 wine.  Starting with some eucalypt aromas combining with plums (not what I would expect from a Cabernet).  Good black fruits (both blackberry and blackcurrent) with soft oak notes, that again have teeth drying tannins on the finish.