McLaren Vale Wines – Dyson Wines

21 08 2010

Sitting here drinking a glass of Dyson’s GPR 2002 Clarice Cabernet Sauvignon and wondering what to write about this winery and I turned the bottle around and read the back label ……

“Dyson Wines

“I trust in Nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility.  Spring shall plant and Autumn garner to the end of time”

- Robert Browning

Allan at his Cellar Door

For Allan Dyson this is the spiritual essence that defines each bottle of wine produced on his 15 acre vineyard, which is tucked in by the ocean just west of the McLaren Vale wine region on the Fleurieu Peninsula.  Here since 1977, Allan has worked with Nature to create a perfect environment for his hand-made wines.  The vines are dry grown and emerge from a carpet of deep clean straw mulch which conserves moisture, cools the soil and provides a rich haven for the colonies of earthworms that have been introduced to enrich the growing environment.  It’s as old-fashioned as Nature itself.  The hand-picked fruit is almost bursting with flavor and is processed using traditional methods of basket-pressing and open fermentors.  The Cabernets are hand plunged, while the Chardonnay and Viognier are pressed ever so gently before being cold fermented in a temperature controlled Barrel Room.  Finally, wines that display classic varietal flavors rich in colour and balanced by firm, even tannins are aged in classic fine-grained French oak bariques.  These wines are as bold or as delicate as the palate desires.  It’s the way all wine used to be made – and we like it that way!

“Nature at it’s best” – Allan Dyson”

Dyson Vineyards

The above just says it all.  Allan is such an interesting man to talk to and one gets a sense of passion to assist nature to produce one of it’s drinks – wine.  He firmly believes that wine is made from grapes and that is what the winemaker should strive for – to make wine that is true to the nature of the grape.  He aligns himself with nature by nurturing his vineyards, looks after the soils, uses dry grown ideals.  Also all is done at the winery – hand picking (into buckets that are cooled before processing), basket pressing, cold ferments, oak maturation, bottling and bottle aging.  Allan also believes the industry has lost it’s way somewhat and that we need to go away from these big fruit bombs with massive oak and produce more restrained wines that can be consumed while eating food and not making one want to curl up and go to sleep.

Allan has also been putting together some very interesting condiments that he sells from the cellar door.  These include:-

  • Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Chilli Infused Cold Pressed Olive Oil
  • Lemon Myrtle Cold Pressed Olive Oil
  • Wood Aged Balsamic Vinegar
  • Sweet Chilli & Quandong Sauce
  • TMC (Tomato, Mustard & Chilli) sauce

These are in 375 mL bottles with the oils for $15 and sauces for $8.

The Dyson Wines web site is www.dysonwines.com

Now for the wines:-

In a few months there will be a Chardonnay/Viognier blend that Allan is quite excited about and a new Cabernet will be seen soon.  Also, interestingly, there looks like some Chardonnay vines are soon to be grafted to Tempranillo.  Something else to watch with interest in the coming years.

Sparkling White Sable ($A14)

The grapes for this wine do not come from the Dyson vineyard.  It is made as a semi dry, fruity and easy drinking style that just walks out the cellar door during the warm months.

Sparkling Shiraz ($A14)

As for the Sparkling White above this wine is made from non-Dyson vineyard grapes.  It is not too sweet and is just made for easy summer drinking.  Not what I would call a food wine, but something to enjoy with friends, and at this price why not.

2008 Grand Privilege Reserve Viognier ($A20)

The aromas were restrained but the flavors were somewhat of a surprise.  There is not the normal apricot one gets from a lot of wines from this grape.  The wine shows Allan’s vision of showing the grape characters.  To go with this is some yeastyness and a rich mouthfeel and a good acid balance.  A wine that could go a few more years yet.

2006 Grand Privilege Reserve Chardonnay ($A20)

A 2006 Chardonnay being the new current release wine – how interesting.  The wine had the same restrained aromas as the Viognier but the flavors are all melons and a little stone fruit.  The French oak adds a lovely complexity and structure to the wine that indicates the wine still has a few years left.

2002 Grand Privilege Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($A22)

Again, an aged wine as the current release.  This just shows Allan’s commitment to not releasing his wine until he thinks the wine is starting to show it’s best.  You only get this at the small wineries.  The aromas were restrained berries, cedar and violets.  Flavors were just like eating Cabernet berries without the sugar and some soft oak.  The wine is just a soft infusion of berry and oak and it drinks so well.  I can see this wine appealing to many a wine drinker and would go with many a meal – from the Chicken Minions (I had with it tonight) through to pizza or pasta.

Ambra Liqueur ($A20)

This is 16 year old Liqueur Sauvignon Blanc that has been sitting in old Sherry barrels in the cellar door.  Allan just siphons some off for bottling as required.  The wine is not fined or filtered and is such an interesting drink.  The flavors are like burnt caramel and is not as sweet as I had expected.  The layers of flavors are there for the drinker to see – worth the effort to check out this point of difference.

Dyson Old Sherry Barrels

Liqueur Chardonnay 375mL ($A20)

Another way to sell Chardonnay – 1990 Chardonnay at that.  The wine coats the glass as it also coats the tongue with strong almost burnt toffee flavors that is not as viscous as I was expecting.  Another different (in a good way) wine that should be checked out.  I look forward to sharing my bottle with friends.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Chapel Hill

15 08 2010

Chapel Hill Barrel

Chapel Hill has come a long way since I first remember visiting the old Chapel in the late 1980′s.  The Chapel was built in 1865 and was a Christian Bible Church and a parish school and now the central part of the cellar door and art gallery complex portion of what is the whole of Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill Cellar Door

In this area of McLaren Vale, I suspect it is part of the Seaview subregion, there is a winery, cellar door, art gallery and what is called The Retreat.  The Retreat is a high class accommodation getaway that has function space for corporate functions, cooking classes, weddings etc.  It is famous for high profile cooking classes that all over look some of the Chapel Hill vineyards.

The Chapel

The cellar door not only provides the visitor with a large selection of wines but also seasonal produce produced at the retreat.  You can find such delights as Olive Oil, Dukkah, Verjuice and preserves.  Bring on some fresh crusty bread and I can feel a meal coming on!

Chapel Hill Art Gallery

The latest bottlings show a new direction for the labels from the 4 ranges of wines – The Foundation Series, Il Vescovo, McLaren Vale and Vicar.  The new labels look classy and puts them in good stead for the new few years.

Well I suppose I had better talk about the wines…….

2009 Il Vescovo Savagnin ($A22)

Sourced from the cooler climate Kangarilla vineyard and is my first taste of this emerging variety.  Straight away this was different as I got a restrained orange blossom aromas with nectarine and tropical fruit flavors backed with some good acid.  An interesting wine and I really want to taste more Savagnin to better understand this variety.

2009 Il Vescovo Pinot Grigio ($A22)

My experience with this variety has not been overly positive, but this wine made me think I should have a kinder mindset to Pinot Grigio.  There were hints of grass, lemongrasss and lychees on the nose and really interesting Guava flavor.  Jury still out but still deliberating.

2008 Verdelho ($A16)

A lighter style with a slight fruit salad aroma through to some melons on the palate.  There seemed to be a hint of residual sugar here in an attempt to lift the wine.  I suggest this wine would be one that a number of people either love or hate.  Does the 2008 vintage for a white wine mean this wine has not been a good seller.

2009 Unwooded Chardonnay ($A16)

Naked Chardy – I get quite concerned about this style.  In an attempt to reverse the trend of over oaked styles we have had to endure about 10 years of going the absolute opposite.  This is a good clean wine with a real nice citrus (acid) finish.  This wine is a good seller but for me bring on a balanced chardonnay that includes some oak character.

2008 McLaren Vale Chardonnay ($A25)

Straight away I could tell I was onto something here.  Barrel fermented soft wood characters mixed with some ripe fig aromas led to a spicy, creamy, yeasty melon mouthful.  I just enjoyed this wine and it was the standout white wine here.  Why would one go for so much of the average white wine in the country (alot of it labeled SB) when such a wine is offered.  The complex flavors here go well with complex foods such as a caramelized onion tart with roasted cherry tomatoes and seasoned sliced chicken breast.

2009 Il Vescovo Rose ($A22)

Made from Sangiovese fruit from their Kangarilla Vineyard (not in McLaren Vale and cooler climate).  The aromas were like smelling the red roses from my backyard (sorry I do not know the Rose variety) and flavors of sour cranberries and plenty of acid to cover the 2.1 g/L sugar.  For the Rose drinkers this wine has good structure and would be worth finding.  It would work with Chinese Fried Rice or a cheese platter on a Sunday while watching the footy.

2009 Il Vescovo Tempranillo ($A22)

This Adelaide Hills offering is a relatively soft blend of Mulberries and Cherries with not alot of tannins but has a savoury finish.  My first thoughts was this was a surprise as a number of Tempranillo wines I have been tasting are “stronger” wines and that this has a similar tannin structure of Merlot.  I am thinking a big bowl of pasta with a tomato based sauce and sitting around the table with the family to “share the spoils”.

2009 Il Vescovo Sangiovese ($A22)

Quite a difference with this wine after the last one – the aromas were almost meaty and transformed into a cherry tannin mix that wants to coat the tongue and teeth.  There are more wines of this variety popping up around McLaren Vale and I would say this wine is true to it’s variety and one to check out particularly to be enjoyed with food.

2008 GSM ($A18)

Aromas of violets, plum and some perfume from the Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre components to this wine are a good start.  The flavors show some up front sweetness (probably from the ripe fruit expected from this hot vintage) and flows through to some typical Mourvedre strength with a few tannin layers.  I enjoyed the Mourvedre tones to this wine but the fruit sweetness makes the wine a little disjointed.

2008 McLaren Vale Bush Vine Grenache ($A30)

Of course I was looking forward to this wine – it is my favorite McLaren Vale grape.  I was not disappointed from this offering from vines planted in 1926 and 1959.  All the red fruits combined with nutty and complex spice nuisances from the old wood barrels this wine has been aged in.  Oak plays a supporting role to such lovely fruit that anybody who comes to McLaren Vale should try this wine style.  Bring on the slow cooked lamb shanks and there is no way I would share this wine with you.

2009 McLaren Vale Mourvedre ($A30)

Here was where I was blessed – this wine was bottled but not available at the time of my visit.  Due to comments on their Facebook page I knew this wine was around – so I asked and Amelia (cellar door manager) organised a bottle for me to try.  I am so glad I was awarded this favor as the wine was a pleasure.  This variety either on it’s own or as a blender brings serious stuff.  There are wonderful floral and mulberry aromas and flavors with lovely complex spices and dry, dry tannins.  The tannins are so dry that it seems like they are drying your teeth.  The 15% alcohol was not noticeable either on the nose or palate, which also indicated there is complexity here.  The wine needs more time to settle down, but I can see it lasting many years in the bottle – if we let it.  I am thinking of a marinated kangaroo stir fry, with some gamey complexity, as a wine match.

2008 McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon ($A30)

An interesting mix of smoky blackberries and blackcurrents on the nose.  The flavors are mulberry based fruit with licorice complexity and drying tannins.  This wine probably suffers from being the next in the lineup after 2 such wonderful wine (for my palate).  This wine stands the McLaren Vale Cabernet test well, but it is not my favorite variety at the moment.  As I drank this I could see a big bowl of Hoisin Beef with Singapore Noodles complementing the wine and vice versa.

2008 Parsons Nose Shiraz ($A16)

An interesting play here – a lower price wine with an unusual name, in an attempt to bring in more sales.  A certain well known wine writer has given this wine a 92 point score, so it sparked my interest, even though the 2008 vintage was at best challenging.  Straight away I got the unusual scent of blueberries with some star anise and cinnamon.  There is a particular shiraz clone that give some blueberry character, so I guess this is it.  The flavors were dark plums and I was very happy there was no stewed fruit or over oaked character.  I do not rate this as a 92 point wine, however this is quite good everyday drinking, so I guess it has met the criteria.  Bring on plated of different BBQ’d sausages smothered in onions.

2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A30)

Wow – a very interesting roasted almonds aroma combined with some of the blueberries I mentioned above, just draw me in.  The flavors are just what one expects from classic McLaren Vale Shiraz – almost sweet plum fruit combined with the cedar oak with tannins from both the oak and the grapes themselves.  What more can I say but pass on the plate overlapping rump steak and use the wine as the “vegies”.

Wines not tasted

Vicar Shiraz ($A60) & Devil Tawny Port ($A30)

The Vicar is only available for tasting on weekends and the Devil was just being bottled.  I have previously tried these wines (before I took notes) and they both are good wines with a following that means selling these wines at the cellar door is not difficult.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Tapestry

7 08 2010

Tapestry Vineyard Views

I understand the wine under this label is made at Boar’s Rock Winery in McLaren Vale and rumor has it that little wine was made in 2010 as they are reducing their stocks plus concentrating on the functions side of the business.  The facility has great vineyard views and plenty of balcony to view them from.  There is also wide grasses spaces with a BBQ and a bench table at the rear of the complex – which would be good for families to take in the open spaces and the views.  During summer they serve Antipasto platters for lunches and during winter they have cheese platters available.

Tapestry BBQ Area

The winery used to be known as Merrivale with the vineyard being established in 1969 and wines made in 1971 with the current owners (Gerrard Industries) taking ownership in 1997 with the Merrivale label being phased out.  A second vineyard in Bakers Gully was also purchased in the 90′s.  You can check out their web site at www.tapestrywines.com.au.

2008 Tapestry Riesling ($A16)

The kerosene aromas with hints of limes is a dead give away for Riesling.  The wine is not strongly flavored but there is some limes and ginger there.  A good acid finish is the best part of the wine – a wine that is a pass for me.

2010 Tapestry Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

Grapes for this wine were sourced from the Adelaide Hills (Gumeracha).  Not as grassy as the usual Sauvignon Blanc offerings.  I get a wine that is strong Gooseberries and some passionfruit with a soft acid finish.  I would not call this a food wine but one to drink with friends – just because you can.

2009 Tapestry Verdelho ($A18)

Not much here for me – either aromas or flavors.  Another miss from me.

2009 Tapestry Chardonnay ($A18)

By this time I was a little worried but my faith was restored!  The restoration started with barrel fermentation and 9 months oak maturation and continues with cream and melon aromas.  The wine finishes with a well balanced peaches and cream combined with a savory finish.  I am thinking of Salt and Pepper Squid with some Chilli Jam to go with this wine.

2007 Tapestry Late Picked Riesling ($A16)

This was a surprise as the wine had some pleasant aged Riesling character with a slight citrus note – not a sweet single dimensional wine based on sugar.  I am thinking of a nice curry – maybe a Butter Chicken or a Rogan Josh.

2009 Tapestry Rose ($A16)

This Shiraz based Rose has wonderful aromas of strawberries and cream and after such a pleasant start the wine goes down from here and the flavors do not meet the expectations after sampling the aromas.  Another miss for me.

2009 Old Vine Grenache ($A25)

From a difficult vintage good things can grow.  All the things one looks for in Grenache are here – red fruits, floral, perfume and cedar notes for the complex aromas.  This continues onto the flavors showing balance between the fruit and smart use of what I suspect was large and old oak barrels.  Simply put – I like this wine and look forward to consuming my purchase with roast lamb.

2008 Tapestry Shiraz Viognier ($A25)

Shiraz was co-fermented with Viognier skins to produce this wine as a variant of the plain Shiraz wines, and by using the Viognier skins then a different wine is produced with no new grape requirements.  The Viognier gives a lift to the aromas where stone fruit is layered over the sweet Shiraz fruit.  The flavors are dominated by the plums of Shiraz but one can tell the Viognier is there.  The tannins are drying on the palate.  Give this one a try – I suspect that a number of people will love the wine and a number of people will pass on this one.  When I consider this offering against the Grenache then this wine is a pass for me.

2008 Tapestry Bakers Gully Vineyard Shiraz ($A20)

This wine was made for the American market and I am concerned that by doing this we are dumping substandard wine that does not meet the usual standards of McLaren Vale to overseas markets – no wonder our wines are not seen as quality if this is what we send.  This wine is just loads of jammy over ripe fruit – another pass here.

2007 Tapestry Shiraz ($A25)

There is ripe plum fruit here – though not anywhere near the same extent as for the Bakers Gully Shiraz.  The flavors are sweet (like fairy floss) with some pepper, but reverts to jammy on the finish.  Not going well here as this is a pass also.

It should be noted that there is a $5 charge to taste the Reserve wines, with the fee refundable if a purchase is made.

2006 Tapestry Reserve Fifteen Barrels Cabernet Sauvignon ($A45)

The aromas were restrained but the flavors are a step up.  There is a mix of blackberry and blueberry with hints of vegetative capsicum notes combined with complex spices (not the least being Star Anise).  The french oak is obvious but not overpowering – the fruit weight does it justice.  I can almost taste the rich rabbit pie to go with this wine.

2007 Tapestry Reserve The Vincent Shiraz ($A45)

The best fruit from the Bakers Gully Shiraz fruit sees 100% new American oak for 24 months.  Based on this introduction I was expecting the vanilla oak monster to be appearing.  Sure there are vanilla aromas and flavors but they are not overpowering.  The aromas also have licorice and the spice mix of cardamon and nutmeg.  The flavors have intense fruit that combined with the oak characters and spices combine into a complex and lingering effect.  What a step up from the other Shiraz based wines from this stable.  This wine is pretty good now but let it live in the bottle for another 5+ years and it will only get better.  Right now I would drink this with lightly seared Kangaroo Loin steaks with a stir fry of seasonable vegetables.

N/V Tapestry Sparkling Merlot ($A22)

Readers of the Lonely Grape would know I am a fan of sparkling reds – normally of the Shiraz based wines.  So I was interested, but unsure what this wine was going to show.  The aromas and flavors showed lots of mulberries, with some spices and apparent sweetness (though not too much).  As one would expect there are soft tannins here that combine nicely with the other characters.  Again, there would be alot of people that would enjoy the softness and the sweetness (hello to my sister – she would like this), however for this money there a number of other options.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Rosemount Wines Part 2

3 07 2010

This blog entry is part 2 of a 2 part review of the Rosemount Cellar Door.  Check out my Rosemount Cellar Door Review Part 1 .  This entry is reviewing the desert/fortifieds plus their flagship range.  The Flagship Wines tasting costs $12 which includes a generous tasting of the 3 wines plus nibbles.  It should be noted that the tasting fee is refunded if you purchase any wines from the Flagship range.

Rosemount Cellars

Note that the prices are volume related so the prices below are set as (1 bottle price / 6 bottle price / 12 bottle price).

N/V Vineyard Series Muscat ($A25/$A20/$A17.50)

I was expecting a liqueur style wine and this is not it.  The wine is a lighter fruit driven style that has hints of candied peel on both the aromas and flavors.  The wine is not viscous but has high acid levels as the wine has a clean finish.  This is a blend of 2007 & 2008 wine.  The 2007 has been stored in old oak (which I did not find obvious) with the 2008 portion being oak free.  Most deserts would work well with the sweetness of the wine.

Old Benson Tawny Port ($A40)

A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet & Tokay with an average age of 10 years.  The  wine has lost any red tones and is quite light garnet colour.  This turns into a luscious nutty, sweet, mouth coating liquid that leaves the mouth with a dry finish.  Quite a classy style and the current stocks are from a returned overseas order.  There is not much of this made, however there seems to be a small dedicated group that just loves “their Old Benson”.  Bring on the after dinner chocolates to consume with this one.

2007 Roxburgh Chardonnay ($A42/$A33.50/$A29.30)

This Hunter Chardonnay is just as I remembered it from a previous tasting over 5 years ago.  The Chardonnay is very different to those I have been tasting from McLaren Vale.  The melon character is there but there is loads of stone fruits (peaches and nectarines) and a lovely balance from the fermentation and 11 months in french oak.  The oak provides a nutty and almost viscous mouthfeel that just keeps on giving after you have swallowed.  This is one of the best Chardonnay’s I have had this year.  For those that know the wine would consider the price to be acceptable for the quality.  As seems to be the case for Australian Chardonnay – this wine will be phased out with the Roxburgh Vineyard I believe has been sold.  The texture of this wine would go well with a Prawn Cesar Salad.

2006 Mountain Blue Mudgee Shiraz Cabernet ($A50/$A40/$35)

Now I was looking forward to this – a classic Australian blend from a region that is often seen as a poor cousin to the Hunter Valley.  A very interesting wine that has red fruits dominating the aromas but flavors are dominated by black fruits.  The 15 months in oak (both French & American) contributes to the silky smooth tannins and chocolate flavors that cause an exquisite complex wine.  If this what Mudgee can produce that I should check out this region’s wines more often.  For me this was the best wine from the whole Rosemount range tasted on this day.  How about a stout and beef pie with a bottle of this while with a loved one in front of an open fire.

2004 Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah ($A68/$A54/$A47.50)

I found the aromas were a little closed which may have been due to the wine being opened just prior to being poured for this tasting.  The aromas did seem to be lifting with a short time in the glass before I drank it.  This is just what McLaren Vale Shiraz should be – black fruits with a hint of dark plums.  There is a deep spice here – the closest I can get is Star Anise and a real layered tannin structure.  There has been smart use of oak here with 18 months of new oak maturation – 20% French and 80% American.  This is interesting as I would have thought the wine was mainly matured in French oak with little vanilla oak characters one normally expects from American oak.  The complex structure here would lend itself well to game meats – maybe try a seared kangaroo fillet with lots of mushroom sauce.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Rosemount Wines

26 06 2010

Firstly, I need to make one thing clear.  I was a fan of this facility being Seaview Estate – in the late 80′s I visited this cellar door many times and I visited the old Seaview Glenloth Winery a number of times also.  When I came back to the Vale (about 2.5 years ago) I was upset that the Seaview Cellars had a name change.  I though Penfolds bought Seaview and Rosemount – it felt like it was the other way around.  Call me old fashioned but for me this old facility on Caffrey Road will always be Seaview to me.  Now I got this off my chest I can talk about the winery and the wines.

Rosemount Wines Cellars

This cellar looks like it is a facility to store wines as the Ingoldby Road winery now makes the wines.  The facility has extensive gardens for the kids to run around in or to have a picnic.  Inside there is the old huge vats and a barrel room that looks like it is set up for functions.  In this area is quite often an art display.  The tasting area has an area for the kids to do some drawings and general seating – where one can be served a cheese platter or some nice brewed coffee.

Not all the Rosemount wines are available for tasting as there is a large number of wines.  It was good to see some cellar door only wines as there is a limited reason to visit this cellar door to buy wine – discount liquor stores can sell their wines at a discount compared to the cellar door prices.

Note that the prices are volume related so the prices below are set as (1 bottle price / 6 bottle price / 12 bottle price).

2009 Diamond Label Sauvignon Blanc ($A16/$A13/$A11)
This Adelaide Hills wine is typical for variety with very herbaceous and cut grass aromas that lead into passionfruit and gooseberry flavors.  Not really my style but I could see a lot of people liking this wine.

2009 Twilight Harvest Unoaked Chardonnay ($A20/$A16/$14)
This limited distribution wine (cellar door and restaurant sales only) is quite aromatic for an unoaked chardonnay the palate has good acid and all the flavors expected from the variety – melons and peach.  I would still rather an oaked Chardonnay.

2009 Show Reserve Robe Chardonnay ($A22/$A17.60/$15.40)
Now we are getting somewhere – the 3 months of oak treatment makes a distance difference to the wine.  The wine is currently slightly dominated by the oak and probably needs some more time to integrate with the grapefruit flavors.  The finish is long with some good tangy acid.

2009 Limited Release Adelaide Hills Chardonnay ($A30/$A24/$A21)
There is some classy french oak treatment here.  The aromas have a real lemon peel with an underlying nuttyness – very pleasant.  The flavors are well balanced with stone fruit (maybe nectarines) instead of the expected melons and lovely oak right through the palate with a lovely oak finish.  This was certainly the best of the white wines with the complexity here would go well with a variety of foods so why not match it with a Chinese or Thai banquet.

2008 Vineyard Series Ripe White ($A20/$A16/$A14)
Here is a late harvest Riesling that is only available at the cellar door (due to the limited quantities made).  There was a real citrus aroma with some aged, slightly oxidative characters showing through.  The palate was not as sweet as I expected and one can tell there is some good Riesling fruit here and such a good acid finish for a late harvest style.  I suspect this wine is the product of of the hot 2008 vintage.  Drink very cold and very young.

2009 “O” ($A18/$A14.40/$A12.60)
This low alcohol (7.5%) slightly carbonated Moscato has turned into a large volume marketing success for Rosemount.  Served on ice (even at the cellar door) is just a refreshing drink that tastes just like grape juice.  This is a classic drinking with friends wine – I used to call this a veranda wine, and not really a food style.

2009 Ruby “O” ($18/$A14.40/$A12.60)
Served so cold it is difficult to get the full aromas for this wine but the flavors are something else.  The 5% Shiraz added to this wine makes such a difference – it creates a typically Shiraz (red grape) notes to the sweet grapey flavors.

2008 Vineyard Series Ripe Red ($A20/$A16/$A14)

A Cabernet, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and Muscat blend that has a relatively high level of sweetness and is served cold.  I would suggest this needs to be drunk very cold as this wine just shows over ripe “porty” characters.   This is a big pass for me and my palate.

2009 Twilight Harvest Grenache Shiraz Viognier ($A20/$A16/$A14)

Another wine with residual sweetness and is made to be served chilled.  The aromas are cherry and red fruits (raspberry) dominate.  The flavors show an initial hit of red Grenache fruit that transitions into some Shiraz based black fruits.  There is enough tannins here to leave a drying effect even though there is a lot of sugar here.  I can see a large number of people liking this wine, but again not for me.

2006 Show Reserve McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre (($A22/$A17.60/$A15.40)

This blend of 47% Grenache, 47% Shiraz and 6% Mourvedre is one of my favorite styles.  The aromas start with quite strong red fruits with some underlying strength from the Mourvedre and the toast oak.  The flavors start with the expected red fruits and then layers of depth come on through.  Nuances of cinnamon combine nicely with the oak tannins.  The finish was softer than I expected but it was lingering.  I keep thinking of a caramelized onion tart with roasted cherry tomatoes.

2005 Show Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A22/$A17.60/$A15.40)

The wine has seen both American and French oak and shows all the aromas typical for McLaren vale Shiraz – mulberries, spice and even some coffee.  The flavors continue with mulberries and blackberries but has a slight bitter finish.  Seeing this is a 2005 wine the bitterness will probably remain – unfortunately a pass for me again.

2008 Show Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon ($A22/$A16.60/$A15.40)

This wine has been in bottle for about 6 months and my first thoughts were that this wine would be quite young.  My suspicions were correct this wine has lots of strength and would do well with a number of years before opening.  I was particularly pleased there was none of vegetative characters I quite often find with Coonawarra Cabernet.  The aromas were complex with blackcurrent, licorice and nutmeg.  The flavors are black fruit dominate  with very dry dusty tannins.  Too early to tell the best food match but I suspect that some lamb with a good mint sauce may be close.

2007 Show Reserve McLaren Vale Traditional ($A22/$A16.60/$A15.40)

An unusual blend with 83% Cabernet, 9% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot.  I got cassis aromas and some plum from the Merlot.  The blackberries and plum continue in the flavor regime with some spice and layers of tannins that give the wine a wonderful length.  This wine also needs a number of years before showing it’s best.

My next post will have reviews on the dessert wine, port and the Flagship wines.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Yangarra Estate

20 06 2010

Yangarra Estate is an organic and biodynamic vineyard that concentrates on winemaking in the vineyard and then minimal winemaking interferences.  Wines are picked based on flavor and not on laboratory results.  The small wine batches from each section of the vineyard are kept separate to ensure blending options and the native yeasts are used to ferment the wines instead of things from the packet.  Even barrels are chosen for subtlety and not for any any overpowering influences.

Yangarra Estate Cellar Door Decking

The cellar door overlooks a grassed area that is next to a creek which my son had a great time playing around while dad was wine tasting.  I could see this area being suitable for a picnic – bring a basket and get some good wine there ready for you.

Yangarra Estate Cellar Door Views

The winery has the latest in technology but they are trying to reproduce what is done in the Old World of wine.  The crusher is a de-stemmer that even has a blower that is there to remove any shriveled berries.  I am told that the conveyor is just a clean set of rolling berries.  The numerous vats all have heating and cooling to ensure the temperature can be maintained no matter what the ambient temperature.  The vats also have a mechanical cap plunger that can be moved from one vat to another – that is almost cheating.

Yangarra Estate Vats showing Cap Plunger

I admit that I did not enjoy the white wines – too soft for me.  The red wines are another thing, as I am sure you will see from my descriptions below.

2008 Chardonnay ($A18)

The aromas where restrained (possibly as the wines were cold and it was a cold day).  The flavors were dominated by melons with good acidity (giving a minerality mouthfeel) and an inherent creaminess (from lees stirring).  The wine is un-oaked and no malolactic fermentation so it is an unusual chardonnay where the fruit is just left to it’s own thing.  I am thinking of sitting on an island in Queensland eating a seafood platter with a glass or so of this.

2009 Rousanne ($A28)

This wine is all about the minerals and citrus fruits.  There is a excellent long acid finish and leaves the mouth feeling like you have been licking a lump of stainless steel dipped in lime juice – I think I would prefer the wine instead.  The acid would cut through the fat of a creamy sauce so I recommend a creamy poached chicken breast served on a bed of fresh and crisp blanched beans.

2009 Viognier ($A25)

Green apples was the only real aroma I could determine here.  By this time I could see a theme for the Yangarra whites – let the fruit do the talking with a lovely long acid finish.  Quite restrained and elegant.

2008 Mourvedre ($A28)

Bringing this wine up to the nose brought a smile to my face and the word “WOW” to my lips.  It was such a different wine.  I tasted this wine with a group of people and I took note of what each person was saying about the aromas.  The list was the smell of fruitloops and milk, perfume, rose, creamy, cooked garlic and thick balsamic vinegar.  What a range of aromatic delights.  My comments about the flavors were cranberries and bitter cherries.  This is a smart wine that I am sure will age and it would be interesting to decant the wine and taste progressively over 1 to 2 hours.

2008 Grenache ($A28)

My favorite grape variety did not disappoint all the red fruits one expects backed up with a savory finish.  Bring on a plate full of garlic marinated BBQ’d lamb chops (thanks to Michelle for the suggestion) and a bottle of this – I would be in heaven.  Don’t ask me to share!

2008 Cadensia (Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre) ($A28)

Again I applaud the Cadensia project, where McLaren Vale winemakers are showcasing the unique McLaren Vale grenache based wines under this name.  The aromas are wonderfully complex with the red fruits of the grenache, some perfume and a creamy finish.  On the palate starts with the red fruits (cherries dominated) again and complexes into freshly roasted beetroot and lavender.

2008 Shiraz ($A28)

Oh this is just what one thinks about when you hear the term McLaren Vale Shiraz from Blewitt Springs area.  Concentrated, strong mid palate, plum and red fruit character and the hint of Blewitt Springs peatyness.  Bring on some char grilled kangaroo with a side of bush tomatoes seasoned with saltbush flakes.

2007 Iron Heart Shiraz ($A80)

As one would expect based on the price, this wine is a significant step up from the above wine.  There is an increase in aromatics with some more obvious oak and blackberries.  The flavors are a meaty combination of a plum/blackberry conserve with even a licorice and meaty finish.  The flavor is lasting and bring on the osso bucco with a bottle of this and I would be happy – but not happy to share.

2007 High Sands Grenache ($A90)

If I though the Iron Heart was a memorable wine then I had to hold onto my head when I tried this as I thought my head was going to explode.  An expression of my favorite grape variety where there is just so much happening!  The old old bush vine grenache from the highest part of the vineyard makes something I believe everybody should try just to see how good Grenache can be.  Aromas of red fruits and creme caramel moves through such a concentrated mouthful of red and black fruits, chocolate and fennel with such a lovely savory finish.  My words almost do not do justice to this wine.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Paxton Wines

12 06 2010

Outside Paxton's Cellar Door

Paxton Wines was one of the first wineries I visited about 2 1/2 years ago when we moved to McLaren Vale.  The smiling face then was one Ben Paxton.  I was destined to meet Ben a few times between then and now and we even friend-ed each other on FaceBook.  I enjoy their wine then and I was looking forward to my visit.  The next couple of hours were very enjoyable.  The Paxton Cellar Door Manager knew the Lonely Grape blog – I was excited.  After tasting some excellent wines and catching up with Ben a couple of people walked into the cellar door.  One of them came straight up to me and said – “aren’t you Shane!”.  It was Tim from Secret Vines – a wine sales web site and he has been checking out the blog.  The lady next to him turned out to be Marion from Master Chef Australia.  Well I had fun chatting about all sorts of things like wine, food and TV.

Inside Paxton's Cellar Door

The surrounds for the cellar door has lots of grassed areas where kids could run around and have fun while Mum & Dad taste some wine.  For those of us that likes wine information the cellar door has a historical video for the vineyard, an overview of biodynamic viticulture (which they are using) and an aerial photo of the property.  Then there is the reason why most of us would visit – the wines………

2009 Pinot Gris ($A20)

Generally I am not a Pinot Gris fan.  I find this varietal quite flavorless and at times almost like drinking water.  In this case there was a citrus minerality with a green apple and pear thing happening.  Not enough happening here for me to part with 20 bucks, however I can see this wine appealing to the Sauvignon Blanc drinkers amongst us.

2008 Chardonnay ($A27.50)

The tasting notes for this wine sparked my interest straight away – french oak fermentation (40% of this oak was new).  Some of the wine was fermented using the indigenous or wild yeast plus malolactic acid fermentation – my interest was sparked.  The wine did not disappoint.  Using a large volume glass the aromas were just a big bowl of peaches and cream.  The palate was just tremendous with a lovely mouth feel driven with nuts and stone fruit complexity.  This wine is without doubt the best chardonnay I have had for a long time.  The complexity here means this wine would match well with a lot of foods, so how about a Chinese or Thai banquet.

2009 Marsanne ($A20)

This wine is a cellar door only offering from a grape variety that has such a small amount of vines planted around the world.  The only varietal Marsanne I can remember drinking was from Chateau Thabilk.  The juice was fermented in old oak barrels and had the lees stirred periodically over 12 months.  As for the Chardonnay, there was a wonderful mouthfeel here.  Lots of quinces, nuts and nectarines coming together in a long savory finish.  If you are looking for a different white wine then this is it!

2009 Rose ($A20)

The second making of this wine shows a balance – not the normal balance one talks about, but a balance of sugar.  The wine sits between the sweet and dry offerings one normally puts Rose into down from the more sweeter first offering.  The result is an infusion of Turkish Delight and strawberries and cream.  The comment from the cellar door folks is that the wine does not sell well via direct sales, but when people taste it then it sells quite well.  Bring on chilli based Asian foods or a Sunday lunch of cheese and crusty bread.

2008 AAA Shiraz Grenache ($A20)

The biggest seller from the Paxton stable is this year a blend of 72% Shiraz and 28% Grenache and I hear it has just won a gold medal at the London International Wine Show.  This wine is such a lovely everyday drinking wine that every year I have tasted it, is quite consistent.  There is lots of the red fruits from the Grenache and white pepper spiciness that has a finish that has bits of cedar and licorice.  You could drink this with just about any food or you could just drink it with friends.

2008 MV Shiraz ($A20)

The wine is a blend of material from 4 vineyards ie it is the higher quality grapes from the owned vineyards that did  not go into the AAA blend.  This wine does not disappoint, with a range of red and black fruits and a savory finish of balanced oak tannins, spice and licorice.  There is plenty of flavor here so the food match also needs lots of flavor – maybe Mediterranean style Lamb Shanks.

2003 Shiraz ($A37)

This museum release was part of an experiment for screw caps – this release is from the component that was under these screw caps.  Ben informs me that the wines under cork were more “developed” than the wines under screw cap when tasted at the same time – so this wine was kept back for later release.  The aromas were sweet berries mixed with vanilla, spice and earth.  the flavors are a rich full and savory infusion of plums and berries.  It maybe boring but I had a marinated steak with a mushroom, onion, tomato and balsamic vinegar sauce tonight and this would go so well with the wine.

2008 Late Harvest ($A15)

Another cellar door only wine which is made from different grape varieties depending on vintage and vineyard conditions.  For the 2008 vintage the wine was made from 100% chardonnay.  The style aim is to have about 70 g/L sugar and about 10% alcohol.  The aromas are soft tropical fruits.  The flavors are sweet but crisp (indicating good acid levels) of honey dew melons.  the finish is not cloying and finishes fresh and clean.  As Ben would say – just get them to try it and we normally sell it!  How about just drinking this well chilled on a hot summers day (food not required).


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McLaren Vale Wine – Scarpantoni Estate Wines Part 1

29 05 2010

Scarpantoni Estate Wines Road Sign

The Scarpantoni family originates from Italy and arrived in Australia in 1952.  In 1958 Dom bought his first property of just 5.6 hectares.  10 years later the original school property of 20 hectares was purchased in the adjacent town of McLaren Flat region of McLaren Vale.  A further 12 hectares of adjoining land was purchased, making him one of the largest growers in the region at that time. In 1979, the winery was built with only a percentage of the tonnage harvest released onto the market under the Scarpantoni label.

I have tried the Scarpantoni wines for a number of years and I have particularly enjoyed previous bottlings of  their Sparkling Red.

Scarpantoni Estate Wines Winery & Cellar Door Complex

There are 5 ranges of wines available from Cellar Door.  Their ranges are:-

  1. Sparkling Wines
  2. Cleanskin Wines
  3. Pedler Creek Wines
  4. Estate Wines
  5. Fortified Wines

The Pedler Creek Wines are targeted as easy drinking styles, ready immediate consumption at Cafe’s.

Check out the Scarpantoni Estate Wines Web Site and my video tasting of their 2 fortified wines at the cellar door.

Sparkling Range

Fleurieu Sparkling White ($A8)

This slightly sweet sparkling Chardonnay is all about melons.  It is a clean fruity style that I can see the girls drinking when they get together on Saturday night.

NV Tempest ($A24)

This is a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc and you can tell even before the glass gets to your mouth.  The tropical fruits and grassyness hits you quickly with the follow up of passionfruit (typical for warmer climate Sauvignon Blanc), lemons and lime flavors culminating in a good acid finish.  This is a play on the fad that is Sauvignon Blanc drinkers and they will really like this wine.  This is a friend friendly wine more that a food style.

NV Black Tempest ($A28)

This wine has historically been Shiraz based, however this bottling has had some Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc added in an attempt to increase complexity.  The aromas are dominated by the plum of Shiraz and spices (cinnamon) which flows through to the palate where one is engulfed by fruit cake flavors with a god tannin structure and a velvety mouthfeel.  It is also good to get a well structured sparking red that is not too sweet.

I cannot go past recommending roast turkey combined with cranberry sauce and lovely roast root vegetables.

Cleanskin Range

2006 White ($A6.50/ bottle or $A72/ Dozen)

This chardonnay based wine has a somewhat closed nose with a slight hint of toasty bottle age.  This toastiness continues with the flavors.  The usual melon also comes through and there is also a hint of obvious sweetness.  I found this wine surprisingly clean and fresh for a 2006 white wine.

2009 Rose ($A6.50/ bottle or $A72/ Dozen)

This wine is like smelling and tasting a bowl of strawberries and cream that has been dusted with lots of icing sugar.  This is not a complex wine, however for people that like a sweeter wine will probably love this wine.

2006 Red (Shiraz Cabernet) ($A6.50/ bottle or $A72/ Dozen)

There is toasty oak prevalent on the nose with some fruit character.  The flavors are a mix of red and black fruits with some well integrated (and soft) oak here.  This is a well developed and easy drinking wine that would grace many mid week tables with a large bowl of pasta with tomato based sauces.

2007 Red (Shiraz) ($A50/dozen)

I found the aromas very closed.  There was nice fruit with some spice here.  This is a easy drinking light bodied style that would be good to drink when watching the football and you want a wine that is not too heavy – and at this price why not!

White Wines

2009 Estate Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

This was a surprising wine.  A conscience effort has been made to move away from the grassy / “cat’s pee” that wine drinkers either love or hate.  Here there is aromas of green apple with a slight lime finish.  The flavors though soft have a zing apple and lime (acid) finish.  Certainly not what I was expecting and I would drink this with a big plate of whole freshly cooked but cold platter of seafood (no crumbing).  You know the kind of platter with whole prawns, bugs, oysters, mussels, crayfish with 3 bowls sitting next to it.  One bowl full of seafood sauce (or Thousand Island dressing), one bowl for the shells etc and one bowl with water and lemon to clean your hands – bring it on!

2007 Pedler Creek Sauvignon Blanc ($A14)

Unfortunately this wine is past it’s best and the 2008 is about to be released.  This wine is dominated by developed citrus peel aromas and flavors – just another example that Sauvignon Blanc should be drunk young.

2009 Estate Unwooded Chardonnay ($A14)

The aromas were dominated by peach, however the flavors were rock melon and stone fruit based.  There is a long acid finish that provided a lemon flavor that I found appealing.  The acid leads to this wine being able to match with food, but I believe chardonnay needs a hint of oak treatment to bring the best out of the wine and to match with food.

Please check out Part 2 of this review for the remainder of the red wines and fortifides.


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McLaren Vale Wineries – Haselgrove Wines

8 05 2010

Haselgrove Wine’s are interesting for their changes over recent history as they evolve into a “new direction” producer.  I remember Haselgrove Wines having their cellar door at what was (until recently) the Turkey Factory Direct Outlet.  This was closed and a very small cellar door tasting facility was opened on McLaren Vale’s Main Street (next door to Blessed Cheese cafe).  The tasting room was so small they even marketed themselves as having the smallest cellar door facility in Australia.  This cellar door was shut down about 18 months ago.  I believe the company was owned by the banks for a considerable time until it was recently sold to a consortium of Italian heritage gentlemen who are transforming the company into a multi-regional winery – taking the best of what a number of South Australian regions can provide.

Keith Smith & Gordon Grant at Haselgrove Wines

It is great to see a struggling winery given a new lease on life.  The only issue I have with their branding is that for the people that have known Haselgrove Wines in the past would know the “H Series” to be the premium wine label.  Under the new regime the “H Series” is their entry level wines. So there is a potential mix up of expectations from people that have consumed this wine in the past.

H by Haselgrove Range ($A12 – 15)

2009 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

The aromas were dominated by passionfruit with hints of freshly cut grass and the distinctive tomato leaf characters.  The palate continued with the passionfruit theme with hints of citrus.  The citrus was unusual as this is normally associated with high acid and long finish whites – in this case the citrus was there but the wine was a little short on the palate.  A clean and crisp wine that would go well when drinking with friends on a Sunday afternoon.

2008 Shiraz

Straight away I get the aromas of stewed plums with a hint of cinnamon spice.  The flavors show plum, mocha, nutmeg and pepper (on the back of the palate).  The fruit is light to medium weight with minimum oak treatment plus showing a slight bitterness on the finish.  This is another well made wine that the lighter weight red wine character would go so well with home made pizza.

2008 Cabernet Merlot

This is a typical light style of red wine with blackcurrent, red cherry and earthy aromas that as it opened up it gravitated towards the cherry being dominant.  The flavors were cherries and blackcurrents with almost no oak characters.  Just the sort of easy drinking to have at a BBQ or to consume with friends sitting in front of an open fire.

Primo Taglio (First Cut) ($A18 – 20)

2008 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

Even though there is the usual herbaceous, it is not overt or “in your face”.  There is also a real lychee smell evident as well.  The flavors are passionfruit and lychee based  with an unusual melon finish.  The wine seems to lack an acid strength finish which means this wine would really Sunday afternoon session friendly.

2008 Adelaide Hills / McLaren Vale Chardonnay

I must say that I really enjoyed this wine – Chardonnay has such a bad wrap at the moment and selling it has not been easy, however if we keep making wines like this things will change.  There are excellent melon and tropical fruit aromas. Tropical fruits dominate the palate, with pineapple very evident here.  This is quite a long wine with some toasty oak on the end of the flavor profile.  I would like to see this wine consumed with a a Ham & Pineapple wood fired oven cooked pizza or even the old ham steak with pineapple and grilled cheese.

2008 McLaren Vale / Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

Interesting mix of wine regions – Coonawarra has a great reputation for Cabernet with McLaren Vale being a vastly improved Cabernet region.  So I was looking forward to trying this wine.

The nose was all you expect with blackcurrent and blackberry aromas with pleasant spicy oak filed aromas (cedar based from the french oak treatments).  The flavors are based around blackcurrent and the cedary oak with soft pleasant tannins.  The flavors were a bit lacking in the mid palate but not to the point that takes much away from the overall experience.  The one thing that was missing here is that Coonawarra Cabernet can have strong vegetative character which I quite often seems to me to be like green capsicums.  I like the overall package of this wine and would love to drink it

2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz

This wine is a very obvious step up from the “H” Range.  The aromas are an amalgamation of the fruits of  mulberry and plum combined with the spice of pepper and cinnamon.  There are also hints of cedar from the good use of oak.  The flavors are black fruit based (blackberry and plums) with pepper and a toasty oak and lengthy finish.  The tannins are well integrated and are not overpowering.   How about trying this wine with Ricotta Gnocchi with a spicy tomato based sauce.

Bella Vigna (Beautiful Vineyard) ($A20 – 23)

2009 Adelaide Hills Pinot Grigio

The aromas were very light coming off the wine, so I waited for the wine to warm slightly in the glass in case wine temperature was the reasoning behind the relative lack of aroma.  Alas, the aromas did not change much as the wine “warmed up” however, I could now determine a hint of fresh pears.  The flavors continued with light offerings of pear and just a hint of sweetness.  I would not consider this a food wine but more in line with consumption on a Sunday afternoon session on a warm Summers day.

2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc

As expected there is a strong herbaceous and cut grass aromas with pleasant passionfruit tones.  The flavors are subtle where nothing really hits you but the overall effect makes good drinking.  Passionfruit is the main theme here but I suspect each person drinking this wine will see different subtle flavor profiles.  There is a good strong acid finish here which makes me think of seafood consumption – maybe some whole baked snapper with steamed seasonal vegetables.

2008 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

I wish I had tried this wine “blind” as my first reaction was this is defiantly a Coonawarra Cabernet – but maybe I was being led by the wine label.  Anyway, the aromas were herbaceous with hints of capsicums plus blackcurrent with the cedar expected from French oak.  I hope there was no suggestion here – but I thought there was just a hint of mint there (typically Coonawarra Cabernet character).  There is a lot going on here on the palate – cassis, capsicum, mint with initial hit of soft tannins.  There was an intensity here that gave a lingering experience that finished with grainy tannins coating the tongue and teeth.  This wine has the structure to keep for up to 10 years – however I do not expect it to last that long.  Roast rack of Lamb accompanied by mint jelly plus roasted root vegetables would go down a treat with this wine.

2008 McLaren Vale Premium Selection Shiraz

Straight away I need to say – “YUM”.  The intense aromas of mulberries and plums with a lovely infusion of nutty oak.  The flavors are complex and a joy to behold with blackberries, mulberries, nuts (particularly walnuts) and the classic cigar box tobacco and wood combination.  There are plenty of good grainy tannins that work well with the intense fruit.  With all this complexity the wine stays with you for a long while.  It maybe boring but I just want a big thick T-bone steak with this wine.

Il Padtrone (The Boss) ($A25 – 30)

2007 Sparkling Shiraz

This wine shows some pedigree straight away – there is a fine bead of bubbles and the aromas plus flavors are like a nutty / plumy fruit cake with some nutmeg thrown in.  There is a silky mouthfeel from the combination of the bubbles and the wines “texture”.  The wine does start to get a little bitter when warm – so just drink it cold.  I would classify this as a medium sweetness sparkling shiraz and as such drink it as an aperitif with a wide range of finger food.


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McLaren Vale Wines – Thorpe Wines

1 05 2010

Thorpe Wines Road Sign

Thorpe Wines is a small vineyard holding of 17 acres under vine with Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and an acre of Nero d’Avola on the corner of California Road and Malpas Roads on the McLaren Vale Plains area of McLaren Vale.  Brad Hickey joined the company in 2007 and changed direct of the vineyard and winemaking for the 2008 vintage.  To date the direct change has been focused on vineyard quality to produce “A” grade fruit which of course should lead to making the best quality wine.  Tim Geddes who is a contract winemaker who has his own winery in McLaren Vale.  During this time little marketing or direct selling has been attempted.  Brad has been able to use his American contacts to sell wine into the American market.  In Australia they sell wine through an internet and retail outlet sales Melbourne based business and has zero exposure in Adelaide.  They produced about 4,00 cases of wine in 2008 and 2010 with half that produced in the difficult vintage of 2009.  I get the impression that now there is a new vineyard standard showing the the wines being produced that work is about to start to promote these wines into the restaurant and retail trades.

Thorpe Wines Vineyard

Now for the wines.

Check out my video tasting of some Thorpe Wines.

2008 Chardonnay ($A12)

Grapes from a vineyard in McLaren Flat (near Hoffmanns) are used to make this wine.  It has undergone malolactic fermentation and had about a year in 2 year old french oak.  There has been a minimalistic approach to the wine with Brad (the Managing Director) “looking” after the wine.  The aromas are melons and peach – so far the wine is as what you would expect from a wooded chardy that has gone through malolactic fermentation.  The surprise is in the flavors!  There is a real lemon zest and nutty flavors with this real minerallity / acid finish – definitely a surprise.  The minerallity and acid finish makes this a good food wine.  I would suggest a chicken poached in a creamy sauce (with a splash of port or liquor muscat) as the acid would cut through the cream fats.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($A15 – 10 cases left)

Made by a different winemaking and viticulture team that is in place today.  The grapes come from the 20 rows of the estate Cabernet.  The nose has early gray tea with cedar notes from the oak and licorice on the end – an underlying complexity here.  The flavors are what I would call secondary – ie little fruit now showing but a real mixture of cedar, chocolate and tea.  I would like to drink this with complex spicy and some sweet notes of a Moroccan Tagine  goat curry.

2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($A25)

Not enough Cabernet was produced in 2008 to make 2 wines, and the quality was such to be considered to meet the “Reserve” profile.  There are sweet fruit notes of raspberries and blueberries combined with a soil character that was described by Thorpe Wine’s Managing Director as an Iodine, which after the comment then I could understand that was the soil character component I could smell.  The flavors continued with Raspberries and Blueberries with a wonderful hint of Rosemary and cedar /fine tannin finish.  The characters were across the whole palate so I did not get any lack of flavor in the mid palate that can sometimes be evident with Cabernet Sauvignon.  The complexity of the wine particularly the Rosemary would mean that a game meat like Slow Cooked Kangaroo Tail braised with root vegetables.

2008 Shiraz ($A15)

There was about 30 – 35 tonne of grapes used to make this wine and was picked before the heat wave of that year.  The picking date was based on flavor profiles and not based on the impact of the heat wave.  The aromas were the usual plum and berry character plus the same iodine background that I found in the Cabernet from the same vintage.  The flavors hit me with citrus notes combined with plums plus the spice character of nutmeg and star anise (not the normally associated pepper flavors of Shiraz).  The finish was savory but not overly tannic (the wine spent 1 year on 2 year old oak).  There was an overall delicious factor that stuck me as definitely providing value for $15 price tag.  When tasting this wine I thought of charred (BBQ) meats – maybe a good burger with lots of onion, cheese, lettuce, tomato and beetroot smothered in tomato sauce.

2008 Reserve Shiraz ($A25)

There is a fundamental understanding of the Shiraz vineyard that the winemaker now targets certain “blocks” as the source for the Reserve Shiraz.  The wine spends about 18 months in oak.  When tasted the wine had been bottled for about a month and there were only 60 cases left for sale.

The aromas had the usual plum/berry character but there was a complexity here with hints of thyme, white pepper and the floral note of Geranium flowers.  The typically plumy/berry flavors were complimented with citrus, white pepper and star anise and again soft tannins.  The tannins were more obvious than the previous wine but were still soft and not out of place.  There is a structure here that I was not expecting from a $25 wine – so again a wine that over delivers at the price point.  This structure would see this wine still drinking well in 10 years but I am not sure much will last that long.I was discussing food and wine matches with a friend and she told me about a dish she makes – Kangaroo Stoganoff that includes a decent amount of freshly ground pepper to offset any “gamey-ness” of the meat.  Thanks Megan for the inspiration for a wonderful match for this wine.

2006 Sparkling Shiraz ($A25)

Thorpe Wines Sparkling Shiraz

Now this was something I was looking forward to – a bottle fermented Shiraz that I had heard that was one of the better Sparkling Shiraz wines.  The wine was disgorged in 2009 at a separate sparkling wine facility in Victoria (Kilchurn Wines).  I was not disappointed!  Straight away you can notice a fine bead (bubbles) that lasted as long as I had wine in my glass.  The aromas had the fruitiness of Raspberry combined with the earthy and mushrooms.  The Raspberry and Plums combines with the Star Anise spiciness that leads into a lengthy mouthful.  There is a specific direction to make this  wine in a dryer style so there is not a large volume of liquor added to the wine at disgorgement.  I believe I will be consuming a number of bottles of this wine.  I could be boring and recommend roast turkey with cranberry sauce to eat with this wine – but I am excited about this wine so I want to recommend something different.  So on this basis I would like to try a warm shredded poached chicken and rocket salad with a Vin Cotta and Verjuice reduction dressing with this wine on a lovely summers day.

Thanks to Brad from Thorpe Wines for supplying the photos used in this post.


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