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.





McLaren Vale Wines – Charlatan Wines

10 04 2010

It is sometimes amazing the people you meet when you go wine tasting and it makes you realise how small the wine industry can be.  A number of months ago, I went to the cellar door of Lloyd Brothers Winery & Olive Grove, to review the cellar door and their wines (see my review on Lloyd Brothers).  When I discussed that I was going to review the winery on my blog,  the person working at the cellar door was very interested in what I was doing and it turned out that I was talking to a small scale winemaker who was interested in getting a write up in my blog as well.  I was also interested as the wine Chad had available was a Sangiovese and had some positive reviews.

Within a whisker Chad had organised for me to taste his wine  to review and I was impressed with the wine (see my video review).  Also check out Charlatan Wines web site.

Instead of me rehashing Chad’s information regarding his wine making journey please see below his supplied information of his venture……..

“I think I have one of the many McLaren Vale small winery winemaker to thank for getting me out of the rainwater tank industry and into the wine industry; back in 2005, although I think about it a lot I haven’t ever been able to drop a bottle into him and say thanks! I was working as a Sales Manager in the not so glamorous rainwater tank industry, starting my sixth year during the 2005 vintage. I think I became bored and dreamt of greater things… or something. During the vintage of 2005, I saw winemaker after winemaker from the Vale come through the showroom gates to buy our fermenting tanks and tubs. Every single day with dirty, red stained hands (and lips), purple stained jeans and crimson-soaked shoes. Tired, dirty and usually pretty unshaven! But always, without a fail, with smiles on their faces.

Wow, I thought, maybe it was possible to work your ass off, and love what you do?

This winery was small…very small in fact. Housed in a shed in the main street of the Vale, I quickly realized there was no work for me here.  The winemaker showed me around, apologized for not being able to give me anything.  But he mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that I might try a place called Redheads Studio, to see if they could keep me busy until this bizarre curiosity for winemaking subsided.  I said thanks and headed in their direction.  My first impression of Redheads was a mixture of excitement, action and a fair bit of chaos.  Actually, mostly just chaos.  There were around a dozen people here and there, all working and talking (or yelling) in different accents.  There were grapes and juice and must and mess everywhere.  I was quickly in the action with a pitchfork and suddenly I was helping to fork several ton of grapes into a tiny, rickety crusher.  Red juice splashed onto my clean jeans; my inadequate sneakers quickly became sticky, wet and cold.

Once the day’s crushing was complete, the guys asked me to hand plunge several 2 ton tubs of fermenting grapes.  This is the moment the skin on my hands first became stained a nice shade of pinkish-red with red wine juice, and they would stay this color for the next 3 weeks.  I think this might have been the time that I realized, ‘this is for me’. The smells of carbon dioxide, alcohol and yeast, all the different aromas of the different ferments, and the feel of warm must on my hands.  And that same day I was able to get my hands on some unsold fruit which I agreed to buy (somehow, with no money) my first half a ton of shiraz from a local grower who had filled his contract to Hardy’s and still had a few rows left over.  We hand picked it ourselves the next Saturday and I don’t think I spent many nights that month away from Redheads, watching my first Shiraz grow and evolve…

I purchased a ton of Shiraz in 2006 and made a cracker of a fruit driven purple 2006 Shiraz.  I wish I had made more now – it’s long gone.  I got licensed.  In 2007, I had some beloved Grenache fruit lined up, only to have it stolen from under my nose.  So I made no wine in 2007, and I missed it.

Then, later in 2007 my girlfriend and I visited a fairly newish cellar door run by a local wine nut, after a 90 minutes tasting of some amazing wines, we were both inspired by his passion, his honest, enthusiastic love of the game.  The very next day, I applied to study Oenology at the University of Adelaide.  I got accepted; and quit my job in October.  Now I balance full time study, a tiny wine label and 3 part time jobs at at different McLaren Vale wineries! Only once have I failed to arrive at the right job on the right day… so far.

2008 it was the Sangiovese.  I was working at as a cellar hand during vintage at a local winery on the crusher and weighbridge during vintage watching the infamous 2008 March heat wave desiccate anything with an ounce of moisture. I was still hanging around at Redheads waiting for a delivery of Sangiovese to arrive – my new favorite variety. One balmy 35 degree night my Sangiovese came in, and it was fresh, turgid and juicy! So I doubled my buy and took just over 2 ton. Still, might I add, without any money.  The Sangiovese was fermented cool, we tried to keep it under 15 degrees and we did chill it right down to under 8 degrees once it hit 2 or 3 Baume. I think that was the key to the cherry characters being preserved even though the must was at 35 degrees at the start of ferment! We used mostly 3 and 4 year old oak, and one new barrel for 8 months trying to keep those tannins at bay, although I think they crept in there more than I would have liked. They actually seemed to develop in bottle.

In 2009 I scored some sensational Merlot, and I made a ton of Cab Franc as well which is looking superb. Both will be bottled soon.

So, in a LONG nutshell… that’s the background! The 2006 Shiraz scored 92 points and the Sangiovese 93 in Halliday 2010. Bronze at the MVWS, bronze at the Australian Alternative Wine show and a Hottest 100 showing for the Sangiovese as well.”

Thanks Chad  but I suppose I should talk about the wine!

Charlatan Sangiovese on the Beach

2008 Charlatan Sangiovese ($A15)

This wine is all about cherries, cherries and more cherries.  The aromas also have some clove action and ever so slight cedar oak, which works so well with the cherries.  The fresh cherry flavors are mid weight (not your usual McLaren Vale full bodied wines here) with just a hint of tannins on the back of the palate.  Great as a lighter option for Pizza or pork dishes.  This wine just sings summer drinking when you do not want a rose or a heavy bodied style, but still something refreshing all the same.

The wine is sold via a 6 pack from the web site.





Lonely Grape TV Episode #26 – 2005 Coriole Semillon & 2008 Charlatan Sangiovese

16 03 2010

Lets try again.  Thanks to Heath for letting me know the first version of this video did not load correctly – all fixed now!

How great is this – I get to share with you my tasting of a 2005 Coriole Semillon and a 2008 Charlatan Sangiovese.





McLaren Vale Wineries – Hugh Hamilton

27 02 2010

Hugh Hamilton Wines has a theme of Hugh being the black sheep of the family and this theme is branded right across the business.  From the wine labels to the wine names to the merchandise and even the road signs entering the winery.

Hugh Hamilton Wines Cellar Door

The views from the cellar door are worth the visit alone.  You can get about 300 degree views of the surrounding vineyard based countryside – just spectacular!  For the location check out the Cellar Door Map.

The merchandise is high quality and are really promote the Black Sheep brand.  The white t-shirt range is a particular favorite with a play on some of the wine names – I will leave it to your imagination what “The Madam” looks like!

They also have a wine club that allows you to obtain their rare wines, discounts and functions, on the basis of purchasing 2 dozen wines per year.

Black Sheep Club Benefits are:-

FREE membership & FREE freight for whole cases
Priority access to our scarcest wines
Our premium wines automatically delivered to your door, anywhere in Australia, twice a year
Significant savings of up to $50-00 per case for each allocation including rare wines
15% saving on all Hugh Hamilton wines and merchandise all year round
Gift service – we will send wine & merchandise on your behalf to family & friends with a personalised card
Invitations to cellar door events and bonus offers
Hugh’s vintage report & tasting notes with suggestions of when to drink and food accompaniments
Replacement guarantee for any damaged wines
Your choice of a red, white or mixed pack for your ongoing allocation
Surprise gift or special offer in each allocation

You can check out the wine club and all the other aspects of this winery at their web site www.hamiltonwines.com.au.

Along with the branding the wines are also something that is different and shows individual character.

2009 “The Trickster” Verdelho ($A18.50)

This wine is interesting if for no other reason that is has only 11% alcohol.  Either the grapes for this wine were picked earlier than is normal McLaren Vale practice or alcohol has been removed from the wine via reverse osmosis technology.  Either way the product is a light and refreshing infusion of fruit salad and citrus on the nose and grassy citrus on the palate.  There is not as much acid on the finish as I would expect.  The light nature of the wine means it is an excellent hot afternoon with family & friends.  It would also work with a fish entree – I had a smoked salmon dish tonight that would have gone well with this wine.

2009 “The Scallywag” Unwooded Chardonnay ($A18.50)

The grapes here are from 1975 planting of the “OF” clone.  The subtle nose is a mixture of melons and guava.  The melon theme continues on the palate with hints of tropical fruits.  I normally think that Chardonnay should have some oak treatment to get the best from this variety however I could imagine drinking this with a Cesar Salad and enjoying the matching.

2008 “The Loose Cannon” Viognier ($A22.50)

An interesting expression of orange blossom and nashi on the nose followed by the nashi and lime finish on the palate.

2009 “The Floozie” Tempranillo Rose

The 24 hour skin contact has waved its magic wand to produce a musky and Turkish Delight (both on the nose and palate) with a lovely stone fruit but dry finish.  How about a plate of Salt and Pepper Squid.

2008 “The Mongrel” Sangiovese Blend ($A22.50)

A blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 5% Tempranillo.  When I saw this wine on offer I straight away thought of the standard earthy and grainy taninic styles (such as from Coriole).  I was wrong (again) – yes there was some earthyness on the nose but this was no where near being dominate.  Instead I got hints of Rosemary and Cloves on the nose with a medium bodied cherries on the palate with smooth tannins.  Any tomato based pasta dish would do justice to a bottle or two of this wine.

2008 “The Ratbag” Merlot ($A24.50)

I have not made is a secret that Merlot is not my drink of choice, as the style tends to be a softer and a short soft tannin finish.  For my palate I tend towards the bigger red wine styles.  That is a generalisation and I will admit generalisations can be dangerous to hang your hat on!  Here is one of those times.  When I tasted the wine my first thought was that I had the wrong wine poured into my glass as this wine had “body”!  After checking the label I was convinced that, in fact, it was a Merlot I gave it another try.  The nose was really nice spiced plums.  Red plums continue on the palate combined with dark berries and a tobacco leaf finish.  I would love to have this wine with some Italian Sausages with a pan fried melody of seasonal vegetables.

2008 “The Scoundrel” Tempranillo ($A24.50)

WOW!!!!!!!  This is the most pleasantly different example of Tempranillo.  The nose had white pepper with preserved strawberries.  Strawberries continued on the palate with plums and a soft tannin finish.  Such a difference compared to other Tempranillo wines I have tasted, and I am better for this experience.  Some of this wine came home with me and I look forward to drinking it with either grilled pork chops or one of my home made pizzas – now the only decision is do I share the wine!

2007 “The Rascal” Shiraz ($A24.50)

Shiraz does so well in McLaren Vale and for 2007 being a drought year the wine is of high quality and worth checking out.  It has ripe fresh plums with cardamon and black olives mixed in.  The palate has vanilla (from the oak treatment) with plums, spice and fine tannins on the finish.  Nothing here is over the top and the components are well balanced.  Bring on a thick juicy Wychwood Meats T-bone steak.

2007 “The Villain” Cabernet Sauvignon ($A24.50)

I cannot help but think about lamb while I was tasting this wine – with no pun intended.  This has the expected nose of blackcurrents but there are hints of freshly picked thyme and other spices.  The palate continues with the blackcurrents and black olives with the oak as a supportive role only as there is a soft tannic finish.  How could you not think of lamb with this wine?

N/V “The Madam” Sparkling Tempranillo Sangiovese ($A22.50)

For the regular readers of the Lonely Grape would know that I am a sparkling red fan.  Hug Hamilton used to make a sparkling Merlot that was not on my “to drink list”.  Now this is some thing different – a sparkling Tempranillo Sangiovese blend.  I just had to try this one.

Well this was worth the visit to the cellar door!  The nose had an earthy, spiced dark plums (fresh plums not stewed).  When you drink this you are immediately seduced by a full bodied wine (hints of plums, olives and a little chocolate) followed by soft silky tannins.  There is some sweetness here but not excessive.

2009 “Goldilocks” Light Fruity White

This “light fruity wine” is made from Gewurtztraminer – an unfashionable variety.  It has been picked early and is only 11% alcohol.  Hugh says that this wine is to be enjoyed and who cares about the wine snobs that would dismiss this wine.  There is a mixture of musk lollies with rose water and the palate drives straight into tropical melons and lemon zest clean finish.  I was surprised that there was 31 g/L in the wine as it did not seem overly sweet – there must be a lot of acid here to offset.  Try something spicy with this – maybe a Thai Noodle Salad.

N/V “The Ruffian” Liqueur Muscat ($A24.50)

Along with the usual alcohol nose tingle the nose was full of raisins, Christmas pudding and candied citrus peel.  When tasted I directly thought of 2 words – luscious and lingering.  The high viscosity of the wine coated the mouth with liquid raisins, peel and slightly burnt caramel – somebody please pass the blue cheese.





McLaren Vale Wines – Alpha Box & Dice Cellar Door

19 12 2009

Justin Lane (the Alpha Box & Dice winemaker) has a reputation for being something different and that he does things his own way.  Their facility – including the cellar door is across the road from Maxwell Wines in  what I remember as the Manning Park cellar door and more recently Settlement Wines cellar door.  There has been an effort to clean up the site and make it reflect the Lane family philosophy.  The cellar door is not your new style with lots of polished wood and glass – here is all about character.  With Justin being a character and his wines showing a lot of character then it should follow that the cellar door has character.  There is also a view to setting up a courtyard area for BBQ’s etc.

The wines are very different in a positive way.  When I was offered a Dolcetto as the first wine to taste from his range, I was concerned as in my very limited experience with this variety it was sweet wine style.  How wrong I was!  The wines show an overall structure with selected fruit parcels (the emphasis is on sourcing the correct fruit to produce a style) with old oak maturation in specially sourced oak barrels plus some funky treatments to produce experience wines.

The cellar door is open weekends and I recommend this as a visit  

Dead Winemakers Society 2008 Dolcetto ($A20)

The Dolcetto grapes comes from a Scott Hicks Kupito vineyard and is aged in old 500L puncheons.  The wine is a pleasant surprise with distinct orange peel aromas.  The low tannic nature of the wine strikes you the moment it hits the palate with the orange peel nature continuing with some fennel overtones and a eucalypt finish (the vineyard is surrounded with gum trees).  Oak plays only a minimum part on the flavour profile and there is long acid finish that is complementary to the rest of the flavours.  The wine is very dry wine that would go well with complex slow cooked food or the citrus nature would appeal to the duck lovers out there.

Fog 2006 Nebbiolo Cabernet Tanant ($A30)

The wine is made up of 80% Nebbiolo from Blewitt Springs and aged in old 500L oak puncheons, 10% McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon (aged in new french oak) and 10% Kupitto Tanant (also aged in new french oak).  The Nebbiolo had extended skins contact (4 weeks) and then a long time in barrel to ensure the different tannins to integrate.

The citrus characters continue on the nose - this time it is reminiscent of mandarin peel.  On the palate there is a fruit sweetness (though it is a dry wine) with lots of sour cherries.  There is a layering effect of tannins (grape tannins and oak tannins) probably assisted by the use of Tanant, fruit and citrus flavours, high volatile acid and high acids generally.  All of these components make this an enjoyable and complex wine.  Food matches would be the same as for the Dolcetta. 

Blood of Jupiter 2006 Sangiovese Cabernet ($A25)

The wine is made of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon – both from McLaren Vale.  The Sangiovese free run juice went straight into old oak pungeons and the Sangiovese pressings and the Cabernet Sauvignon went into new Burgundian Bariques and had extended time on the lees.

The nose showed the typical Sangivese earthy and peaty characters with distinct sour cherries.  These carry over onto the palate that has layers of fine tannins, oak char and fruit sweetness.  Again there is an almost viscous mouthfeel that is very pleasant.

Apostie 2008 Shiraz Durif ($A30)

The wine is made of 50% McLaren Vale Shiraz, 23% Barossa Shiraz and 27% Durif, that went into Burgundian Buriques of which 70% were new.  The first item of note for this wine is that it is 14.1% alcohol - the wine is neither a fruit or alcohol bomb.  The nose has elements of spice with red and black fruits – but is not typical of Shiraz I have drunk lately, it has a more refined and delicate.  The palate has lots of plums and layered tannins with a real lift due to the textural structure and wonderful acid.

Changing Lanes 2005 Tempranillo Cabernet ($A35)

An interesting mix of 50/50 blend of Margaret River Tempranillo with McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon (from the Willunga foothills) – again the wine has seen Burgundian Bariques of which 70% were new.  Three years in oak and 1 year in bottle was required for Justin to be happy to release this wine.  Some Tempranillo funkyness came through on the nose.  On the palate was this fruit sweetness even though the wine would be considered dry.  Combining well with this fruitiness was layers of dry and dusty layers of tannins that was just starting to show some aged characteristics.  Another wine to buy and experieince a wine that is enjoyable but not main stream.