From the Braydun Hill stable, this Shimply Shiraz is a pleasant surprise and I can see why it is a recent award winner.
Lonely Grape TV Episode # 99 – Braydun Hill 2008 Shimply Shiraz
31 12 2011Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: Australia, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Shiraz, Small Producer, South Australia
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
Lonely Grape TV Episode #91 Graham Stevens Wines 2011 Rose
30 10 2011My first 2011 wine from McLaren Vale and I am so glad it was this one. The red fruits of Grenache just engulf you in the wine made for pure enjoyment. I enjoyed it (if you had not noticed) and I hope you check it out as well.
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Tags: Australia, Grenache, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Small Producer, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
Lonely Grape TV Episode # 87 Dowie Doole 2009 Cabernet
3 10 2011There were no donuts in this wine – good Cabernet from McLaren Vale from Dowie Doole. Check out the video to see what I mean……
http://youtu.be/mQjU39Frdg8
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Tags: Australia, Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
Lonely Grape TV Episode # 86 2010 Gilligan SGM
27 09 2011What a joy – the 2010 Gilligan Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre. One of my favorite blends and this one makes the grade.
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Tags: Australia, Grenache, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Mourvedre, Shiraz, Small Producer, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
Lonely Grape TV Episode #83 – Genders 2005 McLaren Park Shiraz
13 09 2011Dianna Genders has done it again with her newly released 2005 McLaren Park Shiraz. Layers of flavor here – check out my review……
Like this:
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Tags: Australia, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Shiraz, Small Producer, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
McLaren Vale Wines – Dowie Doole
11 09 2011Dowie Doole has moved it’s tasting facility to it’s headquarters on California Road. They were previously at the Salopian Inn with Gemtree wines until recent times. The new facility is well set up at the end of a small vineyard that belongs to Gilligan Wines. The name Gilligan is synonymous with Dowie Doole as the General Manager and a Viticulturist by that name works at Dowie Doole. They have a vineyard on California Road and in Blewitt Springs.
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
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Tags: Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, cellar door, Food, Grenache, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Merlot, Mourvedre, Oak, Shiraz, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
McLaren Vale – Budburst and Christmas Preparations
21 08 2011No wine or winery reviews this weekend. I have not been able to taste wine for the 8 or so days due to having the flu and not being able to smell has hampered any quality wine tasting. On top of this I have not really been inclined to wine tasting anyway. So what am I going to talk about this week. From the title you can see I want to share 2 things.
Budburst
Driving around McLaren Vale today, I noticed that a few grape vines between Willunga and Sellicks Hill have the green shoots showing that the vines are starting to awaken from their winter sleep.
Budburst 2011
The anticipation of the coming Vintage starts with Budburst!
Christmas Preparations
Why would I be talking about Christmas now? I attended a tasting last weekend with some friends from the DeadRed Wine Group (see Charlie’s comments about the tasting here) – I was not tasting so I started to discuss a yearly activity that will be happening in my household. The making of the Christmas Fruit Mince!
How can making fruit mince be classified as something to talk about in a wine blog? I can hear this question coming over the social media waves. Well my fruit mince has a uniquely McLaren Vale wine feel to it.
A local McLaren Vale store on the Main Street is called Yummy Nuts (an interesting name for a small business that provides all sorts of produce – check out their web site here). I am able to source a large selection of bulk dried fruits (mainly Australia produce) where I get a good hand full of each of the selections. Examples are apricots, pears, apples, currents, raisins, figs, cranberries, plums etc – you get the picture. In regards to figs, I find that a small amount adds to the complexity of the mix but too much is not good for the texture of the final mixture as the small seeds make the mince almost seem gritty. So keep the figs to a minimum. Then I also get a good amount, say 1.5 – 2 kg of some good South Australian Riverland dried Sultanas (also from Yummy Nuts).
McLaren Vale's Yummy Nuts
All of these fruits are placed into a dedicated plastic sealed container to which I add the McLaren Vale ingredient – Durus. Durus is sold from Middlebrook Estate and is a Comquot liqueur, sweetened with honey and fortified with brandy – check out my review of Middlebrook. A full 750mL bottle of Durus is added (less a shot for me while I do the adding). Some other fortified wines are added during the coming months – just any left overs of what I maybe drinking at the time, or a shot of the treacle like fluid that comes from my port barrel. The filled container is placed in the bottom of our fridge.
Each week over the coming months the drunken fruit is removed from the fridge and is mixed to ensure all the fruit has the chance to soak up the lovely fluids. From time to time additions are made – either a fortified or a touch of good South Australian Brandy. As it gets closer to Christmas some mixed spice, cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg (the fresh nutmeg makes a huge difference so I would recommend this) gets added to the mix.
When it is time to make the mince, some fresh grated apple is added. I like to use some Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples – the crisp acid nature of these apples seem to give the mixture a lift. The final mixture is “minced” in the food processor. The mice is halved – one half used in my Xmas Pudding fruit base and half for the Fruit Mince Pies. The puddings are made in November and the mince Pies are made the day before being served (but they will last a while – something to do with a certain preservative that gets added).
The McLaren Vale regionallity of the Fruit Mince Pies does not stop there. The pastry base is made with ground almonds – with almonds being another icon product from the region. Here I use ground almonds purchased from what I believe is the best regional farmers market around – the Willunga Farmers Market. This market is held every Saturday morning and is a wonderful experience just to wonder around and see what is on offer from a wide range of fresh local produce – and the produce is just fantastic. Do yourself a favor and check out this market, even if it is just for the experience.
The recipe for the pastry is:-
1/2 cup almond meal
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup castor sugar
200g chilled butter (diced) – it is important that the butter be chilled
1 egg yoke beaten in 1/4 cup of water
Using a food processor mix the dry ingredients and add the butter 1 cube at a time and process until crumbly then add the egg mixture. Form the mixture into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about half an hour. Take a small amount of the chilled pastry and form into the holes of a non-stick small muffin pan – then add a small amount of of the fruit mince. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes. You need to keep a close one on them when in the oven – they are easy to burn. Take note that the pastry is soft when it first comes out of the oven so you need to let them cool slightly before placing on a tray. If you can stop them being eaten straight away, then place the cooled pies into a sealed container.
If you give this recipe a try, then please let me know how it goes.
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Tags: Australia, Granny Smith, liqueur, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, South Australia, Willunga, Willunga South Australia, wine
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
McLaren Vale Wine – Battle of Bosworth
14 08 2011One of only 2 fully organically certified vineyard operations in the McLaren Vale region, that I am aware of. I have previously reviewed this operation so I refer you to this entry by clicking here.
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:-
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 ($A20)
Starting with a very pleasant set of berry aromas (both blueberry and blackberry). The flavors were the same fruits with a good hit of tannin and acid that means a good length on the wine. Not over done with either the fruit or the oak, so I can see this wine being quite popular.
2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($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.
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Tags: Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, cellar door, Chardonnay, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Small Producer, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
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Lonely Grape TV Episode #81 d’Arenberg Shiraz Grenache
11 08 2011A 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.
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Tags: Australia, cellar door, d'Arenberg, Grenache, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Shiraz, South Australia, wine, wine McLaren Vale
Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine
McLaren Vale Wines – Genders Wines 2005 McLaren Park Shiraz
31 07 2011I love my job – well it is not really a job, but I love it anyway. I get the opportunity to visit wonderful people and talk about wine, and yes even drink some as well. This week I had the pleasure to be invited to Genders Wines to taste their new release – 2005 Genders McLaren Park Shiraz. What a wonderful 2 hours I had. I always enjoy discussing things in wine with Dianna Genders (winemaker, vinerion and all round everything for Genders Wines).
Dianna Genders at Genders Wines
The winery is just outside the McLaren Vale Sports Ground and most people that drive past the winery, they do not even know it is there. Well there it really is. Yes, the winery looks like it may have stopped operation many years ago, but this could not be further from the truth. The winery and vineyards are run and operated by Dianna and in my mind she does a great job in the face of what the industry is doing to many small operators. The wines are quite distinctive if for no other reason that Dianna will not release her wines until she believes it is ready. In her eyes almost all wine is released too early.
Genders Wines has a long history of grape growing and then wine making – I have written about them in a previous blog. Check it out here.
Anyway, I should talk about the wine……
2005 McLaren Park Shiraz ($40)
Firstly, this is a classical Genders wine with all the developed characters but more importantly for me the wines change so much over a period of time. One of the reasons I was there so long (well that was my excuse anyway). The aromas started with developed dark briary fruits but after a while changed to that typically shown from Dianna’s wines – floral notes. Then some cinnamon kicks in as well. The flavors also change dramatically. Firstly starts with the briary / black fruits with oak tannins not over done and lots of good acid i.e. Really good structure. Over time the flavors change to include lots of spices and not your normal spices. I got more of cardamon and sage as the wine opened up. After being open for nearly 2 hours there were more changes – the fruits of blackberries and blueberries came through.
Two things I thought of after trying the wine. Firstly, the changes over time from these wines are a joy and even though many people will not get the most from these wines (as there will be limited breathing of the wine), Dianna’s decision to keep these wines back until they are mature enough provides the drinker with inexperience that is not normally achieved unless you or a friend has a wine cellar. Secondly, the red wines from this vineyard and winery has a distinctness about them and I am starting to understand this winery and the wines being produced.
I am also happy to let you know that Dianna has allowed this wine to be sold on-line from Taste McLaren Vale Web Site in the coming weeks.
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Tags: Aroma of wine, Australia, Mclaren Vale, McLaren Vale Wine, Shiraz, Small Producer, South Australia, wine, Winery
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