Clare Valley Wines – Tim Adams

20 03 2011

Tim Adams Wines Cellar Door

I have only been to the Clare Valley 3 times previously to this occasion.  On one of those occasions, nearly 20 years ago I went to a tin shed cellar door that had the name Tim Adams.  What a difference about 20 years makes.  The cellar door complex is vast, new and shiny with what looks like a reasonably sized winery behind it.  Unfortunately, I arrived at the cellar door with only 20 minutes left before closing time so my reviews below were conducted in record time and thus maybe not as detailed as normal.  So with minimal other information here is my reviews of Tim Adams Wines.

Tim Adams Wines - Winery

2010 Riesling ($A19)

Intense citrus here with lots of lemons and limes, but very interestingly grapefruit.  With these flavors here there is the expected acid depth that supports the flavors that just linger.  This supports just what Clare Valley Riesling is known for.  Bring on the seafood.

2008 Reserve Riesling ($A29)

It has been a long time since I have tasted a somewhat mature Riesling – that organic smell and taste of the kerosene.  Well this one brought back memories of a couple of occasions.  The toasty, kero, citrus rind and grapefruit aromas followed by all those lovely lime flavors.  I can see this wine would not be in favor with everybody, but you cannot please everybody all the time.

2009 Semillon ($A19)

I really enjoyed the floral notes wrapped up with stone fruit (mainly nectarine) aromas.  The flavors show the oak fermentation by some cedar notes and a creamyness complexity.  Those peaches and nectarines also make a play in those flavors.  I can see a bowl of Thai Green Curry in this wines future.

2007 Pinot Gris ($A19)

Did not taste.

2007 The Fergus ($A20)

This is a blend of all sorts of red varieties with a Grenache basis (30%).  This medium bodied red wine has the red fruits you would expect from Grenache.  The aromas and the flavors are a little short, however I can see a lot of people liking this wine.  Lamb, lamb and more lamb would work well here.

2008 Reserve Tempranillo ($A29)

It is good to see the region looking at what maybe the future direction of warmer regions like Clare Valley.  Tempranillo is doing good things in many of the wine regions of Australia – so I was looking forward to this.  I was not disappointed.  The aromas were cherry fruits with a spicy earthyness – with the spices being cloves and cinnamon.  The earthy and cherry continues on a flavor profile that has associated body that is very appealing.  If this is the view of Tempranillo in the Clare Valley then bring on more of it.

2008 Cabernet Malbec ($A20)

A classy wine from an unfashionable blend.  If you like wines with strength and substance then this is one to try.  Strong dark fruits and spice with character and palate length.  At this price this should be on everybody’s list.

2007 Shiraz ($A20)

This vintage is almost sold out and I can understand why.  This vintage the old vines from Aberfeldy vineyard helped produce the wine.  The aromas were reminiscent of mulberries and violets.  The fruit is mainly blackberry and there is wonderful spices of pepper and cardamon.  The acid here creates depth as well as a little tingle on the tongue.

2008 Aberfeldy Shiraz ($A44)

The Aberfeldy vineyard was planted with Shiraz in 1904 so one would expect concentration of flavors from small yielding vines.  So this was another offering I was looking forward to.  The aromas were based around cloves and cinnamon with an envelope of cherry plums.  The aromas also showed there is a decent slug of American oak here – there was the tell tale coconut sweetness.  The flavors were layers of dark fruits, plums and cherries with the spices of cloves and cinnamon and then the American oak adds complexity.  The oak imparted sweet coconut and vanilla flavors.

2010 Botrytis Riesling ($A25 – 375mL bottle)

In the right conditions the Botrytis mold can do wonderful things to a wine – and I emphasis the conditions need to be right.  In this case I can see many right things – flora and fruit salad aromas combined with tropical and citrus fruit flavors that has quite a viscous mouthfeel.  The most impressive thing though is what is not there – so much sugar that it just covers the whole palate and that is all you can taste.  There is a big acid hit here so the high levels of sugar are “stripped” from your tongue and mouth so that cloying experience does not happen here.

20 Year Old Fine Tawny ($A35)

This wine has the hallmarks of a good tawny – wood age colour and flavor that just combines together to just provide a party for your mouth and taste buds.  But as with the wine above there is a lot of acid here and it is not too sweet.  If you like the tawny style without all of the sugar hit then you really need to find this wine.  I know I will enjoy this during the coming winter.


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McLaren Vale Wine – Danshi Rise Wines

24 01 2011

Danshi Rise Winery

Steve (owner, grape grower and winemaker) has been making wine from his lovingly tendered vineyard since 2003 (with the exception of 2005) and has supplied grapes to many well known McLaren Vale wineries – wineries that only look for grapes that will provide strength and character in the wine.  Strength and character is what is delivered consistently under the wines tasted for this label.

The business model for this stable is to sell some grapes and make wine with some and hope that makes enough money to live on.  There is no website for Danshi Rise and there is no real marketing for the wine either.  With payment issues from restaurants and the cut throat nature of selling to the wine retailers, Steve seems to sell what he can through word of mouth.  I suspect this word of mouth works to some degree because the wines are so full of what a lot of wine consumers would be looking for – including the price.  All the wines to date are sold for $25/bottle – even though advice has been given from many wine industry people that the wine should be priced about $40 (so people could see this is a serious wine).  Steve can see the benefits of a price increase for his wine, but declines to do so – as he does not want to upset his current following.  I applaud this sentiment and I can see a large following being happy to almost steal the wine at the lower price.  One would be vary lucky indeed if you could find a wine so packed full of flavor at this price range.  The wines are at their best with food – I had a bottle with a lovely rump steak dinner and I was a very happy man.

The vineyard is almost all planted to Shiraz (~14 acres) with some Cabernet (0.5 acre) plus Tempranillo (1 acre).  most of the vines are about 12 years old with the Tempranillo planted last year.  The vineyard is situated on the Willunga “foothills” between the Willunga township and Aldinga.  The views from the winery are just sensational – firstly overlooking vineyards that seem to stretch out to the sea.

Danshi Rise Views

I filmed a episode of Lonely Grape TV at Danshi Rise – check it out.

And now the wines…….

Barrel Samples

2010 Shiraz

This wine took some time in the glass to open up, but I got clean fresh plum fruits and milk chocolate aromas.  The milk chocolate theme continued over onto the palate with rich plums and chewy tannins – in a word rich.

2009 Shiraz

The wine I tried was a mix of different barrel samples to try to show how the overall effect would be.  The effect in a word was – WOW!  The aromas were an intense infusion of licorice and plums with just a hint of tobacco.  The intensity continues with the flavors where the fruit, licorice and grainy tannins bring strength and balance.

2008 Shiraz

This wine is not far from bottling and I for one am looking forward to this.  Again there is a theme of intensity with the constant being expanded to the licorice and plumyness.  What is different here is that I get some of the American oak coconut and more of a fruit sweetness that I got with the other wines.  I also got a sense of minerallity – more than the other wines – oh so very interesting.

2009 Tempranillo

The wine is not far from bottling and this is a small volume wine (1 barrel) that shows why this variety is being lauded as the next big thing from McLaren Vale.  The aromas are just full of red and black fruits wrapped in an American oak coconut sweetness envelope.  The flavors are earthy cherries with fine soft tannins that has, dare I say it, sexy smooth and lasting finish.  Bring it on in the bottle, I say.

Bottled Wine

2006 Shiraz

Just essence of McLaren Vale Shiraz here – all the plum, licorice and just a little chocolate.  The mid palate that McLaren Vale red wines are famous for is shown so well here.  Added to this is a sense of place – the minerallity of the soil mixes well with the strength of the fruit and the grainy tannins.  The tannins are interesting as there are lots of them but they just meld so well together with the weight of the fruit.  This is a wine that is all round complexity and even though it could be drunk now would continue to get better over the next 5+ years. 

2007 Shiraz

Combined with plums is a sense of black fruit and just a hint of coconut from the American oak.  The wine is all about strength and structure but at the same time providing a smooth experience for the palate.  This wine was slightly softer than the 2006, but not by much.  Definitely a food wine – steak all around!


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McLaren Vale Wines – Gemtree

9 10 2010

 

Salopian Inn - Gentree's Cellar Door

 

Gemtree shares it’s cellar door with Dowie Doole – at the Salopian Inn – check out my review of Dowie Doole.

The cellar door offers wine flights with cheese & lavosh breads and 6 wines.  The wines are from both Gentree & Dowie Doole with either 6 reds or 5 whites and the sparkling red.  You also get tasting notes of the wines and a run down of information from the cellar door staff.

For those visiting during winter there is an open fireplace for that wonderful warmth you get from smoldering wood.

Gemtree is getting a name for promoting organic and in particular biodynamic wines and it will be interesting seeing their development in the coming years.

2010 Moonshine Savagnin ($A16)

A biodynamic vineyard producing a wine variety that I have hardly tried before – well this was an interesting start.  The interest continued as I thoroughly enjoyed this wine.  There was lots of stone fruits here (peaches and nectarines) that makes way for a lingering acid finish.  My understanding is that this variety is of interest in Australia as the grapes produce a good flavor / acid balance in hotter climates.  I must say this wine makes me want to know more about the variety.  The great acid balance in the wine makes me think it would go well with tomato based sauces and pasta.

2009 Citrine Chardonnay ($A16)

Who said Chardy is dead?  Another reasonably priced Chardonnay that has good oak integration (from 100 days in oak) – all the melons, cedar and acid one expects from this variety.  Again the McLaren Vale region and chardonnay makes a good mix – I still wonder why McLaren Vale tries to make white wines of inferior quality.

2009 Luna Raja Tempranillo ($A25)

Bring on the biodynamic vineyards – this wine exhibits some of what is good about Tempranillo – earthy, spices and a lovely tannin structure.

2009 Bloodstone Shiraz ($A16)

Straight away the aromas showed over ripe and even stewed fruit.  This theme continued onto the flavors sweet plums, black cherries with a tannic finish.  Keep your money – there are better wines for this price.

2008 Uncut Shiraz ($A19)

Ripe fruits shown by the licorice, anise and plum aromas followed by ripe plums and black fruits with a distinct licorice finish.  Another 2008 red wine that shows how difficult this vintage was.

2009 The Red Phantom Red Blend 1 ($A25)

When they say a red blend they mean it – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot & Petit Verdot.  I get aromas of Floral (mainly violets) – quite probably from the Petit Verdot.  Then the aroma profile of herbecous with with real green capsicums – all from the Cabernet.  The cabernet dominates in the flavor spectrum – blackcurrents, little mint and some greenness.  The finish is so dry it leaves you teeth feeling like they are fir coated.

2007 White Lees Shiraz ($A45)

Now here was a surprise – the aromas are dominated by violets.  Not what I expected from Shiraz – particularly from McLaren Vale Shiraz.  There is just lots and lots of complexity here – layers of fruit, tannin structure and French oak characters.  Leave this alone for a few years and try it with seared Kangaroo.

2008 Petit Verdot ($A25)

The floral notes I quite often find in this variety are here again.  I also get plums, pepper and just a little blackberry.  For those Petit Verdot fans out there this is one to try.

Not Tasted

2007 Obsidian Shiraz


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McLaren Vale Wines – Dowie Doole

3 10 2010

Dowie Doole & Gemtree Cellar Door

Dowie Doole has their cellar door combined with Gemtree Wines in one of McLaren Vale‘s historic landmarks – the Salopian Inn.  The Salopian Inn has been famous for it’s high quality food using regional Fleurieu produce.  Under new management this historical McLaren Vale landmark now is not only the home to a quality regional produce dining experience, there is a wine list sourced by a Master of Wine, the home for Vale Ale (a new beer branded around McLaren Vale) plus the combined cellar door.

Salopian Inn

Check out the Lonely Grape cellar door map for the location of this cellar door.

2009 Second Nature Sauvingnon Blanc ($A18)

This wine was unusual for it’s restrained aromas unlike the norm for this variety.  When you drink it there is the usual cut grass and the ripe passionfruit that is typical for the riper fruit sourced from McLaren Vale.  It is not for me but I can see the wine being a big seller so why not!

2008 Tintookie Chenin Blanc ($A30)

Dowie Doole is known for this variety and is up there with Coriole as McLaren Vale’s quality producer of wine from this often frowned upon variety.  The aromas were restrained – almost like the wine is moving from a fruit based phase to a more mature style.  Thus I was looking forward to drinking this wine.  The flavors were like drinking essence of Nashi pear with a lingering acid length.  There is plenty and body here to still have a long life.  The wine did not disappoint – it does show what Chenin Blanc can do.

2009 Merlot ($A22)

Here is the typical Merlot mulberries here in abundance with some mild influences of cedary oak.  There is 10% Cabernet Sauvignon here that gives the wine some extra backbone that I suspect the wine would not have had without it.  The softness here will appeal to many people, but me ……..

2009 Garnacha & Tempranillo ($A25)

I was looking forward to this wine as the boys from Qwoff spoke of it so highly – by the way Garnacha is Grenache and a very different G & T indeed.

The red fruits of the 65% Grenache really shows through on the nose and the 35% Tempranillo’s earthyness is the dominant flavors.  As should be the case with Grenache based wines the tannins are soft but still structured.  I have not had this blend before and I hope this is not the last time.  Roll out a wood fired oven backed pizza.

2008 Second Nature Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz & Merlot ($A18)

Sweet black fruits here in both aromas and flavors with just a little oak.  Maybe the product of a very difficult vintage but the sweet fruit character was not in line with what I would look for in a red wine, so this one is not for me.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($A22)

Minimal aromas were followed by an interesting black cherry flavor that I was not expecting from a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The rest of the flavors were typical of Cabernet – blackcurrent and dusty oak integration with a nice length.  This is a nice Cabernet at the price point and would go well with a Rogan Josh.

2008 Shiraz ($A25)

All the elements of a McLaren Vale Shiraz are here – plums plus the spices of pepper, cardamon.  There is a slightly bitter finish – maybe indicating high alcohol.  Again something did not seem right with the overall potential enjoyment of this wine – the elements are there but the whole does not do justice to what the variety can do in McLaren Vale.

2008 California Road Shiraz ($A35)

Hold the fort – this single vineyard wine is such a large jump in quality and after the previous wine, my faith is restored!  The aromas were plums, plums and more plums with that hint of dusty oak.  Flavors were just like “essence of McLaren Vale Shiraz in a glass”.  Plums again with vanilla characters that move apart for the dusty tannins to make their entrance.  There is length here and not just the tannins – the fruit just seems to go on and on for miles.  This was definately the best wine I tried from this stable and it is worth every cent.  A high quality steak with a porchini mushroom sauce would be a spectacular combination.

Not tasted

2006 Reserve Shiraz

N/V Moxie Sparkling Red

2006 Sticky Bits Botytris Semillon


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McLaren Vale Wines – Adrian Kenny Wines

4 09 2010

Adrian is in a few words – an interesting character – and that is why I like the guy.  He has been making wines  for a number of McLaren Vale wineries and McLaren Vale grape growers that have not been able to sell their grapes so have organised to make their own wine.  I have tried a number of these wines made under contract for others.  I have enjoyed these wines so I was looking forward to trying his own wine.

Adrian likes to work on what he calls the Trinitarian Balance which is a balance between flavor, aroma and texture (or what I often refer to as mouthfeel.

Adrian has a need to do the different things and to incorporate technology to provide something different.  This burning need is a driving force in his winemaking style.  There is no standard Adrian Kenny wine as the wine he makes this vintage may not suit what he wants to try next or the next batch of interesting fruit he can find.  Adrian has also decided to reduce the work he has been doing for others and to spend considerably more time working on his wines and his use of technology.  We can then look forward to many different wines to try from this “innovator”.

2010 Fleurieu Peninsula Sauvignon Blanc Trial Batch 8a

Just bottled and nearly all the wine sold.  The grapes come from Mt Compass vines and they were picked relatively early so to achieve only 11% alcohol.  This was an attempt to make a more refined wine and a move away from the fruit bomb mentality.  I was looking forward to trying this as I am not a not normally a fan of Sauvignon Blanc and maybe this would be different.  Unfortunately the wine was all over for me before it began – the level of sulphur added to the wine was overpowering on both the nose and palate.  The level of sulphur was at 30 ppm which is normally acceptable – but not in this case.  I even left the wine tom breath for a couple of hours but to no avail.

2009 GTS ($A18)

I have not had a Grenache, Tempranillo, Shiraz blend before so another level of interest was sparked.  No disappointment this time.  Another level of interest is that the Grenache had a few bunched of Viognier during fermentation.  The aromas are dominated by cherries with the earthiness one normally associates with Tempranillo.  The flavors continue with the cherries and a melody of red fruits.  There are soft tannins and a hint of darkness which I can describe as briarness.  There is some lovely fruit here but with some darkness as well – I see this as an excellent combination with Pizza or Pasta.

2009 Fleurieu Peninsula Tempranillo Trial Batch 3b ($A22)

The fruit comes from a biodynamic vineyard on the Fleurieu Peninsula.  Adrian was trying to make a Tuscan style wine.  The aromas were understated and I believe that  the wine needs time to reach it’s potential.  There was cherries and the Briarness I mentioned above.  As the wine was breathing in  the glass I got some floral tones starting to come through.  The flavors were interesting.  At first there was some greenness and then blackness with a slightly bitter finish.  While Adrian & I were talking about this wine I found the wine changed and the greenness and bitterness disappeared, so one to watch for a few years.


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Lonely Grape TV Episode # 49 – Adrian Kenny Reds

31 08 2010

Join me with my Son as my assistant trying a couple of red wines from an innovator McLaren Vale Winemaker.


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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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Lonely Grape TV Episode #44 – Waywood Wines Pt2

27 07 2010

Another experiment. @ Waywood wines that have been kept for 10 days under vacuvun (ie air removed from the partially empty bottle). The idea was is to see the development over the 10 days……


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Lonely Grape TV Episode #43 – Waywood Wines

22 07 2010

What a great day – in a winery tasting wines during a sunny winters day in McLaren Vale. The Waywood wines are what I would call food wines.  What do you think?


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McLaren Vale Wine – Waywood Wines

17 07 2010

Andrew Wood from Waywood Wines contacted me via e-mail with the intention to have a look at his wines.  His tone from the first moment was one of wanting feedback on his wines – not just a review that would go out to the wine public via the Lonely Grape Blog.  This was certainly different for me as most tastings have been based on just getting a good review.

Andrew’s background was as a Sommelier in London and then deciding to take his love of wine further by undertaking studies and working vintage in Europe.  Having a Queenslander as his partner has lead Andrew to Australia – firstly in the Granite Belt and then the last 6 vintages in McLaren Vale.  As you could imagine the passion for wine has also lead to a want to express himself by making his own wines – and so Waywood Wines was born.

It was also very obvious that Andrew’s passion extends to wine and food matching so not surprising that the wines are made to consume with food.

Check out their web site.

The wines are sold by the dozen so prices are supplied as dozen prices as advertised in the 2010 Winter Newsletter.

Anyway – now for the wines (note that the wines were open for a couple of hours prior to the tasting):-

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($100/dozen – winter 2010 special)

Black & brambly fruits on the nose makes way for light blackcurrent fruit flavors with good tannins and acidity and ends in a quite dry finish.  I suspect the fruit characters are fading however, there is evidence of structure.  For the price this would work well in “easy drinking” occasions so maybe lets pear it up with something spicy like a lamb based tagine.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($180/dozen)

I found the aromas on this wine to be closed and almost nothing there.  This Willunga Cabernet was picked young and it shows with such a good level of acid.  There are good black fruits here (blackcurrents & mulberries) with firm chalky tannin layers that coat the teeth.  This wine needs some more time in the bottle to show it’s best.  Definitely a food wine so try it with something robust to match the secondary flavors such as Turkey Lasagna.

2008 Shiraz ($150/dozen)

I got black fruits and hits of vanilla aromas.  The flavors started with black and red fruits and straight away showed a great acid and tannin structure.  There was distinct ironstone steely acid here as well.  I suspect the wine is still a little tight and another 12 months in bottle will spring something even more wonderful.  The wine was picked after the heatwave of the vintage so it just proves how cool Clarendon actually is.  Bring on charred meats – I am cooking a BBQ tomorrow night and I wish I had a bottle of this to drink while cooking and eating.  At this price I would put some of this away.

2005 Shiraz Cabernet (only available in mixed dozens)

I got more developed aromas here than fruit ones – some leather and spice.  Interestingly, I got a hit of sweet fruits when I first put the wine in my mouth.  Then I got an oak hit, then finished with some good savory fruits mixed with good acid and tannins.  Another food wine that would go well with roast lamb.

2007 Shiraz Cabernet ($180/dozen)

This Willunga Cabernet and Clarendon Shiraz was my favorite wine here.  The aromas were again closed and just hid what was to come.  There was some cherry and chocolate flavors so a bit cherry ripe like.  The french oak kicks in with some spice (clove and fennel) that is so well balanced with the oak.  Lots happening here so I would try this with a mushroom risotto with lots and lots of Parmesan cheese.

2007 Tempranillo ($180/dozen)

A really interesting series of aromas here – the best from this wineries offering.  A distinctive smell that took me some time to get a handle on – iodine.  Plus black olive, cherries and black fruits that trails into some perfume and flowers.  The best nose of these wines – by a long way.  The wine is almost textural when you drink it – plums, red fruits  matching well with the dry and chalky tannins (from the extended maceration).  Give this a year or 2 to reach its best and give it a try with complex foods – sizzling Mongolian steak and special fried rice.


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Categories : Mclaren Vale, wine

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