Lonely Grape TV Episode # 66 – McLaren Vale Cleanskin Shiraz

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Lonely Grape

I thought it would be interesting to see if a cleanskin Shiraz would benefit from breathing – using a Vinturi. Check out the video for my review of this.

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McLaren Vale Wine – Braydun Hill Vineyard

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Lonely Grape

Carol & Tony Bradley-Dunn have put in a lot of hard work to produce some little gems mad with Shiraz from their 10 acres – half planted in 1998 and half in 1999.  They have devoted their exploits to Shiraz from an area of McLaren Vale that does not have much in the way of vineyards.  These vines are situated on the Adelaide side of Onkaparinga Gorge National Park – almost looking over the rest of McLaren Vale.  There is an emphasis on minimal chemicals in the vineyard which helps in the single vineyard wines showing a sense of place.

Braydun Hill Road Sign

Their motto of “Devoted to Shiraz” not only shows their dedication to their vineyard and what they do but also their wine list.  Nothing but Shiraz – but they have 6 wines to taste so they do have variety.  All with just the humble Shiraz grape!  Spending a little time with them also quickly shows a passion for what they do and the product of their labours.

They run a cellar door is open Thursday to Sunday 11 am to 4 pm.  Check their location on my cellar door map.  Their web site is at www.braydunhill.com.au

And now for the wines…….

2008 Shimply Shiraz ($A15)

The 2008 Vintage was very difficult in McLaren Vale and the Braydun Hill vineyard was no exception.  As the resultant wine was not to the standard of previous vintages a very conscience decision was made that the wine needed to be marketed differently – so the name Shimply was born.  And Shimply it is – the wine shows lots of black fruits and spicy satsuma plum characters.  Sure the wine showed a little stewed fruit character and sure the wine was a little short, but at the price why not give a wine that is simply just McLaren Vale Shiraz  a go.  I would mix it with a good old fashioned home made hamburger with beetroot, egg and cheese.

2006 Red Label Shiraz ($A18.50)

This wine was a little experiment where some single vineyard fruit was blended with some cooler climate fruit from Mt Bold, with the aim to produce a wine with a different character to the normal offering.  The wine has spicy pepper with dark fruits aromas with what I thought was some greenness – the main trigger for me that there was some cooler climate material there.  The flavors were all plums, blackberries with a white pepper chaser.  At this price the wine is worth checking out!  What food would I match with this wine –

2004 Hand Picked Single Vineyard Premium Shiraz ($A39)

As the wine was being poured I could tell a difference here.  The wine was so dense that it was almost black – for  a 6 year old red I was not really expecting this.  This darkness made way for a significant jump in complexity.  The aromas had dark berries, dark satsuma plums with hints of licorice and even some mint and a little vanilla.  The mint threw me and I even wondered wrongly that a bit of Cabernet was added.  the oak maturation was 60%/40% Freanch/American and new/old.  The flavors were layered.  Satsuma plum, white pepper, licorice and anise with a fine dusty tannin finish.  This wine would need time to breath – see my review of this wine using a Vinturi Areator.  interestingly, I could see this wine being drunk at the end of the day – one that was maybe stressful and this wine will help the issues of the day just run away (maybe I need some of this today as I write this).

2005 Hand Picked Single Vineyard Premium Shiraz ($A33)

The same dark wine shows the interesting side of single vineyard wines – very different wines from one year to the next.  Reflecting the different seasons and a sense of the place the wine was born.  The dark berries mixed with anise and a more obvious vanilla aromas.  Strong fruit flavors of dark plums and black fruits are married with the cedary notes from the French oak.  The oak here is more obvious than the 2004, but so was the fruit character – so very interesting.  I am thinking of roast beef with lots of roast root vegies with just the right amount of beef jus.

2006 Hand Picked Single Vineyard Premium Shiraz ($A29.50)

Wow – so different again.  This wine has all the briary and hedge row fruits you can want on both the aromas and flavors.  This is a very fruit driven wine – from the up front fruit sweetness, highlighted by the American oak treatment, to the fruit layers on the back of the palate.  I have word this is their best seller of the premium wines, and I can see why.  The fruitiness of the wine leads me to wanting to drink it with pan seared kangaroo loin fillet with red current jelly.

2008 Crimson Silk Sparkling Shiraz ($A21)

Of course I have to try the sparkling Shiraz – at this time of year my favorite wine style.  There is fresh red and black berries here that has a refreshing level of sweetness (from the 8 g/L sugar remaining in the wine).  This is a fun wine but it also has a serious side with some interestingly gripping tannins on the mid palate.  Now this is one to share with friends as a “Sunday Afternoon” wine.

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Lonely Grape TV Episode # 65 – Braydun Hill Shiraz & Vinturi

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Lonely Grape

My first use of the Vinturi Aerator and I could not think of a better wine that needs
aeration than the 2004 Braydun Hill Hand Picked Premium Single Vineyard Shiraz. A wine with some bottle age plus one with lots and lots of complexity. Watch me trying the wine before and after the Vinturi.

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McLaren Vale Wine – Mr Riggs

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Lonely Grape

Ben Riggs the “Mr Riggs” of this label is the winemaker for Penny’s Hill wines as well and they are all available from the Penny’s Hill Cellar Door in McLaren Vale.

Penny's Hill & Mr Riggs Cellar Door

They also sell wine under the Whoop Whoop label plus a few cleanskin sales from the cellar door.  When I was there just before Christmas they had a cleanskin Moscato which I have been told was very sweet and very refreshing.

The cellar Door also holds a restaurant that is open for lunch 7 days per week.  The “Kitchen Door” creates meals from local produce and changes their menu ever couple of months.

The wines have a history of quality outputs so I was looking forward to tasting these wines.  Check out my review of the Penny’s Hill and Black Chook wines.

2010″Watervale” Riesling ($A22)

Sometimes you here about less being more – well this in one of those wines.  There is a classy simplicity here.  Limes, limes and more limes here.  Clare Riesling is all about the citrus fruits and the acid finish and this wine has both in spades.  Definitely a food wine and I am thinking a big bowl of chilli mussels.

2010 “Ein Riese” Riesling ($A22 375mL bottle)

The aromas were closed to me – I even warmed up the glass in my hands with little effect.  The flavors were dominated by sweet grapefruit.  The acid here was interesting as it offset the sugar so the palate felt cleansed after every mouthfull.  This wine is an obvious crowd pleaser for those that drink the sweeter wines but also an interest here for any wine buff.  I would like to see how this wine would match a plate of dried muscatel’s and a soft Brie.

2008 Viognier ($A22)

Viognier is a white variety that seems to do well in McLaren Vale – however the resultant wine is not always interesting.  In this case the interest has been heightened by the use of oak fermentation for about a third of the wine.  This has lead to a developed toasty series of aromas that continues into the flavors as a honey toastyness with pears and a tangy acid finish.  The toastyness was overdone for me.  I would have liked to see this wine when it was a bit younger.

2009 “Cold Chalk” Chardonnay ($A22)

Yes I got some oak characters here but that was it for the interest.  The aromas had an oily component and the flavors had an almost sour finish.  Sorry – it is a leave for me.

2008 “Yacca Paddock” Tempranillo ($A25)

I was looking forward to this wine made from Adelaide Hills fruit and I was not disappointed.  Such a savory aroma that lead into s mouthful of the fruit sweetness of a red berry compote that finished with dry dusty tannins.  So dry that they made my teeth feel like they were dry after each mouthful.  I can see a number of grilled lamb loin chops in this wines culinary future.

2008 “Piebald” Shiraz Viognier ($A25)

Another Shiraz/Viognier blend from this stable (when you include Penny’s Hill & Black Chook wines).  Mr Riggs and co must really like this blend – unfortunately this difficult vintage has not been kind to them.  Stewed plum aromas with just a hint of the apricot from the 5% Viognier addition.  I suspect the Viognier came from the lightly pressed skins from the Viognier winemaking.  Then the wine just falls down – if I wanted a drink that was dominated by apricots then I would drink apricot juice.  Just too much here for me.

2009 “The Gaffer” Shiraz ($A22)

Now here is an example of good marketing – a proportion of the money received for each bottle of this wine sold is donated to pink ribbon charities (Breast Cancer Research).  Another marketing play was this wine appeared on the Australian TV version of Master Chef – it would be difficult to buy such exposure!  Anyway, does the wine match that sort of hype?  Well I am glad you asked – the wine is a typical McLaren Vale Shiraz at that price point.  All plums, strong mid palate with plenty of fruit sweetness.  The wine showed some stewed fruit and just a hint of alcohol hotness – probably a product of the hot conditions from the 2008 vintage.  Take this to your next BBQ – a good wine and a talking point over the Breast Cancer awareness from the pink capsule.

2009 “Sticky End” Viognier ($A22 375 mL)

Now this is interesting.  A late harvest style from the Penny’s Hill vineyard where the grapes have also been dried for 3 weeks on racks to enable a concentration of flavors.  This wine can be described easily in 3 words – liquid sweet Nashi.  I found this such an agreeable wine, and why wouldn’t I as I love the flavors of Nashi’s.  The wine is luscious but not over the top and for the sweet wine drinkers this is a beauty.  The people in the cellar door say the hardest thing they have to do to sell this wine is to get people to taste it – that does not sound too hard at all.  At this time of year the wine would go well with the lighter styles of Xmas Pudding.

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McLaren Vale Wine – Penny”s Hill & The Black Chook

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Penny's Hill Cellar Door

Penny’s Hill cellar door is between the towns of McLaren Vale and Willunga and can only be considered as a success story for McLaren Vale from their 1988 beginnings.  A very smart set of packaging where the red dot is a take off of the sold stickers on art works in a gallery.  The winery slogan – Proudly Australian – more so McLaren Vale is also clever for the overseas market.  They have 3 owned vineyards – Malpas Road and Goss Corner are near the cellar door plus the Penny Hill Vineyard on the foothills east of McLaren Vale.  Viticulture is an important part of the Penny’s Hill way and there is interesting practices with the aim to produce the best fruit.  On this visit I missed out on the Grenache – but I am told it is a beauty, so I will have to return when I find out the next release.

The cellar door complex has an interesting mix of the old and new with the original homestead next to the corrugated iron based cellar door building.  Also there is a chook yard and an area for such activities as Bocce.  The restaurant as part of the cellar door complex has a great reputation and if you want to check it out I suggest you book.  The last few times I have been there the place has been full.

Check out their web site at www.pennyshill.com.au.

Penny's Hill Cellar Door & Resturant

There is a large line up of wines to taste so be careful on how much you consume during your tasting.

And now the wines………

Penny’s Hill Wines

2010 Adelaide Hills “The Agreement” Sauvignon Blanc ($A19)

All the things that draw some people to this variety are here – passionfruit & gooseberry with clean acid finish.  One thing I did like was dry finish combined with this good acid.  It would not have surprised me if there was a few bottles of this was consumed Xmas Day with the smoked ham.

2009 McLaren Vale “Malpas Road” Merlot ($A19)

Mulberries in a glass.  Made from vines whose roots are spread out into the black soils on the flat between McLaren Vale and Willunga.  The wine is good but not inspiring so it is not one I will be opening any time soon.

2009 McLaren Vale “The Specialized” Shiraz / Cabernet / Merlot ($A22)

The Cabernet seems to dominate this wine even though it is almost 1/3 of each variety in this blend – lots of juicy black fruits with dusty dry oak tannins.  Again s good wine but just seems to be lacking something to make me want to drink it.

2009 McLaren Vale “Edwards Road” Cabernet Sauvignon ($A24)

The aromas were almost non-existent – what was there were smoky blackcurrents.  The flavors were up front blackcurrent sweetness with just a touch of smoky oak and the dry tannin finish.  Again a good wine but just something missing to say it was one I would want to take home with me.

2009 McLaren Vale “Cracking Black” Shiraz ($A22)

The Cracking Black refers to the Bay of Biscay soils that the vineyard is planted on – when dried out these clays often crack on the surface.  These soils must provide a good basis as this wine had the spark I was hoping for from this stable.  Typically plum aromas with a hint of fairy floss (or cotton candy).  The flavors had juicy fruit and American oak (almost coconut) sweetness.  There was a denseness here that my notes just defined as “Black”.  I am thinking of the charred meats of the good old fashioned Aussie BBQ.

NV Penny”s Hill Almond Liqueur ($A22 200 mL)

There is only one way to describe this liqueur – marzipan with a strong alcohol tingle in a glass.  Made in a similar way as Limoncello where crushed almonds and sugar is added to alcohol.  This one will divide the masses you will either love it or hate it!  A small shot during winter to warm the senses with those that love it would be the way to go.

NV Penny”s Hill “Veteran” Very Old Fortified ($A27 500 mL)

This is the real deal and is worth every cent for this 500 mL of Barossa magic – yes this 20 year old fortified wine is made and matured in the Barossa.  It is so good I did not even care it did not come from McLaren Vale.  The aromas have an alcohol tingle that you would expect mixed with dates and toffee.  The flavors have the same toffee & dates plus combined with the nuttiness of cashews – and ooh so smooth.  I can see one being consumed while sharing it with your loved one, during the cold months of winter and eating a plate full of great soft cheeses.

The Black Chook

2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($A17)

Little aromas combined with slightly bitter passionfruit flavors just strengthens my view that even though wine labeled as Sauvignon Blanc sells, it is not always a good wine.

2010 Pinot Grigio ($A17)

Some light fruit on the nose – so light I could not make out what it was.  The flavors were a mix of passionfruit (somewhat different for Pinot Grigio’s I have tasted so far), pears and acid minerallity.  As the wine is on the light side, I think this is more of a Sunday afternoon wine to be consumed with friends, more than a food wine.

2008 GSV ($A17)

The wine shows a trend for wineries that produce Viognier – co-fermenting Viognier skins with red grapes (in this case Grenache).  A blend of 50% Grenache, 45% Shiraz plus 5% Viognier.  The result shows some lifted red fruit aromas that transform into red fruit sweetness with apricot flavors.  The apricot was a tad too obvious for me.  The wine represents good value if you like the it’s apricot nature.

2009 Shiraz ($A17)

The wine has about 6% Viognier – the winemaker seems to like the Shiraz / Viognier as it appears across the whole range (including Mr Riggs wines).  The wine showed purple tinges so I thought straight away I thought was there enough acid in this wine.  The alcohol tingle on the nose indicated a reasonably high alcohol level.  I got bitter plumy apricots flavors which were not appealing – so a big leave for me.

NV Sparkling Shiraz ($A17 or $A12 375 mL)

As some of you will know I like this style.  This example is a sweet plum bubbly infusion.  A wine that is not too serious and is easy to drink – and at this price why not.

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Lonley Grape TV Episode # 64 – Vale v Barossa Sparkling Shiraz

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Back at the Barossa Collective Cellar Door (Main Street, Tanunda). Drop in and say Hello and let them know Shane sent you. This time I am tasting 2 Sparkling Shiraz wines. Thorpe 2006 & Karra Yerta NV. Both yum in a glass and just what one needs for the Xmas feast.

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McLaren Vale Wines – Marienberg and Fern Hill Estate

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Marienberg Cellar Door

The Marienberg Cellar Door has just re-opened after refurbishment of the adjacent restaurant.  They have also moved the cellar door location onto the McLaren Vale Main Street.  This looked like a smart move as previously the outlet was around the corner on Chalk Hill Road.

I was looking forward to visiting the newest cellar door in the area, but that emotion was soon changed to “what am I doing here”.  The cellar door is at the end of the restaurant and it looked like the dumping ground for the items needed to get away from the bar.  There was dirty dishes and generally just stuff all around.  Once directed to use the top of a wine barrel I was then treated to open bottles of wines that had no more than their stelvin caps on – no looking after the wine with oxygen removal options or wine shields.  This made me wonder how long the wines were open and how fresh was the wine.  You can see my comments below are not very complementary and I must say that I found my worst McLaren Vale cellar door.

2008 Marienberg Unwooded Chardonnay ($A16)

Straight away the wine showed aged chemical characters that were unpleasant.

2009 Fern Hill Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($A16)

All the typical flavors of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – strong passionfruit and gooseberry aromas plus passionfruit flavours with an acidic citrus finish.  The wine will probably sell well but for me – why have an overseas wine when we need to support the Australian wine industry.

2009 Marinberg Sauvignon Blanc Semillon ($A16)

Not good – closed aromas with flavors that would be a mixture of cats pee with tropical juice.  No way.

2008 Fern Hill Estate Viognier ($A16)

Toasty, bitter oxidized aromas and flavors.  Again, I could not drink this.

2005 Fern Hill Estate Adelaide Hills Merlot ($A16)

The aromas started with some good mulberry fruit and has a smokiness on the finish.  The flavors were dominated by fruit sweetness, smokey oak and some nice acid on the finish.  There was a slight bitterness that drew you away from the wine – the alcohol on this wine was not high so the bitterness would be seen as a fault in the wine.

2006 Marineberg Cabernet Merlot ($A16)

I could not get any aromas from this wine, even though the bottle had been open before I arrived.  The expected black fruits were here with a dusty tannin finish but nothing else.  There was no lingering effect on the palate – once you have swallowed the wine there is no sensation left.  Yet again, I cannot see why anybody would want to drink this.

2008 Fernhill Estate Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon ($A16)

Aromas were black fruits with a meaty undertone that was concerning.  Classical blackcurrent and cigar box characters with good acid levels and a strong finish.  Clean and basic but not inspiring.

2005 Marinberg Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($A22)

This is down right nasty – porty and oxidised so just not right.  I cannot believe this is classified as a Reserve wine.  Keep your money.

2007 Fern Hill Estate McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A16)

This was easily the best wine here – the aromas were hints of plum with lots of vanilla (from the American oak).  The flavors here was real fruit sweetness with some American oak sweetness as well.  The use of oak was much better here and the finish had a slight bitterness that was probably due to high alcohol levels.  Drink this with something fatty (to take the edge away from the bitterness) such as bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes).

2006 Marinberg Reserve Shiraz ($A22)

This was Ok but not as good as the above Shiraz.  Here was a wine that had lots of plums and oak integration.  It has fair components but just not inspiring enough for me to part with  my money.

2004 The Clifton McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon ($A39)

This wine is just nasty – cannot believe this wine is marketed as a premium wine.  Porty and oxidized like a number of the other red wines.

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Lonely Grape TV Episode # 63 – Wolf Blass Gold Label Wines

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Episode 2 of the sponsored tastings. This time the Gold Label series. A Coonawarra Cabernet and a Barossa Shiraz.

Wolf Blass is running an in store promotion of 1 all expenses paid trip to go to the 2010 Boxing Day Test Match (day 1) in the Vodaphone corporate box and then play a version of their Ultimate Cricket Test with Michael Slater.

Check out their on line video game at http://www.wolfblass.com.au/ultimatec…

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Lonely Grape TV Episode # 62 Wolf Blass Yellow Labels

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Check out my review of Wolf Blass Yellow Label wines – Chardonnay and Cabernet.

Wolf Blass are running an in-store promotion for a chance to win tickets to this year’s Boxing Day Cricket Test.

They also have an on line cricket game at http://www.wolfblass.com.au/ultimatec…

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Lonely Grape TV Episode #61 Barossa vs McLaren Vale Shiraz

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Part 3 of the series of tastings conducted at Collective Barossa Cellar Door. This time a Shiraz effort – one from each region (McLaren Vale and Barossa).

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