Lonely Grape TV Episode #37 – J&J Vineyards 2009 Reds Experiment Part 1

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Join me for a wine experiment. This video is me tasting 2 recently bottled J&J Vineyards Reds after being open for 2.5 days (with screw cap on). Part 2 will be after 7 days from being opened.

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

McLaren Vale Wine – Scarpantoni Estate Wines Part 1

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Scarpantoni Estate Wines Road Sign

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

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

Scarpantoni Estate Wines Winery & Cellar Door Complex

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

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

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

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

Sparkling Range

Fleurieu Sparkling White ($A8)

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

NV Tempest ($A24)

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

NV Black Tempest ($A28)

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

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

Cleanskin Range

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007 Red (Shiraz) ($A50/dozen)

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

White Wines

2009 Estate Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

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

2007 Pedler Creek Sauvignon Blanc ($A14)

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

2009 Estate Unwooded Chardonnay ($A14)

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

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

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lonely Grape TV Episode #36 – Scarpantoni Estate

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Lonely Grape

It is getting colder and the thoughts of people in McLaren Vale move towards pruning and drinking fortifieds (to keep you warm on the inside). Here I taste 2 very different fortified wines from Scarpantoni Estate Wines.

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

McLaren Vale Wines – Willunga Creek Wines

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Willunga Creek Cellars Cellar Door

Willunga Creek Wines is the brain child and output of David Cheesley.  Originally, grapes were sold but David could see the trend of lower grape prices were coming so he ventured into wine making.  Some grapes are still sold, with wine being produced since 2002.  The wine is made by either DiFabio Estate or Phil Christensen.  The vines are tendered in an organic manner with only Sulphur sprays being used.  David started with selling his wine in his restaurant where Fino currently resides.  While this was in operation David was spending his “spare time” in renovating an old shearing shed into what is their current cellar door.

Shearing Museum

The cellar door has character, with clever use of wood (the old slab bar top is magnificent).  The jewel of the crown is the million dollar views where you can see right from the cellar door (Willunga foothills) right through to the ocean.  The cellar door can be used as a function venue and during the warmer months David serves cheese platters.  During the colder months curries are served.  These curries are made by INDI’s (in Crafers and on Greenhill Road).  This year there will be a Butter Chicken and Jogan Josh for $15 per serve.  On the Sunday & Monday of the coming June long weekend will be when the curries start for the year.  The outdoor area now has all weather blinds and heaters to keep you comfortable all year round – so just a lovely place to be for a lazy Sunday lunch.

Check out my video tasting from the cellar door and the Willunga Creek Wines web site.

David sells some of his wine overseas and so he tends to enter his wines into the London International Wine Challenge and the Hong Kong Wine Challenge where his wines have done quite well (check out his web site to see a number of awards).

Black Duck Range

2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Not tasted – noted that the wine is from McLaren Vale.

2006 Merlot ($A25)

The distinctive plum aromas as one would expect from a Merlot.  When you drink this wine you just think how smooth and easy drinking this wine is!  There are plums and red fruits here combined with some very soft oak tannins – from the old oak maturation.  It is interesting that David says that his hardest work is to get people to try this wine at the cellar door.  Once this is done there is a good chance that a purchase will be made.  I would drink this wine now and I think it would go well with one of their Rogan Josh curries.

2005 Shiraz ($A25)

The aromas are dominated by spice – notably pepper and nutmeg.  As is the theme of Willunga Creek Wines the wine is very soft but is strong on structure.  As you would expect from a McLaren vale Shiraz there is a mouthful of plums, berries, cherries all wrapped up in soft oak tannins and the whole mixture just lingers.  Lets keep with the curry theme and go for a Beef Massaman to match with this wine.

2005 Cabernet ($A25)

Real Cabernet nose here.  Obvious Blackcurrent with a dusty vanilla oak ending.  As the wine sits in the glass, it opens up with hints of flowers.  There is dark fruits and capsicum flavors with a dry vanillan oak finish.  How about a Moroccan Beef with Vegetable and dates.

2005 Cabernet Merlot ($A18.50)

This wine is interesting as the minor component of the blend is so dominate!  The plums of the Merlot are more obvious than the black fruits and capsicum of the Cabernet.  The soft oak tannins are here again.  A sweet potato and chick pea korma curry would be an interesting match.

OuT foR a dUcK Range

The labels are from commissioned paintings by artist Graham Middleton, with the originals being on display in the cellar door.  The current painting for the wine below depicts a parody of the 2006/07 Ashes cricket series where Australia won 5 tests to zero.

2007 Cabernet Shiraz ($A22)

Now for my favorite wine from the range.  Yet again a Cabernet and Shiraz blend creating a good outcome.  There is that sweet fruit plum with a slight vanilla aroma.  The flavors are a mixture of plums and blackcurrent with some slight herbaceousness that blends well with the soft oak to produce a long lasting effect.  Sorry, no curry this time – bring me steak.

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lonely Grape TV Episode #35 – Willunga Creek Wines Cellar Door

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Lonely Grape

The wonderful wines and million dollar views from Willunga Creek Wines. I try their Merlot and the Out foR a dUcK Cabernet Shiraz.

Posted in Mclaren Vale | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

McLaren Vale Wines – Lavina Estate Wines

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Lavina Estate Wines has their cellar door and administration at their Main Street McLaren vale premises.

Please note that as of 2013 Lavina Wines have moved to 12 Beltunga Close, Blewitt Springs SA 5171.

Lavina Estate Administration and Cellar Door

Lavina Estate Wines do not own any vineyards but have been working with a number of growers for a number of years.  Their still wines are made at Yangarra Estate under the watchful gaze of winemaker Tim Whitrow and CEO Sam Daw.

I was not sure what to expect from these wines – were they just a bulk wine merchant (they do a lot of exporting of wine) that bottled some wine on the side or were they serious about what they are putting into the bottle.  I am happy to report that they were the latter – as you can see from the reviews below.

Their Cellar Door is currently open on weekdays only and you can check out the Lavina Estate Portfolio web site.

Cellar Door Sparkling ($A18)

Sparkling White

I was not sure what to expect from these wines – I was pleasantly surprised as the wine had a fruity, creaminess with a nice cleansing acid finish.  Not a sweet wine and I thought was well put together.  The wine fits in an aperitif style so drink this before a meal.

Sparkling Red

Regulars to the Lonely Grape Blog will know that I am a fan of Sparkling Reds.  However, this is not an overall statement as the very sweet red bubbled wine is generally not for me.  Thus I was very interested to find out was this a sweet one dimensional wine or one of the better styles.  First off this is not an overly sweet wine with very pleasant berry aromas and flavors.  I would call this a mid tier sparkling red and lots of people would like this as a “drinking with friends” style wine.  For my money I would pay a few dollars more for other Sparkling Reds around McLaren Vale.

Mitcham Estate ($A10)

2009 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

15% of this wine has undergone malolactic fermentation and 5% has had some oak maturation.  The aromas are melon based and there is some unusual citrus hints.  The flavors start with melons, work into oak hints and then a buttery mouth feel finish.  Good value – definitely worth the money.

2008 Shiraz Cabernet

I could not believe this wine for the price.  Lots of mid weight black fruits and a perfumed nose.  Over delivers for a tenner.  Any charred BBQ meats would be a good match – just invite me along to help you with both.

2008 Shiraz

A little light on for aromas and oak flavors.  Quite a fruit driven wine – so look for lots of the plums you would expect from shiraz.

Gold Series – Barossa Range ($A15)

These red wine have had approximately 18 months oak maturation.  80% French and 20% American oak – 15 – 20% new oak with the remainder of the oak being 2 or 3 years old.

2008 Cabernet Merlot

The aromas are very obvious – blackcurrents and blackberries.  The flavors are fruit based with very soft tannins –  but are not lingering.  Cab Merlot is not usually a drink of choice for me and this does not change that generalization.

2008 Shiraz Cabernet

Straight away it was obvious that the wine was different to the usual McLaren Vale wines I normally taste.  The aromas could be considered typically Barossan with strong fruit and earthiness.  There is good ripe fruit here though the flavors are not jammy – berries and plum action.  The strong fruit action of this wine would work well with honey soy steak & vegetables and rice.

2008 Shiraz

Again, typically Barossan.  Good fruit (plum) characters and again not jammy.  Good value at $15.

Gold Series – McLaren Vale (A$15)

2006 Shiraz

After tasting the Barossa Range it was an obvious change up with the aromas here.  I can smell McLaren Vale in this glass.  The fruit flavors are delicious and again value for money.

Select Series ($A25)

2006 McLaren Vale Cabernet Shiraz

The aromas were a little closed and I suspect this would be improved with decanting and general breathing before drinking (the wine was opened just prior to tasting).  There was black fruits combined with soft tannins plus nutmeg based spices.  I enjoyed this so much it made me think of an old favorite of Spaghetti Bolognaise.

Special Releases

A lot of effort has been put into these wines but also the packaging has been worked on.  There will be no small bottles to reduce the “carbon footprint” etc.  These have thick and unusual bottles (one of the wines will be in a bottle that is unique in Australia) and labels that are directly printed onto the bottle.  The idea here is to have these wines stand out – and I recon they have done just that.  Put these wines in amongst normal bottles and ones eye will be drawn straight to these beauties.   Oh yes, the wine are very good also – which helps!

As the wines have just recently been bottled and are still suffering from bottle shock, I have not made food recommendations as I have not seen the best of these wines as yet.

2008 Aurum Release Shiraz ($A49)

This wine was just bottled and will be released in about a month.  100% french oak – 30% new with the rest 2 or 3 years old.  2008 has been classified as a difficult vintage due to the heat wave conditions.  This wine shows that generalizations can be an issue, as the grapes were picked just before the heat arrived – not because the heat was coming but because the fruit sugar and acid balance was good plus the flavors were just where the winemaker wanted them.  Cold soaked and open fermenters produced a beauty – floral (violets), plums and mixed spices on the nose flowing into fruit cake flavors with a savory finish.   This was my favorite wine from the range – and it will only get better after settling down after the recent bottling.

2008 Select Series McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A99)

The wine is made a different Shiraz clone (compared to the normal McLaren Vale vines) and it produces a wine with more of blue fruit characters.   The growers are producing crops at around 2.5 t/acre.  This wine was only bottled a month before the tasting and the wined showed it – the aromas were not really evident and the flavors showed some of the blue fruits but not much of them.  The tannin structure was impressive so I expect this wine to be pretty good in the coming weeks.

2007 Select Series McLaren Vale Shiraz

It was difficult to see the real character of the 2008 wine so I was happy to be able to taste the previous years wine.  The aromas just open up so well with the blue fruits and there is a nice lift here.  A combination of blue and red fruits dominate the palate with layers of tannins to produce a silky mouth feel.  If the same pedigree remains then the 2008 will be a beauty.

2008 Grand Royal McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A129)

This is a single vineyard offering with 100% french oak maturation of which 90% was new.  Again this wine was just bottled and was not showing it’s best – but one could see the class shining through.  The nose was a little closed but the flavors were immediately stronger than the other wines.  The extended maceration provided strong fruit flavors (plum based), lots of black tea tannins (showing both grape and oak tannins).  One gets a sense of ripe fruit being used to produce the wine but the finish is very savory.  This will be a keeper and probably not show it’s best for about 5 years and will live strongly for another 5 after that.

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lonely Grape TV Episode #34 – Oxenberry Farm Cellar Door

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Lonely Grape

This video is at the cellar door of Oxenberry Farm.  I am tasting their Shiraz Grenache and their Shiraz. The Shiraz I tasted nearly a year ago (see Oxenberry Farm Blog entry) and it has come together nicely during that time.

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

McLaren Vale Wineries – Haselgrove Wines

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Lonely Grape

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

Keith Smith & Gordon Grant at Haselgrove Wines

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

H by Haselgrove Range ($A12 – 15)

2009 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

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

2008 Shiraz

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

2008 Cabernet Merlot

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

Primo Taglio (First Cut) ($A18 – 20)

2008 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

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

2008 Adelaide Hills / McLaren Vale Chardonnay

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

2008 McLaren Vale / Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

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

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

2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz

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

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

2009 Adelaide Hills Pinot Grigio

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

2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc

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

2008 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

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

2008 McLaren Vale Premium Selection Shiraz

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

Il Padtrone (The Boss) ($A25 – 30)

2007 Sparkling Shiraz

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

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lonely Grape TV Episode #33 – Thorpe Wines Pt2

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Today I am trying the Thorpe Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and their Sparkling Shiraz. Check out my reaction when the sparkling wine pops its cork while I am tasting the Cabernet!

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

McLaren Vale Wines – Thorpe Wines

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Thorpe Wines Road Sign

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

Thorpe Wines Vineyard

Now for the wines.

Check out my video tasting of some Thorpe Wines.

2008 Chardonnay ($A12)

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

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($A15 – 10 cases left)

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

2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($A25)

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

2008 Shiraz ($A15)

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

2008 Reserve Shiraz ($A25)

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

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

2006 Sparkling Shiraz ($A25)

Thorpe Wines Sparkling Shiraz

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

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

Posted in Mclaren Vale, wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment