Lonely Grape TV Episode #27 – McLaren Vale vs Barossa Grenache

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Check out my tasting of a Barossa Grenache (Smallfry 2007 Grenache) and McLaren Vale Grenache (Olivers Taranga Vineyards 2007 Grenache). Guess which wine I thought was the better one!

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Linfield Road Wines

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Lonely Grape

This is the second of 2 cellar doors I visited on my recent Barossa trip .  Williamstown is on the southern edge of the Barossa and it is the way I travel to Tanunda and the other parts of the Barossa.

This is definitely a family affair with a real sense of history here.  The Wilson family grape growing business started in 1860, by Edmund Major Wilson and that makes the 2010 vintage the 150th vintage on the property.  They have 2 rows of extremely low yielding Shiraz with the remainder of the vines between 30 and 60 years old.  The current incumbents of this history are the 4th and 5th generations of the Wilson Family.  Since 2002 they have been making their wine under the Linfield Road label.

They have seen a need for quality meeting place for the locals so they are filling that need with their “Friday Unwind” nights once a month during the warmer months with Food, Music and Art – plus of course wine.  The view from their cellar door area is wonderful with vineyard on one side and forest to the other.  Check out their website that includes details of coming events.

2008 “The Steam Maker” Riesling ($A18)

The offerings from 40 year old vines are made into this wine.  The nose had some developed kerosene aromas with hints of apple still coming through and the flavors were lighter than expected but the citrus base was coming through plus the acid was obvious.  I felt this wine was just entering the “dumb phase” ie going from the up front fruit phase to the developed phase – so I would like to try this again in about a years time.

2009 “The Dear Nellie” Unwooded Semillon ($A15)

Straight away I knew this wine was going to be my favorite white wine here.  There is an abundance of lemon aromas and flavors with a wonderful tangy acid and lemon/lime zest finish.  Uncomplicated and yet complex and just made to eat with fresh seafood – you know the big plate of cooked but not peeled prawns and bugs with lots of seafood sauce and big bowls of lemon water (to wash your hands).  Very messy but bring it on!

2004 “The Dear Nellie” Chardonnay ($A12)

A 2004 Chardonnay???  Is this here because they cannot sell the wine?  Questions I posed to myself – but after trying the wine, who cares.  The wine was surprisingly fresh and the portion of wooded material (this wine is the last of their wooded whites) set the wine well.  The cedar tones of the oak combined with melons and citrus peel on the nose and the flavors followed with the oaky citrus mouthfeel working well.  The wine’s freshness combined with the richness of the oak treatment means that it would work well with Bruschette.

2005 “The Dear Nellie” Chardonnay ($A12)

I have always thought that Chardonnay needs some oak treatment to get the best from the variety.  This wine just strengthened this long held view.  The wine had closed aromas and the flavors showed the expected melon characters – but while I was drinking it I could not help but feel there was something missing.

2006 “The Monarch” Merlot ($A22)

The founder of the family vineyard, Edmund Major Wilson, was a butterfly collector – so the name of this wine is dedicated to the founding father’s hobby of collecting Monarch Butterflies.  The wine is true to variety with plums and cherries, with a slightly bitter finish.  Unfortunately, this wine did not improve my view of straight Australian Merlots – just not for me.

2005 “The Slab Hut” Merlot Cabernet Shiraz ($A22)

While the main cottage was being built James Wilson lived in a simple Red Gum Sleeper Hut – that is still on the property today.  The wine is 60% Merlot, 30% Shiraz and 10% Cabernet.  Again, like the straight Merlot, this wine was not for me.

2005 “The Black Hammer” Cabernet Sauvignon ($A22)

The name comes from that James Wilson was a partner in the local blacksmith.  Back on track with this wine with the black fruit aromas and flavors one expects from Cabernet.  The fruit characters are reminiscent of a dark fruit cake.   There is not a lot of oak flavors so definitely no oak monster on the palate here, however there is a good acid length here.  I am thinking red current glazed lamb loin chops would work well with the fruitiness of this wine.

2005 “The Stubborn Patriarch” Shiraz ($A25)

Scottish Captain Andrew Wilson was “dismissed” when he refused to call out “God Save the Queen” when captured the British.  This wine is made in reference to this ancestor’s stubborn nature.  I found the aromas quite closed with the flavors kicking in nicely.  The mouth is full of plums, raisins and black fruits.  The oak is well integrated and the palate finishes with soft tannins.  Hard to go past a steak going well with this wine.

2005 Edmund Major Reserve Shiraz ($A65)

2 rows of 100 year old vines, producing at a quarter of a tonne per acre.  The wine is let sit in new french oak for 2 years to get enough character to off set the concentrated fruit from the old vines.  The nose is just oh so concentrated fruit with the cedary tones of the oak.  The flavors are just complex layers of plums, black fruits, oak with plenty of acid length.  This is a wine to savor in another 8 to 10 years with a meal if Beef Wellington.  The complexity and texture of the pate in the dish would go well with the layered complexity of the wine.

2008 Ratifia ($A22 350 mL bottle)

This different wine sparked my interest – a wine made from Riesling pressings and before fermentation is completed neutral grape spirit is added to achieve 16% alcohol.  The product has an unusual tropical aromas with lifted fruit flavors (apricots and peaches).  There is some bitterness of the alcohol here but it is almost masked by the sweetness (which is not cloying).  I can imagine this wine being popular at their wine food & music evenings.

2006 “The Man About Town” Fortified White ($15)

To start a fortified wine can be a long journey, to get the old complex wines, so here is a method to sell some young wine while starting down the path of the classic tawny styles.  On this basis they only draw off enough wine to bottle a few dozen at a time when needed.  The aromas and flavors are reminiscent of butterscotch and caramel and as expected the overall mouth fell and viscosity are lighter than the classical tawny style.  Some nice aged cheddar cheese and share this wine with a few friends would be good.  I would like to see the offerings in about another 5 years to see how the fortified wine blending goes.

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

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Lonely Grape

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

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

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Collective Barossa – Barossa & Eden Valley Family Wineries Cellar Door

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Lonely Grape

I know this is a Blog about McLaren Vale but I strongly believe that we should look at wines and wineries outside our region – if for no other reason but to see what others are doing.  This visit to the Barossa was motivated by 2 other things.  Firstly, I have considered opening a cellar door on behalf of a select number of small McLaren Vale producers and I was curious how Collective Barossa was set up.  Secondly, Marie (the person behind this new cellar door) and I have been conversing on Facebook and did want to meet this person.

Collective Barossa with Marie

I am very glad I did visit as it was great to catch up with Marie and the wines were very good.  The 4 family based wineries are:-

  • GUMPARA WINES: Established 1999. Annual production 500 cases.Vineyards : Light Pass/Stockwell. Situated: Light Pass.  Gumpara Blog.
  • KARRA YERTA WINES: Established 2006. Annual production 350 cases. Vineyards: Moppa/Kalimna/Eden Valley. Situated: Flaxman’s Valley.  Karra Yerta Wines web site, blog and Facebook Fan Page.
  • KURTZ FAMILY VINEYARDS: Established 1996. Annual production 4000 cases.Vineyards : Light Pass/Stockwell. Situated: Stockwell.  Kurtz Family Vineyards Web Site.
  • SMALLFRY WINES: Established 2005. Annual production 1200 cases.Vineyards : Eden Valley/Vine Vale. Situated: Angaston.  Smallfry Wines Web Site.

I highly recommend their blog and facebook fan page to find their location and to get to know these small wineries.

The cellar door is inviting – when you find it.  At the time of the visit there was no real signs showing where they are.  As a side note another visitor during my time there was to assist in working with the council to get sign approvals.  Marie, who holds the fort on most occasions is a real down to earth character and know it is her doing that not only was I there for the visit, but it has ensured that I will return on my future Barossa visits.  Te cellar door is also the front of a German Museum that will provide interest to many a visitor – particularly to those with partners and kids that don’t want to taste wine.

Collective Barossa Cellar Door

It should also be noted that not all wines from the 4 wineries are available at any 1 time.  I tried 12 wines on this visit.  Anyway, I should talk about the wines:-

Karra Yerta Wines

2009 Eden Valley Riesling ($A25)

This is what Riesling is all about limes and some lemon with an uplifted perfume nose and acid that just goes on all day! Oh how I love this wine style – Eden Valley just makes some classic Riesling.  Everybody should be drinking this wine to just understand how good Riesling can be.  Take some of this and just eat it with lashings of fresh seafood.

2006 Eden Valley Riesling ($A25)

Can Eden Valley Riesling age I hear you ask.  Don’t let me influence you – just try some of this wine and it will do all the talking.  The wine has just come out of the “dumb phase” where one is not sure – to this infusion of kerosene, citrus peel, quince and again great acidity.  If you are not convinced after tasting this wine then aged whites are just not your thing.  The wonderful layered complexity of the wine means it would match up well with any creamy sauced chicken dishes.

NV Sparkling Shiraz 2009 Disgorged ($A35)

Hold the fort – if I was impressed with the Rieslings then this wine just blows me away!  They disgorge only 20 dozen each year of this unfiltered, bottle fermented ripe red and black fruit with an aged component to it.  Not a sweet wine and the tannins really combine well with the rest of the wine to leave your mouth feeling great and asking for more – and who would I be to not comply!

2006 Shiraz Cabernet (A$25)

Firstly it is good to see a wine with a little more age on it that the normal 2008’s I normally see.  Secondly, a big plus on the old Shiraz Cabernet blend – so many wonderful wines were made from this blend in the 80’s only to be put on the back burner when the varietals of the 90’s came through.

The nose showed a little green capsicum herbaceousness on the nose combined with lots of good blackberry style fruit.  The palate is just an infusion of blackcurrents, blackberries and mulberries with the gentleness of the oak coming through.  What a stunner and I am surprised at the price point for this wine.

Gumpara Wines

2008 Old Vine Semillon ($A18)

Straight away the lemongrass hits you before you can even get your nose to the glass and then red apples combined with peas adds to the intrigue.  On the palate you get pears and almost honey wafts though and then a good citric acid lengthy finish.  Some of the vines for this wine are 90 years old and they are dry grown.  This would be one of the best Semillons I have had since I tried their 2007 Semillon last year.  The wine would age gracefully but I am not sure I can leave it alone.

2006 Reserve Shiraz ($A32.50)

26 months in American oak and it shows with vanillian characteristics everywhere, but the wine is not over oaked for me.  There is wonderful Mulberries and cherries here all wrapped up in the oak spiciness and I like it!   Classy wine that has a number of years ahead of it – as long as you can keep your hands off it.  Bring on a thick juicy Wychwood Meat rump steak – don’t worry about the side dishes, just the steak.

NV Tawny Grenache ($A32.50)

A note on these fortifieds – they are in a beautifully shaped 500 mL and also can be purchased in a wooden boxed 3 pack.  I have one of these on display near my home bar.

Oh – not much else I can say.  A deeply coloured blend of creamy raisins wrapped in toffee on the nose and honeyed and spiced apricots with a almost grainy tannin finish.  Not a sweet finish as the spirit washes it all away.  You bring this and I will bring a plate of vintage cheddar cheese and afterwards some glacied ginger (a dedication to my departed grandmother who just loved glacied ginger).

NV Liquor Semillon ($A32.50)

This wine looks like honey and that theme follows all through the wine.  You can smell and taste quince and figs to go with the honey.  To round off the flavors are pear and slightly burnt caramel.  Layers of yummyness here.  You bring this wine and I would be there with some Woodside Cheese Goats Brie with water crackers and thinly sliced pear and nashi.

NV Liquor Frontignac ($A32.50)

A glass full of the most lovely and complex raisins, prunes and liquid fruit cake!  There is a creamy mouthfeel here.  This wine really needs to go with a full flavoured sweet tart or a Christmas Pudding.

Smallfry Wines

2009 Eden Valley Cabernet/Grenache Rose ($A18)

Nice rose coloured wine that does not disappoint.  Rose petals and figs on the nore and the flavors are floral with typically Grenache red fruits.  A very pleasant wine that makes me want to break open a bottle or three with some of my friends on a Sunday afternoon.

2008 Late Harvest Riesling ($A15 375 mL bottle)

Cut canes and thus raisining some of the fruit during the 2008 heat wave lead to this wine’s existence.  The wine is just like drinking a slightly sweet but higher viscous white grape juice.  It would match well and/or in a chocolate and orange trifle smothered with whipped cream.

Kurtz Family Vineyards

2005 Boundary Row Shiraz ($A24)

Wow a 2005 red as the current release.  I was looking forward to this straight away.  The wine did not disappoint.  As the wine gets close to you nose you get a sense of the red fruits (mulberry, raspberry and the usual plums) wrapped in an envelope of white pepper.  The flavors are mulberry and plums with pepper, spices and a hint of violets.  This just says bring on another steak!

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McLaren Vale Wineries – Petagna Wines

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Lonely Grape

I had tasted Paul Petanga wines at the 2009 Vale Cru tasting at the Victory Hotel, however I could not remember too much about the wines as they were one of the last tried on the day.  I tried about 45 wines that day and my palate was totally stuffed by the end of the day.  I hooked up with Paul on Twitter and so I though a new investigation into Petagna Wines was required.

The vineyard and winery shed are located just off South Road near the Victory Hotel, right in the Sellicks Beach sub region of McLaren Vale.  His vines were planted in 1998 and are made up of 2 different Shiraz clones (1654 and 1127).  The vines are carefully tendered by Paul – I am sure he knows each vine by name.

One quickly gets a sense that Paul is doing things his way in the vineyard and the relatively small shed that acts as the winery.  Quickly I felt very comfortable with Paul and his surroundings just like I was a long term friend.  Paul is obviously very proud at what he is doing and likes the opportunity to talk about it – we are tared with the same brush and at times it was difficult as we were talking over each other.  I need to work on my listening skills.

The names and some of the wine labels are different in a good sort of way – see for yourself.

Diavolo

Petagna Wine has a web site – which at time of writing is under construction, but it has Paul’s contact details.

So I do not repeat myself during the reviews I need to explain a theme in the wines.  Firstly, they are massive wines but have lovely complexity and structure.  These wines need time, both in the bottle and a decanter before serving, to ensure you get the best from Paul’s investment.  Secondly, the grapes have all come from the Sellicks Hill sub-region of the McLaren vale area.  If you ever want to understand the differences in the wines from this region, then these wines are a great start.  Thirdly, I will mention Muskiness on the nose of all the wines – this is not a stale smell but that you get from those pink musk lollies I can remember from my youth.  Fourthly, the wines have relatively little free sulphur dioxide (approximately 7 ppm free compared to a normal level of about 30 ppm).  Contact with air is encouraged with these wines – Paul even “splashes” the wines about every few months.  Fifthly, the food matches are all strong flavored foods such as slow cooked meats or game (except for the Rosato).  Sixthly, the wines see considerable oak time (about 3 years except for the Rosato), this oak is normally older oak (more than 3 years old) so the oak influence is not as strong as first expected.

2006 Valletta ($A25)

This wine is a Grenache & Shiraz blend that has been in barrel for 3 years.  Time has been kind to this wine infusion.  Well the musk lolly smell is here and I cannot remember smelling this quite the same before so it is such a surprise.  An aniseed infusion into the dark fruits here with a vanilla hit on the back of the nose.  The palate shows darker fruits than I expected from a Grenache based wine but this is not what draws you to the wine – the strength but elegance is absolutely intriguing and so is the fennel based finish to such a blend.  I was concerned with the 3 years in oak, but I should not have as it is just part of the wine.

2006 Dio ($A40)

A Grenache (70%), Shiraz (30%) and Mourvedre (10%) blend and what another joy.  Dio means God – there is nothing more behind this name that it is the sister wine to Diavolo, which means Devil.  Here we have the musk lolly smell, with more obvious red fruits (red currents) and the familiar fennel linger on the back of the nose.  Paul tells me this wine has a relatively high volatile acid level which would also increase the “funkyness” on the nose.  Again, this is a big wine but has a silky finish that includes a real floral and perfume element which I would expect comes from the Mourvedre.

2006 Piombo ($A45)

The Piombo is a single vineyard Shiraz from Paul’s vineyards.  The musk and fennel elements are here again but this time combined with blackberry and leather, with the fruit components seem to be “lifted” above the more subtle elements.  The palate is an explosion of black fruits with fennel and cardamon that just sticks around creating a long long after taste.  Plenty of acid here to make this wine well structured and I just want to consume steak when I think of this wine.

2006 Diavolo ($A40)

The Diavolo is the flagship wine (I like them all so much so I am not so sure this needs to the flagship) and I say bring on the Shiraz Cabernet belnds (70%:30%).  This blend was an Australian concoction to use Shiraz to fill the middle palate of Cabernet Sauvignon.  These wines seem to disappear as we all became obsessed with varietal based wines ie going from an Australian Burgundy to a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Good to get rid of the “Burgundy” labels but did we have to go away from the blends that worked so well?  I should get back to this wine – the usual black fruits here with fennel and vanilla components.  On drinking I thought here is the minty Cabernet showing us the way.  Boy was I wrong – Paul showed my some of the 2007 Shiraz from the same vineyard (still in oak) and this was very minty.  The mintyness was so strong that he only uses less than 5% of wine from this vineyard in the blend or it overpowers the whole wine.  There is plenty of complexity, with the black fruits, mintyness, silky tannins that the wine feels almost viscous and had a lingering mouthfeel as well as lingering flavors.

2006 Rosato (price not determined)

This wine has not been bottled as yet (probably due to cash flow constraints) and was another bolt out of the blue.  The wine is light in colour, but showing some brown tinges (maybe oxidative) and was served cold.  When Paul asked me it I wanted to try something different, there was no way I was expecting this!  The nose showed real mushroom, barnyard stinkyness with hints of strawberries.  My mind went straight to the word “feral” to describe it – somewhat old world.  I was not sure I should drink it when I first saw it, but the smell told me something different was happening here – so I tried it.  Again a surprise, here was a cold infusion of red fruits with a dry finish that I was drinking rather cold!  I could say no more that to inquire – “What the hell is this?”  Again the answer was not as expected – this wine is mainly Grenache with some Chardonnay added.  Paul also told me he has given some of this to his beer drinking friends on a hot day and they have come back for more – this concept was the driver for the wine.  Paul wanted to make a wine that he would like to drink at the end of a long hot day – instead of having a beer.  All I can say is that if I could buy a few botles of this I would be saying pass the Rosato

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Lonely Grape TV Episode #25 – Grape Picking @ Marius Wines

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Lonely Grape

I had the chance to assist Roger Pike from Marius Wines to pick some of his 2010 vintage Shiraz. I had a good time though I would not want to do it for a living!

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McLaren Vale Wineries – Hugh Hamilton

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Lonely Grape

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

Hugh Hamilton Wines Cellar Door

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

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

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

Black Sheep Club Benefits are:-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009 “The Floozie” Tempranillo Rose

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

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

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

2008 “The Ratbag” Merlot ($A24.50)

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

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

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

2007 “The Rascal” Shiraz ($A24.50)

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009 “Goldilocks” Light Fruity White

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

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

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

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Lonely Grape TV Episode #24

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Welcome to my home bar – I am tasting a Gilligan Marsanne Roussanne plus a Petanga GSM. Both wonderful wines.

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McLaren Vale Wine – Shottesbrooke

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Lonely Grape

Shottesbrooke Cellar Door & Winery

Nick Holmes established Shottesbrooke in the early 1980’s with a vineyard in Myponga and McLaren Flat.  The emphasis in the early days was Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.  When I hear the name Shottesbrooke these two varieties immediately come to mind.  The cellar door (adjacent to the winery) has always been impressive and the drive through the vineyard to get to the cellar door is always just a wonderful mood setting experience.  There is also a grape pickers hut on the edge of the vineyard which is available for hire (or free if you buy some wine) which would be a great spot for a family picnic.  You can find their location on the Lonely Grape Cellar Door map.

Shottesbrooke Grape Pickers Hut

I have always been greeted warmly and with a smiling face at the cellar door and for all the Merlot lovers out there Shottesbrooke is a must visit when in McLaren Vale.

Their web site is www.shottesbrooke.com.au

You can check out my video tasting at the cellar door where I had a wonderful time showing the Lonely Grape TV watchers what the cellar door really looks like.

NV Blanc de Blanc ($A18)

Made from chardonnay this wine is has melon hints and good clean acid.  Not necessary a food wine but more what some of my Western Australian friends would call a “Veranda Wine”.  Friends & family on a Sunday lunch – bring it on.

2008 Engine Room Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay Semillon (A$14)

The Engine Room wines have an interesting label – check out the Shottesbrooke web site.  The blend is 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Chardonnay & 10% Semillon to produce an easy drinking lighter style white that would work well with all sorts of Asian foods.  The nose was slightly chemically or showing aged characteristics followed by a palate of slightly tropical melons and lemons wrapped up with some soft spices.

2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

Straight away you can tell this is cooler climate fruit here.  An infusion of tropical fruits with a emphasis on lychees.  This theme continues on the palate with gooseberries, lychees and a good citrus acid finish.  Bring on a big bowl of fresh prawns and chunks of crusty bread.

2008 Chardonnay ($A18)

30% French oak with no malolactic fermentation but it has lees aging and stirring.  Thankfully, not a big buttery chardonnay here!  The nose has the expected melon and peach with the obvious (but not overpowering) hint of cedar oak.  The palate has a creamy textural feel (from the lees stirring) and melons.  This one has the complexity to match with Tomato Chilli Mussels.

2009 Merlette Rose ($A14)

I do not think I have tasted a Merlot based Rose style wine before.  As Shottesbrooke is known for their Merlot, I thought this maybe interesting.  The nose had red berries all over it and the palate was soft fruity Turkish Delight.  There is some residual sugar here (3.6 g/L) but not excessive.  This style is what I like to drink with cheese and crusty bread.

2008 Merlot ($A18)

Merlot is Shottesbrooke’s thing – they have been known for this variety since their beginnings.  Not normally my thing – if you like Merlot check this one out.  Here  we have mulberries and cloves, with a grainy tannin dry finish.  When I tasted this all I could think of a food match was a wild mushroom risotto.

2007 Shiraz ($A18)

This was a lighter style shiraz (probably due to vintage variation) has all the usual spiced plums and cherries on the nose and continued on the palate with some mocha hints, vanillian oak and a tannic finish.  Maybe try a lamb curry to match with the spicyness of the wine.

2006 Engine Room Shiraz ($A20)

This is a step up from the previous wine – and this would be expected as 2006 was a significantly better year.  A rich nose of olives, plums plus cinnamon and nutmeg spices.  The palate was (as expected) plums with a chocolate and tannin finish.  Bring on a plate of long slow brasied lamb shanks.

2006 Eliza Reserve Shiraz ($A35)

One serious Shiraz!  A smoky chocolate infusion with lots of spice on the nose and the palate continues the same theme with a mocha and fine tannin finish.  The oak is part of the overall good – certainly no oak monster here.  I can imagine some sort of slow cooked beef would work a treat with the wine.

2007 Cabernet ($A18)

The first thing that stuck me here was the mint on the nose.  I have read about minty Cabernet but not really tasted it. The nose has a blackberry and cherry start and finished with that minty character.  The palate has that sweet fruit – dominated by blackcurrent and finishes with dry dusty tannins.  I am thinking a steak smothered in onions and sauteed mushrooms.

2006 Punch Cabernet Sauvignon ($A35)

Now this is what I expect that the “Peppermint patty” wines taste like.  There is mint with spades on both the nose and palate.  The nose also has black cherries.  And now the palate has the sweet fruitiness (blackcurrents again) with hints of dark chocolate.  There is wonderful structure here and a really good length to the wine – even though the wood in unobtrusive.

Bernesh Bray Fine Old Liqueur Tawny ($A30)

This classy fortified is a blend of old bush vine dry grown grenache grapes from 1990 to 1999.  The nose has the expected brandy spirit tingle and it is just like my Christmas Pudding that is full of raisins.  The palate is pleasantly lighter than expected and is like drinking liquid complex raisins.  This is definately worth drinking with somebody you love while cuddled up in front of an open fire.

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Lonely Grape TV Episode #23 – Pertaringa

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Lonely Grape

I had the pleasure of tasting some wine at the Pertaringa cellar door.  I wanted to share the joy, so check out my review of their Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache.  Both wines are worth checking out from this mid size McLaren Vale wine producer.

Check out the pictures of the pickers working on their lovely Fronti grapes that will be used in Pertaringa’s Moscato.

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