McLaren Vale Wines – Noon Winery

Right from the start I must admit to all the Lonely Grape readers that Noon Winery is one of my all time McLaren Vale wineries.  I first went there during a Bushing Festival in 1986, where the father of current owner (David Noon) was the wine maker and one of the worlds gentlemen – Clive was the cellar door manager.  After the initial winery visit, when I went to McLaren Vale I would goto Noon’s last and just give them the last of my money with Clive working out how many bottles I could get.  Clive had a photographic memory and thus could remember your last purchases – this with his leather fisherman hat were a part of the charm of the place.  It was truly a very sad day when I found out that Clive had passed on.  Another lingering memory was turning up to find David working in the winery and he asked for my help to plunge the reds in the open vats.  After this help we tasted some wine and then the purchases were organised, David invited us to “have a drink”.

Anyway, I should not concentrate about the past – how about Noon Wines of the present.  Drew and Reagan produce a small output of wines and distribute the wine overseas in limited quantities, they have an active Mailing List (that has a limit on quantities to buy) and the cellar door is open 3 weekends per year (during October).  Last year I found 2 things.  Firstly, there was a waiting list to get onto the mailing list and I heard that it could take up to 3 years to get onto the mailing list.  Secondly, there is usually a line up at the cellar door for the opening weekend and thus a waiting time (that was for me – 2 hours of a joy where I got to talk to like minded passionate wine people).  I also note that Noon Wines sold out of wine last year on the first weekend – they kept the cellar door open for tastings, but no purchases.

Noon Wine Cellar

This year I was ecstatic when I found out that I had made the Noon Wines mailing list and ordered my wines the next day to make sure I could get what I wanted.  As I live in McLaren Vale, I organised to pick the wine up on the first day the cellar door was open this year – so I could taste the wines as well as pick them up. 

Some notes about the vineyards:-

  • The estate vineyard is grenache which was planted in 1934.  The vineyard is bush vine and dry grown.
  • Young vines block which planted to Shiraz and Graciano (planted in 1998)
  • BJ’s Block planted to Grenache
  • 20 Rows Block (Langhorne Creek and planted in early 1960’s) planted with Shiraz
  • Fruit Trees Block (Langhorne Creek and planted in the early 1070’s) planted with Cabernet Sauvignon

Noon Wines Estate Grenache

And now the wonderful McLaren Vale wines:-

2009 Rose ($A17)

A lovely light (but bright) pink colour from the overnight skins contact of this Grenache based wine.  The nose is full of cherries and a slight hint of pepper right at the finish.  The palate has lots of strawberries and red cherries.  There is a slight bitter finish (though not unpleasant for me) coming from the relatively high alcohol for a Rose style (at 14.5% alcohol).  There is a suggestion from Drew Noon that the wine can cope with a couple of years cellaring – but I do not think I will wait.  This McLaren Vale dry grown Grenache wine has plenty of structure so it would go well with grilled tuna or a chinese chilli chicken dish.

2008 Twelve Bells ($A10)

The Twelve Bells wine is made to be fruit driven and to be the perfect mid week wine.  I would have to agree.  The wine is a Grenache (80%) and Shiraz (20%) blend and is very fruit driven.  The dry grown estate Grenache shows wonderful soft fruit combined with minimal oak influences provides a wonderful soft wine to have with a big bowl of pasta, with a tomato based sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese.  I am salivating at the thought of this combination.

2008 Eclpise ($A27)

The Eclipse has historically been a Grenache / Shiraz blend from the wonderful dry grown bush vines from the estate blended with some Langhorn Creek material.  This year some Cabernet and estate grown Graciano has also been introduced.  This blend was probably born from the low volumes of wine produced from the 2008 vintage – however the McLaren Vale weather conditions may have led to an improved outcome.  The wine has a dense colour – almost black.  The nose is rampid with blackcurrant and the palate is just full of black fruits.  There is oak influences (American and French oak) and they are totally balanced with the other components.  Sure there is 15.5% alcohol, but the fruit character is all there and there is not a “hot” finish you may expect from such an alcohol level.  One thing that does strike you when you drink the wine is the wonderful almost viscous mouthfeel you get from each mouthful.  If you had not guessed by now – I really liked this wine.  The wine calls out to be drunk with rich casseroles such as lamb shanks with garlic and rosemary.

2008 Solaire (500 ml bottle) ($A21)

Solaire means sun in French and this wine is aptly named.  The wine is a Grenache / Shiraz / late harvest Cabernet Sauvignon blend that packs a punch with 17% alcohol and these is no fortification spirit added.  The grenache fruit is dominate on the nose with a real “porty” character.  The Cabernet is evident on the palate with blackberry characters mixed with the plums of the Grenache.  There is a sweet finish – but not too sweet.  Please pass the blue vein cheese and crackers while drinking this one!

Noon Wines Barrel Store

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Lonely Grape TV #12

I just wanted the chance to say thank you to all the fans of the Lonely Grape.  I wuv’s ya all and appreciate your time to check out my musings.

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McLaren Vale Wine – The Nebb

The Nebb is the love child of the Wickham brothers and their concentration is all about Nebbiolo.  Nick tried a bottle of Barolo from the Piedmont region of italy.  In this case the wine looked brown and unappealing but he pushed on to try the wine.  From that moment on he was inspired by the variety and new that Nebbiolo was the only variety he wanted to make wine from.  From this experience he also thought that the original unappealing brown colour of the wine may be an impediment to any wine sales as the general public would take one look at the wine and run.  Thus a decision was made to add a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon to the wine – with decreasing proportions as a following for the wine was forged.

Up to now the wine was made at the Redheads Studio in McLaren Vale, which allowed small producers like Nick to work with their passion and get some assistance from experienced winemakers.  Unfortunately this facility is no longer operational.

the_nebb_2005_front_label

The Nebb Front Label

The origin of the name is self explanatory, however the label may need some explaining.  Nick has a friend who is a “Reformed Street Artist” aka street grafity.  He took the The Nebb concept – that also means beak and extended this to Dr Schnabel von Rom.  The good doctor worked to rid the early 16th century England of the Plague.  Doctor von Rom was known to have a beak that was full of herbs to purify the air during his exploits.  These elements were brought together to produce what is rather a different label.

Nick also has the advantage to work in a cooperage and thus can get access to excellent barrels but he also understands the different elements in what makes barrels work for the Nebbiolo.  The grapes are processed in 4 batches – note that all ferments are done in old 500 L puncheons turned on their sides with an end removed:-

  • warm ferment with the wild yeast ie left to its own devices
  • fermented with a specific Barolo yeast
  • cold soak (chill plates and dry ice added)
  • standard ferment

The Nebbiolo comes from a vineyard in the Blewitt Springs area of McLaren Vale.  The first wine was made in 2005.

The wines have not been put into any wine shows but was put into The Adelaide Review Hot 100 South Australian Wines – and made the top 10.  Well done guys.

Both wines I tasted are available in small quantities and are both at $35/bottle.  If you are interested in the wines they are not found in bottle shops so check out the web site at www.nebbiolo.net.au.  I tasted these wines twice.  They were decanted for my initial tasting and then I tasted them again the next day.  I will add any differences on the second tasting in brackets.  I have not tasted a lot of Nebbiolo before and certainly none from Piedmont – I was in for a very pleasant surprise.

2006 The Nebb ($A35)

This wine has 34% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder of course Nebbiolo.  The wine shows some brown edges but Oh the nose (how interesting is this!)- mandarin peel and chocolates (with orange blossom with 24 hours breathing).  The palate has the mandarin peel, mulberries (with a balanced chocolate finish with 24 hours breathing).  The tannins are not as pronounced as the 2007 wine.  This is definitely a food wine, and something multidimensional like roast pork shoulder with apple sauce or chinese sizzling beef dishes.

2007 The Nebb ($A35)

The wine is 20% Cabernet – in line with the philosophy of reducing the Cabernet component.  This time I was ready for the browning wine, producing such a wonderful mandarin peel aroma this time with some floral (rose) hints.  The palate follows through with the mandarin peel and mulberries (dates and mocha comes through with 24 hours breathing).  There is plenty of dry dusty tannins which could give this wine a long life.  This would be interesting to pair up with a plate of soft cheese and cured meats with lots of crusty bread.

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McLaren Vale’s Lonely Grape TV Episode #11

Thanks for joining me in this tasting of 2 Nebbiolo based wines from “The Nebb”, a small producer from McLaren Vale. I also had the wine open for a couple of days to see the changes over time.

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McLaren Vale Wine – HALiFAX

I first encountered Halifax wines at the McLaren Vale’s “Vale Cru” tasting a couple of months ago and was impressed.  After my recent visit I am even more impressed.  I got onto the mailing list at the Vale Cru tasting and got myself an invite to their yearly new release tasting.  Well what an absolute joy – it does not take long to see Peter and Lizzy’s outlook and even the wines show the same.  They are passionate about – good food, good wines, good friends, good times.  Their pride (after the wines) was a large dining table where we were invited to share a light lunch with other Halifax wine lovers and try their wines in a relaxed food and friend atmosphere.

Halifax Entrance

The shiraz vineyard is on Binney Road between the towns of McLaren Vale and Willunga.  This south eastern area of the McLaren Vale region and has a higher elevation and slightly cooler than the plains regions of McLaren Vale.  Wine made in the vineyard and sustainability are the 2 catch cries from Peter.  Peter is committed to minimal interference with the wine – minimal oak influence, no filtration or fining – he lets the vineyard and the fruit do the talking.  The shiraz is supplemented with cabernet sauvignon, grenache and soon mourvedre.

Halifax Cellar

The winery is not open for cellar door visits – it is purely by appointment only.

The website is www.halifaxwines.com.au

2009 Holiday Rose ($A20)

 This grenache based wine is effectively sold out (to restaurants) – and after tasting it I can understand why.

A salmon colour followed by an aroma hit that is just like freshly crushed grenache berries.  The palate is full of nectarine and apple with an almost creamy finish.  This is a lovely dry wine with lots of acid.  It is a shame it is all but sold out.  If this is representative of the rose to come bring on next vintage with a block of goats cheese and crusty bread.

Inside HALiFAX Cellar

2006 Ad Lib ($A23)

A blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a lighter style than the normal McLaren Vale Grenache based wines, and I for one believe there is room for both styles.  A juicy infusion of red berries on the front palate and blackberries on the back palate.  This is a soft wine – minimal oak and fine grape tannins.  Drink this wine now with lasagna (my wife makes the best lasagna).

2006 Halifax Vineyard Shiraz ($A25)

The wine is bright red – a surprise considering it is a bit older than general red wine releases.  Quite fragrant with lots of black fruits – particularly black cherries.  When I tried this I was taken by how soft this was is – all the usual McLaren Vale shiraz fruits come through – plums and blackberries, all in waves with minimal oak influences.  This wine would last a while – but it is so juicy why wait!  Have a bottle or three of this with slowly braised lamb shanks and make sure you share this with friends.

2006 Coach House Cabernet ($A35)

Two words – silky smooth.  The vineyard the grapes came from the vineyard Penfolds Bin 707 came from.  The wine is a sensory wave of blackberries and blackcurrant (both on the nose and palate).  The oak treatments are not evasive and supply a pleasant dusty tannin finish.  Drink it with a big juicy medium rare steak.

2002 Halifax Vineyard Shiraz ($A35)

The wine is for current customers however, for Lonely Grape readers, this museum release shows what the current vintage may evolve into over the coming years.  The wine is showing a small amount of browning.  The nose is showing the black fruits with savoury characters of chocolate and a mushroom earthyness.  Bring on a huge plate of Grilled Field Mushrooms (with vin cotta added to the upturned cups) with ricotta gnocchi covered in a simple butter mushroom sauce at a table full of your friends.

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McLaren Vale’s Lonely Grape TV Episode #10

Thanks for joining my review of the 2007 Five Geese Shiraz and the 2007 Marius Symposium Shiraz Mourvedre (see my blog review of Marius Wines).

Both wineries do not have a cellar door.  Marius Wines can be found at www.mariuswines.com.au and Five Geese Wines at www.fivegeese.com.au.

The tasting was conducted in the Freerange Gallery in McLaren Vale with the Art of Wine photographic exhabition of James Hook’s work – on display until 5th December 2009.

Thanks to James Hook for digital copies of some of his photos and to the Freerange Gallery for their patience while I was filming.

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McLaren Vale Wines – Caught Red Handed

Caught Red Handed is the venture of Phil Rogers who is based in Sellicks Beach in the McLaren Vale wine region.  Phil has all but completed his winemaking degree in Wagga and after working in a few wineries (including McLaren Vale wineries – Rosemount, Hardys Reynella & Wirra Wirra) during vintage as a cellar hand.  During this time he became frustrated at the lack of opportunity to get a winemaking gig so he turned this frustration into a decision to start his own brand and make his own wine.  The 2007 reds were made at the Hawkers Gate Winery (in the McLaren Flat area of McLaren Vale region) and since then the wines are made at the Dennis Winery (on the Kangarilla Road just outside the McLaren Vale township).

Caught Redhanded does not have a web site yet, but can be contacted via email (caughtredhandedwines@gmail.com) and Phil is also an active member of the BooseMonkey site (www.boozemonkey.com).  Phil has a mailing list that you can also join when you contact him.

Wines will be delivered at a flat rate of $20/12 bottle case.

And now the wines:-

Caught Redhanded Pack

White Wines

2008 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($A12.50)

The grapes for this wine comes from one of the highest Adelaide Hills vineyards in Lobethal and it is the first commercial white wine Phil made.

The wine shows herbaceous characters but is not over the top like a lot of Sauvignon Blancs available right now.  When I drink it I get the herbaceousness continuing with tropical fruits combined with hints of limes and a good acid finish.  The wine would go well with a locally caught pan fried fish – I always like snapper.  I suggest this wine is a buy and drink now sort of wine as it may lose it’s freshness with much more aging, but right now and cold would be very good (it is about 35 degrees as I write this). 

2008 Pinot Gris / Sauvignon Blanc ($A15)

The same Sauvignon Blanc from the above wine was mixed with some (Mount Compas) Pinot Gris.  I found the wine had a closed nose but the palate was pleasing with good acid and an excellent mouthfeel of nashi and lime.  This wine has more complexity than the straight Sauvigonon Blanc – it was a pity the wine had a closed nose.  With the extra complexity the wine could match with more complex food such as a mild chicken indian curry.

2008 Sauvignon Blanc / Chardonnay ($A12.50)

As soon as I saw the label I was interested to see what was in the glass, as I had not see this blend before.  The Sauvignon Blanc is the same as the above wines and the Chardonnay also came from the Adelaide Hills (a different vineyard than the other wine).  The blend is 70% Sauvigonon Blanc with 30% Chardonnay – and the chardonnay is wooded.  As per the previous wine the nose was closed (note that the wine was not too cold).  The wooded fruit dominates the palate with hints of citrus peel and peachy melon characters.  The oak domination detracts from this wine but it may go better with food (I suspect this was Phil’s plan).

2009 Pinot Gris ($A15)

The grapes for this wine come from a Lobethal vineyard and they were the first harvest from those vines.  There is orange blossom and pear on the nose.  When I drank the wine it showed minerally nashi charachters with lots of acid (though a little short), which would go well with grilled seafood.

Red Wines

2009 Cabernet Rose ($A15)

The grapes came from Langhorne Creek and was the bleed off juice from the processing of the grapes.  The wine had just been bottles (6 days).  What I found was a very interesting wine in a style that should be a good seller in the coming hotter months.  On the nose was pink lady apples, floral and straw characters followed by a palate full of pure cabernet fruit, apples and some herds on the back palate.  Please note this is not a totally dry style but it is not a sugar bomb either.  This wine would be great cold while sitting in the backyard with friends on a Sunday lunch with lots of crusty bread (maybe from the Willunga Markets) and some soft cheeses – my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

2007 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A20)

The grapes for this wine were from a vineyard in Willunga, with only 2 barrels made (1 barrel french oak and the other american oak).  Even before the wine was brought to the nose I could smell the vanillin oak, which also has stewed plums and black fruits coming through.  There was also a tingling on the nose from the high alcohol (15.8%).  The palate is a mixture of fruit cake (which reminds me I had better check my fruit mice), plums and finishing with bitter chocolate a licorice.  There is so much going on there that you can hardly notice the alcohol heat on the finish.  This is a big, big wine with lots of tannins and acid.  I would leave this one for a while longer and I can see a rich slow cooked casserole being consumed (as winter comfort food) with this wine. 

Fortifieds

NV Port (375 ml bottle)($A15)

Not tasted.

Future Releases

2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A20)

This wine is from the same vineyard as the 2007 wine and will be bottled in the next few weeks.

The wine is very dark in colour and continues with dark black fruits and black cherries on the nose with a fruit cake palate with the black cherries continuing.  The 2 things I note when comparing the wine is that the oak and alcohol is not as dominate in this wine – making the wine better balanced.  I like this wine a whole lot better than the 2007 version and I will check it out when bottled. 

Other wines being made are:-

2008 & 2009 Chardonnay from Adelaide hills

2007 Adelaide Hills Shiraz – ready to be bottled

2009 Langhorn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 Adelaide Hills (Lobethal) Pinot Noir

2008 Adelaide Hills Shiraz

2009 McLaren Vale Shiraz

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McLaren Vale’s Lonely Grape TV Episode #9

Hi everybody and thanks for joining me for Lonely Grape TV Episode #9.  This tasting was conducted at the Freerange Gallery from McLaren Vale.  I taste the 2008 Reserve Bush Vine Grenache (which won a Gold Medal in the 2009 McLaren Vale wine show) plus the 2007 Inkwell Shiraz.  Check out their previous blog reviews at La Curio and Inkwell.  The contact details for the wineries are:-

www.lacuriowines.com

www.inkwellwines.com

Thanks to James Hook for digital copies of some of his photos and to the Freerange Gallery for their patience while I was filming.

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McLaren Vale Wines – Madeleines

This lable (previously known as Vincognita Wines) is the infusion of 2 families.  The Belej family and the Dix family.  The Nangkita Vineyard was purchased by Peter Belej in 2003 after having significant Riverland vineyard experience – particularly with the Viognier variety.  Chris Dix was working for another winery but had intentions to produce his own wine and contacted Peter to buy some of the excellent Viognier fruit.  At the time Peter was sick of winemakers taking his fruit, and in his mind, destroying his product.  Peter thought that Chris had talent as a winemaker, however he refused Chris’s grape purchase request.  Peter had another idea – lets make the wine together.  That was in 2002 and the rest they say is history
 
The Nangkita Vineyard is situated in the souther Mt Loft Ranges and is in the middle of the Fleurieu Peninsula (also mid way between McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek).  There is no cellar door, however you can see the vineyard on the outskirts of Nangkita (driving south on the Victor Harbour Road turn left at the sign post as you come into Mount Compass.  The vineyard is approximately 100 acres of a combination of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvingon Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Primativo, Merlot and Chardonnay.  The area is about 160m above sea level and as such is cooler than the McLaren Vale region.  The soil is white sand (between 1 and 1.5 m in depth) over sandstone and clay. 

Madeleines Basket Press

 Another advantage is the high quality (low salinity) water in the aquifer under the vineyard.  Irrigation is kept to a minimum but the last 2 -3 years being in a drought has ment the water was vital to grape and wine quality.  Up until 2009 the best grapes were kept for their wines and the remainder was sold to other wineries.  With 2009 being difficult to sell wine grapes lead to a decision to utilise most of the for their own wine making pursuits. 

Madeleines Nangkita Vineyard

Nangkita Vineyard Views

The web site is www.vincognita.com.au

Now the wines:-

White Wines

2008 Nangkita Vineyard Viognier (A$19.50)

The grapes for this wine were picked before the 2008 vintage heat wave set in and the quality shows they made the right decision.  The wine is dominated by characters that I was not expecting.  This wine is full of ginger and cinnamon and not dominated by apricots.  Peter tells me there is 2 clones of Viognier one has the apricot flavours and the other has these ginger characters.  Obviously this wine is dominated by grapes from the second clone.  The wine has a wonderful mouthfeel – almost viscous and the acids are starting to soften.  The wine would go well with chinese or thai foods.

2009 Nangkita Vineyard Viognier (A$19.50)

The 2009 wine is very different to the 2008.  This wine has more of the apricot characters with hints of ginger.  There is plenty of acid in this wine and Chris believes the wine will be drinking best next year.  Tasting the 2 wines together is interesting to show the differences in style.  It will be interesting to see this wine in a years time but I do not think mine will last that long.

2009 Gewurtztraminer (A$15)

The wine was bottled only 4 weeks before the tasting – so it should have just settled down after the shock of bottling.  The wine has the usual floral characteristics on the nose but there is none of the sweet candy smells one can get with this variety.  The palate shows good acid, some minerality and the floral/turkish delight characters with a hint is spiciness on the finish.  There is almost an oilyness to the wine that I find pleasing.  This is a dry wine and would go well with chinese foods as it would compliment the various spices used in this style of cooking.

2009 Chardonnay (tank sample)

Straight from the tank – only a small proportion saw any oak and no malolactic fermentation.  Chris has tried to make a chardonnay that is different to the usual.  Partially due to the difficulty in the public’s perception about this wine variety but also to try a few different things with the wine.  The wine shows good apricot and peach aromas and palate with sufficient acid to make this a good food wine.  A nice piece of pork or a tuna steak would give you a good match.

Red Wine

2007 Nangkita Vineyard Primitivo (A$22)

The vines are basically the same as Zinfandel.  This wine is like a fruit cake in a glass, raisins on the nose and a mouthful of raisins with little oak influence on the tannins or the flavour characters.  Oak is there but not a big part of it (old french and american oak was used).  This would go well with a Moroccan Tagine of goat, vegetables and dates mixed with chilli, cummin and crushed tomatoes.

2007 McLaren Vale Shiraz (A$19.50)

This is a big wine with an inky colour (from the small berries from that years vintage).  The nose and palate shows lots of stewed plums that are almost sweet and the heavy oak (used to offset the fruit).  Make no mistake this is a big – big wine and will need a number of years before the tannins settle down.  I would not really drink this until after 2015.

2007 Nangkita Shiraz (A$19.50)

The wine has sice, plums, blackberries with oak influences on the nose.  The palate continues with ripe plum and blackcurrant fruits with lots of white pepper.  The oak is strong but so is the fruit.  The fruit is so concentrated that it lingers on the palate after the oak tannins have gone.  Again the wine is a big monster (not as big as the McLaren Vale Shiraz).  I would still let this wine alone for a while before trying it.

2007 NSX 10th Anniversary Shiraz (A$48)

This wine was made from the best barrels from 2007.  The wine is huge both in fruit and oak.  In saying this it more approachable now than the other 2 Shiraz wines above.  Great black berry and plum fruits mixed with lots of cedery oak tannins and a good acid lift.  Approachable now but will last for a long long time.

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Lonely Grape TV Episode #8

This episode of Lonely Grape TV was fimed at the Freerange Gallery in McLaren Vale.  Until the 5th December this gallery has a photographic exhabition showing photos from James Hook and the subjust is wine making.  James is the winemaker of the Lazy Ballerina.  This episode shows 2 wines:-

Willanbi Vineyards 2009 Isabella Verdelho

2008 Lazy Ballerina McLaren Vale Shiraz

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