Lonely Grape – Wineries & Wines of Mclaren Vale

Graham Stevens Wines had it’s cellar door grand opening today.  Not only did I have to visit but I also needed to let you all know about this place in the blog world.

Location: Lot 2 Ingoldby Road, McLaren Flat, South Australia, 5171 (link to map).  Web site is at www.grahamstevenswines.com.au.

The opening today looked and felt like a family gathering – kids playing along the side of the building and the sounds of people around a BBQ and the wine tasting area.  Graham Stevens and his team understands the concept of community as he had a local charity group selling the BBQ food.

In the new cellar door it was obvious that friends and family was the key ingredient (after the wine of course).  Graham even came into the tasting area and came over and shook my hand to welcome me.  The atmosphere was great – it is good to see some old fashion personal hospitality and I suggest this theme will continue.

A little about Graham Stevens:-

Graham Stevens started the Stevens Cambrai Winery in the 70’s and was quite successful, particularly with the red wines.  I remember visiting the winery in the mid 80’s and was impressed with the Shiraz, Grenache and one of the few Australian Zinfandel wines.  In the mid 90’s Graham decided that it was time to retire and sold the winery (that is now called Kangarilla Road Winery and I will review this winery in the coming weeks).  Graham seems to have become restless in his retirement as he now resides over 14 acres of grapes at McLaren Flat.  This restlessness seems to be a long term thing as Graham’s first release wines go back to 2005!

Wines

White

No whites were tasted today, however they were advertising an Adelaide Hills white to be released in June.  An excuse to go back and try the wines again.

Reds

2008 Grenache Nouveau ($A12.50)

An aromatic Rose style wine to be served chilled.  The wine had short skins contact after crushing to give it the pink colour.  Unlike a lot of Rose style wines this wine has been fermented to dryness.  See yourself drinking a chilled red on a hot summer afternoon with a few friends around enjoying the company and the wine – this could be such a wine.  The price is right as well – so maybe 2 or more bottles with your friends.

2005 Stevens Family Shiraz ($A15.50)

Graham calls this the “Family” wine as his whole family (grand kids included) help to tender and pick the grapes.  A typical McLaren Vale style dry red wine.  Graham indicates he matures some of this wine in French oak instead of the usual 100% American oak and this gives the wine a less aggressive oak feel in the mouth.  I would prefer to spend the extra and go for the Reserve wine (see below).

2006 Graham’s Vat 52 ($A18.50)

What an unusual blend but an excellent wine.  This is a blend of 50% Shiraz, 30% Grenache and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.  I spoke to Graham about this wine and it is his favourite as well.  He has been making this blend for decades and it invariably drinks and sells very well.  This well balanced wine showing hints of the spice of the Shiraz and plum of the Grenache can be drunk now or if you would like to keep it for a while it would reward the patience.  You could use it as a different style wine to take to dinner parties.

2005 Reserve Shiraz ($A24.50)

This wine is made from the best individual barrels from each vintage.  You can tell a distinct difference to the Family Shiraz (above).  It is worth the extra $9/bottle for the improved quality.  The spice and mulberry flavours come through clearly on this one.

This new winery has the traditional family atmosphere and is recommended to those that want more than just the sterile cellar doors that seem to have developed in the last 10 years.

Remember – if you have a favourite McLaren Vale Winery or would like to know more about a particular winery please leave a comment and I will do my best to review said winery.  Alternativey I can be contacted on Twitter (user name barkersj).

Have a good week

Shane Barker

This week has been a difficult choice.  So far I have provided the readers with great places to visit in the McLaren Vale area.  This time I am writing about a winery that is not fashionable but just makes good wine.  This blog post is about Dennis Wines also known as Daringa Cellars.  This winery/cellar door is on he main road from McLaren Vale going towards Mclaren Flat (from the “Vale” to the “Flat”) on the left hand side across from McLarens on the Lake (which also has the Serafino Winery) – see the map for location.  For the first 18 months living in the Vale I thought Dennis Wines had closed down as the cellar looked deserted.  Even when I was taking my son to football – the football oval is behind the winery.  It was not until I dropped in on a week day that I saw anybody there.  The website is at www.denniswines.com.au.

Looks can be deceiving – the outside of the cellar is run down and in need of TLC.  The tasting area was the same as I remembered it when we first went there over 20 years ago.  The lady behind the bar was making lunch for the winery staff and herself.  Oh what had I walked into.  Then I tasted the wines…….

If you can get past the decor you will find a couple of gems.

Whites

Sauvignon Blanc ($A20)

A good example of what the vale can produce from this variety.  Fresh and clean fruit with the classical herbaceousness of the variety understated.  I do not like this variety when all I can smell is cut grass and cats pee.

Semillon Chardonnay($A18)

A blend that has lost favour in the last few years.  Good nose showing Semillon characters and should be drunk young and cold.

Rose

Did not taste, but note it is dry style made from Shiraz.

Red Wines

Merlot ($A20)

For the Merlot drinkers this is one to watch – good fruit with a hint of mulberry.

Grenache ($A20)

This is a joy to drink – pure McLaren Vale in a bottle.  Plum and oak characters blended well together.

Shiraz ($A20)

Another joy in the glass and good vale for money as allot of the Vale’s Shiraz has become relatively expensive.  Peppery on the nose and palate and you should drink this with food (like a thick juicy T-Bone steak – YUM).

They also have a Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot blend which I did not taste.

Fortifieds

Vintage Egerton ($A30)

Named after Peter’s father who started the wine business.  This wine is normally released with 10+ years age and is worth every penny.  Complex licorice flavours come from this shiraz base.

Old Tawny ($A50)

This wine has an averge age of 35 years and is a classic sweet style so typical of a bygone era.  If you like this style then this port style is one to have with you and a loved one in front of an open fireplace with a roaring fire and will invoke precious memories or introduce new ones.  What a jem!

Others

Mead

Dennis Wines have been producing mead (fermented honey) for as long as I can remember.  They infuse the wine with spices to create something different to be consumed warm (a few seconds in the microwave works well) or mix with soda water as a refreshing summer afternoon tipple.

As you can see above once you get past the average surroundings at Dennis Wines (Daringa Cellars) you may just find some interesting wine.  Another highlight is that Peter Dennis’s office is off the tasting area and you may have the pleasure of discussing wine with him.

On the Grape Vine

Remember next Saturday is the grand opening of Graham Stevens Wines.  I intend to visit these guys next week and report back in next weeks blog.

These will be a “pallet sale at Penny’s Hill cellar door next weekend.  The information is not complete but they are advertising cartons of white wine for $A55.  Could be an opportunity for visitors to the area to pick up a bargin.  I may even see you there!

Regards for another week.

Shane

The winery and cellar door is off Chaffrey’s Road and behind Chapel Hill Winery.  Do yourself a favour and take that turn off to a small winery that is causing a buzz in the McLaren Vale area.

Samuel’s Gorge is on the side of a hill overlooking the Onkaparinga Hills National Park and makes for a wonderful setting (see map for location).  As soon as you get out of the car you are immersed in the history of the area as the cellar door & winery are housed in a heritage listed barn built in 1853.  Even the olive trees on the drive into the winery look like they have seen more vintages than they care to remember.  There is a lawn area (good for the kids to run around) and shaded outdoor area that can be used for tasting or just to enjoy the area.  Inside the cellar door has a number of vintage machines including an old press that may have been used for olive oil production.

One is consistently met by a smiling face and an engaging atmoshere.  The quest for the right atmosphere even extended to the lack of a cash register for the firt 2 years.  Justin McNamee (winemaker) understands McLaren Vale’s strengths and sticks to making 3 red wines.  Shiraz and Grenache being classic McLaren Vale grapes plus an region up and commer in Tempranillo.  The 2007 Shiraz & Grenache plus the 2008 Tempranillo have just been released in the last few weeks.  The wines show vintage variation over the previous vintage wines – but are again sensational.

In order to keep the costing simple all the estate wines are priced at $A35/bottle.

When consuming these wines you are in for a full sensory experience.  The wines are bright in the glass and the aroma is full filling – from the hint of chocolate in the shiraz to the berries in the grenache.  When drinking the flavour is powerful and lingering.

If you needed another reason to visit this charming cellar door then there is occasionally a cellar door only clean skin shiraz release.  When available ($A100/case) this wine is very impressive – particularly for this price point.  The 2 releases in the past 12 months have been better than allot of labeled wines that find their way onto the market.  The winery team are so exacting on their Samuel’s Gorge labeled wine that anything that does not quite make the final blend goes into the cleanskin.  This philosophy shows another reason why their wines are just so good – unlike just making wines to a price point so to keep the supermarket liquor stores happy!  Great to see and I hope this is kept up.

For those wanting to keep in touch with the winery – there is a mailing list with 1 newsletter per year.  Justin tells me the newsletter is supposed to be released around easter each year – but he has not finished this years.  Maybe with vintage finishing he maybe able to tidy this duty up soon.  You can see the latest version of the newsletter on their website www.gorge.com.au.

One way to judge any cellar door, restaurant or similar is the frequency of locals visiting.  I have found that there has always been another local at the cellar door.  It is also known that the last hour of the cellar door opening time is when the “friends of Samuel’s Gorge” can be found drinking some booze and taking about all sorts of local chat – what a recommendation.

Other snippets

This weeks in the Australian Federal Government’s Budget – there is a sense of nervousness in the industry that the WET rebate (Wine Equalisation Tax rebate for the small producer) maybe removed.  This rebate would be the final nail in the coffin for a large number of the micro to small wineries of Australia.  This increase in charges coupled with drought conditions and water restrictions will be the straw that would break the vinerons back.

On this track, it is a sad sight to see Clarance Hill wines in receivership and all assets up for sale.

I hope you all have a great and safe week.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers of Australia and the world.  If you are in McLaren Vale for Mothers day then Samuel’s Gorge would be a good spot to spend some quality time. 

Regards

Shane

Your experience at Coriole is not complete with just the information from last weeks post.  Remember the web site is www.coriole.com.

The final wine related experience awaiting you at the winery is called “The Wine Room”.  By pre-booking (2 to 15 people at a time) you can enjoy a hosted tasting, in a separate room next to the cellar door.  You are treated to a total of 4 wines from the Reserve Range (including the icon Lloyd Shiraz) some special aged releases.  This flight of rare wines is also accompanied by a tasting of Coriole Olive Oil, Woodside Cheese and wood fired bread.

The cost of the tasting is $15, however if any wine from The Wine Room tasting is bought on the day the tasting cost is wavered.

Ring Rachael (+61 8 83238305) to organise one of the best wine related experiences in McLaren Vale.

Your experience at Coriole is not restricted to wine, they also produce Verjuice, Olive Oil, Olives, Red Wine Vinegar and Vina Cotta.  On top of this they also sell Wrights Woodhouse Cheese!

The verjuice is made from unripe Barbera grapes and has so many uses.  You can use it instead of vinegar as a salad dressing, use it to de-glaze a pan to produce a memorable sauce or just drink it – either on ice or mixed with some soda water.  In Australia Maggie Beer from the Barossa seems to have put Verjuice on the map (she sells her own brand), but I believe this one is better.  An interesting fact – Verjuice combined with mustard seeds is considered the oldest condiment known.

The Kalamanta Olives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Red Wine Vinegar are all of high quaility and consistently win local area awards.  If you like strongly flavoured cheese then the “Ediths Goats Cheese” is highly recommended.  All the goats and cows milk cheeses are worth trying.  One or two of the cheeses maybe open for tasting at the cellar door.  If you would like to try these cheeses I would recommend visiting the Willunga Farmers Market (willungafarmersmarket.com) where most Saturday mornings the Coriole Condiments and the Wrights Cheeses are sold with cheese tastings.  

The last gem from Coriole is the Vina Cotta.  This was once described to my by a cellar door host as Semillon grapes, crushed and the must boiled slowly until 1/3 its starting volume remains.  This thick mass is then made into vinegar.  You can substitute the Vina Cotta where you would use balsamic vinegar – mixed with olive oil and verjuice as a salad dressing, as part of a marinade or sauce or just drizzled over ice cream.

Other Information

Dogridge has just opened a cellar door – I have been told it is open on weekends and public holidays only.

Graham Stevens who retired in the late 1990’s (when he sold Cambrai Wines to what is now Kangarilla Road Winery) has decided that retirement was not for him and will be opening his new cellar door on 23rd May on Ingolby Road.  I will attend the cellar door on the opening day and I will report on this in the coming weeks.

This week is all about my favourite winery – anybody that visits McLaren Vale I would direct to Coriole.  The reasons are many.  The wine is consistently of a high standard.  They produce wine from some “different” grape varieties.  They serve regional food platters on weekends.  Some cellar door only wines are available at various times.  They also produce verjuice, wine vinegars, olives, olive oils, Vina Cotta and are an outlet for Wrights Cheeses (who produce both cows milk and goats milk cheeses).  The cellar door is housed on the top of a rise in an old stone cottage surrounded by cottage gardens that are always in flower.  This is one place where you can get a wine and food experience!  See the map for the cellar door location.

The web site is www.coriole.com.

Lets start with the wine.  The wines are split into 5 ranges and it should be noted that not all the wines are available for tasting at all times.

Classic Range

• Chenin Blanc

Not many Australian wines from this variety are really worthy of much but I believe this wine is the best Chenin Blanc made in South Australia (and maybe Australia).  They have been producing a quality product from this variety since the early 1980’s.  The wine shows a blend of apple and pear characters and is just a joy to drink – either on its own or with food.

• Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc

This wine was originally a straight Semillon and the Sauvignon Blanc has been added in the last few years.  The addition gives the wine a lift and is a great warm Sunday Session wine with friends.  I would drink this wine young and cold. 

• Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon

A well balanced wine with a blackberry overtones.  Not over oaked and would be best drunk young.

• Redstone Shiraz

Starts with a hint of spice and finishes with plum characters.  Again, not over oaked and would be best drunk young.  I was able to get an older vintage and the younger wine was better.

• Sangiovese Shiraz

Unusual blend and it works well.  Plenty of spice and berries and a dry finish.

 The Italians

Coriole has been a pioneer of Italian grape varieties – particularly Sangiovese.  It has been an experiment that has put Coriole ahead of the pack.

• Fiano

This white wine is a citrus and floral mouthfull with a high acid balance.  I consider this a food wine and would do well with Chicken in a rich tomato sauce.  I have not tried this variety before so I cannot comment on if the wine should be cellared or drunk young.  What I can say is that I enjoyed this young so why wait! 

• Nebbiolo

Full of cherries and tannin with a long dry finish.  I have only tried this wine young and I suspect that it would be at it’s best with some more time in the bottle.

•  Nebbiolo Rose

Don’t drink this one too cold as you will miss out on alot of the cherry flavour.

• Sangiovese

This wine is consistently one of the best of this variety I have found.    Cherries, violets and spice with a long tannic finish.  A joy to experience – particularly with food.  Somebody please pass the Spaghetti Bolognaise.

Estate Range

• Cabernet Sauvignon

I am constantly surprised by the quality of Cabernet in McLaren Vale.  This one tends to have soft fruit and tannins.  You could keep it for up to 10 years but I am not sure why.

• Shiraz

This is a typical McLaren Vale Shiraz – some plum fruits and almost chocolate finish.  My wife would drink this wine while eating chocolate!  One of my favourites and I find it hard not to to buy some each time I visit (so I can put some down in the cellar for a few years).  Bring on a T-bone steak and I might share some with my wife. 

• Dancing Fig (Shiraz Mouvedre)

The Mouvedre adds some structure to this blend.  There is an added almost earthy finish on the above wine.  I tend to like this wine young and with food.

Reserve Range

• Lloyd Reserve Shiraz

Vines for this wine were planted in 1919 and are next to the cellar door.  This wine has great fruit, tannin and oak balance.  I have put a few away as I suspect these wines will only improve.

• Mary Kathleen Cabernet Merlot

Well structured wine that should improve over the next few years.  This is a wine style I do not normally drink – but I like this one.

• The Optimist

This is a older bottle aged single vineyard Chennin Blanc that has extra complexity treatment in the winery (probably barrel fermentation and lees contact.  Definitely a food wine.  I admit that I like the younger Classic Range wine.

• Tho Soloist

A single vineyard Shiraz that gets all the support from the winery (good oak etc).  My preference is for the Estate Shiraz. 

Cellar Door Range

These wines tend to be made in small voloumes and only available for short periods of time – if you find them then do not delay as they go fast. 

• Old Barn Chardonnay

This is a quality chardonnay with a peachy creamy mouthfeel.  Please do not drink this one too cold.

• Old Barn Shiraz Cabernet

This a a classic Australian blend that has lost favour over the last 10 years.  This wine is a reason why this status should be turned around.  This has been made from wine that was kept aside for the reserve wines.  If you are lucky to find this wine please give it your full attention.  A bottle of this with a thick steak served with fried onions/mushrooms/red capsicums/tomatoes combined with a splash of Coriole Vina Cotta and I would not share this with anybody – sorry.

That’s enough for this week – I will talk about the other items from Coriole next week.

The last word on Coriole.  This cellar door is a great experience and has great atmosphere.  I had a celebration party there.  If you can visit – say hello to Rachael and tell her that Shane sent you!

I thought my first McLaren Vale winery review should be Fox Creek.  The reason – I am doing some vintage work at the Fox Creek Winery, and I am enjoying the experience.

Anyway back to the winery.

Fox Creek Wines is located between the town of McLaren Vale and Willunga on Malpas Road.  The winery and the cellar door are at 2 separate locations with both accessable from Malpas Road (see cellar door location).

Fox Creek Cellar Door Sign

Fox Creek Wines is a privately owned small winery that also conducts some contract winemaking.  The winery processes about 800 tonnes of grapes each year.

Fox Creek Wines also has a wine club called the Fox Creek Circle where members recieve 2 to 4 dozens to be delivered each year.  The Circle members get discounts of up to 16% and freight free.  Details on the website www.foxcreekwines.com.au.

A note of interest was the winery and cellar door had a mascot – Shadow the sheep dog.  Unfortunately, last November, Shadow passed onto the great vineyard in the sky.  Shadow was a real character and is depicted on the lables of the Shadows Run range.

Fox Creek Cellar Door

The wines:-

Shadows Run Unwooded Chardonnay (A$12) – a good value entry level white.

Sauvignon Blanc (A$17) – The wine is very enjoyable and does not have the over the top herbacious characters that can occur with this variety.  This is my faviourite white wine from Fox Creek Wines.

Chardonnay (A$17) – typical melon characters for a McLaren Vale Chardonnay.

Vixen – Sparkling Red (A$22.50)  (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc).  I am unashameably a sparkling red fan. This is an unusual blend and is not bottle fermented.  However this wine is not just a marketing play on words.  The aromas indicate mulberry fruits with the same for every mouthful.  Good with food or even just to share with friends.  I even finished a bottle watching the footy last weekend!

Shadows Run Shiraz – Cabernet Sauvignon (A$12) – as for the white this is an enjoyable low end wine, remembering that you get what you pay for.

Red Barron Shiraz (A$17.50) – This wine is a great value from the classic McLaren Vale variety.  This is good everyday drinking and appeals to alot of people.

Red Barron Plane

Shiraz – Grenache – Mourvedre (A$17.50) – Along side shiraz, grenache is a classic variety for McLaren Vale.  This blend is a very different wine comared to the rest of the Fox Creek range.  The grenache adds great soft fruit characters to the overall blend.  No need to cellar – please drink this one while young.  This is my current every day drinking wine – I cannot recommend this any more highly.

Duet Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot (A$19) – The surprise for me is the rise in the quality of McLaren Vale cabernet sauvignon.  This is a classic blend.

JSM (A$22.50) (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) – The same wine that is used in the Vixen (Sparkling Red).  A good wine.  I prefer it as the Vixen.

Short Row Shiraz (A$28.50) – This is a big classic Mclaren Vale shiraz. – lots of spicey fruit combined well with oak.  My favourite shiraz to drink now from the Fox Creek range.

Reserve Shiraz (A$70) – This wine is made from only the best individual barrels from each vintage.  The wine is not currently drinking as well as the Short Row Shiraz but in a few years it should be worth the wait.  I have put a few safely away.

Please post any comments or questions.  I would also like to know what things you would like to see (or not see) in future blogs.

Regards and have a safe week

Shane