Some notes and short trip to Ashton Hills & Barossa

[Adair]

I was in Adelaide 3 weeks ago for a few days with my growing family, staying with friends.

As well as the 2005 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir that I wrote up separately, here are some wines that I opened whilst watching too much AFL Finals footy on TV:

2004 Egon Muller Scharhof Riesling – Mosel-Saar-Ruwar – Qualitatswein
Pear, lime, sweet but exceptional, lacy acidity that fills the palate. 92/100 (17.7/20).

2003 Jamieson’s Run Shiraz
Nice complexity and depth for a cheapy. 87/100 (16/20).

2005 Reichsrat von Buhl Dry Riesling – Pfalsz
Pineapple, lime, minerals, white fruits with spice on the finish. Dry. Although New World in style, the flavours are different for the Australian palate, but impressive nonetheless. 90/100 (17/20).

2003 Jim Barry The Family Vineyards Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon – Heavy sweet oak with some good dark fruit underneath, maybe. 82/100 (15/20).

2003 Abeille-Fabre Mon Redon Cotes du Rhone
I am reading rave reviews about this wine but... A deep, very tightly wine with hints of brilliant spoilt by a haze of band-aid. First sip is enjoyable but hard to stomach after that. Not rated.

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I did get to a few cellar doors. I spent considerable time at Seppelts (Seppeltsfield) where I tasted the cellar door only Salinger NV Rosé but unfortunately it was not worth tasting. The 1997 Drumborg Riesling impressed though, but not as much as the mighty Sherry style wines with the DP 116 Amontillado and DP 38 Oloroso, which were both remarkably balanced with their differing levels of sweetness, and the DP 117 Fino but you need to really, really like this style to enjoy more than one glass. The 1999 Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon was also a treat but maybe a little expensive at $44.50. The DP 90 Rare Tawny, which is predominantly from the 1963 vintage, was also marvellous and I was not allowed to leave without tasting the range of other Tawnies, Tokays and Muscats, which don't need be to written about by me.

Interesting to note that due to the way that Fosters run their cellar doors, the 2003 St.Peter’s and Benno were the current vintages on tasting (the CD is only allowed to order the new wines after they are released - I was there very early September and they were released 1st September - they also had no idea about the Mt Ida), but any disappointment with the table wine selections was more than compensated by the non-vintage and vintage fortifieds and the enthusiasm of the cellar door staff.

Very interesting to note is that the rumoured return of the Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2004 vintage has been blended into other wines due to the impeding sale of Seppeltsfield.

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I also stopped into the Rockford cellar door where my first taste of 2004 Eden Valley Riesling was most pleasing, although not in the top echelon available on the market. The 2003 Local Grower's Semillon is a lovely, very easy drinking wine. This vintage has more upfront fruit and a little less acid cut and back palate power...but it still suits my palate. The Rockford team are very pleased with the recently released 2002 Moppa Springs GSM, weighing in at over 15%. I am sure it will sell very well, just not to me! The 1999 SVS wines are really starting to sing, although the Helbig is all gone.

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I also popped in at Greenock Creek. I only went down the dirt road to see if they were open by chance, and luck was in my favour. However, I have decided to forget about my wine impressions from that day other than that these red wines are BIG. It was warm, I was juggling a young child, the tasting glasses were inadequate and I was only there for 5 minutes. Nonetheless I walked away with some 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) and 2004 Seven Acres (14.5%) on the day, despite the fact that it was the 2005 Cornerstone Grenache (16%) that lingered in my mind over the following days. Yes, I was guilty of grape variety prejudice!!! It was full of red fruits but it was its gorgeous, slightly grainy but silky texture with no jaminess and little alcohol presence despite its 16% that impressed and played on my mind.

Since then opened one bottle of each of the wines I bought on the day and adored the Cabernet but found the Seven Acres cloying. I have also tasted the 2004 Apricot Block (14%) from a case I forced my boss to buy and loved it.

Today I placed another order including numerous Apricot Blocks and Cornerstone Grenache and hopefully a few more Cabernets if I am permitted. I have also ordered one bottle of the 2004 Alices (15% - although it didn't really impress on the day) and the 16% 2004 Creek Block to try. The 2004 Creek Block was not on tasting but I was not disappointed. At 16% alcohol and Phillip White describing it as “not as swampy as past vintages, I was happy to pass. Apparently the 2003 did not show that well at the cellar door tasting last year, so Greenock Creek decided not to show it. However, based on the quality I am tasting now that I am back at home, I need to try it. Neither of the $187.50 per bottle RRs were on tasting either (Cabernet 13.5%, Shiraz 15% - same vineyard).

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I also went to the Ashton Hills cellar door. I didn’t take any notes as I had to balance one of my kids throughout the tasting in one arm, but I did take note of what I tasted and had the pleasure of staying for over an hour with Stephen George.
2004 Salmon Brut – quite special, especially at $25. Pinot Noir/strawberry base with elegance and complexity. (92)

All Ashton Hills wines show Stephen George’s love of restraint and complexity, a love of French wines actually. They are wines that are not for fast tasting or wine shows. None display this more than his white wines:
2005 Ashton Hills Riesling - Fine, balanced and long with understated lime, lemon and apple fruit definition. Will take age well. (92) The 2005 Galah was also a Riesling with excellent credentials.
2004 Galah Sauvignon Blanc – Sancerre look-alike… this is a good thing. Marvellous wine with food. (92)
2005 Ashton Hills Three (Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling) - the blend reads "off-cuts/downgraded fruit" but this is complex, long and relatively sumptuous. (91)
2004, 2005 Ashton Hills Chardonnay – both truly lovely, harmonious balanced wine showing control of fruit and oak with significant power. I slightly preferred the 2005 despite the 2004 being rated very highly by people much more important than me. (93)

I truly enjoyed Stephen’s Pinot Noir, however I found these hard to buy at prices asked.
2005 Ashton Hills Pinot Noir (Piccadilly Valley), Estate – both pure, long and harmonious of medium/light body with the Estate having more depth. (91,92) (I enjoyed the 2004 Piccadilly slightly more at a restaurant a few months ago)
2004 Ashton Hills Pinot Noir Reserve – Tightly wound with great acidity than sits very well in the wines fruit but in real need of time. Another 3 years at least. Hard to buy after the 2005 Estate but could be exceptional in time. (92+)

2001 Ashton Hills Five (Bordeaux Blend) – I like the right bank style of this wine but lacks power and definition. (89)
2002 Three Sheds Shiraz Merlot – remarkable at $12. (89)
2000 Burra Burra Lone Star – very good but prefer past vintages (90)
1998 Galah Shiraz Cabernet Malbec – good but past its peak. I look forward to trying the Sparkling of this that I have sitting at home. (88 )

Kind regards,
Adair

Edited as it was the newly released 2003 Rockford Local Grower's Semillon I tasted, not the 2002.

[Kieran]

If you're doing Ashton Hills you should have done Barratt as well - great CD.

Kieran

[Adair]

Hi Kieran,

I only had a 90 minute window of opportunity and chose to spend it with Stephen George. I really like his philosophy on wine and enjoyed the chat as much as the wines.

Thanks for the tip. Next time.

Adair

[Wayno]

We popped up there recently and tried some of his stuff. I must say I was very impressed with the chardonnay and have always been quite fond of his pinots. It's quite an experience, overlooking the valley through a wrap around window, amidst teetering boxes of wine, paperwork and ancient framed awards whose fonts give away their age. Definitely worth a visit.

[Adair]

It's quite an experience, overlooking the valley through a wrap around window, amidst teetering boxes of wine, paperwork and ancient framed awards whose fonts give away their age. Definitely worth a visit.

Yes, it is one of the most wonderful cellar doors, if it indeed should be called that. Stephen even had colouring pencils and paper for little ones to play with.

Adair