Some CD experiences in the Barossa and Coonawarra

[Gustav]

I've been having a lot of visitors from Norway lately and haven't had much time to write up any tasting notes. I've visited quite a few wineries and here are my thoughts (no tasting notes - sorry!):

Barossa Valley:

Trevor Jones/ Kellermeister
Facility: Very nice and polished tasting room. Good structure and well balanced.
CD staff: Female. No significant perfume one the nose. Biting acidity and closed. Opened up slightly after 20 minutes.
Wine: The whites were OK but nothing special. The same went for the reds. The higlight was the 2005 Wild Witch Shiraz. The chocolate port was interesting, but sickening.
Child friendly? No toy chest, but nice little lawn to play on outside. One of the CD staff (of another vintage than the one that gave us the tasting) gave the kids a little chocolate when we arrived, which was very kind.
Recommended? No, since the selection of excellent CDs in the Barossa is so vast.

Turkey Flat
Facility: Very cool! The old rustic brick walls of the butchery gave a nice contrast to the modern furnishing.
CD Staff: Male. Neutral aroma. Medium to full bodied. Very approachable and well balanced.
Wine: In general very good over the whole range, especially the 2008 rose and 2005 Shiraz. The '05 Shiraz had a great fruit purity, great balance and good length. Had to buy a couple.
Child friendly? Thick layer of gravel in the driveway makes a good spot for digging, but no toy chest and no windows towards the yard that let us keep an eye on the kids.
Recommended: Yes.

Torbreck Vintners
Facility: Good and small/intimate. Could probably not handle more than 10 people .
CD staff: A medium bodied male and female, both showing good structure and having flavours of good mood and humor. Especially the female had seen some bad storage the night before and would probably have done better with proper breathing to remove the traces of acetaldehyde.
Wine: The wines were generally good, both whites and reds, but to expensive (low QPR). The favourite (and overall favourite of the Barossa trip) was the 2005 Runrig, which was in a class of it's own. Extremely dense in colour, complex nose oozing of dark fruits and subtle oak. The palate was massive and perfectly structured, giving waves of flavours and an endless finish. At over $ 200 it's too expensive though....Picked up a bottle of The Struie, which we really liked.
Child friendly? No. No toy chest. Lots of doors for the kids to disappear into. Huge (very nice) outdoor area for the kids to get lost. No way of seeing the kids when tasting.
Recommended: Yes.


Coonawarra
On our way to drive the Great Ocean Road we (myself and two friends of mine) dropped by some wineries in Coonawarra. Due to limited time we only visited three:

Balnaves
Fantastic looking property (with huge banners boasting “Hallidays Top Winery 2008”). Very nice tasting room with an amazing round table made of a gigantic eucalyptus trunk. We were the only ones there and could do the tasting in peace and quiet.
CD staff: Light to medium bodied, feminine, light flower aromas. Although gentle and well structured, appearing quite closed and unrevealing.
Wine: The whole range of wines was impressive, showing pure fruit and impeccable structure. However, the tannins were, although finely grained, very present. Almost too present. The red wines will be great when those tannins become a bit smoother.
Recommended: Yes

Wynns Coonawarra
Very classy tasting room, almost like a stylish hotel lobby with huge leather couches where one can enjoy a glass of wine and nibbles. Just as we came in a bus full of tourists arrived filling the tasting bar to the brim and squeezing us far out on the left flank.
CD staff: Started off really enjoyable, but soon developed stressed characteristic followed by a lack of presence.
Wine: Decent, but shockingly soft compared to what we just had tasted at Balnaves. Must be very different winemaking practices. Most wines were perfectly drinkable, but nothing to write home about. John Riddoch was not on tasting (disappointingly), but we got to taste the 2004 Michael Shiraz, which was impressive and the highlight of the tasting.
Recommended: ......I guess so.

Majella
Again a very classy and modern cellar door. The property was also beautiful, especially as it was lit by the magic light caused by the sun setting. We were once more the only ones tasting and could enjoy it to the maximum.
CD staff: Very feminine and floral. Upfront and delightful.
Wine: By far the best lineup of the day, suiting my palate “hand in glove”. Very nice rose. The reds were excellently structured with a perfect tannin presence. The 2004 Mallea was especially impressive showing great complexity and everything else expected of an excellent wine. The Merlot was also an impressive wine (although the nose was a bit too volatile before the wine had seen much time in the glass) We finished of with the excellent 2005 Sparkling Shiraz.
Recommended? Strongly!

[n4sir]

Love the CD staff comments!

At least now Trevor Jones/Kelemeister serve their wines in XL5s - it doesn't sound like much, but it's a damn lot better than the old shot glasses. The latest batch of 'The Sable' is pure Canadian maple syrup - I'm surprised you didn't mention the '70s pornstar look of that and the 'Pink Mink' labels too.

If you know something about wine & get talking to the Wynns staff early you usually find they've got a special bottle or two under the counter that they don't have visible to the bus tours (that's why they look so paranoid at times) - sounds like you got the Michael, but unfortunately the John Riddoch was already gone (or they were too scared the bus load of ferals would spot it).

Cheers,
Ian

[BillMac]

Thanks Gustav, humorous read.

[Gustav]

Thanks for the kind comments guys. I must admit that my mood might have had some influence on my impression of the Wynns wines. The bus load of tourists just ruined the tasting (it didn't help that there only was one CD staff present for most of the time).

cheers
Gustav

[Maroon&Blue]

Carry on Tasting..... starring Sidney James etc.....

A bit of light hearted repartee.

Great change from some of the "Wank..s" who report here!

[griff]

Indeed. I like the idea of report cards for cellar doors. Even if the wine may be great if the staff are curmudgeons one one isn't up for their behavior one can decide appropriately!

cheers

Carl

[David]

How about we start a "keep Gustav in Australia" campaign.

He has a great future as a wine writer.

[Maroon&Blue]

Here Here!

I'll vote for Gustav

[DJ]

Can we please have more reviews with the child friendly aspect?
Not worrying about the kids at wineries is becoming a distant memory and likely to get more distant with our youngest just 3.

I'd love to see the review of a certain Canberra district winery which had a basket of blocks but objected to our then 2 year old banging them together - the looks were so bad sub 5 degrees outside was more pleasant

[Davo]

When rating cellar doors I usually reserve the highest points for CDs which have a child trap located at the front door and preferably about 10 metres before it. But then again, I am possibly one of the w***ers who post here.

Concur with your rating of Kellermeister/Trevor Jones.

[Gustav]

Thanks for the flattery! I surely would like to stay on in Australia, but obligations and the financial situation sends us home in September. There's still so much left untasted, but I guess I can't have it all. I'm actually looking quite a bit forward to updating my palate on the new European releases and I'm planning a trip to Alsace to hunt down some excellent Gewursts and Rieslings. I'll definitely keep on posting in this forum though.

Regarding child friendly cellar doors: It is the best alternative for all parts. Wine enthusiasts with kids will come to taste wine and if there is something to keep the brats occupied it's good for both the parents AND all the other people tasting. For my kids (2 and 3.5 years) two or three CDs is the maximum they tolerate. However, often they look forward to go winetasting as there often are some new interesting toys to play with to be found. Their clear favourite (by far) is when we go to David and Pam at Winter Creek. The enormous suitcase of toys they have is unbeatable with the kids and is uncontested in the Barossa (Yalumba is pretty good, but no where near Winter Creek). Luckily, the wine at Winter Creek is also excellent