2009 Barossa Wine Show

[707]

The hectic pace of wine events continues unabated, Saturday it was the Barossa Wine Show held at Yalumba.

This is a regional show that has as an entry requirement that the wine must be sourced from the Barossa (and Eden) Valley. It's one of the highlights on my wine calendar, always worth the drive up from Adelaide, although I tend to get a ride up with someone else for obvious reasons!

For once I was in general agreement with the judges, you could see why most of the Golds were awarded and very few unawarded wines impressed me. So what did the judges and I like?

Three wineries stood out for me, Kaesler, Sons of Eden and Yalumba.

Kaesler had the Midas touch, gold for 2007 Old Vine Shiraz, 2006 Bogan Shiraz, 2007 Avignon Grenache and Silver with the 2007 Bogan Shiraz, 2007 Stonehorse SGM. This has been is one of my favourite wineries for a number of years and they keep producing the goods year in year out, well done.

Sons of Eden came to my attention a couple of years back and just keep kicking goals. Gold and Trophy for both the 2007 Kennedy GSM and 2006 Remus (Eden Valley) Shiraz, Silver for the 2006 Romulos Shiraz (Barossa), Bronze for the 2007 Zephrys Shiraz Viognier (the 2006 was a ripper).

It seems to me that Yalumba fly under the radar a bit, yet often impress me at these shows. Two vintages of The Reserve, 04 and 06 won Gold and the 06 won three Trophies. I actually gave the palm to the 04. A wine of theirs I very much liked was a label I hadn't seen previously, the Silver winning 04 Single Site Light Pass Shiraz.

On the Cabernet front, to me it was typical Barossa Cabernet, you know what I mean, generally a nice drink but doesn't wow. One however stood out, as it did to the judges, 04 Saltram Winemaker Selection. I'll be chasing some of that down.

Tawny Fortifieds were sublime. DP90, Yalumba 50yo, Penfolds Great Grandfather and the Para Grand, all Gold Medal winners and I swallowed the lot!

Good news on the VP front, four excellent examples, 04 Tscharke Touriga, 06 Winter Creek Shiraz, 08 Nurihannam (school kids make it) and 02 Lehmann The King. They will all be maturing after I've moved on!

[Michael McNally]

Sons of Eden came to my attention a couple of years back and just keep kicking goals. Gold and Trophy for both the 2007 Kennedy GSM and 2006 Remus (Eden Valley) Shiraz, Silver for the 2006 Romulos Shiraz (Barossa), Bronze for the 2007 Zephrys Shiraz Viognier (the 2006 was a ripper).

Good news on the VP front, four excellent examples, 04 Tscharke Touriga, 06 Winter Creek Shiraz, 08 Nurihannam (school kids make it) and 02 Lehmann The King. They will all be maturing after I've moved on!

Thanks for the notes Steve. Was the 07 Zephyrus as good as the 06 (which was as you say a ripper)? How did the 07 Kennedy compare to the 06 (also a ripper - a blinder if you look at QPR)?

Great to see makers keeping the VP tradition alive.

Cheers

Michael

[n4sir]

Thanks for the impressions Steve - I wish I could of made it up there, but health and other factors conspired to keep me from making the trip again. One day...

On the Cabernet front, to me it was typical Barossa Cabernet, you know what I mean, generally a nice drink but doesn't wow. One however stood out, as it did to the judges, 04 Saltram Winemaker Selection. I'll be chasing some of that down.

A close read of the label reveals it's from the old Dorrien vineyard, which probably speaks for itself. I'm actually a little surprised you don't have a case or two of this already.

Cheers,
Ian

[Red Bigot]

I just had an email bounced by Yahoo for policy reasons. When I changed the words "Sons of Eden" to SoE it got through OK. Scary paranoid stuff.

[smithy]

Saw an absolutely sensational Yalumba Chardonnay the other day.
I thought it did well trophy wise at Barossa Wine show but it must have been elsewhere.
Top Burgundy in style, it was Adelaide Hills fruit.
Anyone got any ideas on what i could be?
And $
Cheers
Smithy

[Gary W]

Saw an absolutely sensational Yalumba Chardonnay the other day.
I thought it did well trophy wise at Barossa Wine show but it must have been elsewhere.
Top Burgundy in style, it was Adelaide Hills fruit.
Anyone got any ideas on what i could be?
And $
Cheers
Smithy

FDW9[7c] most likely. AH fruit from Bernard clones.
GW