Grand Cru (Perth) Shiraz tasting 1 June 2016

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

The Grand Cru (Perth) group met last Wednesday at the Terrace Hotel. After a couple of years of monthly tastings, the Grand Cru tasting group realised it had not covered one of the most widely planted grape varieties on the planet. Shiraz, syrah, call it what you will, it grows in a wide range of climates and terroirs, and, like Chardonnay, produces a different wine dependent on these conditions. So, it’s versatile.

Variety is the spice of life, etc, so the tasting was only of straight Shiraz (not a blend, well, at least in accordance with Australian labelling laws) and at least 5 years old, to savour the range of styles Shiraz can be. And we certainly got a range! These were tasted blind, with only the vintage known. As usual, my disclaimer applies - these notes are a composite of the comments made at the time, and do not necessarily reflect my opinions alone.

We started with a trio of 2009s:

Jarrah Ridge Reserve 2009 (Chittering Valley, W.A. 14.5% alc): Crimson in colour. A varied nose of vanilla, bacon fat, dark berries and black plums, toasty oak. One taster got pink lady apples, and dried rosepetal / pot pourri was also detected. The palate had a lot of ‘medium’ – medium bodied, medium tannins, and acid. There was a wash of very fresh plums across the palate, and the wine was described a fruit driven and a touch too sweet as a result. One taster noted a slightly metallic finish, and there were comments that it was very well made, but a tadtoo clean and boring. It was voted wine of the bracket regardless.

Nichol Syrah 2009 (British Columbia, Canada, 12%): I must admit to not having tried a BC wine before (and didn’t realise it at the time, of course, due to blind tasting). Crimson colour with a somewhat muted nose, some earthiness and meatiness. It opened up a little over time to show blue and black fruits, with nutmeg and a hint of five spice. The palate was slightly medicinal (one taster noted iodine), and flat, with drying and astringent tannins. A touch corked, perhaps?

Stonecroft Gimlett Gravels Syrah 2009 (Hawkes Bay, NZ 13.5%): Similar colour to the first two wines. Slightly lifted nose which immediately drew speculation about the presence of viognier in the wine. Not a lot of obvious fruit presence, some savouriness, and a hint of mint or menthol. Good acid across the palate – medium body and tannins leading to a short-ish finish.

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The second bracket kicked off with the youngest wine of the night:

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2011 (Barossa, SA). Crimson / purple in colour. Licorice, dates, dried fruits, the nose was jumping out of the glass at a great rate. There was caramel, butterscotch and pastry as well. The dates and dried fruits flowed through to the palate, where they were joined by unripe plums, and good acid. Tasters differed on the tannins, with some finding them mouth-puckering and drying, while others found them moderate. Some astringency was also noted, along with a short finish. It was noted that this wine was too young, and also from a lesser vintage.

Best Bin O Shiraz 2008 (Great Western Victoria, 14.5%): Deep purple, almost black. The nose opened up with some salt / brine, and violets, followed by white pepper and dark fruits, a slightly medicinal tang, yeast and beef stock. The palate was rich, with chocolate / mocha, chunky tannins (although someone mentioned they found them green and tart), redcurrants and raisin. This wine had exceptional length, was very well balanced, and was voted wine of the bracket accordingly.

Lowe Shiraz 2006 (Mudgee, NSW, 14.5%): Purple red in colour. Toasty oak and slight alcohol heat. There was orange peel and tomato leaf over blueberries. The palate was viscous in texture, with prominent oak – however, other tasters found it astringent and a touch thin. Acid was noticeable regardless. You might have to find a bottle of this yourself to work out what it was really like!

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The final bracket comprised the oldest wines:

Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 2005 (McLaren Vale S.A. 14.5%): Crimson bordering on red in colour. Raisins, dark juicy fruits were complemented by mushroom, earthiness, cinnamon and marzipan on the nose. There was a real richness of fruit on the palate, especially plum and spice, along with good supporting acid and integrated, fine grained tannins. It’s full bodied, and finished long, velvety and silky. Comments included ‘delicious’, ‘elegance’, ‘balanced’ and ‘juicy’. A very good wine, and wine of the bracket by the smallest of margins.

Penfolds Bin 28 2002 (S.A. 14.5%): The cork gods were horrible to this wine. Notes were very brief as a result; in fact, one word ending in ‘ed’. And no, it wasn’t ‘corked’.

Houghton’s Gladstone Shiraz 1999 (Frankland River, W.A. 14%): Red / purple. The nose opened with leather and savoury notes, along with a touch of furniture polish (VA?) which enhanced the wine for some tasters. There’s also lots of coffee / mocha and one taster noted vanilla pods. The palate extended the savoury characters, with more leather and smallgoods, complemented with acidity and well integrated tannins. This is a big, full bodied wine, but maintains complexity and is perfectly balanced.

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The final bracket (apart from the corked wine) was a step up from the previous brackets, and accordingly, the wine of the night was also the wine of the third bracket – the Fox Creek Reserve.

The tasting certainly showed the stylistic variety that Shiraz can produce, and we barely scratched the surface. An excellent night indeed. Thanks to all of those present who spoke eloquently on the wines, and to the Terrace Hotel for delightful supporting cuisine, lots of glassware, and great service.

Cheers
Allan