Barossa Trip

[pc79]

Recently had a day to kill in the Barossa. Here's how I did it.

First stop of a quick day in the Barossa was with Dan Standish at his superb place of wine in Light Pass. The old Colonial Estate winery before they went belly up. Dan, a 6th generation Barossan having grown up in nearby Vine Vale knows the place like the back of his hand. As I entered there was a bottle of Schubert Theorem and a Standish with my name on them, accompanied by samples of the earth in which the vines grow. There was a lot of wine talk as we stood in the doors to the entrance of the winery looking out over the gnarly old vines in the front yard and across the flat for miles. Awesome!
2015 Standish Shiraz - What a wine! Immense. Steely, blue and black fruits. Black core of brown spice, subtle soft leather and licorice. Earthen, sullen, full and harmonious. Masterful tannins that carry the wine onward and upward. Good shit. wow! 97
2015 Schubert Theorem - another stonking wine. red and black fruited, clove and a light cardamom spice, graphite splashed with dark raspberry licorice strap and raspberry pipped fruits. supple beautiful silty dark fruited tannin. Another amazing wine. Bloody heck! 96

Next up, whizzed over to Izway where great bloke Craig Isbel offered up some of his time to take me through the current release of his wines at the Izway cellar door. Adjacent to the family home on the other side of the barrel shed and office, the cellar door is a modern, comfortable and well laid out space. Offering tastes of his range at $5 a pop it is a bargain. Affable and generous with his time, divulging knowledge picked up through a life of experience and time making wines at Torbreck, Craig and Brian (Conway) are having a real crack at producing some of the best Shiraz and Grenache in the region, and making a fair fist of it too.
2016 Mates matado/aglianico - Plums and dark fruits, black pastille and licorice, earthen and cloven, a bit of funk, drying gravelly tannin 90
2016 Angelo Aglianico - very pretty florals, pink flowers, red fruited, savoury spice, some cedar, dry grippy tannin 92
2016 Maurice Grenache - red berried fruits, dark cherry, some charcuterie and roasted game meats, great mouthfeel. Supple and dry tannin 92
2016 Three Brian's Grenache - red berried, red licorice and some herbal elements. light sweetness, supple tannin, silly good 94
2016 Rob & Les Shiraz - black plum, leather, some iron and truffle. Complex, silty tannin. Excellent and great value 93
2014 Bruce Shiraz - black plum and black cherry, fennel, autumnal elements, graphite, dark chocolate, Dutch licorice. 93
2010 Harold Eden Shiraz - dark cherry, kirsch, black fruit and olive, spicy and floral. Nice drying savoury finish, quality gear. 93
2013 Don Shiraz - black plum, licorice and leather, sweeter plummy fruit, supple and gentle tannin. Velveteen, spicy oak flourishing. A big mother, complex and powerful. Long and right 95

Next up was another disappointing experience with Rockford. Whilst the cellar door staff were great, accommodation and knowledgable. Throngs of tourists, and a rush through the 'on tasting' range which excluded the wines I have in my cellar and therefore most interested in tasting and purchasing (the Rifle Range Cabernet, Basket Press Shiraz and sparkling Black Shiraz) meant that I was left quite underwhelmed by the experience.
It is understandable that with the exclusivity of the stonewallers membership and how difficult (not to mention expensive) it is to procure some of these bottles ex membership and cellar door that they will run out, or only supply tastings to those who hold membership.
Perhaps offering tasting for a fee is the way forward? So as to not leave those visiting feeling disappointed.
2015 Eden Valley riesling - lemons and lime, drying with a glycerol feel, good acid structure 91
2015 Semillon - lemon and grassy hay with honeysuckle and light tannin. A nice wine, good flow and structure. Like it! 91
2016 White Frontignac - lemon and lychee, sweet gooseberry, peach and rose talc, panty dropper. Summer in a glass. Serve cold 90
2017 Alicante Bouchet - Strawberry and candy floss, sweet, a little cloying. Cherry and pink strawberry bubblegum. Girls will love, me not so much. 88
2016 Frugal Farmer Grenache, Mataro, Alicante on skins. Dark plum, earthen, clove and rosemary spice. Black cherry and dark business. Nice gear. 90
2013 Moppa Springs GMS 60 25 15 - black plum, cloves, dark choc, leather and earth, dark and spicy oak through the finish. Good stuff. 92
2014 Rod & Spur Shiraz Cab 65/35 - cassis and plums, some herbal elements in there along with green capsicum, dark chocolate and clovey goodness. Long grippy tannin. Good stuff. 91

Onwards and upwards to Artisans of Barossa where I tried to squeeze in as much as possible before an appointment with Fraser McKinley of Sami Odi fame. What a great tasting, where I was looked after by manager Kym. Awesome tasting. Superb wines across the board. Hard to fault.
2017 Sons of Eden Freya Riesling - sweet nose of apple blossom and lemon sherbet and white florals, carried through on to the palate with gentle sweetness, green apples but a zip of lemony acidity that sucks in through the finish. Very good 91
2016 Spinifex Riesling - more Riesling like on the nose, that slatey, lemon biscotti, lemon and light kero nose with White florals again, a little broad though through the finish courtesy of leaving barrel on skins 91
2016 Spinifex Lola - white blend. Apples and green grapes, some almond meal in there and frangipani. Sweet nose but drying palate. Broad and long. 90
2016 Schwarz Chenin Blanc - god some rubber, white peach, lime and some almond brioche, a gentle gentle wine. Soft and caressing touch over the tongue. Interesting 91
2016 Duval Plexus White - Bordeaux blend of marsanne rousanne viogner - subtle hints of lemons and apricots, some marzipan and a little spicy oak, lean light and bright. Very enjoyable 92
2017 Schwarz Rose (Grenache Mataro) from Bethany - strawberry cream, some black cherry and a light citrus notes. Dry and long. Good gear 92
2017 Massena Rose (primitivo mataro) - drier, strawberry, lemon warheads, apple cider vinegar, acid obtrusive and flavour profile fail. No 86
2016 Schwarz Meta Grenache - dark crunchy cranberry, caramel flow with some tarry bitumen, sweet earth and cloves. Spicy fruited, but can't see this sticking it out very long before falling apart 90
2015 Schwarz Thiele Road Grenache - better by a long way, cranberry and red cherry, pomegranate, sweet and sour roses, no caramel at this stage. Nice long drying finish. 93
2016 Spinifex Tempranillo - Bright cherry and tar, pink florals and so,me earthy goodness. Light and lean excellent wine 93
2013 Sons of Eden Selene Tempranillo - cherry ripe, darker, more serous, roses and coconut rough, supple tannin, belter 94
2015 Sons of Eden Kennedy GSM - earth clove, black plum and black cherry, pink floral lift, great earthy blackberry tannin and excellent flow through the mouth, perhaps a smidge sweet if I were to fault. . Very very good wine nonetheless 92
2015 Sons of Eden Pumpa Cab Shiraz - deep dark thing, great balance, bLackberry, and blackcurrant some cedary oak, Cabernet tannin not obtrusive, on the money 93
2016 Massena Eleventh Hour Shiraz - dark plums, glass coating, some cherry pip and cloves earth with licorice root in the background. Lovely balance, supple tannin. Needs so,e time to show its best 92
2015 Schwarz Nitschke Block Shiraz - Lighter in colour, more savoury complexity, got the dark fruit core with spiced oak imparted through the wine, a dusty dirt road, pink blossoms, bees buzzing. Crushed dark cherry under some haviainas. Alive. 93
2014 Spinifex Bête a Noir multi regional blended 60 Barossa 40 Eden - black cherry and plum flow over smoked cedar, some melted dark chocolate in the mix with a herbal overtone, beaut tannin that sucks in string long and dark green to smarten things up. Whew 93
2015 John Duval Entity - a different beast. Serious, dark, brooding, flashes of muscle, some caramel in there over black fruits and a little dark olive. Sweeter finish, but sure. Strong. Long. Give me steak 93. Same same, but different. Bete noir by a nose. But no complaints either way.
2016 Hobbs Tin Lids - black plums over crushed honeycomb. Some savoury earth in there. Big fruit. Assured but only 14.5 93
2015 Hobbs Gregor - black and blue fruits, olive over bLackberry? balance sweet and savoury, not a fault. 95

Finally a trip to see Fraser at Sami Odi where I didn't take notes, but had an awesome time. Fraser was super generous with his time, passion and knowledge. We tasted through some barrel samples of his 2016 vintage. Ranging from 11.7% to 17% alcohol, all have an ethereal quality and similar mouthfeel and taste of crushed purple things. He cracked a bottle of his 2015 'Mahe and Ribo' Shiraz (named in honour of his twin boys born in 2015) that we sipped on while talking most things wine, about his Vineyard in the Hoffman Dallwitz plot, his incredible man cave and the wines therein.

A cracking day!

[phillisc]

Very nice report indeed PC, yes agree with you when the CD at Rockford is bursting at the seams...it not the best.
Only due to living in Adelaide, I generally visit mid week, a much better experience.
Cheers
Craig

[Mike Hawkins]

In Rockford's defence, they wouldn't have any of those wines available for Stonewallers either. They've long been sold out, and the new releases will probably be later this month....

[George Krashos]

New releases are now available in Stonewall cellar. If you aren't a Stonewaller, the best time to visit cellar door is March-June when most everything is available. As for the crowds, c'est la guerre.

-- George Krashos

[pc79]

Yep Mike and George. Totally understandable. Just a little disappointing that someone that was obviously in there writing away and being a bit 'weird' was potentially not cast aside as someone who might want to try the prems. Again, absolutely no requirement for them to do so, but to be cast somewhat aside whilst in the process of tasting was not up my street.. amd as a caveat, I hate being fawned over by cd staff. Rockford just missed the mark for me. Artisans 'got it' and hit it out of the park.

[Mike Hawkins]

Agree on Artisans... a great concept. And they kill it at CD being opened later than the rest

[Mark Carrington]

I haven’t visited Rockford since a superb visit in 2002, which sparked an enduring in BP (& SVS). My intention was to return this year but probably will now go elsewhere. Artisans of Barossa has appeal.

[mjs]

Great notes pc79, really good to spend time with people like Dan and Fraser who are passionate about their craft. Artisans is a great spot as well, for the variety and the late afternoon ambience without a doubt. From notes, my group of 7-8 (largely) ex-Adl Uni mates have been to more than 70 Barossa CDs in the last five years, it’s been an incredibly enjoyable experience. The back stories are always interesting, particularly from the smaller outfits, and the long term and larger stalwarts are also worth the trouble as well, although we always try to get tastings that are a little beyond the normal CD offering, even if it costs us. There’s a lot of enthusiasm, skill and wine making passion in the Barossa (and EV) resulting in a huge range of high quality and enjoyable wines .... and that’s something coming from a rusted-on Coonawarra-phile.

If you get another go at it, you might also find the following interesting. Sean Kalleske at Laughing Jack, Brett Grocke at Eperosa, David Lehmann at David Franz, Col Shepherd at Flaxmans, Damien Tsharcke at Tsharcke’s, Tim Smith, the list goes on ... enjoy

[pc79]

If you get another go at it, you might also find the following interesting. Sean Kalleske at Laughing Jack, Brett Grocke at Eperosa, David Lehmann at David Franz, Col Shepherd at Flaxmans, Damien Tsharcke at Tsharcke’s, Tim Smith, the list goes on ... enjoy

Great tips. Thanks Malcolm. Ruggabellus was spoken with high praise from all wineries I visited. As well as Travis Earth (Rocky O'Callaghan's kid.)

[mjs]

Yes, Travis Earth is good as well. Have not been to Ruggabellus it seems ..... yet

[Mark Carrington]

I was unaware of Travis Earth & will aim to visit. Also Dutschke, particularly for the fortifieds.

[trufflequeen]

Wonderful notes, it sounds like you were able to tee up some really interesting hosted visits. I really must get up to Standish, and Izway now on my radar (wasn't aware that Craig Isbel had left Torbreck).

[mjs]

I was unaware of Travis Earth & will aim to visit. Also Dutschke, particularly for the fortifieds.

We had a great experience at Dutschke’s a couple of years ago. We were running late and they were a little cool to start, but once we got going, they were very generous with their complete range including lots of fortified. Wines were all good. It was the last CD for the day and we were more than a little “happy”

[ticklenow1]

Brett Grocke at Eperosa is well worth a visit. Amazing new winery and a really nice guy to boot. Oh and the wines are excellent.

I visited Standish earlier this year and there were just too many people (which was only 3 or 4 groups) for a very small tasting space. One of the most beautiful wineries in the Barossa and Dan's wine's are up there with the best. He did send an email a couple of weeks later which I thought was very nice. I'll try and go back on a weekday next time I think (by appt).

There are just so many great experiences in the Barossa. Most of the smaller wineries offer very personalised tastings. We had one with David Lehmann (David Franz) this year and our 8 year old son was helping with the ferments. He thought it was great. His Mum didn't, as the grape stains are hard to get out of the clothes! But our visit there was just so great. Tasting ferments, barrel tastings and back vintages. And David is such a decent, honest laid back bloke. The wines were excellent and a few cases were sent home to the Gold Coast. His Apple Cider is amazing too, although it does have a kick!

It's a shame that some have a fizzer at Rockford. The first time I went there was in 2004 on our honeymoon and the staff were amazing. I became a Stonewaller not long after so I haven't been in the normal cellar door for many years. The Stonewallers room is a great place to get to on a winter's day. The fire warming the room and some lovely wines. Plus you are never rushed in there.

Ballycroft is another worth a visit. Joe Evans is probably the most enthusiastic winemaker in the valley and a great guy to boot. They are big wines and will not appeal to everyone. Just siting with Joe for a time is an experience. He has worked for some of the biggest names in the Valley and his knowledge of the Barossa is second to none.

I have always had great experiences at Gomersal Wines. I have gotten to know Barry and Gabby quite well and what a lovely couple. I may be biased but Gomersal's Reserve Shiraz at $25 a bottle is very hard to beat. Gabby's local food platters are to die for.

Cheers
Ian