Wild Duck Creek Estate New Releases

[phillisc]

Have always had an interest in this winery, one because I think much Heathcote Shiraz at relevant price points blows its more expensive Barossa cousins into the weeds, and two, the hysteria about this winery particularly from the US a few years ago captivated me.

I got a phone call from Duck ( Dave Anderson ) Friday morning to say I can personally deliver your wine...WTF, when has a winemaker last done that...talk about service!
The tasting that night was fantastic to say the least. All wines under screw cap, and alcohols of 15-16%

White duck Viognier, really crisp, free of the oily characters that plague many of these wines...very good.
Mallard Riesling, a style of Riesling that is very different to Clare/EV, quite a broad palate, lots of lycee and less acidity than I am used to...interesting style.
Yellow Hammer Hill Shiraz Malbec, Ducks nod to Wendouree, and what a beautiful wine, will be ordering more of this. So rich balanced, the malbec singing and lovely plush tannin style...goes on and on...great wine.
Ducks and drakes Shiraz Cabernet, Ducks nod to 389...his words not mine, and at less than half the price so much better ( my words). great depth and warmth, no green and thin weedy characters, Cabernet in good balance with Shiraz, comes in at 15.5 or so, but you really don't notice it. Lovely tannins that caress.
Alan's Cabernet, probably my least preferred wine, quite assertive in style, very bold...probably needs 10 years, not unpleasant, just not as good or appealing to me as the others.
Springflat Shiraz, so glad I got a case of these...ripper of a wine, layer after layer of fruits, savoury, sweet all in one...tannins that went on for ages.

Next three wines were a real step up in class.
Cabernet reserve, beautiful blackberry fruits, a little olive, tar, a bit liquoiricy ?? really lovely wine
Shiraz reserve, wow, at the same price as St Henri, but a far richer plusher wine, if that's how you like them and I do, this is a cracking wine. lasts a good few minutes in the mouth...will be a twenty year proposition
2013 Duck Muck Shiraz, yes expensive, but 1/3 the price of a Grange, and I know for a treat what I would be buying, absolutely in your face, without being anyway over the top, harmony with an explosion all in one. Rich dense, inky black, oak and fruit all on song, amazing.

Fortified duck, a straight Shiraz with brandy spirit, bit like a Rockford VP...very pleasant.

Interesting that whilst all wines were at the Greenock Creek end of the spectrum in terms of high alcohol, the wines are very well made that it did not show, and I feel the that the integration between fruit and wood was seamless...all of these are twenty year deals. The Yellow Hammer Hill is exceptional VFM.

Dave "Duck" Anderson is the new Drew Noon for me, so unassuming, sincere and genuine. Austere, aloof and pretentious would not be in his dictionary.
Not like the big company tasting the night before...could not be any more different.
Great to find an independent, who I will certainly buying more from.

Cheers
Craig

[ticklenow1]

Great lad, great wines. They are a must buy for me every year now. WDCE probably made the best 2011's across the board that I tasted. All the wines will go years as well.

Cheers
Ian

[JamieBahrain]

What's Duck Muck worth?

[phillisc]

What's Duck Muck worth?

$270
Cheers
Craig

[Redwine&Rum]

Agree. The 2005 Springflat Shiraz was one of the best wines I ever tasted. I'm now on the annual allocation list every year. It's great wine.
When I was last in Heathcote I tasted a wine called Feathered Friends (shiraz Cab) which was half from Wild Duck Creek and Whistling Eagle. Can get for $15-$20. Bloody nice.

[Matt@5453]

Have always had an interest in this winery, one because I think much Heathcote Shiraz at relevant price points blows its more expensive Barossa cousins into the weeds, and two, the hysteria about this winery particularly from the US a few years ago captivated me.

I got a phone call from Duck ( Dave Anderson ) Friday morning to say I can personally deliver your wine...WTF, when has a winemaker last done that...talk about service!
The tasting that night was fantastic to say the least. All wines under screw cap, and alcohols of 15-16%

White duck Viognier, really crisp, free of the oily characters that plague many of these wines...very good.
Mallard Riesling, a style of Riesling that is very different to Clare/EV, quite a broad palate, lots of lycee and less acidity than I am used to...interesting style.
Yellow Hammer Hill Shiraz Malbec, Ducks nod to Wendouree, and what a beautiful wine, will be ordering more of this. So rich balanced, the malbec singing and lovely plush tannin style...goes on and on...great wine.
Ducks and drakes Shiraz Cabernet, Ducks nod to 389...his words not mine, and at less than half the price so much better ( my words). great depth and warmth, no green and thin weedy characters, Cabernet in good balance with Shiraz, comes in at 15.5 or so, but you really don't notice it. Lovely tannins that caress.
Alan's Cabernet, probably my least preferred wine, quite assertive in style, very bold...probably needs 10 years, not unpleasant, just not as good or appealing to me as the others.
Springflat Shiraz, so glad I got a case of these...ripper of a wine, layer after layer of fruits, savoury, sweet all in one...tannins that went on for ages.

Next three wines were a real step up in class.
Cabernet reserve, beautiful blackberry fruits, a little olive, tar, a bit liquoiricy ?? really lovely wine
Shiraz reserve, wow, at the same price as St Henri, but a far richer plusher wine, if that's how you like them and I do, this is a cracking wine. lasts a good few minutes in the mouth...will be a twenty year proposition
2013 Duck Muck Shiraz, yes expensive, but 1/3 the price of a Grange, and I know for a treat what I would be buying, absolutely in your face, without being anyway over the top, harmony with an explosion all in one. Rich dense, inky black, oak and fruit all on song, amazing.

Fortified duck, a straight Shiraz with brandy spirit, bit like a Rockford VP...very pleasant.

Interesting that whilst all wines were at the Greenock Creek end of the spectrum in terms of high alcohol, the wines are very well made that it did not show, and I feel the that the integration between fruit and wood was seamless...all of these are twenty year deals. The Yellow Hammer Hill is exceptional VFM.

Dave "Duck" Anderson is the new Drew Noon for me, so unassuming, sincere and genuine. Austere, aloof and pretentious would not be in his dictionary.
Not like the big company tasting the night before...could not be any more different.
Great to find an independent, who I will certainly buying more from.

Cheers
Craig

thanks for the notes,very good. Were these 2014s or 2013s?

[phillisc]

Alan's cab 2013
Whites 2016
All other reds 2014
Fortified 2015

Cheers
Craig

[dave vino]

2014 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz
Had this delivered today at work, missed him again. Thought I’d give it a whirl after a long day at work. Put it in the decanter for an hour. This is inky black, it looked the skin of a dark purple plum as it poured into the decanter. The pic is a 1000 Lumen Nitecore LED torch and it barely penetrates it. It coats the glass in an almost languid fashion. This is big wine at the moment, young and brooding not to mention weighing in at 15.2% alc. Dark plum, blackcurrant and cherry kirsch on the nose with a hint of spices. On the palate it is rich and luscious (basket pressed?) huge fruit profile, then just when you think the fruit is the star, the acid sticks it’s head up and says ‘right you lot what’s going on here’ and you get this wave of acid and tannins hitting your mouth balancing it all out. It goes on and on and on - longer than the missus after a late night at the pub.

There is some heat there, it manifests right at the front of the palate before the fruit kicks in but it doesn't detract. Lovely cleanliness/purity to the fruit. On the palate there are dark fruits, white pepper, blackberry and that length, amazing in such a well priced wine. I’d been weening myself off big Aussie reds as my palate and tastes change, yet this makes me fall in love with the style all over again (balance is king). It reminds me of, and this is not faint praise, of the 2007 Duck Muck, a huge wine with impeccable balance.

So I dub thee…Baby Duck Muck.

[phillisc]

Dave a joy to read your note...and it gives me great heart.
Your extensive thoughts are on the same page as my 2 liner

I remember the JH's, Dalwhinnies, Red Edge, Passing Clouds reserve from years gone by as all being really big wines...but wines with absolute purity and balance.

You captured it beautifully, wine can have power, but it MUST have finesse...and WDCE has it in spades.
Only wish I got onto them earlier, will certainly buy more and might even try the second hand market.

Cheers
Craig

[Cactus]

Hi Guys. I just got invited to join the mailing list after i applied several years back. What are peoples thoughts on the range. For background I have dropped Greencok Creek due to overipe big alc wines. Are these guys in same territory? Any 101 advice on the range?

[conformistpete]

Not having the wines I can only point to the first post where it mentions the wines were 15-16% alcohol.

Later Dave calls it huge ... Languidly coating the glass


I'd say it's big.

[dave vino]

Big but balanced. I think the cooler Heathcote region helps a lot here.

Of all the wines that I take to parties and stuff with mates (wine lovers but not complete tragics like us lot ) Wild Duck is the one I consistently get the most compliments about.

I'd say give it a go, if you don't like them after a couple of years then it's easy to drop off the list. The wines are reasonably priced.

Put down for 3 bottles of each - Springflat Shiraz, Duck and Drakes, White Duck and I reckon you'd be happy and not too out of pocket if it turns out you don't like them.

[Brucer]

I have not bought any for years, so just ordered 5 Springflat shiraz and 1 Yellow Hammer Hill.

[Cactus]

Thanks for advice guys

[felixp21]

Many thanks for the notes, Craig, a great read!!
The beauty of wine, like music, is that we all have our own preferences, and therefore nobody has an opinion that is "right" or "wrong" per se.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of Heathcote shiraz, or Heathcote wines in general, and I much prefer the modern Barossa styles if forced to choose (and drink) Australian shiraz. However, your opinion certainly interests me, could you expand a little on why you prefer Heathcote to Barossa shiraz?
I find the balance in so many modern Barossa wines to be close to perfect, certainly when compared to wines from the McLaren Vale or Clare. There are, of course, exceptions, such as Greenock Creek (whose problems lie in the vineyards, not in the vinification), but in general I find Barossa shiraz to have far superior purity, complexity and length.
I have had little luck with WDCE in the past, particularly Duck Muck, and have had similar experiences with Estates such as Heathcote, Jasper Hill, Red Edge, Tatiarra. Lots of these wines have been staring at me for years, even decades, in the cellar, without any reciprocity of the love hehe