Maxwell Wines tasting

[Waiters Friend]

Maxwell Wines

I got to try a few of their current vintage wines tonight, prior to the Good Food and Wine Show. There’s some decent wines here, and some only available through cellar door:

Maxwell 2019 Eden Valley Riesling. This is from 2 tonnes of fruit from Jim Irvine’s vineyard. Pale straw in colour, and bright in the glass. The nose is showing lkots of lime, lemon and florals (including lemon blossom)The palate echoes the lemon-lime theme, with some musk stick. This is textbook Eden Valley Riesling – clean, refreshing acid (without being too steely) and good length.

Maxwell 2019 Verdelho – not the standard model, but this one has seen some older oak – in fact, was fermented in it. Straw in colour. Tropical fruits (kiwi fruit, guava) are present, and sit almost underneath the lees characters. The palate has good acid, and also shows a slight creaminess. It has a medium length finish.

Maxwell 2018 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. The fruit for this wine is from Geoff Hardy’s Kuitpo vineyard. It sees 15% new oak, is barrel fermented, has minimal lees stirring and undergoes a natural malolactic fermentation. Pale yellow in colour. There’s citrus and yellow peach on the nose, with modest nutty oak. I’ve enjoyed earlier vintages of this wine, and this one is well balanced and elegant.

Maxwell 2018 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre. The Shiraz component of this 50/40/10 blend is co- fermented with a touch of Viognier.This is a little lighter in style than some Barossans that I tasted recently. Garnet in colour. Cherry , cola very slightly confected, and some earthiness (maybe from the mourvedre component). Blue and red fruits on the palate. Modest tannins and acid and a medium length.

Maxwell 2018 Four Roads Grenache. Bright glowing garnet in the glass. The fruit is from vines planted in 1928, and it sees 12 months in older oak. There’s lots of confectioned cherry, on the palate as well as the nose. There’s a slight savouriness, possibly oak derived, and some earthiness. Good acid makes the finish almost cleansing.

Maxwell 2018 Kangaroo Island Shiraz. 300 dozen made. There’s juicy red plums, black pepper and a touch of vanilla. Prominent acid supports cloves, bay leaf, dark chocolate and more of those plums on the palate. Fine grippy tannins and a medium to long finish. More Syrah in style than Shiraz. This appealed to me.

Maxwell 2016 Lime Cave Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit comes from vines which were cuttings from John Reynell’s vineyard, and they sit above a limestone cave which was used for growing mushrooms. I visited the cave (and their previous cellar door) nearly 25 years ago. Purple red in colour. Blackberry, prominent mint (which I used to find in a few McLaren Vale cabernets) with some spicy oak in the background. The palate has good supporting acid and firm tannins. There’s also some tobacco savouriness. A medium to long finish closes a satisfying wine.

Maxwell 2015 Eocene ‘Ancient Earth’ Shiraz. Deep purple red in colour. This is a more concentrated wine, with rich dark plums, lashings of spicy oak, slight vanilla and lots of mocha. This is rich and mouth-filling and should fill out a little more with time.

Maxwell 2015 Minotaur Shiraz. The jewel in the crown. Dense and deep purple black in colour. Over flowing with dark fruits (plums and blueberries), choc/mocha, and spices (cloves, especially). The palate full with more ripe dark fruits, chewy tannins, good supporting acid, and is almost a meal in itself. Needless to say, full bodied and long finish. Possibly would have shown even better with decanting.

Some of these will be winging their way to my place. I’ve been drinking and buying Maxwell wines from time to time over the last 25 years, and this tasting gives me no reason to discontinue the practice. They’re in good form.

Cheers
Allan

[phillisc]

Thanks for the notes Allan, picked up a case of the 2016 Ellen St...cracking wine and in my top 5 at the The Ed Shiraz challenge and for a low $30s price, a bargain. Those that drink a lot of Maxwell tell me that 2016 vintage was perfect, one that they got right. Will be seeking out more wines for sure.
Cheers Craig

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks for the notes Allan, picked up a case of the 2016 Ellen St...cracking wine and in my top 5 at the The Ed Shiraz challenge and for a low $30s price, a bargain. Those that drink a lot of Maxwell tell me that 2016 vintage was perfect, one that they got right. Will be seeking out more wines for sure.
Cheers Craig

Thanks Craig. I was disappointed the Ellen Street wasn't on tasting, as this is the 'must buy' Maxwell for me. There's some on its way to my place regardless

Cheers
Allan