Review of Current Full Range of Mike Press Wines

[Adair]

Review of Current Full Range of Mike Press Wines

2009 Mike Press Shiraz – Adelaide Hills, SA - 14%:

I don’t like American oak! I have never tasted a wine and commented that the American oak is great, although I have done so about French oak on countless occasions. I would like to know why it is used so widely in South Australia. It can’t be simply because it is cheaper. It is overt and inharmonious, at least in a young wine. My personal thoughts of course, and please feel free to differ. Maybe you think the American oak makes a great wine with age. Mike Press uses American oak, and I wish he wouldn’t. At least in the bigger Barossa and McLaren Vale wines, the intensity of fruit overshadows the American oak in most instances. But Mike Press’ Adelaide Hills Shiraz possesses an elegance that I believe would be highlighted if a more elegant oak was used. However, the sheer quality of fruit in this wine overshadows everything else.

Although marvellously balanced, the wine takes 48 hours/the 3rd night before fruit, oak and structure to meld into a harmonious wine. Full/medium bodied. Blackberry, ripe plums, and blackcurrant saturate the palate, intertwined with liquorice allsorts, char, dry spices, smoked meats, bourbon and chocolate, with impressive depth and layered mouthfeel of ripe, powdery, grainy tannins that give excellent length and a burnt caramel twist. This is the most age-worthy Mike Press Shiraz so far, as it will gain complexity and suppleness over the next decade, although it is still a great drink now from the first screwcap twist as conveyed by the amazement on the faces of my work friends when I tell them the price after they have tried the wine. 93/100.


2009 Mike Press Merlot – Adelaide Hills, SA - 14%:

I love Merlot, real Merlot, Merlot with the texture and structure provided by the wall of powerful, dry but supple tannins that real Merlot should posses in its youth. Australian merlot is too often weedy or sweet, or most often a combination of both in an attempt to hide the issues in the vineyard. Good Merlot must be as hard as Pinot Noir to grow, but without the reputation!

This is real Merlot, full of dry, ripe fruit and abundant, sculpted, silty, dry but flavoursome tannins. Medium bodied but powerful. Plum and dark cherry are dominant, ripe but very dry, with cocoa, earth, char, a sprinkling of herbs and bourbon. The wine opens very structured, but gains harmony and suppleness with time and reaches its peak after 48 hours/the 3rd night as fruit sweetness comes to the fore. Many will find this wine too tight and controlling at the moment, at least during the first 24 hours after opening, but I celebrate in the analysis of this little Merlot gem. Either way, if you open it now, allow it to open over a few days to appreciate its charms; otherwise cellar for 5-7 years for it to reach its peak. 92+/100.


2009 Mike Press Pinot Noir – Adelaide Hills, SA - 13%:

I have undoubtedly been guilty in the past of rating Mike Press Pinot Noir more highly than I should due to the wines possessing Pinot Noir qualities that I love, with these aspects not being so generally accepted. This is not the case with this wine. This is the most enjoyable Pinot Noir Mike Press has created to date, for novice, expert and me!

Sweet and floral, with a core of red and dark cherries, rhubarb, caramel, plums, potpourri and cinnamon encapsulated in a gently savoury framework. Medium bodied and light on its feet for its richness, silky mouthfeel is aided by the generous, deep fruit, all balanced with refreshingly integrated structure and a hint of woody stalkiness that also provides a cool aspect to the flavour profile. Flavoursome from front to back with an elegantly long and clean finish with a hint of sour cherry. My work friends don’t typically like the structure of Pinot Noir but they loved this wine. 92/100.


2010 Mike Press Rosé Pinot Noir – Adelaide Hills, SA - 14%:

Strawberry and cherry with hints of caramel of medium intensity with some juiciness but held quiet tightly within the wine’s dry structure. Clean, grapy, dry finish. Seriously styled, it will gain the required generosity over the next 12 months of bottle age. One I will enjoying watching. 87+/100.


2010 Mike Press Chardonnay – Adelaide Hills, SA - 14%:

Honeydew melon and buttered corn with rockmelon, cashew and mandarin nuances, all very reserved. Smooth, slightly glycerol mouthfeel adds to the sensation of both depth and juiciness, and combines with light mineral, refreshing acids to provide a textured middle and a clean finish. Very restrained and controlled, both flavour and texture improve with breathing and when allowed to warm. Able to be enjoyed after many days of being opened, and it will continue to improve with bottle age. Not as great at the 2009, and a shade under the 2007, but a definite step up from the 2008. 88+/100.


2010 Mike Press Sauvignon Blanc – Adelaide Hills, SA - 14%:

Passionfruit with mown grass, all very controlled. Very reserved upon opening and when cold, but more generous as it warms. Slightly chalky, slightly spritzy mouthfeel with medium depth, aided by a hint of smooth glycerol. Grapy, mineral, nutty, clean finish. Easy to quaff now, and will develop well over the next 12 months. 86+/100.

Kind regards,
Adair

Edited once because I initially wrote that the Pinot Noir was 2010 instead of 2009
Edited a second time to add the "caramel" and "and a hint of woody stalkiness that also provides a cool aspect to the flavour profile" to the 2009 PInot Noir tasting note after opening a second bottle on 19/8/2010

[Craig(NZ)]

watch out campbell mattison!

[Gavin Trott]

Review of Current Full Range of Mike Press Wines

2009 Mike Press Shiraz – Adelaide Hills, SA - 14%:

Although marvellously balanced, the wine takes 48 hours/the 3rd night before fruit, oak and structure to meld into a harmonious wine. Full/medium bodied. Blackberry, ripe plums, and blackcurrant saturate the palate, intertwined with liquorice allsorts, char, dry spices, smoked meats, bourbon and chocolate, with impressive depth and layered mouthfeel of ripe, powdery, grainy tannins that give excellent length and a burnt caramel twist. This is the most age-worthy Mike Press Shiraz so far, as it will gain complexity and suppleness over the next decade, although it is still a great drink now from the first screwcap twist as conveyed by the amazement on the faces of my work friends when I tell them the price after they have tried the wine. 93/100.



Kind regards,
Adair

Lovely wine, and agree with you. I have enjoyed a few bottles of this already, and have cellared some, really good potential I think.

With the nose though, loads of star anise, never enjoyed a wine with such a clear hint of star anise in the bouquet!

.

[Bick]

I would like to know why [american oak] is used so widely in South Australia. It can’t be simply because it is cheaper.

Why not?

[daz]

I've preferred the cabernet of the earlier vintages I've tried, thought the vanillin oak really complemented the fruit, found it mostly on the front palate before the varietal fruit took over mid-to-back palate but reappeared just a bit on the finish.

daz

[Bigwun]

Having the Shiraz now. Agree with Gavin on the anise nose. After 2 glasses over 2 hours, with and without food, my view (which I think agrees somewhat with Adair's review), is that it's just not ready to be drunk yet - and I typically don't mind young wines. Everything is there though and there's nothing actually wrong, but it just hasn't melded yet. I've left half the bottle to try tomorrow, but I'd guess this is going to be very good drinking in a year or 5.

To followup, 24 hours later it was drinking considerably better, as Adair suggested.