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Hi all, the annual Coonawarra road show rolled into town today, well Adelaide anyway.
I could not make it, university open day attendance with the lad in his final year of high school.

Did anybody get to Adelaide today or one of the others around the country?
Any impressions on what's hot and what's not?

Cheers Craig

Hi Craig

I went to the Brisbane version.

The 2010 vintage was obviously kind to Coonawarra. Lots of good examples. From my regulars I will be getting the Wynns BL and Majella Cabs.

I only made a few notes:
I enjoyed the Di Giorgio reds.
The Katnook wines were very good though "not very exciting" until you got up to the Caledonian Cab/Shiraz and the Amara Vineyard Cab. No Prodigy/Odyssey open.
Kidman had a Shiraz and cabernet that were both very good and good QPR.
Loved the 2010 trio from Lindemans. The Limestone Ridge is a great Shiraz/Cab blend. The Pyrus is "very Bordeaux" and the St George a "quintessential Coonawarra Cabernet built for long-term cellaring".
The Majella Sparkling Burgundy 2006 is very good. I liked the 2010 Shiraz also. THe Cabernet has "plenty of oomph" and a mix of red and black fruits.
The Orlando 2008 St Hugo is a very good St Hugo. Have tried this twice and if it can be picked up for around $30 is good buying.
Penley Estate had a good range with the Hyland Shiraz the pick of the less expensive wines.
I liked the Redman Cab Merlot (2008) but the Shiraz was "not much chop".
Wasn't terribly impressed by the Reschke wines.
I was impressed by the Rymill range, which is a change from previous years. The 2011GT has the right flavours but is a little dilute (possibly a vintage thing). The MC2 is an excellent blend and reasonably proces. The 2010 Cab was very good "good texture".
At Wynns I made more notes. The BL Shiraz was overtly fruity and oaky. The V&A Lane darker and more S\savoury. THe Michael, not surprisingly, mpre refined and powerful at the same time. The BL Cab good fruit currently overpowered by the tannin. The Glengyle Can has a powerful nose and a "dry red" feel. The Riddoch is all tannin at this point, but clearly destined for good things.

I visited plenty of other stalls, but no notes.

Fun as always!

Michael

Cheers Michael, have to agree re the quality of latest releases with the Lindermans trio, might be my JR and Michael replacements now.

Cheers Craig.

Quite liked the Di Giorgio reds too especially the tempranillo. Pretty good for $23.
Could of drunk the Limestone Ridge all night......$70 though rrp.
Terry a rep from Katnook [who was a delight] generously pulled out a 2001 CS for us and was beautiful. Their 2 premiums came out after 7.00pm.
Alot of the shiraz's overall were pretty ordinary in my opinion. Better CS offerings generally.

ross

Was at the Adelaide roadshow on the weekend. Obviously was not able to get through all the different wines but sampled most of the reds from Katnook, Majella, Yalumba, Wynns, Bowen Estate, Brand's Laira, Balnaves, Raidis, Zema Estate, Redman and Penley Estate.

My standouts:
Katnook Founders Cabernet 2010. Great value for money
Katnook Odyssey 2008 is very good (but pricey) and the Prodigy is IMO even better.
Majella Cabernet 2009. Wow but needs time
Yalumba Menzies 2009.
Wynns Michael 2009. Good but preferred the 2008.
Wynns Riddoch 2009. Great vintage but will need decades in the cellar. Better than 2008 IMO.
Bowen Cabernet 2010. Very nice nose. Big, fruit driven. Great value for money.
Brand's Laira 171 2009. Not yet released. HUGE fan of the 2006 Patron and is similarly styled. I will be buying some.
Brand's Laira Blockers 2009. Great quaffing wine.
Balnaves Cabernet 2009. Beatiful wine. On my shopping list.
Balnaves Tally 2009. Mindblowingly good. Attempting to justify putting a few bottles on the shopping list
Zema Cabernet 2008. Good value for money wine.
Zema Family Selection Shiraz 2006. Great premium wine.
Penley Hyland 2010. Good value for money wine.
Penley Chertsey 2008. Complex. Super-fine tannins. Good fruit intensity. Will be seeking out.

Went to the Sydney one. Impressions were:

Majella 2010s were also looking very good (best winery of the night for me - although I am generally a fan of Majella). The Cab Sav, Shiraz and Merlot were just about my favourite of each of those varieties of the night.

Balnaves Tally 2009 and Petaluma Coonawarra 2008 were my pick of wines for the future (Balnaves Tally 2006 was also looking good). Wynns John Riddoch 2009 and Wynns Michael Shiraz 2009 (particularly the John Riddoch) will obviously last but at their new prices they have lost my interest.

I am starting to find the Katnooks incredibly oaky - I have liked prior years better but I was struggling with the Odyssey 2008 and Prodigy 2008 (I actually found the Prodigy licoricy which is not something I find desirable in a Coonawarra Shiraz) - time may change things (particularly on the Odyssey) but I am not going to take the risk at that price. Unfortunately the Caledonian was not there to taste (that has probably become my favourite Katnook wine).

Lindemans 2010s were all looking pretty good - the St George being my favourite and the one I would buy.

I think Leconfield are making some very good wines for the price. I actually think the Leconfield 2010 Cab Sav may be very good but think it may need some time.

Orlando Wines Jacaranda Ridge 2009 was probably my surprise for the night for how much I like it (have never really paid any attention to this label). St Hugo 2008 was pretty good but I am finding all the St Hugo wines very generic (not necessarily a bad thing but just lacks some excitement for me).

Found the Parker Terra Rossa 2008 and Parker First Growth 2008 very hard to judge as think they look very young - especially the First Growth 2008 (which could become very good but I just don't have the ability to appreciate it at this stage).

Bowen's were solid more than exciting - I actually quite enjoyed the Shiraz 2010 but was not sure the quality was exceptional (quite fun drinking though).

The Wynns 2010s were not extra exceptional to me - I have liked previous years of the V&As better (and again at increased prices have now lost my interest), Black Label Cab Sav 2010 I thought was strong as always (however again at increased price it becomes good value rather than exceptional value and no longer a no brainer as a purchase - I would choose the Majella 2010 and Leconfield 2010 over this for about the same price and would also wait to see what Balnaves 2010 ends up looking like). Black Label Shiraz 2010 is hardly generating particular excitement for me (while being solid). All that said I actually thought the Glengyle Cab Sav 2009 was excellent (but I am not sure I can justify the price). Sadly part of my issue with the prices may be the way these wines may have been undervalued in the past.

Zema Estates (Shiraz 2008, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Family Selection Shiraz 2006, Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2006) were also lacking a bit of excitement for me - all seemed well enough made and I could enjoy drinking them but for all of them was something else in the room I found more exciting at around the same price point.

Yalumba Menzies 09 looked good to me (given how much I like many Yalumba wines I have always expected to like this more but have not been a big fan of previous vintages - eg. I also tasted the 2008 which I did not find that exciting)

The Brand's Laira's are all on the more robust side but were all wines I really liked (e.g. I would definitely choose the 171 Cab Sav 2009 and Stentiford Shiraz 2006 over the Katnooks). The Blockers is also good value but you have to like that more robust style (it should last awhile as well).

Balnaves Cabernet Merlot 2010 looked good to me - I have found the last few years of the Cab Merlot to be very good value (I think this one is a good each way bet to drink some now and keep some for at least the mid term)

Penley Chertsey 2008 is an interesting wine and I really liked the Penley Special Selection Shiraz 2008 (although on the generous side), the Penley Reserve Cab Sav 2009 seemed need a fair bit of time (was not sure what to make of it yet).

Redman Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 was solid and the The Redman 2003 seemed a bit dead (I may have been a bit tainted on this one though as I had seen a negative review on the wine fairly recently).

Also got to try a Petaluma Coonawarra 1992 - was actually looking good (literally as the colour was still strong) and flavours had some complexity - it had become a bit savoury but there was still plenty of fruit.

There was Coonawarra wine show in Sydney?

Every year, Mahmoud.

http://www.coonawarra.org/page.php?id=49

Cheers mf, really comprehensive notes a lot of wines.

Agree with you on Majella, Katnook and Balnaves, will look to buy more of these along with Bowen and Zema.
Agree that if the Lindermans trio can be found at reasonable prices they are a good buy...similarly Jacaranda Ridge.

WCE tried once before to hoodwink the public with insane marketing re JR and M in lesser years at $90. They are obviously praying that with 08-10 and 2012 they can justify these outrageous practices on the back of vintage of the decade spin...again and again and again. interesting the slience around these current releases once Wynnsday sailed off into the sunset...is deafening!!!

Just as St Henri and Magill have become my Grange replacements the single vineyard releases will become my new John Riddoch. Undoubtedly for them to keep cashing in and having premiums which sadly are unaffordable, will not be the least bit suprised if there is a singel vineyard shiraz release from the 2012 vintage.

Thanks for the note on Petaluma, will have to have another look at these.

Cheers Craig.

phillisc wrote:Hi all, the annual Coonawarra road show rolled into town today, well Adelaide anyway.
I could not make it, university open day attendance with the lad in his final year of high school.
Cheers Craig

Did any courses catch the boy's eye?

I didnt attend the roadshow, but I did spend 4 days down in coonawarra during their cellar dwellers event in July.....WOW it was awesome!

Had the long lunch at Hollick and sat next to Wendy Hollick who was an amazing woman. Very insightful and clearly had the most amazing passion for her wines. The thing i loved most about her, she pulled NO punches.... told people what she thought and spoke her mind. Was very refreshing! Their new chef (who is only 22 or something) is very talented. He designed the long lunch degustation menu and the wines were matched perfectly....definately one of the best food/wine parings I have ever experienced!

Hollick Highlights for me were the Sparkling Merlot and the Pinot Noir....very uncommon for Coonawarra, but it was excellent.

Katnook Estate & Leconfield for me were the standout merlot producers for me.

Zema estate, very disappointing. For me, their wines lacked intensity and structure. They were by no means bad wines....just didnt inspire me.
Mrs Zema's home grown chilli paste is great though!

Rymill was much the same, although I did enjoy their Sparkling Red and bought a couple of bottles, overall their reds (which i actually went for) were disappointing......HOWEVER their standout wine that absolutely floored me was the Gewürztraminer....GT.... bought 6 of them, now all gone and need more....If anything, my trip to coonawarra highlighted to me that there is a BUNCH of great wines produced there that are not Cabernet.....really opened my eyes.

Leconfield - Apparently coonawarra in its very early days was a Riesling producer. Leconfield has some great Riesling & chardonnay. Their Cabernet is fantastic, however again i was surprised by the quality of their whites.... I love visiting cellar doors for this exact reason!

Majella - My favourite winery in coonawarra....and their wines were amazing. Their cellar door needs a bit of a re-vamp...not modernising or anything, just....the colour....peachy is the best description. I was hoping for something like Langmeil, old & rustic...oh well im too picky i know and its about their wines!

Katnook estate- What can I say about their cellar door....WOW. The dedication, passion, knowledge & customer service were fantastic....and as a bonus, their wines were fantastic too. Estate Merlot the best for me. We arrived a little after 4.30pm on a friday - when they closed @ 5pm thinking we could get a couple of tastings in before we got kicked out..... was WELL after 6.30pm before we left as the lovely cellar door lady took us on a journey of the complete flight of tastings through their entire range. Needless to say my credit card copped a flogging that night, but was well worth it. She spoke about the history, the vintages the good and the bad.....and genuinely loved her job. I mean it was 6.30pm on a friday. The Customer service there will keep me coming back AND buying their wines for years to come!

Bowen - Didnt visit, but was very sad to see a whole bunch of vines being ripped up. Not sure what is going on down there, but their wines havent been (for me) as good recently. Maybe these vines were to blame?


I will be driving back there soon as I didnt even get to visit half the places I had intended..... 4 days just ISNT ENOUGH!

mf wrote:

Bowen's were solid more than exciting - I actually quite enjoyed the Shiraz 2010 but was not sure the quality was exceptional (quite fun drinking though).

I have been thinking of putting a case of the Bowen's Cab Sav 2010 down as a mid week wine for next decade. I am assuming I will get at least 12 years and more out of it. Any other thoughts on the wines from people who have tried it?

Cheers
Mark

Rosco, thanks for the report on your visit to the Coonawarra, it brings to mind my visit there a decade ago.

You're spot on about the how good "non-traditional" varieties can be there. I recall being impressed with a Bowen Chardonnay and a foot-trod Pinot Noir from either Rouge Homme or Redman. It was a one-off bottling and only available at cellar door. At home in Edmonton I often tuck into Wynn's Riesling and have put away a few. The '01 and '02 awaits.

Also at cellar door was an older (94?) and perhaps their last bottling of Wynn's Oven Valley Burgundy/Shiraz that they found in a warehouse. Unfortunately it wasn't on tasting.

I'm sorry to hear about Bowen and Zema, their wines were pretty good back then though it was the '98 and '99 I was tasting. If I recall Zema was the only winery that still hand harvested their grapes.

Cheers..................................Mahmoud.

Mahmoud Ali wrote:Rosco, thanks for the report on your visit to the Coonawarra, it brings to mind my visit there a decade ago.

I'm sorry to hear about Bowen and Zema, their wines were pretty good back then though it was the '98 and '99 I was tasting. If I recall Zema was the only winery that still hand harvested their grapes.

Cheers..................................Mahmoud.

Funny you should mention 98/99 Zema. One of the reasons I went there (apart from the cellar dwellers & hollick long lunch) was a couple of months before that
I tried the Zema 98 Cabernet.....it was stunning! Everything was in balance, the fruit had settled down, the oak was amazing, colour was still quite good......fast forward 10+ years and the difference was immeasurable. Lets hope I (or the wine) was having a bad day, as prior to this trip, I liked Zema.