The Noble Rotters May dinner saw the arrival of Caj Amadio with wines from Adelaide Hills winery Chain of Ponds, where ex-Southcorp/Tollana winemaker & Yattarna creator Neville Falkenberg makes wine these days. A comprehensive selection of wines was offered, all part of the Chain of Ponds portfolioÂ…
Â…Beginning with the Novello range of wines. Cheap(ish) & cheerful, with a distinctly Italianate look about them, they are all sealed under screwcap;
2003 Novello Rosso (Sangiovese 51%, Grenache 29%)
A lurid crimson pink colour. A step beyond rosé, perhaps. A nose with a light touch of cherry & banana. Fresh and tart, with barely a hint of residual sugar at the very end of the finish for me, that keeps it from becoming thin. The fruit stays pretty much on the front palate. Pleasant, and carries its 13% quite well.
2003 Novello Bianco (Semillon 75%, Pinot Grigio 25%)
Pale straw colour. A pungent lemon, straw & gooseberry nose that put me in the mind of sauvignon blanc. The palate has a burst of fresh ripe fruits, but I find significant amounts of residual sugar add to the warmth and shorten the finish of this wine. Not for me.
2003 Novello Nero (33% each Barbera, Sangiovese, Grenache)
A sour blackberry nose. Also quite acidic on the palate. Soft fruit, and again a touch of sugar. A pasta wine. Ho hum.
The following wines are all Chain of Ponds branded, and all under cork, apart from the Riesling. Screwcaps will take over for more recent vintages, for all but the very top wines, at this stageÂ…
2002 Nebbiolo
An experimental wine, with all of 30 cases produced, and consequently never offered for retail sale. I thought it was the Wine of the Night. Maybe thereÂ’ll be some 2003 vintage for sale. Bright cherry red. Tar on the nose, with bitumen and dark chocolate. The fruit is clean on the palate, yet with a reserved power, and strong tannins. Long persistent finish is perhaps the most impressive component. Best Australian nebbiolo IÂ’ve tasted, but itÂ’s a small candidature, I concede!
2001 JupiterÂ’s Blood Sangiovese
Mid red, but a bit cloudy in appearance. A nebulous nose of stalky red berry fruits. ItÂ’s rather tart & acidic on the palate, although it does cover the tongue pretty broadly. The finish length is not great, and somewhat toward the astringent end of the scale.
2000 Jerusalem Section Pinot Noir
A dark, almost brownish red. A very feral, smoky nose with a hint of mercaptans? ThereÂ’s no lack of ripeness on the palate, and acid is commendable, but it just seems very dirty and earthy. Finish is short. Not good.
2001 Corkscrew Rd Chardonnay
Mid straw. Very soft nose of melon and peaches. Would never have picked this as Adelaide Hills, although CoP vineyards are at the warmer northern end. The palate is soft and short, and the acid is a rather transient experience. Oak treatment is so subtle as to be barely noticeable – it’s all structure and not really noticeable as a flavour. A very mild wine indeed.
2002 Viognier
A nose of exotic lifted spicy, upholstered with a splash of vanilla oak. The acid I find here has an artificial quality to it, as though lots of tartaric acid power was stirred into the juice. Warm finish, but ultimately a disappointing wine.
2000 Amadeus Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark red with a purple edge. One bottle was corked, but lightly enough to be confused with some other chemical contamination. A second bottle proved the case. A fresh blackberry and raspberry nose with varietally-correct herbaceous overtones. The tips into significant greenness on the palate, highlighting something of a doughnut palate. The fruit canÂ’t quite support the tannins here. Despite all the criticisms, I thought this was OK.
2000 Ledge Shiraz
Mid red. Pepper and spice nose, with a hint of coconut. The palate is soft, with cool-climate spearmint –type notes. There’s not much to excite the back palate here, though – the wine stays very much on the front of the tongue. Also, the finish does drop away quite quickly. A fair wine, but ultimately undistinguished.
2000 Kangaroo Island Trading Co The Florence Vineyard (Cab S 50%, Cab F 40% Merlot 10%)
From Kangaroo Island itself, no less. Lovely cassis nose, with some classic cabernet blackcurrant. On the palate, a slight vegetal note makes itself felt as well. Tannins are quite stern here. The wine is clean, but not overly fruity or simplistic. Attractive in an understated way. Perhaps the only really disappointing note is a slightly short finish.
2002 Chain of Ponds Purple Patch Riesling (Eden 75% Adelaide Hills 25%)
Probably done no favours being served this late in the evening with the cheeses, this was pale straw in colour, with grapefruit & squash aromas. ItÂ’s very diffuse on the palate, with reticent fruit, and half-hearted acid. Not up to scratch, really.
Lots of rather average wines, but apart from the Pinot, there were no real clangers. I rather liked the rosé to start, and the Nebbiolo was wonderful. Missing from my notes is any mention of heat on the palate – the entire wine range seemed to be labelled around 13.0 – 13.5% alcohol, and I think that is about right. Can’t help feeling from the reds performance that they had a rather tough time with vintage in 2000.
Cheers,
Graeme
TN: Chain of Ponds current range
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Guest
iNTERESTING WRITE UP THANKS mIKE. Chain of Ponds have a hard time every vintage I think. HAve been sampling these wines for over 7 years now - especially since their success in the Boutique WIne Makers Awards courtesy of Huon Hooke's judging and write ups. (No slur on Huon Hooke intended as he is usually pretty spot on and I'm sure the wines he saw in these shows were good too),
My conclusion has always been very similar to yours - Lots of rather average wines - very poor QPR for the prices they are wanting to charge.
(Thats my 2c worth anyway)
Cheers, Craig
My conclusion has always been very similar to yours - Lots of rather average wines - very poor QPR for the prices they are wanting to charge.
(Thats my 2c worth anyway)
Cheers, Craig
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Grant
Graeme,
I tried the whole range last week at cellar door. I tend to concur with what you have written. The 01 Pinot was really average,lacking depth and elegance. 00 doesn't seem to have treated them that kindly in regard to reds either,but there is new blood on board and it will be interesting to see what happens down the track. The one wine that I think is very good that you didn't try was the 01 "The Morning Star" Chardonnay. This shows a lot of restraint,but with plenty going on. Still developing and really could use a year or two in the cellar;the 99 that I had earlier this year was glorious and chardonnay lovers should have a look out for this wine.
Cheers
I tried the whole range last week at cellar door. I tend to concur with what you have written. The 01 Pinot was really average,lacking depth and elegance. 00 doesn't seem to have treated them that kindly in regard to reds either,but there is new blood on board and it will be interesting to see what happens down the track. The one wine that I think is very good that you didn't try was the 01 "The Morning Star" Chardonnay. This shows a lot of restraint,but with plenty going on. Still developing and really could use a year or two in the cellar;the 99 that I had earlier this year was glorious and chardonnay lovers should have a look out for this wine.
Cheers