Does Australian Shiraz need blending or can it stand on itÂ’s own?
The answer, as you all know is: Both. Australian Shiraz is great and will excel both ways.
I invited the Austrian winemaker, Franz Weninger senior (his son couldnÂ’t make it as he was sailing in Croatia) because he makes absolutely world class Syrah in Hungary. Franz W. is a serious fan of Aussie Shiraz. When we first met, he was a dedicated Hermitage supporter but times have indeed changed!
Time: 26 July 2004. Monday night.
Place: Pincemester Wine Club, Szombathely (St.Martin), Western Hungary.
Commenting on the wines: Pincemester wine club founder Sándor Baráth
2002 TOWER ESTATE Shiraz (Hunter Valley)
It always bring me pleasure to show a good Hunter Valley wine. I "discovered" Tower Estate this year and chose their Hunter Shiraz for this tasting because it is absolutely delicious. Grapes were picked from three separate Hunter Vineyards. According to winemaker Dan Dineen, it was a difficult vintage but assistant winemaker Phil Sylvester blended this Shiraz to perfection. The wine spent 12 months in French oak. Alc 13.5% vol.
Colour purple red, fresh and vibrant. The nose is fragrant with cooked plums, raspberries and exotic spices backed by toasty oak. Huge and velvety black cherry flavours, deep old vine Shiraz on the palate. Already showing trademark Hunter gaminess, this wine is mouthfilling and rich. Very well balanced. Typically Hunter in that it is reminescent of Burgundy. Excellent savoury finish. Only two years old but drinking superbly. Drink now to 2010.
A.V. commented "Ah, this is so delicious. I havenÂ’t drunk a Hunter Shiraz since you were here last time. I feel the same as back then. It's beautiful stuff!"
An earlier tasting note on this wine, and more about my first cellar door visit to Tower Estate, can be found here:
http://www.auswine.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5364&highlight=#5364
2001 BROKENWOOD Rayner Vineyard Shiraz (McLaren Vale)
I felt a little awkward after A.V.Â’s remark to tell the group that next we would be tasting a non-Hunter wine from one of the best wineries in the Hunter. This type of practice is totally unknown in Hungary. A Tokaji producer would never think of selling a wine under his brand name from a different region. I told them not to panic and that it is a good thing. Indeed Iain Riggs' absolutely fantastic wine became the wine of the night!
Grapes were machine harvested from the unirrigated 2 acre Rayner Vineyard, planted in 1950. The wine was matured 80% in American and 20% in (1 year old) French oak. Bottled October 2002. Result of a good vintage, it was the ninth Rayner release. Alc 14% vol.
The word “machine harvested†didn’t sit well with the crowd but I explained that it may have been necessary to do it this way as the wine was made far away in the Hunter Valley and special conditions must have met.
Colour black cherry. Beautifully fragrant and quite sensual nose with toasty oak. Smelling very noble, like Bordeaux. The palate delivered soft cuddly old vine flavours. Absolutely rich concentration of out of this world Shiraz! Creamy, complex and very deep. Everyone in the group fell silent. We were all touched by its sheer class and quality.
Cila commented “This is exactly why I attended tonight†with a big grin on his face.
It was a very enchanting wine. The depth of flavours coming from the old vines were simply incredible. Finished long with mouth-watering acidity.
The 1999 vintage of this wine won the “Best Red Wine Trophy†in London at the International Wine Challenge in 2001 and this vintage took the same trophy at the end of the night from the group. Stunning Shiraz! Drink now to 2008.
2001 WENINGER Soproni Syrah- Frettner vineyard (Hungary)
A very tough job for Franz to follow tonight's no.1 wine. The Frettner vineyard is in North Western Hungary, near the village of Balf. This high quality Syrah spent 17 months in French barriques.
Colour bright cherry red. Ink, plum and pepper on the nose. Definitely unique fragrance, nothing like Hermitage or anything Australian. Lovely sweet fruit on the palate, a medium bodied elegant red with a savoury finish and excellent acid backbone. Slightly lacking in the middle palate and could do with more concentration but well balanced. Still very young. Drink 2006 to 2010. Alc.13.5% vol. Around AU $40 but N/A in Australia. The group appreciated it but looked forward to the next Australian.
2000 DÂ’ARENBERG The Ironstone Pressings (McLaren Vale)
Quite a monumental achievement by the great Chester Osborn and assistant winemaker Phillip Dean. A 90-point Robert Parker wine voted the second best tonight. A blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz and 5% Mourvédre. Grapes were hand picked from the old vines, some dating back to the 19th century. The wine spent 14 months in 1 and 2 year old American and French oak barrels. This is the 12th Ironstone release.
Colour cherry red with brick on the edges and bronze hues. Red berries, smoky oak on the nose with plum and black cherries. Very powerful and complex on palate. Well balanced and skilful blending. Definitely unique with character. The excellent and sweet core fruit was enveloped by gripping tannins and oak. A superb and wonderful baby monster. Very powerful and strong blend with firm oak on the finish. A wine with a promising future. Drink 2006 to 2030. The group was absolutely taken by this Ironstone. They all admired it.
"This is wild... Enter the untamed beast!†commented Cila astonished. He just loved the stuff! A powerhouse of a wine, simply outstanding, I thought. Certainly richer and more approachable than the 1999 and more exciting than the 1998. A success.
Cila is making friends with dÂ’ArenbergÂ’s Ironstone aka "The BeastÂâ€Â
1999 YALUMBA Shiraz+Viognier (Barossa & Eden Valley)
This is the second vintage of this handpicked Shiraz/Viognier. Winemaker Kevin Glastonbury (ex Grant Burge) created an excellent and fragrant Cote Rotie style 87% Shiraz and 13% Viognier blend. Grapes were picked from Barossa and Eden Valley vineyards, the wine spent 20 months in 1 and 3 years old french oak barrels.The Wine Spectator awarded it 91 points.
Colour bright black cherry. Beautiful smoky and flowery aromas on the nose. Ultra smooth on the palate (especially after the Ironstone). Very seductive and highly intelligent wine. Very well balanced and delicious. Drinking superbly at 5 years of age but there is excellent oak support to carry this wine further. A modern style wine with lots of aromatic plum and black cherry flavours. Everyone loved it with Franz commenting "Definite Rhone style but refined and very stylishÂâ€Â. Drink now to 2008.
1999 VERITAS BinderÂ’s BullÂ’s Blood (Barossa Valley)
I donÂ’t know much about this blend as winemaker Rolf Binder was away in America when I contacted him for information before my trip to Europe.
A blend of Shiraz and Mourvédre. Grapes for this "Pressings†were picked from the Chri-Ro and Western Ridge vineyards. Veritas was founded by Rolf Binder sr. in 1955. Rolf immigrated from Hungary (?) I assume hence the BullÂ’s Blood connection. (For the record: BullÂ’s Blood or Bikavér is a blended red wine originating from the Szekszárd/Eger regions of Hungary.) I teased the participants to challenge the Veritas tonight. As the tasting was held in a fine wine retail store, I asked Sándor to grab any Hungarian BullÂ’s Blood wine off the shelf that in his opinion would beat the Veritas. However, after tasting the wine I heard a collective murmur of “No chance, mateÂâ€Â. The group loved the Veritas and placed it No.3 tonight.
Colour black cherry red. Very dark in fact. Surprising for its age. Powerful toasty oak on the nose. Savoury red berries and “burnt rubber†smell. Unique and original wine. The palate is huge but soft as velvet with deep fruit flavours. Concentrated and well balanced. It had Burgundian, gamy flavours. Long aftertaste, warmly alcoholic finish. Slightly rustic but so it should be. Lots of sediment, looks barely filtered. Drinking very well now. A complex and exciting wine that builds in the glass. Very interesting style. Drink now to 2009.
Sándor commented “The Aussies didnÂ’t mess up this BullÂ’s Blood eitherÂâ€Â
I would like to thank Ric Einstein who kindly gave me this lovely wine as a gift.
2002 WENINGER Soproni Syrah-Spern Steiner vineyard (Hungary)
A truly outstanding Hungarian Syrah made by the Austrian father and son team. The WeningerÂ’s, own vineyards in the Mittelburgenland region of Austria and also in the Sopron region of Hungary, close to the border, near Balf. The Spern Steiner vineyard has unique soil and microclimate. ItÂ’s one of the great terroirs of Hungary. Awesome effort. The fourth best wine tonight. This wine was brought as a finished barrel sample for this tasting. I believe the bottling of this Syrah vintage took place in mid August.
Colour very fresh, dark red with purple hues. Very powerful nose of bluberries, plum and red fruits. Toasted walnut oak and spice. Huge, concentrated palate, oozing freshness, power and fresh fruit. Very well balanced, the thick syrah flavours were truly beautiful. Powerful oak on the finish, definitely French barrique matured. Its power and character was similar to a young Penfolds RWT but the taste is unique, it does not resemble Hermitage or anything Australian IÂ’ve tasted. A very promising baby monster that needs 15 years to truly blossom. Drink 2008 to 2025. I really admired this wine.
I first tasted it last year when I visited the Balf winery. It had amazing purity of fruit then but now it showed awesome power and authority having aged a year in new or near new barrels. There were lots of mineral and inky characters in the taste. Weninger wines enjoy limited distribution in Sydney. This Syrah (if it is ever available here, it will be from mid next year) will cost around AU $55+ and is a very serious wine.
At our last club dinner we drunk two other Weninger wines. If you have not read the story yet, click below:
http://www.torbwine.com/rr/Third%202004%20Club%20Dinner.htm
Austrian winemaker Franz Weninger Sr.
1998 PENFOLDS Bin 389 Cabernet-Shiraz (South Australia)
I chose this wine for this tasting based on reviews and my absolutely positive experience with the 1998 vintage Bin 128 and 28. Tasting this wine tonight was a let down as all I had in my glass was a commercial red wine with noticable oak and decent fruit flavours. That was it!
Winemaker John Duval used grapes selected from five South Australian wine regions. This Bin 389 is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Shiraz. The wine spent 14 months in oak, 22% new the rest 1 year old barrels.
Colour cherry red. Powerful cabernet aromas on the nose with sweet oak. Full bodied sweet palate with the plummy savoury Shiraz shining through. Well balanced and round with dark chocolate on the finish. A good wine but lacking vineyard specific definition and lacking excitement. The group also noted this.
A.W. senior made the remark "Pretty good but so what... nothing like any previous wine we had here tonight. They all had more individualityÂâ€Â
It may need more time to come around. Drink 2006 to 2015. I will open another bottle later to see if it showsbetter.
1994 MORRIS Rutherglen Durif (Victoria)
When I met David Morris at last year's Victorian Wine Show, I asked him how the 1994 Durif is travelling. He said it was the first ever Durif he made after his father retired and that this vintage and wine was close to his heart.
Colour cherry red with brick on the rim. Fragrant nose, suggesting Shiraz, but on the palate this wine was medium bodied and appeared rather one dimensional. “It just doesn’t follow through. It lacks the intensity and power of Shiraz. A simple wine with not much to offer†commented Sándor and I had to agree. When I tasted the also average 1999 vintage with David last year, I was hoping that the 1994 would be a better wine but it wasn’t. This wine matured in old oak, lacked focus and concentration. I began to see why the French stopped cultivating this variety. But it served its purpose. I was able to show this rare variety from Australia. Drink now to 2006. I used to buy Durif after the wine press became enthusiastic about it but too many disappointing examples cooled my interest down.
1990 WENDOUREE Clare Valley Shiraz (South Australia)
Everyone was looking forward to this. The ultimate cult wine from Tony Brady! I for one must agree with forumite David Lole, who doesn’t "get†Wendouree wines. I was first introduced to them in the mid nineties. I’ve drunk a fair few of the various blends but they failed to impress. Young vintages appear too bitter and somewhat harsh and often slightly out of balance. Older vintages look like time capsules with "frozen†bitter almond tastes and old fashioned dusty flavours and with extraordinarily powerful and (seemingly low quality?) oak. "Luckily it’s all in the past†I thought as I pulled the cork (before the tasting begun) that crumbled and broke into a thousand pieces. With some effort I was able to clear the wine and decant. As this was the final Australian highlight, we all looked forward to it.
Roly Birks legendary 19th century shiraz vines supplied the fruit. Grapes were hand picked from unirrigated 97 and 71 years old bush vines. After fermentation, the wine spent 12 months in French oak. Only 25% of the barrels were new, the others were 25% 1 year old, 25% 2 years old and 25% 3 years old. Only 6 thousand bottles were produced. Alc 13.2% vol.
Colour dark pale red with lighter brick/orange rim. The nose not so inviting or scented. Savoury red berries, oak and some plum spice. On the palate, medium bodied. Once again, not so generous. It tasted old fashioned with red berries and smoky oak that it didnÂ’t win many of us over. Looked perfectly mature and ready to drink at 14 years of age. I voiced my disappointment but noticed the mile long finish. The trademark bitter almond, walnuts were all there. Drink now to 2008.
Generally the wine wasnÂ’t well received but Sándor commented “It is still a lovely old wineÂ… a rare opportunity for me so I will savour itÂâ€Â
Cila was more enthusiastic “I donÂ’t care what you guys think. For me, after the Ironstone, this wine rocks! Man, itÂ’s so individual and unique, and I appreciate that!Ââ€Â
The best support however came from Franz Weninger “I believe itÂ’s fantastic. IÂ’ve only seen this long finish in great Grand Cru wines. If you donÂ’t mind, IÂ’d like to keep the bottleÂâ€Â
Franz was the only person tonight who placed this wine No.1.
We all had a laugh when I mentioned that “wendaaree†means “Go away!†in Aboriginal language, which pretty much sums up the winery’s low key operation and philosophy.
The best wines voted: No.1 Brokenwood, No.2 dÂ’Arenberg and No.3 Veritas
The planned tasting finished here. There was a wine brought by a guest. I will only mention it here because it was Hungarian and labelled as Shiraz as opposed to the commonly accepted Syrah. It was a bottle of 2002 PENEISZL Igy szeretem az életet (I love life like this) Soproni Shiraz. Not a bad start for a new winery but barely at Koonunga Hill level so I didn’t write notes. Another club member brought a 2001 Egri Syrah, also a new and pretty basic Hungarian wine. I wasn’t enthusiastic at all. Others insisted that we should finish the tasting on a high note, so everyone chipped in and I picked two more wines off the retail shelf and served them blind.
First up a red from Villány region called 2000 MONDIVIN Cabernet Franc. It was a pretty nice medium bodied red but the home crowd couldn’t guess it!
Second up, another red from the Villány region, the 2000 GERE Barrique Cabernet Sauvignon. People were closer here in the guessing game but this red wasn’t great either. As I had an other bottle of the 2002 WENINGER Soproni Syrah barrel sample, I thought let’s drink this and go home!
I served it blind and to my ASTONISHMENT no one recognised it! Maybe because by this stage they had too much to drink. People refused to spit or pour out the 2001 Rayner and many others tonight. I was having fun as I couldnÂ’t believe nobody recognised a wine we drunk less than 1 hour ago! I asked Franz Weninger what he thought of this wine and he said “ItÂ’s very good but a little too oakyÂâ€Â.
I said that it was fine because it was your wine!
Oh, it was fun and laughter from then on. After this, they couldnÂ’t let me go. Someone ran off into the shop and to test my palate, offered me to taste a wine blind. My verdict was “I think itÂ’s a young Kékfrankos blend from 2001 or 2002Ââ€Â
I didn’t do too badly as it was a 2001 WENINGER Spern Steiner- Selection Kékfrankos from Sopron/Balf region.
What an unforgettable and fun night it was! We all said our good byes but agreed to meet again next year for the next round of delicious Australian Shiraz!
Cheers,
Attila
Ps: If you liked this tasting report, have a look at last yearÂ’s Shiraz tasting that was held in Austria.
http://www.auswine.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1285&highlight=#1285
