TN: Hunter, SAust, + few foreign ring-ins
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:47 pm
Sundry notes from interesting/notorious wines consumed in the last month or so, starting with the mighty Hunter Valley:
1991 Lindemans Bin 8203 ‘Hunter River Burgundy’ [Shiraz] [cork, 11.5%]
Garnet red with similar rim. A near-aged nose of medium intensity; woodspice and resin, soft earthy/red fruit touches along with typical Hunter medicinal and polished leather aromas. The palate presents another facet; an almost candied sweetness to the cherry fruit flavours, plenty of zingy acid, and a warmth that blooms in the mouth. Light-medium body, good balance of flavours down the length of the palate, medium length finish, soft dusty tannins and minimal oak evident. A good effort that should hold a few more years, but I wouldn’t expect further improvement.
2004 Lindemans Bin 0403 Hunter Shiraz [screwcap, 13%]
A generation later for this wine, and Lindemans Hunter River is really a footnote in Australian wine history. Will there ever be any more ‘Bin xx00’ reserve wines I wonder? Doubt it, somehow. Maybe we should be grateful for even this offering. Medium ruby colour. Spiced fruits and a little earthiness, but really mostly berry fruits. A wine of medium weight all round, with dusty tannins, a warm, rich, and quite nicely balanced palate. Doesn’t really scream ‘Hunter terroir’ at this stage yet, but has a tightly wound feel; a solid warm-climate not-too-lavish shiraz with some structure and the potential to age well enough in the medium term. Should develop more personality with a bit of cellar time.
2004 McWilliams Mount Pleasant ‘Phillip’ Shiraz (Hunter) [ cork, 14%, A$12]
This venerable-pedigreed wine seems to be coming out of a long (ie. ten year) slump, if this offering (and reports I’ve read of the 2005 effort) is a guide. A youthful nose, with ripe red fruit aromas never-the-less showing some restraint – it certainly doesn’t leap from the glass. A bit anonymous/international in style, but not fatally so! The palate mixes a little tobacco and earth with the lightly spicy fruits, soft oak, and medium-low chalky tannins. Dry and savoury, it’s a little hollow in the mid-palate, and the finish just struggles to medium length, but really, for the price there’s no complaining. Twelve bucks these days buys you plenty of semi-sweet cordials, or hot & harsh alcoholic throatburners; this wine is neither.
2002 Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz (Hunter) [ cork, 13.5%, A$26]
Crimson-ruby. No fading anywhere here. A developing and classic stinky Hunter nose; fungal earth, undergrowth, ink, leather, and a whiff of brett. Lots of earthy farmyard and delicatessen flavours on the palate, along with soft powdery tannins, medium bodied weight, minimal oak, and a respectable palate structure that just tails off at the back of the mouth. The bretty quality dissipated somewhat in a half-bottle kept overnight - I wouldn’t have any qualms about keeping this wine a few years longer, just for sake of it. An enjoyable wine with an individual voice that’s very much a minority style these days.
2004 Peterson’s Cabernet Sauvignon (Mudgee) [cork, 13.5%]
Medium ruby coloured wine. Youthful, quite intense nose of mulberries, cassis, earth, dark chocolate, soy and ink. Interesting. The feared blockbuster doesn’t appear; instead there’s a fairly low-key palate of almost bretty hue, with a grenache-like bubble-gum chewiness to it; high-toned raspberry fruits, seemingly minimal oak, soft chalky tannins – there’s as wide a gap between the aromatic expectation of the palate and its reality as I’ve ever encountered. Just barely reaching medium weight – when could you say that about a Mudgee wine? – but with a slightly short finish; I can’t really see it improving much. Drink up.
On to the rest of the country...
2005 Voyager Estate Shiraz (Margaret River) [screwcap, 14%, A$21]
Ruby, verging on impenetrable purple, with plenty of legs. I was expecting a monster, but the aromas were cool-climate tinged, with savoury-spice and a little smoke. Youthful, and not hugely forthcoming. With all of 1% viognier in the wine, the makers clearly weren’t trying for a crowd-pleaser right off the bat. The palate adds a touch of tomato and spice, but is surprisingly austere (in context!). Dry, with medium gritty tannins, medium weight and length of finish, it’s structured quite well along the tongue, with a decently firm mid-palate. Finishes perhaps a touch warm. Needs a few years to bring it out of its shell.
2001 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling (Clare) [screwcap, 13%]
Clear, but distinctly mid-lemon. A clean but developing nose of grapefruit, soapsuds and a whiff of toast. Definitely not youthful any more. The palate follows the nose, although the soapy character transforms into lemonsuds and tangy citrus flavours. Medium acidity frames a wine of surprising lightness of body, despite the parade of flavour reaching past the mid-palate. Overall, a bit low-key and something of a disappointment for such a heralded wine (not a heralded vintage, however). Not oxidised, but developing quite quickly and without much finesse. On this single tasting, clearly outshone by its 2001 Watervale sibling (tasted last year).
2005 Glaetzer Godolphin Shiraz-Cabernet (Barossa) [cork, 14.5%, $38]
Ruby/blue in colour. Sweet blueberries and mulberries on the nose, with milk chocolate and vanilla. The shiraz takes the honours on the nose, no question. The palate I find rather thick and syrupy; rich and ripe with lots of warm-climate red fruit flavours, but if the cabernet was there to put some real spine into the wine, then it needed at be a bigger percentage of the blend. A medium-high level of chalky tannins, generally intense palate, but quite low acidity all add up to a wine with good weight of fruit along the palate, but overall more warmth than depth. Yes, it’s young, and maybe some aging will help, but I rather think it’ll just get softer instead of more interesting. Enjoyable enough, if a bit underwhelming – not a repeat buy for me (a second bottle some weeks later yielded a similar note).
2002 Torbreck The Steading Grenache-Mouvedre-Shiraz (Barossa) [cork, 14.5%, A$30]
Glowing ruby. Cured meats, bacon, and a the general air of a delicatessen pervades the nose, with some confection-like grenache. The palate follows wit the same spiced meat flavours, quite soft acidity, low-level powdery tannins, subtle oak, a medium-bodied weight, and a generally warm finish, which avoids being too cloying or sweet. No great complexity, but good with food, and the slight softening on the back palate is not too ruinous to the finish. A few more years won’t hurt, that’s for sure.
And a few foreigners to round out the show…
2003 Antinori ‘Villa Antinori’ (IGT Toscana) [cork, 13%, A$26]
Clear garnet. Sour cherries, brown leaves, roast nuts and some charcoal-smelling oaky notes. The palate presents no surprises; sour and brambly fruit, ripe but not rich. Modest but gritty tannins. Medium-bodied in weight, but rather clunky and diffuse. Knowing the label, you’d agree with the idea of relatively high-yield grapes from a hot vintage. A short-term drinker that’s rather over-priced locally.
1997 Yves Cuilleron ‘L’Amarybelle’ (St-Joseph) [cork, 12.5%]
Badly TCA-contamined upon opening. Toxic within 30 minutes. Bloody corks.
2000 Jaboulet Domaine de Thalabert (Crozes-Hermitage) [cork, 13%]
Soft earth and gamey notes aromas. A restrained nose. The palate is dry and slightly sour, earthy, with a warm gentle finish. Soft powdery tannins, not much acid, a promisingly smooth and even palate structure, but a disappointingly short finish let down a little what is otherwise a tidily built wine. At peak now probably, but will hold a while yet
cheers,
Graeme
1991 Lindemans Bin 8203 ‘Hunter River Burgundy’ [Shiraz] [cork, 11.5%]
Garnet red with similar rim. A near-aged nose of medium intensity; woodspice and resin, soft earthy/red fruit touches along with typical Hunter medicinal and polished leather aromas. The palate presents another facet; an almost candied sweetness to the cherry fruit flavours, plenty of zingy acid, and a warmth that blooms in the mouth. Light-medium body, good balance of flavours down the length of the palate, medium length finish, soft dusty tannins and minimal oak evident. A good effort that should hold a few more years, but I wouldn’t expect further improvement.
2004 Lindemans Bin 0403 Hunter Shiraz [screwcap, 13%]
A generation later for this wine, and Lindemans Hunter River is really a footnote in Australian wine history. Will there ever be any more ‘Bin xx00’ reserve wines I wonder? Doubt it, somehow. Maybe we should be grateful for even this offering. Medium ruby colour. Spiced fruits and a little earthiness, but really mostly berry fruits. A wine of medium weight all round, with dusty tannins, a warm, rich, and quite nicely balanced palate. Doesn’t really scream ‘Hunter terroir’ at this stage yet, but has a tightly wound feel; a solid warm-climate not-too-lavish shiraz with some structure and the potential to age well enough in the medium term. Should develop more personality with a bit of cellar time.
2004 McWilliams Mount Pleasant ‘Phillip’ Shiraz (Hunter) [ cork, 14%, A$12]
This venerable-pedigreed wine seems to be coming out of a long (ie. ten year) slump, if this offering (and reports I’ve read of the 2005 effort) is a guide. A youthful nose, with ripe red fruit aromas never-the-less showing some restraint – it certainly doesn’t leap from the glass. A bit anonymous/international in style, but not fatally so! The palate mixes a little tobacco and earth with the lightly spicy fruits, soft oak, and medium-low chalky tannins. Dry and savoury, it’s a little hollow in the mid-palate, and the finish just struggles to medium length, but really, for the price there’s no complaining. Twelve bucks these days buys you plenty of semi-sweet cordials, or hot & harsh alcoholic throatburners; this wine is neither.
2002 Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz (Hunter) [ cork, 13.5%, A$26]
Crimson-ruby. No fading anywhere here. A developing and classic stinky Hunter nose; fungal earth, undergrowth, ink, leather, and a whiff of brett. Lots of earthy farmyard and delicatessen flavours on the palate, along with soft powdery tannins, medium bodied weight, minimal oak, and a respectable palate structure that just tails off at the back of the mouth. The bretty quality dissipated somewhat in a half-bottle kept overnight - I wouldn’t have any qualms about keeping this wine a few years longer, just for sake of it. An enjoyable wine with an individual voice that’s very much a minority style these days.
2004 Peterson’s Cabernet Sauvignon (Mudgee) [cork, 13.5%]
Medium ruby coloured wine. Youthful, quite intense nose of mulberries, cassis, earth, dark chocolate, soy and ink. Interesting. The feared blockbuster doesn’t appear; instead there’s a fairly low-key palate of almost bretty hue, with a grenache-like bubble-gum chewiness to it; high-toned raspberry fruits, seemingly minimal oak, soft chalky tannins – there’s as wide a gap between the aromatic expectation of the palate and its reality as I’ve ever encountered. Just barely reaching medium weight – when could you say that about a Mudgee wine? – but with a slightly short finish; I can’t really see it improving much. Drink up.
On to the rest of the country...
2005 Voyager Estate Shiraz (Margaret River) [screwcap, 14%, A$21]
Ruby, verging on impenetrable purple, with plenty of legs. I was expecting a monster, but the aromas were cool-climate tinged, with savoury-spice and a little smoke. Youthful, and not hugely forthcoming. With all of 1% viognier in the wine, the makers clearly weren’t trying for a crowd-pleaser right off the bat. The palate adds a touch of tomato and spice, but is surprisingly austere (in context!). Dry, with medium gritty tannins, medium weight and length of finish, it’s structured quite well along the tongue, with a decently firm mid-palate. Finishes perhaps a touch warm. Needs a few years to bring it out of its shell.
2001 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling (Clare) [screwcap, 13%]
Clear, but distinctly mid-lemon. A clean but developing nose of grapefruit, soapsuds and a whiff of toast. Definitely not youthful any more. The palate follows the nose, although the soapy character transforms into lemonsuds and tangy citrus flavours. Medium acidity frames a wine of surprising lightness of body, despite the parade of flavour reaching past the mid-palate. Overall, a bit low-key and something of a disappointment for such a heralded wine (not a heralded vintage, however). Not oxidised, but developing quite quickly and without much finesse. On this single tasting, clearly outshone by its 2001 Watervale sibling (tasted last year).
2005 Glaetzer Godolphin Shiraz-Cabernet (Barossa) [cork, 14.5%, $38]
Ruby/blue in colour. Sweet blueberries and mulberries on the nose, with milk chocolate and vanilla. The shiraz takes the honours on the nose, no question. The palate I find rather thick and syrupy; rich and ripe with lots of warm-climate red fruit flavours, but if the cabernet was there to put some real spine into the wine, then it needed at be a bigger percentage of the blend. A medium-high level of chalky tannins, generally intense palate, but quite low acidity all add up to a wine with good weight of fruit along the palate, but overall more warmth than depth. Yes, it’s young, and maybe some aging will help, but I rather think it’ll just get softer instead of more interesting. Enjoyable enough, if a bit underwhelming – not a repeat buy for me (a second bottle some weeks later yielded a similar note).
2002 Torbreck The Steading Grenache-Mouvedre-Shiraz (Barossa) [cork, 14.5%, A$30]
Glowing ruby. Cured meats, bacon, and a the general air of a delicatessen pervades the nose, with some confection-like grenache. The palate follows wit the same spiced meat flavours, quite soft acidity, low-level powdery tannins, subtle oak, a medium-bodied weight, and a generally warm finish, which avoids being too cloying or sweet. No great complexity, but good with food, and the slight softening on the back palate is not too ruinous to the finish. A few more years won’t hurt, that’s for sure.
And a few foreigners to round out the show…
2003 Antinori ‘Villa Antinori’ (IGT Toscana) [cork, 13%, A$26]
Clear garnet. Sour cherries, brown leaves, roast nuts and some charcoal-smelling oaky notes. The palate presents no surprises; sour and brambly fruit, ripe but not rich. Modest but gritty tannins. Medium-bodied in weight, but rather clunky and diffuse. Knowing the label, you’d agree with the idea of relatively high-yield grapes from a hot vintage. A short-term drinker that’s rather over-priced locally.
1997 Yves Cuilleron ‘L’Amarybelle’ (St-Joseph) [cork, 12.5%]
Badly TCA-contamined upon opening. Toxic within 30 minutes. Bloody corks.
2000 Jaboulet Domaine de Thalabert (Crozes-Hermitage) [cork, 13%]
Soft earth and gamey notes aromas. A restrained nose. The palate is dry and slightly sour, earthy, with a warm gentle finish. Soft powdery tannins, not much acid, a promisingly smooth and even palate structure, but a disappointingly short finish let down a little what is otherwise a tidily built wine. At peak now probably, but will hold a while yet
cheers,
Graeme
