1992 LEASINGHAM Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz-S.A.

[Attila]

Tasting Note No.25

An absolutely delicious sparkling red, made by Hardy's winemaker, Ed Carr. Grapes picked from Leasingham's dry grown, low yield Schobers vineyard, the wine spent 2 years in oak and 5 more years on lees. Released in September 1999.

Colour dark cherry red. Toned down bead. Concentrated nose of liquorice, ripe plums, black cherries and red berries. The palate explodes with chocolate, more plums, dark berries and cinnamon. Very persistent bubbles, a huge and creamy mouthfeel with tonnes of flavour. Superb length and concentration, extremely well balanced. The most beautiful tannins I've seen for a while in a sparkling red. At 11 years of age, it is lovely and mature drinking but this wine has the structure and power to age for an other 10 years without doubt. This bottle of mine was in absolutely top condition with a tight cork, however I've seen other bottles with bleeding corks, therefore there could be bottle variations by now for this lovely wine. It cost me AU $35, a real bargain. This wine is still available here and there at $50 but never mind the higher price, you won't be disappointed. I loved it, a very delicious, impressive and tasty drop.

SIR JAMES Spakling Shiraz NV

An other wine created by Hardy's Group Sparkling winemaker, Ed Carr and team. Don't have to compare this to the Leasingham to realize what a let down it is.

Colour bright cherry red. Creamy and persistent bubbles, fresh and frothy. Cherries, candy confection on the nose. The palate is medium bodied with cloyingly sweet fruit. Simple and easy palate. Few base wines were put together to create a characterless commercial wine. For current drinking only as there is no proper tannin structure for this wine to go on. The noticable acid on the finish, gave me the feeling that the makers tried to balance the cloying sweetness with added acid. I was very disappointed, I didn't feel like finishing my glass so I poured it all down the kitchen sink. Cost AU $19 but some of the cheap and cheerful $9 sparkling reds are better, the Peter Rumball SB 15 or the 1998 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz around the same price are a lot better.

2002 CULLEN Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon

A blend of 82% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Semillon. Fifty six percent of the wine has been fermented in new French oak with 18% of the wine fermented with wild yeasts. With such precision winemaking, I expected a better result.

Colour vibrant clear with some gold. Reserved nose of asparagus and freshly cut grass. Medium bodied palate with more green grass characters. Fine acid, a little lean and closed at present. Lacks richness and power, it will still age well like a Clare riesling but it will never be a great wine. It's good and quite nice with seafood but fails to excite the same way as the 2003 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. It cost AU $30 but it's relatively easy to find better examples at this price of sav/blanc-semillon blends from WA. Those under the impression that Vanya created a wine in white Graves style, will also be disappointed.

Tasted:December 2003

[TORB]

Attila,

I have drunk my through a couple of dozen of the CC 92 bubbles and none had weepy corks so it could be a case of questionable storage if they were recently purchased. Agree with your comments, it a lovely wine.

Re the Sir James, IMO the "drinkable" Sparkling Shiraz under $20 are few and far between. Not all that surprising when you consider it costs more to produce a sparkling shiraz than its still wine equivalent.

[Rory]

Well bugger me Attila,

If I wasn't about to sit down and do a post on this very wine as I sip on it right now, and low and behold, you've done it for me!

I have slowly been drinking my way through a dozen I purchased on release, and totally agree that it' is now drinking better than ever, and will only get better.
It has taken nearly five years to shake of the tannins that were too evident early on, to display the quality fruit underneath.

Yep, a beautifull wine.

Rory