Wine Reviews
Delicious cool climate gear from a great Canberra winery. Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot and a wee bit more. Drinking well now but years ahead of it.
A surprise find from the Riverlution dinner I attended. Truly exciting emerging variety for the Riverland.
I love wine. And I love sharing good wine with friends and family. So I’ve decided to share the wines I love and hate more often via this blog. No lengthy reviews, no wanking on about minerality, extended maceration, malolactic fermentation or oak regimes. Just a picture, a few words and whether or not I think the wine is worth seeking out. Simple. If you wonder why I’ll also mention the wines I don’t like, this wonderful quote is the reason. It comes from someone who has inspired me, the recently departed art critic Robert Hughes. “You can’t be a critic & not have a harsh side… otherwise you become this total arsehole who thinks every sprig of clover is a rose.”
Putting together a little mix to put up on Soundcloud, anyone got anything they’s like to add? Theme is a little bit recovery, a little bit pretentious Eastern suburbs cafe with a sprinkling of alternahippy hipster. Let me know via comment or on the tweet @benmoroney if you’d like to see anything included. Cheers!
Here’s a few things that may get thrown into the mix:
Goldie: TImeless [Inner City Life]
Radiohead: Everything in it’s right place
Bjork: Joga
Talvin Singh: Traveller [kid loco remix]
Nitin Sawhney: Homelands
A.R Rahman: Mimbai Theme Tune
Georges Delerue: Camille
Radiohead: Exit Music [from a film]
Portishead: It Could Be Sweet
Underworld: Second Hand
Air: Playground Love
Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing
Angus and Julia Stone: Just a Boy
DJ Shadow: What does your soul look like? [Part 4]
Sabers of Paradise: smoke belch 2
Daft Punk: something about us
Emiliani Torrini: Sunnyroad
Truby Trio: prima Vera
Vim de Santana: Quartet Novo
Just clearing a massive backlog of wine reviews, hope you find something to enjoy in the coming weeks!
Not the winery in question, but it's in the Adelaide Hills so let's not get too fussy!
The Shiraz :: Solid effort, but still room for improvement in future vintages.
Colour :: Deep purple… Smooooke on the Waaaaater…
Aroma :: Milk chocolate, kirsch, apricots and dark berries. Lacks a little intensity and complexity but solid nonetheless.
Palate :: A good dose of integrity (high WYSIWYT rating :: what you smell is what you taste) with the aromas coming through on the palate. Chocolate, cherries, apricots, hint of menthol and an old trust cooler climate white pepper flourish to finish. If your looking for a medium bodied expression of Shiraz, then this will suffice but it lacks the potency and pizzazz to make it a top shelf wine.
The Pinot Noir :: Same same, but different.
Colour :: Intense and vibrant ruby slippers
Aroma :: Smells like pinot, which is always a good start. Strawberries, sour cherries with a gentle cuddle from the French oak. Simple, fun and fresh.
Palate :: Once again, WYSIWYT. Simple and fun, but probably needs a little time to settle as the acid and alcohol spike a little too much for my liking. Having said that though, there’s a tidy framework of red cherries, strawberries and satsuma plums with a lick of tannin. It’s not a wine for mulling over, it’s a fresh and lively Pinot that is a fun introduction to the delights of Adelaide Hills Pinot.
Sorry, this isn't Langhorne Creek, just a pic I took at Big Bob's place in Eden Valley.
Who :: Matt Wenk of Two Hands fame. This is his ‘private label’ (his words, not mine), dedicating to showcasing Matt’s talents.
Where :: Langhorne Creek. The unsung hero of Australian wine, this workhorse of a region has been providing rich, luscious fruit to some Australia’s most well known and popular wines/wineries for over one hundred years. Now labels like the cult Noon, effervescent Bremerton and fabled Bleasedale are helping this region carve a solid and growing reputation.
What :: Zinfandel or Primitivo in Italia. Not a common grape in Australia, it is the ‘king of California’, occasionally known as America’s gift to the wine world. You think Shiraz can make monster wines? Shiraz ain’t got nothing on Zinfandel. Poorly made examples are truly OTT, highly alcoholic (16%++) and lacking structure. In the right hands though (Ridge in California make a selection of killer Zinfandel blends that are my personal favourites, the Southern Italians also make some great examples) it can be balanced, hedonistic and one of the most luscious wine experiences imaginable.
Colour :: Deep, deep magenta with an almost burnt orange rim.
Aroma :: Massive, intense, clean, complex and enthralling aromas that literally leap from the glass. Ribena cordial, dark cherries, stewed fruits, earth, raisins and a delightful floral lift. Threatens to edge into OTT territory, but I don’t mind a gloriously aromatic nose as long as the palate is balanced.
Palate :: Smoother than Barry White covered in treacle, this is silk personified on the palate. But there is balance, structure and a smidge of refinement. Cascading dark berries, stewed apricots and a well managed lick of oak give the wine admirable line and length. Well worth seeking out, a great wine to introduce yourself and your friends to Zinfandel if you’ve never experienced it’s hedonistic charms.
Score :: Huh, what is it good for? Absolutely nuthin’!
Music Match :: Got to be Barry White… The smooth and sexy Zin deserves nothing less than the classic stylings of You’re The First, My Last, My Everything…
(First off, apologies to all the haters for the Steve Jobs/Apple references littering this blog post. But he was an inspiration to me, anyone with that much passion has to be respected for relentlessly pursuing his dreams.)
Now, I’ll admit it. I’ve been terrible at blogging for way too long. I love blogging, love writing about wine, food, restaurants, wineries, cellar doors and living the good life. I love working in the wine industry and working with some of the most brilliant, passionate and talented people I’ve met anywhere. But since November last year, I’ve been focused on pursuing my dreams. Now, I’ve got my dream job (stage one), I’ve helped launch some amazing websites, I’m moving into Potts Point in Sydney (something I’ve wanted to do since age 12) and I’m full of energy to give back the love to the people, places, food, wines and ideas that I respect and have to share with the world.
Thanks to my friends, family, workmates and all those on Twitter and Facebook whose support, friendship and inspiration has given me strength in pursuing my dreams. And I’d especially like to thank those who’ve shown me how not to live my life. Pettiness, negativity and holding grudges won’t get you anywhere. Defining what you are really passionate about and relentlessly pursuing it no matter what others say will always bring positive and lasting change. I look forward to sharing the journey with you all.
So, I’m moving to Sydney in a bit. I love Adelaide, grown up here (apart from an early stint in Port Augusta), spent most of my life here… So, what are the things I’m going to miss the most? The wineries. While I’m excited to explore the Hunter Valley, Canberra, Orange, Mudgee and more I am surely going to miss lazy weekends in the Clare Valley, regular pilgrimages to Seppeltsfield and days discovering the secrets of the Adelaide Hills. To help prevent withdrawals I’ll be visiting as many of my favorites over the next month or so, starting with Ashton Hills, The Lane and Shaw and Smith this weekend. What else will I miss? Gouger St and the Central Markets. Places that have melted even the coldest, most jaded hearts of Sydneysiders. The food, the people, pho, Haiananese Chicken Rice, the meats at Feast, the cheeses, Lucia’s… Damn, I’m getting a little emotional writing that down!
But I’ll be fine… Thoughts of Chinatown, wine bars, sailing on the harbour quickly tempers any lingering sadness…
So now, a question? If you were leaving your home town, what would you have to do before you left?
Just a quick review on a wine I had recently, the 2005 Penfolds St Henri. St Henri is one of my favourite wines. I love the purity of fruit that comes from a quality wine made with minimal oak influence. But sometimes you taste a wine and it’s not in a very happy place.
What do I mean by this? Well, wine is a living thing. Like us it develops and ages over time. Like us, it has phases in its lifetime that are brilliantly successful. It also has phases that are awkward, testing and difficult. But as in our own lives, you cannot have the highs without the lows.
When I tasted the 2005 St Henri recently, it was in an awkward place. But don’t worry about it, its just a phase. St Henri is a wine that is designed to age. So, if you see him in your cellar, or at a restaurant be kind to St Henri and give him a little more time to show his full potential.
Aroma :: Alluring… Licorice, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants… Violets and a hint of stewed fruits adds complexity. These delightful aromas speak volumes for the wines potential to age, as often wines that need more time will dazzle on the nose but disappoint on the palate.
Palate :: Poor old St Henri. He’s a bit like me when I was in Year 9. A bit nervous, not really fitting in, but still with a fair whack of potential. And like me, St Henri still has good integrity despite being a little uncomfortable. The positives? Licorice, dark berries and a flourish of black pepper dominate the palate. Negatives? The wine lacks length and has a slightly bitter finish. The tannins need time to unfurl and better integrate with the wine.
Conclusion :: While not showing its best at the moment, I believe the 2005 Penfolds St Henri will develop into a good to very good wine in 5 to 10 years time. However, if your looking for a wine that gives you the option of drinking now or later, then grab the 2006 St Henri, which is an utterly delicious wine now.
As you may or may not know, this week the Landmark Australia Tutorial is taking place in the Yarra Valley. Many of the world’s top wine writers/critics/buyers will taste their way through a treasure trove of some of the best Australian wine ever made. For more detailed information and/or to follow the event, check out http://www.landmark-wineaustralia.com/
To celebrate, i’ll be posting up tasting notes of any of the wines that I have tasted that are also being tasted at the Landmark Tutorial. Which won’t be many, as i’ve already polished off my dozen of each of the following classic wines featured at the tasting!
But, the 2006 Shaw + Smith is still a very, very good wine… Seek it out as it’s drinking beautifully now and will continue to do so over the next ten years.
PS :: I’ve tried a slightly different style for this review in an attempt to capture some of the joy and wonderment that the participants of the Landmark Australia Tutorial feel when tasting such extraordinary wines.
2006 Shaw + Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz
Aromas :: Imagine walking into a store filled with the finest cured and roasted meats. You walk up to the counter. Instead of asking for your order, the person at the counter instead starts smearing you dark cherry jam, violets, white pepper, blueberries and an uplifting mix of five spice and anise. The aromas combine with the cured and roasted meats. It’s intoxicating, and your anger at being smeared by the person at the counter with sticky jam, fruit and spices is replaced with the joy of having your olfactory system filled to the brim with wondrous aromas.
Palate :: Integrity. It’s a commodity in ever decreasing supply in our world. In a wine, put simply, integrity is when a wine tastes like it smells. It has flow. Continuity. A combination of the elements of smell and taste that lift the wine to a higher realm. This wine has integrity. Imagine scrapping the blueberries, dark cherry jam, white pepper, five spice and anise from your shirt and placing them in a blender. Take small slivers from the finest cured meats and add them. Add a dash of pure silk, a dollop of clinically defined tannin, a pinch of length, a handful of richness and cup of balance. Blend until smooth before decanting into your finest glassware. Close you eyes and bring the glass to your lips. The liquid enters your mouth. All is forgotten… Bliss.
Slow and steady wins the race. Slow and steady on the oak also has its merits.
Well i’ve thought about this review many times before publishing on my blog. Why? Because the wine is much loved and admired by many, from critics to general consumers. The winemaker has had a fantastic career, and rightly deserves all the praise that comes his way.
But I didn’t like this wine. Or more to the point, I didn’t like the oak treatment on this wine. It’s Over The Top. This wine is a bit like a transvestite at Mardi Gras. She may look stunning, smell stunning and even taste great but peel back the layers and she may not be what you really desired.
But some will adore this wine. Heck, Penfolds have built an empire out of American oak staves. So, each to their own. But what is my point?
The point of this is to reinforce to anyone reading this to ALWAYS trust in your OWN sensory system. If you LOVE drinking cask wine, then drink that stuff with pride. If you like drinking the cheapies from Yellow, [Yellowtail], Rosemount, Lindemans et al, then drink them with pride. Just be glad that you’ve got the amazing ability to taste, smell and savour the most complex and interesting beverage known to humankind.
Colour :: Deep, dark purple.
Aromas :: Oak, oak and oak. This wine has forgotten Intwines First Commandment of Wine :: Thou dost not make a good wine by smothering thy fruit in lashings of wood, but blessed are the cheesemakers. Dark cherries peep through only to be beaten to death by a marauding gang of oak staves.
Palate :: Dark berries and burnt stewed fruits that Nan left on the stove too long because the Adelaide Crows football team looked like they were coming back in the last quarter but then fell away in the last five minutes. Like said Crows, the wine lacks balance and intensity but, in its defence, does have a good line of acid and the alcohol is carried well. By the oak.
