While February hasn't been a great month for sampling wines I haven't tried before (we'd stocked up on Riesling, Rose and other summer drinking styles and the contents of the wine rack needed to be run down before orders go in to Rockford, Cullen and Pikes between now and Easter.
An email from Lenton Brae earlier in the month complicated matters slightly, offering the No Way Rose for $150/dozen and this one at one-third off the RRP freight free!
Another reason to be grateful we added our details to the mailing list when we were there.
Lenton Brae 2009 Southside Chardonnay (4.5* $25) As opposed to the significantly more expensive Wilyabrup Estate Chardonnay this drink in the medium term style comes from early picked fruit, some malolactic fermentation to tone down the acid and with no obvious oak on the palate the result is an easy drinking style that has a creamy citrus textured tang that's refreshing with a lengthy finish. Ticks all the right boxes as far as new style early drinking Chardonnay is concerned.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Lenton Brae 2009 Cabernet Merlot
I wasn't quite as taken by this one when we were at the Cellar Door, but sitting down with a bottle some six months later I'm starting to wish I'd indulged in, well maybe not a whole case but definitely a few more than a mere three. Still, having jumped on board for dozens of the No Way Rose and the Southside Chardonnay at substantial reductions, lack of space in the rack was an important consideration.
Lenton Brae 2009 Cabernet Merlot (4.5/5 $25) Works very well as a softer, drink now style and that;s definitely the territory this one's aimed towards. Notes on the winery website confirm the intention, and with a fragrant nose, softly rounded palate with the tannins subtly folded into the mix and a lengthy finish. Possibly not one for the long term, but as a medium-bodied style to drink over the next year to eighteen months (which is about all you can expect in this environment unless I can manage a substantial increase in refrigerated cellar capacity) it's hard to see how you could go much better.
Lenton Brae 2009 Cabernet Merlot (4.5/5 $25) Works very well as a softer, drink now style and that;s definitely the territory this one's aimed towards. Notes on the winery website confirm the intention, and with a fragrant nose, softly rounded palate with the tannins subtly folded into the mix and a lengthy finish. Possibly not one for the long term, but as a medium-bodied style to drink over the next year to eighteen months (which is about all you can expect in this environment unless I can manage a substantial increase in refrigerated cellar capacity) it's hard to see how you could go much better.
Labels:
2009,
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Lenton Brae,
Margaret River,
Merlot
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tahbilk Everyday Drinking 'Limited Release' 2009 Zinfandel
While it might make up 10% of United States plantings the grape variously known as Zinfandel, Primitivo and Crljenak Kaštelanski has yet to establish a substantial footing in Australia, Not that you'd be expecting too many people outside its native Croatia to be trying to pronounce Crljenak Kaštelanski. There might be a bit of an issue with consumers where Primitivo is concerned as well, though that seems a perfectly acceptable descriptor for the big robust high alcohol knuckle-scraper style that seems to be synonymous with red Zinfandel.
The continuing rise of the alternative varieties is likely to change that, however, which brings the question of learning how to handle and what to do with what is, by all accounts, a rather ornery varietal into play.
Brown Brothers would put it through The Nursery and release the result as a Limited Production Cellar Door offering while they worked things through, and the decision to throw this into the Everyday Drinking Range at Tahbilk looks to be along the same lines. As an $8.95 Limited Release it'll give the punters a chance to try it while those other matters sort themselves out.
Tahbilk Everyday Drinking 'Limited Release' 2009 Zinfandel (4* $8.95) While I was expecting a big brawny knuckle-scraper of a wine, this one, while certainly substantial in flavour, tannin and alcohol/volume (they don't provide an exact percentage on the label but 8.9 standard drinks puts it in well over the 15% mark) came across as remarkably rounded and while it certainly packs a punch it was remarkably easy drinking. Given the Limited Release side of things it won't be around forever, and in any case I don't know that I need a dozen of these little devils, but as one-third of the Everyday Drinking New Releases Dozen @ $80 (RRP $95.40) along with Everyday Drinking 2007 Chairman’s Red and 2008 Chardonnay I may well be lining up for more around mid-March (assuming, of course, there's any left)
Labels:
2009,
Everyday Drinking,
Nagambie Lakes,
Tahbilk,
Zinfandel
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Lenton Brae 2010 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Lenton Brae was the first place we stopped when we were in Margaret River, and yhis was the first wine we tasted there. Not a bad way to start! Subsequent visits to the website revealed references to Gold Medals and Trophies, awards I find much more plausible than a certain other wine reviewed recently in these parts.
Lenton Brae 2010 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $22) Not quite half and half (52% Semillon, 48% Sauvignon Blanc), and while the Semillon just comes through on top the varieties blend close to seamlessly. Powerful from the aromatics on the nose to the lingering acid on the finish, and there's an abundance of fruit in between. While it may develop over time there's no way the other two in the order will be getting a chance. In fact, they'll be lucky to see March and April is almost certainly out of the question. Stunningly good, and within a whisker of a 5* rating.
Lenton Brae 2010 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $22) Not quite half and half (52% Semillon, 48% Sauvignon Blanc), and while the Semillon just comes through on top the varieties blend close to seamlessly. Powerful from the aromatics on the nose to the lingering acid on the finish, and there's an abundance of fruit in between. While it may develop over time there's no way the other two in the order will be getting a chance. In fact, they'll be lucky to see March and April is almost certainly out of the question. Stunningly good, and within a whisker of a 5* rating.
Labels:
2010,
Lenton Brae,
Margaret River,
Sauvignon Blanc,
Semillon
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Baileys of Glenrowan 2009 Rutherglen Durif
I may be wrong, but the incorporation of Baileys into the Fosters corporate conglomerate (an entity that I'd normally be wanting to steer well clear of, given my preference for small, family-owned operations) seems to have had something to do with the winery's capacity to handle quantities of fruit that can't be removed from the area due to issues with phylloxera. Given the experience with Seppeltsfield, one doubts that it had much to do with extensive stocks of fortifieds.
Such issues probably explain the presence of Rutherglen rather than Glenrowan on the labels of cousin-brothers 2009 Durif and 2009 Petit Sirah in the most recent 1870s Club pack.
Baileys of Glenrowan 2009 Rutherglen Durif (4.5* $25/ $21.25 1870s Club) The conventional wisdom suggests that those who prefer subtle, understated reds should be giving Durif, with high alcohol levels and big flavours to match, the big flick pass, I found this remarkably understated. There's still plenty of rich full-bodied fruit flavour there, but it's nicely balanced and went down a treat. Better cellaring conditions and/or a genuine winter could well prompt a reorder, though it works very well as a short term drinking style.
Such issues probably explain the presence of Rutherglen rather than Glenrowan on the labels of cousin-brothers 2009 Durif and 2009 Petit Sirah in the most recent 1870s Club pack.
Baileys of Glenrowan 2009 Rutherglen Durif (4.5* $25/ $21.25 1870s Club) The conventional wisdom suggests that those who prefer subtle, understated reds should be giving Durif, with high alcohol levels and big flavours to match, the big flick pass, I found this remarkably understated. There's still plenty of rich full-bodied fruit flavour there, but it's nicely balanced and went down a treat. Better cellaring conditions and/or a genuine winter could well prompt a reorder, though it works very well as a short term drinking style.
Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Liqueur Muscat
Back when I was starting to develop an interest in Australian wine, Len Evans' Complete Book of Australian Wine was, to all intents and purposes, the bible (at least it was in my neck of the woods) and while some of the icons that emerged from its pages have been supplanted in my own estimation, I think an abiding appreciation of north-east Victorian liqueur muscat will be with me till they carry me away in the pine box.
Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Liqueur Muscat NV (4.5* $25/ $21.25 1870s Club) While it's impossible to be entirely accurate where memory is concerned, the varietal intensity through the nose and across the palate takes me right back to the old HJT Liqueur Muscat, my own long term benchmark for the style. Full-flavoured with a lusciouusness across the palate that will keep the I'm getting a bit of crowd busy, Obtaining a regular supply was the main reason for joining the 1870s Club, and i want a bottle of this as a permanent fixture on top of the wine rack, at least until I can afford the Winemakers Selection Rare Old Muscat ($75/ $53,75 1870s Club for 375ml on a regular basis.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Baileys of Glenrowan 2008 1920s Block Shiraz
I'm not a big fan of flowery descriptive terms when it comes to wine, but as I took my first whiff of this a couple of months back for some reason my mind went back to the dusty ancient leather-bound encyclopaedia Britannicas that were shelved beside the fireplace in the landlady's half of the majestic old Queenslander where my family lived until we moved north in 1963.
With a couple of substantial orders on the way it's a case of clearing things out to make room in the rack, so I've been revisiting some things that have previously been tasted and reviewed on the website.
Baileys 2008 1920s Block Shiraz (4.5* $35/$29.75 1870s Club) Leather notes on the nose, abundant tannins, surprisingly silky mouth-feel (I was expecting something substantially bigger and bolder when I first tried this one) combine to result in a wine that's complex, stylish and quite delightful. At 16% alc/vol, this is a wine that could easily creep up on you and should last well into the 2020s. While there's no guarantee Hughesy will still be around to enjoy it when it really hits its straps there's some left in the wine fridge.
With a couple of substantial orders on the way it's a case of clearing things out to make room in the rack, so I've been revisiting some things that have previously been tasted and reviewed on the website.
Baileys 2008 1920s Block Shiraz (4.5* $35/$29.75 1870s Club) Leather notes on the nose, abundant tannins, surprisingly silky mouth-feel (I was expecting something substantially bigger and bolder when I first tried this one) combine to result in a wine that's complex, stylish and quite delightful. At 16% alc/vol, this is a wine that could easily creep up on you and should last well into the 2020s. While there's no guarantee Hughesy will still be around to enjoy it when it really hits its straps there's some left in the wine fridge.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tahbilk 2010 Everyday Drinking Riesling
It may well be Riesling, Jim, but it's not quite Riesling as we've come to know and love it.
Alternatively, maybe it is and I was a tad premature samplinga bottle less than twelve hours after it landed on the premises after the lengthy road haul from Nagambie Lakes to Bowen.
Having read in the latest Wine Club brochure from Tahbilk that this Everyday Drinking Riesling ($6.95/bottle) had picked up a Gold Medal at the 2010 Hobart Wine Show and gone on to take out the Trophy for Best Riesling of the Show, it's hardly surprising that when it was reorder time for Everyday Drinking Whites I went the Riesling rather than the regular $55/dozen cleanskin.
For comparison and contrast I also went for the Riesling Vertical 6 Pack ($75, not bad value for a double of the 2010 and single bottles from '09, '08, '07 and '06), none of which has found their way into the fridge yet.
While initial exposure to the 2010 Everyday Drinking Riesling failed to produce what I've come to expect in a Riesling, as an everyday drinking glass over lunch (my standard four days a week lunch tuna and bean salad's nothing really out of the bag) it works perfectly well. with lively acid and plenty of zing.
Undoubtedly more will be revealed in the fullness of time, particularly time to recover from the transit trauma, and eleven and a half bottles will provide ample opportunities for that to happen.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Pfeiffer 2008 Chardonnay (Relocated)
A visit to the cellar door at Pfeiffer Wines at the end of 2006 left us extremely impressed, and apart from signing up for the C2 Wine Club (two shipments a year, a dozen at a time) there have been regular reorders of the Gamay and Ensemble Rose. Apart from the fortifieds, which are very much in the mould you'd expect a regional trademark to be, the rest of the range is generally more than acceptable and the C2 parcels usually throw up a few other order possibilities.
Pfeiffer 2008 Chardonnay (4* $17) Pale straw in the glass, some varietal character on the nose and across the palate, and a touch of oak as well. Workman-like style that's pleasant enough drinking but wouldn't have prompted a reorder, and, in any case, the winery's sold out of this vintage. Maybe there are others out there who liked this more than I did.
Brown Brothers 2004 Shiraz Mondeuse & Cabernet (Relocated)
Some things stick with you.
On my first visit to Brown Brothers in January 1980 I ran across this blend with the helpful and very informative bloke in the cellar door giving me the drum on Mondeuse. I'd already let him know I was interested in varietal wines, and Brown Brothers seemed, at the time, like Varietal Central. That's changed a little over thirty years, but the changes have largely taken the form of other people heading down the varietal path rather than Brown Brothers changing direction.
Inquiries as to the possibility of tasting Mondeuse on its own produced an explanation that the variety was far too muscular as a stand alone proposition unless you were going to give it an extended spell in the bottle to settle down, but in a blend it adds intense colour and substantial tannin. I haven't run across this one all that often over the intervening decades, but I managed to fit a bottle into an order placed in May '09 and while it could have sat quietly in the wine fridge for another couple of years,
(a) I needed the room for a Houghton C.W. Ferguson;
(b) It's coming up to seven years, not optimal perhaps but it's had some time; and
(c) I was disinclined to wait much longer.
Brown Brothers 2004 Shiraz Mondeuse & Cabernet (4.5* $40) Deep full-bodied red, complex notes on the nose, focussed, smooth and balanced across the palate with everything playing nicely together. At just over 50% Shiraz, with the other two sharing the rest close to evenly you can taste what the Mondeuse brings to this rather wonderful blend. I would love to have the wherewithal to try one of these at fifteen, twenty or twenty-five years.
Labels:
2004,
Brown Brothers,
Cabernet Sauvignon,
King Valley,
Mondeuse,
Shiraz
Tahbilk 2000 1927 Vines Marsanne (Relocated)
Back in November 2009 Tahbilk was offering a Marsanne Trophy Six Pack for $115, three wines, two bottles each and remarkable value with two $45 bottles included. The day after the order arrived, this one appeared in Halliday's Hundred, which may explain why it took me so long to get to it...
Tahbilk 2000 1927 Vines Marsanne (5* 20 points $45) Almost transparent pale straw colour, but there's nothing pale or insipid about the nose or the flavour of this one. Complex notes of honeysuckle and citrus up front and a long finish mean that in Marsanne terms this is probably about as good as it gets. Still another bottle to go, probably somewhere around 2015....
Houghton 2007 C.W. Ferguson Cabernet Malbec (Relocated)
We weren't planning on getting to the Swan Valley when we headed west, so visits to Sandalford and Houghton were a bonus. I first encountered this wine in association with a Vinturi, and based on that experience was more or less forced to buy a half-dozen of these. The Vinturi prompted the purchase and the purchase in turn prompted the subsequent acquisition of a Vinturi.
Houghton 2007 C.W. Ferguson Cabernet Malbec (4.5* 19 points $41.25, at least that's what I paid) Deep purple-red colour, Cabernet varietal notes in the nose modified by the Malbec element. Massive. magnificent, still very young and in ten years time may well be rated at 20. Memo to self: There are five bottles left, get them into the wine fridge.
Labels:
2007,
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Houghton,
Malbec,
Margaret River
Pfeiffer 2004 Riesling (Relocated)
Pfeiffer 2004 Riesling (4* $n/a) Arrived in the October 2009 C2 Club Dozen and stuck at the back of the wine fridge since, a check with the ubiquitous Halliday suggested that January 2011 was a bit past the drink-by date for a well-made but unremarkable Riesling, probably made from King Valley/Strathbogie Ranges fruit. Seven years in the bottle had certainly rounded out the youthful apple and tropical fruit notes he'd remarked on, and the aged Riesling characters weren't up there with some I've tried recently, but an interesting drink that suggests it's worthwhile sticking a few well-made Rieslings away even if they're not from a premium region. Provided you've got the cellar space, of course.
Leeuwin Estate 2005 Art Series Riesling (Relocated)
When we visited Leeuwin Estate in August $260 for a dozen Art Series Rieslings across six years seemed like a reasonable way to build s small stock of older Rieslings while I waited for the stocks of Holm Oak and Grosset to round out. We've got through the '03 and '04 and this was the last of the...
Leeuwin Estate 2005 Art Series Riesling (4.5* 19 points $n/a) Near-sparkling pale gold, aromatic with developed Riesling character in spades through the nose and across the palate, youthful acids have rounded out into complex elegance with a lengthy finish. Delicious, and a powerdul argument for keeping a couple of bottles in the cellar (assuming you can keep your hands off them).
Tahbilk 2009 Mourvedre (Relocated)
The sugo alla bolognese recipe called for a cup of red wine, the resupply of the wine I usually use for such purposes is on a truck somewhere between here and Tahbilk, and so I reached for the last bottle in the Cellar Door Reds dozen.
Tahbilk 2009 Mourvedre (4* 16 points $15.45) Deep red, savoury note with some tobacco notes in there, full on the palate and rather attractive, but didn't impress as much as the 08. When the next box arrives I'll be putting this one aside for a hearty winter stew.
Tahbilk 2009 Tempranillo (Relocated)
With Tahbilk as my preferred source of everyday drinking wines (having started with the Everyday Drinking range and moved upmarket when finances allowed) this is close to the end of a box of the Cellar Door Reds selection, which is close to a steal at $160 freight free, and includes the rather good 1997 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tahbilk 2009 Tempranillo (4.5* 17.5 points $13.95) Deep, brooding red in the glass, tobacco and leather on the nose with savoury tannins I'd be right in line to reorder if it wasn't sold out, but there should be a bottle in the recently ordered Cellar Door Reds dozen. Memo to self: Watch for the 2011.
Brook Eden 2009 Pinot Noir (Relocated)
Beef Stroganoff usually has me reaching for the Pinot bottle, and though I remain a fence-sitter on the question of the varietal, the Brook Eden take on it works for me.
Brook Eden 2009 Pinot Noir (4.5* $?) Impressive medium-bodied style that continues the process of converting a Pinot-sceptic. Supple palate with cherry and berry overtones and soft tannins. Will need to be quick if looking to order as it won't be released until some time in 2011 and they only made 1900 bottles. Still, could definitely be tempted!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Baileys of Glenrowan 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Relocated)
Under normal circumstances I'm wary of the offshoots of the big corporates, but Baileys of Glenrowan occupies a special place in my personal wine iconography, thanks to the old HJT Liqueur Muscat, whichexplains the apparent inconsistency. I joined the 1870 Club because the freight free delivery would probably keep me in Liqueur Muscat and Tokay (along with thje odd bottle from Pfeiffers), but the 1904Block and 1920s Block Shiraz have found a niche in the wine fridge, and I may well be back for more of this one.
Baileys of Glenrowan 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (4.5* $25) Arrived as part of 1870s Club shipment, and presumably available cellar door or phone call only, since it doesn't appear on the website. Surprisingly soft (I was expecting something substantially bigger) fruit-driven style with smoothly rounded tannins and a very moreish mouth-feel. May not be one for the long haul, but could well be part of a reorder after I've tried the other three reds in the pack.
Tahbilk 2009 Cabernet Franc (Relocated)
Anyone looking for a source of everyday drinking wines that aren't the offspring of industrial scale production by multinational concerns could do a lot worse than Tahbilk, which offers freight free delivery along th eastern seaboard (handy when you live where I do) that's remarkably quick (I've had a Monday morning order delivered lunchtime Thursday). Whether the mixed dozen I ordered last night gets through as quickly in the current circumstances is, of course, problematic, but I wanted to get my hands on another bottle of this one, along with its cousin=brothers....
Tahbilk 2009 Cabernet Franc (4* $14.45) Predictably, given the genetic relation to Cab Sauv there are the regulation aromatic Cab notes on the nose. Across the palate it isn't an overly elegant wine, but at this price point elegance usually isn't an option. Still, there's a hint of it lurking there. Aromatic and spicy with varietal character it's got a certain raffish earthy charm. A pleasant little number that I'll be happy to revisit in the appropriate mixed dozen.
Brook Eden 2010 Riesling (Relocated)
Given my financial druthers I could well be persuaded to operate a two-house lifestyle, wintering in northern Queensland and spending the summer months somewhere like Tasmania's Tamar Valley, which would give me ready access to the likes of this rather classy Riesling without the arm and a leg $35/dozen for freight!
Brook Eden 2010 Riesling (4.5* 18.5 points $22.50) Pale straw, almost transparent in the glass, with generous notes on the nose and a crisp finish once the lime characters have passed over the palate. Very tasty lunchtime style and the rest of the bottle went down with last night's Thai style curry. Reorder (along with the Pinot Gris and Pinot Rose) duly placed.
Venturing into Vinturi (Relocated)
Back when I was starting off on the wine-drinking caper I was inclined to be dismissive of concepts like breathing, which probably sounds like heresy, but there's only so much room for improvement in a flagon of McWilliams Burgundy.
We moved upmarket from there, of course, but still, when you're quaffing the products of places that operate on an industrial scale and aim at the bulk end of the market in an environment where the effect is as important as the actual taste you're likely to ascribe the improvement in the glass to the Mental As Anything Nips Are Getting Bigger principle.
You know the one, the more you drink the larger the measures and the better it tastes.
Having finally reached the point where we've left that end of the market behind, however, 'Er Indoors and I have come to the conclusion that, yes, this breathing thing actually works the way they say it does, but there are difficulties, largely based around whether you can pre-plan your afternoon or evening's consumption.
That's reasonably straightforward when it's just the two of us, but if friends lob on the doorstep complications develop with alarming rapidity. For a start they invariably arrive with a bottle which they may or may not insist that I open there and then.
Under those circumstances you tend to be wary of opening a decent bottle of red well in advance of the advertised arrival time because you may not actually be getting to it that afternoon. An encounter with Jimbo on the morning walk some two months ago put paid to those concerns in one fell swoop.
Prior to the encounter I'd already seen, heard and tasted the results of a Vinturi Wine Aerator, and the experience had inflicted unexpected pain on the credit card, so I was familiar with the concept.
The Houghton C.W. Ferguson is, however, several notches above what Jimbo and I usually sample, so I was interested in his impressions. I had a birthday in the offing, and was in a position to be afford the odd extravagance, particularly if it was going to add to the enjoyment of a glass or two.
The response was along the lines of, yes, it definitely makes a difference and takes the rough edges off an el cheapo red and the result is an enhancement in the wines bouquet, flavour across the palate and finish. An order was placed and the little devil arrived via courier with appropriate rapidity.
We've done the regulation experimental procedure several times since then, first because we wanted to see the difference for ourselves and subsequently because we've had company and wanted to show off a bit.
The fact that one such occasion coincided with Angry arriving with a bottle of Hanwood Merlot which he was most insistent on opening had a bit to do with it, but if you've got something like a Vinturi you might as well flaunt it.
So we've had three or four occasions where a bottle has been opened, a control half glass poured, and a similar quantity Vinturi'd for whoever happens to be in the vicinity. The invariable response has been along the lines outlined above, so for my money this is a device worth trying, or at least considering as a birthday or Christmas present for someone who you know is a wine drinker.
So how, I hear you ask in your relentless search for knowledge, does it work? Well it's rather simple, really, all that's involved is a simple application of the Bernoulli principle, which you're doubtless familiar with from your High School physics.
Oh, yeah, I hear you day, me and Bernoulli's Principle were like that back in the day...
In any case, it works using some of the same principles that automotive engineers use designing racing cars to take advantage of differences in wind speed above and below the ca. The same principles also apply inside the engines.
But I digress.
The Vinturi is an application of the Venturi effect (Vinturi/Venturi geddit?) and the device is a funnel with two narrow holes drilled at right angles to the apex of the upside down not quite triangular funnel. The wine goes in the top, the curvature inside creates a vortex as it makes its way through the funnel and the vortex draws the oxygen in to aerate the wine, take off the rough edges, smooth the tannins and deliver an all-round better drinking experience.
Mileages, of course, may vary, but we've had 100% agreement that the thing works. You might not need one if you've got a cellar full of properly matured Grange that's reached the optimal drinking window, but for us lesser mortals it's a gadget that's definitely worth a look.
The slurping sound as the wine goes through is, of course, an added bonus.
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