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.

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