Cullen 2009 Mangan

The invitation that brought Warbo and the Dragon Lady to the LHoC last night was, I must admit, a calculated move to kick off what's intended to be a serious assault on the quality end of the stock on hand in these parts over the Festive Season.

We've got 'em here, and as far as Hughesy's concerned, it's a matter of finding a suitable excuse to drink 'em.

One of the first things I did when we started out on the retirement bit was to start keeping a record of the wine expenditure, since finances weren't exactly tight, but they weren't going to allow massive extravagance either.

I like my bottle of wine at night, don't mind a glass with lunch, want something interesting to sip and was, at the time, working on a $10/bottle budget.

The spreadsheet started with a selection from the Tahbilk Everyday Drinking Range back in March 2007, and now, more than four and a half years later, with the most recent entry $180 for a six pack of Hay Shed Hill 2011 Block 1 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, the long term average per bottle is still under $11.50 ($11.33 if you want to be pernickety).

We end up, in other words, with plenty of budget priced selections in these parts, but we've got a good range of bottles further up the price range, and we need excuses to open same.

Visitors are one, the Festive Season is a second, and there'll be a flurry of blog activity in these parts as Hughesy mounts a valiant attempt to move boxes off the office floor. Along the way there'll be a few wines like this little beauty which, trust me, I would luurve to be able to afford as an everyday drinking prospect.

The 2009, sampled at the winery a bit over a year ago, left me speechless, and that was before I got to the Diana Madeline.

Mangan for everyday drinking, a case of Diana Madeline for special occasions, and unlimited temperature controlled storage…

Well, a man's allowed to dream, isn't he?

Cullen 2009 Mangan (5/5 $45) Malbec (63% for fruit and colour), Petit Verdot (27% for the length and texture) and Merlot (10% for the structure) blend that, according to Mr Halliday, approximates a pre-phylloxera Bordeaux. Deep red in the glass, berries and oak across the sinuses and a palate that runs on and on. There's a characteristic subtlety that runs through the Cullen wines that would have you (or at least me) scrabbling for superlatives if you weren't so busy drinking. A rich, savoury wine that demands far more restraint that Hughesy can deliver. Definite evaporation problem here…

Cullen 2009 Margaret River Red

I'm not sure what motivates the rest of the blogoverse, but as far as I'm concerned the Little House of Concrete family of sites gives me a means of keeping track of what I've drunk, read and listened to, what I thought and, maybe, the chance to interact with people with similar interests.  While there have been over a thousand hits on the Wine Rack and Music blogs, there haven't been too many comments, which is fine, since I haven't been too active in commenting on any of the thirty-something blogs I follow.

Keeping track of things is particularly important where the Wine Rack is concerned, and from time to time there's a bottle which brings all of the major considerations into focus, and although those considerations mightn't apply to anybody else, sorting them out in my own mind is an important part of the whole box and dice.

This little bracket of wines bring a couple of those considerations into fairly clear focus.

For a start, back when we were investigating the economics of retirement and formulating a budget I figured a long term average price of $10 per bottle was about what I could afford. Things have changed over the intervening years, particularly after I'd finished paying off the house, and we're now looking towards $20 as the average, though the sheer quantity of relatively cheap wine I've bought over the years has the average well below $12.

The changed circumstances mean that I can now start looking at wines I wouldn't have considered a couple of years ago, which then becomes a consideration when you're making up your mind about what goes in the box.

Do you, for example, get a dozen selected from the top of the range or do you work across the price points?

That's not such a major consideration when you're looking at Grosset, for example, when the bottom of the range is just under the $30 mark, but when you're looking at Cullens, you can balance some of the $100 top level with a $20 entry level.

Then there's the question of when you're actually going to drink them. I'm hardly likely to be opening a bottle of Rockford Basket Press to go with stak, mashed spuds and peas on a Saturday night, am I?

Actually, it's be nice to think that I could, but the harsh light of reality rules that out.

There's also a definite place for something that's relatively lightly weighted in the Alc/Vol Stakes, particularly wen you're looking at a bottle over lunch that won't leave you totally stonkered for the rest of the afternoon.

Given the northern environment and the relatively limited cellaring capacity, there's a tendency to go for wines that are short- to medium-term prospects rather than something that you might be looking at holding onto until the 2020s.

We get two seasons in these parts (I've labelled them hot and not) and with the temperature starting to climb as we head into September the subject of summer drinking is always lurking in the back of the mind, and we're always looking for reddish wines that are either lighter bodied or will handle a stint in the fridge.

For all those reasons I was particularly looking forward to trying the Cullen 2009 Margaret River Red and White, both sitting on the 12% mark, that I'd thought were eminently drinkable and rated as 4.5* I really need to buy this when we visited the winery about twelve months ago.

Making up the order, I'd used both as the basis of mixed cases, with four of the MR Red and the Cab Merlot, three Mangans and a single Diana Madeleine comprising the red portion of the order. After trying this one, however, I'm not sure I'll be using the same mix next time around. 3.5 on the scale equates to I could buy this though I'm still open to persuasion.

Cullen 2009 Margaret River Red (3.5* $20) Bright red in the glass, fresh aromas through the nose, balanced and medium bodied across the palate, but I felt there was something missing, and it's more than likely something to do with the 12% alc/vol, though the change from the previous year's Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec/Merlot/Petit Verdot/Cabernet Franc blend to 80% Merlot 15% Malbec and a dash of Petit Verdot might account for the disparity between the 4.5* '08 and this one. Still, there are another three bottles left that might change my mind, and one of the little devils will definitely be going in the fridge for a short spell...

Fermoy Estate 2008 Yallingup Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

There are times when you find yourself scratching the noggin and wondering what happened to that stuff you know you've got here somewhere but isn't where it ought to be. I was sure that I'd filed everything from the winery side of the Western Australia trip last year in separate folders in the filing cabinet, but when I went checking a minor detail there was no sign of a folder dedicated to material from Fermoy Estate.

There should, by rights, be a scribbled page of notes that produced the tasting notes and impressions noted here, but I was hoping for a price list or something similar that would verify that the wine I'd assessed as a bit young but had things in place to improve with age had the words Yallingup Vineyard on the label. Assuming it did, ten months or so has seen things fall into place rather nicely.

There are plenty of places to visit when you're wandering around Margaret River, even if you've decided to limit yourself to the places James Halliday has allocated five stars, and the decision to add Fermoy Estate to the list was partly based on Mr Halliday's rating, partly prompted by an assessment that they were happy to keep a relatively low profile, however difficult that may be given the quality of the wines and partly by the establishment's proximity to Cullen Wines on a day where the itinerary was centred around a tasting and lunch at Cullens before hitting the road to head back towards Perth.

Getting orders in to everywhere you want to buy from is rather tricky when you've got an extensive list of places you want to buy from, limited storage space and a diplomatic need to limit the number of cases in front of the wine rack.

There are, however, some offers you can't refuse, and dozens of the Fermoy 2009 Yallingup Vineyards Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and 2009 Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc for $180 all-up including $30 freight was too good to miss, given the fact that Hallidayy had rated both at the 93 mark. I hadn't been quite so taken with a 4/5 rating, but then again at $7.50 a bottle you can afford to take a punt and prove yourself wrong.

In any case (actually, in both cases) I thought that the wines would go down well with the Merry frockster's lady friend, so a we'll go halves arrangement was fairly easy to negotiate.

Suffice it to say she liked them enough to save them for special occasions, so that when the end of the financial year offer from Fermoy had what looked like the 2010 equivalents a phone call was enough to ensure we were backing up for a restocking exercise.

You can't start on the whites until you can get 'em into the fridge, so I thought a good starting point this time around would be the...

Fermoy Estate 2008 Yallingup Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (4.5* $20, sale $10) Dark red with purple notes in the glass, subtly pronounced cabernet character on the nose with some plummy merlot in there as well, berry flavours across the palate with ripe firmly rounded tannins and a lingering finish this 70% cabernet blend hit the spot rather nicely and left me regretting the fact that I only ended up with half a dozen. Somehow I doubt that I'll be able to reorder at the sale price.

Olssens of Watervale 2006 The Second Six

They don't make 'em like that any more. They can't get the wood, y'know.

Or, I suspect, in this case the Carmenère.

I've written elsewhere about the circumstances that brought us to the Olssens of Watervale cellar door, but it's worth reiterating that the drive is the sort of thing that's likely to deter any but the most determined traveller.

The continued absence of a website seems almost inexplicable in the twenty-first century and it took a while for an order to go in, but given the fact that a consultation with Mr Halliday's tome revealed a range that largely sat in the $20-$30 bracket and was consistently rated in the 93-94 range I was always going to get there eventually.

The highlight of the visit to the cellar door was my encounter with The Olssen Six, one of the few examples of a Bordeaux blend to feature all six of the classic Bordeaux varieties. There are others that go close - the Cullen Diana Madeline being one notable example - but four out of six or five out of six ain't six out of six. You're not going to get that perfect six unless you can lay your hands on some Carmenère, and it seems, from what I can gather, that there are a mere half-dozen or so vineyards in Australia where the variety is grown.

I've still got five bottles of The Six lurking in the cellar fridge with the next rendezvous with one pencilled in for some time around 2014. My note from the bottle we sampled in October 2010 reads:

Olssens of Watervale 2006 The Olssen Six (5/5 $60) Possibly unique blend of  Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Carmenère and Petit Verdot. From the first whiff there's a considerable Wow! factor. Intense, focussed, layered and elegant, a wine to savour at length and leisure.

At around $30 cheaper, its little brother doesn't have quite the same depth but there's plenty on offer here as well.

Olssens of Watervale 2006 The Second Six (4.5/5 $28) Deeply red in the glass, with complex notes across the nose and an acrobatic balance of red and black fruits across the palate this doesn't pack quite the same punch as its sibling but comes across as well weighted with a pleasing depth of flavour and a lengthy finish which, again, encourages the drinker to take some time over the end of the bottle.

Pfeiffer 2006 Merlot

Previous comments about the Pfeiffer C2 Club and the reluctance to upgrade to the three-shipment version came back to haunt me when I went looking for pricing details for this very food-friendly little number. I might have been inclined to line up for another bottle or two, but it was nowhere to be found, though I did note that there were Museum Releases of the '08 Merlot and the '06 Cabernet in the July dozen, which I won't be getting.

Given the fact that I write up these notes to help me sort out what I want in the next shipment from the winery you might question the point of carrying out the exercise for a Special Members Only Museum Release that won't be more widely available, but there's an anorak mentality lurking back there that prompts me to keep a record just in case I want to look at one of these from a more recent vintage as a short term cellaring prospect.

Pfeiffer 2006 Merlot (4.5* $n/a) Deep purple red with berry notes across the nose and into the palate, where they're matched by oaky tannins there's a depth to this that made it a versatile style with a lengthy finish that worked well with a steak but would work equally well in other settings.

Pfeiffer 2004 Merlot

While I've been tempted to move from the C2 version of the Pfeiffer Wine Club to the C3 equivalent, which means an additional mixed dozen every year, but that extra dozen is a bridge too far as far as quantities from a particular winery is concerned.

Three dozen with a fourth when we stock up on the Gamay and whatever else has caught the eye is, after all, a substantial chunk out of the thirty-something dozen we're looking at buying each year when we're looking to buy from around twenty wineries.

Declining the three shipment option means that there's always going to be the odd wine we miss trying since it has only appeared in that third shipment, but on the other hand if it means that the Pfeiffers need to throw the odd museum release in to fill out the three dozens that's fine with me.

Take this 2004 Merlot for example.

Given the preponderance of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz at the notional quality end of the Australian market we tend to forget that we're talking about the variety that dominates the Bordeaux blends in St. Emilion and Pomerol. That's probably understandable when you look at the quantities of industrially produced Riverland Merlot that ends up on the el cheapo shelves at your local liquor outlet. It tends to be a drinkers' variety rather than one for the collector or connoisseur, so it's always a pleasure to get a reminder of how well the variety can come up when it's handled properly.

Pfeiffer 2004 Merlot (4.5* $n/a) Medium bodied with floral notes on the nose and rounded earthy tannins across the palate there's plenty to savour here and I'd be inclined to grab an extra bottle or two if it was Gamay-ordering time which, unfortunately it isn't (yet). There's a lush mouth feel that works well with a roast (beef in this case, though it'd go well with lamb) and there's a fair dash of leather and cigar box for after dinner as well.

Lerida Estate 2008 Merlot Cabernet Franc

They say you should never look a gift horse in the mouth, but there are times in this wine drinking game when you have to do something very close to it.

An email in the in tray a week ago advised that, having entered my details on the Lerida Estate mailing list I was this month's lucky winner of a complimentary bottle of wine.

Nice, I thought at the time. That'll help me sport out the order when it goes in.

Given the size of the operation (5000 cases according to Halliday) a range of five whites, the same number of reds and three in the Rose style is going to be a bit tricky to fit into a mixed dozen, assuming, of course, that you're looking at one of each.

Having sampled the 2008 Merlot Cabernet Franc has simplified matters.

Lerida Estate 2008 Merlot Cabernet Franc (4* $29.50) The 80% Merlot definitely comes through on the nose, and there's nicely integrated oak and fine tannins across the palate, combining to produce a wine that'seasy to drink and extremely food friendly with savoury notes and a lengthy finish. As a reorder prospect, however, the price tag (at least for my money) doesn't match what's on offer in the glass.

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.