tasting notes

Last week I had a visit from Shane Smith of Cardinham Estate Wines of the Clare Valley.  This little family-run winery has been scoring some significant runs lately including the trophy and title 'Best Riesling in the World' at the International Riesling Challenge in Canberra this year.  Quite an accomplishment for a winery that is entirely estate grown and 30% dry grown!!

The family established the winery in 1981 incorporating some vineyards that date back to the 1860's.  Everyone is involved in the operation including brothers Shane and Scott Smith, sister 
Tamara and 6 assorted children.  They completed a new winery in 2006 and have been going from strangth to strength.  I was bale to taste the current release Riesling, Sangiovese, Rose and Shiraz and was lucky enough to have a look at the 2003 Riesling that won the title.

2009 Cardinham Estate Riesling

A lovely refreshing Riesling with the characteristic floral nose.  Zippy acidity and a crisp green apple finish make ths a wonderful partner gulf seafood and summer salads.  Interestingly, it has little of the Clare Valley minerality that can make those wines a bit aggressive in youth.  This one has an embracing chorus of quince and violets that make you want to go back for a second and third glass (one of my main criteria when judging a wine).  Classy and great value at $16.99 ($15.29 for members)

2003 Museum Release Riesling

The title 'Best Riesling oin the World' is a serious claim and this is a wine that lives up to the hype.  It is magnificent.  Masses of fresh acidity show the value of the stelvin closure, and keep this wine taqsting fresh and crisp.  The aging process has concentrated the floral notes and the emergence of secondary flavours creates a complexity that is beguiling.  If the '09 is a well crafted pop anthem, then this is a full-blown symphony.  A delight with so much to offer that I couldn't get enough of it.  Enjoy with the most complex food flavours, it will ferret out the suble nuances of both the wine and food!  $44.99 ($40.49 for members)

2006 Sangiovese

Sangiovese is developing an unfortunate reputation as the wimpy half-brother in the Australian red wine family.  Nothing worse than suffering through the  thin, tannic and boring examples that crop up every now and then.  THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.  The rich, dark colour promises something more and it delivers on the palate.  Yes, it is tannic and savoury.  Yes, it is 'lighter' than a blunt Barossa Shiraz.  But it is anything but boring.  Dark and sour cherries bound up in a spicey, smokey blend, this wine is ideal with tapas (or anti pasto).  A great savoury style without the bludgeoning effect of new oak.

2006 Shiraz

Classic Clare Shiraz here.  Spicey peppery notes balanced with berry flavours.  Again, sympathetic oak treatment lets the wine show its friut and tannin balance.  The perfect wood-oven pizza wine with spice, cedar and fine tannins in sync with the fresh fruit and warming alcohol.  Imagine at sunset with a 'Quattro Fromaggio'.

Bruce and I recently had the opportunity to taste the Massena range and I am pleased to report that we will be stocking five of their wines.

Massena is a Barossa Valley venture by winemakers Dan Standish and Jaysen Collins with the aim of producing “warm, rich and generous wines” while advocating minimal intervention from the vineyards to the table.

The winemakers have produced a very impressive range. Although they are indeed warm and generous, these wines represent a very contemporary Barossa-style – lovely rich fruit supported by an elegance and complexity which is consistent across the wines.

Massena Wines constitute part of the Artisans of Barossa collective. All of the wines I’ve tasted from this range (many of which we currently stock, all of which we can stock on request) are notable for their elegance and fruit purity.

Typically the range features wines made from low-yielding old vines which present winemakers with the opportunity to guide the vineyards into the bottle rather than impart too much of their own character on the grapes in the form of heavy-handed oak or chemical trickery.

A very pleasing feature of wines made from old vines is that the wines taste more developed at a younger age. A great example of this is the Kalleske Clarrys 2008 which is drinking beautifully already.

Small batch winemaking allows the producers the opportunity to dictate the timing of their grape harvest and keep in control of winemaking procedures. This reduces the need to compromise the flavour/texture balancing act which is often demanded of larger producers with more pressing commercial interests and quotas to satisfy.  Massena Wines have definitely got the balance right and I am confident that the collective approach to marketing is also part of a winning formula.

For more information visit:

http://www.massena.com.au/

http://www.artisansofbarossa.com/?content=1

2007 Rose (grenache/mataro/cinsault/petit syrah)

This an amazing Australian rose – made in the French style with the expectation it will still be drinking well in ten years. Interesting, inviting nose and an incredible burst of flavour and texture on the palate. Dry but with some medicinal sweetness leading into a really long finish. 

2008 The Surly Muse Viognier

Viognier is a variety that can get very oily and flabby if over-ripe and resultant wines can be pretty unpleasant. This is not one of those wines. Nice varietal stonefruit notes on the nose; tight, fresh and firm on the palate. Richness without oilyness and another long finish. A blend of Lyndoch, Kalimna and Eden Valley fruit, half picked early, half later, half stored in tank, half in older French barrels, this is a beauty.

2008 Barbera

This wine is unwooded, fermented with natural (rather than commercially cultivated) yeast, natural tannin, with no acid added. It’s an amazing wine - Italian sophistication providing the framework, the richness of Barossa Valley fruit filling up the guts. A beautifully perfumed nose with rich vegetative notes pushing through. Huge fruit but lovely acid and tannin leading into the long finish. Strong cherry notes – ripe and slightly under-ripe flavours, juicy and tart at the same time. Absolutely delicious.

2006 Moonlight Run Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro/Cinsault

A big, earthy nose broods like a thunderstorm but leads into a lovely soft and ripe palate with present but gentle tannins. Lingering spice reminiscent of chilli chocolate.

2007 Eleventh Hour Shiraz

Classic contemporary Barossa shiraz – big, bold and delicious with fine, elegant tannins. 

I recently had the pleasure of tasting some Lucy Margaux Vineyards wines from Basket Range in the Adelaide Hills with winemaker Anton van Klopper. He's a very interesting chap – arriving straight from the vineyards, dirty hands and all, a world away from the smooth salesman we often see spruiking wines, and full of great information on grape farming and natural wine production.

The Lucy Margaux philosophy is to produce unique and interesting wines which truly reflect the vines and dirt from whence they come - natural winemaking, biodynamic farming, no fertilisers, pesticides or irrigation and absolutely minimum sulphur addition. The resultant wines are stunning. The lack of filtration and fining results in wine which, although less clear (or sterile) than most of its contemporaries, is more than amply compensated by depth and purity of flavour. Filters take out good stuff too. The packaging is outstanding - the handmade labels really stand out from the crowd – and we are very excited to have these the wines in our store.  

 2008 Monomeith Pinot Noir
This wine is beautiful - pure, clean fruit with classic pinot characters showing through with rhubarb and cherry flavours. The finish is very long with a smooth tannic grip holding on for minutes after tasting.
One of three single vineyard pinots, the grapes in this wine receive morning sunshine. The result, according to Anton, is a wine which shows more berry flavours than the Little Creek Pinot (unfortunately sold out) which as a result of its afternoon sunbath displays more leather, cigar-box and tobacco aromas.

In-store now at $47.99 a bottle

 2008 Domaine Lucci Pinot Noir
This is a second-tier wine and a blend of pressings from the other three pinots. It's not quite as smooth as the Monomeith but still very clean and full of pure pinot fruit characters with another really long finish. Delicious, and if it hadn't followed the Monomeith it would have been even more impressive.

In-store now at $32.99 a bottle

 2008 Domaine Lucy Red Blend
This is Anton's attempt at making a blended table wine in the Southern Rhone style (traditionally shiraz, grenache, mourvedre based wines) out of Burgundy and Bordeaux grape varieties (petit verdot, merlot, cabernet, pinot noir) available at an accessible price point. The result is an incredibly interesting wine and fantastic value. Great range of flavours and superb texture - a perfect match for gourmet vegetarian pizza.

In-store now at $19.99

Check out www.lucymargauxvineyards.com for more information.

Tell your friends to stop drinking so much Sauv Blanc and Shiraz and try something different!

Considering that Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are two of the most commonly planted varieties on the planet it is sometimes confusing as a retailer to see so many good bottles gathering dust while so many savvies and shirazes fly off the shelves. Now, I'm as susceptible as the next person to the charms of a fresh, racy Sauv Blanc on a sunny afternoon with its inviting aromatics and sultry wash of acidity. And I love the gluggability some of our rich ripe South Australian reds have to offer. But as autumn wears on and we start to see some cooler evenings here's hoping the cabs and chardies get a run.
Part of their appeal to me is what they can offer as food matches, and regular EU customers will know that's what we're all about. So in an attempt to facilitate the transition towards these wines, here are some tried and tested recipes to match:

Anita's Ol' Favourite:
Slice up a punnet's worth of cherry tomatoes, and roast for half an hour or so at 160 degrees, cut side up, with a handful of garlic cloves, oil and salt and pepper. Leave the outer layer of skin on the garlic cloves but make sure each clove has some oil on it.
While preparing the pasta of your choice, peel the roasted garlic and cut up. Crumble up some fetta (whichever fetta you prefer - i like greek best and think reduced fat fetta tastes like rubber), chop up whatever herbs you have at hand (thyme, rosemary, basil - although I think basil tends to dominate everything too much) and mix it all together with the cooked pasta.
So easy, so delicious. Best eaten while the sun is still shining with a golden glass of unwooded chardonnay such as the Johnston 2008. The subtle acids of the wine are strengthened by the stronger acid content form the cherry tomatoes, the fetta adds creaminess and texture to the full mouthfeel offered by the wine and the starch from the pasta binds it all together.

Spaghetti alla Bere Bere:
This recipe is lifted from the fantastic cookbook Food To Drink To and tastes best when the sun is down and the evenings are getting colder.
Finely slice six rashers of bacon and six slices of pancetta. Fry up in some oil til the pan starts to brown. Add a finely chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes or so making sure not to burn anything. Add a clove or two of chopped garlic then a can of peeled tomatoes and a splash of water. Cook as slowly as possible with the lid slightly ajar - I like to cook it for at least an hour, stirring once in a while. Cook up the spaghetti and just before serving stir through the sauce a hearty dollop of pesto and the same of butter, then mix in the spaghetti and serve with some parmesan.
This dish is perfectly suited to cabernet sauvignon, especially a young one which is still showing some firm tannins, but the wine has to be ripe. Under-ripe cabernet with associated "green" flavours is unpleasant at any time and will detract from the deliciousness of this dish. The Sticks No.29 Cabernet would provide a perfect match - fine but strong tannins to cut through the grease from the piggy fat and lovely ripe fruit to balance the richness of the sauce.

Grapes of Ross Ruby Tuesday Rose 2008:
A blend of shiraz and sangiovese produces this outstanding rose, recently crowned best rose at the Barossa Wine Show. The light pink hue belies quite a savoury nose and a very interesting wine. To taste it starts off big and fresh leading into a hint of tannin mid-palate, then a wash of sweet fruit which is followed by another wave of flavour to finish dry. Unexpectedly interesting and delicious.

In store now @ $19.99

Sticks Yarra Valley No. 29 Pinot 2006:
This wine won the Best Australian Pinot award at the Melbourne Wine Show. It's easy to see how it would stand out in line-up of pinots - the fruit is so clean with fresh red fruit aromas jumping out of the glass. In the mouth it's elegant, very silky and all those lovely fresh fruit aromas carry through with precision. The finish is long and refined with a lovely soft spice. Lovers of damp, earthy pinot notes might have to wait a few years to see if they emerge.

In store now @ $37.99

Sticks No. 29 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006:
I'd never tasted a Yarra Valley Cabernet before and was a bit sceptical that the fruit would ripen well enough but was delighted to taste this wine. A lovely nose, rich and inviting supported by delicious ripe fruit and fine but strong tannins. Notes of violets and varietal cassis but not a hint of greenness. Rounded out with a lovely long finish, this wine is a privilege to drink and a great lesson in removing preconceptions of what a region has to offer.

In store now @ $34.99

Johnston Unwooded Chardonnay 2008:
A mineral flintiness is offset by honeydew melon-like riper fruit notes on the nose. On the palate it's fresh and tight with beautifully balanced acidity but retaining lovely fruit notes of white peach and nectarine. Easy drinking on its own but provides a superb accompaniment to Anita's Ol' Favourite pasta dish.

In store now @$18.99