Posted in Wine Reviews, tagged 2004, blackberries, bottle fermentation, brick red, bubbles, bubbly, Charmat, chicken, duck, energetic, hunter valley, intense, light, lively, Methode Champenoise, modest, palate, plumminess, Red, red capsicum, refined, smokiness, Sparkling, Sparkling Shiraz, structure, tannins, turkey, varietal character, varieties, wine, yeast lees on June 20, 2010 |
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Lighter in colour and style than I expected. A refined wine with a modest structure, but good varietal character. Energetic and lively when first poured, the colour is brick red with a chestnut hue. The label mentions “time spent on yeast lees” – but the size of the bubbles tells me they are not likely talking about bottle fermentation. All the same it is a gracious example of a Sparkling Red, and I have no qualms about Charmat sparkling wines.
Rich in flavour, leather, smokiness and blackberries with a sweet oven roasted red capsicum and cinnamon spice. Sweeter breadth of fruits add a real plumminess sweep over the palate, enhanced by the tantalising bubbles. The firmness of the slight tannins compose the mouth feel and it finishes balanced and dry. A good structured wine but not overly intense, and a nice wine to compliment poultry such as turkey or duck. I served it with Roast portuguese styled chicken and baked winter veg, and this highlighted the intense fruit in the wine.
A good light hearted take on a Sparkling Red and a great example of why we should all break the old world wine rules.
13% al/vol, Cork seal, Ashamedly, I have no idea how this came to be in my collection. On http://www.oliomio.com.au/Stormy_Ridge_Wine.html it is listed as $29 per bottle.
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Posted in Wine Reviews, tagged 2004, Allandale, approachable, aromatic, Australia, blackcurrants, bottle maturation, capsicum, careful cellaring, Christmas mince pies, dark, expressions, fleshy, herbaceous, hunter valley, jammy, layers, lovely, maroon, McLaren Vale, mellowed, oak, old vine, on the nose, oxygenation, pears, plums, poached pears, review, rhubarb, rich, rosewood, savoury, Shiraz, spicy, stewed fruits, wine on June 18, 2010 |
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A darker maroon coloured wine, which is showing some maturation with rosewood reflections. Rich and almost jammy, the palate displays stewed fruits including plums and rhubarb. Blackcurrants mingle with spice and its all a bit like Christmas mince pies. Tannins have lightly settled with bottle maturation and even for me – careful cellaring. Although I daresay it should go down longer. But what can I say? I like the kick in the teeth of a younger wine.
On the nose – layers of oak reminiscent of pencil shavings and sawdust. These mingle with spicy savoury herbaceous expressions a bit like green capsicum. The last whiff comes across with more oxygenation and this time its sweet. I want to say plums, but really it reminds me of poached pears, kind of aromatic.
Developing into a lovely, approachable wine – attenuated yet agreeable in structure. The finish is long, fleshy yet mellowed. Cellar for a further 3+ years if you can wait that long.
14% al/vol, screw seal, I acquired this after a Christmas time wine swap a few years back. 2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz is currently listed as $25 per bottle.
I really appreciate vineyards that source from out of region. Some people are quite offended by breaking the old fashioned laws of appelation but I think its sensible – especially for the Hunter Valley where every second red crop is blatantly ruined by being too close to the coast. More than half of the wine produced in the Hunter Valley is grown out of region and most people wouldn’t know. Some find it hard to accept this. EMBRACE REGIONALITY but dont be a regional snob!
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