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McLaren Vale Wine – Tintara (part 1)

Saturday, 03 March 2012 17:02
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It has been a couple of years and a couple of ownership changes so I thought it was time to check out this iconic McLaren Vale winery.

In the last couple of years this once major player in the McLaren Vale wine scene has been stripped of it’s unique position with the 2010 vintage this 9,000 t winery only processed 500 t and leaving many grape growers high and dry.  I am very glad to hear that under new management this years vintage they are looking to process around 2,000 t.  My love of McLaren Vale Grenache also made me interested to see that there was no Grenache on their tasting list and even more horrified that their 2007 Reserve Grenache was being sold as a Cleanskin for a considerable markdown on the previous $70 price tag.  So it looks like a bit of a claw back still for this wonderfully placed facility.

Tintara Road Sign

I was also ready to see a new range called HRB or Herritage Reserve Bin.  This range is interesting as the winemaker is given the opportunity to work with premium fruit from different Australian wine regions and use them in blends to produce the best wines possible.  This makes me interested in these multi regional blends and I am sure this helps give interesting work for the winemakers.

Hardys HRB D644 2010 Riesling ($A33)

Made from both Clare and Tasmanian fruit and showed some class straight away.  There were aromas of minerality and lemon rind with flavors of classical Riesling – lemons and steely acid (that minerality again).  The finish was softer than I thought it would have with the acids involved – then it hit me.  The acids are somewhat masked with a small amount of residual sugar.  A number of people have remarked to me recently that the strong acid finish put them off Riesling.  A number of people seem to expect that Riesling is also sweet.  In this case the wine has elements of both that would make the wine appealing to many.  I was one of that many!

Hardys Oomoo 2011 Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

This Adelaide Hills wine that has only been released for about a month was the surprise white wine for me.  If I was asked to make a guess where this wine was from I would have thought it was from Margaret River in Western Australia.  This wine has a lot of the  characteristics I remember from my days checking out Semillon Sauvignon Blancs from this southern WA region.  Green apple aromas with a little tropical juice leads to flavors of grassy (hence the Semillon reference) and some passionfruit.  At this price the Sauvignon Blanc drinkers around should really check this one out.

Hardys Oomoo 2008 Chardonnay ($A18)

Another Adelaide Hills offering that has had some oak treatment – but not too much.  Peachy aromas with a smattering of nutty oak mirror the flavors.  The oak was not overwhelming and added the complexity Chardonnay really needs.  Should be available at many outlets – at this price what not.

Hardys HRB D648 2009 Chardonnay ($A33)

A Pemberton and Adelaide Hills blend shows significant elegance with peach and ginger dominating both the palate and nose.  Quite a classy wine that has Burgundian qualities where fruit is not the driving quality but a sense of terroir.  The use of oak is again very clever and I would recommend this wine very highly to those that like Chardonnay but also to those that say they do not like Chardonnay and need a Chardy lesson.

Reynella 16 year old Rare Old Tawny

A classy wine that comes from the blending stocks of Chateau Reynella.  A large number of classy fortified wines have come from this stable consistently for decades.  This wine does not disappoint with a mouthful of spiced raisins with a subtle nuttiness that just fills the mouth with each sip.  There must be plenty of acid with the wine as even though there is significant sugar with each bit the mouth is cleansed and ready for the next installment.  I have seen this available for about $20 and thinks it is a steal at this price.

Next week I will review the Tintara red wines.

McLaren Vale Wine – Pertaringa Undressed

Sunday, 12 February 2012 19:15
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Why Pertaringa Undressed I hear you ask – well last weekend was the first time I am aware of that Pertaringa had all the cleanskins that they have available for tasting at  their cellar door

Pertaringa Cellar Door

The cleanskins were a range from 3 areas – McLaren Vale (of course), Langhorne Creek and Adelaide Hills.  Pertaringa is now 100% owned by Geoff Hardy, who also owns the K1 complex in the Adelaide Hills plus a significant vineyard in Langhorne Creek.  This vineyard includes planting of many alternate or maybe better in calling them emerging varieties.  It seems that Geoff Hardy is putting his passion into continuous improvement into practice.

Sure these wines will not win medals but there was a number of happy faces at the tasting thinking out the value for money.

The full list of wines and carton prices were:-

2010 McLaren Vale Riesling ($A85)

The lime and citrus peel that the variety usually provides – softer in acid than my palate demands.

2010 Limestone Coast Verdelho ($A85)

Peachy and watermelon notes.  A bargin quoffer.

2011 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($A95)

Floral, tropical notes with some fresh grass.  A big yes for the Sauvy drinkers out there.

2011 Langhorne Creek Rousanne ($A120)

My pick of the whites – aromas that we’re flowers wrapped in bacon and the flavors of stone fruit with a hint of sherbet.

2011 Adelaide Hills Rose ($A95)

Made from Merlot and smelt of the non-chocolate part of a cherry ripe.  It was a bit sweet but the acid levels madesure the sugar was washed away with each mouthful.

2007 Langhorne Creek Ruby Cabernet ($A80)

Smokey plums with soft but drying tannins.  A softer everyday drinking style.

2005 Pertaringa Reserve Shiraz ($A160)

Past it’s best.

2006 Premium Cabernet Tempranillo ($A150)

Earthyness and forest floor of the Tempranillo mixed with the berries of the Cabernet.  A lively blend that was the surprise of the red wines.

2008 Shiraz Cabernet ($A85)

Good everyday drinking with violets and berries (including blackcurrents).  Again the acid levels are hear that gives the wine some body.

2010 Limestone Coast Shiraz ($A95)

Juicy plums with not a lot of tannins.

2009 Shiraz Viognier ($A110)

There was a little lift from the Viognier but it was not overdone.  For those that like a little white in their reds then give this a try.

2009 Premium McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A110)

A bit of a step up from the other Shiraz wines.  A Shiraz one could drink anytime.

2007 Petit Verdot ($A95)

Plums with a violet chaser.  Good tannins and balance.

2009 Premium McLaren Vale Petit Verdot ($A110)

Worth the extra money!  We should show this wine to more people so they understand wines from this variety.  Plums, blackcurrents with a hint of florals.  Softer than I expected and I believe it would surprise a few people.

 

McLaren Vale Wine – Genders Wines

Sunday, 05 February 2012 23:24
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For a number of years I have been unashamedly a fan of Genders Wines in McLaren Vale.  The whole of the vineyard and winery work is undertaken by the one and only Dianna Genders.  When one finds out about her heritage you just know there is McLaren Vale wine flowing through her veins.  On her mothers side there is the Pridmore line – the first female winemaker in the Vale.  Her father planted grapes and a few wonderful King Charles Oaks on the property next to the McLaren Vale sports grounds.  One of the vine clones is just known as the “Genders Shiraz Clone”.  Dianna’s father was somewhat of an innovator where he introduced the first tractor into the vineyards (instead of horses) and the first mechanical pruner to do most of the pruning work.  From the outside the winery looks like it was deserted and run down.  A number of people indicate they did not even know there is a winery there.

Dianna’s wine making philosophy looks toward keeping small volumes of grapes separate in the winery to allow maximum opportunity for blending options. As Dianna does all the vineyard work she understands every vine on the property.  There is 3 varieties planted – Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes are not crushed but de-stemmed.  The winery also has the first 2 prototypes of the Potter Fermenters, so there is a sense of history here as well.

Genders De-stemmer

If you cannot find these wines but are interested then I suggest you check out the Taste McLaren Vale web site (www.tastemclarenvale.com.au) as we usually deal with these wines.

2008 Genders Chardonnay ($A20)

At 12% alcohol, the use of french oak and wild yeast ferments, this is not your normal McLaren Vale Chardonnay.  In fact it is more like a White Burgundy!  The aromas are strongly based on quince and lemon rind when you first fill the cold liquid.  As the wine warms the presence of green apples and creamy melons comes through.  The flavors are not the usual fruit based you expect from Aussie Chardy.  There is a creamy texture to the wine that compliments the crisp apples and lemon rind.  The whole experience leaves almost a nutty after taste that lingers and lingers.  If more Chardonnay was made like this then there would be less of a Chardonnay wine glut.

2005 Shiraz ($A40)

This wine is made from the Genders Clone Shiraz that exists on just 13 rows.  I have seen this wine a few times and I continue to bask in it’s difference.  The aromas are almost black and blue.  The black from dark berries and the blueness from flowers maybe Violets.  Combined with hints of smokiness and dustiness from the oak.  The flavours mirror the aromas with the black and blue tinges.  The acid levels are spot on so the palate is cleansed with each mouthful.  The lasting impression I take from this wine is the tannins.  There is a strength but elegance to these tannins that just make me wonder how well this wine will be in another 5+ years.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($50)

We were fortunate to taste this wine before it is released or even labelled.  The blackcurrent is evident with all the florals and blueness that seems to come from the vineyard.  As the wine develops in the glass, and believe me the hour the wine needs to open up is worth every minute, menthol’s and eucalyptus tones develop.  The flavours follow the same path.  The blackcurrent fruits with blue edges and the interestingly strong but elegant tannins that comes from the smart use of oak – both new and old wood has seen this wine.  When this wine is released later this year I suggest you find where to get some.

McLaren Vale Wine – Gemtree Vineyards and DeadRed Wine Group Capricorn Tour

Monday, 16 January 2012 01:24
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The DeadRed Wine Group through it’s founder, Charlie-Helen Robinson, conducted a wine tour to our beloved McLaren Vale.  The tour was titled –  Capricorn.  This elaborate method to celebrate ones birthday is a sensational idea and it turned out to be a sensational way to spend the most part of the day.  A bus ride to and from McLaren Vale with time spent at 3 wineries with a lunch at one of them.

Happy Birthday Charlie

The wineries were Gemtree, Settlement (with a wonderful Pizza lunch) and Graham Stevens Wines.  The day was full of wonderful things, wonderful wines, wonderful winery hosts, wonderful Pizza’s, wonderful people.  All coupled with the wonderful Mediterranean weather and the best place on the wonderful earth called McLaren Vale.  To complete the wonderful items, I had the pleasure of joining the group here in McLaren Vale.

Gemtree Cellar Door

The first stop was Gemtree Vineyards, who have a cellar door outlet in the Main Street of McLaren Vale.  Gemtree are a family owned business who have made a very conscience effort towards true sustainability.  They are a certified organic producer – this is in it’s self a commitment of effort and financial.  They are also using biodynamic techniques in some of their vineyards.   Biodynamics is finding a niche in McLaren Vale with results that are not only shown in the vineyard but also the resultant wines as well.  In the commitment to sustainability includes aa long term testing regime of different wine varieties – varieties that produce the right acid, sugar and flavor balance with significantly less water than the mainstream varieties.  All this while still producing excellent wines that the wine drinking public will drink.  As with any change this change requires considerable effort or energy from the company.  Gemtree’s commitment to sustainability is unwavering and can be seen in their whole philosophy.

This family enterprise has also dedicated a section of one of their properties to a publicly open wetlands walking trail (complete with information and BBQ facilities) with planting of indigenous plant species that is attracting animal life of all kinds.

Wetlands Walking Track

Thee cellar door has a lovely wooden table top that has “Gems” on it – which is a nice touch.  We tried 4 wines from their range – 2 showing their commitment to new varieties.

2011 Moonstone Savagnin ($A16)

Quite strong aromas of stone fruit, lemon zest and melons..  The flavors showed good acid (with lemon and limes) with some nashi character.  The acid level is not for everybody and some of the tasters indicated they got bitterness in the wine.  This 100% natural and biodynamic wine has had nothing added to it – natural acid levels and natural yeasts make this a very natural wine.  I consider this a fresh and light wine – to be drunk on it’s own or with delicate seafood.

it should be noted this vineyard uses 33% less water than chardonnay requires.

2011 Luna Roja Tempranillo ($A25)

Another biodynamic wine from a drought resistant variety from Spain.  Spain is a hot climate and the Spanish are not silly so they understand the requirements of their climate and what wines to grow.   These vines get about 1 drink per year instead of multiple drinks per month during the summer.

Luna Roja  means red moon and this wine is red and juicy.  It is all about cherries, earthiness and these tannins that are chewy but juicy all at the same time.  A medium bodied wine that has significant character that screams to be consumed with duck.

2010 Uncut Shiraz ($A25)

This wine is so much better than the 2009 offering.  I get layers of dark plum, pepper and cinnamon spice with hints of chocolate and licorice.  Yet again some juicy and chewy tannins that will see this full bodied wine well into the next 5 years (if you will let it live that long).  A big wine that needs big flavors and I can see a thick T-bone steak in this wines future.

2010 The Phantom Red Blend II ($A35)

Made from 50% Cabernet Franc, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Petit Verdot.  The berries from the Cabernet Franc comes through quite strongly on the nose.  The 3 wines contribute their own space in the complexity of this wine.  The juicy fruit compote of the Franc, the spice and almost meatiness from the Mourvedre plus violets from the Petit Verdot.  I particularly liked the tannin structure here that shows the pedigree of the wine.

McLaren Vale Wine – Angoves Part 2

Sunday, 08 January 2012 23:25
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The McLaren Vale range was released for the Cellar Door opening – so brand new.  The use of colour and the family crest on the label is really good and shows the family theme.  This theme continues into the Warboys range.  Here a silver family crest depicts a classy label.  The Warboys Vineyard range is a series of wines from the Angoves McLaren Vale vineyard (where the cellar door sits).  The name Warboys comes from the vineyard (not family owned) that formed part of the original winemaking exercise for the family in 1893 – their first vintage.  The Medhyk (pronounced “medic”) also shows the family heritage as Medhyk is Cornish for doctor.  The link is the first Angove making wine was a Cornish doctor – Dr William Thomas Angove.  The wine will only be made from only the best McLaren Vale wine and is considered the flagship of the Angove range.

Angoves Cellar Door

 

2010 McLaren Vale GSM ($A22)

The Grenache component comes from the Warboys Vineyard, the Shiraz comes from a number of McLaren Vale growers and Mourvedre comes from the Longwood Vineyard (which you can almost see from the Cellar Door).  The wine seemed a little closed on the nose however the flavors were all that one expects from this blend.  The up front  of the Grenache, the spice and mid palate of the Shiraz and the body with a savoury finish of the Mourvedre.  What I did find interesting was there was a level of minerality that I was not expecting and found quite intriguing.

2010 McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon ($22)

As a generalisation, McLaren Vale makes a wonderful dry red from Cabernet and these wines have been very successful in wine shows and in sales.  For me I have found this interesting as so many of these Cabernets do not have the “normal” Cabernet character of the black current and Cassis.  This wine has a small component of Coonawarra fruit  that seems that have a wonderful effect on this wine.  As such in this glass was all the Cabernet character one expects from a classical Cabernet – the blackcurrent, french oak and drying tannins.  A wine for the Cabernet lovers to check out – a bargain at this price.

2010 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A22)

All one wants to see from a McLaren Vale Shiraz – plum and cherry fruits, subtle pepper spices mixed with licorice.  Is it the best McLaren Vale Shiraz I have tasted – No, but again at this price range one could do a lot worse.

2010 Warboys Vineyard Grenache ($A35)

The single vineyard wine comes from the Chalk Hill Road property and the vines were planted in 1964 – a great year (the year of my birth).  As for the GSM the aromas were a little closed but the flavors were just so juicy.  Red current and cherry fruits wrapped up with subtle spices and an over arching minerallity.

2009 Warboys Vineyard Shiraz Grenache ($A35)

My favorite red wine of the range – made from the fruits of vines that were planted in 1948 and the whole vineyard was transformed since it was purchased in 2008.  There were essences of dark fruits, pepper and licorice with an inherent earthiness that made the aromas worthy of trying the wine.  Being impressed with this wine continues as you drink it.  The redness comes through and through – from the fruits to the licorice.  The spice and minerlity come together for a lengthy experience.

2009 Warboys Vineyard Shiraz ($A35)

Pepper and spice and all things spice – that is what this wine is made of!  There is lots to like about this wine and my comments when tasting it was “vivid palate”.  The only thing missing here is time.  Time is still needed to let the whole mixture settle down into the amalgam that this wine should become.

2008 The Medhyk Shiraz ($A55)

Made as the flagship McLaren Vale Shiraz so the best grapes with the best treatments including the best barrels.  Then the wine in these barrels are tasted with only the best of these making it into this wine.  There is a commitment to ensuring this label gets only the best so it is likely that if the wine does not stack up to the quality it will not be released under this label ie there may not be a Medhyk every vintage.

There are lots of dark fruit (plum based) on the nose with a depth here not sen in the other wines.  The darkness continues in the flavor profile where cherry and plum are wrapped around layers of spice and chocolate with hints of oak tannins.  This wine needs time and lots of it to see it’s best.

Angove Grand Tawny 500ml ($A25)

Only 50 cases have been bottled of this Grenache based fortified blend that averages 13 years old and the oldest wine in the blend was from 1981.  Time has been good to this infusion of clean grapes with slightly burnt caramel.  There is lots of acid here as the palate is kept fresh.  As expected the spirit here is also very clean but not intrusive.  A beauty that shows why Grenache has had a long history in Australia – starting in fortified wines.

Angove Rare Tawny 500ml ($A45)

Another blend with 50 cases bottled.  This time a blend of Shiraz and Frontinac grapes and the blend is older than the Grand Tawny.  Just brilliant – spiced caramel with alcohol.  The effort to visit the cellar door is repaid just by trying these fortified wines.

St Agnes XO Brandy 700ml ($A100)

The blend that goes into this stylish decanter is a minimum of 20 years old.  I am not a big brandy drinker but one can tell pedigree here.  Normally spirits for me, when drink neat, have an alcohol burn that characterises the type of spirit.  Here there is no burn but a smooth strong drink that has a wonderful fruit based series of aromas.  I was not going to try this, but I am so glad I did.

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