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McLaren Vale Wine – Tintara (part 2)

Sunday, 01 April 2012 21:37
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Check out my general review of the Tintara Cellar Door here.  For the red wines see below.

Tintara Cellar Door

2010 Hardy’s Oomoo Shiraz ($A18)

Form a good vintage this wine comes from good stock.  With the black fruits of blackberry and black current with the classical oak influence that manufests itself as cinamun that brings the Christmas cake thoughts straight to my palate.  Good clean wine that sits well at this price point.

2009 Tintara McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A27)

Plum or Christmas cake combined with dusty oak aromas lead one to a typical McLaren Vale Shiraz – lots of plums plus the wonderfully soft butgenerous mid palate.  This wpen will get better over the next few years but I am not sure one will wait.

2008 Reynella Basket Press Shiraz 2008 ($A54)

This wine has an excellent reputation and I was so glad that it was available for tasting. The last few times I have wondered into the cellar door as well as the one in Reynella it has not been available.  The wine was opened at the time of tasting and passed through a Vinturi aerator.  Even after doing this the aromas were closed and all I could get was some darkness.  The flavors were dark as well with intense black fruits with a concentrated almost viscous mouthfeel to the wine.  The oak was present but was not dominant as the blackness was all encompassing.  This is definately a wine that needs a number of years to approach it’s best.  I drank a similar wine recently that was 12 years old and it was just coming into it’s own.  I think this wine is of a similar nature.

Inside Tintara Cellar Door

2009 Hardys Oomoo Cabernet Sauvignon ($A18)

The cooler nature of Coonawarra fruit comes through here straight away.  The essence of blackcurrent aromas is very different to those from McLaren Vale.  The blackcurrent theme continues on the palate with hints of red fruits and the mintiness that Cabernet can sometimes produce.  Yet again the Oomoo range over delivers – I just wonder if people are put off by the label?

2008 Tintara McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon ($A27)

The difference between Cabernet from Coonawarra and McLaren Vale is shown hen you try this wine after the one above.  The Cabernet aromas of black current come through but the chocolate one tends to associate with McLaren Vale is here.  There is bright cabernet fruit flavors but there is no Cabernet hole here.  Cabernet is know for lacking in flavor on the mid palate but McLaren Vale is know for a generous mid palate – there is definitely a mid palate here.  Maybe, just maybe, the “terroir” of McLaren Vale is dominating!

2007 Reynella Basket Pressed Cabernet Sauvignon ($A54)

Unlike the Tintara labeled wine this wine shows significant finesse with black current combined with sage and mint aromas.  The herbs here added complexity and interest straight away.  The flavors backed up a mouthful of typical Cabernet flavors with maybe a hint of American oak sweetness.  For the Cabernet lovers out there this wine shows that McLaren Vale and seriously good Cabernet can be used in the same sentence.

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 – 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.

McLaren Vale Wine – Angoves

Monday, 02 January 2012 20:47
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Angove Wines McLaren Vale Cellar Door

I have been watching this new cellar door being built over the last few months and so I was quite excited about visiting the newest cellar door in McLaren Vale.  I was also excited by seeing how this new facility was going to be set up.  I grew up near Tea Tree Gully (TTG) where a considerable part of the Angoves story has unfolded.  Until recently, a small cellar door was situated in TTG and while I have been working all around the wonderful country I would always visit this facility when I visited home.  This old cellar door really was bargain central where bin ends overseas stock and wrongly bottled wines would be available for sale.  This new cellar door could not be further away from the old TTG facility.  Here there are 2 whole ranges that are McLaren Vale based.  Firstly, the Warboys Vineyard range that is made from the single vineyard around the new cellar door, which has the family crest in silver on the label.  Secondly, a McLaren Vale range that is sourced from various growers in McLaren Vale and has a coloured family crest on the label.  These 2 ranges are only available at the McLaren Vale cellar door.  To compliment these 2 ranges there are some other options at both ends of the spectrum.  There are quite a few wines available for tasting so I will review the wines over 2 blog entries.

Angoves Cellar Door

Added attractions at the cellar door are the regional platters (cheese, olives and bread) or a coffee and cake or biscuits.  It was very hot the day of my visit but there is a outside courtyard area with tables and chairs – a great spot to look over the vineyard.  The “Boardroom” is available for small corporate functions and has a table made from hardwood recycled from large wooded vats previously used in the winery (the tasting bar shown above is made from the same wood).  There is also Pizza Oven hidden down one side of the cellar door that I am sure will be able to tell many stories in a couple of years time.

Cellar Door Courtyard

Anyway, enough of this lets talk about the wine………….

2011 Vineyard Select Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($A18)

From a Woodside vineyard in the Adelaide Hills from the Wicks stable.  The wine was surprisingly good as most areas of the Adelaide Hills were devastated by disease in 2011.  And surprised I was – the wine showed lots of passionfruit with a little grass on the nose, the palate showed tropical fruits and grass again with a length brought on by the good acid structure.  Still not for me but a good example of what the Adelaide Hills can provide that is not a NZ clone.

2011 Nine Vines Pinot Grigio ($A15)

As expected the Nine Popes range is from the vast Angove Riverland vineyards.  I was expecting pear characters but instead got citrus acid being dominate with a really interesting (and refreshing) grapefruit flavor profile.  A good clean and crisp drink that should be consumed on a Sunday afternoon with friends and Tapas.

2010 Organic Chardonnay ($A20)

One third from the Battle of Bosworth vineyard in McLaren Vale and 2 thirds from the family Renmark vineyard that has been converted to organic practices.  Some of the wine has seen 2 or 3 year old oak barrels for about 8 months.  Great to see the light use of oak as opposed to no oak at all.  A chardonnay with no oak does not seem right in my book.  This wine shows the complexity of a light oak touch with peach, nectarines with a creamy nature right before the wonderful tangy acid finish.  I am thinking a creamy chicken dish to have with this wine.

2010 McLaren Vale Chardonnay ($A20)

Only just released for the opening of the new cellar door and made from grapes from a vineyard just outside the township of McLaren Vale.  The grapes were pressed directly into 1 or 2 year old french oak barrels and the fermentation occurred with the indigenous yeasts and stirred weekly.  The result is a refined aroma of minerality and stone fruits (peach and nectarine) wrapped up in an acidity that wraps around your tongue as well.  I found this the most interesting white wine from this tasting.  The wine could be matched with many food types so maybe a Chinese banquet may go down well here.

2011 Nine Vines Moscato ($A15)

The interesting thing about Moscato is is that what you smell is what it is – grapes.  Wines made from other grapes can smell of so many other things but Moscato is very uncomplicated as it smells and tastes like the grapes it is made from.  At only 8% alcohol and not too much sugar left one can see the uncomplicated freshness is the reasoning behind the large increase in sales of this wine style.

2011 Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rose ($A15)

The Nine Vines Rose has been in my glass a number of times over the last 6 or 7 years,  Over this time there has been a consistent theme of quality here.  There is always the red berries and cream with clean acid.  What is a little different now is the wine seems to have a touch less sugar and for me, the resultant wine is better for it.  Sunday lunch with cheese, preserved meats, home made chutneys and fresh crusty bread – nothing more, nothing less.

2010 Organic Shiraz Cabernet ($A16)

As for the chardonnay the grapes for this wine is about 1 third from McLaren Vale’s Battle of Bosworth and 2 thirds from the Riverland.  There is a real berry and licorice theme with this wine.  The berries of black current and blackberry drive the up front flavors and the finish is driven by the licorice.

2010 Vineyard Select McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A18)

A blend from regional vineyards from the McLaren Vale region that shows all the usual elements one sees in McLaren Vale Shiraz – dark plums, generous mid palate, the spices of pepper and cardamon combined with a generous dusting of oak.  The tannins dominate the finish and one would recommend a bit longer in the bottle to let this soften a tad.

Next week I review the rest of the Angoves McLaren Vale cellar door wine list.

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