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Tag Archives: Grenache

McLaren Vale Wine – Wirra Wirra Part 2 The Reds

Saturday, 28 July 2012 20:20
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Wirra Wirra Cellar Door

Check out Part 1 of my review of the Wirra Wirra wines and cellar door.

Wirra Wirra is one of the very well known icon wineries from McLaren Vale.  The cellar door is large and inviting and is staffed by friendly and knowledgeable staff – always a good start.  The original owner (Greg Trott) was known for his fierce commitment to McLaren Vale wine industry but also had a sense of quirkiness.  This comes out in some of the names of their wines – such as the Catapult Shiraz.  You know it that there is a full size catapult at the cellar door.

Another feature of the cellar door and winery complex is the bell.  This bell is 3/4 of a tonne and was rescued from a wreckers yard and they got it from a Norwood Jesuit Church.  This bell is called the Angelus Bell and also forms the name for the signature Cabernet from the winery.  This bell is now some what an icon in its own right and the bell is rung at the start and end of each McLaren Vale vintage and other suitable celebrations.

The cellar door has BBQ’s available for those that want to BYO food and an excellent covered area.  You can purchase wines by the glass at the cellar door so why not spend an afternoon with friends at a well known McLaren Vale winery.

Anyway what about the wines……

2011 Original Blend ($24)

The story of the Wirra Wirra success must always have the tale of the “Church Block”.  The original Church Block was a Grenache and Shiraz blend taken from the vines from the Bethany Chapel vineyard near the winery.  The blend moved from this McLaren Vale classic to the current Cabernet based blend.  After much feedback from the wine drinking public in the know about the Original blend caused the thinking that this blend needed a come back.  This wine is available at the cellar door but I suspect that the quality and price will see a wider appeal.  The aromas show the red fruits of Grenache and the pepper of Shiraz while the flavors show off the red and black fruits of the two varieties and an intriguing spice blend.  Tannins are there but there is a soft finish.  For me forget the current day Church Block and got for the Original.
2011 Esperenza Tempranillo ($35)

A new lable for cellar door customers only and is a play towards the Spanish alternate varieties.  With this Tempranillo why not – the aromas have bright cherry and the funky mushroom characters.  The flavors showed an almost dirty forest floor character with the cherry and mushroom taking centre stage.
2011 Esperenza Monastrell ($35)

Most wineries in McLaren Vale either call this variety Mourvedre or Mataro – but the Spanish call it Monastrell.  The earthyiness shows as expected on the nose with an interesting licorice finish.  The flavors had the marks of the variety – cherry, meaty and earthy.  In this case the wine was significantly liter than expected.  This light character may be a product of the wet and difficult 2011 Vintage.
2007 Church Block ($20)Good to see an older release from the winery at the same price as the current installment.  However I was disappointed.  The aromas were closed and the flavors were stewy and very short.  Not for me.

Cork Church Block

2010 Church Block ($20)

Lifted fruits and what I consider to be typical Church Block with integrated oak with the nice fruit.  The problem I have with this wine is not the value or the price point but just when I try it I am just not inspired to drink a second glass.  For me the Church Block is an average wine that has been a great marketing success for Wirra Wirra but I just do not look forward to the next sip.  Sorry guys this one is just not for me.

Wirra Wirra Catapult

2010 Catapult Shiraz ($24)

The addition of a small amount of Vioginer can make such a difference in a wine and this one shows this addition can be balanced and not over done.  The aromas are lifted with hints of apricot but mainly fresh plums.  The flavors continue with the lifted theme – there is lots of fresh fruit compote with some cardamon mixed in for good measure.  The acid oak and fruit is balanced and lingering.  For me worth the price up from the Church Block.
2010 Woodhenge Shiraz ($30)

In a word dark.  From a good vintage and it shows with aromas of plum essence and lifted cedar from the oak.  The flavors were lighter than expected on the mid palate but the tannin structure is very good and it leaves you with a lingering plum experience.

2010 Sparrow Lodge Cabernet Sauvignon ($30)

Another of the cellar door only wines and another reason to check out their cellar door.  Straight away the cassis and mint aromas are alluring that just continues into the flavors.  I like the fact there is little green character in the wine so the fruit was ripe when picked.  Well done to the Wirra Wirra team for this one.  The wine comes from the gap between Church Block and The Angelus wines so a mid tier wine was warranted.

Absconder Grenache

2010 The Absconder Grenache ($65)

Cellar door only and made from 90+ year old vine fruit from Blewitt Springs and McLaren Vale fruit.  The aromas are alluring with perfume and spiced red fruits – good enough to eat.  The flours show layers of depth with red fruits and tannins structured all over the place.  This is why I am in love with McLaren Vale Grenache – when done properly.  This wine is just so impressive and not only wether the asking price but also the time effort and money just to visit the cellar door just to have the honor of tasting this wine – let alone aging able to the purchase such a wine.  One of the best Grenache wines I have ever tasted.
2008 RSW Shiraz ($80)

With oak maturation for nearly 2 years and 40% of that oak being new barrels one seances this wine would be about strength.  My expectations were met with concentrated fruit that is balanced with the tannin structure from the oak and fruit tannins.  In a word – depth.
2009 The Angelus Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon ($65)

This is a classical Cabernet that would give any Australian Cabernet a run for it’s money – so move over Coonawarra.  As for the Absconder and the RSW this wine is all about strength and character.  One for all the Cabernet drinkers out there that should not be missed.

McLaren Vale Wine – Graham Stevens Wines

Sunday, 27 May 2012 21:49
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Graham Stevens Wines Cellar Door

Happy 3rd birthday to Graham Stevens Wines.  I have been a big fan of the relatively new venture for Graham and Caroline.  They both work very hard to make their winery successful and I wish them all the success I can.  Three key criteria make their cellar door a must for McLaren Vale wine visitors.  Firstly, you always get a smile and Graham will come over and shake your hand.  This approach makes you feel welcome.  Secondly, they control all aspects of the process.  They even do their own bottling.  Thirdly, Graham understands what the consumer is looking for and the wines are consistently good or better.  Do yourself a favour and check them out.

The man himself - Graham Stevens

2011 Clare Valley Riesling ($14)

A well priced white wine – surprisingly a Riesling, as the only white wine from Graham Stevens Wines.  There is a nose full of limes with just a hint of the lime zest and the flavors not only have the limes but the lemons as well.  There is not as much acid as the more classical Eden Valley Rieslings I have been drinking so I do not put this up there as a classical Riesling.  However those wines are sometimes criticized about having too much acid and many consumers would like to see this toned down.  If that is the case the this is a wine for you.  At this price it is a steal!

2011 “The Cousins” Grenache Rose ($14)

This light pink wine has the aromas of sweet strawberries and the flavors of cherries and strawberries.  There is a little acid tingle on the tongue which cleans the palate after the sugar from the wine (not too much sugar) which makes the mouth ready for more.  Definitely a summer wine.

2009 Arrogant Cleanskin ($9)

This is a 50%:50% blend of Shiraz and Grenache.  First produced as a marketing exercise this 2009 wine is even better.  The wine is not complex but it is just good solid fruit driven wine.  The red fruits from the Grenache dominate both the aromas and the flavors.  If you are looking for a great value wine that shows lots of fruit character (instead of lots of cheap oak) then you could not do better than this wine.

2006 Vat 52 ($18.59)

I have tried this wine many times of the last year or so and the wine just continues to sit up and say please drink me.  A blend of 50% Shiraz, 30% Grenache and 20% Cabernet is interesting as it is ready to drink almost straight away but the wine will age gracefully.  At this time the Cabernet black current aromas seems to be coming through more than I remember but the redness of the Grenache plays an important part. All in all an interesting blend that seems to work.

2006 Stevens Family Shiraz ($24)

A new release bit in the same mould of the previous release.  The aromas show lots of black fruits – dark cherry and blackberry.  There are also hints of french oak cedar.  The flavors show clean black fruits that seem to be the trademark of their vineyard.

2006 Trophy Reserve Shiraz ($40)

I get some hints of American oak coconut sweetness match with the plum character one expects from quality McLaren Vale Shiraz.  The tannin structure was well matched with the fruit and the finish was lingering.  Different to the Stevens Family wine but not necessarily better.

2009 Fleurieu Cabernet Sauvignon ($24)

Fruit from the Cool Mt. Compass area provides the clean black current fruit character with the cedar of French oak.  Soft tannins but there is a lingering finish.  A good Cabernet but I preferred the 2006.

2012 Vintage Fortified ($25)

Another new release – after the quality 2010 Vintage Shiraz I was really looking forward to this wine.  As expected I got plums here, but I did not expect the milk chocolate and cherry – yes, a bit like a cherry ripe.  This wine is more complex than the 2010 version, but the wines are so different that one wine is not necessarily better than the other.  There is sweetness here but the finish is very dry and long which indicates plenty of acid here.  When one tries such a good Vintage Port style it is difficult to understand why these wines are not produced more often.

2010 Vintage Liqueur Muscat ($20)

All about the clean sweet Muscat fruit here.  Yes the alcohol is obvious with a tingle on the nose and the warm finish but the hero of the wine is the fruit.  A wine with not a lot of oak influence but I know oak has played it’s part.  I also find the finish interesting in that there is plenty of acid here.  This acid cleans the ample sugar off the palate so the mouth is ready for more – bring it on.

McLaren Vale Wine Functions – Unearthing Grandfathers (DeadReds) Wine Dinner

Monday, 30 April 2012 00:21
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Charlie-Helen Robinson had the vision – lets have a wine dinner with a group of people from Adelaide coming to a venue in McLaren Vale to celebrate the knowledge and experience that our grandparents have and what this role means to on-coming generations.  In particular in the McLaren Vale wine scene and what role this older generation means to today’s wine industry.

Within what seemed like a short period of time the big day was upon us and the Cellar at The Victory Hotel was descended upon by a 30 strong group of keen and enthusiastic people from diverse backgrounds all brought together by Charlie.  Great job Charlie!

The Victory Hotel Cellar

The venue was well set up and when the bus arrived it was all go.  The first course soon arrived.  The chicken and seafood was matched well with a 2008 Karra Yerta Eden Valley Riesling, that was full of limes – particularly lime zesty.  The second course of rabbit pie came with a 2010 Kay Brothers Mataro.  2010 was an excellent vintage and this wine was no exception with flavours of cherry and plum with hints of violets and a meatiness that I tend to find with this variety.  The tannins were a little grainy but this is part of what Mataro is usually about.  Without letting Colin Kay, the current head of Kay Brothers, finish his rabbit pie he was standing up and sharing with us some of the rich history of the Mataro grape in Australia plus the even richer history of the Kay family in McLaren Vale.  We were all delighted with his stories and also delighted that Colin was willing to share with us copies of his family daily records from the late 1890’s.  These documents had me convinced on how well their fortified sales were back then – only to be told that Tawny was the name of one of the family cows and the volume mentioned was not the volume of Tawny “Port” sold but how much milk Tawny (the cow) produced daily.

Colin Kay at Unearthing Grandfathers

The third course was for me a steak and I enjoyed the Rudderless 2006 Grenache which is made from the vines surrounding the hotel.  As a fan of McLaren Vale Grenache I was looking forward to and was not disappointed.   The perfumed red fruits combined with fruit strength and mid weight tannins was just what we were looking for.

A wine options game with 2 wines was an interesting venture during the night.  Each person was given their own stash a fake Deadred Dollars and were able to bet on 1 of 3 options for the category of what vintage did the wine come from, what grape variety the wine was made from and lastly what winery the wine came from.  There were 2 wines that were covered to ensure nobody could cheat.  The wines ended up being a Zinfandel from the Inkwell stable from 2009 and 2010.  These wines are so different and so it was interesting to see the reaction when people were told the 2 wines came from the same winery, same vineyard and same winemaker.

The Vintage Cheddar with dried muscatels, quince paste and crackers went down a treat mixed with the Graham Stevens Wines 2010 Vintage Shiraz.  This wine is just essence of Shiraz mixed with clean spirit.  It is interesting that the Vintage fortified style is not a big seller however almost all in the room were delighted with the finishing wine of the night.

A big thanks to all that attended that made the night something to remember but special mention must be made for Colin Kay for the generous giving of his time and experiences, for Ron who was the bus driver and had to sit and watch most of us indulge in good wines and to Charlie for bringing the night together.

I already look forward to the next Unearthing Dinner……

Purchase McLaren Vale Wines – Backyard Shed Cru Pack

Saturday, 07 April 2012 22:49
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The web site www.tastemclarenvale.com.au has a membership offered where a pack of 6 wines from six different small artisan winemakers from McLaren Vale.  These wines are selected to be a show case of these small winemakers as well as McLaren Vale.  The members who can sign up easily on the site (check out the link here) and will automatically receive a six pack every six months – freight free.  Check out this offer plus other membership benefits here.

These packs have been dubbed – Backyard Shed Cru packs.  The name comes from the backyard nature of a number of the winemakers.

Alternatively these six packs can be purchased (without the membership discount) from the web site here.

The current Backyard Shed Cru Pack has the following wines:-

2009 Grancari Estate Dry Grown Organic Grenache

2010 Waywood Wines Quattro Vini

2008 Danshi Rise Shiraz

2006 Braydun Hill Single Vineyard Premium Shiraz

2009 Pikkara “McMurtrie” Cabernet Sauvignon

2010 Graham Stevens Wines Liqueur Muscat

McLaren Vale Wines – Samuels Gorge

Monday, 23 January 2012 10:54
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Samuels Gorge is one of my favorite places to visit in McLaren Vale.  The wines have a sense of difference, the people are wonderful and the facility has lots and lots of old world charm.   The atmosphere in this place is great.  The locals wine industry people go there for a drink in the afternoon (it helps being one of the last cellar doors open) so you know it has a certain charm.  The 100 year old building contains a number of old world contraptions including an olive press.  The driveway to the property has some very old olive trees.

Samuels Gorge Winery & Cellar Door

Samuels Gorge Verandah and Surrounds

Samuels Gorge Tasting Area

The gardens and covered area overlooks the Onkaparinga National Park, so even the views are just worth being there.

The winemaker, Justin, is also one of a kind.  Having worked in many wineries he not only settled in McLaren Vale he has the ability to do his own thing.  Cannot get much better than that.

The grapes for these excellent wines come from selected low yielding vineyards from Blewitt Springs through to Aldinga Beach.  Only wines with the correct character and quality make the Samuels Gorge labeled wines.  At times they release cleanskins that have to date been great value and exceptional quality for a cleanskin.

Each Easter there is a new release day where the wines are formally released to the public.  This event is one to put on your wine calendar.  They usually have food served and generous wine samples poured.  I try to be there every Easter.

Currently, the white wines are sold out.  Justin’s philosophy about wine tells him that white wine is not really suited to McLaren Vale, so he has decided to look further afield.  Most people would look towards Adelaide Hills – bit not Justin.  He likes the whites from Tasmania so why not.  The last few years he had made a Riesling and a Gewurtztraminer (not a sweet one).  They also produce a Sparkling Shiraz in very limited quantities ($A50/bottle) that has to date been sensational.  I look forward to their next release in the next month.

Now for the wines………..

2009 Cadensia Grenache ($A35)

From Blewitt Springs vineyards this wine continues to impress (as had the previous vintages).  When done well, McLaren Vale Grenache is just such a wonderful wine and it is my favorite variety.  The grape has a bad wrap and wines such as this are a hard sell.  It is interesting that when people try this at the cellar door they usual like it and make a purchase.  This is a beauty – aromas of juicy red fruits with a hint of blackness.  There is subtle spices and some floral notes.  The flavors back up the smells – with red cherries and plums in an envelope of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon.

2010 Tempranillo ($A35)

From the homestead block and the juicyness continues.  Lots and lots of cherries with a little barnyard stink.  There is a minerallity with a chalkiness and really chewy tannins.  Quite an impressive wine from a variety that seems to me moving from alternative to more main stream.  Well worth checking out.

2010 Shiraz ($A35)

This wine is so popular they have had to release the 2010 vintage well ahead of schedule (a couple of weeks ago).  It has just been bottled and released now instead of waiting for the normal Easter weekend release.  Even though the wine needs time to settle down and would be suffering from bottling shock, you can see the pedigree.  There is the Shiraz plum here with dusty mouth drying tannins and a concentration that  provides an interesting mouthfeel.  This will be great by Easter.

2010 Mourvedre

Barrel sample that will released around Easter this year.  There is a sense of floral, meaty earthiness that is Mourvedre.  Lets just say that I look forward to the Easter release.

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