Taste McLaren Vale - bringing you quality McLaren Vale wine to your door

Tag Archives: shiraz

McLaren Vale Wine – McLaren Vale III Associates

Saturday, 09 February 2013 23:46
0 Comments

III Associates Cellar Door

One of the more recent cellar doors to open is from III Associates on Foggo Road (off Kangarilla Road).  They had a facility on the McLaren Vale main street that was open infrequently and when it was I never saw anybody in there.  The new facility neighbors one of their vineyards so you can get some more of the “wine experience”.  The wines are made by one of McLaren Vale’s most well known contract wine maker – Brian Light.  The wines are mainly made from their Foggo Road vineyard (planted to Grenache and Shiraz in 1928), Blewitt Springs, McMurtrie Road (on Bay of Bisque or Cracking Black clays) and even some Sellicks Hill fruit makes an appearance.

The cellar door has an interesting twist for the chocolate lovers out their.  They have a range of chocolates from Chocome.  The chocolate range has quite varied and interesting flavours that when I visited in Late December 2012 the cellar door staff were reviewing different flavours to match their wines.  I suspect there will be a chocolate and wine matched tasting coming soon.

The cellar door is housed in a normal house that has been splashed on the outside with their stark colour used on the Squid Ink Shiraz wine labels.  All the staff are welcoming and the wine is well worth the time to check it out – so next time you are traveling from McLaren Vale to McLaren Flat make a right turn on Foggo Road and check them out.

And now for the wines…….

2011 White Ensign Chardonnay, Semillon & Pinot Gris ($20)

Straight away one could sense there has been no oak used in the making of this wine.  I got very strong white pack aromas followed by citrus, pear and peach flavours.  A very easy to drink wine that should be drunk cold and soon (don’t keep this one in the cellar).

2012 Sabbatical Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

For those Sauvy drinkers out there this one is sold out.  Made from Blewitt Springs fruit this wine exhibits the passion fruit led tropical fruits right across the sense spectrum.  The warmer climate of Blewitt Springs (compared to say Adelaide Hills) produces a different style which gravitates toward the topical flavours and not the cut grass and cats pee character of the cool climate Sauvignon Blanc’s.  Again a very much drink now style that the Sauvy lovers would imbibe with on a frequent basis.

2008 Renaissance Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon & Petit Verdot ($25)

This wine is all about drink-ability.  There is soft cherry and subtle french oak char here that blends into a drink now style – don’t bother to cellar this one.  I can see this as a BBQ wine or an all rounder for a Chinese banquette.

2010 Backbone Grenache, Shiraz & Mourvedre ($35)

The Mourvedre was sourced from Willunga with the Grenache plus the Shiraz being sourced from the Foggo Road property and at time of tasting the wine had only been bottled for 2.5 months.  Even though the wine had been recently bottled and I was unsure if the wine would have settled down after this bottling shock, I was impressed.  The redness of the Grenache was prevalent across both the aromas and flavours.  Two other items stuck out for me.  Firstly there was a real earthyness to the wine (not dirty or gritty) that probably comes from the Mourvedre and the second was the tannin structure.  There were plenty of tannins there but they were relatively soft and did not over power the fruit.  Bring on the Bangers and mash with lots of onion gravy and if you were lucky I might share some of this with you.

2010 Four Score Grenache ($30)

Good McLaren Vale Grenache, like this wine brings a smile to my face.  The fruit was from the Foggo Road vineyard and shows all the redness (particularly cherry and some raspberry) with some interesting white pepper spice.  The tannins play a supporting role and are certainly not overpowering the red fruits.  I had this with a turkey breast stir fry.

Squid Ink Shiraz Range with some Chocome chocolate

2010 The Descendent of Squid Ink Shiraz ($35)

The fruit from the McMurtrie Road vineyard was matured in older American oak (2 and 3 year old) and it shows.  The plum of the Shiraz was obvious and there was some blackberry lingering about.  The American oak influence showed up as coconut and vanilla seeping through on both the nose and the palate.  The wine had a textural feel that almost had a viscous feel in the mouth.  I would not cellar this one for long as it is balanced now.

2008 Squid Ink Shiraz ($55)

All the Squid Ink range get 18 months in new American oak before bottling.  In this case the aromas were quite distinct by their absence – it took a lot of concentrating just to get some oaky character.  The flavours were dominated by very ripe satsuma plums with puckering tannin and loads of oak on the finish.  I considered this wine a little unbalanced and thus I am not sure it will improve with age.

2009 Squid Ink Shiraz ($55)

Certainly different to the 2008 version of the Squid Ink.  The aromas showed a concentrated intensity of plums and oak char with the finish showing elegant herbs of lavender and thyme – interesting contrast.  The flavours followed with the fresh plum and herb characters and there was a distinct mouth feel to this wine – almost viscous in it’s intensity.  Yes there is considerable oak here but the fruit pulls it through.  The cracking black soils showing the intensity that can come from grapes grown in the thick black mud.

2010 Squid Ink Shiraz ($55)

By far the best of the 3 Squid ink wines I tried here.  The aromas showed off the American oak maturation with a coconut sweetness that I do enjoy mixed with the fresh plum intensity.  There is definitely room for American oak use in big fruit wines – the wine has the considerable body to soak up the Americanism.  That fruit character is here.  This wine is a mixture of concentration and viscosity mixed of plum, fresh herbs, tannin and oak char.  I suspect this wine is balanced well enough that it will age gracefully.

NV Sparkling Squid Ink Shiraz ($55)

Good sparkling Shiraz is, for me, a joy.  This bottle fermented living beast is one of the good ones – a serious wine base that has the character and body of the Squid Ink wines above.  It will not be for everybody but for the believers this is one to check out – I can feel turkey breast with cranberry sauce being consumed with the bottle I bought.

2010 Giant Squid Ink Shiraz ($150)

Firstly it was interesting to see a cellar door having a $150 bottle of wine open for the general wine drinking visitor.  It is always a tough call on the benefit of opening such an expensive bottle as most of the cellar door visitors will not purchase this wine.  However I like this move as it shows they want to show their wines and to sell their brand.  The wine has spent time in both new American and then into french oak and the result is definitely one for the “Robert Parker” school of red wines.  Lots of oak character but the intense Shiraz fruit is certainly not shy here either.  Needs time to show it’s best and I will be interested to see how it develops.

McLaren Vale Wine – Noon Wines

Sunday, 13 January 2013 23:10
0 Comments

November is a wonderful time of the year.  To many it is the lead up to the Festive Season and the warmer weather is really upon us.  For me December has 2 milestones.  Firstly, Grenache normally flowers during November – and as readers of my blogs would know I love good McLaren Vale Grenache.  Secondly, November signals that Noon Wines cellar door will be open for 3 weekends (the only time the cellar door is open for the year).

Noon Winery and Grenache Vineyard

I have had the pleasure of visiting this cellar door since the mid 1980’s when the current winery and vineyard custodians father owned and operated the facility.  In those days the cellar door was nearly every day and I have many wonderful memories of those times.  Now people either line up on the first day the cellar door is open (as the wine allocated to the general public is usually sold on the first day) or by allocation to the Noon Wines mailing list members.  This mailing list is so sought after that their is a waiting list for the Mailing List.

The wines are made from estate plantings – with one of my favorite old, dry grown Grenache vineyards, plus grapes sourced from long term growers from Langhorne Creek.

I have not included the price for the below wines as they are already sold out.

Noon Winery Equipment

2011 High Noon Rose

A move back to the Grenache based wine after the Shiraz dominant wine from 2010 – after 2010 Grenache crops being so low.  This move has produced what I think is the best Noon Rose for many years.  The Grenache shows through with he redness of ripe cherry and strawberries.  On the palate this fruit character is complemented by spices and there is one thing missing.  In a number of the Noon Rose wines over the years the alcohol level has been quite high, particularly for a Rose, but in this case the alcohol is not obtrusive.  I will be enjoying this wine with an antipasto plate.

2011 Twelve Bells

As with the Rose the previous vintage of the Twelve Bells was Shiraz dominant also in line with the Rose this vintage offering is all the better for the higher proportion of Grenache.  The aromas were somewhat closed however I got a sense of redness there.  The flavours show a mid weight offering with the expected red fruit spiciness and relatively minimal oak influence.  Bring on this summer BBQ’s.

2011 Eclipse

This is an example of why I love McLaren Vale Grenache or in this case a Grenache dominate blend.  A wine with spiced redness where oak character takes second stage but at the same time a wine with strength.  Some people believe Grenache based wines do not cellar well – this wine disagrees with that thought.  The wine is a bit tight now but I suspect a grand opening when about 6 or 7 years old.

2011 M2M

A one of wine called Minute to Midnight.  The 2011 Shiraz crop normally used by Noon’s was not available due to disease.  A chance meeting of friends between Drew and Paul Petagna when Paul had some Shiraz that needed to be picked straight away.  Hands were shook and the grapes were picked for this one of wine.  This is a massive wine that is very characteristic of the vineyard (I know Paul’s wines well).  Lots of deep plums, big tannins and chocolate finish.  A wine that needs time (I have tasted wines from the same vineyard that were 6 years old that were drinking magnificently) and drinking a bottle at about 8 years old sounds like an aim.  Not sure I can wait that long.

Museum Wines

2008 Reserve Shiraz

Smells a bit porty due to the ripe Shiraz fruit from a very hot vintage.  Tannins well balanced with the fruit.  If one wanted to be critical the wine shows over ripe characters however I enjoy drinking it.

2005 Reserve Shiraz

A wine all about the darkness – dark rich character but fresh Satsuma plum flavours.  Drinking well now and still time to go.

2002 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine that sparked my interest if for no other reason than I have never before described a wine as having the aroma of dried dates and blackcurrent.  This wine was not tired at all – still plenty of time left in it.  Much of the tannin seems to have dropped out as a crust in the bottle as the wine was very smooth and long with an almost powdery finish.

2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Aromas of blackberry and chocolate make for an interesting beginning that has intense cassis flavours that just seem to last forever. Perfect to drink now with seared pork fillet.

2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Different again with interestingly floral (violets) aromas with the expected cassis.  The length on this wine is not as impressive as the 2005 Cabernet.

2002 Eclipse

I was excited to see this wine.  As a Grenache based wine, I wanted to see how the wine had aged as I have suggested before there is a view that Grenache based wines do not age well.  To start with I was concerned as I smelt a port like character but I should not have been so concerned as this “blew off” quickly to show a brambly depth with a red fruit wrapping.  The flavours were lighter than expected but showed balance, depth and character.  All Australian red wine drinkers should try wines like his to show what mature red wines are like.

2002 Vintage Port

Soft and silky liquid Christmas cake in a glass.  Just a sensational experience of a wine style that is not often produced.

McLaren Vale Wine – Lavina Wines

Wednesday, 02 January 2013 23:47
0 Comments

Lavina Wines have recently moved to their Blewitt Springs home in Beltunga Close.  This is an excellent part of McLaren Vale where wonderful vines produce some of McLaren Vale’s best wines.  The area is mainly covered in sand over peat moss and this combination works well.

The administration are is available for tastings by appointment only (contact info@lavinawines.com.au).  Lavina Wines have an interesting approach where they have targeted differing audiences with having a wide range of wines from the high volume Mitcham Estate range (marketed to the supermarket chains) through to the premium range that is targeted to asian markets and with various price levels in between.  In this way they have something for everybody.

The new estate has plantings of Cabernet Franc (40 and 20 years old) plus 10 year old Shiraz.  These vineyards are being revitalised and will form a part of the mix for future releases including Cabernet Franc as a varietal release.

View from Lavina Wines Cellar Door

The grapes are bought from contracted growers (a number of them in the Seaview area) that they work closely with and pay a premium for the grapes ie they are prepared to pay a premium for their insistence on how to look after some of the vines.  Most of the vineyards are either grown with organic or biodymanic principles.  The quality of the fruit is king here – it is not unusual for whole berry maceration in 2 tonne fermenters and after about 9 days in ferment the free run juice is separated with the remainder being foot stamped recombined and then basket pressed into french oak – larger puncheons are used.

As a general comment I find the Shiraz wines from Lavina very interesting as they show a very blue character which I am not used to.  I suspect it is due to either a specific clone, the outcome of a specific climate and geology or blending of a minor component of another variety or varieties – I am not sure which or all are relevent.

This is the second time I have tasted wines from Lavina Wines and I am continued to be impressed.  For red wine drinkers it would be difficult to not find something you liked at the price point you desire.  Well worth checking out.

And now the wines……..

lavina-bottles-300x113

Mitcham Estate

Shiraz, Shiraz Cabernet, Cabernet & Chardonnay (all $10)

Meritus-Shiraz2010-250x1024Meritus

2010 Shiraz ($20)

The aromas were somewhat difficult to get, all I was able to decipher was a little white pepper.  Then the McLaren Vale-ness kicked it on with the flavours – the pepper and plums on the front of the mouth and then chocolate and anise on the back palate.  The tannins were more pronounced than for the other wines tasted later and left the teeth feeling dry.  This wine has all the elements for a long life and if left for a year or 2 (at least) would pay dividends.

2010 Shiraz Grenache ($20)

At time of tasting this wine had been only bottled for 2 weeks.  With this the aromas were short (as was expected) – with oak based spices being dominant.  The flavours were another thing.  As expected, with Grenache, the wine was medium bodied.  What I was not expecting was the blue character of the fruit.  The spice from the aromas comes through as pepper and I was impressed with the length.  I suspect this wine will improve quickly over the next few months to become a real beauty and value a this price.

 

Gold Series

2010 ChGold-Series-Shiraz-BV-2010-317x1024ardonnay ($15)

Not tasted.

2010 Shiraz ($20)

The Barossa fruit shows all the classical element for the variety.  Cedar, plum and pepper aromas and then vibrant fresh plums and a clean acid fueled finish.  At this price it is a bargain and one should lap it up (even though it is not from McLaren Vale).

2010 Shiraz Cabernet ($20)

The fruit for this wine also comes from the Barossa.  Aromas of leather, cherry and plum indicate a young wine with a little something added to provide complexity – smart blending here.  The flavours show the expected blackcurrent up front and a finish of fresh plums.  the fruit is balanced well with the acid and tannins.  Another example of the classical Australian blend and it is good to see these good examples coming back into peoples thinking.

 

Elicere

Since the tasting a Cabernet Franc and a Grenache were due for release in this range.

2012 Riesling ($25)

Not tasted as it was not released at the time of tasting.  I note this is a Tasmanian wine and should be an interesting contrast to the McLaren Vale and a few Barossa wines.

2010 Grenache Shiraz ($35)

Straight away I could see this was a beauty.  Yes I enjoy Grenache based wines and I am told that Grenache is getting easier to sell – well this wine stands for why Grenache should be grown in McLaren Vale.  The aromas were like a waft of violets wrapped around star anise.  The flavours and mid weight palate show Grenache elegance of the red fruits and the soft tannin structure.  Even though the structure was soft is was lingering with the elements of violets, mint and a hint of meatiness.  “Bring it on”, I say.

While I was at the tasting the news came through that this wine had just won a gold medal at the 2012 Melbourne Wine Show – I would have to agree with the judges this wine is terrific.

2010 Shiraz ($35)

I find Shiraz from this winery very intriguing as there is an element of blue fruits on both the aroma and flavours.  I expect this is due to the Shiraz clone that the fruit comes from.  There is a spice mix here that mixes well with the licorice, plum and cedar notes.  Another element I have come to expect from this stable is the cleaver use of oak that provides a soft finish.  Hard to go past my written notes about this wine – “lovely”.

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($35)

Firstly I can report there is no element of greenness that I find in many Cabernet wines.  So far so good.  Clean and clear blackcurrent fruit here with a bouquet of mixed dried herbs.  I know this is only a few words but I really like this wine.

Limited Releases

2010_Lavina_Aurum 2009 The Aurum Release Shiraz ($50)

Aromas of blue fruits (again) and satsuma plums mixed with red licorice (never said that before).  The flavours show lovely lifted fruit (satsuma plum) with the usual blueness.  Hints of lavender polished the dry and dusty tannin finish.

2010 The Aurum Release Shiraz ($50)

So different to the 2009 Aurum!  The aromas were dominated by spices, lavender and violets.  Compared to the 2009 this wine is so much fuller with plums and licorice.  The wine is very structural with an interesting textural mouthfeel and a supporting tannin finish.  Classy.

 

 

2009 Grand Royale Shiraz ($120)

I found the aromas very similar to the 2009 The Aurum with herbs, plum and licorice.  The flavours show a difference with a distinct darkness (from the depth of plum fruit) and supporting tannins.  An elegant or even velvet wine that just screams out to drink a second glass – and well why not.

2010 Grand Royale Shiraz ($120)

Not a big nose here and mainly herbs but the flavours showed more dark chocolate and licorice with soft tannins.  In a word seamless.  Highly enjoyable and well worht checking out

2010 Grand Royale Cabernet Sauvignon ($95)

Cabernet and I have not always seen eye to eye – well this wine may have just changed this view.  There is a whole package here that is just a joy to consume.  Consume is not the right word – maybe experience.  There is the usual blackcurrent with some mint and dried herbs with an emphasis on lavender.  Silky smooth tannins and balanced acid leads to a wine that just screams out to enjoy the experience.  Match it with some lamb roast and I will be there!

Purchasing McLaren Vale Wines – Backyard Shed Cru Red Pack #7

Saturday, 06 October 2012 22:59
0 Comments

Every 6 months Taste McLaren Vale puts together a six pack of wines to provide the members or The Backyard Shed Cru. Check out the membership site here.  Anybody can sign up for the half yearly delivery of a Backyard Shed Cru six pack for only $140 delivered to your door.

Now for the release of our Red Pack #7.

Backyard Shed Cru Red Pack #7

 

2010 La Curio “The Original Zin” Primotivo

The Zin tag comes from the grape variety – Zinfandel.  This is a variety that has significant plantings in America and Europe.  The vineyard where the grapes for this wine came from is on California Road and is owned and tendered by an American born.

This wine initially shows cherry characters but after a while is shows a darker side with plums and layered tannins.  The tannins are multi dimensional and I suspect they originate from the ripe grape seeds, stalks as well as the usual oak treatments.  The oak was there but not dominant.  All in all a great package and aimed at a good price point.   The juicy nature of this wine would be a great match to a feed of Chinese food – you know with sizzling Mongolian beef and black bean chicken.

2010 La Curio “New World Order” Sangiovese

Sangiovese has a reputation for being very tannic – this wine has drying tannins but it is not over done.  There is definitely good cherry but the most endearing things in this wine was the savoury nature and the lovely teeth drying tannins.  This is a wine that screams out food and for me I am thinking a good Aussie BBQ.

2010 J&J Vineyards Shiraz

I was looking forward to this wine – from a great vintage and an organic producer.  J&J have recently been given full organic status.  I was not disappointed as this is a classical McLaren Vale Shiraz.  The aromas show plum fruit mixed in an envelope of spices (star anise, cinnamon and cardamom) and is dominated by licorice.  The flavours continue with the same theme except there is no dominance here.  The fresh plums, licorice, chocolate, spices (this time with pepper included), tannins that are not over the top and a good acid finish that refreshes the mouth making it ready for the next mouthful.

2006 Sellicks Hill Wines Valletta (Grenache Shiraz)

I have been doing this wine sales thing for a couple of years and this is one of my favorites.  It appeared in an earlier pack but I just wanted to share this one with you again.  Initially worried about Grenache being in oak for 3 years but I should not have been – only older oak was used and really well looked after.  The 3 years in bottle have also been good to it.  I get lots of spice here – cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon.  The wine has been 6 years in making it to you so do it a favor and let it breath for a while before consuming – it will be worth the wait.  There is a fusion of fruits almost as secondary flavours and such depth where the flavours just linger in your mouth.  There is strength and complexity here so bring on a slab of Beef Wellington.

2010 Kay Brothers Basket Press Mataro

There is a sense of history here with the naming of this variety.  McLaren Vale seems to name this variety Mourvedre.  Kay Brothers has a long history of growing this variety – mainly as a fortified wine base.  I was speaking to Colin Kay about a year ago and we were discussing that there was a workshop on emerging varieties and they did a blind tasting that had, amongst others, a Mourvedre.  The discussion was about everything old, was new again.  There is a changing use of Mourvedre.  It was not long ago that it was only seen as a blending variety, but since 2009 there has been a steady increase in Mourvedre used as a varietal variety.

In this case the aromas were dominated by cherries and juicy plums and just a hint of dry oregano as the point of difference.  The flavours are dominated firstly by the same cherry and plums – they seemed to be darker in nature as the wine opened up.  There is a hit of grainy tannins that works well in this context.  There is some meatiness and sense of violets with that hint of that dried oregano these are the points of difference that Mataro can make.  I enjoy these differences and I think you will too.

2010 Bellevue Estate Shiraz

The plum and blackberry characters are well balanced with the oak and the natural acids – they all produce a wine with a mouthful of a textural wine. This wine is one to check out when the bottling shock has settled as at this time it looks like they have hit the right notes. I would enjoy this with slightly chared BBQ’d meats.

McLaren Vale Wine – Parri Estate

Sunday, 26 August 2012 23:26
0 Comments

 

Parri Estate Sign

Parri Eatate is the location of the once famous Ingoldby vineyards and cellar door (take the name belongs to one of conglomerates).  The cellar door is a large facility that has outdoor undercover area that is being used for functions including weddings.  There is plenty of room for the kids to run around and keep themselves amused while mum and dad try a few wines.  I have found the cellar door to be closed quite often so it is best to check they are open – or alternatively there are other close options.

Outdoor Undercover Area

I have tried the wines from this stable a number of times over the past year and always find it interesting as they have cool climate wines sourced from their Mt Compass vineyard as well as the warmer climate vineyard next to their McLaren Flat cellar door.

They basically have 3 ranges a second lable called Southcote, a cool climate range from their Mt Compass vineyard and the Pangkarra range from McLaren Flat.  Pangkarra is a local aboriginal word that represents the characteristics of a specific site – soil, climate, sunshine, rain etc.

And now the wines…….

2009 Southcote White ($15)

Chardonnay (60%), Semillon (25%) and Sauvignon Blanc (15%) all from their Mt Compass vineyard to produce a white wine showing some developed characters and as such lost it’s  fruit freshness.  The aromas show grapefruit and lemon rind with toasty notes.  The flavors are dominated by nectarines and grassiness but the developed tones kick in again.

2012 Savagnin ($20)

From Mt Compass fruit and fruit it is – stone fruits of nectarines and peaches.  There is an interesting floral note there as well.  Plenty of acid here and an interesting textural feel makes this a wine I would be very happy to drink with food.

2008 Viognier Chardonnay

An unwooded version with 55% Vioginer and shows mainly Chardonnay character with melons and stone fruit.  The wine was short on the palate and not really inspiring.

2010 Estate Pinot Noir ($25)

As one would expect this Pinot is from Mt Compass fruit and the cooler climate shows with this variety.  The aromas were nuances of mushrooms, pine needles and cherries with brown spice mix thrown in.  Flavors showing red fruits and subtle oak that lingers.  There is a hint of bitterness that just takes the enjoyment down a notch.

2006 Shiraz Viognier ($20)

Mt Compass fruit with just 5% Viognier – the use of Viognier with Shiraz is to provide a lift to the wine that would not be apparent otherwise.  I got rhubarb as the main red fruit mixed with subtle spices.  I did not get any apricot (good) but the wine is a bit tired.  It would have been good to see it a couple of years ago.

2006 Southcote Cabernet Shiraz ($70/doz)

A very fruit driven wine with red fruits and pepper spice.  Good value.

2006 Pangkarra Grenache ($25)

From the McLaren Vale vineyards and shows lots of cloves, nutmeg and dark cherry aromas.  In terms of flavors – they show the same spices and with red fruits and a savory finish.  Unfortunately there was a slight bitterness on the finish that stopped this wine being first class.

Pangkarra Grenache

2008 Cabernet ($24)

Made from Mt Compass fruit and shows the aromas expected from Cabernet – black current and mint.  The flavors were dominated by fruit cake and then mocha on the finish.  There are layers of good tannins and lots of structure here.

2006 Pangkarra Shiraz ($24)

From the old Ingoldby vineyard in McLaren Flat Shiraz.  Aromas of deep plum and chocolate aromas with subtle spices.  The mocha flavors dominate the dark plum fruit and the tannin structure is fine not course or chewy.

2005 Noble Semillon

Made from Mt Compass fruit that starts impressively with orange blossom and blood orange and a hint of citrus peel.  The flavors were much lighter than expected with some stone fruit but it was hard to work out the flavors as they were just so short.

Free Blog Notification Subscription