I was first introduced to Inkwell with the Vale Cru wine tasting at the Victory Hotel a couple of years ago and I was hooked straight away. There is a sense of interest that there is a grape grower and winemaker who was born in America, California to be exact and now has a property on California Road. The vineyard also has some Zinfandel which is the workhorse grape of California. Anyway that is enough about places other than the wonder that is McLaren Vale.
The vineyard in question sits between McLaren Vale and Willunga and has a number of soil types with ironstone clays imparting a minerallity to the final product. The vineyard has had Shiraz, Zinfandel and Viognier. I found out today that some of the vines have been grafted with Grenache, Mourvedre and Cabernet. I look forward to how these new additions will come along over the next few years.
This blog is written after a wine tasting showing all the wines produced by Inkwell at the home of the winemaker (Dudley) on 27th November 2011. This was a wonderful event that was enjoyed by about 10 hard core Inkwell Wines fans.
Inkwell Tasting
Anyway, I should discuss the wines…..
2009 Viognier
This wine is starting to show it’s age with toasty aromas starting to overtake the fruit character. There is some apricot kernel and slight honeysuckle also on the nose. The fruit of apricots is fading but there is a good acid structure here.
2010 Viognier
this is just sensational and showing that the Viognier from the vineyard can age gracefully. There are aroma elements of honey, apricot that lifts right out of the glass. The flavors show the hint of apricot and other stone fruits that is expected but there is a mouthfeel one does not expect from a white wine. This was my favorite white wine from the Inkwell stable.
2011 Viognier
A fraction of the wine was barrel fermented and some Sauvignon added. This variety shows an oiliness and that was apparent here – more than the others. I get the apricot kernel here but there is floral notes as well. The flavors shoes the same elements as the aromas with a textural element that was not seen before. In saying that though there was something I just did not enjoy about this wine.
2004 Shiraz
the word for this wine is course- the tannin and fruit structure are both course. There is pepper, vanilla (from the American Oak) and black fruits. This wine is probably at it’s best, however given a choice I would give this one a pass.
2005 Wild Thing Shiraz
Hold the phone – this wine was different from second one. The difference was between 10 and 15% of Grenache (sourced from an adjacent vineyard). Boy what a different this Grenache makes! The aromas were dominated by by the redness of Grenache but the structure of Shiraz. There is spice and a sense of nuts from the oak treatment. I admit I was hooked on this wine from the first smell. I went back to the wine after tasting all the rest to see if the intrigue was still there – and it was.
Inkwell Reds
2005 Shiraz
The theme for this vintage was vanillin oak with dark satsuma plums wrapped around the roadway gravel. The subtlety here is that the tannins are much finer than with the previous reds. The vines showing some their journey as they get a little older.
2006 Rebel Rebel Shiraz
Here we move directly into the darkness of the plum with the flavors of soft licorice. The American oak influences are less obvious here and the soft tannins continue here. This is classy and was considered by many at the tasting as the wine of the lineup.
2007 Shiraz
Here was the first wine that I tasted from the Inkwell stable and it is my favorite straight Shiraz. The glass is just full of lifted satsuma plums, soft licorice and fruit sweetness with those fine tannins here in abundance. It still has a life ahead of it but really good drinking now. Structure, structure and more structure with that deep minerallity on show.
More Inkwell Reds
2008 Shiraz
Picked on the night that the oppressive heat wave of the vintage started and their timing was impeccable. Pepper abounds in the sweet fruitiness of the dark almost black plum and blackberry. Chocolate is lingering around the glass and the mouth. The tannins are here to the point that m teeth were furry and my palate dried off. Still needs some time in the bottle to see it’s best.
2010 Shiraz
Yet to be released as the wine has not been considered to be right for the market as yet. The aromas and flavors were a little clumsy but one can see quality fruit here – some fruit sweetness combined with good French and American oak influences. I agree not ready now but I am looking forward to when it is.
2010 Deeper Well Shiraz
Now this is interesting. Dudley has always had problems with releasing wine earlier that he would like for optimum wine quality but not early enough for cash flow. So the 2010 vintage provided the opportunity to take the best 2 barrels wine and bottle them separate with the intention of cellaring for release 5 years after the vintage. This wine is certainly different from the above wine. Here was floral notes (particularly violets) and very distinct dark plum on the nose. I got raspberries with the expected plums and chewy but fine tannin structure. These tannins have a quite drying effect on the finish. I expect this will be a beauty in 2015.
2010 Inkling
The Inkling is an experiment to produce a lighter red style so this is a blend of Shiraz (with a couple of buckets of Viognier added) and about 15% Zinfandel added. The introduction of the Zinfandel has made such a difference with fresh red berries mainly cherry and cherry ripe (with the influence of American oak providing the coconut influence). I could also see this wine being slightly chilled. I watch this wine with interest.
2009 Primitivo
I have not had many Zinfandel based wines so this was of interest. And interesting it was. In 2009 most of the grapes were fried with the heat and were of no interest to process. A small section of the vineyard was found with suitable tasting grapes even though the vines had shut down and the grapes were not maturing ant further. A last minute decision was made to pick these grapes as they “tasted OK”. The resultant wine can be best described as drinking strawberry and blackberry jam with a creamy finish – talk about different. I can see this wine appealing to many but also not appealing to others. Why not give it a try and let me know what you think.
2010 Primitivo
In my journey of Zinfandel wines this could not be more different. The wine is like drinking a red wine but tasting a jammy malt, chocolate milk drink (like Milo for the Aussie readers). This wine has seen only American oak and there is tannin structure here but I have never tasted such a profile. It was so interesting I was offered an open bottle to take home with me to try I did so with the same results so my tasking experience was consistent. For those that know me can attest
