Long time between drinks folks but the great month for celebrating the fermented grape in WA is on us again.
The New Zealand wine winegrowers associations “New Zealand in a Glass” is first off the ranks. Pinot and Sav Blanc should be at the forefront with a few Boudreaux stlye based surprises. Looking forward to seeing how the young juggernauts of the world wine industry are travelling.
The outstanding whites in my mind were fairly clear cut. They were the Suckfizzle Savblanc/Semillon 2007 and the wine of the year winner Brookland Valley Chardonnay 2008.
The Suckfizzle Savblanc/Semillon 2007 was incredible in that I have never seen such rich depth in the overall body of a Sav Blanc before. It was peachy citrus, almost buttery and luscious on the palette and had a remarkably long and satisfying finish.
Speaking of finishes, the Brookland Valley Chardonnay 2008 left the typical Margaret varietal traits of buttery melon, refreshing acidity that will help this develop much further and the final tongue smacker that lasts minutes long. A superb drop for sure but in a few years will be even better.
Now for the reds, there were three that left a mark with me (though the Jack Mann was absent).
The Knee Deep Shiraz 2008 was an excellent trade mark cool climate Shiraz. Spicy pepper, damp wood and powdery fairly rounded tannin. Not quite a big Barossaian power hit but well put together and a joy to drink (medium term cellaring).
The McHenry Hohnen Rolling Stone Cab Sav/ Merlot/ Malbec/ Petit Verdot 2008 were a surprise packet for me. You can tell that the makers obviously enjoy their Boudreaux style very much and it is a very good effort indeed. Immediately wafting a fruity lift on the nose which a good Boudreaux style should have, the palette complemented the nose superbly with rounded mixed currents and an elegant finish that will be great with most foods.
The Houghton’s Gladstone’s cab/sav 2004 is going to travel very nicely over the next coming decade. Not a powerhouse as yet but more a medium bodied rester. It will IMO develop a lot more complexity with time and should emerge triumphant as another great example of Margaret cabernet.
PLEASE STAY TUNED. HAVE BEEN A BIT QUIET OF LATE BUT OCTOBER IS WINE MONTH WITH MANY TASTINGS, DINNERS AND EVENTS ALL TO DO WITH OUR BELOVED BEVERAGE. LOTS OF NOTES AND IMPRESSIONS COMING SOON IN VINOTOBER.
On the outset, this is a bargain (around $27). After a quick swirl the ripe cabernet rips in and makes you sniff a few times first before allowing the inevitable pour. The first few left me here with a very confused palette. It was full bodied luscious and round, but it didn’t have the knockout punch it promised. Luckily after a few more tries it is definitely still immerging. Think most would appreciate this wine and certainly the cost to quality ratio.
A fantastic wine that is bursting to get out but a little too tannic and closed right now. Great fruit and structure still poking its head out. As per other recent Voyager cab/merlots oozed class and an outstanding long term prospect. Quite similar to 03 but more punch and longer term drinking window.
Extremely fragrant with an enormous uplifting and fresh fruity nose oozing out of the glass. The palette is attractive but not yet complete where the tannin is a bit up front and rather closed for now. Fresh tight fleshy berries that are quite ripe but not overly sweet. Certainly will improve to be quite a stunning drop. Fruitier Bordeaux style and great with food.
A rich, warm, spicy plum and quite inviting nose. Palette has dark plum, peppery spice with red currents and cedar cigar box. It tells me slightly more Shiraz than Cabernet (is the other way around in reality) but that probably stems from the warmer climate Barossian cabernet characters it has (as appose to more typical Coonawarra or Margaret). The overall structure forms a great full bodied drinking now platform but by no means leaves it to diminish in time. Believe this will get even better with just a few more years under its belt to fine thinks out (not that too much currently stands out of place). This is an outstanding value wine for those looking for a great drinking full bodied red straight from the liquor store shelves.
Cullen Diana Madeline 2004 - The nose is an outstanding fragrance of rich fresh Margaret Cabernet, raspberry, blackcurrants and a bit of grass that opens up its intensity with time in the glass. A luscious palette that matches this with an addition of very fine mouth coating tannins with outstanding structure that will help this develop into iconic status in 10-15 years time. Cullen and Australian cab/merlot at its very best.
Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1991 – second bottle. Wow. Cannot believe this wine at this age. Great nose of liquorice, spice and all things nice. Palette much the same with a very rich flavour profile that has an elegance (class) factor. This baby can still travel so many years, it has not even reached its peak status. A classy wine that I will talk about for ages. An Australian classic. Only down fall unfortunately is I don’t have any left.
Just had a bottle of Seppelt 2004 St Petters Shiraz on my very first fathers day. A bit young at present starting off with light notes of savory liquorice and spice. The tone did not change, but the depth and complexity emerging the longer it sat makes this a definite beauty in years to come. Wont bother my other 5 for at least 5 years.
Thanks again Tye for making life more and more of a joy every single day.
