Wine and Spirit: Australia

Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts

Pillar Box Red 2007

Posted by cfoldi On 4.10.10 0 comments

Blend of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot.

Displaying a dark colour and vibrant purple hue, the 2007 Pillar Box Red has bright aromas of blue and dark berry fruit entwined with liquorice, spermint and cigar box complexity.

The palate is rich and fleshy, with flavours of fresh blackcurrant and blueberry fruit combined with orange rind, dark chocolate and spicy smoky oak characters.

Whilst the tannins are full, the palate is round, soft and well balanced, leading into a lingering harmonious finish.

Serve with a soft, runny camembert cheese.

Bargain for just NZ$ 19.

St Hallet Gamekeepers Reserve Shiraz Grenache 2008

Posted by cfoldi On 14.9.10 0 comments

A fascinating blend from old Barossa Valley vines, each fruit parcel was vinified separately in stainless steel and, following malolactic, aged on lees for eight months.

The nose displayes ripe red fruit, with violet and cinnamon notes enlivened by rose petal-like nuances.

It is a medium bodied wine with well defined cherry and raspberry flavours enhanced by a touch of smokiness and earthiness.

For NZ$ 19.

Rare Print Series No4 Grenache 1995

Posted by cfoldi On 9.8.10 0 comments

I was at a wine auction last Friday.

Bought some really interesting wines but one of them seemed even more interesting than the others.

A grenache (garnacha) from Clare Valley (Australia) from 1995.

I'm a big fan of spanish style varieties (especially tempranillo), so I could hardly wait to taste this one.

For many years grenache has been seen as a nasty word, yet most of the winemakers would agree that along with the more famous shiraz, it has been a workhorse variety of Australia.

In this the fruit was picked ripe, at optimum flavour levels, and the wine was matured for a short time in a mixture of new, two and three year old American oak barrels.

Buying a 15 year-old wine is always some kind of lottery (you never know where it was stored during the years).

I was more than lucky this time.

This one has a ruby colour with orange pale.

Sweet raspberry and vanilla on the nose.

A very complex, full-bodied wine with low acid and high tannin, quite a long aftertaste.

Superb. A brilliant example from Clare Valley.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2007

Posted by cfoldi On 26.7.10 0 comments

The Koonunga Hill success story continues.

This Shiraz Cabernet offers juicy boysenberry and blackcurrant aromas with a balanced seasoning of cedary, charry oak.

It tastes mellow and welcoming, with a harmonious foundation of fine powdery tannins.

Really good choice and a perfect match with lamb chops.

For NZ$ 17.

Peter Lehmann The Futures Shiraz 2006

Posted by cfoldi On 19.7.10 0 comments

One of Australia's favourite reds, The Futures had an interesting beginning: it was the first wine Peter Lehmann sold to friends and family on a pay now for delivery in two years arrangement. The stratagem worked, ensuring that the winery had a future.

The fruit was selected from low-yielding Barossa vineyards, partially barrel fermented and matured for fifteen months in French oak.

Inky dark, it displays aromas of ripe plum and black cherry enveloped by nutmeg and vanilla.

Opulently structured and richly flavoured, with an enduring finish.

For NZ$ 39.

Shingleback Shiraz 2004

Posted by cfoldi On 30.6.10 0 comments

Juicy McLaren Vale reds like this are oh-so-easy to like.

It's a smooth, blackberries-and-cream-like version of Australian Shiraz - ripe, lush and ultra-smooth, with fine tannin structure and a lingering finish.

A real crowd-pleaser. Not more, not less.

For NZ$ 25.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2004

Posted by cfoldi On 21.2.10 0 comments

Dubbed the 'Poor man's Grange' or 'Baby Grange' (in part because the components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange), the Bin 389 is made up of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz.

This wine is dark and vibrant purple.

On the nose dark berries and plum, a hint of middle-east spices and cedary oak.

The oak is seamlessly integrated and the wealth of fruit is shy at putting its best step forward.

Patience is required here.

Very important: this wine shows its real face at 15-18 degrees Celsius!

Brooding, tight, grainy, dusty, black currant, plum and tobacco aromas with some pepper at the back.

The tannin structure is significant, but appropriate to what the wine has in store.

Perfect choice for 'heavy' , red meat. Especially for deer.

Definitely worth its NZ$ 44 price.

Brown Brothers 2007 Late Harvest Orange Muscat & Flora

Posted by cfoldi On 14.2.10 0 comments

A sweet muscat from Brown Brothers (Australia).

Golden hey coloured with a fresh and youthful grapey, melon and sweet orange on the nose followed up by a bit honey at the back.

Dried apricots in the mouth.

I was waiting lot more impression, lot more taste.

A very bad balancing wine, close to a sweet syrup -almost none acidity in it.

No aftertaste.

Sad to say but the truth is: it's a poor dessert wine.

For NZ$ 10. (375 ml)

Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay 2008

Posted by cfoldi On 2.2.10 0 comments

Intense peach and melon aromas develop into a tropical fruit flavoured palate that is supported by subtle oak characters.

Silver medal at Decanter World Wine Awards 2008, and Gold Medal at New Zealand International Wine Show 2008.

NZ$ 20. Great price for a great Chardonnay.

Deen de Bortoli VAT4 Petit Verdot 2007

Posted by cfoldi On 30.1.10 0 comments

Petit Verdot is said to play a role in 'stiffening the mid-palate' of Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blends.

It is used to deepen the colour and add more tannic backbone.

This wine has beautiful and balanced flavours or dark berries.

Vibrant purple, crimson hues.

Black currant and plum aromas on the nose.

The palate exhibits rich mocha characters, dark berry fruits, sweet pepper and silky tannins.

It is intensely fruit driven with integrated coconut and toasty oak flavours and has a beautiful mid-weight palate.

Something not common from Australia.

Go for it. For NZ$ 19.

Hardy's Oomoo Shiraz 2007

Posted by cfoldi On 20.1.10 0 comments

The colour of this wine is a bright crimson with purple hues.

A delightful mix of dark chocolate and plums with licorice, blackberry and leather spice on the nose.

The palate is full of fruits, especially dark cherries and berries along with mocha and star anise.

Medium/medium plus body.

A great drinking wine, superb with most red meat or good cheese.

The sweet fruit flavours are balanced by savoury ripe tannins, culminating in a long, cool finish.

Extremly good value for its price (NZ$ 25).

Taylors Gewürztraminer 2008

Posted by cfoldi On 7.1.10 0 comments

Gewürztraminer grows beautifully in the Clare Valley (Australia), where siblings of the grape have also taken to the soils and climes which are so similar to growing conditions in Alsace, where the varietal originates.

This wine has a pale straw colour with green highlights.

Intense, lifted aromas of rose and gooseberry are immediately on the bouquet.

There is also an inviting perfume of talc with subtle spice characters.

The palate delivers equally pleasing flavours of turkish delight, lemon, goosberries and a touch of eastern spices. Rich in texture.

Tight acidity delivers a crisp, clean finish.

Suits well to aromatic Asian foods, particularly Thai, seafood or fruit salad.

Crafted for immediate enjoyment but can be aged for couple of years as well.

Price: 17 AU$

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