Winetastic

Having been intending to try this wine for some time, I snapped up a bottle as soon as I saw it on special at uncle dan’s for only $15. Taking heed of other reviewer’s suggestions, the cork was pulled a couple of hours in advance to allow the wine some time to open up in the air.

Fleshy plums, berries and alcohol on the nose, the palate has a solid structure starting with juicy dark fruit and finishing with noticeably drying tannins and lingering flavours of coffee and oak. This is not a cabernet for the feint hearted, displaying its ripe and rich Barossa heritage. The back label suggests cellaring for 5-8 years, you would be hard pressed to find a better cabernet at the price to put away for the medium term.

Initially I wanted to give the wine 8/10, however after some consideration I downgraded the score by one point. I am aiming to rate the wines as they are drinking right now, rather than attempting to make predictions about its cellaring potential. I will be buying several bottles to put away for a few years however.

Score: 7/10
Price: $15-20
Closure: Cork
Would I buy this wine again?
At the often seen “on special” price of $15, yes indeed.

This week Dan Murphy’s (Sydney) have some very snappy prices:

• Hardy’s Oomoo Shiraz 2004 - $10.90 per bottle or $10.50 in mixed dozen, my pick as the best value quaffing red
• Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - $14.90 per bottle or $13.20 in mixed dozen, often raved about by Gary @ Winorama, I will be picking up a bottle or two this week
• Turkey Flat Rose 2005 - $15.90 per bottle or $15.10 in mixed dozen
• Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 2005 - $12.90 per bottle or $11.95 in mixed dozen, many prefer this to the Eden Valley, excellent value

Winestar also have a good new offer on Rose:

• Charles Melton “Rose of Virginia” 2005 - $17.90 per bottle or $215.88 per dozen

If you have spotted any other great specials this week, please post them in the comments below. Retailer plugs are welcome for any wine already reviewed on the blog.

This came from one of my first wine purchases, two cases for the price of one! Split the cost with a friend, who used his last few bottles to make Sangria, I should have followed this shrewd course of action.

Tastes like red wine infused with essence of bushfire. Wine is definitely past it and now undrinkable.

Admitedly I liked this Cabernet Merlot blend when I made the purchase. Advice for medium term cellaring on the label was a mistake on the part of the winery.

Score: 1/10
Price: $12
Closure: Cork
Would I buy this wine again? No

Another wine bought recently from Australian Old Vine Wines in the Riverina, NSW. I was rather impressed with a tasting at the cellar door and picked up a few bottles as part of a mixed dozen.

Although initially a little closed, complex aromas of plums and berries, a little oak and a whiff of earthy leather emerge an hour or two after opening. Plummy fruit flavours on the palate fade nicely into a long, dry finish. For the producers own tasting notes, try the Old Vine Winery Website.

Interestingly this Shiraz paired nicely with slow cooked lamb even though it is fairly full bodied. The savoury nature of the wine makes it a food friendly style, ideally matched with any red meat or even a rich pasta sauce.

Score: 8/10
Price: $12
Closure: Cork
Would I buy this wine again? Without a doubt, like the Chambourcin from the same winery there is excellent value for money to be had.

De Bortoli are one of the larger wineries with a presence in the Riverina. They produce a great deal of their entry level wines in the region, such as their “Sacred Hill” and “Deen Vat” labels along with their flagship wine, the “Nobel One” Botrytis Semillon.

Like all the cellar doors for the larger producers, the De Bortoli store in the Riverina was more like a large bottle shop, with their entire range from Victoria and the Hunter Valley also available. There was a section designated for tasting, however there was a distinct lack of spittoons, which was not so nice as I was driving on the day.

I chose to taste only the locally produced wines, which meant the $10 vat range and the dessert wines. Some standouts were the Vat 4 Petit Verdot 2004 and the Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon 2004, which is like a baby Noble One. I was dissappointed to find they did not have any older vintages of the Noble One for tasting, however the 2003 was delicious as always.

Overall you will not find anything surprising at the De Bortoli cellar door in the Riverina. However the staff are friendly and there is the opportunity to drink some Noble One for free, so it is worth a visit if you are in the area. On second thoughts, the large range of entry level wines available for tasting, especially those in casks, makes De Bortoli an ideal location for those being driven around on a minibus.

A little while back I mentioned that Dan Murphy’s had the 2005 Leo Buring “Leonay” Riesling on special for only $24.99 a bottle, well it has happened again this week. A highly recommended purchase.

Although I am yet to taste the wine myself, both Winestar and Boccaccio have Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 for $16.99 per bottle. Gary from Winorama rated this wine highly, and he is generally on the money.

The Australian Sovereign Chambourcin is produced by a small, family run boutique winery in the Riverina region of NSW called Australian Old Vine Wines. They have a small range under two labels, “Australian Old Vine” and “Australian Sovereign”. Some impressions from the cellar door were posted recently by Gemma.

Deep crimson in colour, the wine initially presents aromas of plum, berries and a little cocoa. The palate is full and well balanced with some fruit, a little fine tannin and a long and lingering earthy finish. There is enough acidity to leave your mouth feeling refreshed, thus this is a very food friendly wine. You can read the wineries own tasting notes at their website.

It was interesting to watch this Chambourcin evolve in the glass, from being initially a little closed, then quite fruity, moving toward being a little earthy and ended up extremely well balanced around 2 hours later. Typically wines made from the chambourcin grape are quite soft, and this one is no exception. Vinodiversity have some further information on the Chambourcin grape.

Score: 8/10
Price: $12
Closure: Screwcap
Would I buy this wine again? Without a shadow of a doubt, even at $20 a bottle this wine would represent good value.

Located in the heart of the Riverina area in Southern NSW, the Old Vine Winery can be found nestled among the country backroads just outside of Griffith. Producing only a small range of wines, this winery chooses to focus on making premium quality wines from a selection of old Australian vines. It is a modest, family run boutique winery, boasting 50 year old vines on which the grapes are grown naturally. Traditional farming practices of hand pruning, hand picking and no artificial fertilizers or pesticides being used are maintained and minimal watering is also applied. The vines are grown amongst naturally occurring grasses that are mown to create an eco system that encourages earthworms to aerate and fertilize the soil.

It’s a small, intimate set up on the back of someone’s house, but i can honestly say i’ve never felt so welcome at a cellar door. Our host couldn’t do enough for us, we were presented with all sorts of cheeses for tasting and were handed wine bottles left, right and centre to pour our own tastings. Particular mentions must go to the 2004 Chambourcin and the 2003 Shiraz. The Chambourcin has a full, soft and well balanced, yet complex palate comprising of plums, spices and hints of chocolate which is drinking well now or will cellar well for several more years. For me this was honestly the best wine i tried whilst in Griffith. A close second was the ‘03 Shiraz which is intense, flavoursome and rich, with subtle hints of oak and dusty drier tannins on the finish. Their Semillon Botrytis was also stunning, a golden straw in colour with citrus and pineapple characters interwoven with light floral tones, it is a soft and luscious wine that again will cellar well if you can stop yourself from drinking it.

Australian Old Vine Wines present outstanding value, at only $12 a bottle from the cellar door, they’re a steal, these really are premium wines that i wouldn’t bat an eyelid at paying over $20 for.

If you’re ever in the Riverina area make the effort to hunt down Australian Old Vine Wines, it really is worth it, they’re producing some stunning, premium quality wines at very reasonable prices.

Its been a while since my last post, the flu has had both Gemma and I in its vile clutches, so no wine has been consumed for over a week, terrible times indeed. The first post-flu wine review is for a french sticky, a Saturne, which is predominantly botrytis Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine presents lemon and honey aromas partnered with a viscous mouth feel, however not syrupy or overly sweet. The flavours last an extremely long time, running a gambit of lemon, through honey and ending with a touch of butterscotch.

Overall the style is less sweet and more subtle than most australian dessert wines. This is a very affordable import at only $15 for a 375ml bottle at Dan Murphy’s.

Score: 7/10
Would I buy this wine again?
There is definitely value for money to be had at $15 for a half bottle, however I think I would prefer to support the aussie producers.