Winetastic

There have been several bottles of the Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 1999 sitting on the shelves of Dan Murphy’s at Menai since the wine was released 4 years ago. Although not stored under ideal conditions, the store is always kept at a reasonable temperature, so I figured it was a worthwhile gamble at $28.

For the first 2-3 hours after opening this Shiraz did not give away much in the way of aromas. Flavours on the palate were also limited, with the balance thrown far toward acid and an astringent mouth feel. The final glass or two were very good however, with red fruit, berry aromas and a silky smooth texture. There was a little tannin and spice evident on the medium bodied finish.

Overall I felt there is definitely quality to be found in the glass after enough breathing time has been allowed. The staff at Meerea Park advise that there is still a long cellaring potential ahead for this wine, although I would not be inclined to do so with bottles that had sat upright on a store shelf for so long.

Score: 8/10
Price: $28
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, next time around I will decant and give this wine lots of time to breathe

The Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz is hand picked and aged in bottle for around 4 years before release. This is a great service for consumers, giving those without the time or resources to maintain a cellar a chance to drink a bottle or two with some aged characters.

Garnet red in colour, the wine displays aromas of red fruits supported by a hint of spices earth and leather. Restrained flavours of red fruits and spices are present on the medium bodied palate, finishing with subtle drying tannins and a hint of coffee.

Considering you can pick up a bottle for as low as $12 on special in some stores, this is a wine that oozes value for money from its pores. Definitely give this one at least an hour to breathe before drinking as it takes a little while for the fruit characters to emerge.

Score: 8/10
Price: $13
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Mount Pleasant, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, a quality wine at an excellent price.

I like Moscato, it is the ideal lunch time wine due to its low alcohol volume. It is also generally cheap, a small group of committed souls could create an impressive collection of empty bottles on their table at a Riverina wine festival, one would imagine.

This spritzy wine smells and tastes just like white table grapes. It lacks enough acid to bring the fruit sweetness into balance, thus the second glass was difficult to drink. Brown Brothers recommend serving it “well chilled”, this would be a good way to hide some of the sugar.

The conclusion? Drink an Italian import such as the Castello del Poggio Moscato D’Asti 2005 instead.

Score: 4/10
Price: $12
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 5.5%
Other Opinions: Brown Brothers
Would I buy this wine again?
No

The Boutique Wine Festival 2006 was held last weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, surprisingly the event was staged on the same weekend as Wine Australia 2006. Fortunately the result of the clash was a relatively low attendance at the 11am-3pm session of the boutique festival that Gemma and I attended on Saturday.

The first standout winery were Vinrock from the McLaren Vale. They produce two wines, a Shiraz and a Grenache, both of which were excellent and well priced. The Vinrock Grenache 2005 ($17) showed lush berry fruits in a full bodied wine with a well balanced drying finish. The Vinrock Shiraz 2005 ($20) showed a more robust structure and needs some more time in bottle, however I feel it will develop into an excellent wine.

In a complete style contrast with Vinrock, the cool climate wines of Darling Park Winery from the Mornington Peninsula stood out due to their finesse and balance. The Darling Park Syrah 2004 ($24.50) showed restrained red fruit and pepper and the excellent balance convinced me it was worthwhile trying the Darling Park Pinot Noir 2004 ($28), which was by far the best example of the variety at the exhibition. Finally I tried the Darling Park Chardonnay 2004 ($24.50) which showed excellent balance between fruit and acidity with just a little oak on the finish.

There were many wineries from the Barossa Valley present, most of which had terribly overripe, overoaked and unbalanced wines. Enter our Barossan savior Balthazar, showing wines of intensity and balance. The Balthazar Shiraz 2001, 2002 and 2003 ($38) were all excellent, the 2002 being the pick of the bunch showing loads of ripe dark fruits, coffee flavours and enough drying tannin to provide structure and balance. I only wish these wines fell within our general price range.

Taking the Winetastic prize for the most unique wine at the show were Outram Estate from the Hunter Valley. The wine in question was the Outram Estate Verdelho 2000 ($18), which had actually been aged in oak. Another highlight was the Outram Estate Merlot 2003 ($24), which displayed typical hunter valley characters of earth and a little leather and is not unlike a softer Shiraz from the region.

The final tasting of the day was with Murray Street Vineyards from the Barossa Valley. I must admit at this stage it was becoming difficult to taste anything, even after following a strict regime of spittoon use. Starting with the Murray Street entry level range, ‘The Barossa’ Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2004 ($20) is a big and ripe example of the traditional blend that does not go over the top, it was the best GSM I tried at the show. Looking at the super premium wines, unsurprisingly all were excellent, however my pick was the MSV Greenock Shiraz 2004 ($40), a dry-grown, single vineyard Shiraz of intensity and balance.

On the whole, the majority of the wines available for tasting were very average, especially from some of the newer wine growing regions. It was actually possible to purchase wine at the event and there was a direct correlation between the quality of a producers wines, and how keen they were to offload a case or two. The top producers were happy to simply talk about the wines at length, knowing that the wines would sell themselves.

The Meerea Shiraz Viognier is the wineries entry level red. As with many premium producers, this means excellent value for money. The 2004 vintage contains 94% Shiraz and 6% Viognier.

Medium red in colour, the lovely red berry fruit aromas of the Shiraz are given a floral lift by the Viognier. Medium bodied and full flavoured, both red fruits and a little plum are present on the palate. There are no apricot flavours here, however some tangy citrus peel is evident on the slightly savoury finish.

I would be drinking these now while the fruit flavours are vibrant and fresh. I really like the style, food friendly but gluggable, not a confected dark fruit and apricot monster.

Score: 8/10
Price: $17
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, this is one you can pick up for a good price at uncle dan’s.

Pioneered in 1858 Tyrrell’s Wines are one of the more established and renown wineries in the Hunter Valley. The cellar door isn’t a fancy affair for a company that are currently exporting to over 30 countries worldwide and producing over 500,000 cases of wine a year. We happened to be there on a particualarly busy day, so tastings were farily crowded and rushed, but the quality of Tyrrell’s wines is unquestionable.

Tyrrell’s Reserve Stevens range includes two wines, a Semillon and Shiraz, sourced from what are regarded as some of the finest old vineyards in the Hunter Valley. If you’re looking for your typical hunter red then the 2002 Reserve Stevens Shiraz is a great example with it’s ripe fruit, tight acid and integrated tannin structure, which has been enhanced further by four years bottle ageing prior to release.

Vat 9 has been the flagship of Tyrrell’s Shiraz production and it’s easy to see why. Handpicked fruit from old vines growing in soil that is heavy, rich volcanic clay with underlying limestone, this wine is known for it’s well structured palate with spicey fruit flavours and great length. The 2002 Vat 9 Hunter Shiraz is no exception though there is a hint of sweetness to be found.

I couldn’t do a cellar door write up and not mention Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Semillon, the winner of no less than 756 trophies and awards to date. One of Australia’s finest Semillons, Vat 1 epitomises the benefits of patient bottle ageing that can transform an unoaked wine. There are several vintages of Vat 1 available for tasting including the 1999 Vat 1 Hunter Semillon. This is a fantastic wine, mid green in colour with the clean lifted fruit aromas of the classic old style beginning to develop, the palate has tight citrus overtones and is just beginning to display toasty bottle aged complexity. If you’re in the Hunter I recommend stopping by Tyrrell’s, if only to taste the 2006 Vat 1 Hunter Semillon. A light green to gold in colour this wine has a nose richer and more intense than most young semillons. The palate is dominated by lanolin, citrus, a hint of sweetness and a clean acid finish, recommended cellaring until 2012, we walked away with two bottles of this at $27 cellar door price.

Producing some of Australia’s finest Semillon and Shiraz, Tyrrell’s is well worth a visit if you’re in the area. They have some decent and approachable entry level wine as well worth looking at.

I have fond memories of my first visit to Tamburlaine in the hunter valley. Organic wines, whites I actually liked and competitive prices to boot. Although the wines are still organic and good quality, the prices have unfortunately shot through the roof over the past couple of years.

Upon arrival, the cellar door was bustling with many visitors as well as a busload of obviously well lubricated tourists in the next room. There were plenty of attentive staff on hand however, and we were immediately handed some tasting glasses and a pushy sales pitch to join the Tamburlaine “wine club”. This was an off putting experience given that we were yet to actually taste any wine.

Tamburlaine produce wines from grapes grown both in the Hunter Valley, and their Orange Vineyard from central NSW. The Tamburlaine Hunter Verdelho 2004 ($22) is the best example of the variety I have tasted to date, presenting loads of tropical fruits with balancing acidity. Previously I had purchased several bottles of the 2003 vintage, however a jump in price of around $5 per bottle removed any notion of value for money.

Following the trend set by the Verdelho, the 2004 Hunter Syrah ($28) was a good example of the traditional red, however it struggled to hold its own against many other top producers we visited on this trip. The 2004 Orange Syrah ($28) was marginally better, presenting good cool climate Shiraz qualities of dark fruits and a little pepper. Both are well crafted wines, however they really should be priced below $20 to be competitive.

Overall the quality of the wines at Tamburlaine is good, however there are far better wines at lower prices available in the hunter valley, or any bottle shop for that matter. As a side note, their website is far from professional, is difficult to navigate and does not appear to have any useful information such as tasting notes or prices.

Website: http://www.tamburlaine.com.au

Meerea Park ‘The Aunts’ Shiraz 2004 was one of the many fine wines we tasted at the cellar door recently, this was my pick as the best value for money, so naturally we walked away with a bottle to review.

A fairly light ruby red in colour, inviting aromas of cherry, chocolate, dried herbs and a hint of leather are present, the latter fading over a couple of hours. The wine has complex flavours with sour cherry and cranberry fruit sitting above some mushroom and earthy characters. This is a full flavoured but medium bodied Shiraz with a solid structure defined by a fair amount of fine, drying tannin and balancing acidity.

Many Aussie red wines, especially shiraz, really do not pair well with food other than a big t-bone steak or hearty beef stew. Quality hunter valley shiraz such as this is far more versatile.

Score: 8/10
Price: $26
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, ill be putting some away to rest in the cellar.

Before planning our most recent day trip to the hunter, I trolled the various aussie wine forums and asked around for suggestions on wineries to visit. Lakes Folly was one name which came up on a regular basis, however we turned up to the cellar door having absolutely no idea what to expect.

Lakes Folly are a small operation producing around 4500 cases a year. They produce two different wines, surprisingly neither are predominantly Semillon or Shiraz, infact Lakes Folly produce a chardonnay and a cabernet blend, both of which sell for around $45 a bottle. The 2004 Chardonnay is already sold out, so we only had the opportunity to taste one wine, the Lakes Folly Cabernets 2004 ($45). Well balanced with lovely red fruits showing through, I was most impressed by the length of this wine.

I should mention the high quality booklet which is available at the cellar door, containing a wealth of information on the history of the winery, storage and serving advice, along with vintage ratings and drinking windows right back to 1966.

The conclusion? If the wines fall within your budget, Lakes Folly are certainly worth a visit.

Website: http://www.lakesfolly.com.au

The Mount Pleasant cellar door is located on a rather picturesque hillside in the Hunter Valley. They have a vast array of wines available for tasting from around Australia since they are owned by McWilliams, however on our recent trip we remained focused on the local classics, Semillon and Shiraz. The tasting room itself is fairly large, obviously having capacity for busloads of visitors. Fortunately we arrived quite late in the day and things were fairly quiet, the staff were friendly and knowledgeable and we were definitely not treated like a number.

Mount Pleasant have several drink-now wines that represent decent quality and value for money, however things start to get more interesting when you look at their cellar release range of “Elizabeth” Semillon ($17.50) and “Phillip” Shiraz ($17.50). Both are very consistent performers, showing distinct varietal and regional character. Best of all, they can often be found for under $15 a bottle in stores and sometimes as low as $11.

Three vintages of the single vineyard “Lovedale” Semillon were available for tasting, the 1996 Lovedale ($40) which has some sticking cork issues, the 2000 Lovedale ($51) current release and finally a sneak peak at the 2005 Lovedale Semillon ($51). I felt they were all excellent examples of Hunter Semillon, however the pricing is definitely starting to hurt, especially given that Tyrrell’s have their Vat1 Semillon 2005 for under $30.

There were three different premium hunter red wines on offer, the Rosehill Shiraz 2000 ($32), which was my pick of the bunch, the Old Paddock & Old Hill 2002 ($38.50) and finally the Maurice O’Shea Shiraz 2003 ($60). The Rosehill and Old Paddock were described as “big boys” by the staff and are certainly fuller in flavour than many other hunter reds we tried this trip. The 2003 O’Shea is definitely a brilliant wine which I am glad we had the opportunity to taste, however there are better value options around.

Although Mount Pleasant are one of the larger players in the Hunter Valley, they offer excellent value for money with their cellar release range alongside premium selections that complete well with any other producer in the region. With wines at all price points, this is a winery with something for everyone.

Website: http://www.mountpleasantwines.com.au