Winetastic

Scorpiiion are a relatively new boutique producer from the Barossa Valley who kindly sent three bottles of red for us to review. The first cab off the rank (if you would pardon the pun) is the Scorpiiion Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, a multi-regional blend of Barossa and McLaren Flat fruit.

This Cabernet exhibits fragrant aromas of tobacco and eucalypt swimming in an ocean of ripe plummy dark fruits and berries. Full bodied with loads of fruit flavour, well managed spicy oak, a velvety mouthfeel and fine, slightly powdery tannins. It’s rich, well balanced and very modern in style, with a satisfying and clean finish.

The Scorpiiion philosophy is to let the fruit do the talking, they have done a good job in producing a Cabernet that is approachable while young, without being overripe. As far as I can tell, the wine is only available direct via their website, or from Squashedgrape.

Score: 90/100
Price: $29
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: None appear to exist online
Would I buy this wine?
If it was available for around $20-25, yes.

This new release Meerea Park Shiraz 2006 is a blend of 60% Hilltops and 40% Hunter Valley fruit and is their first stab at the “budget wine” market. It will not be available at the cellar door, however you should be able to find it quite easily at Dan Murphy’s etc.

Deep crimson with jammy aromas of blackberry, blueberry and clove, this medium bodied red shows dark fruit flavours of blackberry and cherry, grippy drying tannins and a dash of oak on the savoury finish. NB: The wine was very recently bottled when these notes were taken.

The verdict? I like it, good shiraz fruit at a snappy price. Alternate dippings between a case of this regional blend and Mount Pleasant Philip 05 would be enough to make any New South Welshman swell with pride at the top notch budget booze we have available this year.

Score: 90/100
Price: $15
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, great value for money

Philip is a staple around our house, many a bottle of the 2004 vintage was sacrificed last year in the ongoing war against the liver. No doubt the trend will continue with this shiny new release of Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz 2005.

Ripe dark fruits dominate the nose, with raspberry, typical hunter earthy/leather aromas and a little alcoholic heat (that faded after an hour in a decanter). This medium bodied Shiraz exhibits intense blackberry and dark cherry flavours, backed up by spicy oak and fine tannin on the slightly earthy finish. Full flavoured with decent length, its regional, varietal and very gluggable.

Compared to previous vintages, this release is similar to 2003 and a small step above the more restrained 2004. Oh and don’t let the outdated bottle photo fool you, Philip is now sensibly sealed with screwcap.

Score: 90/100
Price: $14
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: So hot off the press not even a Google search can reveal one
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, everyday drinking doesn’t get much better than this.

I have a confession to make, I don’t like Chardonnay. Perhaps it was the $10 over-oaked examples at backyard bbqs that made me turn my back, or maybe the flabby unoaked styles from warmer climates? At any rate I have finally found a Chardonnay I would actually spend money on! Surprise, surprise (or perhaps no surprise), it comes from Meerea Park in the form of the Alexander Munro Chardonnay 2007.

Lemon, nectarine and a hint of vanilla waft out of the glass, zesty citrus and tart stone fruit flavours are complemented nicely by well managed vanilla oak. Great balance between fruit sweetness, acidity and oak flavours on the persistent finish.

Although I really enjoyed it as a young wine, at $35 I guess you are missing the point if you don’t let it age for a while, those in the know recommend 5-8 years from vintage.

Score: 91/100
Price: $35
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama, Winorama (Twice!)
Would I buy this wine?
Yes, will be interesting to see where it goes in 5+ years time.

After a short blogging interlude which involved a wedding, honeymoon and christmas period break, we have another wine from Vinecrest ready to write up: the 2006 “Myths and Memories” Merlot.

Aromas of sweet berries, plum, dark chocolate and a hint of spice, this soft and medium bodied red tastes of dark fruits and oak up front with some dusty earth and spice on the finish. Lacking a little in depth, definitely smells better than it tastes.

Overall a decent example of the variety, however its not hard to find a wine at a similar price point with more complexity and interest. Definitely shows better with food.

Score: 86/100
Price: $22
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: Vinecrest
Would I buy this wine?
No, I feel there are better wines available at the price point.