Winetastic

We have previously reviewed the entry level “Hard Yards” Shiraz from Sylvan Springs here on Winetastic and found it to be most agreeable. As you can imagine when a bottle of their premium Sylvan Springs Cyril’s Reserve Shiraz 2006 arrived unannounced, I was somewhat excited. It is fair to say that Sylvan Springs are currently doing a lot right at both the budget and super-premium level.

Showing a vibrant crimson hue, the aromas are currently subdued with a little vanilla oak, blackberry and cherry showing. Full flavoured but refined and impeccably balanced, the juicy Shiraz fruit glides across the palate and is well supported by spices and a hint of oak. The finish is very long, mouthwatering and leaves you wanting more. This is a Shiraz to put to sleep in the cellar for several years.

Straight after opening the aromas were a bit muted, however this is not to be unexpected from a recently bottled premium red. My reaction to the first sip was something along the lines of “wow, this is the best young red wine I have tasted this year”. After a couple of hours, the flavours became even more intense with loads of ripe blackberry fruit coming to the fore.

Score: 93/100
Price: $40
Closure: Stelvin Lux (Fancy Screwcap)
Alcohol: 15%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine?
Yes, At $40 per bottle, I feel it does represent decent value for money. Squashedgrape have it for $35 if buying a case.

I had never heard of Sylvan Springs until a bottle of their “Hard Yards” Shiraz 2005 arrived for tasting last week. The wine has won a gold medal at an LA wine show and is listed in Winestates top 40 wines under $15.

Although little closed at first, dark plum and blackberry aromas emerged over the next hour. The full flavoured Shiraz fruit is supported by a little fine tannin and spice, finishing dry with some lingering cocoa and oak.

Sylvan Springs have managed to produce a well balanced Shiraz with decent length and enough complexity to keep even a snobbish drinker entertained, just don’t let them know about the price - as little as $10 per bottle if buying a case.

Score: 88/100
Price: $15
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: Sylvan Springs, Torbwine, Winewaves
Would I buy this wine?
Yes, a good midweek quaffer.

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.

I have been really slack and left my notes on the 2005 Vinrock Grenache sitting in my bag for around a month. We first came across Vinrock at a wine festival in Sydney, where their red wines from the McLaren Vale outshone most other producers at the show.

Lots of sweet fruit aromas of blueberry and blackberry contrast with the slightly tart red fruit flavours of cherry, raspberry & spices on the palate. Chewy tannins leave the finish nice and dry with a hint of well balanced oak and an underlying earthyness. It tastes very much like Grenache, but has a better structure than others I had tried in the past.

Overall this is a smooth and easy drinking red which I found went surprisingly well with mildly spiced chinese food. As a general rule im not big on the variety, perhaps this is the Shiraz drinkers Grenache?

Score: 90/100
Price: $20
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, for the record I ordered a split dozen of Vinrock reds after the wine show tasting.

Having been away from the blog for an extended period i’ve decided it’s time to jump back on board and start posting again (even though i am in the UK temporarily and subjected to drinking french wine or overly priced entry level Australian stuff).

I stumbled across a bottle of the Sexton’s Acre Shiraz 2004 in a local supermaretket and needed a fruity shiraz hit, so thought ‘what the hell…’ A beautiful rich garnet red in colour this shiraz displays strong floral fruit on the nose, with a subtle hint of chocolate. For a wine that has been fermented in American and French oak it’s fairly well balanced and the oak is not overly dominating. It’s not a particularly complex wine, though there is a simple elegance about the fruit driven palate which is fleshy and mouth filling, with pronounced strawberry, cherry and blackcurrent flavours.

The bottle states ‘Drinks well in it’s youth, preferably with a plate of good food, good friends and lively conversation’, and i think it’s spot on. The wine definatly improves with food and i don’t think there would be much benefit from ageing.

Score: 7/10
Price: At the current exchange rate about $22
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Would I buy this wine again? If i was in Australia then no, there are superior wines available at a much better price, but it’s definatly one of the better Australian exports available in the UK.

There are two things I cannot have enough of in my life, Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale Shiraz. This week I tried a real cracker from the latter, the Lazy Ballerina Shiraz 2005.

Vibrant aromas of blackberry, plum and an underlying dustyness were virtually leaping around immediately after opening, I am surprised they didn’t force the cork clean out of the bottle! The palate lives up to the expectation set by the nose, starting with a burst of ripe dark fruits and berries which are chased down the line by some spices and subtle oak. Intense, balanced and long, there is also plenty of mouthfilling tannin to support the great fruit.

The Lazy Ballerina oozes quality right now and if conventional wisdom is to be believed, once the tannins settle down in a few years this will be an outstanding wine, not just a great wine. You may struggle to find this Shiraz in any bricks and mortar stores, however both Auswine and Winestar have it for sale online, buy some.

Score: 92/100
Price: $20
Closure: Procork
Alcohol: 15%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
In a flash, excellent value for money.

Last night we were hunting for a red which would not neccessarily require any breathing time before drinking at a restaraunt. The staff at our local bottle shop suggested the Chapel Hill Shiraz 2002 since it has already spent a few years in the bottle.

Mere seconds after opening, this wine exhibited open dark fruit aromas and full bodied flavours of plum, dark berries and spices that lead into a slightly earthy finish with fine, velvety tannins. Very easy drinking and a nice match for Osso Buco.

This review marks the stage that I embrace the dark side of the force and begin scoring wines on a 100 point scale. This has become somewhat of a defacto standard scale of the wine media, so hopefully my scores will have more meaning for most readers.

Score: 88/100
Price: $19
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Chapel Hill, Wine Amateur
Would I buy this wine again?
If I saw a bottle for $15 or less, yes.

Hot on the heels of the excellent 2004 vintage is the Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2005, now sensibly sealed under screwcap.

Deep red with purple hues, aromas of dark fruits and spices emerged an hour after opening. Somewhat subdued fleshy plum and blackberry flavours lead into a spicy oak finish. A well balanced Shiraz that is very easy drinking due to its soft tannin structure.

Some people in the know are suggesting this new release will be much better in 6-12 months time and perhaps have greater cellaring potential than the 2004 vintage. I feel compelled to check back on the 2005 in 6 months time.

Score: 7/10
Price: $16
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Would I buy this wine again?
At $16 per bottle there is good value for money, yes.

I was really impressed with the Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2004, so decided to try their Tatty Road blend, consiting of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot.

Complex aromas of red fruits and spices, the wine is huge in body and flavour, starting with a burst of sour cherry, plum and spices with grippy drying tannins on the finish. The Petit Verdot influence is obvious.

The Tatty Road 2004 is a wine that is a bit chaotic, requiring some seriously rich foods for support. Left overnight however, improvements were evident, so perhaps give this one a decanting a couple of hours before drinking for the best results. Either that or cellar for 5+ years.

Score: 7/10
Price: $17
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Gemtree
Would I buy this wine again?
No, Seppelt Moyston Cabernet Merlot 2004 has my vote.

Regular readers will know that we are big fans of Hardys Oomoo Shiraz 2004, which is one of the best value for money wines around. This week we had our first look at the 2005 vintage, which unfortunately does not appear to stack up.

The 2005 Oomoo does not give away much in the way of aromas, even after breathing for an hour. Flavours of plum & berry fruit are present, supported a little spice. An easy drinking red, fairly soft for a Shiraz.

There is nothing wrong with this wine, however it is fairly simple and appears to lack the high quality of the 2004 release. If Hardys are reading, please seal any future vintages of this drink-now wine with screwcap. *Edit* Aparently there are bottles available sealed under screwcap.

Score: 6/10
Price: $12
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Cork
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Probably not, ill be stocking up on the 2004 while it is still available.