Winetastic

The Mountain X Hunter Shiraz 2006 is the inaugural release and the brain child of Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattison of The Wine Front. It is a blend of 95% Hunter Shiraz (good start) and 5% Yarra Pinot - a throwback to a traditional hunter blend of yesteryear. The winemakers are Rhys Eather (Meerea Park) and Franco d’Anna (Hoddles Creek) respectively.

Stylistically modern Hunter Valley - showing fruity aromas of cherry, blackcurrant and some licorice. The palate is initially juicy and intense with tangy dark fruits and berries, a dash of spice and a dollop of vanilla oak. There are just enough super fine and approachable tannins to pull the finish into the savoury realm.

If you plan to drink up now, I suggest 2+ hours in a decanter, otherwise it should improve in the cellar over the medium term. A successful first release, there is something here for hunterists and non-hunterists alike. Since I don’t mind giving this lot a plug, you can buy the wine from the Boutique Wine Center, Boccaccio or North Sydney Cellars.

Score: 91/100
Price: $30
Closure: Diam
Alcohol: 13.5%
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes I will, $30 is a reasonable price for a low production, hand picked and unique wine.

The Yering Station ED Pinot Rosé is a wine that I have been meaning to try for some time, this week it was finally available at my local bottle shop. The “ED” stands for extra dry, which is basically a requirement for any Rose that wishes to pass my lips.

There was some conjecture as to wether this wine was “red salmon” or “clam meat” in colour, either way it is a light and translucent red/pink. Unsurprisingly this rose smells like a restrained Pinot Noir with strawberry and cherry aromas. Although the wine is light in body, the delicate red fruit flavours hang around for an extremely long time, finishing dry with a slightly savoury note and a hint of soft tannin.

An excellent match for mildly spiced Singapore Noodles, I can see many delicate asian or chicken based dishes calling out for support from this wine.

Score: 7/10
Price: $17
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13%
Other Opinions: Winorama, Appellation Australia
Would I buy this wine again?
Generally I prefer a fuller flavoured dry Rose, however for the right food, yes.

Origionally picked up two of these after a tasting at our local bottle shop. I was not so impressed with the first bottle a few months back, however the second one made a good showing this evening.

Plum and blackcurrant on the nose, the wine is dark and fruity on the palate. Definitely goes down very smooth with the tannins being very subtle and only a little dry. Overall a well balanced and pleasant wine. The De Bortoli Website has a broken link for the producers tasting notes, tsk tsk.

A quick check of various online retailers would show this wine is currently selling for over $30 a bottle. A rip off at that price, we paid between $15-20 at Dan Murphy’s.

Score: 7/10
Would I buy this wine again?
The wine is technically very good, it just lacked a little excitement. Maybe ill try another vintage in the future if I spot it cheap.