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I’d argue that this wine would be significantly better with a whole lot less oak as the fruit is beautiful and needs to be heard more clearly. Nevertheless, after four days of being open it showed no sign of tiring, and the oak slunk off into the background like a noisy bore at a party that finally gets the message, which surely augurs well for future festivities.

Fresh and minty with a mix of black and blue fruits, aniseed and a double shot of toasty espresso oak. On the palate blue fruits, Barossa coal, spice, milk chocolate, aniseed and plenty of toasty savoury coffee oak - sweet fruit and savoury oak. It has magnificent ultra fine tannins married to fruit of outstanding purity and freshness that’s currently submerged under a blanket of toasty oak. Very long finish. It needs a lot of time to come together and the points are for then, not now.

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Rose of Virginia turns 21 this vintage and I’d say it’s still about my favourite local rosé. It walks with style that fine line between being juicy, fresh and flavoursome without wobbling over to the sweet or sickly side. This year’s model is Grenache 44%, Cabernet 29%, Pinot Meunier 14.4% and Shiraz 12.6%.

As pretty as ever with the scent of rose petal and musk over clean raspberry and cranberry fruit. On the palate fine balance between the sweeter raspberry flavours and those of the fresh dry cranberry juice - it comes across as being juicy and vibrant rather than sweet. Lots of flavour and refreshment but showing slightly edgy acidity at this youthful stage which should settle down with few more months in bottle (just in time for Spring). Dry finish of good length. Still a firm favourite and one of the rosés I’m always up for drinking.

Other vintages : 2007, 2006

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Grange eh? A wine that requires no introduction.

As with all Grange the aromatics are layered and complex with this vintage offering a whole raft of interesting things to smell. It’s showing a touch of char, brown spices, blackberry, coconut, liquorice, aniseed, soy sauce, camphor and fruit cake in and amongst other things. Seek and ye shall find but the overall impression over three days tasting is of a rich darkly fruited wine backed with liberal high class oak that smells terrific. On the palate full bodied and bulging with powerful dark tarry fruit, mince pie, dark chocolate, dry spices, aniseed and plenty of perfumed cedary oak. It maintains a good level of freshness and has layers of open knit very firm chalky tannins that make their presence felt from start to long finish. The tannins receded and softened over three days but still felt a little raw and blocky at the end. Young wine, no doubt, but I’d suggest it will always be a more rustic example of Grange, although a good one. A remarkable wine considering the vintage too.

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I’d suggest buying magnums of this wine; one bottle is clearly not enough in one sitting. We tasted this over a couple of days and the last glass evoked a little tear in the eye and the sound of cash registers ringing in my ears. Ouch..but it’s Awesom-o.

This offered a remarkable array of smells and flavours over several days with brazil nuts, flowers, cocoa, blackberry, plum, roast lamb and mint being the big ticket items on its glorious olfactory shopping list. It does have some oak showing on the nose but it’s well into the background. In the mouth medium to full bodied with powerful cherry and berry fruit and a violet mouth perfume combining with more savoury roast meat flavours. It’s fresh and smooth with strong ripe tannins that melted down into an almost creamy mouth filling texture with extended breathing. Enormous length of flavour. It’s destined to become one of the greats.

Other vintages : 2003, 2003, 2002, 2002, 1997, 1995, 1991, 1986, 1976, 1971

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Barossa Shiraz is probably best not known for providing weekday bargain drinking but here’s a winery that’s been delivering the goods year after year at very modest prices. I have tasted every release of the ‘Boundary Row’ Shiraz since the 2001 vintage and this could well be the finest. They are currently looking for distribution in NSW if any readers have a hole in their portfolio they would like to fill.

It smells of black and blue fruit, coal, dried mint, pepper and a bit of chocolate. On the palate medium to full bodied with an attractive mix of sweet fruit and more savoury Barossan flavours. It has fine dry tannins, a fresh balanced mouthfeel and provides a great deal of juicy drinking satisfaction. Tails off a little on the back palate but you’ll only notice if you are feeling either over analytical or a little churlish, otherwise you’d be too busy drinking and enjoying yourself.

Other vintages : 2004

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It’s a blend of 87% Barossa Shiraz and 13% Riverland Petit Verdot. Not sure about the label but it’s certainly eye catching..perhaps even a little suggestive….

Direct and relatively straight forward it offers up mixed berries (mainly red), pepper, a bit of char and a slight perfume - presumably from the Petit Verdot component. The palate is medium to full bodied with good fruit weight and appropriate tannins - slightly gritty but giving the wine shape and food friendliness. Good value, bang on the money and a fair bit more interesting than many at this price point. It’s a good satisfying drink.

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Elderton are a carbon neutral winery which is great thing, especially considering the weight and size of the bottle in which this wine comes. Still sealed with a cork, while the top of the line Command comes in a Stelvin Luxe. I’d guess this is either because Mum likes cork or more likely that the bottle is a special shape that cannot be capped. Perhaps both. This year’s blend is 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Shiraz and 19% Merlot and I like it as much as last years, perhaps even a little bit more.

A great smelling wine, with its mix of sweet and more savoury characters, where blackcurrant, berry, liquorice and vanilla ice mingle with earth and coal dust. On the palate it’s medium to full bodied and again offers that delightful mix of sweet ripe fruit, earthy Barossa flavours and tasteful vanilla oak. It has lovely fine grained tannins, feels fresh and bright and finishes long and earthy. A refined and stylish wine (within context) that delivers top drinking now, though I am fairly sure it will cellar beautifully too.

Other vintages : 2004

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It says on the back label that the Cabernet Sauvignon (65% - Barossa Valley) and Tempranillo (35% - Adelaide Hills) is an unusual blend, and I think I have read a similar thing written locally about three times. So I have three big words to offer - Ribera del Duero.

It has more than a bit of a Spainish vibe about it with an intriguing nose of black jelly bean, blackberry, meat and black olives, violet and lavender. Following on is a medium bodied palate that’s quite fresh but also meaty with a blackcurrant/blackberry/cherry sort of thing going on and a floral mouth perfume. It’s touch jubey but not sweet. Not especially deep either but tastiness is the compensation. Light dry tannins and a dry finish complete the picture. Ultimate food style. It’s a really interesting wine too so bonus points for that. Very enjoyable.

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This wine topped the class in the recent AGT wine magazine Merlot tasting, and a nice wine it is too, but I think it says a lot more about the Barossa Valley than it does about Merlot. I tasted it alongside the Elderton Shiraz of the same vintage which had substantially more weight and presence in the mouth.

Opens up with a fair bit of mocha and cedar oak that soon sinks into the red berry and plum fruit. It’s also a bit minty and slightly earthy. On the palate a mix of blackcurrant and red berries, aniseed, mocha and cedar wood again with a touch of earthiness. It’s moving towards being full bodied but is not quite there, has plenty of flavour, attractive ripe but slightly chalky tannins and good length. Well balanced and highly attractive - a bit of a surprise package really.

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The second bottle from the case. I have reviewed this before, but one of the delights of the cork is that it makes every bottle different. In this case we are welcomed into the House of Seppelt with aromas of small red berries, leather, cedar, malt, baked coconut, red currants and blackberries. Mmmm, quite engaging. The palate was rich and layered, seeming relatively youthful with red currants and red liquorice, but also showing some secondary and savoury characters. The acid is not as prominent as in the previous bottle. Looking good, and based on this bottle, should do 20 years I reckon.

Other vintages: 1996

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I feel a little ignorant about this label but not about the variety. Two friends brought different labels of this variety on the same night. This wine is from the Eastern side of the Barossa and a visit to their website suggests they like Italian varietals. The aromas were tobacco and plum and something not clear. The palate showed the same sort of fruit but the tannins seemed a little tough. It is only 12.5% so maybe it needed a little more ripeness. I am hoping those Winoramists who are more familiar with the variety than the two examples I tried may enlighten me as to what I should have been seeing.

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I have all the Elderton Estate wines lined up for tasting, including a new (I think) 2007 Zinfandel. I thought I’d kick things off with the Shiraz and I don’t mind telling you this is the vinous equivalent of a torp from 60 metres straight through the posts. I was expecting something pretty decent, but this is a bit special.

It smells rich and fruity, but not heavy, offering up blackberry, violet, spice, vanilla, aniseed and mocha. On the palate full bodied but fresh with lush dark fruit, aniseed, brown spices and vanilla coffee oak - nothing over played with exemplary fruit and oak balance. It has ultra-smooth velveteen tannins, a gorgeous seductive mouthfeel and a long spicy finish. It’s a complete wine of breed and enormous drinkablity at a bargain price…and I’m a huge fan.

Other vintages : 2004

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Oh I really want to make some sort of George Michael joke whenever I review this wine…but I always resist. Maybe next year the compulsion to say (or do) something irrational in a public space will overcome me and I’ll finally crack…ooops. Officer!

Yum. It’s instantly appealing with it’s mix of black jellybean, raspberry and blackberry, chocolate coated nuts and little shake of pepper. On the palate medium bodied with plenty of juicy pippy berry fruit, chocolate and spice. It’s sweet but not confected or cloying and presents fresh and entirely gluggable but with a bit of grippy tannin to tighten things up. Yum again.

Other vintages : 2005

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I first heard about this wine a couple of months ago when that prolific wine writer, Paddlepop Ryan, muttered some shadowy details about a new Barossa Semillon he had enjoyed the night before. Old Paddlepop looked a bit rougher than usual (if at all possible) that morning, and perhaps the deviation from his usual diet of Banana Paddlepops and Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc had unduly ruffled his mane. Anyway, I digress, this wine hit the old chops after tasting a bracket of all too sweet Chardonnay and it fell down like spring rain. It put me in mind of a Northern Italian white, something with not much flavour, but a whole lot of refreshment. A food style and made from a noble grape too - not some rubbish like Pinot Grigio.

It smells of lemon barley water, wool jumper, a few dried herbs and a bit of sherbet - although not really much at all. It’s quiet and vinous rather than showy. On the palate again subdued and light with crisp but fairly dilute lemon barley flavours, a few dried herbs and a bit of mineral. It’s clean and very fresh with bright acidity and a good dry finish. An ultimate dry white food style and one I really like. I could drink heaps of it..

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What a pleasant surprise to taste a Barossa shiraz with only 13.5% alcohol printed on the label. Now with our current labelling laws that could mean a 1.5% variance either way, so it could be 15% but the tech specs have it down at a refreshing 13.1%. Interestingly there are moves afoot to bring our 1.5% tolerance down to .8%. Good.

It’s a pretty floral smelling wine with it’s mix of berries, vanilla nougat, cocoa, aniseed and spice with just a little seam of Barossa coal hiding underneath. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of mixed berries and plum, cocoa, vanilla and spice. It’s fresh and smooth with fine soft tannin, no alcohol heat and plenty of gentle ripe fruit flavour. Touch of slightly sappy acid on the finish that does not detract. It’s deliciously restrained and drinks beautifully. A very classy wine.

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I’ll say right from the outset that this is not the sort of wine I would choose to drink, although it’s certainly a good example of a style that’s becoming more and more prevalent…for a variety of reasons.

It smells of dark chocolate and coffee creams, dark cherries and plums with a pretty rose oil lift. All very nice. On the palate full bodied and sweet with black fruit and chocolate coated coffee beans. It feels supple and smooth in the mouth with lovely fine tannins that bathe in the pervasive glow of warm sweet alcohol. Finishes long and sweet. It’s all a bit too much for me, although I can see the attraction if you like this sort of thing.

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I opened this up along with a bunch of other Shiraz at a BBQ last night (I’m such a technical taster..) and it proved to be one of the more popular wines. That’s not such a bad way of tasting, all things considered, and anyway, my clean quiet white natural light filled room was having the walls re-padded at the time…The fruit is sourced from mature low yielding mature vineyards (approx.40 years old) located on the northern (Kalimna & Ebenezer) and western (Seppeltsfield.) sub regions of the Barossa Valley.

It delivers all the nice things you expect from the North Western bits of the Barossa like dark plum, coal, cocoa, a rosy vanilla perfume and a bit of mint. On the palate full bodied, soft and juicy with dark cherries and plum, dark chocolate and licorice flavours. It feels balanced and smooth, drinks beautifully and really hits the spot. A very nice wine offering plenty of flavour but with a bit of restraint and style.

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Curiously, for a well regarded ageing style, the contents of this bottle (3/4 full or 1/4 empty depending on your outlook) took on a distinct balsamic vinegar tang when re-tasted the next day. I’m not sure why that happened but thought it was worth mentioning.

Dark and beefy with fruit cake, plum, dark chocolate, mint and a certain toilet freshener like perfume. On the palate full bodied with nutty plum cake, dark chocolate and sweet and sour flavours. It has warmish alcohol and elevated acidity but good fine grained tannins on the positive side. It feels a bit dull and lifeless at the moment but there’s a very good chance that a few years rest will resuscitate it sufficiently to puff out its chest and carry the Kalimna name with pride.

Other vintages: 2005, 2004, 2003

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I was up for buying a few bottles of this the minute it hit my chops. Those bottles, of course, will be screwcap sealed as that is my preferred option but hooray for Penfolds for giving the consumer the choice; cork, screwcap…or both!

Oh lovely with it’s mix of blackcurrant, plum and blueberry fruit, licorice, bay leaf, cocoa and dusty vanilla oak. On the palate a wine of immediate impact and strength, striding through the mouth with purpose and grace; and it’s that combination of balance, power and structure that clearly sets it apart from most of its contemporaries. It has a wide spread of powder fine tannin, clean acid to balance and superb length of flavour. A great (and thoroughly Australian) wine.

Other vintages: 2005, 2004, 2003

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The name “Pirathon” celebrates a famous punch up (known locally as the battle of Pirathon) that happened outside the Tanunda pub circa 2005AD (around 9.30PM) between Helen of Troy Kalleske and visiting celebrity Paris Hilton. The trouble started when the wily Hector (of Tulloch) claimed his one dollar coin was next in line for a go on the pool table but Troy’s mate Achilles (owner of the local kebab shop) would have none of it. Paris had kept a lazy eye on the dashing Hector for most of the evening, and in a show of support and quite possibly with the intention of blowing the froth off a couple with him later on, set her dog onto Achilles. Although small in stature, he was both plucky and smart, and went straight for Achillies’ heel. “Struth!”, yelped Achillies, “It bloody bit me.”..and after that is was on for young and old….

Fabulous smelling wine packed with dark Barossan goodness and offering things like black fruit, dark chocolate, baking spices (nutmeg, cloves, allspice), roses, tar and a little menthol lift. The oak is unobtrusive and beautifully folded into the wine. On the palate full bodied with rich black fruit, a little raspberry, dark chocolate and spicy flavours. It’s smooth, ripe and long and enormously satisfying to drink. I think it’s probably even better than the 2005…so perhaps I should score it higher. Regardless, I’d recommend getting onto and into a bit of this gear without reservation.

Other vintages : 2005

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