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Bit late in getting round to tasting this but now I’ve started my attack on the local Sangiovese pile in earnest. It’s looking good too.

Subtle aromatics of licorice, dark cherry, dried herb and earth lead in to an absolutely top palate that offers open knit suede like tannins, dry and grainy, but very smooth - certainly a wine that would appeal to the keenest of tannin freaks. The flavours are of licorice and dark cherry with a sprinkling of red berries - it sounds dark but tastes quite fresh. Long too. And with all that I should add that it drinks beautifully too - sometimes we forget. Local benchmark I think.

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It says 15.5% on the bottle but the tech specs say 14.8. It certainly feels less than the percentage listed and it’s a significantly better wine than the previous vintage. Now I’m under the pump at the moment, if you wondering about the lull in notes, but I’ll be back at full steam in a couple of days.

It has a fair shake of black pepper over dark fruits and plum with liquorice, loam and a touch of eucalypt coming into play. Good smelling wine and sensitively oaked too. In the mouth sweetly fruited although dry with fairly strong fine tannins. It’s particularly spicy with a mix of plum and berries and some licorice too. A big wine, fractionally warm, but not hot or thick and it feels strangely medium bodied and fresh. Good dry finish. Top value from Heathcote too.

Other vintages : 2005

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Well I tasted this on a coolish Sydney late Autumn night, and it’s just the right sort of wine for that of thing, but while you are reading this and quite possibly shivering, most likely I’ll be sunning myself and sipping a gin and tonic..or perhaps a dry Martini (stirred, not shaken) on a tropical island somewhere in the Pacific…

Lots of interesting things to smell here - bramble fruit, gum leaf, boot polish, pepper, nougat and toasty oak being the main ones (real or imagined). It’s nice and dry on the palate with attractive chunky tannins and briar, pepper and mixed berry fruit flavours. Just above medium bodied with good freshness and drinkability although not especially deep. It could easily take a bit of bottle age to gain further complexity too. Very nice wine and one of good value and authenticity.

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I was tasting through a few modestly priced reds yesterday (06 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz, 05 Wyndham Estate 555 Shiraz etc.) and it prompted me to quickly write something about this wine. I’m not sure if I have the rating correct, I was a bit rushed, but I liked the wine and it easily falls into my ‘good’ range of scores. It has integrity.

Smells of blue fruits, plum, mint and a bit of cedar wood. The medium bodied palate offers similar flavours with perhaps the addition of blackcurrant and a bit of an olive savoury edge. It has firm tannins, a bit aggressive perhaps, but I’d rather have a bit of grip in an inexpensive wine than a lot of sugar. It’s good and tasty and finishes dry. Authentic and good quality is my quick impression.

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I opened this last night alongside the Shaw + Smith Shiraz and De Bortoli Reserve Syrah of the same vintage in a spectacular “Syrah stylee” tasting (of which more later). Stiff competition (not that I see wine tasting as a competition mind you) and it was the Vinea Marson that held the most appeal for JP and me this particular evening. There’s just something so Euro-appealing about it, Italianate perhaps, but certainly a wine of great personality. Sharp eyed pedants will notice the Nebbiolo pictured so I’ll cut you off at the pass; the bottle looks the same anyway.

It has just a dab of perfume but mainly it’s all about black and blue fruit, new leather, spice, chocolate coated Brazil nuts and liquorice. Dark and seductive. Sultry even. In the mouth immediately appealing and seriously structured with a dry textured feel but not without elegance and finesse. It has good fruit but it’s not sweet or fruity, more nutty and savoury, finishing with firm grippy tannin on exit. It’s satisfying and engaging; a real wine of integrity and class.

Other vintages : 2005

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A bit of a lag in tasting notes for the last few days but rest assured, I have been busy. I have decided to apply myself more thoroughly from now and catalogue all samples (as they arrive..but not the enormo-pile that’s already there) in an Excel spreadsheet. In addition to this I have gone back through my notepad for April and some of March and typed up (or transcribed might be a better word if you are ever lucky enough to witness the horror that is my handwriting) notes for some 80 wines not reviewed on Winorama. Then I gave up. But going forward I will continue to do this because I can then use the notes for something, at some stage, and also collate some statistics such as average price, alcohol, closure, fault rates etc. I’m quite proud of myself really. Anyway, I digress, and lets get back to the business of reviewing wine.

Some colour development here but it’s not unusual for Nebbiolo and apart from the fact that is opens up a little bit minty, you’d most likely pick this as a Barolo. Actually you’d be pretty good to pick it as Barolo anyway, but that’s another story. It smells of rose, fennel, nougat, earth and is only vaguely fruity - perhaps of blackcurrant and cherry. On the palate only medium bodied but lithe and muscular with strong dry tannins and distinctly fresh acidity. It has a dry flavour profile that’s also floral and somewhat mineral/earthy and finishes with good length and a firm tannic grip. No doubt that this is one for the purists and stylists, and I’d count myself amongst them, but like all good Nebbiolo it needs patience and careful cellaring. I’m betting that this could become something very special, but for now a more conservative rating.

Other vintages : 2005

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A second Jamsheed red from a trio of 2006s. Made using indigenous yeasts, matured in new and old French hogsheads, unfined and unfiltered. Oh, and it also contains a splash of viognier. A medium purple/red in colour. A moving target aromatically: initially muted, but with time showed red cherries, milk chocolate, a touch of French polish, apricots and spice, and then later evolved to show more plummy fruits, with raspberries and a shake of pepper. The palate is fine and focussed, sour cherries and plums, a hint of fleshy stonefruit and quite a bit of acid (though this acid seems softer than in its stable mate from Great Western). For all the lovely fruit, there is also a dryness in the texture of the wine that I find really hard to describe, but I really liked it. Fine ripe tannins and all that stuff. A wine with a future; if you’re going to drink it now then give it a good decant.

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Ah the Heathcote shiraz paradox. I never think I’ll like them, yet I always seem to enjoy them immensely. This wine could polarise tasters on stylistic preference, I think, but not in terms of absolute quality.

A big black lake of aromas. Surely a monster must lurk beneath? Sniff the surface and you get sweet black cherry, plum, chocolate coated licorice and spice. Throw in a pebble and ripples of eucalypt, burnt lamb chops and pepper appear. Careful now. No need to rush. An exploratory sip reveals deep dark fruits, dark chocolate, earth, eucalpyt and peppery flavours sitting comfortably in well polished oak. Chunky and satisfying with grainy open knit tannins, a little warmth and a good spicy black fruited finish. I’m good with this and ready for a big glass. It’s a robust muscular wine but nothing to be scared of. Large scale, well balanced, excellent value and not least a very satisfying drink.

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Heathcote Riesling eh. I wasn’t expecting much but was very pleasantly surprised.

Spicy and floral with sweet apple and lemon fruit. On the palate bright and juicy with spicy apple, citrus and stonefruit flavours. A bit minerally too. Not the tightest line and drive though the mouth but it is very fresh and refreshing with a good long finish. A sort of a super-charged German style perhaps. Really nice wine making an interesting change of diet for the Riesling enthusiast.

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Wanted Man eh. I feel a bit of a Wanted Man at the moment what with contributing to Winorama, my real job and my new one of being a dad. So now I have a more tricky act of having three balls to juggle and every now and then you’d have to expect to drop one. Obviously it is the Winorama ball that I have to pick up and dust off (babies don’t like being dropped..or juggled for that matter as their heads tend to throw them out of balance) every now and then. I have been doing well with two balls for quite a while now and it’s a long time since either of them dropped. So I am sure I can manage with three nearly as well, but you’ll have to bear with me while I learn my new act. Rest assured I have been practising quite hard (our recycling bin runneth over) and have plenty of new material to deliver. Anyway, on with the show. This is a blend of 60% Marsanne and 40% Viognier.

Aromas of pear, citrus, stonefruit and honeysuckle with some nice dirty funky characters floating about. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of white peach, nashi pear and citrus with a light glaze of honey and a bit of earth. Not overbearing or too fruity - quite restrained. It has good weight, a slightly pithy phenolic texture and balanced acidity. Finishes dry and a little spicy. A good wine and one with interest that can be used as alternative to Chardonnay if you are matching with food, and as with most white Rhône blends, don’t serve it too cold.

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If there is one character trait I sorely lack (and I am sure there are others) it’s the ability to pay attention to detail and be patient. No such problems with old ‘Cool Hand’ Luke Lambert though. He seems meticulous. I don’t know what he looks like but I can picture him eating multiple hard boiled eggs. I asked him about the fruit source for this wine and the detail was very impressive (something about ferric soil, shading, VSP, clone 230 etc etc). In the winery it is all ‘old school’ Barolo techniques of long skin contact, old oak puncheons, oxidation and no fining or filtration. And you know what? This Nebbiolo from Heathcote actually tastes a lot like a Nebbiolo from Barbaresco. Well knock me over with a Salami.

Clear rosy red in colour with lifted aromatics of raspberry, red cherry, flowers, fennel and damp earth. On the palate light to medium bodied with fresh tangy acidity and firm chalky open knit tannins with juicy flavours of cherry, weak raspberry cordial, fennel and earth. Finishes with a tannic rasp and a red fruit and dried herb aftertaste. Italianate in structure and style, it works best with food, and will be appreciated most by those who value elegance and restraint over size and power. A wine of considerable charm and one with a bright future.

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At a recent benchmark shiraz tasting two senior wine journalists told me that they were less than impressed with the Heathcote bracket (although I thought it was one of the strongest)..so I just canvassed another and asked him if Heathcote was more ’sizzle than sausage’ and he confirmed the sizzle (less sausage) with the caveat that we need to get past the current ten year drought and then we may be getting plenty of sausage. Perhaps enough to make your eyes bulge. Max Allen on the other hand always seems to be Gung Ho on Heathcote and therefore it was no surprise that I read a glowing review on this particular wine the other week.

Deep purple with aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, plenty of cracked pepper and spice with chocolate, leather and violets all combining to create a wildly fragrant and incredibly good smelling wine. On the palate medium to full bodied with thick juicy black fruit, pepper, spice, chocolate and a violet tinged mouth perfume wafting over it all. It is also leathery and savoury with chunky loose knit grippy tannins providing a firm structure and no intrusive alcohol whatsoever. Finishes dry and long. I am very enthusiastic about this wine and only a last minute bout of conservatism stopped me from rating it (even) higher.

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Another note from 3 months ago - my apologies. Initially a bit of gunsmoke, and then bright red fruits, raspberries, spice and an alcohol lift. The palate is big and bold, certainly not shy at coming forward, with sweet blackberries and spices, smoke, and a bit boozy too. I actually tried this next to the Shiraz Viognier and certainly preferred the blend, though perhaps some time will see the awkwardness in this wine disappear.

Other vintages: 2005, 2004

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I was told by the mate who bought this over to our night of unusual varieties that it was a BIG wine. It was served blind although the friend who bought it was confident about it because he reckons it has a bit much oak and he can pick that. In fact he was a little rude about it muttering things like Parker style etc. The rest of us liked it and with the bolognaise I thought it was rather good. The nose is very rich showing intense fruit and pencil shavings oak with a dose of vanilla. My friend M. L’Eveque adores this style and it’s also at his favourite price point. The friend who brought the wine does not like rich doses of oak hence his negative comment. I reckon the mix is pretty good but the reason for the complicated story involving my friends is to illustrate how an oak and fruit mix like this can polarize people. At the price, well worth a try and cellar some to see how the fruit holds.

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Merindoc Vineyard consists of four separate, small plots on the original family farm at Tooborac in Central Victoria. The soils are granitic; ironstone washed through with granite sand over yellow and black cracking clays.

An alluring nose, and struck quite a complex to the Ferraris Shiraz. Brooding blackberries and blueberries, with dried meat and minerals. GW said “crushed rocks”, and I like this descriptor. The palate is dense and meaty and salty, black bruised fruits, kalamata olives, dark chocolate, salted liquorice and cherry fruits. Chewy and textured, a little grainy, but has excellent length and tremendous potential. I wonder how long it will age for? 10 years, maybe more…

Other vintages reviewed : 2005, 2004

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There are only 250 cases of this made and it comes from vines planted at a density of 700 per acre. The winemaker is Sergio Carlei.

Aromas of blackberry, suede leather, crushed rocks, pepper and salty licorice. Deep and very savoury. On the palate full bodied with blackberry and blackcurrant pastille, dark chocolate, Dutch licorice, mineral and pepper. This is salty, minerally and savoury; like chewing on a blackberry tinged beef jerky. Lots of fine grained tannins with a chewy texture. Finishes long and minerally with black fruit flavour. Way outside of the Australian mainstream. This is a brooding and mesmerizing wine of enormous personality.

Other vintages reviewed : 2004

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I note that Halliday went 87 on this wine and 94 for the straight Shiraz of the same vintage in his latest Wine Companion. Interestingly both Lincoln and I preferred the Shiraz Viognier and have the points nearly the other way round! I whipped through tasting this one fairly quickly but I reckon I got its number.

Aromas of plum, juicy berry, creamed honey on slightly burnt toast, spice and a hint of menthol. On the palate medium bodied with plum and cherry, spice, a little earth and honey toast. Plush and supple with soft lightly drying tannns and some pleasant warmth but no heat. A really delicious and enjoyable wine and something of a bargain considering its region.

Other vintages reviewed : 2005

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The last of my reviews from my evening of 2005 Shiraz. I tried this wine at cellar door and quite liked it so bought a bottle for the tasting. However, despite being under screwcap this looked different. It opened with a little Aussie style mint on the nose (1,8 Cineole I believe?) and then gave a great gush of ripe jam fruit and cola. On the palate the big fruit and mint continued with a bit of straw and plum. It seemed to me that the alcohol intruded but at 14.9% it was below the 15.5% of the Poonawatta which was the next wine in the list and did not show warmth. The wine went better with food than in the line up, especially a rich pasta!

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I think I was locked in an office with a bunch of marketing people, primed up with Mojitos and a couple of blotters of acid I still would not be able to come up with a concept as loopy as this….have a look at the website link below if you are curious. The wine is a blend of tempranillo & graciano which really is interesting.

Aromas of berries, licorice, spice, smoke and some animal scents. Good interesting smell. On the palate medium bodied with cherry, red berries, spice and a little earthiness. Pretty coarse tannin and the wine is very dry and a little hard and unforgiving. Bit of alcohol heat on the finish. I suspect it really needs food to show its best side. Not bad but not particularly good value either.

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I had this wine next to the Eight Songs (see below), and it provided quite a style contrast; I am not sure which I prefer. A lovely nose: lifted florals, plum fruits, blueberries, apricot mash and a dash of allspice. The palate showed a very pleasant richness, with plums and ripe cherries, spice and though it does show some warm, it doesn’t have the heat of the straight Shiraz. It feels good in the mouth, and I do like the spices and the supple tannins. Drink over the short term.

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