Tim Adams Reserve Tempranillo 2006 Thursday, May 8 2008
Tasting Notes and Australia and Clare Valley and Variety and Red and tempranillo et al
This is a bit of a surprise. You’d not normally expect too much of an Australian Tempranillo but this made me double take (or sip). Big Tim Adams has an association with Muga and I’d say a little bit of Rioja magic has rubbed off here, although obviously hard work, top winemaking and quality viticulture are the real factors. What most impressed me here are the silky smooth tannins, almost RODAesque if you are familiar with that wine, that coat and caress the mouth. With regards to rating it, I’m dithering between an excellent and outstanding rating, so I’ll probably decide on a number when I finish writing the review. I tasted it over two days (with no sign of tiring) and have two different scores.
A fine smelling wine with a mix of black cherry and red fruits, cola, creamy spicy oak, liquorice (with extended breathing) and wafting above it all a very faint citrus leaf perfume. On the palate medium to full bodied with ripe black cherry and red fruits, brown spice, mineral, nuts and very slight mintiness. Good flavour but it’s the texture here that wins you over - a velvet fog of plush smooth tannins that coat the mouth and extend all the way through to the back palate. Excellente.
Rated : 93 PointsTasted : May08
Alcohol : 13.6%
Price : $35
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2008 - 2016
Source : Winery Sample
Visit winery website
Print this article
eMail this article
11 Responses to “Tim Adams Reserve Tempranillo 2006”
May 8th, 2008 at 9:12 am
GW, This sounds like my style of wine. I will be sure to get a bottle of this.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Good move. It’s tops. Refreshingly low alcohol too I might add. I am still toying with 94 points but I think the review gives the right message.
GW
May 8th, 2008 at 10:31 am
A good review that provokes a lot of questions for me. I have found it rare to find a balanced New world tempranillo and according to the review this is looking the goods.
Was there any mention about where the grapes were from in Clare? Oh and how old the vines are? Is brown spice a mixture of nutmeg and cinnamon or is it something else again?
cheers
Carl
May 8th, 2008 at 11:03 am
It’s all on the website.
http://www.timadamswines.com.au/wines/notes/06_res_tempranillo.pdf
Yes. Brown spice would be shorthand for brown spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg etc.
GW
May 8th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I’ll have to track one of these down, sounds excellent.
Speaking of Roda, I had the 04 Roda last night. Looks the goods, on par with the 01…
May 8th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Sounds excellent. I remember enjoying the 2005 version very much, such a tasty drop. I appreciate your notes on texture too — for me, such a rewarding and yet occasionally overlooked aspect of good wine.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Julian C said :
Well said.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Sounds like Tim might have laid off the excessive new oak a little. Seems a common problem with new world Tempranillo, as used to be the case with Grenache.
These varietals seem better in the flesh.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
It’s seriously good tempranillo and, at least from what I’ve seen, far and away the best yet to be made in Aust’. Pious Palate touched on the oak issue, and this has seen 16 months in all new french barriques. But the wine is so concentrated that it soaks it up completely. I think it’s crackingly good, and I reckon the Roda comment isn’t so silly….except there’s no brett in the T. Adams
May 26th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
and there’s plenty of new French oak in RODA as well. The oak is there but it’s taken up well - no problem for me either. By the by I had a bottle of 03 Muga Reserva on the weekend and the Tim Adams holds its own.
GW
May 27th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I really like this too, its the best aussie example of this style I’ve seen so far. Great value too.
Roda uses 50% new oak for Roda and Roda 1 since 2000, it was 100% before then I think. Not sure where that brett comment came from, has anyone found brett in any of the Rodas? I haven’t.
03 Muga Reserva isn’t exactly a great comparison…I might grab another bottle of the Tim Adams to drink next to 04 Roda I.