Tag Archives: Aussie

Elderton ‘Friends Vineyard Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

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I was intrigued by this bottle having never seen the Friends series before from this producer. They had a Shiraz as well but I was not in the mood. It priced out at $15, what the heck.
Atypical of Cab for me it had a unique flavor profile. Black and blue fruits on the nose with a touch of cedar. On the palate dark fruits, bramble and some dust (in a good way). Sour cherries on the back end with gentle tannins and good acidity make this easy to drink. 3-5 years cellaring and a wide variety of foods make this a versatile wine. 88 points and 3 stars.
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Fairlady Estate Shiraz 2010

29 Saturday Mar 2014

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Disclaimer- I know the owner…  He was kind enough to bring me a bottle from his estate in Bridgetown, Western Australia.  This is an atypical Aussie Shiraz, which is a good thing.  I’m not a fan of the bombastic jammy style associated with the region.  This wine is more Rhone-like in my opinion.  Its started off with black currants and tar on the nose.  Plums and vanilla came across as I enjoyed the mouth coating tannins.  I wrote ‘juicy wine with good tannin structure that covers the gums’ in my notes.  I was also impressed by the long finish and finesse of this wine.  The back end had more tar and some herbs that combined to give it a delectable earthiness that I found fascinating.  I believe it retails at $15. Hopefully some of my Australian readers can find it in their shops and give it a try.  I think it has a 5-7 year drinking window and would love to try it again in a few years.    I’m going with 89+ points and 4 stars.  Salut….

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Clarendon Hills Astralis 2004

10 Monday Feb 2014

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A huge, monumental, iconic wine that scored massively with the pros and cost me an arm and leg. This weekend marks a huge turn in Moxie’s store and a good reason to celebrate, hence the need to pull out a $300+ bottle of wine from the depths of the cellar. To emphasize- RP 98, WE 98, WS 97, WC 97, AWC 95. Wow….

I have been in Asia for a few days and just returned this morning. Napping the morning away, I was ready for a hearty meal and some good vino. I decided on a Lamb tagine to go with this Aussie Syrah. Yup, Syrah…. They don’t call it a Shiraz, hmmmm.

I opened the bottle at 6:30 and made immediate notes:
The wine is nearly black in the glass and the first whiff was pure alcohol. I let it settle for few minutes and coaxed dark, brooding currants and a touch of the wood in addition to some cherry hints. On the palate I did not catch any of the 14.5% alcohol! Instead I got a complex mixture of black currants, plums, kirsch and oak. The mid palate adds a fine grained tannic streak along with some tobacco and spice nuances. The finish is where the alcohol shows up, unfortunately. The tannins are totally integrated at this point and do not dry out the end game.

It’s now three hours after opening and the wine has not evolved all that much, just softening up a bit on the initial attack. I doubt it will morph much more before I polish it off. The critics reckoned this wine would go until 2030. My impressions are below, and not quite in line.

Firstly, this is not my favorite Syrah nor is it my favorite wine from this producer. I disagree with the high ratings, I don’t think it warrants more than 92 points. For the price, it is a very dear wine and I’m only giving it 2 stars. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good wine- perhaps a great wine according to the pros but for me it’s just average for the price.  I was hoping for more depth, complexity and certainly more flavor.  My quest is to expand my palate and try as many highly rated wines as possible so I will be better able to discern a truly great wine.  This one just wasn’t it, a pity.  Salut….

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Mollydooker ‘The Violinist’ 2012

10 Friday Jan 2014

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There is so much I want to say….  I’ll start with my mission- to taste the full lineup of Mollydooker’s wines.  Seeing as my local shop doesn’t carry all of them, the folks downunda were kind enough (no, really generous enough) to send me a sampling of their full range.  With their help I previously managed to procure the 2009 and 2010 Carnival of Love and now also have the 2012.  I will endeavor to get the 2011 so I can do a 4 year vertical.  I digress.

Verdelho is the varietal used in the Violinist.  Predominantly Portuguese, I was surprised to see it on the label of this winery’s sole white wine.  This wine was a gorgeous pale yellow in the glass, telltale of what was to come.   On the nose- pear, apple and a touch of wood.  I was blown away by the initial attack.  Pear, Quince and Yellow apple all mixing it up.  The mouthfeel is superb, with a fullness reminiscent of a Cali Chardonnay.  Gentle and balanced acidity make this a full bodied wine with some nice finishing notes of nut, Asian pear and flowers.  I timed a good 20 second finish on this wine.

Now, back to the chicken and the egg…… Did I cook chicken for dinner because I was having this wine, or did I pick this wine to go along with the bird I was going to cook anyways?  I shall not reveal the correct answer.  Once the chicken was done, I decided to immediately whip up a spicy gravy to go with it.  I just happened to have some fresh stock from the other night, so I dressed it up just so- a dash of sage, some onion powder, a hint of salt and a boatload of Chili and Red Pepper.  The resultant sauce was red in color and fiery in nature.

The combination of the spicy sauce and the somewhat sweetness of the Verdelho- a perfect combo.  This wine sits at a whopping 16% alcohol which is a shocking amount for most wines, let alone a white.  I tip my hat to the winemaker who has managed to hide the alcohol without a trace of heat, well done Andrew.

The majority of Mollydooker’s wines are priced at $25.  For this amount of cash you are getting an exceptional wine with complexity and depth not to mention great taste and mouthfeel.  I am going 89 points and 4 stars for this one and recommend drinking it with some fish or poultry.  Salut….

 

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d’Arenberg The Galvo Garage 2008

04 Wednesday Dec 2013

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Another wine from this awesome winery in Mclaren Vale, Australia.  This bottle is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot- the cornerstones of the Bordeaux blend.  I was really excited to try this as the blend is right up my alley.  Bold and beautiful in the glass it showed its power right away.  Plums and Black cherries with a rich and smoky oak  came blasting throughout the gripping tannins.  On the backend came a eucalyptus tinge that was very interesting.  The wine is very young and in need of cellaring, perhaps from 2014- 2020 is where I would think it’s peak is.  Great balance and structure make this $23 wine a bargain.  Think Roast Beef and this wine will sing.  91 points and 5 stars from me.  I think I need to get more for the dungeon. Salut….

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Mollydooker ‘The Scooter’ 2010

15 Friday Nov 2013

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I love it when a food and wine pairing hits all cylinders.  Moxie, my little cavewoman treated us to a Bison dish with garlic, ginger, green beans and Rainbow Chard.  If you have never tried Bison, it’s a rather bland meat that takes well to marinade but is rather dry on the palate.  Chard is a very crunchy yet bitter leafy vegetable that I have been totally digging lately.  I needed something soft, somewhat sweet and not too tannic to balance the main components.  Enter The Scooter.  If you missed my last few posts, I am on a mission to taste the whole Mollydooker lineup.  This one happens to be a Merlot that hides its 15.5% alcohol in a remarkable fashion.  Albeit  over the 2 year requirement for the MD Shake, I performed it anyway.

Bison with Green Beans and Chard

Bison with Green Beans and Chard

The wine is dark purple in the glass and gave off currant and blueberry on the nose. The initial attack had Blackcurrant, Pomegranate and blue jam.  The currant and blue notes hit mid palate.  The wine displayed a certain sweetness that I noticed in ‘The Two Left Feet’.  Juicy acidity was perfectly suited to the pairing and the tannins were slight, which was the perfect due to the dryness of the Bison.  The bitterness of the Chard was offset by the sweetness of the wine and the whole package melded greatly for me.  It very approachable and is delivering a juicy, fruity wine that is sure to please any discerning palate.  For $22 this is a veritable steal and gets 90 points from me making it a 5 star wine.  If you live near me, sorry- I snagged all they had at the shops.  Seriously, get some if it comes across your radar, you won’t be sorry.  Salut….

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Double Bay Cab/Merlot 2011

08 Friday Jun 2012

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“Delicate, Plum Berry Fruit Flavors” are stated on the label and I somewhat disagree. There is plenty of Plum, unfortunately, the stewed kind. Far too much bad Merlot is swilling around this glass, with no hint of the Cab, little tannin and a general waste of time. Not even going to rate it….

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