2006
A nice Pinot Noir from Orange in Australia
Wine making family Shaw from Orange are well known for their various brands here Down Under.
Philip Shaw's No. 8 Pinot Noir
Last night we tried the 2006 Philip Shaw No. 8 Pinot Noir – brought along to dinner by close friends of our. “Pinot is a hard variety to classify, with everyone having an opinion on what it should be – I can eliminate what it shouldn’t be but the rest is the gamble” says Philip on their website.
And he is right: Pinot Noir is such a difficult variety – many winemakers here in Australia get sleepless nights when they think about their Pinot grapes.
Well, the gamble in 2006 has worked out well for the Shaw family – its lifted and spicy nose comes out immediately, a soft fleshy palate and a lightly savoury finish really make this Pinot Noir a great representative for that year.
The Orange Wine region is so much into growing grapes from this hot and warm climate to be added to wines from other regions, who need the volume (or taste). Well, the No 8 shows its own character, its vineyard named Koomooloo is established on 900m altitude, a nice altitude comparable to most cool climate regions from Australia.
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Gute Freunde brachten gestern abend eine Flasche 2006 Philip Shaw No. 8 Pinot Noir zum Abendessen, ein schoener Tropfen mit Pinot typischen Gewuerzaromen und einer schoenen Laenge.
Die Trauben der Orange Weingegend werden von vielen Winzern hier Down Under gerne als ‘add-on’ fuer ihre eigenen Weine genutzt, dieser Pinot Noir No. 8 von Philip Shaw hat seinen eigenen Charakter.
Ihr Michael Brecht
A powerful vicar from McLaren Vale
Chapel Hill Cellar Door in McLaren Vale
Tonight I am trying the latest release of Chapel Hill’s Shiraz – The Vicar McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006. This wine received a stunning 96 points from James Halliday and as soon as I open the bottle I understand why.
The Vicar shows a very strong, deep colour and its flavours clearly remind me of all the top Shiraz wines from McLaren Vale: dark chocolate and blackberry flavours, oak and nicely balanced tannins and a powerful finish with great length.
No wonder why winemaker Michael Fragos was named Winemaker of the Year last year at the London Wine and Spirit Competition, this Shiraz shows all the signs of a great Shiraz from South Australia.
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Die Chapel Hill Winery in McLaren Vale ist namensgerecht in einer alten Kirche untergebracht, hier werden seit 1979 vorzuegliche Shiraz angeboten, in juengster Zeit von Winzer Michael Fragos kreiert. Jener wurde erst in 2008 zum Winzer des Jahres bei der London International Wine and Spirits Competition gekuert, wohl verdient, denn sein ‘The Vicar McLaren Vale Shiraz’ von 2006 ist vorzueglich. Ich geniesse den Wein am offenen Feuer – das Termometer schreibt -3 Grad hier in den Southern Highlands heute abend.
Ihr Michael Brecht
A leg of lamb and a Reserve Merlot – it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere
I simply cannot help myself but when I think of Merlot, I think about the movie in which … – no let us not go there. So, when I started writing about my latest Merlot experience this morning, I thought it might make sense to ask online service Wikipedia how they defined Merlot to get a sort of neutral look at the variety: “Merlot is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines.”
Reserve Merlot Cuttaway Hill
Autsch, that doesn’t help either, a blending grape, but honestly: there are many fine Merlot producers in the Bordeaux region in France and in Australia alone, there were more than 125,000 tonnes of this variety produced in 2008.
Time to have a closer look at an Australian Merlot, not blended but standing on its own, especially with a nice roast of lamb for dinner already in the oven:
My choice: the 2006 Reserve Merlot from Cuttaway Hill, of the largest vineyard properties in the Southern Highlands. The wine is bright purple in colour, its bouquet full of dark ripe fruit and chocolate. I give it an hour after opening it as the bottle was stored in a rather cold cellar, mainly due to the frosty nights of this week.
When I take the first sips, I am amazed: this Reserve Merlot develops rich fruit characters on the palate and shows a very nice length. On the bottle they recommend celaring to 2013, knowing the many Merlot fans in the Southern Highlands I suspect most of their bottles gone by then.
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Der australische Winter zehrt mit heftigen Winden an uns, die wir gerade erst aus dem warmen Europa zurueck gekehrt sind. Abends ist es Zeit fuer einen Reserve Merlot von Cuttaway Hill, ich selbst bin kein ueberzeugter Merlot Fan, doch dieser Reserve mundet mir vorzueglich. Ein besonders fruchtiger Charakter und eine schoene Laenge machen diesen Wein zu einem perfekten Tropfen fuer das Lamm, welches heute auf unserem Tisch steht.
Ihr Michael Brecht
McLaren Vale’s Kangarilla Road Wines – wine finesse for less dollars than expected
I tried a bottle of Kangarilla Road Shiraz Viognier on the weekend, which reminded me of a recent visit to meet Kangarilla’s owner Kevin O’Brien. Kevin and his wife Helen started Kangarilla Road wines in 1997 – he himself a trained oenologist with 20 years in the wine industry.
Kevin O'Brien from Kangarilla Road
The winery and most of its vineyards are based between McLaren Vale and Kangarilla just on Kangarilla road. Because of its slightly higher position compared to most vineyards in the McLaren district, its fruit ripen slower with an aim for more elegance.
I was certainly impressed with their Chardonnay, I tasted the 2008 one with 13.5% alcohol and really liked its length and character, taking into consideration that this wine retails for $15 (under EUR9).
Asked for his own favourite, Kevin named his 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon for his completeness. The wine is full of flavour but not off. Historically McLaren Vale had a 50/50 split of Shiraz and Cab Sav plantings and only in the last years, the Shiraz variety had overtaken the Cab Sav’s number of plantings. Tasting this Cabernet it became clear why Kangarilla aims for this variety.
Between McLaren Vale and Kangarilla
Back to my wine of last night: a 2006 Shiraz – a blend of selected parcels from the district. Mixed weather conditions with loads of rain in spring and a mild summer led to a milder February than usual in McLaren Vale. The use of 25% french and the rest american oak helped display a finer flavour than usual from this region and I really enjoyed the dark plum characters with a good elegance.
A nice example of a fully ripened but not overdone Shiraz from McLaren Vale.
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Bei meinem Besuch in McLaren Vale vergangenen Sommer schaute ich bei Kevin O’Brien vorbei, er startete vor 12 Jahren die Kangarilla Road winery gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Helen. Die Weine liegen preislich am unteren Ende der weiten Preisskala der Region und dennoch muessen sie sich keineswegs hinter den Wettbewerbern verstecken. Ich selbst probierte am Wochenende den 2006 Shiraz, der durch eine gute Eleganz auffiel, die Reben von diversen Lagen etwas oberhalb des McLaren Vale geerntet und daher mit Finesse ausgestattet.
Michael Brecht
Is the new budget the end for small wineries in Australia?
We have seen increased activity from many lobbying groups in the past weeks – all fearing that their respective businesses might have to bear a heavy load when the federal government presents the new budget for Australia today.
The Winemakers’ Federation made their position clear: a change to the taxation rules to bring it into line with other alcoholic drinks could raise an extra $630 million for the Government, but at the cost of 5,300 mostly rural jobs. The fear is that wine, which is now taxed under the wine equalisation tax (WET) – a 29 per cent tax on the wholesale value of the product – would have to be started to be taxed based on its alcohol content. That would bring it in line with the taxation of beer and spirits here Down Under.
The WET is aimed at providing a protection for the mostly smaller wine producers throughout Australia. Most of them already struggle to cope with the current wine glut in global wine markets, for them such a decision tonight would be devastating.
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Heute wird in Australien das neue Jahresbudget praesentiert; jenes ist heiss erwartet, denn die Wirtschaftssituation hier Down Under ist so schlecht wie seit mehr als 60 Jahren nicht mehr. Ein besonderes Risiko besteht fuer die kleineren Winzer, die bislang ihre Weine anders besteuert bekommen, als die Bier oder Spirituosenhersteller. Wir halten Sie auf dem Laufenden.
Michael Brecht
Wine tasting at a Cellar Door and Business Networking
I enjoy the combination of the above, meeting new business people and tasting new wines at the same time. On invitation of ZaaBiz, Australia’s largest business network and Tertini Wines from the Southern Highlands, business people form the Highlands, Wollongong, Sydney and even Melbourne met at Tertini’s cellar door last night for this purpose.
We tried the 2005 and 2006 Riesling, the 2005 and 2008 Arneis – a highly difficult variety from the North-West of Italy, two Pinot Noirs and the Tertini Cabernet Sauvignon on the night.
The crowd was also volunteered to taste a selection of Italian cheeses, picking out the ones that tasted well with the various wines. All in all it was a great event, Tertini’s Sales Manager Robert Kay guided us through the evening and gave insights into the wine making techniques of this young winery from the Southern Highlands. Tertini has won 89 medals in the last three years at various wine shows across the country, not bad for a small Boutique Winery.
I thoroughly enjoyed this wine tasting and met some great new business people from the area.
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Das australische Business Netzwerk ZaaBiz hatte gestern zu seinem event in den Southern Highlands geladen. Neben diversen networking sessions gab es ausreichend Gelegenheit, die Weine von Tertini Wines zu testen. Mein Favorit: der 2008er Tertini Arneis, eine Traube aus dem Nordwesten Italiens die hier in Down Under von lediglich 15 Winzern bearbeitet wird. Mehr zu diesem Wein in einem gesonderten Bericht.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Why is Australia so suitable for growing Grenache? Interview with Fred Howard
On a recent post I described how astonished I was when I discovered Australian Grenache. McLarenVale is currently working hard to make Grenache ‘its grape’. I spoke to Fred Howard, winemaker and co-owner of DogRidge Winery in the Vale about this variety.
Fred Howard from DogRidge with Michael Brecht
downunderwines: Thanks Fred for your time. So tell us, how did the Grenache vine find its way here to South Australia?
Fred Howard (FH): Originally South Australia produced lots of fortified wines, which were sent back to England mainly for medical purposes. Grenache quickly became a favourite variety as it was growing so strong, it didn’t need a lot of work and you got lots of grapes out of the vines. Additionally the grapes contained very high sugar levels and were drought resistant, by nature.
DogRidge Cadenzia Grenache 2005
downunderwines: So these Grenache wines made it into the fortified wines helping doctors cure in the UK, but comes that it is today one of the finest variety here in the McLaren Vale?
FH: To tell you the truth: we have been working hard, to make our Grenache what it is today. The growth of the wines means that you have to prune heavily, it is almost as if you are manipulating the growth of the vines. The lack of water naturally helps as the growth slows down. Also we cut the tips so that the energy stops within the leaves, I guess all in all our crop thinning results in only getting 50% of the berries.
downunderwines: And these 50% are magic, almost comparable to the dead arm treatment, that D’Arenberg is so famous for?
FH: yes exactly. While thinning the crop to such an extent, we achieve results of berries that are simply wonderful to work with, once they are coming into the winery. Our Grenache vines have been planted in the 1940s, the character and complexity of its fruit is simply stunning.
I have then tried a few of DogRidge’s Grenache wines, now marketed under the Cadenzia label. Both the 2005 and 2006 are 100% Grenache, displaying a highly juicy sweet-fruit palate and the flavours were absolutely stunning. I preferred the 2005 as it had this extra year in the bottle which made it sensational. These wines a great for cellaring, give it a few years and drink it on a cold winter night, in front of a fire, sounds like heaven to me.
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Meine juengste Reise nach McLaren Vale brachte mich mit Fred Howard zusammen, der gemeinsam mit seinem Bruder David die DogRidge Winery sein eigen nennt. Hier werden seit vielen Jahrzehnten die klassischen Shiraz und Cab Savs angebaut, seit mehr als 65 Jahren wachsen zusaetzlich Grenache Trauben heran. Hiervon handelt mein Interview mt Fred, das McLaren Vale arbeitet derzeit sehr daran, diese Grenache Traube zu ‘ihrem’ Markenzeichen zu machen.
Gemeinsam mit Fred habe ich dann die Jahrgaenge 2005 und 2006 getestet, das Ergebnis: grossartig – ich bin ein Grenache Fan – allerdings nicht Fan der spanischen sondern ausschliesslich der australischen Variante.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Entry Chardonnay from Tilbrook scores well on a Monday night
Monday night is the night for trying wines well under $20 – this time a 2006 Chardonnay from Tilbrook Estate. I met James Tilbrook at his cellar door a few weeks ago and he made me taste this one in particular.
Selection of Tilbrook Estate Wines at the cellar door
Not that I didn’t want to taste the high end releases, but I think it is important for any winemaker to look after those purchasers, that buy wine for a Monday night – nothing special, accompanying food and still never disappointing.
The 2006 Chardonnay (retailing for $15) has 15% Sauvignon Blanc grapes in it, melon and stonefruit make it a typical Chardonnay from a cool climate region. The wine displays this fresh taste with a good length, with 13.5% alcohol it is a Chardonnay on the lighter side – just right for our Monday night.
You have to be quick though, as Tilbrook Estate produces only small quantities of his wines, last year the total production was only for 1500 cases.
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James Tilbrook produziert Jahr fuer Jahr Spitzenweine in seinem kleinen Weingut in Lobethal, keine 40 Minuten von Adelaide entfernt in South Australia gelegen. Ich trinke heute abend einen Chardonnay aus dem Jahr 2006, bewusst die Einstiegsvariante, denn Montags teste ich gerne die einfacheren Versionen der einzelnen Wineries. Fruchtig frisch, mit 15% Sauvignon Blanc Trauben angereichert ist der 2006 Tilbrook Chardonnay ein angenehmer Tropfen.
Ihr Michael Brecht
