2016 Ridgemill Estate The Lincoln Shiraz

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Tony Peters

I’ve written about me having preconceived ideas regarding wine before, however on this occasion, the focus is on a couple from Western Australia, who are good friends of mine, and work in the hospitality world.  Visiting my home, they were keen to try some Tassie wine.  The main reason being that it’s not that readily available in WA and they knew they’d get to see some rippers at my place (sounds conceited I know).  We spoke about other regions as well, and of course, I mentioned Queensland.  They were, let’s say, not particularly cognisant about Queensland wine regions, the industry there, or the wines.  So, I decided to throw a bit of a furphy in the mix; this wine.

Now, I didn’t mislead them,  I just didn’t say it was or wasn’t a Tassie red, and they didn’t ask.  It was the last wine they tried and they loved it!  When I told them what they had tasted, they were obviously pleasantly surprised.  They didn’t say ‘wow’, but you could see it on their faces.  It was priceless.  Next, they started googling Queensland wines.  Enough said.

Great dark fruit colour and huge whiffs of them on the nose.  The palate is the place where the juicy fruit party is happening.  Blackberries galore, black cherries, there’s a fruits-of-the-forest flavoured yoghurt sort of creaminess too, hints of white pepper, and some texture rounding out a pretty good finish.

This is a delicious, very easy to drink Shiraz, and would be a versatile food wine too.  It has enough richness to hold its own with a nice cut of steak at your local hotel, yet would be comfortable paired up with a pepperoni pizza on a Friday night in front of the telly.

Ridgemill Estate Website

Region: Granite Belt, Queensland     Price: $30     Source: Swap

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2016 Sidewood Estate Mappinga Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Tony Peters

I’m pretty sure I have previously and unashamedly mentioned that I am an Aussie Chardonnay fan.  I have to admit to being bias towards those from my home state, but I’m lucky enough to have tried excellent examples from Coonawarra, Margaret River, Hunter Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Orange, Mudgee, McLaren Vale, Granite Belt, WA’s Great Southern and any other place I have failed to mention.  Having just read the last sentence over again, we have some pretty good Chardonnays coming out of many a wine region.  Keep it up I say.

I didn’t mention the Adelaide Hills in the paragraph above only because that is where the grapes were grown for this wine but it’s a region that definitely can not be forgotten.  I have tried many from this picture perfect place on the outskirts of Adelaide and they never fail to impress…much like this one from Sidewood Wines.

Looks so, so young and smells delicious!  Citrusy, peachy and fruit salady.  Not dissimilar when tasting it, where it exudes that deliciousness!  There’s peach characters, some pear notes and the texture is palate pleasing too.  As the flavours slip away quietly, a nice, crispy grapefruity acidity plays a part, yet it’s beautifully soft on the finish.  The oak has been slurped up by the abundant quality fruit which is definitely the star of this wine.  Have I mentioned it’s delicious?!

Sidewood Estate Website

Region: Adelaide Hills, SA     Price: $35     Source: Purchase

Sidewood Chardonnay

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2018 Sandergrove Estate ‘Straw Boss’ Adelaide Hills Riesling

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Tony Peters

It wasn’t that long ago I got into a mates car expecting it to be just like any other version of that particular car but alas, no.  Apart from being built the same, looking the same, having the same name and same everything else (probably), it seemed to have these little idiosyncrasies of its own that made it unique.  Over the years my mate had ‘made’ that car his car and he was proud of it and nobody knew it better than he and gee it was good to ride in.

I don’t remember trying any rieslings from the Adelaide Hills and I’m beginning to think, after trying this one, that the producers in the Hills think the same about this variety as my mate does about his car.  It’s unique, they’ve made it their own and mighty proud of it…and so they should be if this is anything to go by.

It was a bit shy on the nose to start with but a nice bit of citrus character introduced itself before too long.  Off to a good varietal start that put me in a happy place.  The palate was not what I expected for a riesling though.  It may be the Adelaide Hills influence but there was some pear and honeydew melon fruits chiming in with a deft touch of something like the diet version of Bickfords lime cordial as well adding a nice but delicate hit of citrus notes on the palate.  Texture plays a nice little bit part with this wine on a better than medium length finish.

This is a very easy drinking riesling that would no doubt please the discerning riesling drinker and, I’d go as so far to say, would bring back the discontent riesling drinker of the past.

Sandergrove Estate Website

Region: Adelaide Hills, SA     Price: $24     Source: Sample thanks to Jen & Pete of Sandergrove Estate

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2017 Yalumba ‘Samuel’s Collection’ Barossa Shiraz Cabernet

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Tony Peters

This Shiraz Cabernet is part of the, soon to be released, ‘Samuel’s Collection’ range also consisting of a Barossa Shiraz, Barossa Bush Vine Grenache, Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mataro, Eden Valley Viognier, Eden Valley Chardonnay and Eden Valley Roussanne.  Sporting a very classy new label featuring the Yalumba Clocktower, the Collection “…celebrates the legacy established by Samuel Smith 170 years ago when he planted some of Australia’s first grape vines here in Barossa,” says Nicky Gameau, executive director of marketing for Yalumba.

This may seem an odd way to start a review, however when I sat down with a drop of this in my glass intending to write some notes about it, I got to thinking; had I ever had a Yalumba wine I outright didn’t like.  Before I even took a sip of this one I decided to have a good think about it while going through the range wines on the Yalumba website Considering I have been lucky enough to have tried a few of their wines over the years, I could not recall one that I wouldn’t buy again.

Terrific colour!  The nose is just as terrific with beautiful aromas of a mix of red and black berries and just a hint of oak poking through.  The palate is simply gorgeous.  It’s rich, it’s generous, it’s lush, it’s fruitful and I think I’m in love!  After a bit of time in the glass and with a bit of air swirled through it, the abundant fruit (consisting of blackberries, plums and blueberries) swallowed up the 14.5% alcohol and touch of oak easily.  Add the fine, soft tannins and the result is a beautifully balanced, very approachable, youthful wine with a bright future.

Yalumba Website

Region: Barossa Valley, SA     Price: $28     Source: A generous mate

samuels collection shiraz cabernet sauvignon

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2018 Maclean Bay Pinot Rosé

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Tony Peters

In the past, Pinot Noir rosé has not been my ‘go to’ rosé.  There you go, I said it.  The reason is, they have generally lacked body, been one dimensional, a little on the sweet side and a bit like the last pinot rosé I tried and what I’m expecting the next pinot rosé to taste like.  Before you give me a hard time about that, I did say, “In the past”.

Having recently been ‘exposed’ to a number of rosés made from this delicate, perfumed and complex variety, I can honestly say, my thoughts have changed for the better.  The credit can lie squarely with examples like this one from Maclean Bay.  What a delightful wine to drink.

After a little bit of teasing it was pleasantly aromatic, which doesn’t sound like a great start, but you’ll know what I mean when you check it out.  Tasting it is where it shows its best.  Lots of flavour; strawberries, cherries and savouriness are the leaders on the palate.  Acidity is present but the wine is not built around this.  It’s the fruit that provides the structure to an obviously very well made rosé.  My advice only of course, but be careful.  Be very careful.  It’s quite delicious and easily drinkable.

Maclean Bay Wines

Region: East Coast, Tasmania     Price: $28     Source: Gift

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2017 Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Mourvèdre

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Tony Peters

If you’re keen to try a damn good Mataro or a Monastrell, get your mitts around a bottle of this Chapel Hill Mourvèdre.  It may or may not come as a suprise to you, but they are one and the same grape variety.  Mourvèdre is the French take on it while Mataró and Monastrell are the Spanish versions.  I much prefer saying Mourvèdre because it seems so ‘beaujoire’ than the other names, don’t you think?

Big, beautiful aromatics!  Pretty full on, but subtle dark fruits with quite a pretty, perfumey note.

Tasting it; Wow!  Again, it’s pretty full on yet doesn’t quite hit the full bodied barrier. Mind you, it’s brilliantly fruited (if that’s a word) to carry all that ‘weight’ if you like. Blackberries, spicy dark cherries with some blue fruits spreading across the palate.  The fruit tames the tannins very nicely as it saunters it’s way to the back of the palate.  It almost seems like it’s a lazy wine and I mean that in a good way.  It’s like it’s thinking, “This is me, I’m good, I’m nice, now over to you” sort of thing.  It is all of these and very easy to like.  I only wish it was in  a magnum (wink wink, nudge nudge).

Chapel Hill Website

Region: McLaren Vale, SA     Price: $33     Source: Swap

2017_Mourvèdre

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2018 Angullong Pinot Grigio

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Tony Peters

This time of year can be quite frustrating.  The days are still nice and warm (when I get the opportunity to leave the office to find out) and it’s still sunny when I get home, but there’s a bit of a cool breeze coming off the Derwent River.  As much as it dampens the desire to sit out on the deck, it doesn’t take away the need for an end-of-the-working-day, satisfyingly de-stressing white wine…and I think I’ve found one that fits the bill easily.

The nose was a little subdued, but with a bit of coercion came pears and slightly floral aromatics.  Juicy pears present on the palate, citrus notes too, texture gives it some good mid palate weight, plenty of flavour on the finish, although it does fall away reasonably quickly.  For me, this sits easily in the ‘go to’ grigio category.  There wouldn’t be many unhappy punters in the crowd if you poured this for them on a warm sunny afternoon.

Angullong Website

Region: Orange, NSW     Price: $20 (good value)     Source: Sample courtesy of Angullong Wines and Define Wine

Angullong-PinotGrigio_NV

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2017 Maclean Bay Pinot Noir

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Tony Peters

Quite often I’ve read about doctors, lawyers, bankers, accountants and others in similar professions buying or establishing a vineyard as an investment and/or tax write off.  I have nothing against them (as a matter of fact I thank them) for doing so because there are some damn good vineyards producing very good wines thanks to these people.  However, considering the old saying of, “if you want to make a million dollars in the wine industry, you have to start with four”, this decision has me scratching my head a little.

Anyway, with Maclean Bay, two mates with the same interests, red wine and the East Coast of Tasmania, decided to get into the wine industry.  Scott Williams and Simon Will leased the north-east facing Diamond Island vineyard, established in 2002, and released their first wine in 2015.  The vineyard is situated 10 minutes north of Bicheno looking over, you guessed it, Maclean Bay.  I know the area and it’s a pretty spectacular part of our island state.

Looks great in the glass.  A good start thanks to a definite pinot nose.  Cherries, a tad savoury with a hint of (toasted?) oak.  It has a very interesting, beguiling palate.  Medium bodied, dark cherries, some blackberry influence, sweet/savoury characters nicely balanced by a little bit of spice.  It fills out the mid palate beautifully for me and finishes nice and smooth with pretty good length.  I have to say, this is a very good pinot noir for the price.

And congratulations are in order as well.  This wine recently picked up a silver medal at the International Cool Climate Wine Show and a bronze medal at the Tasmania Wine Show.

Maclean Bay Wines Website

Region: East Coast, Tasmania     Price: $33 (Great buying)     Source: Purchase

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2017 Matriarch & Rogue ‘Jean’ Malbec

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Tony Peters

If I asked most of my group of friends which six grape varieties make up a traditional Bordeaux blend, like me, they would probably be able to name four of them.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (that may stump a few), Merlot and Petit Verdot.  Malbec is the fifth and sort of forgotten one in the scheme of things.  The sixth one, Carménère, is rarely used these days so everyone would be forgiven for not knowing that one.

What you may not know as well is, all of these grape varieties have there own ‘day’ of the year (here’s a calender from the Travelling Corkscrew Website that’ll help you remember those special dates).  To make things a bit easier for you, 17 April is World Malbec Day.  Lock that date in your diary at that very least.

A lovely deep colour, wow!  It smells juicy, fruity and delicious!  I like where this is going.  Dark cherries, mildly spicy plums and blackberries are there when you taste this medium bodied beauty.  Lovely gentle tannins do a great job on the reasonably long finish but it’s the fruit that seems to hang around the longest.

Don’t wait until Word Malbec Day to try this one.  While the weather is still good and families and friends gather on back verandahs for barbeques while taking advantage of daylight saving, get some of this and pour it liberally in glasses (for the adults of course).  And we can’t not mention the Bronze medal it won at the 2018 Clare Valley Wine Show!

Great Aunty Jean, for whom this wine is named, would be mighty proud to have her name on this.

Matriarch & Rogue Website

Region: Clare Valley, SA     Price: $28     Source: Generous gift, thanks Marnie

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2018 Angullong Sauvignon Blanc

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Tony Peters

When I was a kid, and it’s probably the same with most kids these days, I did not eat many vegetables.  Potatoes, carrots and peas were about it for me.  If I found anything else on my plate there were always attempts to sneakily feed the dog under the table or try and ditch it in the bin when mum left the kitchen.  These days, there’s not much in the way of vegies I don’t eat.  It has been a similar progression with wine for me as well.

Starting out, it was red wine and red wine only.  Barossa shiraz and Coonawarra Cabernet were about it as far as I was concerned.  Couldn’t get enough of it.  I avoided white wine like I avoided broccoli as a kid.  How times have changed.  There aren’t many wine varieties or styles I don’t like.  However, I have always struggled with Sauvignon Blanc.  I’m not going to shout it from the roof tops, but it’s certainly growing on me and I’m not averse to trying it these days.  I’m more than happy to admit to liking quite a few.  This one fits into this category.

Quite aromatic, passionfruit for sure, maybe a tad lemony…I think.  Lively, fresh palate with plenty of flavour.  Passionfruit again,  a hint of, sort of, snow pea character (definitely not an under-ripe character) and some nice gentle acidity.  The surprise for me was, it finishes dry with just a hint of sweetness.  This is pretty good and will certainly have a friend in Thai food.

Angullong Website

Region: Orange, NSW     Price: $20     Source: Sample courtesy of Angullong Wines and Define Wine

Angullong-SauvBlanc

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