Words from a Wine Glass

This may sound conceited but there aren’t many ‘styles’ of wines I haven’t tried. ‘Basket Dried’ is a term I’m definitely not familiar with but if I see it on a wine label again I’ll be grabbing for my wallet and checking it out.

It’s funny you know, when this wine arrived it seemed to be just a part of the group. It  stood out from the others because of the darkish label but I sensed it didn’t consider itself special, pretentious or the ‘man of the moment’ wine. A humble bugger if you like. Yet it has every reason to stand on the top step of the Huntington Estate wine staircase with its hands on its hips and nose in the air.

It’s no different when it comes to drinking this wine. It clearly shows how good it is but in such a cool, calm and collected way.  It doesn’t appear rushed either.  Delivering a lot to the senses slowly and precisely I wondered when it was going fade. The fruit is bright and youthful and I’m guessing it’s hardly developed since it was conceived.

The palate is lovely, rich and smooth without being full bodied. Darker fruits appear, plums as well and some delicate sweetish stewed blueberries add a nice touch. I assume this is the ‘basket dried’ method doing its bit, and if it is, I like it a lot.

Huntington Estate Website

Region: Mudgee, NSW.    Price: $75    Source: Sample courtesy of Huntington Estate and Define Wine

I honestly like the idea of natural, organic, preservative free wine.  Varieties treated in a way to bring out their ‘true colours’ if you like.  This one is made that way and it certainly ticks all the right boxes.  The most important box that it ticks for me is, it is a good and enjoyable wine to drink.

I think it starts at a good level and maintains that spot right to the end.  It has primary aromas and flavours of blueberries and dark(ish) cherries that are there from the outset with a nice savoury/spicy/stemmy note adding an interesting complexity if you like.  It doesn’t move far beyond the mid palate but I don’t think it was meant to do that anyway so it is perfect in that sense.  Also, at this price, I don’t think it was built to be cellared and why would you bother.  Good wine at a really good price…tuck in I say.

The Natural Wine Co. Website

Region: Central Ranges, NSW     Price: $18     Source: Sample courtesy of Define Wine

I was recently in a cafe that I frequent enjoying a cup of tea with a mate and he mentioned how the cafe had a good reputation but he’d never stepped foot in the place.  When questioned on it further he outlined that he had a regular place that consistently served up good coffee just the way he liked it, exactly like the one he was drinking in my favourite little establishment.

My mate did point out that the coffee was more expensive (marginally I might add) than where he usually goes but it was worth it because the cafe didn’t seem to be a “churn’em out” sort of place where they call your name when it’s take-away or give you a number when you sit at a table.

Reputation may get people into my favourite cafe but to keep them coming back, they need to be consistent and not just with one thing but with everything they do.

Levantine Hill have certainly built a reputation for everything they do since being established in 2009.  Winemaker, Paul Bridgeman, has been at the helm since 2013 cementing that reputation by consistently making quality wines from the Coldstream Guard range to the top of the tree, Family Paddock wines like this one.

Fresh, bold, dark fruits from nose to palate give the impression this wine is going to be a whopper (I could take in the aromas all day!) yet that fruit power seems so well controlled and evenly distributed in the mouth.  Flavours galore with licorice, dark chocolate (just a coating), delicate spice are all in there and perfectly balanced.  Tannins are there too but they are so smooth and silky adding to an incredible length you just don’t want to end.  Mind you, I love that it seems to fade away slowly like the end of the Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’ (it’s in your head now isn’t it?)

Levantine Hill Website

Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria     Price: $200     Source: Generous gift

Without going back through older blog posts, I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned about having preconceived ideas about a wine.  This can be a positive because that way I go into trying a wine with the right attitude.  That is how it panned out with this wine.  I have always had good experiences with the Mitchell wines be it white or, as in this case, red.

It is a really good, deep colour at the core but the wider you look and move out to the rim, the brighter the colour becomes.  It’s quite the picture.

The nose and palate work well together bringing similar characteristics emphasing the youthfulness of this wine.  This may not be familiar to some but, as you take a sip, it also has a dusty aroma mixed in with the fresh berries that remind me of a European shiraz/syrah.  Mind you, when you do taste it, that dustiness is soon history thanks to those fresh berries.

Sure, plenty of dark berries come into their own when drinking it but there is a red berry muscling in on the taste, and it does, adding a freshness.  I reckon it’s that youthfulness character I was talking about earlier in the piece.

There’s a bit going on with this wine towards the finish too.  There is a certain plushness to it thanks to the dark fruits that soon take over yet the tannins are a little distracting about now.  I’m not saying this a bad thing because this wine is drinking very nicely now however, this just tells me it has a promising future.  I’d love to see this wine in 5 years at least.

Mitchell Wines Website

Region: Clare Valley, SA     Price: $26     Source: Sample