2014 Yelland & Papps Sete Di Vino

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Tony Peters

My first contact with Susan and Michael was via Twitter.  I was keen to try their wines and they were keen to get a hold of some Tassie Pinot Noir.  So, we swapped some wines, easy.  As a result one of the wines I received was this very cool red.

Then, on a trip to the Barossa, I took along some more Tassie Pinots and called in to see them.  What great people they are!  Personable, engaging and so generous with their time.

The 2014 Sete Di Vino is a blend of Primitivo (78%) and Barbera (22%) it spent 14 months in old French Oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Okay, it is just medium bodied but gee it has some really nice juicy fruit on the palate and what a crowd pleaser!  I took it to some friends place on the weekend because they were firing up their pizza oven.  I took three wines including this one.  Well, the response I got were pretty amazing.  Everyone wanted more of the Sete Di Vino.  Comments such as, “That is gorgeous” and, “Ooooh, that is good. Did we only have one bottle?” says it all really.

Yes, it goes well with pizza and maybe it is a pizza wine but to me it is more than that and it deserves to be treated so.  I reckon it would go okay with Chilli Con Carne or even some lamb koftas.  I’ll have to get some more and find out.

Sete Di Vino “a thirst for wine” and at $25, I definitely have a thirst for more of this wine. Get on it!

http://www.yellandandpapps.com

YPSeteDiVino NV

 

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2011 Butler Crest Margaret River Semillon

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Tony Peters

The Butler Crest range is under the same umbrella as Night Harvest and Table Talk wines.  All of which are pretty much managed by Andy Ferreira the viticulturist with contract winemaker Bruce Dukes making the wines.  The Butler Crest vineyard is located in Wilyabrup, a very reputable grape growing area of Margaret River.  The first wines were produced in 2005.

First up I have to say, I can not remember having a straight Semillon from Margaret River so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I have only seen it blended with Sauvignon Blanc and they are a great combination from that area.

The thing with this wine was, when I first tasted it, I was a bit confused.  It had the pale colour of ‘young’ Semillon, but with the zip and acidity of a Riesling, melon and dryness of a Chardonnay, a slight Viognier oiliness and (my wife thought) a bit grassy like Sauvignon Blanc.  It seeemed a bit all over the place and, like many 5 year olds, I think it  wanted to be all manner of things when it grew up.

I tried it again two days later and, it was a totally different story.  Things had settled down considerably and it started to exhibit a hint of the Semillon characters I have come to enjoy.  The acidity and dryness had disappeared and it was rounder, more together I suppose and it had a bit of length to it too.  I was certainly a lot happier drinking it this time around.  Maybe it does want to grow up to be a mature Semillon and I regret not affording it that opportunity.

It is available online at the Butler Crest website for $24.95 which is pretty good value considering it is already 5 years of age and with a few more years left in it to grow up to be a very nice, mature Semillon.

This wine was part of a mixed box of Semillon I bought leftover from the Royal Hobart International Wine Show.

http://www.butlercrest.com.au

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2012 Grey Sands The Mattock

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Tony Peters

Bob and Rita Richter have a small vineyard on the west Tamar in northern Tasmania.  They have 18 different grape varieties growing on their 3.5 hectare vineyard and three of those have been used in this blend.

Consisting of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, this wine has an amazing dense, glossy purple colour. It begins with a lovely floral lift, quite plummy and very inviting.  The palate is medium bodied, full of red and blue fruits and finishes with a touch of sweet, creamy oak and fine tannins.

I described it on social media as “wanting to let people know how good it is but was too polite” (a bit like Bob and Rita actually).  At $30 a bottle is very good value for money and is a very versatile wine to say the least.  You could have it with sausages, eggs and chips or osso bucco or with a block of good hard cheese.  This beauty should cellar for 6-8 years.

This wine was purchased directly from the cellar door but sadly, no longer available.  The current release is available at www.greysands.com.au

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2012 Best’s Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Tony Peters

Picture this if you will.  You arrive at a classical music concert and the orchestra members are tuning their instruments and it sounds like a bit of a mish mash of tones and notes.  The conductor steps onto the stage, taps his baton on the lectern, raises both his arms in the air and with the movement of his baton the orchestra produces beautiful music.

That was the first thought that came to my mind when I tasted this wine.

It seemed a lot like it was teasing me with snippets of what it could do with the deep, alluring colour that demanded you take in its aromas that were intense and lively.  But then, with the introduction of the decanter, everything came together beautifully.

The blue/black fruits, trademark cool climate pepper, subtle spice followed by the crescendo which was the lovely mouth feel of creamy oak and long velvety tannins.  This piece of ‘music’ is going to be stuck in my head for a very long time.

Okay, at $85 a bottle it is not exactly accessible to a lot of wine consumers but, if an opportunity comes along like one did for me (leftovers from the Royal Hobart International Wine Show), grab it with both hands and make sure there is a wine glass in one of them.  It will be an experience that you will remember for some time.

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2012 Best’s Great Western Chardonnay

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Tony Peters

With the weather really starting to warm up all over Australia, it is time to pull the cork, or take the screwcap off, a few white wines.  Chardonnay is a variety that is going through a resurgence in popularity.  This can be attributed to them being made in a much more fruit and texture based style instead of the oak driven wines that became fat and flabby.  I think both styles have their place because of Chardonnay being a great wine to have with food ranging from basic fish and chips to more richer, creamy chicken dishes.

This is the Marilyn Monroe of Chardonnays.  Attractive, bold and classy with an underlying shyness and mystique that reveals itself after time in the spotlight.  The more you get to know her characteristics and complexities, you just want to grab some brie or camembert cheese and listen to her talk all afternoon.  This is indeed a ripper Chardonnay with richness and texture on the palate without the ‘fatness’ from Chardonnays of years gone by.  At just $22, this is going to be a star in the Best’s line-up for a few more years yet.

I was privileged to be part of the Best’s Tasting Panel and this was a sample provided by www.bestswines.com

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