Based in the Hilltops region of New South Wales, Freeman Vineyards has been on my radar for some time, mostly because they are working with Italian varieties that you don’t see very much planted in Australia. When they reached out with the offer of some samples I was thrilled, and I really appreciated the opportunity. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Wines tasted;
Freeman Rosso 2017 – RRP $20.00
Freeman Robusta 2013 – RRP $70.00
Opawa are a range of wines made by Nautilus Estate in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Meaning ‘Smoky River’ in Maori, the ‘Opawa’ vineyard is 25 hectares planted on stony soil, ripening earlier and producing an ‘intensely fruity and fragrant style of wine’, blended with fruit purchased from other vineyards. On this edition of Let’s Taste I am tasting the entire range currently available, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Wines tasted;
Opawa Sauvignon Blanc 2018 – RRP $23.00
Opawa Pinot Gris 2017 – RRP $24.00
Opawa Rosé 2017 – RRP $24.00
Opawa Pinot Noir 2017 – RRP $27.00
Website – https://www.opawawine.com
In case you missed it, I’ve just released my interview with Sir Ian Botham for The Vincast, which I recorded in late November 2018 just before I had the chance to taste the following wines from the inaugural release of Ian Botham Wines. Here are my first impressions, I was generally very impressed with them, particularly at the entry level, all of excellent quality for the price.
Botham All Rounder Chardonnay 2018 – RRP $14.00
Peach cobbler, lemon butter. Very clean and fresh, fairly broad and simple but decent depth, freshness disappears a bit, more melon on the palate than stone or citrus fruits.
76 Series Margaret River Chardonnay 2018 – RRP $17.99
Very delicate flint and smoke, lemon pith and some pepper notes, opens up to a bit more grassy on the nose with some stone fruits on the back. Denser and finer on the palate, focus without the flesh, a bit more bite.
Sir Ian Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2017 – RRP $100.00
Oak stands out right off the back, smoky floral note. Even denser, sweeter vanilla notes, good fleshy but fine fruit notes, very elegant but fuller.
All Rounder Shiraz 2018 – RRP $14.00
Really exuberant and powerful blue fruits, a little bit of sweet salty meat, some dried florals and spice. Dried red fruits, soft but fairly fresh, looks like a blend. Dry finish.
81 Series Barossa Shiraz 2017 – RRP $17.99
Meaty tomato almost Bolognese sauce, kind of leafy, a bit of basil. Warm generous good balance of dried fruit and slightly savoury elements, decent freshness and no apparent oak.
Sir Ian Barossa Valley Single Vineyard Shiraz 2013 – RRP $100.00
Super intense, not showing any age at all. Still showing a think fog of oak at first, extremely dense and dark on the nose, vanilla and blueberries. It’s there but the oak is dominating, hard to see where it may be in five years but doesn’t look like it’s losing anything, certainly appeals to a palate, not mine though. I get it.
80 Series Coonawarra Cabernet 2016 – RRP $17.99
Unmistakable Coonawarra Cabernet, eucalyptus and cigar leaf, a bit soapy and minty. Decent focus, good balance, soft yet not broad or bruised tannins, good tannins.
Filed under Tasting Notes
For cricketing fans the name Ian Botham should be very familiar as one of the most famous all-rounders in English test cricket history. Not as many know that Sir Ian has long been a passionate wine lover, having taken advantage of both the proximity of European regions from England, and a touring schedule that took him to many new world wine producing countries. I was invited late 2018 to a tasting of his recently released range of wines from a number of premium Australian regions, and I was honoured to have the opportunity to sit down with him to find out more about his love of wine and enthusiasm for crafting his own.
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Sir Ian Botham
A podcast about wine, wine culture and wine people. Every week a different guest from the wine industry joins host The Intrepid Wino (aka James Scarcebrook) for a casual chat about the world of wine.
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