April 15, 2013 · 7:05 pm

Errazuriz – 2/12/2011

Aconcagua Coast Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Lovely and juicy, tropical kiwi and guava. Fantastic balance and cleanliness, pure acids and surprising length for an unoaked style.

Arboleda Chardonnay 2010
Citrus peach apricot nose. Integrity of fruit and solid acid, pleasing finish with hints of leesy lemon curds.

Aconcagua Coast Pinot Noir 2010
Not quite right for the climate, soft and full but a tad dark and dirty.

Colchagua Carmenere 2009
Dusty spicy nose, slightly earthy currants, good vibrant black fruits, restraint and balance.

Aconcagua Syrah 2009
Bruised fruit, full and hot, either compromised or unsuited to the vineyard.

Aconcagua Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Very soft and mellow, juby juicy, good drinking. Not the best example of the variety, prefer Maipo, too hot here?

Errazuriz tasting

Errazuriz tasting

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April 15, 2013 · 6:51 pm

Santa Rita – 1/12/2011

Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Casablanca Valley)
Lovely and herbaceous, nice concentration of fruit, very light and fresh, grapefruit and kumquat citrus.

Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2009 (Leyda Valley)
Rich and creamy, melons and peach. Textured, full, some sweet oak characters, fairly heavy malo character on the nose.

Medalla Real Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Maipo Valley)
Dark brooding cassis, nice toffee chocolate. Good texture and structure, very velvety tannins, sweet ripe spot and clean finish.

Triple C 2006 (Maipo Valley)
Earthy savoury aromas, leather and coffee. Intense and bright but softens on the palate, good chewy astringency, awesome finish.

Triple C 2007 (Maipo Valley)
Slightly leaner tighter lines, cigar box notes, good length, very young and a touch warm, fruit needs time to express.

Phuen 2007 (Apalta)
Hauntingly complex, totally unexpected, lovely dark and rich, balance and depth, best Chilean wine so far.

Santa Rita tasting

Santa Rita tasting

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April 15, 2013 · 5:58 pm

De Martino – 28/11/2011

Legada Reserva Chardonnay 2011
Nice rich sulphurous pineapple toast. Quite soft and rich, full frtuiy and toasty but not fat nor hot.

Viejas Tinajas Cinsault 2011 (Itata Valley)
Great spice, tight green pepper. Superb balance and great acidity. Made partially through carbonic maceration in amphorae.

Alto de Piedras Carmenere 2009
Quite juicy nose, fairly earthy savoury fruit. A little meaty, nice red fruit, not heavy but full flavour.

Legado Reserva Syrah 2010
Juicy blackberry spice, very light and clean. Lacks a little depth but easy drinking, not simple, refreshing.

Legado Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Great roasted capsicum. Good depth and weight, nice balance of fruit and savoury, good character.

Las Cruces 2008 (Old bush vine field blend)
Very bright dark fruit, interesting texture, ripe banana peel and some bottled aged character.

Alto los Toros Srah 2008
Very subtle aromas. Intense bright acids and tannins, young and shy, much more structure and balance, a truly great wine.

De Martino wines

De Martino wines

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April 15, 2013 · 4:38 pm

Tawse – 11/11/2011

Robyn’s Block Chardonnay 2009
Very delicate nose, slight celeriac apple cinnamon. Insanely well balanced and complex, lacks depth somewhat, subtle oak and lees notes.

Sketchs Riesling 2009
Nice mineral kerosene, very concentrated rich and zesty style. Lime zest and peach.

Pinot Noir 2009
A little sour, not enough fruit. Too dry and bland.

Barrel-aged Iced Chardonnay 2008
Rich viscous, volume and caramel.

Iced Riesling 2009
Quince paste, sharp and yet rich.

Tawse ice wines

Tawse ice wines

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April 15, 2013 · 4:30 pm

Hidden Bench – 11/11/2011

Felsock Vineyard Riesling 2008
Concentrated bright fruit, bold fruit profile and good lines.

Tete de Cuvee Chardonnay 2008
Very bold bright peach and lime fruit, with a complex floral and pear nose. The palate is very rich and layered, yet quite light and clean. Citrus complexity and balance would be even better with food.

Locust Lane Pinot Noir 2008
Dark cherry and game notes combine to create a very savoury fruit nose. Subtle yet opulent and rich, silky and soft. Hits an amazing sweet spot between fruit and savoury elements rarely achieved in new world pinot noir, but very youthful.

Hidden Bench Tasting Room

Hidden Bench Tasting Room

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April 15, 2013 · 4:24 pm

Barossa baby (Barossa Valley, South Australia – 10/04/2013)

Some places have all the luck. Firstly the Barossa Valley is undoubtedly Australia’s most recognised wine region, with studies showing that it is one of the only ones that consumers in the United Kingdom and United States can actually identify. Located within an hour from the outskirts of Adelaide it also has the benefit of hoards of wine tourists walking through every year, compared to unlucky fellow SA vignerons in the Clare Valley or Coonawarra. The Barossa Valley also has one of the longest traditions of continuous winemaking tradition dating back to the mid-19th century, and has the vines and facilities to prove it. The subject of change is quite touchy, whether it relates to new techniques, new varieties or new clonal material. With generations of heritage passed down and a huge investment in promoting the supremacy and uniqueness of old vine wines it is hard to break free and try something different. Evolving markets filled with disinterested consumers for the kind of wines that Australia has become synonymous with, not to mention climate change means that new thinking is not only a good idea but mandatory for survival. There are a select few that aren’t winning friends in the region but are gaining a cult following for their wines that break the mould, particularly in terms of alternative grape varieties.

Barossa sun

Barossa sun

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April 14, 2013 · 9:01 am

Max Ferdinand Richter – 2/02/2012

The wines from the Mulheimer Sonnenlay vineyard, which is a monopol owned exclusively by the estate, are more vibrant fresh and zingy in their acidity.

The Brauneberger wines tend to be more concentrated and subtle, with distinct minerality coming from the brown slate soil.

Moving up through the quality and sweetness scale, the wines began to exhibit some elderberry and tropical fruit characteristics with nice delicate viscosity to coat the mouth.

The Veldenzer Elisenberg wines contribute a further element of spice and herbs to them.

We finished with an Eiswine from 2010 (there will be no Eiswine from the 2011 vintage as the first frosts for winter only happened this week), which was extremely concentrated and syrupy, but having great acidity carries the flavours across the palate beautifully.

Max Ferdinand Richter wines

Max Ferdinand Richter wines

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April 14, 2013 · 8:54 am

Schlossgut Diel – 4/02/2012

Compared to many of the rieslings I tried in the Mosel, the Nahe wines of Schlossgut Diel are brighter, zingier and slightly spritzy in nature. They don’t have the same minerality or the focus of the Mosel, but this may be a product of the vintage. There was a lovely consistent line between all the wines of grapefruit, which suggests to me the wines are made essentially the same, just the entry-level wines being blends of different vineyards.

The trocken wines were particularly good; I think I liked them better than the dry wines of the Mosel. As a member of the VDP Diel use the vineyard classification system, so tasting the Grosses Gewachs wines was an experiment in more concentrated and austere characters.

The 2010 wines had a similar nature in the Nahe as the Mosel, of higher acids and sugar so they are very crisp and citrussy in their acids.

The Goldloch Spatlese was very complex and slightly savoury, showing some interesting crushed herb elements.

We finished with a rose made from pinot noir, which was slightly spritzy and had 10g/L of residual sugar, so was very pleasant and easy to drink.

Tasting with Caroline Diel

Tasting with Caroline Diel

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April 14, 2013 · 8:47 am

Johannes Leitz – 7/02/2012

Once you get into the single vineyard wines, you start to see the quality of the vines and the subtle difference between each soil type and exposition.

Berg Roseneck Riesling 2010
A fascinating hint of beeswax on the nose, something I’ve never seen before.

Berg Kaisersteinfels Riesling 2010
An interesting white meat complexity, and the Schlossberg had a white berry character.

Berg Rottland Riesling 2010
A darker almost earthy mineral texture, more concentration yet slightly harsher acids.

The wines all had a certain richness from balanced residual sugar, and great depth of flavour. Johannes Leitz is getting the most out of his vineyards, that is for sure.

Johannes Leitz wines

Johannes Leitz wines

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April 14, 2013 · 8:42 am

Georg Breuer – 7/02/2012

The red wines are understandably lighter and fresher than most pinot noirs, showing fresh strawberry and cranberry notes, and they reminded me of the pinot noirs I tasted in the Finger Lakes.

Tasting through the Rieslings I found they displayed great purity of fruit, balanced acids and lovely fresh dryness. It was fascinating trying each of the vineyards, as they each had their own unique qualities and characteristics.

The standout of the 2009 vintage for me was the Berg Rottland.

The Nonnenberg 2009 had good minerality, but lacked any real character and definition, not bad but not exciting.

Considering the quality of the vineyards, I think there is so much more to be got out of them.

History of labels for the top Georg Breuer wine

History of labels for the top Georg Breuer wine

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