I was very blessed to have Shashi Singh from Avani on the Mornington Peninsula on my podcast The Vincast (episode available Friday November 13th), and she was very generous in giving me a bottle of her unreleased 2014 Syrah to taste. I couldn’t wait and opened it that evening. Have you tried the Avani Syrah before? What have been your impressions? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to the IntrepidWino channel.
Avant Syrah 2014
After running a successful commercial nursury for many years, importing countless alternative varieties in to Australia, Wayne Farquhar launched his Dell’Uva Wines brand quite recently. I visited his vineyard in the Barossa Valley in 2013 and tasted some wines in tank, so I was thrilled when he visited Melbourne and gave me some bottles to try. Here are my impressions.
Dell’Uva Wines
The Bentleigh Tasting Group has reconvened recently, and has also relocated thus necessitating a name-change. It’s been a while since I’ve joined this group of mostly sommeliers, so I’m a bit rusty on my blind tasting. It’s also been even longer since I’ve delved into the Northern Rhone Valley, not really since I was actually there in May of 2012. I found myself thinking back to my visits and tastings, considering the specifics of each appellation. But as always, the notes are from my blind tasting finishing with my guess as to the origin and vintage, and you can see how close I was. Some pretty amazing wines and a really interesting cross-section of styles in this one.
Doing it in style at The Point Albert Park
Filed under Tasting Notes
Acting as tour guide for some lovely Italians, I visited Tom and Sally Belford in the Yarra Valley and was introduced to their small-batch winemaking and their expression of Syrah and Chardonnay under the Bobar label. Here are my notes from the tasting, the last wine was from the tank the day before it was bottled.
Chardonnay 2013
Nice lean mealy leesy cheese biscuit notes. Full bold fresh ripe citrus peach, good texture and phenolic grip but focused acids too. Light yet brimming with personality and length.
Syrah 2014
Very subtle mushroomy earthy stalk notes, bright tight red cherry. Light fresh delicate yet full of life and energy, juicy but not bold broad extractive or fruit-sweet.
Syrah 2013
Darker more brambly pomegranate beetroot, a crunchy also blood orange note too. Crunchier tighter more intense somehow, pepper bush.
Syrah 2012
Dark herbal almost a naturopathic medicinal note. Bolder fuller on the mid-palate, a nice sharpness to it but nice and soft without being flabby.
Syrah 2010
Like slightly herbal oxidised ribena. In a really charming way.
2014 Chardonnay
Still smells a bit yeasty ferment style, but nice lemon pith. Wonderfully full and rich without being fat, unfocused or fruitful. Contained yet explosive.
Bobar Yarra Valley Syrah 2014
Filed under Tasting Notes
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