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
On my wine podcast The Vincast I recently interviewed chief winemaker for Brand’s Laira, Peter Weinberg (https://intrepidwino.com/2018/12/20/the-vincast-episode-141-peter-weinberg-from-brands-laira/). Peter spoke a bit about the history of this Coonawarra producer, and something interesting about one of the founders Eric Brand, was that after acquiring the Laira property in 1950 he worked for 16 years as a ‘Blocker’, the Coonawarra name for a grower who sold their fruit and didn’t make wine. This range of wines is named after this period, and I was interested to see how Peter expressed the two most important varieties for the region, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Wines tasted;
Brand’s Laira ‘Blockers’ Shiraz 2014 – RRP $25.00
Brand’s Laira ‘Blockers’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – RRP $25.00
Not only have I interviewed Eliza and Angela Brown from All Saints Estate for my podcast The Vincast (https://intrepidwino.com/2017/02/07/the-vincast-episode-115-eliza-angela-brown-from-all-saints-estate/) but I’ve also tasted a few wines submitted by them on previous editions of Let’s Taste. The ‘Bloss’ is a brand new wine released from them recently, so I was thrilled to try something completely new from them! Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Wine Tasted;
All Saints Estate ‘Bloss’ 2018 – RRP $26.00
Website – https://www.allsaintswine.com.au
The Morris Winery in the Northern Victorian region of Rutherglen has a significant amount of history, and was an important contributor to the success of Australian wines in the past, particularly in the context of fortified wines. These incredible gems take serious skill and patience to come together, and are woefully unappreciated by wine consumers these days. I was privileged to have an opportunity to taste the Classic Topaque when Casella Family Brands sent me a sample, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below.
Wine tasted;
Morris Classic Liqueur Topaque NV – RRP $25.00 (375ml)
The final in a series looking at new releases from Heartland Wines based in the Langhorne Creek region of South Australia. Ben Glaetzer has been crafting exceptional wines at various price points for many years, and these new ‘Directors Cut’ wines are no exception. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Wines tasted;
Heartland ‘Director’s Cut’ Shiraz 2015 – LUC $33.00
Heartland ‘Director’s Cut’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – LUC $33.00
Website – https://heartlandwines.com.au
I’m always grateful to receive samples from Heartland Wines from the #LanghorneCreek region, as much as I appreciate the opportunity to look at alternative varieties and interesting blends. The #ForeignCorrespondent 2018 encompasses all three of these things, being a blend of Dolcetto and Lagrein, two varieties you are highly unlikely to see together in Italy being that they are from different regions. Here are my impressions of this wine, let me know what your thoughts are, or if you’ve seen these varieties together before!
Wine tasted;
Heartland ‘Foreign Correspondent’ Dolcetto Lagrein 2018 – RRP $25.00
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