Posts Tagged australia

This McLaren-Vale winery makes a number of mid-priced wines, relatively cost-friendly in relation to the quality from these wines. The winemakers seem to come from the position of creating more accessible wines that don’t require a lot of cellar time, but still have something interesting to say. Always nice when you don’t have to wait around to drink a decent wine.

Off the top, this wine is very austere. It has a little nose, not much, with raspberry and clove mixed in with some oak. I have to say that the flavor palate changes very little from start to finish with a woodsy, earthy quality. I get a little bit of bell pepper on nose as well. The tannins are integrated nicely with a medium-length finish. There’s also a bit of jamminess at some level but it can’t be said that it’s overly fruity. This wine has a smooth finish and nice structure. Initally, on opening it I couldn’t tell if I liked it or not. However, the wine really grows on you and I grew to definitely like!

With a floral finish mixed with Lavender and honey, I also pick up more tobacco, mushroom, and bell pepper. All in all, the fruit is nicely integrated without compromising the wine structure and quality. With the price around $15, the wine delivers exactly as its makers hoped. You have here a wine that is structured, not overly jammy or fruity, easy drinking with just that hint of something a little more complex. I’ve got to rate this wine borderline outstanding.

Bleasdale produces a number of Cabernet and Shiraz bottles. I’ve had a few of their wines prior and they are usually a good value both on their lower end and top tier wines. The Mulberry Tree Cabernet is one of their entry level releases. The wine from Langhorne Creek region sells for around $13.

So how did it taste? Upfront this wine has a very nice nose, full of blueberries and blackberry fruit. There’s some oak and spice, but mostly you just get the jammy fruit on the nose. The flavor is also very jammy, and somewhat Shiraz-like. There’s a decent amount of structure, and some cassis flavoring to give it that Napa cab feel.

Overall, its a pretty smooth wine, with a little bit of tannins there to give it mouth-feel and body on the finish. Maybe a hint of bell pepper mixed in as well. I’m going to rate this wine a Brick Solid just based on the fact that I could get the initial flavors I’d find in a Napa cab for half the price I’d normally see for something out of California. Its an easy-drinking wine that could be a great addition at the next barbecue.

It’s got to be raspberries! I’ve just finished another glass of the Pillar Box Red from 2007. This blended wine, which I purchased for around $12, is made up of Shiraz, Cab, and Merlot, and usually delivers a great wine for the price. This time is no exception. I’ve had the Pillar Box roughly 4 or 5 times over the last year or so. Each time it offers up soft approachable fruit, a little bit of tannins and a very drinkable wine that fits the budget. Its also not over the top which means you get a wine that has a little mineral qualities to go with the earthiness. Basically, the wine seems to have that little extra that makes you want to score it just a point or two higher.

So back to raspberries – some wines tend to have flavors that remind you of fruits and other bits of nature. Then there are wines like this that actually taste like crushed up fruit, in this case raspberries. Big fruitiness upfront, and then there are the other components like tobacco, mushroom, and tea spices. The nose is fairly simple and straightforward. The finish is a decent length, and good grip and a decent amount of tannins to hold the flavor through. There’s a little bit of chocolate as well to coat those raspberries in and add a level of richness.

Overall, this wine really continues to deliver and its readily available at a decent price. I’ve got to score this on the high end of a Brick Solid. It’s a perfect wine for barbeque or for even a simple steak, but also good on its own. Enjoy!

So I’m usually out looking for a good deal along with a great bottle of wine when I get the chance. I’d had the 2006 version of this wine, paying around $20 for it and it was quiet good at the time, though I didn’t get any notes on it. So when I was in need of a wine to bring over to friends for dinner, I happened upon the 2007 at Whole Foods for about $25, and thought “it seems like a little more, but oh well”. Anyway, the wine turned out to be a hit with the friends, I knew I had to seek out more, this time at my favorite discount mecca, The Wine Library. Sure enough, they sold it for $15.98. Cringe!

Oh well, I snapped up a few extra bottle at that price and have been enjoying them since. Here’s notes on this wine, which at 15 is far a better deal that I would have expected. This is a big extracted wine, with a solid nose yielding blueberries, raspberries, coffee, mushroom and tea scents. The taste initially is firm and tannic, but that smoothes out with 30 minutes. Rich fruit and chocolate-tobacco core dominate the palate and the finish is full and long. I’ve now tasted this a few times with consistent notes. I’d have to say based on the price I’ve got to go Borderline Outstanding on this one.

Australia does a number of things right. One of those things just happens to be wine, which makes me happy. They also tend to produce quality wine at a good price which makes my wife happy when balancing the checkbook. Shiraz has been the wine of choice for Aussie producers to stamp there mark upon. Based on the reviews below, I think they’ve definitely done a great job with that.
2005 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend

At $12, this blend of Shiraz, Cab and Merlot was nothing fancy.  But it did not really try to be either.  It was a very fruit-forward wine, with integrated tannins and a nice smooth finish.  Good chocolate and raspberry flavors persist through a finish that lingered just long enough.  If you enjoy a ton of fruity flavor in your wine, this is a great wine for you. Overall, it is a nice bargain.

Rating: 90
2004 Innocent Bystander Shiraz/Viognier

This was a very well-made wine. This blend reminded me more of a California Syrah I’ve had recently in that it wasn’t the big monster wine that most Australian Shiraz tends to be. Instead the wine had notes of mushrooms and lavender, along with mocha and hints of tobacco. The body was smooth and round on the palate and the finish was also very nice. I would say this wine tended more towards the French style of syrah. It was a solid wine and great value for the price of $15.

Rating: 91pts
2004 Aramis Black Label Shiraz

The nose was full of blueberries and raspberries with hints of Asian spices and white pepper too. The taste was big and rich – a fairly full-bodied wine, that starts off a little tight, but within an hour is nice and lush. There’s a lot of good fruit here too. There was some tannins in the wine but they were already integrated well into the mid-plate. Flavor components include those same raspberries along with some chocolate and tobacco notes. The finish was medium length, and very smooth. Overall this wine was very enjoyable. Priced around $20

Rating: 92 pts

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz Parable

This was a big meaty wine with a spicy nose and lots blue and blackberry flavors. My first taste was overwhelmed with oak and earthiness. There were huge tannins. Even after 3 hours, they are still big and vibrant. The wine possessed flavors of chocolate cake and raspberries, followed by earth and tobacco. By the 3rd hour, the wine had sweet fruit, big tannins and earthy tar, along with tremendous grip. There were notes of tobacco and leather mixed with green bell pepper and spice box.

Rating: 94pts