Short notes from yesterday's tasting of Zen Asia's new wines held at the Australian Trade Commision.
Woodstock Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2005 - Good nose. Flavorful. Good fruit. Lots of acidity. Not bad.
Spinifex "Lola" 2007 - Marsanne/Semillon/Vermentino/Voignier/Grenache Gris. Candyish nose. Subdued fruit. Lots of acid. Not too interesting.
Hentley Farm "Boxhead" 2006 - Shiraz/Cabernet. Nice, easy, juicy. Good value.
Hentley Farm Fools Bay "Dirty Bliss" 2006 - Grenache/Shiraz. Good nose. Berryish. A little hot. Rich, spicy, lots of fruit. Very good.
Hentley Farm Fools Bay "Dusty's Desire" 2006 - Shiraz. Good nose. A bit closed on the palate with an abrupt finish. Starts out sweet but finishes dry. Maybe requires a year to come together but should be very good.
Cigale 2006 - Grenache/Mourvedre/Shiraz. Very dry, tannic. Didn't like it.
Spinifex "Papillon" 2007 - Grenache/Cinsault/Mataro. Quite sweet and light. Uninteresting.
Creed "The Pretty Miss" 2006 - Shiraz/Cabernet Franc/Viognier. Rich, sweet, juicy. Candy-like finish. Not bad.
Hentley Farm "The Stray Mongrel" 2007 - Grenache/Shiraz/Zinfandel. Strawberry nose. Strange, Pinot Noir-like structure and lightness, oddly enough. Good, but not the typical expression of the grapes in this blend. The 15% alcohol does not stand out in this wine.
Hentley Farm Zinfandel 2007 - Black fruit. Tobacco, chocolate, spicy. Sweet. Inititally unbalanced but got better with airing. Powerful, punchy, explosive finish. 16.5% alcohol but didn't seem like it to me. Didn't like it at first but 30 minutes in the glass tamed it. It would be interesting to try this against a Turley.
Hentley Farm Shiraz 2006 - Smoky, oaky, bitter finish. Didn't like it.
Spinifex "Esprit" 2005 - Grenache/Shiraz/Cinsault/Mataro/Carignan. Good nose. Tastes French. Tannic. Needs time to come together but should be very good.
Creed "The Marque" 2006 - Merlot/Cabernet Franc. Very nice. Good fruit. Well-balanced. Good for current drinking. My favorite of the reds.
Greenstone Shiraz 2005 - Smoky, Very acidic. A letdown.
