I had an opportunity recently to join a friend’s monthly tasting group when they had a last- minute opening. They were tasting through Australian reds, and I haven’t really been buying or cellaring wines from that area and was curious to change things up a bit by trying a few. I didn’t immediately run out and start looking to buy more Aussie reds, but it was still an enjoyable evening with a few very good wines.
All wines were served blind and were arranged randomly by the restaurant staff.
1999 d’Arenberg Shiraz The Footbolt McLaren Vale. The first wine is moderately faded in color and appears to be showing some age. It sports mild balsamic notes off the top before folding in nicer scents of cinnamon, old leather and cigar wrapper that accent the warm and moderately high-toned red fruit aromas. In the mouth, it is not real deep or dense--instead providing the taster with a seemlessly silky and resolved mouthful of gentle red and purple fruit supported by a fine twang of acidity. It isn’t especially complex, but it is really easy to like, though lacings of caramel notes come in from time to time to remind you it is probably time to drink up.
2005 d’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings GSM McLaren Vale. This presents a younger, altogether fresher and tangier berry-laden nose than any other wine in the line-up. The aromas of mixed berries, candied cherries, white pepper and oak barrel are kind of fun and bright, but a tad raw, as well. In the mouth, it is again a sort of refreshing wine in comparison to what else is on the table. One finds lots of pure cherry and kirsch flavors that feel less heavy or manipulated than some of the bigger wines, yet still feel layered and managing to linger on the palate. It seems pretty young, but I could drink several glasses of this. It is a blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.
1992 Penfolds Cabernet-Shiraz Bin 389 South Australia. This 50/50 blend was my WOTN. The nose is wide open and presses in on the olfactory senses with its lovely aromas of peppermint dust, jalapeno pepper, cedar chest, hickory smoke and fireplace ashes. It shows complexity, balance and a lot of fine character that just resonate with me. It has a nice medium weight to it in the mouth, and a fine spherical quality and cohesion that flows beautifully through the mid-palate. It is smooth and resolved yet also vigorous and full of life. The flavors of tobacco, green pepper, foresty earth, mint and cherry paste/cassis are quite appealing to me and my only complaint might be that the wine tends to tighten up a bit on the finish from the effect of the sneaky tannins that are still hanging around.
2001 d’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings GSM McLaren Vale. Here we find a somewhat more feminine bouquet that features rather pretty and lofty aromas of dusty earth, red berries, caramel, red flowers and sweet but soft red cherry candy. It is seamless and resolved on the palate, with a nice holistic feel to it. It is more lifted than heavy, with a good drive and palate presence to the mid-weight red cherry and red currant fruit flavors. It is made up of the same blend as the 2005 above, and like that wine, I think it goes better at table than some of the heavier wines.
2002 Lengs & Cooter Shiraz Reserve McLaren Vale. At first, this smells incredibly strongly of rich hazelnut coffee and mocha, but after a while it allows some cherry paste, oak, stripped pine branch, bacon fat and physical therapy rubber band aromas to ooze their way into the big and bold mix. In the mouth, it is rounded and abundantly-fruited in nature--with a rich, thick and dense body weight and texture. Flavors of toasty oak, caramel, charcoal and dark mixed fruit are exuberant, stylish and very modern.
1996 Rolf Binder/Veritas Shiraz Hanisch Vineyard Barossa Valley. Even though it was decanted by the restaurant staff, my glass has a lot of sediment in it. It is pretty clearly Aussie Shiraz based on the nose, which features thick, ropy aromas of cherry liqueur, shaved cedar, hints of mint dust, tomato plant and white pepper. It is overt on the palate, showing a whole lot of presence while coating the tongue with luscious fruit flavors of black cherry, blueberry and chocolate paste. For all that, though, it has a pleasing seamlessness and a fun sweet edge to it that is more readily appealing than the previous wine.
2005 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity Barossa Valley. This wine is totally staining the inside of my glass. It is definitely Syrah on the nose, but I can’t say I like the aromas of inner tube and toasted grape stems that go along with the bacon fat, blackberry and boysenberry scents. In the mouth, it is sweet and warm-fruited, with a ton of glycerin and rich plump fruit. To me, it is warm and gooey and not all that structured or fresh. I don’t think it shows especially good balance, either, but maybe a few years in the cellar will do it some good?
1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Release John Riddoch Coonawarra. The only pure Cabernet in the line-up, this is a very dark, opaque color in the glass. The nose is dark and kind of mysteriously evocative to me, though I know that at least one taster (to my immediate left) didn’t care for it at all. To me, it shows strong notes of jalapeno pepper, black raspberry and black cherry paste on a background of eucalyptus and forest leafiness. It comes across as black, cool, structured and a tad aloof in nature on the palate despite a creamy texture and a mouth-coating richness of flavor. I think that is due to all the herbal notes, cool acids and dark savory elements that reside within the core of wine, as well. The core flavors of black currants, blackberries, green tobacco, savory herbs and hard wood show some classic Cabernet notes and the wine doesn’t seem overly weighty or oaked to me, despite hints of both coming into play. Although it sort of keeps the taster at arm’s length, there is a lot to like and I see no problem whatsoever with continuing to hold it for several more years to come. In fact, I think that would be my advice.
-Michael