Wine without BS

By Jingo Wines 2006 Montepulciano

 

Before I start, I need to confess that I somehow lost my tasting notes for this wine but am pressing ahead anyway as this wine more than deserves a spot on my blog and easily earned its place in my 'Most Memorable Wines of 2011'

Australian made Montepluciano's are few and far between but coincidentally I had recently tried another Aussie Monte's a week or so before trying the By Jingo. It took but one sip of the 06 By Jingo Montepulciano to know I was drinking something pretty bloody awesome. There was definitely a 'wow' moment after sip number two and the bottle didn't last as long after that! It has such a gorgeous flavour that I can't relate back to any other wine I've tried before. It was completely different to the other Montepulciano I had the week before that is also from a South Australian producer. 

Being lucky enough to have a bottle of the 08 also around at the time I took it along to a staff tasting I held for Google Australia, as part of Google Wine Week+. I remember a staff member yelling out to me 'What is this?' pointing to the bottle of By Jingo 08 Montepulciano, then saying 'It's fantastic!'.  I only got a tiny taste of the 2008 vintage before the staff polished it off, but it would seem the reaction to it from several Googlers meant they had just as high an opinion of the 2008 as I do of the 2006. As a result of that tasting I'd also like to ad that this wine is vegan friendly and apologise to the staff member who missed out given I only learnt of this fact the day after the tasting.

I should add that it was actually days after I had tasted it that I learnt it's price and admit to being somewhat surprised to see it was over $100. After pondering the price point for a while I realised that I've had plenty of $100+ wines that I cannot even remember... but I'll remember this one for a long time to come I am sure!

By Jingo 2006 Montepulciano
Price - $120 from By Jingo Wines
Region - Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Final Sip -  Do yourself a favour and try this wine before the 30 cases made have sold out. If the price is still getting in the way then try the 2008 as it is less than half the price! Alternatively keep an eye out for my upcoming Rare and Odd varieties wine dinner, as you can bet your Montepulciano it'll be there!

Lowe Wines 2009 Zinfandel

Zinfandel is hardly a common variety in Australia and many wineries that make it cannot boast about doing it all that well in my opinion. Amongst other consumers here in Australia I hear everything from 'Zin is a Sin', to 'You have to try the one by XYZ wines... theirs is different!'. It is a totally different story over in California though as Zinfandel is made by hundreds of wineries and your local supermarket will feature whole shelves of the stuff where even a reasonably priced drop is likely to fare well against our best attempts.

However, David Lowe, from Lowe wines in Mudgee, can boast that not only does he make a great Zinfandel, but he has a stack of medals for his latest release and that the vast majority of critics and consumers that try it give it rave reviews, myself included. No suprises then that David spent time during his career in the heart of Californian Zin country, Sonoma County, just next door to Napa.

The 2009 Lowe Zindandel has a lovely aroma of stewed fruits and even licorice becomes noticeable after a bit of time in the glass. As soon as you start drinking this wine it becomes an experience. It is 'full-on' in its flavours and creates a warm sensation on the back of the throat. The tannin creates what I wrote in my notes as a bit of a 'Mr Ed' effect, as your gums dry instantly and you lift your lips up and down to re-moisturise them. After a glass or two I noticed a really pleasant fruit cake like after taste building on the palate and it wasn't too long before I found myself with an empty bottle and wanting more. The price point is likely to stop many over indulging in this drop and as much as I wish you could grab two bottles for $100 or less, David talked me through the vast efforts he goes to in the vineyard for this varietal and any comparisons to Californian Zinfandel prices are simply unfair if you consider our much higher minimum wages in Australia and sheer economies of scale when California alone has a population of 35 million.

 

Lowe Wines 2009 Zinfandel
Price - $75 from Lowe Wines
Region - Mudgee, NSW
Final Sip - I really enjoyed this wine as it is exactly what I find myself looking for these days when I look upon a wine rack full of predictable Shiraz's, Cabernets and Chardonnays. Something different!

Did you know? Zinfandel is the genetic equivalent to the variety grown in Italy known as Primitivo and Crljenak Kaštelanski in Croatia.

Oak Works 2008 Tinta Molle

Now here is a grape that I had never heard of, let alone tried until I recently visited Wine Odyssey in Sydney. It turns out Tinta Molle is a Portuguese variety that is often used for making port but a handful of wineries in Australia are now using it to make full bodied, dry red wines. Oak Works seem to specialise in rare varietals with a range of wines including a number of grape varieties I haven't yet come across.

This wine has colours of cherry red and plum purple with a rich and pleasant aroma of jam like fruit. It is also a lovely wine to drink, definitely a full bodied wine with big flavours of dark fruits and finishes with just the faintest hint of sweetness. The wine reminds me of some Grenache and even GSM wines I have had from South Australia and I was thoroughly impressed!

Oak Works 2008 Tinta Molle
Price - $20 if ordered from winemaker, Peter Rogers, via email by clicking here or $26 at Wine Odyssey (while stocks last)
Region - Renmark, South Australia
Final Sip - If GSM and Grenache are your thing then it is rather safe to say you stand a great chance of enjoying this too. Just don't go around saying Tinta Molle is your favourite variety as you'd then sound like a total wine wanker!

Kenneth Volk's Heirloom red varieties

 

I recently took a road trip up to Santa Barbara county from Los Angeles and stayed in the Santa Ynez Valley where many of the wineries that had been recommended to me were located. While I went to a lot of lovely wineries and tried many great wines, it was what was referred to as the 'heirloom' varieties by Kenneth Volk that became a highlight of this trip.

These four varieties, that I had never seen or tasted before, were Negrette, Aglianico, Touriga and Cabernet Pfeffer. All are red grape varieties with varied origins based within or near the Mediterranean. In the case of Cabernet Pfeffer, information is scarce but it seems to be a name born out of California for a variety that was not recognised in the United States, known in France and Argentina as Gros Verdot. If anyone has further information to share on the origins of Cabernet Pfeffer please leave a comment.

I purchased one bottle of each variety and over the course of a week tried each wine on at least two separate occasions. My thoughts on each variety are below.

Negrette 08 - A lighter bodied red wine that is said to have properties of both Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz. It is purple in colour with perhaps a dash of raspberry-like red that had fruit and herb like aromas, fruit driven flavours and just the slightest hint of sweetness left on the palate upon finish.
Price - $24

Aglianico 08 - Light blood red in colour with a tiny hint of purple to the edges. The aroma was full of red berry fruit and had a small touch of oak/wood. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the Italian variety is full bodied, highly tanic and perhaps not the most enjoyable variety on its own at this age. My least favourite of the four wines but throw in a fatty piece of meat or give it ten years and it is likely to be a much more enjoyable experience.
Price - $28

Touriga 09 - Cherry red in colour with a hint of purple with an aroma that was not all that alluring and came across as 'dusty' for lack of something more descriptive. The flavour was rather unique but some more familiar juicy fruit flavours did come through and I found the after taste of the wine very pleasant and reminiscent of a candy I loved as child known as Hooley Dooleys, which Skittles seemed to replace.
Price - $36

Cabernet Pfeffer 07 - A rather light, but attractive scarlet like red in colour with a floral aroma and noticeable red berry fruit and a touch of pepper. On the palate it was mainly those red berry fruit flavours and a bit of spice that remained but it was all well balanced. There was a rather subtle but odd salty aftertaste that I found unusual but not overly unpleasant.
$34

NOTE: The Cabernet Pfeffer and Negrette are grown in San Benito County while the Touriga and Aglianico are grown in Paso Robles.

I would like to give a more than an honourable mention to the fact that the Tempranillo, Mouvedre and Zinfandel from Kenneth Volk. All were also fantastic wines that I highly recommend and show that red varieties are clearly Kenneth's strength and probable preference.

 

Niner Wine Estates - 2006 Petite Sirah

One of the first things I did when I arrived in United States back in May was to take a road trip up from Los Angeles through the Central Coast of California and I was advised that Paso Robles was a great place to make my first stop. Paso Robles is approximately three hours north of Los Angeles and is a sub-region of the California Central Coast area that boasts over 250 wineries. On a trip to the popular tourist destination, Hearst Castle, I noticed the Niner tasting room and randomly stopped in to check them out.

The tasting room is a really beautiful open plan space that instantly makes guests feel at home and even with over a dozen guests you won't feel cramped as there is plenty of space inside and out. Of all the wines I tried it was the 2006 Petite Sirah that stood out to me. Made with 14% Syrah/Shiraz, this wine is  very dark red in colour with a nice aroma of dark fruits and blackcurrent. Lovely and smooth this was one of the first fruit driven wines I had experienced after a dozen or so reds from the Californian Central Coast that were much more savoury in style.

Niner Wine Estates 2006 Petite Sirah
Price - $28 plus taxes from Niner Wine Estates
Region - Paso Robles, California Central Coast, United States
Final Sip - A really great wine that I thoroughly enjoyed and it paired very well with a Lamb Ragu with Parpadelle!

(Below: The Exterior and Interior of the Niner Tasting Room)

 

 

Seghesio Family Vineyard 2009 Home Ranch Zinfandel

 
 

Seghesio Family Vineyards, based in Healdsburg, California, has been a family owned and operated winery for over 100 years. On a recent trip to the region I was fortunate enough to visit the winery and meet with current CEO, Pete Seghesio, which was a great experience. Around 85% of their production is Zinfandel and it was great to hear that Seghesio Zinfandel is available in Australia with approximately 120 cases exported last year.

The 2009 Home Ranch Zinfandel comes from the Seghesio's Alexander Valley vineyards and 2009 has been said to be an almost ideal vintage for the variety in this region. Alexander Valley is a sub-region of Sonoma County and benefits from having the Russian River flowing through it. Pete Seghesio suggested this wine is a great example of the type of Zinfandel his family have built their reputation on and it is clearly a wine he is very proud of.

The wine has a deep, cherry red like colour with just a faint hint of plum purple. It has a predominately fruity aroma with noticeable berry like smells and the use of oak . Nice and smooth to drink, it has soft red fruit flavours with oak and even a hint of cedar wood may be detected.

Seghesio Family Vineyard 2009 Home Ranch Zinfandel
Price- $38 USD at www.seghesio.com or contact USA Wines Direct for Seghesio wines in Australia.
Region- Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California
Final Sip - Overall this was a good, well balanced wine that I can happily recommend to both Zinfandel lovers, or those not all that familiar with the variety back in Australia.

 

 

Blue Poles Vineyard 2009 Teroldego

I am always excited when trying new grape varieties and when we are talking about an Italian grape variety for which Australia only has four acres planted we are talking about something incredibly rare. Teroldego, pronounced teh-ROHL-deh-goh, is a cool climate red grape variety that comes primarily from North Eastern Italy.

The wine has a deep, blood red like colour in the glass and yet not a lot was happening on the nose for me. If I sat and sniffed my nostrils off for long enough I bet I could come up with something to say but I'd be wasting some quality drinking time. There is definitely nothing faint about its flavours and Raspberry was one of the first things that came to mind. Other big fruit flavours are noticeable as is the tannin in this wine. Regular readers of my wine reviews may note this is the first time I have ever used the word tannin in a wine review. However, to not at least mention it in relation to this wine would almost seem 'BS' as it so prominent when experiencing this wine.

For those of you who see references to tannin in wine reviews and wonder what the hell they are talking about then try this wine. You'll get a great example of their presence when you feel the inside walls of your cheeks dry out and create an almost puckering of the mouth with a bitter aftertaste as you swallow. I've had other Italian red wines, like young Barolo's, that make the tannin in this Teroldego look pretty tame. However, for a well priced Australian made wine this is a good example of prominent tannin without it being over the top or unpleasant.

Overall this is a truly enjoyable, full bodied wine that I have no hesitation in recommending. You'd better be quick though, as only 70 cases of this vintage exist and with just over 2 acres currently planted by Blue Poles Vineyards future vintages are likely to be just as rare!

Blue Poles Vineyard 2009 Teroldego
Price - $30 from Blue Poles Vineyard
Region - Margaret River, Western Australia
Final Sip - I'd definitely buy this wine to enjoy again now, but I'd love to see what it is like in 8-10 years time and I bet it would even hold up a few years beyond that as well!

J.Lohr Estates 2009 Wildflower Valdiguié

Ever since my first trip to the USA last year, where I drank nothing but American wines the entire time, I started to wonder why so few American wines are available in Australia. This isn't about being unpatriotic, it's about access to whatever wine I wish. I can go to virtually any large retail outlet and easily pick up a wine from New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany without having to look all that hard. However, if you want to get a wine made in the United States, and you take away the odd bottle of Oregon Pinot , you'll have to look pretty carefully, unless you just happen to be lucky enough to live near one of the very few bottle shops that can boast some sort of USA wine selection.

I understand there are multiple reasons for this, not the least of which is the consideration from American wineries about whether Australia is a viable export market. California alone has a a population of just under 37 million, so why bother with a country on the other side of the world with just over 20 million?

Ian Lindsay, from USA Wines Direct, tells me that Australia exported over 25 million cases of Aussie wine to the US last year, yet we only imported  just over15, 000 cases of theirs! America may have a population 14 times larger than ours, but we are importing 1,666 times less wine than we are exporting. As Chris Rock would say, "That ain't right!"

Thankfully, Ian is doing what he can to introduce American, and more specifically, Californian wines, into the Australia market and his portfolio currently boasts the biggest range of American wines in Australia. One of these wines is the J.Lohr 2009 Valdiguié, from Monterey on the Californian Coast, close to halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and just a few hours from the far more famous region of Napa Valley.

The Valdiguié grape was commonly referred to in California as 'Napa Gamay' and it was believed at one time that it actually was the Gamay grape, only to discover that this was not correct. Sounds a little like the recent fiasco in Australia with our Albariño turning out to be Savagnin!

This wine has a colour of deep purple and cherry red with an enticing aroma of ripe, red berry fruits. On my first sip of this completely new variety for me I thought "Wow... this is delicious!" Juicy fruit flavours and subtle natural sweetness make for an enjoyable wine that, when served slightly chilled, makes a fantastic, easy drinking summer red wine.

J.Lohr Estates 2009 Wildflower Valdiguié
Price - $19.95 from USA Wines Direct
Region - Monterey, California, USA
Final Sip - A thoroughly enjoyable wine that, at $20 makes for the perfect entry level American wine experience.

 

Primo Estate - 2008 'Joseph' Nebbiolo

 

Nebbiolo is far from a common variety in Australia and is an Italian red grape variety from the Piedmont region in north west Italy. It wouldn't be a stretch to say Nebbiollo shares some of the traits of Pinot Noir. Both varieties are difficult to grow and are lighter in colour and body when compared with the bulk of Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Light cherry red in colour this wine has a really unique and pleasant aroma that includes savoury, floral and faint fruit elements. Those faint fruit elements in the aroma actually become more noticeable in this wine's flavour profile but it is still well balanced with savoury and spicy elements. Silky smooth with enjoyable and unique aromas and flavours I found this wine rather delicious and definitely something I would have again.

Primo Estate 2008 'Joseph' Nebbiolio
Price - $75 from www.primoestate.com.au
Region - McLaren Vale, South Australia
Final Sip - Being the most expensive drop in the Primo Estate lineup I can understand many may hesitate if they are not already fans of the variety. By no means can I suggest I'm an expert, having had  no more than just over half-a-dozen examples myself both from Italy and Australia. However, I can easily say that this is the most enjoyable Nebbiolo I've had to date and all the other examples I've had suggested to me by other wine critics are more expensive than this one. Pair this wine with dishes that heavily feature mushrooms and I am told you'll be rather pleased!

Elyse - 2007 'Morisoli Vineyard' Zindfandel

 

One week back from a trip to the United States that included two days in the country's most famous wine region, Napa Valley, and I knew before I left that a Californian Zinfandel had to be my first review upon my return. You'll have to do a bit of searching to find Australian Zinfandel's, yet in California, Red Zinfandel sits just below Cabernet Sauvignon as the area's staple red wine accounting for around 10% of all vines planted in the state.

I got a number of recommendations for good Zinfandel producers in the area from a great Sommelier at one of Napa's  best restaurants, La Toque, so I had every confidence that the wines I was going to be trying during my visit would be high quality. First stop on my trip was a small producer called Elyse that started in 1986 with the first wine ever produced being a red Zinfandel from the Morisoli Vineyard. Now considered the labels signature wine I purchased a bottle and brought it back to Australia to share my thoughts on this classic Californian variety.

The wine has a lovely colour of both plum purple and cherry red with a nice aroma of spicy red fruit and just a hint of oak characters. Immediately smooth and enjoyable to drink the flavour follows the aroma with ripe fruit and tiny amounts of spice and oak. All of these components seem perfectly in balance and the finish is pleasant and actually a tiny bit savoury.

Elyse - 2007 'Morisoli Vineyard' Zinfandel
Price - $37 USD from Elyse Tasting room/Cellar Door
Region - Napa Valley, USA
Recommended? Definitely, if you can get it! Unfortunately Elyse is not available in Australia but for any of our US readers or anyone travelling to Napa in the future I hope you can make time to stop and see the great guys at Elyse and experience what a high quality Zinfandel, made in the region that its famous for, is all about.