Archive for the ‘Reviews shiraz wine’ Category

Top 100 lists can be a pain in the anatomy. They’re published annually by the major wine review magazines, and every year they generate huge demand for the all the wines on the list. Unfortunately, most of those wines were sold out before the list was published, and thirsty consumers everywhere are doomed to be frustrated when they can’t buy any of the wines. (You can read my frustrated rantings in a previous article, What’s Wrong With Top 100 Lists.)

There are a few exceptions, and one of them is Australia’s d’Arenberg winery, which appears on the lists with amazing regularity. These folks (do they call them “blokes” down there?) have been making wine since the late 1800′s. They are clearly not Johnny-Come-Lately’s, or a Flash In the Pan. These guys have been doing it right for well over 100 years. I’ve sold and enjoyed many of their Shiraz, Shiraz blends and Cabernets, but their most humble wines keep showing up in, of all places, the Top 100 lists. Last year’s Wine Spectator Top 100 list included d’Arenberg’s Stump Jump Shiraz 2008. This was a cheap, cheerful Shiraz that was fruity and well-balanced. I’ve been able to sell lots of it, because the winery apparently “declassified” some juice from a  more expensive Shiraz in order to bottle more of the Stump Jump. That’s a a win-win situation for wine drinkers and the winery too.

And lo and behold, this year’s Wine Spectator Top 100 list included d’Arenberg’s Stump Jump Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre 2008. Wow. Top 100, two years in a row. Read the rest of this entry »

500,000,000  years is a long time. It’s long enough for molten rock to turn to solid stone, and for stone to turn into crumbly red soil.  And for 499,999,970 years that rock/soil baked in the Australian sun, just waiting for its destiny…

Which tuned out to be these red grapes that the Aussies call “Shiraz.”

Now, there’s  LOTS of Shiraz grown in Australia, because the Aussies love the rich, jammy black-raspberry-tinged wine that it produces (and so, incidentally, do we). But none of it tastes quite like the Shiraz grown on the world’s oldest soils — the Cambrian soils of Heathcote, Victoria province.

It was about 30 years ago that grapes were first planted in this area, and about 20 years since Bill Hepburn planted a 10-acre vineyard on the site that is now Tatiarra. There’s been about 10 years of drought that threatened the vines’ existence, but they’re scrappy Australian vines managed by savvy Australian vineyard managers. They’ve not only survived, but have produced intense, concentrated, inky-colored grapes for an unparalleled collection of wines.

Of course, they had some help: enter Ben Riggs, the talented winemaker that created Tatiarra’s amazing wines. After learning his craft at wineries in France, Italy and California, he came back home to Australia to do what he does best.

Ben loves these Cambrian soils, and the extreme temperature changes (remember that old dog, “Diurnal Temperature Shift”) that give Heathcote grapes their intense flavor and structure. These grapes make BIG wines — wines like Barolo’s and Rioja’s that are still young at 10 years, and don’t even grow whiskers until they’re 15 or 20. Heathcote Shiraz is like that: muscular, dark and mysterious, and loaded with complex flavors.

The first wine we tasted was Tatiarra Heathcote Cambrian Shiraz 2005, and I was blown away by the depth and complexity. It was inky dark in color, with a nose of leather, cocoa and black berries. The palate stopped me short, because just five years after vintage date it was dense and muscular. But some sloshing and swirling revealed the incredible rich fruit, balanced by firm tannins and moderate acid. Licorice and vanilla were lurking somewhere in the background, too. Amazingly, this thing was BALANCED! It was huge, but  it was balanced.

Tatiarra The Pressings Shiraz 2006 had less earthiness and more lush fruit than its cousin. I got dark berries, chocolate and cedar on the nose, and the  palate coated my mouth with blueberry and blackberry fruit. A good hit of vanilla comes in on the end, thanks to 18 months aging in new American oak, and the finish lingers… This wine needs time to reach its peak, that’s for sure, but even now it’s a pleasure to taste such hedonistic loveliness.

Both these wines are over 15% alcohol, and no doubt there will be critics who lament the high alcohol content. But they wouldn’t be Cambrian wine without it. The truth is that this terroir needs to produce massive wines, and I for one, will just sit back and enjoy every one of them. Cheers!

You gotta love those Aussies. Who else in the whole wide wine world would have the nerve to put comic book art on their labels? And a “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea” monster, no less.  These labels will have one of two effects on wine buyers: it will scare the bejesus out of them (the hide-bound traditionalists); or it will have them running, not walking, to buy themselves a bottle.

So who are the miscreants responsible for this wine? Jen Gardner, Colin McBryde and Nic Bourke call themselves Some Young Punks, (click to check out their very cool website) and they’re out to make “exceptional wine with small estate charm.” They’re also out to set the wine world on its ear, or at least shake up the stodgy wine industry professionals and old-fashioned wine drinkers who value restraint and propriety. I mean, really, who else would name a wine “Monsters, Monsters Attack” (an off-dry Riesling with more comic book art on the cover), or create a second line with art from vintage pulp fiction book jackets — not the movie Pulp Fiction, but the cheesy novellas published in the 1940′s and 50′s. Take a look at “Quickie”, a Nebbiolo/Shiraz blend. Need I say more?

The Punks declare that  “these labels are as bright and intense as the wine they clothe.” But are they any good?

I’ve tasted just one wine so far,  The Squid’s Fist 2007, and it’s certainly no slave to tradition. What’s in the bottle is a few feet off the beaten path (no surprise there…). Squid’s Fist is an unlikely blend of 61% Sangiovese and 39% Shiraz. This is the first Sangiovese I’ve seen from Australia, which is a long way from its traditional home in the hills of Tuscany. Young Punks Sangiovese is grown in the warm climate region of McLaren Vale, where the heat produces very rich, ripe grapes, much higher in sugar content (and therefore alcohol content) than their Italian cousins. This style reminded me of good California Sangiovese, like the kick-ass one made by Seghesio Vineyards. It would no doubt horrify an old Italian, but it sure blends well with Aussie Shiraz.

Squid’s Fist leads with a nose that gushes fruit — rich jammy aromas of blackberry and licorice. The palate is as ripe and fruit-forward as you’d expect, with dark blueberry, black cherry and a hint of vanilla. The finish lingers, or just clings to your palate with velvety softness. Does that sound good to you? It was to me, but it’s unarguably a prime example of the over-the-top Aussie style. There are critics out there who wail and gnash their teeth over the huge fruit, high alcohol style, but I’ve never met an Aussie who gave a hoot. They’d say, “If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the Southern Hemisphere.” I say, drink it if you like it. And if you also have a chuckle over the wild and wacky label, so much the better. Cheers!

The squids Fist 2007 $1799

George Shinas is a guy you notice. He’s large enough to define his space in a room, and he has the manner of someone who’s accustomed to being listened to. And well he should be — he’s a Criminal Court Judge in Australia’s Victoria Province.

George also makes wines that are every bit as big and commanding as he is. He has a passion for wines and winemaking that comes through in his words and his bottles.

George grew up with wine: the son of Greek parents who emigrated to Australia in 1952, he was quite literally raised in their restaurant. Wine was a part of their heritage and lifestyle, and eight generations before him had made their own wine. George’s was so popular in his home town of Mildura that other restaurant owners begged him to sell it to them, and George finally sold his first commercial wine in 2002. Shinas Estates was born!

Shinas produces just three wines, all made from estate fruit. George handcrafts his wines, starting in the vineyard: irrigation is kept to a minimum to stress the vines, yields are kept low to concentrate flavors, and the fruit is given extra hang-time to maximize ripeness. George’s winemaking process also stretches the envelope, with extra soak time and barrel time, and no fining or filtering to strip away flavors. The resulting wines are so good, they should be illegal (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun). Read the rest of this entry »

Here I go, ranting again about another one of my pet peeves. If you don’t want to hear it, just hit the “close” button now…

So if you’re still with me, you may want to know what’s so bad about Wine Coolers. After all, we’re probably all guilty of quaffing one or ten back in the bad old days of the 1980s, before we knew what good wine was all about. (OK, I admit it, and I drank White Zin, too…)

So what’s wrong with Wine Coolers? Let’s start with the fact that they contain ABSOLUTELY NO WINE! They are officially classified as a Malt Beverage, which means they’re made just like beer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that: some of my favorite beverages are beer. But they don’t CLAIM to be wine. Read the rest of this entry »