Pizzini Nonna Gisella Sangiovese 2013

Its a big move for a winery to release 6 sangiovese based wines and really goes to show how much effort Pizzini is putting in to showcase this variety. From my perspective this wine is all about summer as it is light to medium bodied with fruit yet retains a sense of sourness about it.

Pizzini Nonna Gisella Sangiovese 2013

There is a small amount of merlot and shiraz in this wine but you wouldn't know as it tastes all sangiovese in a light body mode with sour cherries, dried earth and spice. The flavours move through well with a faint dusting of tannin underneath. This wine is perfect for summer or a funky wine bar in town so people could grab a glass after work with a group of friends. High quality and good value.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $21.50
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2016

 

Deep Wood Estate Winery Harmony Rose 2014

I have never tried a wine from this estate but was keen to try them as they were just around the corner from the house we were staying in Dunsborough. The winery is fantastic with a real sense of beauty and style about it.

Deep Wood Estate Winery Harmony Rose 2014

This is a mix of Shiraz and Tempranillo and was fermented on Chardonnay lees. This sounds all good but has resulted in a really sweet rose style wine with a big up front flavour that fades very quickly. The palate is a little hot and confusing but I do get some strawberries and herbs.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $15
Rated: 81
Drink: Now

Redbank Ellora Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee 2012

The King Valley sounds like a good spot for sparkling wines.

Redbank Ellora Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee 2012

There is an intense line of spice, cherries and baked bread running through the spine of this sparkling wine. This is a full bodied expression and it tastes far more expensive than the price tag states. The complexity level is rather good with flavours of pralines, strawberries and grapefruit skin combining with the above mentioned flavours but they are a little loose knit for a huge score. I would be drinking this leading up to the Christmas season.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $23
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2018

d'Arenberg Icon release 2015

d'Arenberg Icon release 2011's

 

 

So the 2011 release of d'Arenberg's icons might sound like it could be a difficult bunch of wines but I really liked their amazing site release so I was hoping for something special.

 

d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2011

 

A very good start to the tasting with a lovely earthy plummy aromas slowly flowing out of the glass. It is the same of the palate except there is pepper and spices thrown in with a touch of rhubarb and beetroot skin licking my tonsils. The wine is only medium bodied with a soft amount of tannin sitting under the flavours which makes me think I would be consuming this earlier than the 2010 version.

 

Alcohol: 14.3%

Price: $65

Rated: 88

Drink: Now - 2020

 

 

 

 

 

d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings 2011

 

This is a blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz and 5% Mourvedre and is normally one of the best of these releases. This release does posses the depth or length when you compare it to last few years but it does have some dirty earth flavours with a mix of red berry fruits that is appearling. I think the Grenache needs a bit of heat to fully express itself yet I do like the more interesting appeal as I think people had to work harder to make quality wines. On the down side the length is only average with a dilute mid-palate.

 

Alcohol: 14.1%

Price: $65

Rated: 86

Drink: Now - 2020

 

 

d'Arenberg The Copper Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

 

I thought this was going to be the worst of the lot but the quality was so good I thought I picked up a different wine. It must have been the thick skins that saves this beautiful beast. This tastes more mints and dusty than normal with moments of blackcurrant pastilles, fresh cut French herbs and cedar on a medium to full bodied palate. The tannins kick in after a day open a bring this up a level with a chalkiness and light feel about them but they are in abundance as they take hold on my tongue. A brilliant outcome and a little surprise

 

Alcohol: 14.3%

Price: $65

Rated: 91

Drink: 2016 - 2028

 

 

 

 



Redbank Pinot Grigio 2014

What do people drink? I ask plenty of somms and they all say different things. For instance Adelaide can't get enough Fiano at the moment but they don't drink much Arneis. In Sydney they seem to be more open to Arneis but the guys I deal with aren't too keen on Nero d'Avola. What I'm getting at is that I am not a fan of Grigio yet it seems to be a mover especially in the restaurant business. In terms of style the Grigio wines seem to be more aligned with Sav Blanc and I can see why people like to drink that as it is unadulterated grape juice. No winemaking tricks or oak treatment just straight up grapes into the bottle.

Redbank Pinot Grigio 2014

Boo ya in terms of open and inviting at this early stage but I guess I have seen some 2015 wines out in the market. Ok so this is all grapefruits and hints of pears and granny smith apples which point to  a fresh and lively sort of a wine with a creaminess coming through on the back palate. There is a hint of phenolic texture but otherwise it is all drink me drink me appeal. The wine won't take you down the rabbit hole but it will get you into the mood for some Asian cuisine. To be honest I didn't feel that this was fermented in oak as it doesn't impact the flavour or the texture.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $22
Rated: 88
Drink: Now - 2018

Pirathon by Kalleske Shiraz 2013

The Barossa managed to produce some ripe flavour in 2013 and are more open and inviting than the 2012 or 2014 wines at this level of their development. This wine is a sub-regional blend from a lot of old school Barossa vignerons.

Pirathon by Kalleske Shiraz 2013

This wine underwent the traditional winemaking with open fermenters, hand plunging and storage in a mix of oaks. Four different types of oak, American, French, Hungarian and Russian, were used and they all contribute different flavours to the wine. The wine starts of sweet with the American oak taking centre stage. In fact the oak smothered the fruit for the four days I had the bottle open, except for a little while a note of burnt chocolate plums moved in. It is a full bodied experience with a thick texture all the way through and I think would need some charcoaled meat to accompany it.

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $23
Rated: 84
Drink: Now - 2018

Giaconda Chardonnay 2013

As  general rule the wines from 2013 possess ripe fruit characters with plenty of structure. What might occur, if the winemaker wanted, was over ripe flavours from too much hang time. That is not a problem with the Giaconda but the flavour profile is different to what I expected.

Giaconda Chardonnay 2013

Complete is not a word I use too often to describe a new release wine but the Giaconda Chardonnay just seems to have all its components already lined up. The oak, Sirugue, is already mostly in the background. The flavours that the oak has contributed does not lead the way, rather it adds to the beautiful white peach, grapefruit and nectarines. The leading flavour is the one I wasn't expecting and that is minerals and river pebbles. The wine is just loaded with this struck mineral and washed river pebbled and they are intense. It makes the wine feel lighter and more lively than previous releases and I think will make it age better.

I will go back to the oak for just a tick as I think the oak is brilliant used and is part of the make up of the wine. Giaconda are the importers of Sirugue barrels and use a mix of Alliers and Vosges with maybe a bit of Cuvee Chardonnay (not sure as they have only started bringing this barrel into Australia). The Vosges is a beautiful wood and adds spice and toasted hazelnut characters with a bit of structure as well. What they have done is use brilliant barrels but not swamped the powerful fruit and vineyard characters. They have only used 30% new barrels which means they are able to maintain a good quality barrel with oak having to rely on spending a lot of money of oak each year. Bravo oh.

Ok so back to the wine. This is a brilliant release and a little different from the last 5 releases but the power, intensity, length and acid line are all similar and warrant the bench mark status that Giaconda holds.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $130
Rated: 96
Drink: 2020 - 2030

Some Italians from 2010

Twenty ten is my daughter’s birth year so I needed to think hard about the wine or wines I would lay down for her. Not only could it shape her wine habit in the long run but it meant I had to look at the wines ability to age.

 

The weather conditions in Tuscany and Bolgherti was characterised as a challenge with mildew pressures in Tuscany. The slow start to the season was brought on by a lower than normal temperature during spring which resulted in small bunch sets and eventually bunch weights. The sun shone brightly during the critical months but the vines handled it well due to the large amount of reserves they had from the wet and snow seasons. The sorting table must have been used to make top quality wines.

 

 

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2010

 

From perspective I wanted this to be the all-time best wines that I could lay down for Amelie. It is the estate’s history and the link that they still have with the founding family that is most satisfying.

This year’s wine is savoury as hell with nuggets of fresh cut flowers, brambles, plum skin and spice on a medium bodied frame with elegance to burn. There is a moment of cassis and clay on an otherwise extremely long and svelte train of tannins. They just keep going and going but this is not the little train that could. This is a beautiful piece of artwork bottled.

 

Alcohol:

Price: $199

Rated: 95

Drink: 2017 - 2034

 

 

Tenutadell'Ornellaia Ornellaia 2010

 

This wine is the 25^th anniversary from this winery so I guess they had an extra degree of expectation on them. The estate was founded by Marchese Antinori in 1981 with the first vintage in 1985 off of 4 year old vines. In 2002 the Estate was acquired by Mondavi along with the completion of a few newer vineyards. Out of the three wines this has the most power and intensity. Yes it is monumental with 55% Cabernet, 39% Merlot and a nudge of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot bringing up the tail end. The Merlot lead the way with its flavour of chocolate coated plums and tobacco before the Cabernet kicks in. What this wine does is balance out the massive structure and flavour with the lightness of the Cab Franc adding interest.  This is still a baby but it is massively long in the mouth and so exquisitely put together.

 

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $260

Rated: 97

Drink: 2018 - 2035

 

 

Isole e Olena Cepparello 2010

Like always this year’s wine is 100% Sangiovese but this version sees 25 new oak for 18 months before bottling. Initially this wine was more about savoury characters than the normal cherry fruit that comes through. Think more along the lines of roasted spices from the Turkish bazaar mixed with dried earth and fresh twigs but as the wine uncoils itself from the tannins there are moments of blood plums and wild cherries. The intensity of the wine is most impressive, even more so than the 04 or the 06, while it still is only medium to full in weight. At the moment I would be scared to open this as the tannins are ferocious and primal. Patience is the key.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $100

Rated: 96 +

Drink: 2020 - 2040

Importer: Negociants Australia

 

Wirra Wirra The Absconder Grenache 2012

WirraWirra The Absconder Grenache 2012 

 

Generally regarded as one of the most widely planted grape variety in the world but it spends more time in the company of others than it does singing its own song. The variety loves the heat which makes it perfect for the conditions in Australia. What the variety needs is a meticulous hand in the vineyard with plenty of focus of yields and canopy management.  

 

How did this variety become so prevalent you ask? Well that harks back to the King of Aragon which sound like it came from a Lord of the Rings book. Let’s look back to the 9th Century in the Iberian Peninsula which is the third largest peninsula in Europe. The ruler was obsessed with the variety and as his rule expanded so did the planting of the variety. The variety is pretty thin skinned which makes the wines easy to drink when young making the variety liked early in their lives.  Long live the good Grenache wine or whatever they call the variety in the local area.  

 

The Vales makes very structured versions from this variety and the Wirra Wirra version is no different. There is a beautiful perfume character that allows the aromas of rose petals and cherry pips to magically flow from the glass with ease. On the palate there is mostly the same with all sort of red fruits and red licorice before an earthiness and twiggy nature takes hold. The wine is medium bodied and delicate but with density and length to burn. Don’t drink it now as the wine looked much better on day three than it did on day one.  

 

Alcohol:  14.5%

Price: $70

Rated: 93 

Drink: 2018 - 2027