Cumulus Estate Luna Rosa Rosado 2015

Rose is coming into it own times with the weather starting to warm up. I love the diversity in rose now as many wineries are making dry style rose as a count point to the sweeter styles from the Barossa that consumers are used to.

Rosado is the Spanish version for rose so I was thinking that this would be a drier version. In fact this wine came about as a Portuguese winemaker was doing vintage at Cumulus and set about having a competition with the winemaking team. The wine has been kept on as the first vintage was well received by the drinking public.

Cumulus Estate Luna Rosa Rosado 2015

Lovely light and dry in appearance and smell. There seems to be crispness and tension in the wine and they translated to the palate with flavours of sour cherries and dried herbs. Once the wine hits the mid-palate it moves into ripe strawberries which seem to be a little sweet for the style of the wine before a touch of spice finishes the wine off. I really loved the profile of the wine, except for the ultra ripe strawberries, and would recommend it to be served with a salad of spring and summer. After tasting it I found out the price and was astounded.

Alc: 12.2%
Price: $15.50
Rated: 89
Drink: Now

Torbreck The Descendant 2012

Torbreck seem to try to walk the line between ultra ripe fruit and lush textures. Sometimes they pull it off and they are brilliant wines. On the other side sometimes they push the limit a little too far. I guess the Barossa is going through a change as there is more diversity in the styles coming from the region which is a good thing.

Torbreck The Descendant 2012

The nose feel lush and lick but there is a chili heat already coming through. On the palate it is still evident but it is joined by scorched earth, tar and dried ink. I like the mouth fell yet the heat is too much for me. I guess as it was picked in early April in 2012 that could explain the heat component. Either way I would be drinking this earlier and in winter rather than summer.

Alcohol: 15%
Price: $125
Rated: 87
Drink: Now - 2019

Wild Duck Creek Estate Springflat Shiraz 2013

I sat down with David 'duck" Anderson yesterday and tasted through his new release wines. He is a lovely down to earth fellow that doesn't talk shit. He is a straight shooter. He spoke about the lack of rain that Heathcote has been suffering yet again. He thinks its another drought and I agree with him. Its been cold but the rain just hasn't come in any significant form he says. The 2013s I tasted were from a warmer year which has meant that the fruit is there and in many of his wines the oak has already been swallowed up.

Wild Duck Creek Estate Springflat Shiraz 2013

Boom it is out in the open this wine. This is most probably the best Springflat that I have tasted on release as the oak is already in the background and it is a little less sweet than normal. The first flavour out of the gate is pencil shavings, raspberry coulis, dark chocolate, boiled plums and spice. This is a full bodied wine but still retains a sense of charm and elegance. The tannin structure says stash me away but I say nay open it whenever you want.

Alcohol: 15.7%
Price: $52
Rated: 94
Drink: Now - 2027

Clairault Wines Estate Chardonnay 2013

I’ve never heard of these guys but it was an eye opener to taste their wine. The grounds of the winery are beautiful and look like they have been constructed with precision in mind.  

 Clairault Wines Estate Chardonnay 2013

 Oh so refined and restrained with flavours just poking their head out before running and hiding. This is built for cellaring and is beautifully woven together. There are hints of white nectarines, brown pears and just ripe peach with grapefruit and freshly ground spice. Whoever is growing this or putting this together should be given an award as the price of this wine is low but the quality is up there with the top in the country. Love it and bought a 6 pack for the cellar.

 

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $38

Rated: 94 +

Drink: start in 2019