Hurley Vineyard Lodestone Pinot Noir 2012 & Bannockburn Vineyards De La Terre Pinot Noir 2012

I must be having a good run because at the moment the Pinot Noir's that I am tasting are rocking.

Hurley Vineyard Lodestone Pinot Noir 2012

This is another single vineyard wine from the people at Hurley Vineyard. The grapes are treated the same as the Garamond but the aspect is different. Initially the wine felt more full bodied and in the mouth it definitely was yet the flavour spectrum is still restrained and chiselled. There are noted of plums, dried cherries and warm twigs mixed with spice and clay on an extremely long palate. The palate weight is medium to full with a bounce of acidity on the back-end. The only problem with this wine is it only comes in a 750 ml bottle.

Alcohol: 14.6%
Price: $50 world class and cheap for the quality
Rated: 94
Drink: give it 5 years before opening

 

 

Bannockburn Vineyards De La Terre Pinot Noir 2012

 

There are a few vineyards that make up the Bannockburn Vineyard portfolio with only the quality deciding if it makes its way into the estate wine or the single vineyard stuff. Personally I haven't had a Bannockburn wine in a while since I was put off by the price to quality ratio for the 99 - 01 vintages. There is no such problem here. The wine opens very shy yet fully composed with hints of Christmas cherries, fresh cut herbs, green pepper corns and Asian spice. In the beginning the wine felt feminine but made its way to medium bodied by the final glass. The extraordinary length is the key as it allows the beautiful sexualised flavours to pull their way up my tongue.

 

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: $65

Rated: 95+

Drink: In 8 years

 



 



 



Icons and Emerging Icons

When people think of the Icon wineries from Australia Penfolds, Henschke and Wynns of Coonawarra are three that would come to mind. They produce wines that have the ability to age for prolonged periods and generally look better with ten years under their belt. I've tasted my way through a lot of their wines and listed below are three monumental wines. The Penfolds wine is the best Cabernet I have tried in Australia, the Henschke just beautiful, wild and not far behind the Bin 169 and the Wynns Black label Shiraz which is a fine wine to accompany their Cabernet. Below these three are two wines from wineries that I believe will join the top ranks in the years to come. They are already producing classic and spectacular wines but they have only been producing these in the last 5 to 10 years.  

Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 

This years Grange was written up as being one of the best ever but I rated this just that bit higher in terms of quality. It is classic styled with structure to burn. The aromas are captivating as they come across as chiselled yet expressive with notes of leafy black currants, olive pulp and wild herbs from a French veggie garden. These flavours are only a drop in the ocean when you compare them to what arises on the palate but they are equally enchanting. The fruit takes centre stage but there is a hint of cedar in the background and then the structure takes hold. There is a line of bright acidity running from the front palate to my tonsils which mean that the length of phenomenal. For a young wine this is the best Australian Cabernet that I have tried. As this is from the birth year of my daughter I will be buying as many as I can afford.  

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: $350 

Rated: 97+ 

Drink: After 2035 

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Shiraz 2010 

This is a new addition to the Wynns label and it has come about after they have invested a significant amount of time reinvigorating their vineyards. This cool climate shiraz has plenty of soft blackberry notes with spice and red-fruits adding complexity and interest. The long palate is accentuated by the medium bodied palate weight and wild components of animal hide and a creamy mouthfeel. Even though I don't think this is a long term wine like I do like the sense of it at the moment. 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: Good value at $30 

Rated: 91 

Drink: Now - 2020 

Henschke Mount Edelstone 2009 

This wine was pick from a vineyard that is 97 years old which makes this something to hold in reverence. Out of all the 2009 wines from the Barossa this one comes across the most wild and reserved with notes of savoury blackberries rolled in chocolate and Asian spices. The flavours are as smooth as silk and linger on my palate for what seems like hours but it is the balance between tannin structure and brightness that is most enchanting. There is depth of flavour and food friendliness that finishes off the package of this world class wine.  

Alcohol: 14.5% 

Price: $118 

Rated: 95 

Drink: 2024 – 2040 

Paradise IV Darel Shiraz 2011 

Exotic and reserved with a bewildering array of flavours bombarding the senses, yet I must say forget about the flavours as it is the beautiful balance of sweet and chalky tannins mixed with insane acidity that is most enchanting. They take hold of my mouth and drive the flavours forward like a winged goddess taking off to save the world. At the moment the wine is too shy but after it was open for 5 days it really started to open up so I would be calm and just let it sit in the cellar. 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: $45 

Rated: 93 

Drink: 2018 - 2029 

Sutton Grange Estate Rose 2010 

These guys under Gilles Lapalus have been producing some of the most interesting and highest quality wines in Australia. This wine is the best rose that I have ever tasted from Australia as it combines dry and savoury characters of raspberries with exotic flavours of Asian spices and roasted nuts. The force of the wine is beautiful with the length just phenomenal. I would love to say that it only got better as it sat open but I finished the bottle too quick to make that call, which I guess it a good thing when you think about it. 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Price: $40 

Rated: 93 

Drink: Now or over the next few years

 

Paradise IV The Bates' Ford Shiraz 2011

The city of Geelong was primarily an industrial based regional city up until the early 1960s. The big car manufacturers have had to reduce their size as they compete on an international scale which has meant the wine industry, government businesses and tourism sectors have had to take up the slack. The normal max temperature during January and Febuary is 24 degrees celsius with the area experiencing 130 days of rain per year on average which makes the region an ideal spot for cooler style wine-making. I believe the areas of Ballarat, Geelong and the Macadon Ranges will start to dominate the quality market as people look for savoury style wines.

Paradise IV The Bates' Ford Shiraz 2011

Very fragrant from the get go with spice being the main componant of enjoyment. It is exotic is its profile of turkish spice markets mixed with vibrant savoury fruits taking charge underneath. The palate length is beautiful as it the whole of the wines story. This certainly isn't a baller of a wine which means I get to listen to the wine whisper sweet nothings to me all night. While I don't think the 2011s are the same quality as the mind blowing 2010s, the quality is brilliant nonetheless.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $40
Rated: 92
Drink: 2015 - 2030

Paradise IV Dardel Shiraz 2010

Normally I review wines over an extended period, and this wine was no different as I took 7 days to evaluate it, and I must say that it was so easy to drink on day one that I thought about downing it in one night. This is what I did with the Chaumont and I think I gave it too low a score as a result. The Dardel started off good but not mind blowing and each day I went back new and exciting flavours emerged. Add to that extra length and depth of savoury goodness and you understand what this wine achieved in the end. I think that if I let the Chaumont sit in the bottle over that period it may have been a 91 to 93 range but I didn’t so I can only inform everyone that they need to be patient with the Paradise IV wines. If you do the wine expeience will take you to Nirvana.   

Paradise IV Dardel Shiraz 2010

The wine has a slipperiness about it that makes it so easy to drink. Or is it silkiness? Whatever it is I’m ready to for the experience. I think the textural experience is enhanced by the fact that the tannins and flavour are ratcheted on to each other. If this was a recipe, it would be one part tannin to one part flavour as they are in perfect balance.  If anyone cared about the flavours, I’m not as the mouth-feel of this wine is so seductive, then they would expect blood plums, white and black pepper, dried wedding flowers and exotic Indian spices. These flavours coalesce on a medium bodied and supremely elegant palate that tickles the inner most intimate fantasies or desires as I sit with this glass of pure gold.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: $45

Rated: 95+

Drink: Now -  2025

Provenance Golden Plains Pinot Noir 2011

Provenance produce a wide array of single vineyard wines but this wine in a blend of all the components that they think aren’t up to the standard.

Provenance Golden Plains Pinot Noir 2011

So easy to drink, this wine is but what is lacks in palate weight it makes up for in down right drinkability. This wine has mouthfeel and a tannin structure with a slight herbal edge that adds to the fun of the wine. The flavours of cherry stones, stalky spice and the smell of a Christmas cake slowly crawl up my tongue.  It is inviting and cerebral at the same time as I sit in a large chair with a Reidel O Pinot Glass in hand, while i'm trying to listen to the story that this wine is whispering at me. This wine is for hardcore Pinot lovers as the stalkiness could put off the Barossa barons but if you are after some loving Pinot style, get you hands around a bottle of this.

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $30

Rated: 87

Drink: Now – 2017

Winter Wines

Hentley Farm The Beauty 2010

The growing season for 2010 in the Barossa was specular as it didn’t reach the temperature highest that occurred in 07 to 09 allowing more even ripening. What it also gave was a chance to produce fresher wines with greater balance and longevity.

This wine surprised me as it is only medium bodied yet retains the richness that is normally associated with this region. What is equally surprising is the fact that this is a Shiraz Viognier blend but it doesn’t have the overt apricot flavours. Rather the Viognier adds a slipperiness to the mouth feel making this so easy to drink. Complexity is not an issue as the flavours of blueberries, dark chocolate, blood plums and vanilla bean just keep powering through from start to finish.  Barossa pride is written all over this.

Alcohol: 14.4%

Price: $55

Rated: 94

Drink: In ten years

Paradise IV Chardonnay 2011

The wines from Paradise IV are made by an unassuming superstar.  By that I mean he is a school teacher during the day but a wine wizard at night. It could be that Doug is waiting to see how this winemaking thing works out.  Well if this wine is anything to go by, he can expect to sell out everything year in year out without much of an issue.

This wine starts out really restrained yet it is the inbuilt complexity and structure of the wine that is most mesmerising at this stage of its development. The acidity of the wine seems to allow everything else to appear perky and light, even though the flavours are rich. This is so unlike every other Chardonnay in Australia which makes this a truly unique offering.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $40

Rated: 94

Drink: Give it five years

Spinifex Esprit 2010

Peter Schell seems to be able to craft highly region wines that taste nothing like his counterparts in the area and this wine is no different. It is made from some obscure varieties but it doesn’t really matter as it tastes so yummy.

To begin with the wine tastes of cincault as it is crunch and savoury with a floral element jumping out of the glass but it is soon joined by an earthy dirty aspect on day 2. For the next two days flavours of blackberry and spice jump on board with a little smoked licorice and raspberry adding freshness. I could drink this now it is so good but it would equally thrill with 8 years in the cellar.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $35

Rated: 90

Drink: Now - 2025

BK Wines Skin n Bones Pinot Noir 2011

On the front label of this wine just below the Skin n Bones it says 256 days.  I’m not sure what this means which gets me thinking, is that how many times Brendon proposed before kirsty, his wife, said yes to him or could it be the number of hugs she gave him while they were setting up their own winery and incurring a massive amount of debt without the security net of working for another winery? Well, no it turns out that 256 is the number of days that this wine has been in contact with its skins.  Just to put that in perspective, most wineries ferment for 14 days on skins before they press them off and tuck them to bed in a barrel.  The use of extended skin contact brings with it some extra risks but if used well can result in added flavour, texture and structure. What running through my mind is how does the penny fall for this wine?

Brilliantly from start to finish as it is a little more savoury than you would expect but it still retains flavours of cherry and spice.  What happens once the fragrant liquid hts your mouth is something to behold and the tannins are beautifully melted onto the flavour whilst still adding texture and enjoyment. This is a wine to savor when it has a few years under its belt.

 Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $30

Rated: 90

Drink: 2015 and beyond

Paradise IV Chaumont 2010

The wines at Paradise IV are made by Doug Neal, who has worn many different hats in his employment history.  He has worked many vintages with Rick at Giaconda and they have a business together which suggest that they have formed a very close friendship. Doug makes his wines with great care, with many of his wines built for extended cellaring. This wine is built for instant enjoyment which is a good thing as I would prefer to drink this now while I wait for my Dardel to mature.

Paradise IV Chaumont 2010

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Franc which makes this wine a bit of a house blend.  Initially this wine comes across silken and seductive but then a light dose of tannin reminding me that this is a little more serious than most wines at this price point. I wouldn't bother to keep this much longer as it offers so much already with flavours of spice, dark chocolate, dirty plum and blackcurrant flowers. It was a pleasure to taste this medium bodied textural wine that has elegance at its heart, especially when there is so much in built complexity.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $37
Rated: 86
Drink: Now - 2017

Farr Rising Chardonnay 2008

Geelong is only a short trip, say an hour, from Melbourne.  It used to be an industrial town but i think if more people taste these wines it could move to more of a viticulture base.  Here is a photo from a vineyard in the region.

 

Doesn't the photo just call to you for a winter holiday?

Farr Rising Chardonnay 2008

I haven't had much wine from Geelong but if this is representative of the region why haven't i been here before.  There is lightness and fullness all wrapped up in one divine wine.  There is preserved grapefruit and white peach snuggled up to nuttiness on a creamy medium length palate.  The only thing holding me back is the wine feels like the shape of an hour glass on my tongue.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $35
Rated: 88
Drink: 2013 - 2017