Ravensworth Sangiovese 2010 + Chicken Schnitzel and Ratatouille

Ravensworth is the side project for the assistant winemaker for Clonakilla.  The vines are grown on ancient granite soils which means that the soil comprises up to 60% quartz with a little orthoclase, mica and other minerals.

Quartz

Orthoclase

Mica

These minerals provide massive amounts of flavours to be extracted from the earth without much nutrients for the vines. This is very important for the production of quality Sangiovese as it massively over crops in fertile soils. 

Schnitzel

4 Chicken Thighs

2 eggs

1/2 lemon zest

breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Flatten the chicken thighs with a tenderiser and set aside. Place pan on a moderate heat and add a little olive oil. Zest half a lemon and mix into breadcrumbs and set in one bowl.  In another bowl beat eggs. To made the schnitzel dunk chicken in eggs, then in breadcrumb mixture and finally in pan. Remove chicken when cooked and serve with ratatouille.  

Ratatouille

There are so many recipes for this dish so I use whatever veggie I have in the fridge at the time. 

1 tin Tomatoes

1 egg plant, sliced or diced

2 potatoes, diced

1 onion, diced
1 capsicum, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed

Add all ingredients to a large slow cooker in the morning and it will be ready when you get home.

Ravensworth Sangiovese 2010

Medium bodied and beautiful in its delivery of sour cherries and bitter chocolate which dance the lambada of love with peppered raspberries and fragrant exotic spice and garden herbs. It is the sort of wine that it easy for the novice to like and still provides cerebral entertainment for the wine nerd. I fit into both ends of the spectrum depending on which mood I'm in so I am having so much fun with this wine. Like so many wines from this variety the flavours seem to jump out of their skin once I paired it with a simple home made chicken schnitzel and some veggies so I would suggest not drinking this by yourself in a dark room but rather sharing it with friends and family.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $20

Rated: 87

Drink: 2013 - 2020

Patritti JPB Shiraz 2010

I received a comment on a Wirra Wirra wine a little while ago asking if their wine and this wine tasted similar as they come off the same vineyard so I thought I should do a bit of research.

As you can see there are three blocks on this one vineyard.  The block to the right is where the Wirra Wirra Patritti Shiraz comes from and the wine is more aromatic that the two other blocks. While this wine is off of the middle block taste of the wine is a little more robust in its style than the block to the right.  The block to the left is the most robust of the three blocks and tastes a little more like the wines that come from the heart of McLaren Vale.  All of the blocks are on a sandy soil which makes them best during the hotter vintages. As this wine has only just been released I have only seen two places that sell it. At cellar door and myCellars.

Patritti JPB Shiraz 2010

When I first tasted this the thing that stood out the most was the tannin structure. It is more like a Nebbiolo than a Shiraz but the flavours are carried perfectly on the robust velvety tannins.  What also knocked me over was how tight this wine was for at least the first five days, after which flavours of dark chocolate and savoury blackberries started to emerge.  Each day I came back to check on this wine something new and exciting showed itself in the form of smoked blueberries, crushed rock and wood soaked straw.  This is the sort of wine that gets me reaching for my dancing shoes as not often do you find wines that people will be drinking in 30 to 40 years and saying I remember when we first started buying Patritti before they became the star winery of Australia. Did you parents ever tell you about the times when they used to buy Grange by the carton? This wine is the same as that but you get the chance to get on board at the beginning.

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $45
Rated: 94 +
Drink: 2025 - 2050

Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz 2010

This wine is the entry level of the top quality wines from Bremerton and is priced far below what a wine of the same quality would be priced from the Barossa or McLaren Vale.


Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz 2010

You either have to be patient with this wine or love oak as it is a major component of this wine. The oak is charry and plush but it does mask the fruit for 5 days. After that the exotic and just ripe flavours start to win the battle. All the right elements of acidity, tannin and flavour are composed within this wine so I have no trouble recommending it but I do warn people that want to be loved right now away from this wine.

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $22
Rated: 87
Drink: in ten years

Hillcrest Village Chardonnay 2010

When I think of quality Chardonnay under 25 bucks I immediately turn to Hoddles Creek but this wine has changed my mind. The wine comes from young vines and is treated with great care and thought.  The wine goes through natural fermentation with only a little sulfur added to stop malolactic fermentation.  The wine then sits in barrel for about 12 months before being racked off and moved to tank for bottling. The wine is not filtered or clarified which makes this as pure a wine as you can get. After tasting this over 4 days I came to the conclusion that this is the best value Chardonnay under 25 bucks in Australia.

Hillcrest Village Chardonnay 2010

For the first two days the oak sweetness was a little too high for full enjoyment which suggest that this needs a year or two to settle into its skin.  On day three the flint and lightly toasted nuts took a back seat to the grapefruit, lemon curd and smoke but it was the razor sharp acidity that pulled everything together that got my juices flowing. The acidity is the bones of the wine and allows the fruit muscle to fully express itself. While this wine is so complete now in 2014 you will have to pull me off of the bottle before i'll allow you to get a glass.  If you haven't had a Hillcrest wine before now is the time to get on board!

Alcohol: 12.9%
Price: $25
Rated: 89
Drink: 2014 - 2019

Seven Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2011

New Zealand, like Australia, is going through a wine glut so I thought I should write something down about what happens to wine prices and the quality of wines during this period. In the lead up to the glut, market pressures suggest that people should plant more grape vines to satisfy the growing demand for consumption but generally too many people get involved and end up planting the variety in areas that wouldn't support quality production. A few years down the track and there is a huge amount of wine on the market which results in the price falling for the cost of grapes and the end bottle price for the consumers.  This can be a great thing for consumers as they can purchase some quality wines at amazing prices but buyers be warned.  In many cases the quality of so many other wines can drop.  Why? Well, if people want to survive in the industry they need to change how they produce their wines.  If the price of the bottle has dropped they may need to increase the amount of wine they produce to allow for the monetary short fall.  The bigger players may increase the amount of their own brands as they can buy in bulk which also puts pressure on the small guys. I'm not saying that is a bad thing but I think that all of the choices that have been made in recent times aren't useful for the long term success of the industry. It is only short sighted short term profit for a small number of players.  I foresee that the wine industry has 3 to 8 years of hardship before they reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

Seven Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Nine bucks a bottle and you will need to drink it fast as the flavours run like the wind off of your tongue. you will get a bit of passionfruit but not enough to satisfy a true New Zealand Savy Blanc lover.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $9
Rated: 75
Drink: Now

Four Winds Vineyard Alinga Sangiovese 2009 + Falafels

Canberra is a beautiful area with the mean January temperature being 23.2 degree Celsius which means that the region has a bit of sun but not quite as much as its Tuscan counterpart. The vineyard at Four Winds may push the boundaries for the Sangiovese variety but with any endeavour it is great to see people experimenting.  The vineyards were planted in 1998 by Suzzane and Greame Lunney with daughters Sarah and Jaime taking responsibility for the winemaking.  There are 33 acres of vines that are planted to a variety of French and Italian varieties. For such a young vineyard these guys are turning out quality wines, if this wine is anything to go by.

Falafels

Vegetable Oil
400g Soaked Chickpeas
2 cups Parsley, Chopped
1 cup Coriander, Chopped
Handful of mint
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion
3 Teaspoons ground Coriander
1 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder


Place all ingredients into food processor and process until combined. Set mixture aside and heat vegetable oil in large saucepan.  Roll mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball and then place into oil once the oil is extremely hot.  Remove balls onto paper towel, when it is golden brown and serve warm.

This recipe is so easy and simple and it pairs well with the wine as it is light and fresh. You could serve the falafel with a mint yoghurt, if you like but I decided to leave the ball nude. The photo below has the yoghurt added as my wife wanted the extra moisture.

Four Winds Vineyard Alinga Sangiovese 2009

For such a light bodied wine this has a lot of silkiness attached. The palate almost feels like bed sheets in my mouth which is enticing and cerebral at the same time. The tannins are light and playful with a huge core of acidity pairing well with the flavours of sour cherries, pomegranate and cinnamon. The two most attractive elements of the flavour profile are the pomegranate, it is tart and almost crunchy, and an earthiness that reminds me of sitting in Italy eating a warm ham and bocconcini roll with a glass of chianti in my hand. This wine is truly Australian as it doesn't have enough structure to be Italian but it does have enough drink-ability to consume the whole bottle without thinking.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $21
Rated: 86
Drink: Now or over the next 5 years

Michael Hall Sang De Pigeon Pinot Noir 2011

The Sang De Pigeon label from Michael Hall is his second label which utilises fruit that he thinks doesn't meet his standards. The fruit for this wine comes from the Manyara Vineyard which is located on the main road as you drive from Verdun to Balhannah just as you cross the train tracks.

Michael Hall Sang De Pigeon Pinot Noir 2011

From what is not a very good vintage in the Adelaide Hills, this is a little pearler. The wine starts out light but builds a little as it sits in the glass. To begin with there was a funky dirty element with strawberry's coming through but then the flavour moved to morello cherries that had been covered in fine spice. This wine is your typical Michael Hall number as it is built to show better with a couple of years under its belt.

Alcohol: 13.1%
Price: $32
Rated: 89 +
Drink: Give it two years and then go for it