Bremerton Special Release Malbec 2013

Langhorne Creek makes some very appealing easy drinking wine at attractive prices. 

Bremerton Special Release Malbec 2013

Boya this is a big red with a grunt of flavour and ripe tannins to boot. I liked it but I could see potential as I thought this was more a solid dry red rather than a top quality Malbec. On the nose there was earth and redcurrants with dried plum skin and roasted spices. The flavours burst from the seam in a thick and silky manner with some ripe tannins melting on my tongue. I could see that Bremerton are trying to make their mark with this variety and I think it will do well as they are making an appealing wine that would fit with the Shiraz drinker yet are able to retain some of the goodness that is associated with the variety.

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $24
Rated: 88
Drink: Now – 2019

Pizzini Pinot Grigio 2014

This year’s White Fields and Pinot Grigio are a very strong release and goes to show that in the right hands this variety in Australia can work well.

Pizzini Pinot Grigio 2014

What I expect from this variety and what I normally get is two very different things but in the pIzzini version they almost are one. The wine smells like the alpine slopes during an a spring flower festival and I love it so. Imagine walking through the warm alpine forest as the flowers open and a slender Austrian lady offers you a white nectarine and yellow peach from the bosoms. Now drink up.

Alcohol: 12.1
Price:$21
Rated: 90
Drink: Now – 2017

Bremerton Battonage Chardonnay 2013

Langhorne Creek Chardonnay who has heard of such a thing. Well I haven’t tried any of this variety from this region but I was looking forward to the proposition. 

Bremerton Battonage Chardonnay 2013

At first it smells very cool climate, more like an Adelaide Hills version, and then the winemaker aspects kick in. The flavours on impact are full of complex Chardy by a skilled maker with moments of peach and melon combined with roasted nuts and cream. From the mid-palate on that is where it starts to drop off as they just don’t keep up with the initial pace of things. Don’t get me wrong I liked the idea behind the wine and how it was put together but the length and depth from the mid-palate was just off the mark. 

Alcohol:12.5%
Price: $32
Rated: 86
Drink: Now – 2017

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2014

The Clare Valley offers so much good drinking especially at a young age. I’m not a fan of ages Australian Riesling at too often a petrol character emerges. I say drink while the sun shines. 

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2014

This wine balances some more overt characters with the normal edgy elegant flavours and it all sits on long palate length. The wine took a while to evolve with the lemon lime characters coming out before a melon and orange pith element emerges. These flavours are only medium to light bodied and it was easy to suck down the bottle in no time with a spot of thai dinner. 

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $27
Rated: 91
Drink: Now – 2020

A swimming release of Original wines from d'Arenberg

 

A swimming release of d’Arenberg Custodian, Footbolt, d:Arry’s Original and High Trellis

In a time when most wineries are releasing their wines earlier, I like the fact that d’Arenberg hold their wines back. These four wines are from the 2012 vintage which was rather a cracker in terms of weather conditions. We will see how they went.

d’Arenberg Custodial Grenache 2012

From my point of view this Grenache based wine is the best of the lot. It is medium bodied and fragrant with elements of all sorts of red fruits and some lovely damp earth and spices. D’Arenberg seems to be able to bring out the earth or dirt in the wine which creates a sense of place and some extra complexity and interest. The flavours are lovely but the tannin profile really makes this wine a beauty to behold. Love it.

Alcohol: 14.6%
Price: $18
Rated: 90
Drink: Now – 2020



d’Arenberg d'Arry’s Original 2012

d’Arry’s Original is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Shiraz that has been matured in French and American oak for 20 months. The Grenache leads the way with raspberry coulis and exotic spices on the nose but that doesn’t translate to the palate. On the palate there is a high amount of searing acidity. It was almost like they have accidently added way too much acid just prior to bottling. 
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $18
Rated: 84
Drink: Now 



d’Arenberg Footbolt 2012

I have never really gotten into the Footbolt but a lot of my friends have. It seems to be a inexpensive wine that offers a lot of regional charm. As with most of the wines in this range the Footbolt is matured in a mix of French and American oak barrels for a period.  The 2012 wine opens with easily with flavours of candied plum and strawberries and cream with a hint of spice and chocolate coated licorice allsorts. As a Footbolt it seems easy to drink and slightly confected and will most probably appeal to the average drinker but not the hard-core wino.

Alcohol: 14.6%
Price: $18
Rated: 89
Drink: Now – 2020



d’Arenberg High Trellis 2012

This was the last of the d’Arenberg wines that I tried from the original release.
The Cabernet  for this wine, once in the winery were transferred to small open top fermenters and allowed to undergo fermentation. They did not see that long in contact with the skins before being pressed off to old American barrels.  On the nose the American oak leads the way but the blackberry liquor makes its body felt once on the palate. The regionality is bursting from the wine as well in the form of licorice and earth with a touch of mint and blood plum. The wine is only just full bodied with a nice tannic edge adding interest. 

Alcohol: 14.3%
Price: $18
Rated: 88
Drink: Now – 2021

Pizzini White Fields Pinot Grigio 2013

So many winemakers talk about bench-making their wines. This wine should be added as it is the best quality wine from this variety that I have tasted. I guess bench making allows people to see the differences in style, quality and winemaking techniques that are out there. What I think most people use it for is a tax deductible piss up. Whatever the reason I think people should get on board this wine and the wines that are produced from this producer as they are more true to the variety and the tradition of the winemaking process.

 

Pizzini White Fields Pinot Grigio 2013

 

Pinot Grigio is normally fresh and fruity which this is but this wine has texture and savoury characters woven throughout. The wine starts out with pears aplenty and fresh cut flower before a massive wedge of acidity cuts through. I set the wine aside for another day before I moved back and now it looked unbelievable with fresh salted nuts, lemon peel, Asian spice before the normal pear and flowers bolting in. The palate seems to balance the freshness with some more weighty moments yet still look like a beautiful Grigio all the way to the end. I would recommend keeping it for another year before I tuck in.

 

Alcohol: 12%

Price: $27

Rated: 92

Drink: 2016 – 2025

 

 

Unico Zelo Nero d’Avola 2014

I’ve been speaking to a lot of winemakers recently about Nero d’Avola and there is a split in the mindset between some of them.  Some say that the best sites are yet to be found and we should look at the cooler areas such as the Adelaide Hills for our best sites. The other groups says we are yet to find the best sites but we should look to the warmer areas such as the Riverland, Barossa and McLaren Vale for the best sites. From my perspective I think the warmer sites are where the gold is at as the variety seems to handle the heat, doesn’t bag up in the heat and doesn’t need water like other varieties in the warmer areas plus it seems that the virus that is in the vines kicks in harder in the cooler climates resulting in poor to no cropping level.

 

Unico Zelo Nero d’Avola 2014

 

I was expecting a full on Nero with plenty of grunt yet acidity but what I got was a light bodied fragrant wine with acidity to burn. The wine works well at this weight and has a nice fragrant cherry bomb note and spice moments running along the spine. The texture is also light with not much action on the tannin section but when it comes to liveliness on the acidity, oh my god bring that sXXt on.  The acidity pops the wine out of the glass making it attack you with hugs and kisses. I love it and I polished off the bottle in no time as all.

 

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $23

Rated: 90
Drink: Now to whenever you finish the bottle