Month: April 2019

2018 The Other Wine Co. McLaren Vale Grenache

A little reticent at first for what should be an exuberant South Australian, perhaps it’s only just been squashed into the bottle? Raspberry and wine gums, some sweet baking spices and woody stems. Really bright, clean and properly ripe but holds together with comfortable acidity and firm stem tannins. Gets a lot more talkative over three days of sipping. The back label doesn’t bluster when it says, right grape, right place. Just needs to add it’s also made to express the sense of place which isn’t obscured by oak or over ripeness.

14% alcohol. Screwcap. $26.

92 points.

2017 Punt Road Cabernet Sauvignon Napoleone Vineyard Block 3

Lovely balance of bright leafy red fruit and gravelly texture. Quite like the Oakridge Over the Shoulder version from 2017 but just that bit more dense and full. It possesses the delicious fine tannin and well settled acidity that can make Bordeaux so suave and inviting but at a price point where that bit of the old world would struggle for such depth and cleanliness. Drinking at its best on day two when the sparkling red fruits shone and dazzled. Perhaps best in the shorter term as there’s not the blackcurrant depth or power of a warmer year. That’s just as likely to be proven wrong as many old Yarra Cabs have shown a lot less wrinkles in old age than this blogger. Quality fruit from the beautiful valley.

13.50% alcohol. Screwcap. $28.

93 points.

2004 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec

Very subdued on opening. It seems to take a few hours of airing for mid 2000s Wendourees to feel the need to talk, shy and reserved. Surely less extraction and fresher than those from the last millennium. Slowly that unmistakable mossy Aussie bush scent and deep fruit emerge. Sings confidently but not brashly in the mouth with bright berries and darker purple, iron black flavour. Beautifully settled, natural acidity seems to set Wendouree apart from some of its local peers. Quiet power and grace. Sense of place. Now all they need is an Instagram account.

13.50% alcohol. Cork, roll on the 2009s and following vintages with screwcaps. About $45 from the snail mail list.

94 points.

2018 Tasmanian Riesling, a Murphy’s cleanskin

Gently fragrant with subtle peach and stony fruit. Satisfyingly chalky and dry in the mouth. Not sure if it’s just the acid or if there’s a bit of skin contact texture that provides the attractive pucker and that’s probably a sign of good balance. It does lack some fruit power and for some will be a bit too dilute. Perhaps gained a bit of depth as it opened and held up to some Sashimi with aplomb. Bargain. Thanks, David, at Dan’s Alphington for the enthusiastic advice. Good pick!

12.50% alcohol. Screwcap. $10.90!

90 points.

2016 Pájaro de Buen Agüero Cariñena Garnacha

Said it before, say it again, perhaps the best value Grenache on the planet comes from around Zaragoza. This was about ten dollars from Aldi. The same price as a Tempranillo from the Ribera del Duero which was nowhere near as interesting as it just tried too hard, all extract and winemaking with not much to say by day two. This, though, was only just medium bodied with its Grenache perfume bumped up by some obvious bubblegum and banana carbonic maceration. Some decent red fruit that held on well over two days, buoyed by good natural acid. Not sure if all the whole berry maceration did all that much to improve things but still a good undercurrent of fruit kept it very drinkable, despite leaving most of the tannin out. A Dan’s own import, 2016 Tocada Garnacha, was deeper fruited, less pushed by enology, more enjoyable and is being cleared for $6! Ludicrous charity from Woolies. Two good Spaniards for $16, happy days.

14% alcohol. Cork, a particularly poor one. $10.

88 points