The Dead Arm is on the way! after a lengthy chat with cellar door on the history of cork taint, the wonderful people at Darenburg have decided that due to the problem of the 2001 Dead Arm is sold out, it would be best for everyone if they send me a current vintage. This means however that i will not be able to blog it for about ten years or so.
for all those interested I will be opening a Classic Clare Magnum 1999..... soon!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
2001 Darremburg Dead Arm
Dead Arm- 2001
Darremburg, Mclaren Vale
Shiraz
cork seal
Chester osbourne / WM
Tasted 19-11-2010
rated - 0/5
Caths birthday at Santorini Restuarant in Hawthorn.
I chose a wine that i thought would be traveling really well, not cellared to the best of its performance but something where I figured that the structure should have developed well across the middle pallet, thus creating a wine of balance that on a night where not too many drinks are too be had then it would really stand up well to the high quality cuisine we had come to expect from 'Santorini'. Wasn't I surprised, when with rapid pace the fruit vanished with the aromatics, then the obvious 'cork taint' took over the senses.
Usually cork taint is present quite strongly from the moment the wine is open as it is often present in the wine from back as early as the bottling day, so over time the wine becomes spoilt as the taint develops within. This is because in Portugal and Spain where the cork originates from the cork material soon after harvest is bathed in chlorine to sterilise it pre being made into the smooth texture product we see today. This chlorine bonds with the cork material and cannot be removed, once bottling of the wine occurs, our precise product is then given the opportunity to come into contact with the cork and so we then experience a chemical reaction between the cork, chlorine and the wine, this reaction sends the wine volatile and we lose all fruit characters relating to smell and taste.
For this Dead Arm it took some time for the taint to fully take over and it was like the oxygen contact was causing this fruit texture to disappear, which was probably true. but too me it was as though we were experiencing a very young taint effect. The wine itself had a seal over its top explaining that the wine had been quality tested prior to my purchasing, this meant that the wine had been opened the liquid tasted and checked for taint and then delivered to me. I had purchased a vertical selection some years ago, again another reason for choosing this particular wine, it was to be my fail safe and I did not take a back up! So I will be notifying the cellar door directly that I believe that the cork that they resealed the Dead Arm with gave the wine its terminal disease. Thankfully the 94 and 98 already enjoyed were great if not a little young.
Darremburg, Mclaren Vale
Shiraz
cork seal
Chester osbourne / WM
Tasted 19-11-2010
rated - 0/5
Caths birthday at Santorini Restuarant in Hawthorn.
I chose a wine that i thought would be traveling really well, not cellared to the best of its performance but something where I figured that the structure should have developed well across the middle pallet, thus creating a wine of balance that on a night where not too many drinks are too be had then it would really stand up well to the high quality cuisine we had come to expect from 'Santorini'. Wasn't I surprised, when with rapid pace the fruit vanished with the aromatics, then the obvious 'cork taint' took over the senses.
Usually cork taint is present quite strongly from the moment the wine is open as it is often present in the wine from back as early as the bottling day, so over time the wine becomes spoilt as the taint develops within. This is because in Portugal and Spain where the cork originates from the cork material soon after harvest is bathed in chlorine to sterilise it pre being made into the smooth texture product we see today. This chlorine bonds with the cork material and cannot be removed, once bottling of the wine occurs, our precise product is then given the opportunity to come into contact with the cork and so we then experience a chemical reaction between the cork, chlorine and the wine, this reaction sends the wine volatile and we lose all fruit characters relating to smell and taste.
For this Dead Arm it took some time for the taint to fully take over and it was like the oxygen contact was causing this fruit texture to disappear, which was probably true. but too me it was as though we were experiencing a very young taint effect. The wine itself had a seal over its top explaining that the wine had been quality tested prior to my purchasing, this meant that the wine had been opened the liquid tasted and checked for taint and then delivered to me. I had purchased a vertical selection some years ago, again another reason for choosing this particular wine, it was to be my fail safe and I did not take a back up! So I will be notifying the cellar door directly that I believe that the cork that they resealed the Dead Arm with gave the wine its terminal disease. Thankfully the 94 and 98 already enjoyed were great if not a little young.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Ned
The Ned 2010- Sauvignon Blanc/ Marlborough [Waihapai River].
The aromatics throw an intriguing texture of sweet fruits that show its character through a thick syrupy passionfruit intensity that really appears to be quite condensed, not a bad thing to have a little residual sugar on the wine but the aromatics do finish a little sharp, nevertheless an appealing style.
The palate presents itself in a big way with bold citrus, completely out-waying the acidity and in some ways goes to explain the finish on the nose. This is backed up by thick velvety tropical notes that assist in carrying the texture through the palate. In saying that this wine does not linger on the finish, instead it sits on the front palate and most of the middle and teases you a little. This is a really good example of high altitude growing and it is nice to see a zesty front palate, a good welcoming party to help balance out some of those citrus textures.
The alcohol on this wine comes in at a respectable 13% so my only thought was that maybe if harvest was delayed by about 5 days we may have seen more of a finish on the style that may have brought on more of those velvety passionfruit notes.
Overall a very pleasant wine
screwcap
1-3 years
summer social
2 case rating
good value if under $20 retail
The aromatics throw an intriguing texture of sweet fruits that show its character through a thick syrupy passionfruit intensity that really appears to be quite condensed, not a bad thing to have a little residual sugar on the wine but the aromatics do finish a little sharp, nevertheless an appealing style.
The palate presents itself in a big way with bold citrus, completely out-waying the acidity and in some ways goes to explain the finish on the nose. This is backed up by thick velvety tropical notes that assist in carrying the texture through the palate. In saying that this wine does not linger on the finish, instead it sits on the front palate and most of the middle and teases you a little. This is a really good example of high altitude growing and it is nice to see a zesty front palate, a good welcoming party to help balance out some of those citrus textures.
The alcohol on this wine comes in at a respectable 13% so my only thought was that maybe if harvest was delayed by about 5 days we may have seen more of a finish on the style that may have brought on more of those velvety passionfruit notes.
Overall a very pleasant wine
screwcap
1-3 years
summer social
2 case rating
good value if under $20 retail
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Wine Rating 'System'
I do have a couple of more savys to add but first I must clarify my choice of rating wine 'systems'.
Instead of a numbered system or the borrrring star system I am going to rate all wine using my own design [meaning my wife's idea!]. My rating system is based on a magical formula consisting of value, quality and investment potential and pure pleasure.
The how many cases would you or I put in the cellar:
Instead of a numbered system or the borrrring star system I am going to rate all wine using my own design [meaning my wife's idea!]. My rating system is based on a magical formula consisting of value, quality and investment potential and pure pleasure.
The how many cases would you or I put in the cellar:
- 1 case means moderate drinking, give it to people who drink cask wine
- 2 cases means you will drink it over the next 4 months for whites or for reds up to 2-3 years
- 3 cases means good value drinking for all whites and for reds 4-7 years in the cellar
- 4 cases means great value drinking for whites and for reds 7-10 years in the cellar
- 5 cases means outstanding cellarability for whites, whilst also superior value for money. For reds this indicates top shelf drinking for 10+ years.
Savvys continued...
Whither Hills Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 - Marlborough [Wairau Valley]
The aromatics of the wine throws a soft approachable feel / velvety passionfruit with a hint of the tropical notes to come. No obvious signs of acidity, attractive. The arrival on the palate shows some upfront acidity, this should tone down a little with a few more months bottle age. In the background is a thick, full flavoured savvy that is fustrated by the tight acidity, a little residual sweetness comes along to lend a helping hand to the fruit weight, thus allowing a welcoming serving of citrus and stone fruit. With an alcohol of 13% this wine appears to be in the lower flavour spectrum for its region.
Overall the wine is very pleasant, a fairly seemless experience that does make an effort to harness its regional identity. But the wine is not about keeping up with the jones's, a good summer wine . Drink + Enjoy!
1- 2 years
In terms of value I would say $14-20 retail, good value if you can find it under $15
'summer social wine'
3 case / 5 rating
The aromatics of the wine throws a soft approachable feel / velvety passionfruit with a hint of the tropical notes to come. No obvious signs of acidity, attractive. The arrival on the palate shows some upfront acidity, this should tone down a little with a few more months bottle age. In the background is a thick, full flavoured savvy that is fustrated by the tight acidity, a little residual sweetness comes along to lend a helping hand to the fruit weight, thus allowing a welcoming serving of citrus and stone fruit. With an alcohol of 13% this wine appears to be in the lower flavour spectrum for its region.
Overall the wine is very pleasant, a fairly seemless experience that does make an effort to harness its regional identity. But the wine is not about keeping up with the jones's, a good summer wine . Drink + Enjoy!
1- 2 years
In terms of value I would say $14-20 retail, good value if you can find it under $15
'summer social wine'
3 case / 5 rating
Monday, November 8, 2010
I am back!!
Meeting went well.... I think.
So... Sauvignon Blanc then,
Saint Clair 2010- Marlbourough, WM Matt Thompson.
The nose throws a beautiful richness of passionfruit intensity, fairly thick leaving no obvious sign of the natuarally high acidity, exactly what I was hoping for.Really fills the nose,good viticulture.
The palate shows upfront lime/citrus but it does not dominate by any means, it mearly grabs hold of the passionfruit,gives it a layering effect and carries it through the middle palate. Now remember, This is a big savy and you can almost feel the outstanding fruit weight leave the acidity as an after-thought. I think that one of the most atrractive characters about this wine is the way the fruit lingers across the back palate, but as it lingers their is a mouth filling resergance and the roof of the mouth drips with fruit.the Alchohol is a respectable 13.5% , so it is definatly a wine a great balance, a savy of class. Clearly not overblown but a sign that yeild was spot on, shading of the fruit worked well.
Often to achieve this layering effect a winemaker will place a small amount of juice in french oak through ferment, the micro-oxygen method combines with the french oak to lift the fruit texture, a french method of the Sancere and actually helps the wine keep well.
Value- $19-$25aus
good value drinking
1-5 years, best within 1-2 years
95/100
So... Sauvignon Blanc then,
Saint Clair 2010- Marlbourough, WM Matt Thompson.
The nose throws a beautiful richness of passionfruit intensity, fairly thick leaving no obvious sign of the natuarally high acidity, exactly what I was hoping for.Really fills the nose,good viticulture.
The palate shows upfront lime/citrus but it does not dominate by any means, it mearly grabs hold of the passionfruit,gives it a layering effect and carries it through the middle palate. Now remember, This is a big savy and you can almost feel the outstanding fruit weight leave the acidity as an after-thought. I think that one of the most atrractive characters about this wine is the way the fruit lingers across the back palate, but as it lingers their is a mouth filling resergance and the roof of the mouth drips with fruit.the Alchohol is a respectable 13.5% , so it is definatly a wine a great balance, a savy of class. Clearly not overblown but a sign that yeild was spot on, shading of the fruit worked well.
Often to achieve this layering effect a winemaker will place a small amount of juice in french oak through ferment, the micro-oxygen method combines with the french oak to lift the fruit texture, a french method of the Sancere and actually helps the wine keep well.
Value- $19-$25aus
good value drinking
1-5 years, best within 1-2 years
95/100
Sunday, November 7, 2010
lets talk sauvignon blanc
why is there so much bad savy around at present? Well about 3 years ago growers realised that public demand for the finished product was so great and the perception grew to a state that growers believed that people will drink anything, so long as it said Sauvignon Blanc on the label. Growers immediatly began high yielding the fruit on the vine through South East Australia and New Zealand making short term fast money, today many growers are remaining on this path, hense why many New Zealand growers are now in financial difficulty and a large number have failed or appear to be failing.Sure there may have been a stage when Savy in what-ever form would sell, but consumers are smart and they always learn and evolve.
Sauvignon Blanc is natuarally high in acid, ideally what we want to see in the finished product is fruit intensity that balances out this acidity, by high yeilding fruit we see these flavours thin out in both texture and itensity, in some cases it will show a flavour that represents early harvest, all because the fruit doesnt have the ability to keep up with this acidity. Ofcourse as the flavour thins out all the consumer tastes is acid, the flavour spectrum will go from a rich vibrant and layered passion fruit, tropical fruit salad feel to a green capscicum grassy herbacious wine that in some cases is layered wine granny smith apple.People have learnt through a forced experience as once reliable brands turned to mass production and the high acid product are no longer in demand in either the hospitality market or retail.
Today I am going to review a few Savy's I have come across, but right now I must go to a meeting, so ......... to be continued!
Sauvignon Blanc is natuarally high in acid, ideally what we want to see in the finished product is fruit intensity that balances out this acidity, by high yeilding fruit we see these flavours thin out in both texture and itensity, in some cases it will show a flavour that represents early harvest, all because the fruit doesnt have the ability to keep up with this acidity. Ofcourse as the flavour thins out all the consumer tastes is acid, the flavour spectrum will go from a rich vibrant and layered passion fruit, tropical fruit salad feel to a green capscicum grassy herbacious wine that in some cases is layered wine granny smith apple.People have learnt through a forced experience as once reliable brands turned to mass production and the high acid product are no longer in demand in either the hospitality market or retail.
Today I am going to review a few Savy's I have come across, but right now I must go to a meeting, so ......... to be continued!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
cup day 2- 11- 2010
Today I investigated a couple of wines that probably should have been in much better form, thankfully the horses came in. But a day with friends is worth its weight in wine!!
2006 BlackJack Red Label
A bloody big wine that fills the palate but does not offer much in the way of depth, the 06 vintage was quite a good year in terms of heat and consistency of climate but the wine was a little flat, this may be due to the issue of lack of water through the traditionally hot periods of summer. Too often block buster reds do not keep well. The nose offered loads of promise as the oak integrated with the fruit and lead me into the palate, but with such a flat fruit structure, that obviously lacked acid, will this wine last? Nevertheless I have got two of this vintage in the cellar, so we will see. From memory this wine at cellar door is upwards of 30 dollars, so defiantly does not fit into my good value category. [keep in mind that any priced wine can be good value, it is all about quality.]
2006 Coldstream Hills Reserve Shiraz
Absolutely outstanding! Totally surprised me. The depth on the palate and fruit weight crosses between a velvety dusty tannin structure and quite obvious investment in french oak. This wine wants to just relax in your cellar for 5 to 10 years, the acidity really helps to balance the experience and actually lifts the wine into a style of refinement. My only question is that this wine feels rather full-on for Yarra valley fruit. Defiantly good value. Expected value may be $60 retail and up to $120 for older vintages.
2001 St Hallet Blackwell Shiraz
The wine showed loads of stewed fruit, a little oxidised maybe. Given what the Blackwell is like young, this meant that the oak had completely dissipated and the expected balance of Barrosan tannin had become so much like velvet it had caught the same bus as the oak investment. Now I do not expect the Blackwell to keep like its bigger brother ' Old Block' and some may say that its potential is 7 years, so my expectations were not shattered and to be honest I enjoyed the experience. It wasn't anything it didn't want to be.So all I am saying is, if you have the 2001 in your cellar, enjoy it now! I must say that I really enjoy an aged wine, so there is a good chance I will buy a case of this for my own cellar this week. But most likely enjoy it between 5 and 7 years.
2006 BlackJack Red Label
A bloody big wine that fills the palate but does not offer much in the way of depth, the 06 vintage was quite a good year in terms of heat and consistency of climate but the wine was a little flat, this may be due to the issue of lack of water through the traditionally hot periods of summer. Too often block buster reds do not keep well. The nose offered loads of promise as the oak integrated with the fruit and lead me into the palate, but with such a flat fruit structure, that obviously lacked acid, will this wine last? Nevertheless I have got two of this vintage in the cellar, so we will see. From memory this wine at cellar door is upwards of 30 dollars, so defiantly does not fit into my good value category. [keep in mind that any priced wine can be good value, it is all about quality.]
2006 Coldstream Hills Reserve Shiraz
Absolutely outstanding! Totally surprised me. The depth on the palate and fruit weight crosses between a velvety dusty tannin structure and quite obvious investment in french oak. This wine wants to just relax in your cellar for 5 to 10 years, the acidity really helps to balance the experience and actually lifts the wine into a style of refinement. My only question is that this wine feels rather full-on for Yarra valley fruit. Defiantly good value. Expected value may be $60 retail and up to $120 for older vintages.
2001 St Hallet Blackwell Shiraz
The wine showed loads of stewed fruit, a little oxidised maybe. Given what the Blackwell is like young, this meant that the oak had completely dissipated and the expected balance of Barrosan tannin had become so much like velvet it had caught the same bus as the oak investment. Now I do not expect the Blackwell to keep like its bigger brother ' Old Block' and some may say that its potential is 7 years, so my expectations were not shattered and to be honest I enjoyed the experience. It wasn't anything it didn't want to be.So all I am saying is, if you have the 2001 in your cellar, enjoy it now! I must say that I really enjoy an aged wine, so there is a good chance I will buy a case of this for my own cellar this week. But most likely enjoy it between 5 and 7 years.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The search for fine good value wine begins!
Ever thought that traveling through the wine regions of australia would be fun, talking to excentric winemakers, developing your wine cellar to reflect these adventures. But you work too much, wine is a complex thing, how do i engage a winemaker or you financially are not able ?!
well thats where I come in... My experience through the industry is vast, through my blog I will bring to you the industry whilst I shatter some of those walls of knowledge that act only to intimidate those that just want to enjoy wine but do not want to get a masters degree to find that perfect bottle for tuesday night book club or you may want to win the saturday night wine competition that your mate Andrew has won 7 times in a row.
I will begin with bringing to you a healthy mix of wines from my personal cellar and some that i come across through the industry of retail, many wines from my cellar are collector wines that i promise to be brutaly honest as to the drinkability,balance, texture overall optimum drinking,vintage and winery info if available.
I also will be quite honest when it comes to wine faults whether they appear to be viticultuaral or winery or just plane old corked.But also if a winery refuses to replace a corked bottle you shall be informed, so come with me in the search for that perfect drop that you will remember years after the bottle has been picked up for recycling.
all the best on the hunt
from Baume!
well thats where I come in... My experience through the industry is vast, through my blog I will bring to you the industry whilst I shatter some of those walls of knowledge that act only to intimidate those that just want to enjoy wine but do not want to get a masters degree to find that perfect bottle for tuesday night book club or you may want to win the saturday night wine competition that your mate Andrew has won 7 times in a row.
I will begin with bringing to you a healthy mix of wines from my personal cellar and some that i come across through the industry of retail, many wines from my cellar are collector wines that i promise to be brutaly honest as to the drinkability,balance, texture overall optimum drinking,vintage and winery info if available.
I also will be quite honest when it comes to wine faults whether they appear to be viticultuaral or winery or just plane old corked.But also if a winery refuses to replace a corked bottle you shall be informed, so come with me in the search for that perfect drop that you will remember years after the bottle has been picked up for recycling.
all the best on the hunt
from Baume!
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