McLaren Vale 2013

I had the opportunity to visit McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills with some friends over the long weekend here in Australia.  It was nice to be able to go back and see how the styles have changed a bit, just in the 4 or so years since I was last there...It isn't that I haven't had McLaren Vale stuff in the last 4 years..but it is more of what I've had and the lack of trying some of the new stuff that is out...


Wirra Wirra 

Makers of "Church Block" which makes up of about 60% of their production, we came here because my friends really wanted to come here.  Last time I was here most of the stuff was relatively unimpressive but this time there were a few surprises...

Church Block 2011 - This is generally a fairly decent drop for the money but the 2011 feels a bit disjointed.  I was pretty unimpressed overall..it could just be it needs more time in the bottle.

Esperanza Monastrell 2011 - This is the same thing as Mataro/Mouvedre.  Good acidity, medium bodied...some savory notes as well.  Quite a nice Mouvedre and a change from what I've seen from McLaren Vale..both in style and quality for this type of wine....

Catapult Shiraz 2011
Woodhenge Shiraz 2011  Both of these were very competent and well made.  I was actually surprised a bit because last time I hated the Catapult...both of these were a bit more medium bodied than I was expecting and overall pretty reasonable buys.

RSW Shiraz 2010 - Far more medium bodied than I've had in the past.  Reasonably good acidity and a well made wine.  I still think this is way overpriced though at 70RRP.

Angelus Cabernet Sauvginon 2010 - Biggish tannins, ok acidity, big fruit but a pretty decent Cab Sav....but woefully overpriced at 70RRP.


Maximus Wines

I'm not sure why they limit you to 6 tastes here..it seems pretty stupid and quite annoying...it could be you could pay to taste more but just the general idea seems stupid..just charge people or don't charge people....That said, the quality here overall was pretty good and the wines here are well priced and provide very good value with a majority being around 25 RRP (Grenache and Mataro is 30).

Maximus Old Vine Grenache 2011 - This has always been pretty consistent.  A good, solid well made Grenache with good depth and complexity.  I'm not sure it ages terribly well but it is drinking well right now.  I'm not sure why this is their most expensive wine, it must be more popular or cost them more to make but it is on the more expensive side for Grenache in McLaren Vale..but it is pretty good..

Maximus Premium GSM 2011.  A very well made GSM with loads of dark fruit, plums, and pretty good acidity too which is probably coming from the Mouvedre...this is drinking quite nicely right now as well..

Maximus Tempranillo 2010.  I'm generally underwhelmed by Australian Tempranillo...but this one is actually quite good.  Good acidity, really good structure with the tannins there but not overpowering.  Great food wine.  Loads of red fruits, herbs, earthy flavors all in a nice medium bodied wine that has really nice balance and great depth.  This was the best Tempranillo I had on this trip....which includes the Samuels Gorge Tempranillo which seems to get a lot more press.

Maximus Premium Shiraz 2011 - biggish fruit but ok acidity.  Not a complete fruit bomb of old McLaren Vale but you still see signs of it.  Good overall wine, very well made...Not sure this will age but it is going great now..no real reason to.

Maximus Mouvedre 2011 - Another nice Mouvedre out of McLaren Vale.  Good acidity, nice medium bodied earthy wine.  These really do surprise me because they're nothing like what I think of when I think of McLaren Vale...I suppose it being a completely different grape from the norm helps.

Maximus Max Out 2011 - This is their Shiraz Viognier where they're messing around with the name for fun.  No a co-fermented, probably one of the few Shiraz Viogniers where you can feel like there are two wines here.  The Viognier adds a distinct floral note (more so than normal) and a very unusual texture to the wine....It isn't bad..it is quite unusual...I'm not sure I enjoy this particular way of doing it..but it is different and something worth trying.

Maximus Cabernet Shiraz 2011 - A bit of a bright fruit bomb.  Dark fruit with notes of red fruits....To me this is lacking something..it almost feels like it is unoaked but it definitely has spent time in oak...My wife liked this and the Winemaker said this was his favorite...I thought it was ok.

Samuels Gorge
Stuff from here is always really solid..well made..good balance.  A lot of people in MV really like his stuff.  Really passionate winemaker and a lot of people at his Cellar Door...

They're set up a bit better now than when I was there last..easier access, more space...same building just better layout and more people to help serve the wine.

Overall the wines here were all good...I'm not sure any of them are really sticking out to me as far as what I want to buy.  The Tempranillo here is pretty good but I still preferred the one at Maximus...The Grenache was solid as were the Mouvedre and Shiraz...Everything to me was on the very ripe side but well made wines...I think a lot of people would enjoy them...

Tintara/Hardys/Reynella
Located right in the middle of the city...it is actually quite a convenient location which is probably why we ended up stopping by.

Tintara Shiraz 2010
A lot better acidity than I was expecting having had this in the past.  It isn't very good acidity but enough to help support the really supple dark McLaren Vale fruit. A pretty reasonable buy.

Hardys HRB D646
A combination of McLaren Vale and Clare Valley fruit, this was actually quite a bit better than I was expecting.  Full bodied but with pretty good acidity to help balance that out...a tad of mint and red fruits on the palate.  Very fruit forward but a good amount of other stuff going on to balance it out.  \



Shingleback

They have several different lines.  I used this opportunity to try their Red Knot and Haycutters line as well as the other higher end ones.

Red Knot is their 12.50 RRP line.  Most of these were just very ok to not very good at all....It was a good contrast to the rest of their stuff though.

Shingleback Haycutters Shiraz 2011.  Made with a touch of Viognier, this has a RRP of 15 but is definitely a much better wine than that and a HUGE jump over the Red Knot which was only 2.50 cheaper.  Good fruit but not overpowering.  Reasonably decent acidity and tannin structure which really made this wine feel like a much more expensive wine than it was.  It didn't have the depth to make it a great wine and you can see the difference between it and higher end wines..but a good drink now or over the new few years and killer value.

Shingleback Davey Estate 2010 Shiraz.  Another very well made shiraz with great value.  Quite a bit more depth and complexity over the Haycutters and really this is probably more like a 30+ dollar bottle of shiraz.  Dark fruit, good balance, very well crafted...

Shingleback "The Gate" Shiraz 2010.
Big dark fruit that is balanced out by the reasonably good acidity.  Good structure and mouthfeel to this one.  I think these are meant to cellar but it is looking good right now...Priced very well at 35RRP.

Shingleback D Block Shiraz 2010
This is much more McLaren Vale than the things before it..Biggish fruit..soft tannins...really full full bodied but with pretty decent acidity.  Very complex, very nice wine.  If you like Big Fruity Shiraz, this is a pretty good one..and not quite on that port like path..

Shingleback D Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
I'm not really much of a McLaren Vale Cab fan but this was still quite nice.  Bigger tannins, bell pepper notes, biggish fruit...Structure is good...wine is well made..not sure this is the way I'd go for 55 RRP though..

Singleback Unedited Shiraz 2011
Part of the "Scarce Earth" project in McLaren Vale..these wines are made by each winemakers using a special block in their vineyards that best represent what they have and the terroir of the McLaren Vale.
Big big wine, really nice complexity but this starts going into the fruit bomb territory for me...Really nice wine though...deep dark fruits, good structure, wonderful nose....Not sure it is worth the 80RRP but it is a good wine.