Hillcrest is a relatively small winery that does a vast majority of its business via mail order. If they haven't sold out (which they generally do each year) you can visit them by appointment.
Once a year they do an open day where they have 60 some odd wines available to taste, a few specials here and there, the off chance to by a few back vintages and they provide some nice little nibbles for people to snack on.
Hillcrest is generally known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but they also have a pretty decent Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot if you have a chance to try those.
Impressions:
Their open day, while not huge, is really very nice. Plenty of different things to try, spit buckets and food...Really all you can ask for.
They had Chardonnays back to about 2004, Village, Estate, Premium and even one Reserve.
They had Pinots back to 2001, Village, Estate, Premium and one Reserve.
They had about 8-10 Cabernet Sauvignons and about 8-10 Merlots.
One thing I really like about their Chardonnays is they're very acid driven..they still have oak..they avoid Malo but I think some happens naturally...Either way, it has great depth and complexity...and they age very nicely...
The highlight of the Chardonnays for me was the 2010 Reserve....Really great mouthfeel, texture, great acid, great fruit that soaked up whatever oak was used...really complex, complete wine. They rarely make a Reserve Chardonnay...apparently only in the best of years but this was looking really good.
2012 Chardonnay Cleanskin. I didn't ask why they had them..I assume they had such a good year they had more than they wanted to bottle under their village label..either way, really nice chardonnay that I end up getting for less than 10 dollars a bottle..
Pinot Noir Reserve 2006. I've been wanting to try this awhile, I'm glad I got the chance. Bigger fruit but but very elegant mouthfeel. Great use of oak, very good acidity, nice texture overall. There are things (a bit of rubber) that makes me think Australian Pinot..but it isn't that noticeable and adds complexity instead of takes away from the wine..this is very well done...
Overall impressions - Most of the Chardonnays are top notch...I think I thought one was a little on the light side w/ acidity but pretty much everything across the board Chardonnay wise was very good...consistently good with great acid, great mouthfeel..the difference between the Village, Estate, Premium and Reserve was really the depth of the wine and little quality differences.
Pinot was a bit less consistent...I think some early Pinots were not good at all..very Australian Pinot, Rubbery bleh...They didn't have the right mouthfeel and weren't done properly .When they got to around 2003/2004 it started changing a bit. Better overall quality, better mouthfeel, they looked like they'd age better as well. After 2004 they were all pretty nice..the quality was excellent....The Premium 2010 was very good..I think the only one I thought maybe shouldn't have been made was the 2011 Village Pinot...
Cabernet and Merlot..both were quite interesting..very good expression of fruit...I think the Cabernets were consistently better for me..but there were a few very nice Merlots as well...I think the issue I'd have is they don't stack up price wise.....
For anyone that lives around the area I'd definitely suggest making time to go out there....Heck, one guy even took public transport and walked a few k to get there...
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Scarce Earth 2012 - McLaren Vale
Scare Earth is a project created by the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association. It was created to explore the diversity of the region to better understand Shiraz, the interaction with the weather as well as the geology, toplogy, etc.
The general idea is:
100% Shiraz
Not too much oak influence
Reflection of the Terroir
Many different wineries submit their wines to be part of the Scarce Earth project, some are made especially for it. They're then selection each year by a panel for that years Scare Earth Single Block Shiraz. They're not selected for quality but for how they're reflecting that part of the region...but that said...
Pretty much every wine in this project is going to be good...As much as they say it isn't about quality, I feel quality would be impossible to pass up. These are all obvious labors of love...more so than their normal wine because in a lot of cases, they're not making money on these wines..these are their fun projects.
Here are the wines for the McLaren Vale Scare Earth 2012 Single Block Shiraz.
Battle of Bosworth 2012 Braden's Single Vineyard Shiraz.
Coriole 2012 Galaxidia Shiraz
Coriole 2012 Willunga 1920 Shiraz
Chapel Hill 2012 The Chosen House Block Shriaz
Chapel Hill 2012 The Chosen Road Block Shiraz
d'Arenberg 2012 Tyche's Mustard Single Vineyard Shiraz
d'Arenberg 2012 The Eith Iron Single Vineyard Shiraz
d"Arenberg 2012 The Amaranthine Single Vineyard Shiraz
Dowie Doole 2012 The Fruit of the Vine - The Architect Shiraz
cradle of hills Mclaren Vale 2012 ROW 23 Shiraz
Five Views Vineyard 2012 Creepers Cut Out Shiraz
Gemtree Vineyards 2012 Stage 7 Shiraz
Fork in the Road 2012 Shiraz
Hugh Hamilton 2012 Black Blood I Shiraz
Hugh Hamilton 2012 Black Blood II Shiraz
Hugh Hamilton 2012 Black Blood III Shiraz
Haselgrove 2012 The Ambassador Single Vineyard Shiraz
Maxwell Wines 2012 Eocene Ancient Earth Shiraz
Mr. Riggs 2012 Scarce Earth Shiraz
Kangarilla Road 2012 Alluvial Clays Shiraz
Penny's Hill 2012 Penny's Hill "Footprint" Shiraz
Shingleback 2012 Unedited Shiraz
Vinerock 2012 Shiraz
Wirra Wirra 2012 Whaite Old Block Shiraz
Shottesbrooke 2012 Single Vineyard Shiraz Blewitt Springs
The wines that stood out to me were:
d'Arenberg 2012 Tyche's Mustard
d'Arenberg 2012 The Amarathine
Both of these exhibited really good acid...firm tannins...very complex fruit and mouthfeel. Relatively big wines but well structured.
Gemtree Vineyards 2012 Stage 7 Shiraz
Good acidity, dark fruits, good overall structure. The RRP on this is only 35 which makes this a very good buy.
Wirra Wirra 2012 Whaite Old Block Shiraz
I'm not really a Wirra fan...I'm still waiting for that RSW that I think is good..but this wine IS good..very good. Good acid, firm but fine tannins, layers of dark fruit, a lot of complexity, great mouthfeel...This wine is very good. RRP is 130 though.
One thing I noticed was a lot of the wines exhibited really good acidity...but I'm pretty sure a lot of them were adding acid...I got to the point where I ended up just asking..some sort of dodged the question, some said they did acid adjustments but wouldn't say if it was done on this wine..just that they will do acid adjustments...Some just said they don't do that at all...*shrug*. I'm a bit iffy on the whole subject...On one hand, it can allow them to make a better wine..on the other, I don't want to see wine turn into a can of coke...
Overall I love the concept of this project...I do wish they put a bit more restrictions around the wine but I'm sure this has to do with the fact that these places still need to make money so they need to make wine that they believe they can sell..fair enough. The other issue is you might have a similar block of land with similar geology and weather, etc....but the wines can be completely different...it becomes very difficult to get a history and understanding without keeping some variables somewhat constant...Or if not that, I'd love to see these guys/gals, who are obviously all fairly good friends with each other, split up some of these blocks and have another winemaker make wine from it...Probably not as easy as it sounds but it would definitely be something fun, something interesting..a great comparison....In any case, they're gathering a lot of data and getting a very good understanding of what they're working with, the material, the geology, etc, and how it may impact their wine or wine that will be made in the future...and I think they're enjoying themselves too which is great to see..
The general idea is:
100% Shiraz
Not too much oak influence
Reflection of the Terroir
Many different wineries submit their wines to be part of the Scarce Earth project, some are made especially for it. They're then selection each year by a panel for that years Scare Earth Single Block Shiraz. They're not selected for quality but for how they're reflecting that part of the region...but that said...
Pretty much every wine in this project is going to be good...As much as they say it isn't about quality, I feel quality would be impossible to pass up. These are all obvious labors of love...more so than their normal wine because in a lot of cases, they're not making money on these wines..these are their fun projects.
Here are the wines for the McLaren Vale Scare Earth 2012 Single Block Shiraz.
Battle of Bosworth 2012 Braden's Single Vineyard Shiraz.
Coriole 2012 Galaxidia Shiraz
Coriole 2012 Willunga 1920 Shiraz
Chapel Hill 2012 The Chosen House Block Shriaz
Chapel Hill 2012 The Chosen Road Block Shiraz
d'Arenberg 2012 Tyche's Mustard Single Vineyard Shiraz
d'Arenberg 2012 The Eith Iron Single Vineyard Shiraz
d"Arenberg 2012 The Amaranthine Single Vineyard Shiraz
Dowie Doole 2012 The Fruit of the Vine - The Architect Shiraz
cradle of hills Mclaren Vale 2012 ROW 23 Shiraz
Five Views Vineyard 2012 Creepers Cut Out Shiraz
Gemtree Vineyards 2012 Stage 7 Shiraz
Fork in the Road 2012 Shiraz
Hugh Hamilton 2012 Black Blood I Shiraz
Hugh Hamilton 2012 Black Blood II Shiraz
Hugh Hamilton 2012 Black Blood III Shiraz
Haselgrove 2012 The Ambassador Single Vineyard Shiraz
Maxwell Wines 2012 Eocene Ancient Earth Shiraz
Mr. Riggs 2012 Scarce Earth Shiraz
Kangarilla Road 2012 Alluvial Clays Shiraz
Penny's Hill 2012 Penny's Hill "Footprint" Shiraz
Shingleback 2012 Unedited Shiraz
Vinerock 2012 Shiraz
Wirra Wirra 2012 Whaite Old Block Shiraz
Shottesbrooke 2012 Single Vineyard Shiraz Blewitt Springs
The wines that stood out to me were:
d'Arenberg 2012 Tyche's Mustard
d'Arenberg 2012 The Amarathine
Both of these exhibited really good acid...firm tannins...very complex fruit and mouthfeel. Relatively big wines but well structured.
Gemtree Vineyards 2012 Stage 7 Shiraz
Good acidity, dark fruits, good overall structure. The RRP on this is only 35 which makes this a very good buy.
Wirra Wirra 2012 Whaite Old Block Shiraz
I'm not really a Wirra fan...I'm still waiting for that RSW that I think is good..but this wine IS good..very good. Good acid, firm but fine tannins, layers of dark fruit, a lot of complexity, great mouthfeel...This wine is very good. RRP is 130 though.
One thing I noticed was a lot of the wines exhibited really good acidity...but I'm pretty sure a lot of them were adding acid...I got to the point where I ended up just asking..some sort of dodged the question, some said they did acid adjustments but wouldn't say if it was done on this wine..just that they will do acid adjustments...Some just said they don't do that at all...*shrug*. I'm a bit iffy on the whole subject...On one hand, it can allow them to make a better wine..on the other, I don't want to see wine turn into a can of coke...
Overall I love the concept of this project...I do wish they put a bit more restrictions around the wine but I'm sure this has to do with the fact that these places still need to make money so they need to make wine that they believe they can sell..fair enough. The other issue is you might have a similar block of land with similar geology and weather, etc....but the wines can be completely different...it becomes very difficult to get a history and understanding without keeping some variables somewhat constant...Or if not that, I'd love to see these guys/gals, who are obviously all fairly good friends with each other, split up some of these blocks and have another winemaker make wine from it...Probably not as easy as it sounds but it would definitely be something fun, something interesting..a great comparison....In any case, they're gathering a lot of data and getting a very good understanding of what they're working with, the material, the geology, etc, and how it may impact their wine or wine that will be made in the future...and I think they're enjoying themselves too which is great to see..
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Langtons Sydney Classification VI 2014
Langtons has done three tastings of their Classifications and all three have been done very well..
I only attended the non Exceptional categories...
Highlights:
Maurice O'Shea Vertical. I love when wineries do this because it really gives you the opportunity to try several different versions of their wine at once. In this case they did 94, 98, 99, 2000, 2003, 2009. My favorite of the bunch was the 1998...Great acid, good structure, a bit of leather and dirt, red fruits, a bit of tannin structure still there...great wine. My least favorite was the 2000 which was overly tannic (a huge style change) and in a very awkward place.
Bests Thomson Family 2012 - Great wine. Great structure, wonderful fruit. Acid in the right spot, tannins in the right spot..fantastic complexity....A bit on the expensive side but a very good wine.
Wendouree Cabernet Malbec 2012. My pick of the Shiraz/Malbec (which was almost sweet and VERY approachable), the Shiraz Mataro (Still very approachable) and straight Cabernet Sauvignon which is generally my least favorite Wendouree. Great acidity and firm tannins, red fruit, mint, a bit of eucalyptus, herbs, spices..really great wine. I'm really convinced the Cabernet Malbec is the best of the whole bunch (which includes the straight Shiraz).
Langmeil Freedom 2010. Big fruit but at the same time, great acid, great overall structure. Bigger wine than I'd generally like but the acidity really helped carry this through. Dark fruits, spices, herbs, noticeable oak but the wine carries it well. The tannins are there telling you it'll be around awhile but they're not so aggressive as to make this undrinkable. The acid gives it great freshness. I'm not sure if they added acid here given they're at 15% alcohol and 6.9g/L of acidity...but either way, the wine is looking quite good and while not my top 3 for the night, it was my biggest surprise of the night. Apparently these vines used for this wine are well over 100 years old. I'm not sure I'd buy it at 100/bottle but still, I'd be happy to drink it.
Yeringberg 2011. A very elegant version of Yeringberg. Red fruits, good acidity, softer tannins..no sign of being unripe though. I was actually expecting something pretty bad but they did an excellent job of making this. Not typical of what I think of Yeringberg but still a very good wine given the vintage conditions.
Kilikanoon Oracle 2010.
Another big wine that surprised me. Coming through with mint, dark fruits but really good acidity to balance out this normally large large red. I'm certain a lot of these places are starting to add acid but few will actually admit to it. Either way, this is drinking quite nicely. Great complexity, really nice wine...
Penfolds St. Henri 2010.
This has had so much press lately, I tried to approach this with as little bias as possible. First thing - the structure. Big tannins but not overly aggressive tannins. Good acidity, surprising acidity. Fruit is VERY VERY young. Because they don't use new oak, just very large barrel old oak, I'm not picking up any oak at all and that is probably contributing to the mouthfeel and the freshness of the fruit. The fruit itself is very complex, dark and red fruits, some spice, a hint of mocha, but still, very young. To be quite honest, I don't feel like this is showing well right now...and given all other St. Henri's, that's probably right. It isn't supposed to be drinking well right now..and it really isn't. That said, I know this will age, Penfolds wine generally does age very well. St. Henri in particular, has a long history of aging very well. Some critics are calling this quite possibly the best St. Henri ever...is it? I don't know. I do know it has great structure, great fruit and given the pedigree, I'm sure this will end up being a fantastic wine..but it'll probably be 2030+ before you should drink it...
Chambers Rosewood Rare Muscat.
I've never had this but I know it is supposed to be great..and let me tell you, it is great. Huge complexity, wonderful mouthfeel....In general I find there are a lot of very good rare muscats..this one is just a step above those. At the same time, this is probably 4-5 times more expensive. Worth trying if you get the opportunity, definitely worth trying.
Other honorable mentions: Tyrrells Vat 1 2008- Young, maybe too young, but a great Semillon. This will be great in another 10 years.
Lakes Folly Cabernet Blend 2011. Great acidity, great Lakes Folly...Might be their best one in awhile.
Bowen Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. A great comeback after a really poor 2011. Probably one of the best values out there at 25/bottle. Great acid but still very Coonawarra.
I only attended the non Exceptional categories...
Highlights:
Maurice O'Shea Vertical. I love when wineries do this because it really gives you the opportunity to try several different versions of their wine at once. In this case they did 94, 98, 99, 2000, 2003, 2009. My favorite of the bunch was the 1998...Great acid, good structure, a bit of leather and dirt, red fruits, a bit of tannin structure still there...great wine. My least favorite was the 2000 which was overly tannic (a huge style change) and in a very awkward place.
Bests Thomson Family 2012 - Great wine. Great structure, wonderful fruit. Acid in the right spot, tannins in the right spot..fantastic complexity....A bit on the expensive side but a very good wine.
Wendouree Cabernet Malbec 2012. My pick of the Shiraz/Malbec (which was almost sweet and VERY approachable), the Shiraz Mataro (Still very approachable) and straight Cabernet Sauvignon which is generally my least favorite Wendouree. Great acidity and firm tannins, red fruit, mint, a bit of eucalyptus, herbs, spices..really great wine. I'm really convinced the Cabernet Malbec is the best of the whole bunch (which includes the straight Shiraz).
Langmeil Freedom 2010. Big fruit but at the same time, great acid, great overall structure. Bigger wine than I'd generally like but the acidity really helped carry this through. Dark fruits, spices, herbs, noticeable oak but the wine carries it well. The tannins are there telling you it'll be around awhile but they're not so aggressive as to make this undrinkable. The acid gives it great freshness. I'm not sure if they added acid here given they're at 15% alcohol and 6.9g/L of acidity...but either way, the wine is looking quite good and while not my top 3 for the night, it was my biggest surprise of the night. Apparently these vines used for this wine are well over 100 years old. I'm not sure I'd buy it at 100/bottle but still, I'd be happy to drink it.
Yeringberg 2011. A very elegant version of Yeringberg. Red fruits, good acidity, softer tannins..no sign of being unripe though. I was actually expecting something pretty bad but they did an excellent job of making this. Not typical of what I think of Yeringberg but still a very good wine given the vintage conditions.
Kilikanoon Oracle 2010.
Another big wine that surprised me. Coming through with mint, dark fruits but really good acidity to balance out this normally large large red. I'm certain a lot of these places are starting to add acid but few will actually admit to it. Either way, this is drinking quite nicely. Great complexity, really nice wine...
Penfolds St. Henri 2010.
This has had so much press lately, I tried to approach this with as little bias as possible. First thing - the structure. Big tannins but not overly aggressive tannins. Good acidity, surprising acidity. Fruit is VERY VERY young. Because they don't use new oak, just very large barrel old oak, I'm not picking up any oak at all and that is probably contributing to the mouthfeel and the freshness of the fruit. The fruit itself is very complex, dark and red fruits, some spice, a hint of mocha, but still, very young. To be quite honest, I don't feel like this is showing well right now...and given all other St. Henri's, that's probably right. It isn't supposed to be drinking well right now..and it really isn't. That said, I know this will age, Penfolds wine generally does age very well. St. Henri in particular, has a long history of aging very well. Some critics are calling this quite possibly the best St. Henri ever...is it? I don't know. I do know it has great structure, great fruit and given the pedigree, I'm sure this will end up being a fantastic wine..but it'll probably be 2030+ before you should drink it...
Chambers Rosewood Rare Muscat.
I've never had this but I know it is supposed to be great..and let me tell you, it is great. Huge complexity, wonderful mouthfeel....In general I find there are a lot of very good rare muscats..this one is just a step above those. At the same time, this is probably 4-5 times more expensive. Worth trying if you get the opportunity, definitely worth trying.
Other honorable mentions: Tyrrells Vat 1 2008- Young, maybe too young, but a great Semillon. This will be great in another 10 years.
Lakes Folly Cabernet Blend 2011. Great acidity, great Lakes Folly...Might be their best one in awhile.
Bowen Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. A great comeback after a really poor 2011. Probably one of the best values out there at 25/bottle. Great acid but still very Coonawarra.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Hill of Grace 2009, Penfolds Grange 2009
The two main iconic wines in Australia. There have been a few others that have tried to gain the recognition of these two but nothing really comes close to the long line of proven success, ability to age and quality these have had.
Henschke Hill of Grace 2009
Intoxicating nose of herbs, spices, mocha, dark berries...Really quite an inviting nose...reminds me of their Mount Edelstone but more intense, more complex....On the palate you get hit with the power but elegance of the wine. To me it lacks the acidity I want and the wine is just to plushy but at the same time, the wine shows great power and intensity but at the same time it isn't smacking me around either. Dark fruits, dark chocolate, five spice and this minty herb thing hits my palate and sticks there for a long long finish. A really great wine. Not exactly the style I like but there is no doubting the quality and enjoyment one will get from this wine...
Penfolds Grange 2009
Following 2008 was always going to be hard....Powerful nose of dark fruit but not a lot of complexity..picking up quite a bit of oak on the nose....This is probably the most approachable Grange I've had yet....Dark fruits, reasonably good acidity, good tannin structure but not a huge structured beast that some Granges can be....Obviously a very well made wine but the HoG was just far better at this stage and it really overshadowed what I was getting from the wine. The Grange still had power but definitely very approachable...far more elegance at this stage than I would have expected and for Grange I'm not sure that is right...
Henschke Hill of Grace 2009
Intoxicating nose of herbs, spices, mocha, dark berries...Really quite an inviting nose...reminds me of their Mount Edelstone but more intense, more complex....On the palate you get hit with the power but elegance of the wine. To me it lacks the acidity I want and the wine is just to plushy but at the same time, the wine shows great power and intensity but at the same time it isn't smacking me around either. Dark fruits, dark chocolate, five spice and this minty herb thing hits my palate and sticks there for a long long finish. A really great wine. Not exactly the style I like but there is no doubting the quality and enjoyment one will get from this wine...
Penfolds Grange 2009
Following 2008 was always going to be hard....Powerful nose of dark fruit but not a lot of complexity..picking up quite a bit of oak on the nose....This is probably the most approachable Grange I've had yet....Dark fruits, reasonably good acidity, good tannin structure but not a huge structured beast that some Granges can be....Obviously a very well made wine but the HoG was just far better at this stage and it really overshadowed what I was getting from the wine. The Grange still had power but definitely very approachable...far more elegance at this stage than I would have expected and for Grange I'm not sure that is right...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)