Fraser Gallop Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
I've always been a fan of Fraser Gallop. I think their stuff across the board is pretty good and priced quite nicely. I think this normally retails for around 45AUD but Costco has been selling it for around 25..and I saw it today for 20...a real steal at that price.
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a bit of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cab Franc...so a Bordeaux type blend...Very good overall structure, firm but not overpowering tannins, dark fruits on the nose, a decent amount of acidity. Picking up some herbs, chocolate and mulberry leaves....
For the price (at Costco) this is fantastic...
Showing posts with label Margaret River. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Margaret River. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Monday, September 2, 2013
Australia Pinot Day
Not a big fan of Australian Pinot Noir but I know there are some pretty decent wines out there so I attended this event with the aim to try to find some...
What I found was a few producers I hadn't seen...and a few more good BIG Australian Pinots...and a few other Pinots that I thought were really interesting....
Curly Flat "The Curly" 2010
Well known Pinot Noir in Australia...very good structure, decent acidity, but really quite a big fruity Pinot Noir. Well made, good fruit...but I'm not sure I like this style. I had this at an offline and I had the same impression...Good wine, not what I'd buy..
Hillcrest Estate Pinot Noir 2010
Good acid but a bit of a fruity Pinot. Well made. Another relatively big Pinot. I can see what people are trying to do...and yes, this is an enjoyable style...I'm not sure it is what I'm looking for but still well made.
Hillcrest Premium Pinot Noir 2011
I've had the 2010..this was a bit lighter. In general, I think their Pinots are BIG fruit, high acid which gives them the impression they're more medium bodied. They're quite enjoyable...the Premium being a step up in fruit and a step up in acidity and balance as well as complexity.
William Downie Gippsland 2011
Very well balanced Pinot with earthy tones, red fruits, a much more medium bodied but still a little bit on the fuller side. Really nice acidity...This was one of my favorites for the night. Pretty good buy but I they're fairly hard to find as well.
Marchand & Burch "Mt Barrow" 2010
A label made with a Frenchmen bringing Burgundy to WA...they also make a number of Burgundies they bring into Australia. I was a bit surprised as I hadn't had too many Great Southern Pinots..but they're actually quite nice and this is a region to look out for. Really nice complexity, mouthfeel and balance. I bit heavy on the oak but overall, quite nice.
They also had Bannockburn, Lethbridge and a few others...but since I've covered those already I won't cover them here...
On the WEIRD side...
Moss Wood Margaret River Pinot 2009
I have no idea what this is. BIG BIG Fruit, BIG BIG OAK. Medium minus to low acidity...I have no idea what they're doing here...It is a really weird style. The wine is well made in that there aren't any weird flaws..but the style is really odd....I wouldn't call it a Pinot...it is something...
Moss Wood Mornington Peninsula 2010
I'm getting a bit more acid from this but not really....It could be because it isn't quite as big as the MR one...either way, these are really odd wines...They're for people that don't like Pinot Noir and want a big Cab instead......Actually, I'm not sure what the point of these wines are...experimental? I have no idea....
On this night these two out Domaine A'd the Domaine A Pinot..partially cause the Domaine A was probably a little bit corked or something was stripping out some of the fruit...either way....If you like that style of Pinot, there you go...
What I found was a few producers I hadn't seen...and a few more good BIG Australian Pinots...and a few other Pinots that I thought were really interesting....
Curly Flat "The Curly" 2010
Well known Pinot Noir in Australia...very good structure, decent acidity, but really quite a big fruity Pinot Noir. Well made, good fruit...but I'm not sure I like this style. I had this at an offline and I had the same impression...Good wine, not what I'd buy..
Hillcrest Estate Pinot Noir 2010
Good acid but a bit of a fruity Pinot. Well made. Another relatively big Pinot. I can see what people are trying to do...and yes, this is an enjoyable style...I'm not sure it is what I'm looking for but still well made.
Hillcrest Premium Pinot Noir 2011
I've had the 2010..this was a bit lighter. In general, I think their Pinots are BIG fruit, high acid which gives them the impression they're more medium bodied. They're quite enjoyable...the Premium being a step up in fruit and a step up in acidity and balance as well as complexity.
William Downie Gippsland 2011
Very well balanced Pinot with earthy tones, red fruits, a much more medium bodied but still a little bit on the fuller side. Really nice acidity...This was one of my favorites for the night. Pretty good buy but I they're fairly hard to find as well.
Marchand & Burch "Mt Barrow" 2010
A label made with a Frenchmen bringing Burgundy to WA...they also make a number of Burgundies they bring into Australia. I was a bit surprised as I hadn't had too many Great Southern Pinots..but they're actually quite nice and this is a region to look out for. Really nice complexity, mouthfeel and balance. I bit heavy on the oak but overall, quite nice.
They also had Bannockburn, Lethbridge and a few others...but since I've covered those already I won't cover them here...
On the WEIRD side...
Moss Wood Margaret River Pinot 2009
I have no idea what this is. BIG BIG Fruit, BIG BIG OAK. Medium minus to low acidity...I have no idea what they're doing here...It is a really weird style. The wine is well made in that there aren't any weird flaws..but the style is really odd....I wouldn't call it a Pinot...it is something...
Moss Wood Mornington Peninsula 2010
I'm getting a bit more acid from this but not really....It could be because it isn't quite as big as the MR one...either way, these are really odd wines...They're for people that don't like Pinot Noir and want a big Cab instead......Actually, I'm not sure what the point of these wines are...experimental? I have no idea....
On this night these two out Domaine A'd the Domaine A Pinot..partially cause the Domaine A was probably a little bit corked or something was stripping out some of the fruit...either way....If you like that style of Pinot, there you go...
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Margaret River Tasting 2013 - Sydney
This was an event held at Customs House in Circular Quay. I think the last time I was here was two years ago and while I remember there being significantly more wineries present, on the plus side they weren't limited to the number of wines they could present so that was a nice plus.
I've always been a big fan of Margaret River wine...They have a fantastic climate for growing wine, they have a large range of different things they grow there (Counting the greater WA area) where they basically grow all of the major grapes in Australia...Shiraz, Cab Sav, Merlot, Riesling, Sav Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay...even some Pinot Noir and Petit Verdot....
One of the things I've been less than impressed with as far as MR goes is, they love to make Semillon Sauvignon Blanc...I'm not sure why but they do but they do...but one trend I've seen happen is more and more places are starting to use oak barrels to give SSB a bit more depth and complexity and a much better texture than the watery mess I'm used to seeing from there.
Cowaraump Wines
Cowaramup Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Reserve 2011
Really nice mouthfeel to this, good depth and complexity...a bit of passion fruit, lemon, grass, herbs...Really good use of oak..it really does at a lot to this wine and for 25 AUD, it is a really good buy. There is a significant difference between this and their Clownfish line of Sav Blanc Semillon and for only 5 dollars more, it is just a far superior wine.
Cowaramup Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010
I huge step up from their normal Clownfish Cab, great mouthfeel, good acidity..really nice structure to this wine. Dark fruits, herbs, a bit of a leather a bit of earth....At 30 AUD RRP, this is one of the better deals out there.
Fraser Gallop
Fraser Gallop Parterre Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2011.
58% Semillon, 42% Sauvignon Blanc, this wine really has great mouthfeel and texture. The oak really pulls the right flavors out of the Semillon while the Sauvignon Blanc seems to add a bit of lift to it. Some toasty notes, lemon, herbs...For a SSB this is really quite nice. RRP is 36 which is definitely a bit much for a SSB but this IS a good one. I'm also told they only make like 200 cases so this sells out quite quickly.
Fraser Gallop Parterre Chardonnay 2012
Really nice nose, a bit of citrus and nuts...Palate splashes grapefruit, cashews, a bit of honey and lemon. Really nice minerality in this wine...nice restrained use of oak...has a little bit of creaminess but not from any Malo (unless some happened naturally)..Really nice acidity...This is a nice wine and at 32RRP, it is probably underpriced by a bit...Great value...Great Chardonnay from a consistent performer.
Fraser Gallop Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Another really nice wine from their Parterre line...wonderful dark fruit on the nose..some herbs, mint and a bit of earth. Palate has nice acidity, good tannin structure, nice dark fruits coming through and maybe even a tad of eucalyptus and mint...At 42RRP, this is also a really good value.
Honorable mentions:
Xanadu Chardonnay 2010- Wish the Reserve was here but their normal Estate was still pretty good...
Howard Park Leston Cabernet 2010. Really solid, tannins are big (I think every Leston I've tried has been like this) but good acidity, good fruit. Solid wine.
I've always been a big fan of Margaret River wine...They have a fantastic climate for growing wine, they have a large range of different things they grow there (Counting the greater WA area) where they basically grow all of the major grapes in Australia...Shiraz, Cab Sav, Merlot, Riesling, Sav Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay...even some Pinot Noir and Petit Verdot....
One of the things I've been less than impressed with as far as MR goes is, they love to make Semillon Sauvignon Blanc...I'm not sure why but they do but they do...but one trend I've seen happen is more and more places are starting to use oak barrels to give SSB a bit more depth and complexity and a much better texture than the watery mess I'm used to seeing from there.
Cowaraump Wines
Cowaramup Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Reserve 2011
Really nice mouthfeel to this, good depth and complexity...a bit of passion fruit, lemon, grass, herbs...Really good use of oak..it really does at a lot to this wine and for 25 AUD, it is a really good buy. There is a significant difference between this and their Clownfish line of Sav Blanc Semillon and for only 5 dollars more, it is just a far superior wine.
Cowaramup Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010
I huge step up from their normal Clownfish Cab, great mouthfeel, good acidity..really nice structure to this wine. Dark fruits, herbs, a bit of a leather a bit of earth....At 30 AUD RRP, this is one of the better deals out there.
Fraser Gallop
Fraser Gallop Parterre Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2011.
58% Semillon, 42% Sauvignon Blanc, this wine really has great mouthfeel and texture. The oak really pulls the right flavors out of the Semillon while the Sauvignon Blanc seems to add a bit of lift to it. Some toasty notes, lemon, herbs...For a SSB this is really quite nice. RRP is 36 which is definitely a bit much for a SSB but this IS a good one. I'm also told they only make like 200 cases so this sells out quite quickly.
Fraser Gallop Parterre Chardonnay 2012
Really nice nose, a bit of citrus and nuts...Palate splashes grapefruit, cashews, a bit of honey and lemon. Really nice minerality in this wine...nice restrained use of oak...has a little bit of creaminess but not from any Malo (unless some happened naturally)..Really nice acidity...This is a nice wine and at 32RRP, it is probably underpriced by a bit...Great value...Great Chardonnay from a consistent performer.
Fraser Gallop Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Another really nice wine from their Parterre line...wonderful dark fruit on the nose..some herbs, mint and a bit of earth. Palate has nice acidity, good tannin structure, nice dark fruits coming through and maybe even a tad of eucalyptus and mint...At 42RRP, this is also a really good value.
Honorable mentions:
Xanadu Chardonnay 2010- Wish the Reserve was here but their normal Estate was still pretty good...
Howard Park Leston Cabernet 2010. Really solid, tannins are big (I think every Leston I've tried has been like this) but good acidity, good fruit. Solid wine.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Royal Sydney Wine 2013
I've been attending this show each year for the last four or so years..and each year they have their own set of issues...but after this year I'm not sure I'll be attending another one...
The good:
They had a lot of snack foods available which were included in the cost of the ticket (which was more expensive this year but it was well worth having the snacky food in the middle. This was a HUGE improvement over previous years.
They had people pouring the portions (Much more on this in the bad section). Making sure people weren't pouring themselves full glasses of wine was very welcome.
They tried to make it so everyone could get a taste of the Trophy winners. They limited everyone to three tastes within the Trophy room. I think four would've been a better number but I can appreciate what they're trying to do here.
The different classes/tutorials were all open so you could attend multiple tutorials if you wanted..this was a very good idea. They also mixed it up a bit and did ones different from previous years...
They also had a couple of vendors selling other stuff..one of them was Sweetness Patisserie.
http://www.sweetness.com.au/
So a lot of very nice sweet snacky treats to buy at the end of your tasting.....Their Marshmallows and Rocky Road are YUM.
The bread in the snack section was provided by Brasserie Bread. This is the second time I've had their bread and it is excellent.
http://www.brasseriebread.com.au/
The BAD:
I'm not sure what happened but they were missing a LOT of the wine. It wasn't the popular stuff or the award winners..but the NON award winners were nearly non-existent. I'm sure many of these wines don't get too much attention during the show but let's face it, we're there to try different wines and honestly, I could care less if a wine wins a Trophy, Gold or any other award....
If you're going to have people pouring, you need to have enough people. There just weren't enough people pouring and it was rather frustrating seeing them run back and forth all over the place...That plus half the space to try (because they were on the other side of the table, half as many people could be near the table) was probably not a good combination.
Also, if you're going to have them pour..DO NOT HAVE THEM POUR HALF A GLASS. Maybe this is the new trend and I am the one that doesn't get it. But this is a tasting event...you should have enough to taste and move on...this IS NOT a DRINKING EVENT.
If you're going to split up the wines into categories..that's great...But don't end up with a few random ones that for some reason weren't in their spot and ended up in random places in other portions of the hall. There were 3 categories that were basically lost and I have no idea why..it is just poor planning...especially since there was more than enough table room in the hall..there were plenty of empty spots...
The Wine. Overall I was pretty disappointed with the entries this year. It could've just been my palate but I did find some good wines there so I'm not sure that was it...
Wine Highlights:
Tyrell's Vat 1 Semillon 2005. This has been highly touted for a long time but it hadn't really started that transition to an aged Semillon the few times I've had it in the past. This time however, was different. Wonderful honey, toast, lemon, grass and herbs on the nose. First sniff after tasting a few others and I was sure this was going to be good. Palate still had WONDERFUL acidity...but at the same time you really got that slightly petrol, nutty toast, honey, with a touch of lanolin. Very complex and obviously still changing....Big acidity but still some fruit and stuffing to balance it out and keep it going....This one is going another 15 years at least....
Meerea Park Alexander Munro Semillon 2006. I'm not sure what happened here. I tried this because it was there...and in previous tastings the acid was on its way out..not a great amount of development compared to previous AM Semillons....but maybe it was just asleep. Good acidity, great development...There were other Semillons in the same league as this at the time...but I think I was just surprised that this one was so different from previous ones I've had...
Tertini Reserve Pinot Noir 2009.
I finally got to this after wading through several full full bodied Pinots...and what a relief. Medium bodied, red fruit, good acidity, wonderful complexity...Fruit was quite bright but still had some earth and herbs...One of the better Pinots I've had in Australia and the best one at the show...
Briar Ridge Dairy Hill Shiraz 2010. Pepper, herbs, leather and earth on the nose. Medium bodied with very good acidity. True Hunter but clean fruit and silky tannins. This was quite nice.
Pepper Tree Tallavera Limited Hunter Valley Shiraz 2010. Another very Hunter Shiraz. Medium Bodied, very good acidity, wonderful complexity. Bright red fruit, leather, wood and earth. I'm not sure why they don't have this available when you go to their Cellar door but this was very nice.
Other notables:
Thomas Braemore Semillon, 2009, 2008, 2007...Still one of my favorites...great depth early on which makes it enjoyable young...and develops into a very typical aged Semillon....2008 looks like it'll go for awhile...
Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay 2011. Not as good as previous years..but still solid. I think this is just too young...
Overall..the disappointment of not having everything available and slow rate of tasting because it required servers made for a really mediocre time. The food was a good touch and the change in the tutorials was nice as well....Not sure I'll be coming back next year though...
The good:
They had a lot of snack foods available which were included in the cost of the ticket (which was more expensive this year but it was well worth having the snacky food in the middle. This was a HUGE improvement over previous years.
They had people pouring the portions (Much more on this in the bad section). Making sure people weren't pouring themselves full glasses of wine was very welcome.
They tried to make it so everyone could get a taste of the Trophy winners. They limited everyone to three tastes within the Trophy room. I think four would've been a better number but I can appreciate what they're trying to do here.
The different classes/tutorials were all open so you could attend multiple tutorials if you wanted..this was a very good idea. They also mixed it up a bit and did ones different from previous years...
They also had a couple of vendors selling other stuff..one of them was Sweetness Patisserie.
http://www.sweetness.com.au/
So a lot of very nice sweet snacky treats to buy at the end of your tasting.....Their Marshmallows and Rocky Road are YUM.
The bread in the snack section was provided by Brasserie Bread. This is the second time I've had their bread and it is excellent.
http://www.brasseriebread.com.au/
The BAD:
I'm not sure what happened but they were missing a LOT of the wine. It wasn't the popular stuff or the award winners..but the NON award winners were nearly non-existent. I'm sure many of these wines don't get too much attention during the show but let's face it, we're there to try different wines and honestly, I could care less if a wine wins a Trophy, Gold or any other award....
If you're going to have people pouring, you need to have enough people. There just weren't enough people pouring and it was rather frustrating seeing them run back and forth all over the place...That plus half the space to try (because they were on the other side of the table, half as many people could be near the table) was probably not a good combination.
Also, if you're going to have them pour..DO NOT HAVE THEM POUR HALF A GLASS. Maybe this is the new trend and I am the one that doesn't get it. But this is a tasting event...you should have enough to taste and move on...this IS NOT a DRINKING EVENT.
If you're going to split up the wines into categories..that's great...But don't end up with a few random ones that for some reason weren't in their spot and ended up in random places in other portions of the hall. There were 3 categories that were basically lost and I have no idea why..it is just poor planning...especially since there was more than enough table room in the hall..there were plenty of empty spots...
The Wine. Overall I was pretty disappointed with the entries this year. It could've just been my palate but I did find some good wines there so I'm not sure that was it...
Wine Highlights:
Tyrell's Vat 1 Semillon 2005. This has been highly touted for a long time but it hadn't really started that transition to an aged Semillon the few times I've had it in the past. This time however, was different. Wonderful honey, toast, lemon, grass and herbs on the nose. First sniff after tasting a few others and I was sure this was going to be good. Palate still had WONDERFUL acidity...but at the same time you really got that slightly petrol, nutty toast, honey, with a touch of lanolin. Very complex and obviously still changing....Big acidity but still some fruit and stuffing to balance it out and keep it going....This one is going another 15 years at least....
Meerea Park Alexander Munro Semillon 2006. I'm not sure what happened here. I tried this because it was there...and in previous tastings the acid was on its way out..not a great amount of development compared to previous AM Semillons....but maybe it was just asleep. Good acidity, great development...There were other Semillons in the same league as this at the time...but I think I was just surprised that this one was so different from previous ones I've had...
Tertini Reserve Pinot Noir 2009.
I finally got to this after wading through several full full bodied Pinots...and what a relief. Medium bodied, red fruit, good acidity, wonderful complexity...Fruit was quite bright but still had some earth and herbs...One of the better Pinots I've had in Australia and the best one at the show...
Briar Ridge Dairy Hill Shiraz 2010. Pepper, herbs, leather and earth on the nose. Medium bodied with very good acidity. True Hunter but clean fruit and silky tannins. This was quite nice.
Pepper Tree Tallavera Limited Hunter Valley Shiraz 2010. Another very Hunter Shiraz. Medium Bodied, very good acidity, wonderful complexity. Bright red fruit, leather, wood and earth. I'm not sure why they don't have this available when you go to their Cellar door but this was very nice.
Other notables:
Thomas Braemore Semillon, 2009, 2008, 2007...Still one of my favorites...great depth early on which makes it enjoyable young...and develops into a very typical aged Semillon....2008 looks like it'll go for awhile...
Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay 2011. Not as good as previous years..but still solid. I think this is just too young...
Overall..the disappointment of not having everything available and slow rate of tasting because it required servers made for a really mediocre time. The food was a good touch and the change in the tutorials was nice as well....Not sure I'll be coming back next year though...
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