Hidden Creek 1999 Shiraz

I bought a case of this wine last December at an extremely good price. The winery wanted them gone and I was willing to assist. Hidden Creek winery is on the Eukey road, east of Ballandean on Queensland’s Granite Belt. It’s changed hands over the last couple of years, which makes this wine a product of the previous management and vigneron.

For a `99 Shiraz, grown and made on the Granite Belt, this wine has a remarkable life. Nine years old as I write this, it has a peppery nose, reminiscent of blackberries or raisins. The initial tasting reminds me of 80% cocoa dark chocolate, or a fine liqueur-type tea. Yes, tannin is still evident, leaving one’s palate a little dusty-dry, but wanting more. As the wine breathes over a half hour or so, it’s character changes to a more mellow nose of crushed raisins, the tannic palate softens and strangely, the peppery dark chocolate and coffee flavours become more evident. This is a wine, not a mocha, but the impression is unmistakable.

This is a wine for drinking with food. A piquant, matured cheddar and savoury biscuits, a few kalamata olives, perhaps with an anchovy & pepperoni pizza. It’s a pleasant drop when accompanied and really needs to be allowed to breathe to enjoy it’s real character.

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2005 Symphony Hill Shiraz

Taken from the Symphony Hill website:

“Breathe in the scent of raspberries, cinnamon and white pepper. Savour the yummy flavours of berries, plum and mocha. Best enjoyed at a fabulous (if not wild) dinner party dining on Moroccan lamb and listening to jazz into the midnight hour.”

I’d suggest raspberries and blackberries. The nose is somewhat stronger than simply calling it ‘raspberries’. The colour is not quite plum red, but very close. Palate? Light and almost citrus which is surprising for a two year old southern Queensland Shiraz. The after-palate is definitely peppery with a subtle astringency which infers youth. This wine probably wouldn’t cellar more than five years before losing its character, but it is an excellent drop with light roasts, stews and barbecued meat & veg. In fact, it’s an excellent drop to simply quaff on its own.

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Cheviot Bridge, Long Flat Destinations Pinot Noir 2006

Another Sunday arvo sup. Dropped by the local wine barn, where all manner of wine from Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1989 at $900/bottle to De Bortilli Chateau de Cardboard may be found.

I wanted another light red, but not as rosey as the last wine I tried out. A Pinot, I decided. I settled on the Cheviot Bridge, Long Flat Destinations Pinot Noir 2006. Cheviot Bridge is an ex-Tyrrell’s concern situated in the Victorian high country, taken over in 2000 by an investor group under the umbrella of Cheviot Asset Management Pty Limited, a member of a family of Cheviot corporates providing services to the wine industry via sales, marketing and viticulture management arms.

Reading through the website gives one an impression that this business - and it is a business - has been re-constructed from one of wine for wine’s sake to one where high quality, eminently drinkable wines are grown and made for the general consumer marketplace, and export. Cheviot Bridge is by no means a boutique concern specialising in any one style. Still, that’s how viticulture seems to have evolved in Australia, and no doubt, many other places around the globe. It seems that globalisation tends to strip away the desire to create something one-off, special and unique. The mass market is clearly the way to go from a business perspective.

That said, I find the Pinot Noir especially pleasant, being of a cherry red colour, not at all dark. A nose redolent with cherry & strawberry tangs, even a subtle citrus and fresh sawdust make themselves known. The palate is again heavily cherry and citrus with a back palate revealing the oaking it’s had, but not overly so. The tannins are evident, which isn’t surprising given it’s age, but again, not at all unpleasant. There’s even a hint of smokey overtones long after the finish.

I wouldn’t say this is an outstanding Pinot, but it is very drinkable. I certainly wouldn’t spit in distaste because it deserves some accolades for at least portraying what it is. A simple, honest wine with no pretensions to being any more than a pleasant drop on a Sunday afternoon.

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Banrock Station White Shiraz 2006

I spotted this one in the local while hunting for something for a Friday evening glass of red. I wasn’t really up for anything full-bodied and must admit to leaning more & more towards the lighter styles, the Pinots and Viogniers. Hell, I even sampled a cleanskin Shiraz/Viognier blend earlier in the week. Something of a departure from the usual for me.

This Banrock Station attracted me because I’ve yet to find a white shiraz that I haven’t liked. This one doesn’t disappoint. Here’s the blurb from the website:

Light rose petal in colour, the Banrock Station White Shiraz displays fresh lifted strawberry fruit with floral and jasmine aromas. The semi sweet palate abounds with strawberry flavours and reveals a lovely zesty finish. The 2003 Banrock Station White Shiraz is the first national release of this wine. Produced entirely from Shiraz grapes, the fruit was gently pressed in an air bag press to prevent harsh tannins and colour from being extracted. Already a tremendous success in the UK and the USA, the White Shiraz is ideal for alfresco dining and picnics. A screw cap closure ensures freshness of flavour is retained.

Light rose indeed, tending to be even paler than your palest Rosé. The nose is heavily redolent of strawberries and even the faintest whiff of honey. The palate is two-fold. Sweet strawberries, honey and citrus flavours but no one overwhelming the other. The finish is clean, but I wouldn’t say crisp, tending to linger on and invade the upper portions of the palate even to the point of creating an olfactory sensation in the back of one’s nose. Most enjoyable at room temperature and not cloyingly sweet, in case you were thinking it may be.

It’s suggested to enjoy this wine chilled, and it would make an excellent accompaniment to a meaty fish or poultry or lamb. Frankly, I’m enjoying it at room temperature. This one’s a definite score.

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Arrogant Frog 2005 Ribet Red

Another French import, which seems to indicate France either has a glut or they’re simply unloading their lesser vintages onto the export market. This one I scored as payback for a family favour. Payback it certainly is. Normally, when given a bottle of anything, I’m grateful, but in this case, I’d really rather have passed up on the freebie. I’m writing this as I sup on the last of the bottle, and before you claim it can’t be too bad if I drank the whole bottle, I’ll clarify by saying that I was hoping the flavour would be better on day two after having breathed overnight. No such luck.

This wine is a 2005 Cabernet-Merlot blended 55%-45%, and it shows. The Merlot overpowers whatever character the Cabernet had, which makes me wonder why it’s been blended so strongly toward the Merlot. Was the Cabernet that rough it needed belting down and muzzling? On the Arrogant Frog website, the 2006 Ribet Red blurb reads:

Nice techo stuff and some froth & bubble about screw caps and fruit-driven aroma but nothing about the wine itself. Trust me, this wine has amnesia. It doesn’t know what it is, or even what it once was. It’s trying hard to be honest, but it clearly has a flawed past and this shows through almost from the first sip. Fruity, yes, but fruit which has been left on too long and seeds in the mix waaay too long. The tanin is strong despite the Merlot. The nose is berries but not really discernible. The after taste on day one wasn’t unpleasant, but lacked character. On day two, it’s downright vinegary.

Look, I suppose on a hot summers day, taken chilled to within an inch of it’s liquidity and imbibed during a barbecue, this wouldn’t be too bad. It can’t breathe so quaff away to your hearts content, but don’t go back for seconds tomorrow.

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Cavalier Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

I rarely drink fizzy stuff, but must confess to being partial to a crisp, cold Yellowglen Brut. Still, on the weekend just gone I had the hankering for a crisp, dry sparkling and decided to yield to the urge.

This import was on the shelf in the chiller at the staggeringly enticing price of $5.99. Well, when you’re after a cold drop to satisfy an urge on a Sunday arvo, why spend $20.00 when cheaper will do. This selection didn’t disappoint either.Served well chilled, this was a very refreshing drop with a mild ‘creamy’ mouthfeel and a palate reminiscent of peaches. The finish was dry but not what I’d call a brut finish. Being a blend, one can’t expect a whole lot, but it did satisfy the urge in a very pleasing manner.

I found a brief review on an English bulk booze house’s site.

Tasting Notes: Light dry and fruity with a hint of creaminess and a reasonably persistent sparkle.
Producer: Cavalier
Method of Production: Made from a blend of wines from around France this fizz has a light consistent style. Made by the traditional ‘cuvee close’ the wine undergoes its second fermentation in pressurised tanks. The wine rests on its yeast lees taking creamy texture and a little yeasty flavour complexity. The wine was bottled under pressure.
Vintage:
Food Choice: Drink as an aperitif or mix with orange juice.
Grape Mix:
Region:
Percentage Alcohol: 10%

Drink immediately if cold, can’t cellar, and don’t expect too much. Interestingly, if you buy from the French side of the channel, this stuff will set you back £1.99, which at today’s exchange, equates to A$4.84. I paid $5.99 so given the import and retail merchants need top make something, this drop must be less than $3.00 to land in Oz in any quantity. If you were to buy this on the Pommie side of the channel, it’s £4.69 or A$11.41. Not a bad bargain really.

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Red Serenade 2006 - Symphony Hill Wines

On Queensland’s Southern Granite Belt, half-way between Ballandean and Eukey to be more precise, sits one of the most expansive and probably most expensive to establish wineries on the Southern Downs.

Symphony Hill Wines wouldn’t challenge Sirromet, for example, as biggest wine producer in the district, but they certainly are streets ahead in quality. As a recommendation to anyone wanting to know which wineries to visit & which not to waste time on when on the Granite Belt, I’d strongly suggest Symphony Hill be near the top, if not AT the top of any list to visit.

The current owners have gone into their project in a massive way for what is essentially a boutique winery. They treat the process of grape production and wine making as an absolute science. The end results speak for themselves.

Red Serenade is both simplistic and complex at the same time. In fact, it’s what you need it to be. A light red, it’s not quite a Pinot and not a Shiraz. It’s too heavy to be a Rose`. In fact. it’s a blend of lighter reds bottled before maturation is complete. The end product is an eminently drinkable wine of the quaffing style, suited very much to the barbeque, or the fireplace with cheeses and crackers.

The nose is lightly spiced, tending to the tartish, while the palate is strong with raspberry flavours, a faint mouth-fizz, a lingering semi-sweetness and musky after tones of subtle oaking. This is an extremely pleasant wine which will have you wanting more.

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Whisky Gully - 2005 Division Bell Shiraz

Whiskey Gully Wines is a smallish family run concern, just under 10 klicks south from Stanthorpe on Queensland’s Granite Belt. This region of southern border Queensland has become reknown for some of the better boutique wineries in Australia. Whiskey Gully is one of the older vineyards, and as such, produces some of the better wines.

This wine is full-bodied for a Shiraz, with a nose heavy in spice, leaving a definite impression on one’s olfactory senses. The palate is surprisingly subtle, being somewhat heavy in berry flavours, but not particularly strong in any one memory. If pushed, I’d have to say cranberry. A little tart from the tannin, but a very slight…..VERY slight tang of raspberry. I have to admit that the nose put me off as “oh, you’re one of those wines” but the palate and overall appeal was quite surprising.

Definitely a meal wine, suitable with pork, game, turkey or escargot.

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Cleanskin Shiraz 2005

Obtained from the local bottleshop, this tipple and many others of it’s style, type, vintage not to mention the cleanskin whites, are all worthy of a mention here.

Just because a wine carries no pretty picture or poetic description on its label, is no valid reason to spurn it as rubbish. This drop, from South Eastern Australia as the label tells us, is most likely from either the Hunter Valley region, or the Victorian Goulburn wine region. Judging from its character and flavour, I’d say it was a Hunter Valley wine.

The glut of quality table wines on the domestic marketplace in Australia from the 2005 and 2006 seasons has seen a marked increase in cleanskins as a means of simply shifting surplus stock at sub-basement prices. This Shiraz, which is typical of a two year old type from the Hunter, shows some quiet character, subtle tannin, good body and a flavour on the palate reminiscent of blackberries with a touch of a citrus after-taste, which is most unusual. Not unpleasant, just unusual. The nose is spicy, somewhat peppery and redolent of cinnamon. Sounds nice? Well, yes, it was. As a dinner drop. I wouldn’t necessarily class this as a casual drinking wine because it’s not, but it certainly won’t throttle your senses or demand instant attention either.

Just a pleasant drop of Australian Shiraz. At $6.00, who’s complaining?

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Dolcetto & Syrah

Brown Brothers Dolcetto & Syrah is, as the name clearly states, a blended wine. The Dolcetto grape and the Syrah grape mix well to provide a wine which is both refreshing on the palate and more-ish in it’s taste. Definitely not a cellaring wine, the Brown Brothers site says this of Dolcetto & Syrah:

This wine is vibrant magenta in colour and the nose has fresh, lifted aromas of ripe raspberries and red liquorice along with pastel and jubes - just like Grandma’s lolly jar. The palate boasts flavours of ripe summer berries and the natural grape sweetness is balanced by the frizzante mouth feel which provides a refreshing and vibrant finish.

All true. In fact, in some ways, this wine has a taste and mouth-feel just like double-strength red cordial, but with an alcohol after taste. It’s a great drink when one is in the mood for some drinking. Not really a wine for quaffing, this wine portrays itself for what it really is. Alcoholic lolly-water, even down to the subtle fizz across the tongue as it goes down. But don’t make the mistake that I’m putting the wine down. Far from it. This wine is for drinking when you don’t like beer or spirits. On a hot summers day, served very cold, or even as a close friend of mine has it, with ice. Sacrilege? No, not at all! Some wines beg to be served cold to bring out their real characters. This is one.

Brown Brothers’ Dolcetto & Syrah 2006 - 7 / 10

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