Last night I held my second wine tasting, this time on Australian Wines, at a very obliging friend's house (thanks Jayla!). My friends brought the feast; I brought the wine. In contrast to last time, our tasting was not a blind tasting. This time around, my goal was to demonstrate the range of wine being produced in Australia, that it is not all Shiraz, and to help my friends develop an understanding of the common characteristics and styles arriving from down under. As such, we had many varietals represented - Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cabernet and Shiraz. Additionally, not all Austrlian wine comes from Barossa Valley; we tasted wines from 6 distinct wine regions hailing from 4 states - South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Finally, the wines we tasted were all sourced from local Austin establishments including Austin Wine Merchant, Central Market and Specs. Enjoy!
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Leeuwin Estate Siblings 2005
Margaret River, Western Australia
Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Everyone agreed that this was a very intriguing wine; the flavors were quite unusual. The pale straw color and the gooseberry nose hint at the complex wine within. On the palate we were able to taste gooseberry, almost jalapeno, grass, as well as lime and a dry, chalky minerality. This is a good appetizer or aperitif wine. Enjoy with a soft runny cheese or olives! As a side note, the 2005 vintage should be drunk now and you would be wise to seek at younger vintages as this is meant to be drunk fresh and early! ~$20
Devils Corner Pinot Noir 2008
Tamar Valley, Tasmania
Pinot Noir
This was another favorite of the tasting as well as the best value of the evening. Hailing from northern Tasmania, this Pinot Noir has a clear, garnet-red color and a red fruit, perhaps raspberry nose. The fruit forward nature of the wine was also present in the palate, where it dominated along with a pleasing earthy finish. This is not an overly complicated wine, but it exhibits the more restrained Burgundian style of the region. This is a good representative of all that cool climate Tasmanian Pinot Noir has to offer. Excellent value buy! ~$15
Yangarra Cadenzia 2006
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvèdre
The Cadenzia was the crowd pleaser of the evening. It had great clarity and a deep red color along with a slightly red-fruit nose. The palate was bright with pronounced cassis and blackberry flavors against a dry tannic structure. This is a great representative of a McLaren Vale, Grenache dominated wine. Lovely! ~$25
Jacob's Creek St Hugo 2004
Coonawarra, South Australia
Cabernet
A few tasters preferred this stylish, classic Coonawarra Cabernet. This was the oldest wine we tasted, and the maturity of the tannins in the wine was evident. The clarity and color reflected Cabernet with a deep, dark, opaque redness. The nose was not over-powering, with black fruit and perhaps cedar coming through. The taste exhibited aromas of black fruit, eucalyptus and cedar. All together a very elegant wine with a complex character redolent of the limestone hills from which it hails. Drink now or savor in a few years as it should only continue to improve. ~$40
Lilith Shiraz 2006
Heathcote, Victoria
Shiraz
This was the first pure Shiraz we tasted. It is produced in Heathcote, Victoria which is a much colder clime than Barossa Valley, the most widely known wine region in Australia. As a result, this was a much more restrained wine. It had a nice brick-red color and light opacity. The nose was very faint, with a touch of cassis and white pepper. Upon taste, more of the cassis flavor came through along with the white pepper and some cedar notes. Altogether, though, this wine was intense and tasted very tight - it needs more time to mature. It has a fine tannic structure and lively acid, so a few years of cellaring should produce a very fine wine indeed. ~$40
Torbeck Woodcutter's Shiraz 2008
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Shiraz
This was actually the least favorite wine of the evening! It is a classic, Barrosa Valley Shiraz with jammy, fruit bomb characteristics (it is a little on the young side). The color is a deep, opaque purplish red and the nose hits you over the head with blueberries and cassis. The palate was a riot of jammy fruit - blueberries, cassis, and some weak chocolatey notes. Many of the tasters described it as sweet. The tannic structure is a bit intense as well - due to the age probably. This could be a decent wine in a few years of maturation; a little too intense for right now. I'd avoid. ~$20
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