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| “92+” Premium Shiraz |
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| Thursday, 12 February 2009 | |
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Reported by Dave Loan The Guild’s annual premium Shiraz tasting has a reputation for offering some extraordinary wines, and this year’s event, led by Robert White, was no exception. With four flights (three wines each), Robert drew from his own collection to offer participants a wide range of styles. No fruit-bombs here; these were all well-made, subtle and complex. The first flight started with a crowd-favourite, Cloof Crucible 2004 from South Africa. While it was generally accepted as “hot” (at 14.8% alc), the wine offered balanced notes of raspberry jam, mint, and cedar. It was followed with the Hewitson Mad Hatter Shiraz 2005 from McLaren Vale, a single vineyard product that Jay Miller awarded a score of 92. It presented a long tart finish and demanded a rich food matching. Last in the flight was the Coriole Lloyd Reserve 2005. Made from a single McLaren Vale vineyard planted in 1919, it had 22 months in new French oak. Complex fruit and vanilla notes earned it a 93 from Miller. The next flight began to ramp things up. Beginning with St. Hallet Old Block Shiraz 2003, made from low cropping vines (60-100 years old) in the Barossa Valley, it was juicy and sweet, with a long, long finish. Once again, the first wine in the flight, which had received a 94 from James Halliday, was the best-liked by the tasters. The second wine, Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards HJ Reserve 2004, came from a 65-year-old vineyard with a yield of only one ton per acre! It had 2 years in French oak, and offered a subtle, well-balanced style many felt was Old World. Jay Miller gave it a 95 score. The flight’s final wine was well-regarded by tasters, but no one picked it as their favourite. It was Arrowood Saralee’s Vineyard Syrah 2002 from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma, and Robert B. Parker gave it a 93-96 score. With 5% Viognier, it had a nice zestiness. Tasters felt that the lighter style would stand up well on its own, but it got lost among the richer Aussie products. The third flight brought another climb up the price ladder and a comparison of three Barossa stars, starting with the Grant Burge Meshach 2002. The fruit was handpicked from the elite Filsell Vineyard, where the vines are almost one hundred years old—and supplemented by some fruit from vines that are even older. Matured in mainly American (and a smaller portion of French) oak for 22 months, it was bottled and aged for an additional 3 years before release. This product received a 92 score from the Wine Spectator. Tasters were delighted by the strong mint/eucalyptus notes and long sour finish. Next up, the tasters’ flight-favourite: Kilikanoon “R” Reserve 2005, blended in equal parts from the estate-owned Crowhurst and Greens Vineyards. Described by one taster as “dry and juicy at the same time”, it was fruit forward and well-balanced, with a smooth, long finish. This was the flight winner in 2008, as well, and received 94 points from Jay Miller. It was followed by the Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz 2003, made from a selection of more than 80 co-op growers. It spent 18 months in 50-50 American and French oak, 30% of which was new. Tasters liked the fruit-forward nose, but many found it closed on the palette. That said, some tasters preferred its simpler style. Wine Spectator gave this one a 94. Now we hit the big leagues! The final flight began with the Henschke Mount Edelstone 2003, picked from a single vineyard of 90 year old ungrafted vines. Elegant and offering a total mouth-flooding flavour experience; it had hard-to-define wet stone and fruit aromas and a great structure. Almost half of the tasters picked this one as their best-of-flight, and the Wine Spectator gave it a 94. The letters in Penfolds’ RWT (2005) stand for “Red Winemaking Trial”, the name given to a winemaker’s project which began development in 1995. The fruit comes from 20-100 year-old vineyards arcing across the west and north-west of the Barossa Valley, following in the Grange tradition of choosing grapes from across a wide territory. This was picked as the best value wine in the Guild’s 2007 tasting, and it received a 93 from Robert Parker. Despite these credentials, only one taster picked this fruit-forward wine as his favourite. The best-liked wine of the flight—and the most expensive of the evening, at $219/bottle—was the Kilikanoon “Attunga 1865” 2005, which received a 97 score from Jay Miller. The fruit comes from ungrafted vines which were planted in the Clare Valley in 1865 (hence the name). The 900 vines, dry grown, provide very low quantities of fruit. This wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. We tried it about two-and-a-half hours after it was opened and decanted, but we found the nose still closed. With lots of swirling, the subtle, jammy notes began to open up and a great wine was revealed. This was a terrific tasting, and Robert is to be congratulated for collecting—and sharing—such impressive wines. Many thanks, too, to Jennifer Ward for her always-excellent service! The wines: Flight 1
Flight 2
Flight 4
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 The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets. |
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