Wines from Down Under II - A Fist Full of Rippers
Results from an Aussie tasting - Saturday, April 8, 2000, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-one wines were poured for a tasting fee of $25.
The wines, in the order tasted:
1998 Pierro Chardonnay - Margaret River, Western Australia.
$34.99. Medium yellow color. Nose of grass, clover and citrus. Good
fruit, crisp toasty mouthfeel and finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1998 Rochford Pinot Noir - Macedon Ranges, Victoria. $23.99. Medium
garnet color. Nose of candied apple and cola, with a slight green note.
Sweet mouthfeel, nice seamless fruit, decent medium finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Tyrell's Long Flat Shiraz - South Australia. $5.99. Ruby
garnet color. Sweet spicy candied nose. Fleshy, with some coarseness to
the mouthfeel. Moderate finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Penfold's Shiraz/Cabernet - Koonunga Hill, SA. $7.99. Dark
garnet color. Restrained nose of cassis, shoe polish, and chocolate. Fleshy
off-sweet mouthfeel, medium finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Pikes Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvedre - Clare Valley, SA. $15.99.
Garnet ruby color. Minty eucalyptus, pine and spicy red fruit in the nose.
Fleshy, slightly sour fruit. Chewy, toasty off-sweet finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Greg Norman Estates Cabernet/Merlot - Coonawara, SA. $9.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Nose of stemmy cassis, mint, eucalyptus, and a
hint of green bean. Sweet/sour mouthfeel, toasty and fleshy finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Kilikanoon Cabernet Sauvignon - Clare Valley, SA. $25.99.
Very dark ruby color. Very sweet nose of black raspberry, oak, and leafy
qualities. Sweet/sour mouthfeel, fleshy long fruity finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Woody Nook Cabernet Sauvignon - Margaret River. $19.99. Dark
garnet ruby color. Nose of cassis, oak, and mint. Fleshy off-sweet mouthfeel,
long toasty finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1996 Rosemont Cabernet Sauvignon Show Reserve - Coonawara.
$17.99. Medium dark garnet color. Herbaceous nose of cassis, oak,
leaf, and sweet pea. Fleshy and tasty mouthfeel, long toasty finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B
1996 Simon Hackett Cabernet Sauvignon Foggo Road - McLaren
Vale, SA. $23.99. Medium dark garnet color. Nose of cassis, oak, mint,
camphor, and cedar. Young mouthfeel of somewhat tart fruit with grainy
tannins. Good balance, long toasty finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1996 Parker Coonawara Estate Terra Rosa First Growth - Coonawara.
$52.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Nose of sweet cassis, mint, and creamy
vanilla. Fleshy off-sweet mouthfeel, more elegant than massive on the
palate, long toasty finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1998 Hermitage Road Shiraz Reserve - Limestone Coast, SA. $11.99.
Dark purple ruby color. Toasty cassis and shoe polish in the nose. Sweet
fruit -filled mouthfeel, with lots of sweet oak and toast. Fleshy, toasty
finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: B+
1997 Charles Sturt University Shiraz Cellar Reserve
- McLaren Vale. $15.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Deep, sweet and spicy
nose, with hint of mint. Spicy and chewy off-sweet fruit, very long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: B+
1998 Brokenwood Shiraz - McLaren Vale, King Valley, Cowra. $19.99.
Dark violet ruby color. Herbaceous nose of sweet cassis, spice, shoe polish,
with hints of beet and leaf. Fleshy mouthfeel, slightly sour fruit.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Pikes Shiraz - Clare Valley. $17.99. Very dark ruby purple
color. Big and effusive nose of baking chocolate, blackberry, Ovaltine;
has lots of herbaceous qualities.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1998 Kilikanoon Shiraz Oracle - Clare Valley, SA. $27.99. Dark
purple black color. Nose of spicy blackberry and toast, with slight vegetal
component. Slightly tart or green fruit on the palate, fleshy mouthfeel,
and toasty long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+
1997 Simon Hackett Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $22.99. Very dark ruby
violet color. Nose of spicy blackberry, shoe polish, and toast. Buttery,
toasty mouthfeel, with somewhat tart fruit, and long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Rosabrook Shiraz - Margaret River. $29.99. Dark garnet ruby
color. Sweet leafy, toasty, blackberry, with lots of spice and oak. Toasty
fleshy mouthfeel, mouthfilling fruit, long toasty finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1998 Hewitson Shiraz Barossa - Barossa Valley, SA. $21.99.
Dark violet ruby color. Nose of minty vanilla, and spicy blackberry/boysenberry
fruit. Big mouthfeel of slightly off-sweet spicy fruit, sweet toasty long
finish.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1998 Viking Grand Shiraz - Barossa Valley. $48.99. Dark purple
garnet color. Nose of shoe polish, cassis, toast, and blackberry. Very
fleshy mouthfeel of somewhat tart fruit. Big long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
NV Benjamin Muscat Museum Reserve - Victoria. $11.99
(375ml). Dark butterscotch color. Nose of spicy butterscotch. Tasty
smooth mouthfeel, butterscotch flavors, with nice spicy finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
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Overall impressions: the Rosabrook, Viking, and
Hewitson were quite nice. And, with the exception of the Viking,
were quite reasonably priced as well. The biggest values in the lineup
would have to go the Hermitage Road and Charles Sturt, incredibly
below $20 each. Interesting thing with the Charles Sturt University Shiraz,
is that it's made by the university's winemaking school (UC Davis should
get with this program). The rest of the lineup was very good, though not
on a par with the Grateful Palate stuff from February's Aussie tasting.
No real letdowns here, although the Parker could/should have performed
better.
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Here is my relative ranking, by tier and in order of preference, of the wines tasted.
1997 Rosabrook Shiraz - Margaret River. $29.99.
1998 Viking Grand Shiraz - Barossa Valley. $48.99.
1998 Hewitson Shiraz Barossa - Barossa Valley, SA. $21.99.
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1998 Hermitage Road Shiraz Reserve - Limestone Coast, SA. $11.99.
1997 Charles Sturt University Shiraz Cellar Reserve - McLaren
Vale. $15.99.
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1998 Kilikanoon Cabernet Sauvignon - Clare Valley, SA. $25.99.
1996 Parker Coonawara Estate Terra Rosa First Growth - Coonawara.
$52.99.
1997 Simon Hackett Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $22.99.
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1998 Pierro Chardonnay - Margaret River, Western Australia. $34.99.
1997 Woody Nook Cabernet Sauvignon - Margaret River. $19.99.
NV Benjamin Muscat Museum Reserve - Victoria. $11.99 (375ml).
1998 Kilikanoon Shiraz Oracle - Clare Valley, SA. $27.99.
1996 Simon Hackett Cabernet Sauvignon Foggo Road - McLaren Vale,
SA. $23.99.
1998 Pikes Shiraz - Clare Valley. $17.99.
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1996 Rosemont Cabernet Sauvignon Show Reserve - Coonawara.
$17.99.
1998 Rochford Pinot Noir - Macedon Ranges, Victoria. $23.99.
1998 Tyrell's Long Flat Shiraz - South Australia. $5.99.
1998 Brokenwood Shiraz - McLaren Vale, King Valley, Cowra. $19.99.
1998 Greg Norman Estates Cabernet/Merlot - Coonawara, SA. $9.99.
1998 Penfold's Shiraz/Cabernet - Koonunga Hill, SA. $7.99.
1998 Pikes Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvedre - Clare Valley, SA. $15.99.
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Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson
