Latest! Latest! WSET on Vision Mission to Dublin Next Week

Everyone get one of these? Don't forget to RSVP. This is not my invite to pass around ...... but my invite does say it's a publicity event and no-one I've talked to has heard about it.. No publicity like lots of publicity I always say! Just, don't stay for lunch - I need it.

WSET will hold a publicity event at

The Abbey Room, Wynns Hotel, Abbey Street, Dublin

Tuesday 6th July 2010

'Chief Executive of the WSET, Ian Harris, will outline his vision for WSET in Ireland following the decision by the Wine Board of Ireland to withdraw from the field of education. The event will commence at 11.30 and will be followed by a buffet lunch. To gain admittance you should apply to  npead@wset.co.uk'

Jean Trimbach showing off Cuvee Frederic Emile 1996 - 2004

Jean Trimbach came to Dublin yesterday and gave an extraordinary tasting at Chapter One of his Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile wines. The wines were fantastic as was Jean's ability to keep a running commentary going without interfering with the tasting. He has a pitch perfect friendliness about him. Mind you, it tends to be an easy gig when you can throw in lines like, "these wines are carried by 25 out of the 26 three star Michelin restaurants in France"! He wouldn't tell us who the 26th is.....guesses included Hugel....

Frederic Emile vineyard at Trimbach

Trimbach began making wine in 1626 and renamed their Riesling Grand Reserve in 1967 after the French regulatory authority, the INAO, deemed it an illegal designation according to new wine laws. The wine was renamed Frederic Emile after grandfather Trimbach who won a stack of prizes at an international wine fair  in Brussels in 1898. This is such an incredible wine that granddad must  be a happy camper wherever he is today.

All of the following are sealed by natural cork except for the Reserve Riesling which uses the Diam cork. Trimbach is not convinced that Stelvin would do them any favour. Jean told us that truly great Alsace Riesling requires a ripeness level eq to13%vol from a yield of about 55hl/ha from a vineyard capable of developing good mineral expression in the wine. The Frederic Emile Riesling vines are on average 45 years old with some as old as 75 years. It's a steep vineyard requiring special hoists to pull a plough etc up and down the slope. Over the past century Jean tells us there have only been four times where Trimbach has produced three great vintages in a row from these vines - 47/48/49 ; 88/89/90 ; 00/01/02 and 07/08/09 In addition he tells us to get hold of the Reserve Riesling 2008 as soon as you can as it is truly one of the greatest wines they have produced!
This was one of the great tastings of the year. Each of these wines is quite brilliant and my notes are at times tough on them. The best need to be given a stern treatment! One point to note is that regardless of age all of these wines looked quite brilliant in the glass.

Trimbach Riesling Reserve 2006

This wine shows delicate and intense ripe varietal character on the bouquet with a light night scent dominant. These ripe effects follow well to the palate which is accurate and well put together but lacks great length and depth. Good commercial wine.Good wine making.Woke the palate up brilliantly.
Jean: there was a lot of warm tropical rain in October 2006 just before the Riesling harvest which always begins at the end of October.

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2003

Intense deep nose showing some marzipan character. Attacks well with a fine young fruit showing green at the edges; fleshes out well to balance a super acid structure; length is disappointing leading to a wine showing full rich fruit but not enough aromatics to impress.

Jean described this wine in a most peculiar fashion, "a bring me home tonight wine....as it's delicious right now." He's French and gets away with that sort of thing..!

A very hot vintage. While the French allowed acidification for the first time Trimbach did not need to acidify this wine.Jean tells us that his brother and wine maker Pierre reckons the vines went asleep for August to preserve themselves against the heat.

 
















Jean Trimbach looking happy in Dublin


Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2004

Fine and rich aromatics with hints of night scents and honeysuckle. Great depth to the fruit with an excellent minerality showing through. Racy acidity balances well to a rich and 'creamy' palate; Lasts well to a finish dominated by a flinted minerality. This is a super wine.
Jean: "..white flowers dominate this vintage...".

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2002

Old apple skins, orange peel and citrus. Quite a deep nose but it doesn't 'jump out' of the glass. Full and fat palate with an ageing feel about it. Acidity is muted and hiding behind the ample fruit. Pleasant wine but a lot of hard work required to get into its various elements. Surprising finish is dominated by structure rather than fruit.
Jean: "....generous, intellectual and approachable..."

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2001
Muted nose. Crunchy palate with very obvious fruit which seemed to be 'forcing' varietal character into the wine. Fantastic mouthfeel; rich and mineral drenched; deep and flavoursome. This follows well to the finish where lots of fruit and structure gives great length. (This wine didn't seem to be in proper condition . Perhaps Trimbach might reconsider stelvin?)

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2000

Ah, a millennium wine. Slightly extra green tinges. Very intense nose. Love it. Tremendous depth and style. Some beeswax showing through a lot of minerality. Showing immense and, if I can say it, magisterial, varietal effects. Initial impression on palate was a slightly watery fruit which quickly blossomed to a soft, elegant and delicate palate. Quite brilliant. Finish had an almost salted nature to the minerality which was, in association with the fine acid, piercing and intense. Youth in this wine showed a a drying tannic affect on the finish. This will grow for twenty years plus!  

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1999

Not quite there on the nose - bit crude and ordinary. Pleasant wine on palate with a full fruit that opens well into a broad and generous feel. Lacks elegance and minerality. Could do better. Finish is 'pretty' with nothing of note to recommend it except perhaps an attractive austerity.

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1998

Developing a bit of colour with age.  Lots of orange and citric fruit elements; excellent toastiness; deep rich and generous wine. This is a full-on version of the wine! Perhaps the palate is too fat ? where the acid is hidden away and it lacks white flower elegance. Otherwise its all excellent and will find favour with the consumer.
Jean: this wine contains up to 20% noble rotted grapes. This is unusual as the vineyard in question has such a high degree of tolerance against rot that there is seldom enough grapes available to even make a Vendages Tardive. In fact they don't ever spray against rot!! 

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1997

Light gold; small and muted nose. Good palate with a full, rich and fantastic acidity; piercing style; this is fine up to point but it then cries out for a balancing food. The finish here drops away quite quickly  and could do with a stiff meal to keep it going! Perhaps a bit reductive? Perhaps a bit asleep?

Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1996
Green tinged. Superb nose of deep and ripe orange rind with lots of honeysuckle character; big and  well developed fruit. Not flashy but deep and obvious; jumps against the palate. It's an aggressive style with strong acid and a strong tight fruit. Ageing brilliantly. Love it.

Jean: '96 was not a solar year! It was in fact a very cold year and this wine has a high malic acid level.

Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Vendages Tardives 2001

Light gold; intense nose with light rotted and fungal elements and a background of lightly warmed plastic. Good foreground and a rush of fruit brilliantly balanced to a searing acidity. Fine wine making apparent. This is not an ott dessert wine. It is restrained and graceful. Superb and will age indefinitely.

2009 was Jean's brother Pierre's 30th vintage as winemaker at Trimbach. The 2009 Frederic Emile won't be released for many years yet. There is every chance that the next generation will have taken over wine making responsibility by then.What a responsibility! Jean did tell us though that Trimbach now owns close to 40 hectares of prime vineyard in Alsace.With global warming and new ideas coming on board there is no doubt that that Jeans grandaddy's wine will continue to evolve for a long time to come.

Wow Girls at the Trimbach Tasting - sorry Simon

White Grenache Rosé served by Gallo!

Gallo's White Grenache is widely available in Ireland.  It's quite sweet on the palate and needs to be served well chilled to give a crisp edge to its taste profile. In the past I have often been critical of this style of wine and yet I've watched it sell to happy consumers time and time again. Recently I had a fascinating discussion with Gallo wine maker Cal Dennison about sweet styles of wine. (He explains it in my recent column in Checkout magazine where my interview with Cal is printed in full.)

It's time to own up to being a wine snob so far as sweetness is concerned. I don't like inexpensive sweet wines and therefore have often criticised them. Well that's wrong.

Is there anything wrong with the wine making?

Is there anything wrong with inexpensive wine being sweet? 

In the case of Gallo's White Grenache the answer is clearly NO.

I should always be asking whether the wine is faulty and whether it is accurate to its wine makers and customers satisfaction. If there is something wrong with the wine then I need to point it out but I really shouldn't be marking a wine down simply because it seems (unnecessarily - there I go again!) too sweet. Cal described this in terms of styling. Clearly many people like the style.

The fact that can't go way though is that I'm not mad about the style. That's my preference. Last weekend though I tried a recipe from Gallo that paved the way forward for an interesting summer- mix their White Grenache with Ginger Ale.  The ginger ale gave bite to the wine and cut through the sweetness giving my palate the sensation of balance. It works so long as you don't skimp on the wine adn make sure the Ginger Ale is a dry one. Use a real tall glass and wait until the sun is actually shining. It works!

The recipe goes as follows:

Gallo Rosito
1. Take a long glass and fill with ice
2. Pour over two parts Gallo Family Vineyards White Grenache and one part ginger ale.

3. Garnish with summer berries such as raspberries, strawberries and blueberries

I'll hold on the berries until my grapes have ripened up - they're a bit small right now!

Notes from Australia : Note 10 Taylors Wakefield and O'Leary Walker

When I left Tim Adams I met up with Gary outside Jim Barry's place. That's as close as I got to a glass  of the Armagh as we barreled on down to Taylor's. (The Taylor's name is protected as a Port wine brand name in Europe so the label is marketed here as Wakefield Wines.) Last year I had met and interviewed Mitchell Taylor in Dublin. So I had an idea that they were big. I had no idea..... Welcome to Note 10 of my recent wanderings through the vineyards of Australia.

  Adam Eggins showing off his 2010 colours

Storm clouds were closing in fast as we approached Taylor's in the Clare Valley. It was obvious from a distance that there had been a lot of new construction here as a chunk of hillside seemed to be missing!  We were met by Chief Winemaker Adam Eggins who turned out to be a very inquisitive and thought provoking friendly sort of a guy. He seemed to be thinking and talking all of the time and all at the same time! First a tour. He showed us the old winery and then the new one. All I can say is that I hope they have a few new customers lined up. The new stuff is breathtaking in its scale - the largest wine press on tracks in the world (a 60 tonne Pera Press) - enough capacity to take their whole harvest into tanks in one go and on and on!! I really liked their experiments with porous synthetic materials. These looked like large plastic crates for ageing and storing wine. It seems that these can breathe by a one way osmosis trick.

 Enormous press at Taylor's

 Ageing in Barrel and in 'Plastic'!

As we saw at Tim Adams the Clare Valley is a varied region that has been split into five sub regions - Auburn, Watervale, Polish Hill River, Sevenhill and Clare. A range of grapes do well with elegant shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon challenged by racy Riesling and Pinot Gris for supremacy. Wakefield is in Auburn and describe their region as having a Mediterranean climate with sharp diurnal temperature gradients ranging from 30C in the day to 8C at night. This results in very ripe and yet brilliantly acidic grapes that are often referred to as cool climate in style. They have eleven grape types planted over a few hundred hectares. Their range is dominated by rich and flavoursome Cabernet Sauvignon and smooth memorable Shiraz. 

Taylor's - Wakefield wines

We then tasted the following. * showed particularly well on the day.
 Promised Land Moscato : interesting in that this is bottled as a 75cl offering - most are appearing as 50cl. Sample was too warm to assess properly. 
Taylors Riesling 2009
Jaraman Riesling 2009 *
St Andrews Riesling 2005 *
Promised Land Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Taylors Sauvignon Blanc 2009 *
Taylors Pinot Gris 2009
Jaraman Chardonnay 2008 *
St Andrews Chardonnay 2008
Taylors Pinot Noir 2009 *
Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Promised Land Shiraz 2008 *
Jaraman Shiraz 2008 *
Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 *

As the storm continued to approach we drove away from Wakefield and on to O'Leary Walker. We were met by a new cellar door restaurant building site in front of a warehouse with lettering that made sure you didn't miss the place. David O'Leary met us - yes, I had been warned not to bother with soccer jokes as he would have no idea what I was talking about! (Thing is, he wasn't unlike our David at all!) 

 David O'Leary at his new Cellar Door Restaurant Offices

 

Besides being family owned O'Leary Walker is everything that Taylor's is not. It's small and survives by making fine wines from great vineyards sites and supplementing this with contract wine making. Both founders had worked at the top end of the wine trade for many years before deciding to go into business on their own in 2001 (O'Leary was once chief red wine maker at Hardy's; launched Annies Lane for Mildara Blass; won a Jimmy Watson; twice voted international red wine maker. Nick Walker is reckoned to have made at Krondorf some of the best Eden Valley Rieslings ever; has achieved a reputation of being one of the finest sparkling wine makers around.)

David O'Leary brought us on a short tour of the area and then up onto the roof of the new building and proceeded to point out onto the land and show us vineyards that had been well sited and others that weren't. He has an immense knowledge of the Clare.

Wines tasted; * showed particularly well

O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2008 * 45 yr old vines

O'Leary Walker Dr's Cut Polish Hill Riesling 2008 * wild ferment 100% on lees

O'Leary Walker Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2009
O'Leary Walker Clare Valley McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 * outstanding wine
O'Leary Walker Shiraz 2002 - Out of condition
O'Leary Walker Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 *

David grabbed a few bottles of beer (stubbies) and we watched the sun set over the Clare from his new roof. What a fantastic place. Brilliant wines.

 Polish workers names carved into the Bluestone Cutting rock after which an O'Leary Walker wine is named.

Great Goal David!

Press release: Trimbach at The Twelve in Galway

I don't usually do this - bounce along a press release - but doesn't this look good.....! Oh, and I have absolutely nothing to do with this at all

The Twelve is Jazzed about Wine – continuing the
Wine Dinner series with glorious Trimbach Riesling
and great live jazz

 

The next dinner in the ongoing Wine Dinner series at The Twelve showcases the world famous Rieslings of Maison F.E. Trimbach from Alsace, and takes place in the company of Jean Trimbach on Wednesday June 30th.

The evening begins with a structured tasting of the Maison Trimbach portfolio in the Na Beanna Beola Suite, followed by a delectable five course dinner designed by chef Cedric Bottarlini to perfectly complement the wines of Trimbach, and accompanied by smooth live jazz.

Jean Trimbach is the twelfth generation in the Trimbach family of winemakers since 1626, whose vineyards have been based in Ribeauvillé since the 19th century. As a Riesling house F.E. Trimbach has few rivals and the Trimbach style is regarded all over the world as a beacon of Alsatian excellence.

Trimbach produce white wines with a crisp, mineral and dry character, food-friendly and structured. Of the 26 three star Michelin restaurants in France, Trimbach wines feature on the winelists of them all.

Alsace Grand Cru Rieslings are some of the greatest white wines in the world and Trimbach produce two of them.  The jewel in the crown is Clos St. Hune of which only 600 cases are produced each year, regarded by many as the finest wine of Alsace if not one of the world's greatest white wines, followed closely by Cuvée Frédéric Emile, named after the founder and produced from vines of over 30 years of age.

Jean Trimbach is a lively, knowledgeable and approachable guide to his family’s finest wines, and this is a fantastic opportunity to taste Trimbach under his direction with the fine complement of wonderful food in West, and mellow, laid-back jazz.

Strictly limited to just 80 places, dinner with wines and tasting cost just €75, and overnight stays are available at €120 per room inclusive of breakfast.

The Twelve Hotel
Bearna,
Galway
Tel: 091 597000

Notes from Australia: Note 9 - Bicycles in the Clare Valley and the Master Tim Adams

As John McDonnell (Wines of Australia Ireland) was driving we agreed to head straight on up to the Clare Valley after our d'Arenberg visit; and after we headed back to Adelaide to collect our bags and car; and after we paid a quick visit to Wines of Australia HQ; and then after a glass of (excellent Tasmanian Riesling) wine with Paul Henry at HQ; and after a long discussion as to whether we shouldn't just stay put for at least a meal before we hit the road!!!

It was late when we left Adelaide. Gary was crying out for food. Welcome to Note 9 of my recent wanderings through the vineyards of Australia

Our conundrum was that we had agreed to an early start in the Clare so we could take a spin along the Riesling trail on mountain bikes. We arrived at the Clare Country Club well after dark. It's a golf and country club of an old fashioned and quaint sort. A few beers, pizza and wedges led to the wine list where we just couldn't resist an old fave of mine Passion has Red Lips from the Some Young Punks winery and then a new label for me, GCG or Good Catholic Girl, from none other than Jim Barry's daughter Julie.(Worth using the link rather than googling Good Catholic Girl!!). The Some Young Punks web site and bottle labels are among the best I have come across in many years - very original, amusing and downright scary.    

The Riesling Trail in the Clare Valley is a maintained 35km bike and walking trail mainly centered on an old railway line between Clare and Auburn. It snakes its way through vineyards and hills. It was a fabulous start to the day as we flashed (ambled) by  the modern Tim Adams winery and on up to the 1851 Jesuit Seven Hills monastery winery and Church. Bracing stuff boys!

I spent my morning with Tim Adams while Gary went on over to Jim Barry. (The Tim Adams wines are only available through Tesco and Gary runs an independent chain of wine stores in Cork = conflict.) I had met Tim in Dublin in 2009 when he gave an overview of the Clare Valley as part of a Wines of Australia regional heroes promotion. His presentation on that day was excellent and clinical. It clearly showed the Clare Valley as a multi talented wine region. When I met Tim he tossed me into his jeep and off we went to see the Valley - which it turns out is not a valley at all!  "It's more like a series of interconnected  gullies", explained Tim.

Tim Adams in his extraordinary Clare Valley

I saw new dry farmed vineyards where you would swear that irrigation would be a vital ingredient. Not so explained Tim as he showed me some amazingly healthy soils that looked like they'd just seen a rain shower! I saw vineyards facing odd directions; Tempranillo near Riesling; East West plantings to avoid sunburn, N/S facing gullies, varied soils, huge height differentials, talk of wildly varying rainfall levels, Pinot Gris, Malbec, lowpH high acidity Rieslings, and on and on. It was quite brilliant.

Number of Wines Tasted : Zero! Best use of our time I could have imagined. It was a real privilege to have spent time with a Master who still believes in the value of  a long lasting apprenticeship.


I'll post up tasting notes for the Tim Adams wines that are available in Ireland shortly. Watch this space.
 

Miniature Supports

Feeling a bit rum recently I gave Bailey a small shout and asked her over for a miniatures party.  You know the sort; a selection of little bottles and, yeah, you know it! Well, seems like Bailey had been absinthe from reality all day too and suggested I give Vladimar and Jose Cuervo a little shove in our direction. Before long a whisper in my ear told me they’d invited their old mates Absolut and Appleton and, well, you know how they don’t mix well with the others!

I called Bailey back and in a tiny sort of a way suggested to her that the small size of the party was what was going to make it my ideal party. She agreed. Then she let it slip that she’d already decided on the Bowmore Single Malt Marmalade as a party prize. ‘For what’, I whispered. ‘For presentation’, she whispered back. I have to admit I was about to schnapp as I realised in no small fashion that my ideal party was about to become a fairly large event. Well I slyly said, ‘let’s keep it as small as we can then’. 

I had just hung up when a call came through from Jack Daniels. He was wondering if I’d found his cufflinks which he claimed he’d left behind last time he slept over. “Nice try Jack but you never did sleep over. You just, sort of, took a long nap!” I told him to stop his Monin, to grab a couple of hip flasks and get along to the party.  He said he’d bring Harvey’s as her Cream was looking just a tad Pale right then. “OK, OK. Bring anyone you want”. I knew I was losing it when I then agreed that he could ask his Mumm as well! (I secretly admired her tiny effervescences…)

When the doorbell rang all I could see outside was a Grey Goose! “What the….” was my minuscule reaction when out popped a laughing Johnny Walker hoping I didn’t mind as he’d found her in Jacob’s Creek on the way over. Before I could ask, Bailey smothered me with hugs, “You poor thing. Just a light soirée ….and a few friends.”  I wasn’t expecting Gran Marnier but she was there, hand in hand with Hennessy extolling how wonderful her Highland Park was at that time of the year! I couldn’t help smiling when Vladimar arrived with Smirnoff in tow – odd couple. When Jameson later told us about his fling with Laphroaig in the Lamb’s Navy I was in stitches and feeling more Gay than rum. Now here’s the twist. Later when I was seeing everyone off I noticed Wild Turkey was leaving with Grey Goose and Famous Grouse, Tia Maria seemed to prefer Coke and to cap it all Captain Morgon was calling Metaxa to take us all down to Sols Club for a  night of Southern Comfort on the town. Ah, my dream party. My miniature supports. You never let me down!

Notes from Australia: Note 8 d'Arenberg and that Short Arm!

For the past number of years many people have expressed surprise to me that I had never met Chester Osborn of d'Arenberg in the McLaren Vale. I always took their description of the man with a grain of salt. Let's face it Australia is chock block full of wine trade characters, idiosyncrasy's and stereotypes. How can one more make much of a difference? Welcome to Note 8 of my recent wanderings through the vineyards of Australia. 

The road up to d'Arenberg is named after the Osborn family - they set up the vineyard in 1912 after selling stables and a prize winning horse named Footbolt. It leads to a quirky collection of buildings and barns that have clearly been added onto time and again. I'm told that Chester has plans afoot for a glass cube type of a building in the middle of it all.................

Chester's father d'Arry, who has just completed his 68th consecutive vintage at d'Arenberg, created the brand in 1957 when he moved the family business away from bulk wine production.  68th Vintage.Cripes!!

Chester met us with the same smile I'd seen from many books and magazines. He wore the same loud and colourful style of shirt as I'd seen in the same mags. In sockless shoes and with infectious enthusiasm he brought us on an absolutely incredible tour of his vineyards and winery.

 Chester showing layering of dead arm shiraz vine

I say incredible because nothing seemed to fit together as a cohesive philosophy other than the age old phrase, 'we are really trying to do as little as possible both in the vineyard and in the winery.'  I hear this all the time and then I'm introduced to state of the art irrigation systems and a biochemist's playground of a winery. Not so at d'Arenberg -(named after Chester's late mother). While Chester has influenced and developed almost everything he took over from d'Arry in 1983 he really does seem to work very hard at doing very little.

Now that's a big piece of old wood

In the vineyard - no fertilising, no irrigation, no this and no that. Lot's of things like layering, (rooting a vine from the living cane of an established vine); dead arms from Eutypa infection.and a seemingly endless supply of grape types....Grenache to Sagrantino; Riesling to Roussanne. 50 to 130 year old vines. Can there be any other vineyard in the whole wide world like this? 

In the winery - basket presses everywhere; wax lined concrete vats; tales of foot treading; enormous wooden storage vats- yea, old wood! - two years in the barrel and no racking. Mind you a thousand new barrels (only French) make their way into the winery every year. submerged rafts to ensure submerged caps; It was a time warp in the best possible way. Time Travelling in the McLaren Vale...

Pneumatic press. It pushes UP! 

 Concrete wax lined vats fermenting away

This is an incredible place. It know it was vintage time but I left believing that it will never be a tidy place. (Joshua Green, Editor at Wines&Spirits recently described d'Arenberg on Wine Library TV as looking 'as if a bomb had just gone off'!) How can it be any different when thoughts seem to be what drives the operation, not carefully laid out plans. I also left believing that I had witnessed a true family winery. By this I mean that the family that built it is still shaping it today and that these shapes are being influenced by the world but designed by the Osborn's. No one else could have put this together. It truly is unique.

 Chester showing the way in his beautiful McLaren Vale

 

      Chester with his wines

Wines Tasted at d'Arenberg  (* Showed particularly well)

Stump Jump Riesling Marsanne Sauvignon Blanc Viognier Roussanne2009
Stump Jump Lightly Wooded Chardonnay 2009 *
Dry Dam Riesling '08 (My style; showing good bouquet development)
Olive Grove Chardonnay '08
The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay 2008
The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2008 *
The Money Spider Roussanne'08 *
The Last Ditch Viognier '08 *
Jump Stump GSM '08
Feral Fox Pinot Noir '09 *
The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 *
Footbolt Shiraz 2008 *
d'Arry's Original Shiraz Grenache 2007
The Custodian Grenache 2007 *
The Cadenzia GSM 2006 *
Derelict Vineyard Grenache 2007
The Twenty Eight Road Mourvedre 2007
The Galvo Garage Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cab Franc 2006
The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2007 *
The Wild Pixie Shiraz Roussanne 2008 *
Sticks and Stones Tempranillo Grenache Shiraz 2005
Ironstone Pressings GSM 2007 *
Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 *
Dead Arm Shiraz 2007 *
Jump Stump Sticky Chardonnay 2008 *
Noble Riesling Mud Pie 2008 *

 Chester in Dublin recently at the Touchwine Charity Rugby event

Notes from Australia: Note 7 McLaren Vale and Wirra Wirra

When you drive up to Wirra Wirra in The McLaren Vale all you notice is the biggest cork board in the world. Well, it's more a cork bottle than a board. 'Guess how many corks are in it and we'll send you a free case of wine', read the notice. I was up for the challenge! Welcome to Note 7 of my recent wanderings through the vineyards of Australia.

The McLaren Vale is an extension of the suburbs of Adelaide in South Australia. Vineyards were planted here as far back as 1840. That's old by Australian standards. The climate is a Mediterranean one and red and white grapes grow well. Sea breezes, a wide variety of aspects and soil types coupled to a very wide range of grape types makes this quite an exciting and diverse place for wine makers.

 

Interest at the vineyards of Wirra Wirra

To put it mildly a lot of strange things happen and have happened at Wirra Wirra. To begin there is a an unnerving association with cricket. See their web site for some of the eccentricities associated with the late Greg Trott - the house built to cricket pitch dimensions, the trebuchet, the Bell Ringers and on and on. He was some character and that's what I was pleased to find at Wirra Wirra - a lot of character. 

Wirra Wirra is a biodynamic vineyard and we were shown the pits where they make their preparations and so on. The winery is an amazing amalgam between  historic old and extreme modern and everyone seems to be happy out.  

Wines Tasted included: (* showed particularly well)

The Cousins Sparkling Wine

Scrubby Rise White (Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon/Viognier) '09 *

Scrubby Rise Unwooded Chardonnay '09

Hiding Champion Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills '09

Sorrows Lodge Fume Blanc Adelaide Hills '09

The 12th Man Chardonnay Adelaide Hills '08

Mrs Wigley Grenache Rose '09

Mrs Wigley Moscato * Moscato is taking Australia by storm

Scrubby Rise Shiraz '08

Church Block (Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz/Merlot) '08 *

Church Block 2001 * 'Aged to perfection'

Catapult (Shiraz/Viognier) '07

Woodhenge (Shiraz) '07

RSW Shiraz '07 *

Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon '07

Besides Church Block, which is quite massive and up to a point 'old school', Wirra Wirra is a fascinating collection of quirkiness and enthusiasm. This throws up a fair amount of experimental styles of wine and 'work in progress' tasting notes! Anyone, however, that can make such a full, soft, inviting and exciting red as the RSW above alongside such a top class Scrubby Rise White blend knows what they're on about. Oh, and they do make Church Block all of the time as well!