Sydney Wine Show - Tasting the wines (reds)

(Please start here it makes more sense)

Following on from the whites, this is my roundup of the reds.

The highlights
- Giant Steps delicious (already) 08 Pinots.
- Anything red with a Paringa Estate label. 10 wines entered, 5 trophies garnered. Enough said.
- Everything with a Meerea Park label - the Hunter's wunderkind
- Peter Lehmann Stonewell & Mentor (as usual)
- Yalumba's Signature & Reserve. You don't even need to taste them. Just buy.


Sparkling

Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 2004
The vinous enigma. Where did you go, Seppelt Show? Rumours swirl that multiple vintages were poured down the sink due to brett issues. Even this class scored lowly with the comments 'some wines with brettanomyces' - making it sound like brett sits next to cork taint as a wine super villain. Watch out everyone, there's some brett! Cue screaming winemakers....
So it was a great opportunity then to try this wine. A veritable pup when you think about it (remember the 1994 was the current release only 2 or 3 years back) and showing its youth and potential. Slightly flat, sweet berry, mocha and yes kinda bretty nose, but with the most amazing, deep, chewy palate. It screams out for about a decade of bottle age and if it ever (please Seppelt) sees the light of day I'd happily buy one. 17.6++


Pinot Noir


Dalrymple Pinot Noir 2007
Someone has been to the deli! Hammy, stalky nose, meaty but quite delicate palate. I quite like it, but I love spicy Sausage Pizzas too. Coming back to this by accident a second time it seemed much less meaty. 17.6

Giant Steps Gladysdale Pinot Noir 2008
Not quite up to the Tarraford quality (below) but another fragrant winner of a wine. Bright, sweet red fruit nose, lovely fleshy, sappy palate that is easy drinking but with real Pinosity. Good. 18

Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008
Great Pinot. Spot on. Lovely, cherry, sappy & red fruit nose. Its already delicious. So smooth, meaty and perfumed. I really like the lightness here - its so drinkable and perfect. Will get better too. 18.6

Oakridge Pinot Noir 2008
Ridiculously young. Simple, confected but pretty with all the elements there, including strong acidity. Not much of a drink now though. 16.0++

Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2007
Trophy Winner (Best Pinot). Delicious. Stems, red fruit, cherries etc. Mornington Pinot done well. Beautiful, clear, pristine fruit, no oak, high acid. Real Pinot. 18.7

Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
Bigger, oakier and surprisingly more Eucalyptusy than the Estate Pinot, overt red fruit leads to a lovely, hedonistically rich palate that happily screams it Mornington origins. Very good already, will be even better. 18.7

Pipers Brook Estate Pinot Noir 2007
Big, raw, rhubarb & extract style. Quite harsh and tannic palate. Should improve dramatically, but hard work at present. 15.5+

Seville Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
Meaty, peppery, charcuterie nose with red fruit dipped in smoke. Yes its slightly smoky, no its not ruined, just unique. Try before you buy stuff then. 16.5

Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
The Stonier Reserve style is almost unmistakable. Always slightly bretty and intense, but also quite a satisfying mouthful of Pinot. Notably this had a slightly tawny colour. Smoky, spicy nose, firm, bulky palate of depth. Good wine, needs time, 17.6+

Stonier Windmill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
Starts really well with a lovely nose of real fleshy cherry Pinot fruit and a hint of stalk. But after that things go awry with a bizarre, angular and peanutty palate that ruins everything. Dud bottle perhaps? But the nose was great! 15

Tomich Hill Pinot Noir 2007
Quite a disappointment really. Simple red fruit nose, simple red fruit meets rhubarb palate. Thins out towards the end, finishes sourly. Nope. 14.8


GSM Blends


Annies Lane Coppertrail GSM 2006
Slightly hollow, overripe and meaty nose, dull oaky palate. No definition, not enough freshness. 14.9

Langmeil 3 Gardens GSM 2006
Another lacking 06 GSM. Fruity nose but simple & drawn palate. Lacks real depth. 14.8

Shiraz Blends


Amberley Shiraz Viognier 2007
Trophy winner (Best Shiraz Viognier). All that is bad about Australian Shiraz Viognier. Bright purple red in colour. Overtly apricotty nose. Sickly sweet, obvious Shirognier characters throughout and obvious blunt acidity. Glycerous, sweet rubbish. 14.0

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Seventy Six Shiraz Cabernet 2007
Trophy Winner (Best Red, Commercial Classes 8-11). Its would be easy to sacrifice this wine on the tall poppy altar and be done with it. But I tried to be objective here, put aside any prejudices, preconceptions, all of it.

Bright, simple choccy fruit nose. Sweet, one dimensional palate. Sour finish. thin. No.
Nice nose in amongst a brace of average commercial wines won this simple commercial wine its trophy. 15


Shiraz


Bests Bin 0 Shiraz 2006
Spicy, oak drenched nose sweetly oaked palate is mono dimensional and simple. Not a patch on the awe inspiring 04 and 05. What happened in 06 in the Grampians? The 06 Seppelts were similarly underwhelming... 16.0+

Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz 2006
This reminds me quite alot of the glossy 2004 vintage that whilst impressive in its youth has gone all wobbly since. Tight, quite oaky black fruit nose underpinned by meaty savoury Hunter fruit. Mid weight and quite drinkable but really only for the Hunterista. 17.2

Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2007
Any Viognier in here? Perhaps its just the vineyard fruit aromatics (which didn't seem Shirognierish before). Maybe its just my painful Viognier radar, which seeks out Viognier in red wines and then I can't enjoy them. On that note, I'd like to come clean about a niggling issue. I hate Australian Shiraz Viognier. I hate it. I hate what they are doing to Shiraz. Australian Shiraz is rich, soft textural and purple enough, it doesn't need any f**king Viognier. Especially the already aromatic cool climate stuff, and particularly, with no exception, does Barossa Shiraz need or deserve the addition of Viognier. Clonakilla and a small handful of others can pull it off, but everyone else please stop immediately.

There, I've finished. Back to the Cape Mentelle. Its a lifted pepper and plum style in a mid weight form that seems to lack some intensity and misses that nice meaty style of previous vintages. Not a fan, though its still drinkable. 15.1

Chalkers Crossing Shiraz 2005
Absolutely festooned with medals and a gold medal winner here, this sadly did nothing for me. A distinctive roasted fruit nose that is now showing as a distinctive Hilltops character, leading on to a strangely nutty, savoury & slightly dried out and raisined palate that was distinctive but not all that appealing. Somebody liked it though. 15.5

Château Reynella No.1 Cellar Shiraz 2004
Huuuggge bottle, festooned with medals, all designed for maximum impact. Tight, sweetly vanilla oak (this would have literally spent years in oak no doubt) nose with just a hint of brett, leading to a big, old fashioned, slightly brutish palate. Will cellar impressively well, lets hope that the oak integrates. I tasted this and the wine below on different days but no doubting the similarity. 17.4+

Château Reynella Shiraz 2006
Trophy Winner (Best Dry Red 2yrs & Older). Big, old school Mclaren Vale Shiraz. mint chocolate oak and serious, dry red intensity. Crammed with semi sweet, dense fruit, chocolate oak. Slightly tough, surly but saved by the sweet fruit. A roughie with a heart of gold then. 17.4+

Grant Burge Meshach Shiraz 2006
Sweetly raisined palate, hugely tannic and very sweet with great intensity, but also a little unconvincing in its delivery. Again oppressively oaky. 16.0

Hardys Eileen Hardy Shiraz 2004
Peppery, meaty red fruit style that tastes much more complete and surprisingly medium bodied after the other wines (mainly 06's) tasted around it. This was much softer and just a little lacking in intensity (and on the finish) but a reasonable drink all the same. 16.9

Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2007
Sweetly juicy, spicy black pepper nose with lushly sweet and intense red fruits on the palate. Mono dimensional and very young but also very attractive indeed. 17.8+

Langmeil Orphan Block Shiraz 2006
Spicy nose, unbelievable sweet palate. Unctuous fruit driven palate with real density. Perhaps just a little too sweet but attractive enough. 17

Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 2007
Purple colour, very tight nose but so bright ripe and delicious. The palate is very smooth with that old fashioned Hunter svelte medium bodied palate. Glorious future ahead. Brilliance. 18.6+

Mt Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz 2004
Trophy Winner (Best Red Wine Aged Vintages). Big, firm and chocolatey, with a real glycerol drenched, almost Viognier touched palate. Sadly it all goes downhill at the finish. Angry, rude alcohol swamps whatever resembles the second half of the wine. Another hot & disappointing
Langi. 14.9

Mt Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz 2006
Reading over my notes this got an almost identical note score and description as the 04. Suffice to say, I'm no Langi fan. 14.8

Olivers Taranga Shiraz 2005
Sweet formic nose, rich warm & chocolatey palate. I think I gave this only a passing glance, but it struck me as good, simple but not quite superstar material. 17

Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz 2004
Sweetly peppermint nose, almost like some Coonawarra fruit snuck into this (which it didn't or if it did, only 15% worth). Surprisingly mid weight and quite drinkable. 17

Paringa Estate Reserve Shiraz 2006
Fragrant, meaty peppery red berry Shiraz in a classic cool climate Aussie Shiraz style. Lovely medium bodied palate, a flash of ham and nice complexity. Another winner from Paringa. 18.5

Paringa Estate Reserve Shiraz 2007
Immediately richer & oakier than the 06 its quite a big full and rich wine that feels oak dominated and a little ripe and full at present. Should improve with time in the bottle. 17.1+

Paringa Estate Shiraz 2006
Multiple Trophy Winner (Best Shiraz, Red of Show, Wine of Show ). A little dull on the nose which showed dominating of chocolatey oak, a flash of pepper and some pink roast lamb. Lovely ripe full flavoured palate, but its just a little ripe, simple and boring. 17.1

Paxton Jones Block Shiraz 2005
Really liked this and I'm a very big fan of this label. Sweet berry fruit with chocolatey oak in a lovely modern McLaren Vale frameset. Tight and very pure flow of red fruit. So sweetly pure & delicious. 18.2+

Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2005
Not a patch on the 04. Sweet oaky & powerful Penfolds nose, nutty & extremely tannic palate. Too me its just a little hot and heavy, but there is potential in there for more love with age. 17+

Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 2004
Lovely stuff that will only get better. Rich and ripely generous with milk chocolate oak & lightly perfumed dark fruit. What I like the most here is that its actually quite understated and linear, with a gentleness and understated power that is classically Barossan and will stead it well for the future. Will be buying some of this. 18++


Cabernet Blends


Chain of Ponds Cachet Cabernet Merlot 2002
Gold Medal winner. Maturing but still fresh palate leading to quite green and astringent palate that falls away at the finish. No 14.8

Gralyn Cabernet Shiraz 2007
Huge. Massively oak and dense. OTT but there is also a certain attraction in the style - hedonism plus. I'd even say there is some Wilyabrup red soil richness here. Impressive, but also quite ridiculous. 17.0+

Peter Lehmann Mentor 2005
Another great release under this label. Polished blackberry & black jube nose the palate has a lovely femininity and balance to it that I really like. Linear. Another tick for Peter Lehmann here. 18.5+

Wolf Blass Black Label 2004
Dark chocolate nose that is surprisingly moderate in its intensity. Peppermint, dark chocolate and HUGE tannins. Again OTT but still attractive. 17.5

Wolf Blass Black Label 2006
Big dark chocolate nose. Smells distinctively Langhorney (or is that just the oak talking) with that choc spearmint dry power that made this wine famous. Hugely, hugely oaky, stupidly tannic & chewy. Will need years before it all integrates, but its still a caricature of a wine. May not ever be drinkable. 16.3

Yalumba Signature 2005
Drink much Signature? Like the style? If you answer yes to either question then this is a no brainer. Bold, solid blackberry & chocolate oak nose, palate is cuddly ripe, fully oaked and smooth, but backed by a robust structure that should see this into its second decade with ease. Buy with confidence. 18.5+

Yalumba The Reserve 2004
Wonderful stuff (gold medal winner here). Very tight and very polished. Creamy oak is a little too dominant right now, but the purity and quality of the fruit and supportive winemaking are hard to ignore. Just perfectly balanced. Buy this. 18.7+


Cabernet Sauvignon


Brands Patrons Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Simple, slightly chocolatey tight nose. One dimensional slightly sour palate but finishes with some alcohol heat. Disjointed disappointment. 15.5

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Herbaceous nose with both under and overripe characters, nice intensity to the palate which is ripe but slightly unbalanced. More attention in the vineyard required here. 15.8

Coldstream Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
I'll be first to admit that this needed more than a casual sip. It needs dinner and a movie, or dinner at least, before it will show you its goodies. Leafy, distinctively cool climate nose (a relief in amongst some of these oaky brutes) with a light, semi sweet, slightly sour, high acid palate thats quite polished. Interim rating only. 17.6

D'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Muted nose has some weird cabbagey overtones. Quite thin palate. Confusing underripe palate elements. Underripe Cabernet..from D'Arenberg....in McLaren Vale??? 15

Elderton Ashmead Cabernet 2006
Whilst not in the same league as the positively seductive 04 and good followup 05, there is no doubting the appeal here. Lovely soft blackberry fruit, heaps of well integrated oak that makes for the most smooth and beautifully plush palate that you just know will win this wine friends. Will be even better in about 3 years time. 17.6+

Fermoy Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Formic, sweet oak nose with none of the weediness that can dog the Fermoy reds. Rather its crammed with black Margaret River fruit and mouthfuls of toasted chocolate oak. Good, but too bloody oaky to be great. 16.9

Grant Burge Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Much more impressive than the Meshach of the same vintage sweet oak/fruit amalgam of a nose, in that 'many yrs in oak' Barossan style. Shares alot with the Ashmead above, but with a drier palate and less hedonistic plushness. Good. 17+

Gralyn Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Massive nose. Ridiculously intense. Formic, chocolatey OTT oak oak and more oak. Surprisingly enough, underneath it all is actually an impressive wine - if you love the ultra polished, super smooth and rich new world style, its hard to go past this seamless wine. 17.8

Houghton Gladstones Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
I'm a little torn here. On one hand I really appreciate this style and can see a good future ahead. On the other hand, the amount of oak (and glass, another stupidly large bottle) is altogether irritating. This wine is literally crammed with fruit oak and tannins. Thankfully it lacks the absolute obviousness of the Gralyn but at this point in time its no more attractive.
In conclusion I'm going to fall on this wines side, but please don't touch it any time soon. 17.8+

Langmeil Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Solid blackberry & choc coconut nose, soft round & friendly palate. Big in that Barossan Cabernet way. Nice, dependable, drinkable. 17.5

Lenton Brae Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Gold Medal winner. Nicely regional nose with spicy black fruit and tannins that build pace as it goes. The palate itself wasn't oaky but the finish was, but that was the only distraction from what is a very good wine. 17.7

Ringbolt Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Trophy Winner (Best Cabernet). Eucalypt, mildly herbaceous, black fruit on the ripe nose. It smells like Southern Margaret River fruit to me (at a guess). Really rich dark fruit palate, intense and quite alcoholic. Lacks a little delicacy but will improve with time in the cellar. 17+

Sandalford Prendiville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Lovely herbaceous MR regional cassis, dark chocolate and red soil richness. Sour, meaty slightly bretty palate but backed by good structure. Future plus. 17.5+

Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet 2006
Understandably backward, this is such a pup - the tannins, the balance, its all there in that understated Tahbilk way, it just needs a decade to come out! 17++

Wynns Block 88 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
The latest instalment of the single vineyard Wynns Cabernet range (ala last years Messenger). Tight, slightly muted nose that gradually unfurls cassisy red fruit that is just so typically delicious and Coonawarran (if thats even a word). Real red soil derived style. Great tannins. Long future. 18.3+

Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Much more backward than the Block 88, this is built for the long haul. Closed nose with whispers of cassis, little Cabernet berries and cigars poking through. Palate is very linear and outstandingly fresh. Another good JR. 18++


Fortified


Seppeltsfield Fortified Shiraz 2005
Good to see a good Aussie vintage port in the mix. This is a reasonable example, quite sweet & rich with good vibrancy. It may not make really old bones but its nicely fresh and drinkable. Good. 17+