2013 Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet - Coonawarra

#wine

SHIRAZ CABERNET GETS TONGUES WAGGING

David Ellis

PERFECT conditions result in the perfect
wine with roast beef or lamb dishes.

WHEN you’ve a vineyard that sits directly over Coonawarra’s famed Terra Rossa strip right where the soil is at its most-shallow above a ridge of marvellous limestone, and you enjoy a fantastic growing season to boot, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re going to create wines to have tongues wagging.

And that’s exactly what Lindeman’s got a couple of years’ back, and from which they’ve now-released their 2013 Limestone Ridge Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet, a premium drop that’s worth every cent of the $60 asking price.

Winemaker Brett Sharpe sums up 2013 simply as “excellent” in Coonawarra, with a warm, dry summer followed by a cool autumn. “We had great fruit set, undertook targeted fruit thinning, and cooler ripening conditions followed by a late ‘Indian Summer,’ resulted in reds that ripened slowly and fully and provided us with excellent fruit concentration and ripe tannin structure,” Brett says.

With a lovely spiciness to it, oodles of red and black juicy fruit flavours, subtle floral notes and toasty oak, this 2013 Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet is a great drop for special-event dining, and a perfect match with roast beef or lamb dishes.

One to note: Rymill Coonawarra Brut

FOR those next celebrations a great Aussie bubbly
from a French-born, Champagne-trained winemaker.

ONE TO NOTE:  A NICE bubbly to think about for any celebrations you have in the wind, is a 2012 Rymill Coonawarra Brut that's made from grape varieties used in the finest traditional French Champagnes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

And who better to make it than Senior Winemaker at Rymill, Sandrine Gimon who is French-born and Champagne-trained… and for this drop changed the component percentages a little to reflect the exceptional 2012 vintage for Chardonnay in Coonawarra: she made this one with 90% Chardonnay fruit, and for sticking with tradition, equal parts of the two Pinot.

And although those two are just five per cent each of the blend, they're enough to give the wine a nicely subtle pink hue. With a nice creamy mousse, fresh fruit flavours (peach, melon and red berries mostly) and good acidity, it's a great drop for partying – or any time. And nicely priced too at $25.

for week beginning 10 August 2015

Grey Sands Tamar Valley 2008 Merlot

SEVEN YEARS CELLARING REWARDS WELL

NO irrigation in the vineyard,
seven years in the cellar
– here's a Merlot that's all about
flavour, flavour and more flavour. 

David Ellis

BOUTIQUE Grey Sands Vineyard tucked away in Glengarry overlooking the Tamar Valley just north-west of Launceston, have just released their 2008 Merlot, and while  the results of its long seven years in the cellar must be enormously rewarding for owners Bob and Rita Richter, we're ready to say they're even more-so for buyers.

The Richter's have a philosophy of not irrigating their Grey Sands vineyard, preferring to sacrifice higher yields in favour of maximum flavour concentration in the resultant fruit. And it's certainly paid off in this case, with a drop that's got wonderfully concentrated dark fruit flavours (think mulberries and plums to the fore,) cocoa, spicy oak and nicely balanced tannins.

And it's equally rewarding for those who love to savour aromas out of the glass, all that fruitiness simply erupting from this one – almost like putting your nose into a rich plum pudding.

With those already seven years in the cellar, this 2008 Merlot still has plenty more years of life to come, but if you want to get into it now, enjoy with your favourite red meats – as we did, with a Winter-time's steak and kidney pie.

If you're planning a driving holiday in Tasmania, Grey Sands Vineyard is a half-hour north-west of Launceston with the Cellar Door, gardens and vineyard open from midday to 5pm the last weekend of every month from October to April (inclusive.) To order their 2008 Merlot ($40 cellar door plus freight) email info@greysands.com.au

The Argus Wine List Awarded 3 Glasses

Sommelier at the Argus Dining Room & Bar Jeremy Shiell received a golden tick of approval on Monday night at the Gourmet Traveller Wine Awards in Melbourne with the restaurant's wine list being awarded three glasses.

The accolade is similar to that of winning three chef's hats, so understandably Jeremy and The Argus team are thrilled with the recognition at these prestigious awards.

Jeremy, who has been with The Argus for almost 18 months says the wine list development has been highly interconnected with the restaurant's paddock to plate food offering.

“It is immensely satisfying to create a three-glass worthy list and to receive recognition from experts in the industry. My role has been to build a wine list that offers choices to complement and enhance the food experience and we have some great varieties on offer.

“The Argus has a strong commitment to great wine, including sustainable, low-intervention producers from around the world and local product as well. The last-few years have seen a dramatic sea-change in wine, and I'm proud to champion these changes in an approachable, educational manner,” he says.

The Argus Bar & Lounge wine menu offers an enormous 475 wines for guests to choose from, 15 of these are available by the glass and the selection includes a mix of local, interstate and international offerings.

The Gourmet Traveller Wine Award judges not surprisingly delivered a glowing review of The Argus wine selection.

“This is a list that cries from the rooftops with innovative, artisan, sustainable wine producers with rotating features on winemakers like benchmark Bindi of Victoria and fine Champagne grower-producer Ulysse Collin. It's a cutting edge selection that steers down the natural wine path, but doesn't forget to include fine examples of all genres. Wonderful stuff," it said.

Source:

 

Shottesbrooke 2012 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

FASCINATING history of an interesting label
to talk about over slow-cooked lamb shanks.

ONE TO NOTE: SHOTTESBROOKE Vineyard at McLaren Vale goes back over 30 years to when founder Nick Holmes planted his first vineyard, naming it after an estate at Berkshire in England where his granddad was vicar for 21 years from 1905.

Today Shottesbrooke is turning out some real classics under the stewardship of GM and Chief Winemaker Hamish Maguire, Nick Holmes' stepson.

His recently released 2012 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrific drop that's all about the flavours a great Cabernet Sauvignon aspires to – toasty oak, blackcurrant, chocolate and hints of mint. And at $40 it makes for a marvellous match with slow-cooked lamb shanks, buttered baby potatoes and steamed beans.

for week beginning 03 August 2015

Fox Gordon 2014 Charlotte's Web Pinot Grigio

A PERFECT match with Italian-inspired
chicken dishes or shellfish.

SAY CIAO TO GREAT AUSSIE PINOT GRIGIO

David Ellis

SOUTH Australia's boutique Fox Gordon is winning growing numbers of admirers with its range of reds and whites out of the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills, with a 2014 Pinot Grigio from the latter a rewarding example of what a hands-on small family maker can achieve with a variety like this.

Winemaker Tash Mooney has crafted in this a wine that's got lovely varietal pear and apple flavours along with a captivating hint of lime, and one that's sure to appeal to the fast-growing ranks of Pinot Grigio enthusiasts in this country – as in so many others across the world as well, as the variety charges forward in its pursuit of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to be the world's best-selling white.

Founded relatively recently in the 1990s, Fox Gordon is also well on the road to achieving its owners' dream to come up with premium Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills wines that will one day sit amongst the greatest of international brands as measured by value and enjoyment.

Pay $19.95 and match this very moreish Pinot Grigio with shellfish or Italian-inspired chicken dishes; available from select premium liquor outlets or check out www.foxgordon.com.au for State distributors and cellar door contacts.

Tahbilk Announced as James Halliday Wine Companion '2016 Winery of the Year'

Tahbilk, established in 1860 and Victoria's oldest family owned winery, was last night announced as the 2016 Winery of the Year at the James Halliday Wine Companion Awards ceremony in Melbourne.

Held at the iconic Melbourne Museum in the presence of the sporting greats John Eales and Mark Scaife, Former Premier of Victoria Jeff Kennett, his wife Felicity, and guests from a broad cross section of Australia's wine industry, James Halliday presented the award to Alister Purbrick, fourth generation CEO and winemaker of Tahbilk. Alister attended the awards with his artist wife, Rosa.

The awards are traditionally held the night before the launch of the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion, Australia's foremost wine 'bible'. First awarded in 2007, the award is the ultimate recognition of a life in wine.

Following presentation of the award, Alister said, “When my great-grandfather Reginald Purbrick purchased the Tahbilk property in 1925, he would not have been able to dream of receiving an accolade that means so much to our family and the broader industry as a whole. To be able to continue his original vision for Tahbilk, and accept such an esteemed award from our own living wine legend, James Halliday, is a great honour. I feel incredibly proud of all that the Purbrick family has achieved at Tahbilk over the generations and this award recognises our unswerving commitment to traditional winemaking whilst using innovative and sustainable viticultural practices. This is definitely one for the team at Tahbilk and I thank everyone who has made a contribution over our 155 years of existence.”

Head to www.tahbilk.com.au for more information about the Purbrick family, Tahbilk's rich history, their range of wines, restored wetlands, location in the Nagambie Lakes region and sustainability project, 'carboNZero'.