|| WINE OF THE WEEK ||

Knight Granite Hills The Gordon Cabernets 2008

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Showing a vibrant nose of cassis, eucalyptus, dark plum some faint dark berry compote and brown spice. 

On the palate its showing deliciously medium intensity blackcurrant , plum again and some slight minerality too. It really does have a good balance between savoury spice and really pleasing dark fruited juiciness. Ripe, drying and somewhat chalky tannins balance out this wine leading to a nice length of palate to boot.  

I'm having this with basic garlic and rosemary sausages and baked vegies. But I think it would be perfect for rosemary roasted lamb.

I picked this bottle up on my recent trip to Macedon Ranges, read the full round up here.

http://www.granitehills.com.au/ 

Macedon Ranges Cool Climate Wine

I had a beautiful day trip out of Melbourne on the weekend to the Macedon Ranges, the coolest grape growing region on mainland Australia.


While there are close to 50 vineyards not all of them have cellar doors, and I was a little picky about where I wanted to go as well, so I ended up doing about half a dozen cellar doors. Below are just the highlights.

So it's a quick hour drive out of Melbourne and your there. Though this time my girl, Sarah, was insistent on stopping in on the Lancefield farmer's market, which is small but worth the stop even if its just to pick up some local cheese and olives to go with the later bought wine!

Curly Flat 

We started the day at the top,so to speak, Curly Flat. Probably one of the most lauded vineyards in the Macedon Ranges. I've had their wines before but not for a while and never from their cellar door. I can find some of the premium wine cellar doors can be quite pretentious but not so here. Take a seat at the long table or by the fire and let the very welcoming Curly crew come to you.

The performers line up at Curly Flat.

We tasted the entire range they had available. The entry level Williams Crossing Chardonnay 2013 was great (Sarah preferred this to all the other whites in fact!). And as for their entry level Williams Crossing Pinot...Wow....certainly doesnt taste "entry level" or "bottom rung" to me...fantastic. So if the fruit that ended up as the Williams Crossing didn't make the cut for their "Curly Flat" label, what did ? Enter stage left, the 2011 Curly Flat Pinot Noir , a show stopper now with a real bright future (could cellar well for 6 + years)... this was the wine of the day with real complexity, a nose of cherry, orange pith, forest floor characters and subtle spice with the palate following on with beautiful cherry and cranberry balanced well with earthy savoury elements and fine tannin, amazing length too!
Curly Flat's, entirely new oak (a rarity in the Pinot world), Limited Release Pinot Noir was very interesting too and was good to see some experimentation.

Knight Granite Hills

Next up and a bit further north was Knight Granite Hills (aka Granite Hills). They had quite a big selection here, the drops that pulled me in were their lean, zippy and mineral driven Riesling and a peppery Shiraz. But it was their Cabernet (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc) blend that nailed it.

The vineyards at Cobaw Ridge.

Cobaw Ridge

Next up was Cobaw Ridge...
Interesting cool climate wine? Tick! Biodynamic & Organic? Tick ! And above all else, quality? Tick!
Cobaw Ridge, what a pretty site..amid this picturesque landscape these guys have plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz & Lagrein (Northern Italian varietal). Just recently certified Biodynamic and Organic these wines are in classic cool climate style. I really dug all of these wines, although the Lagrein definitely needs food in my opinion to really show its full potential. I took home what was my favourite, the 2010 Syrah.

Having a look at the progress of the Biodynamic Syrah.

I was lucky enough to get a winery tour from the winemaker,Alan Cooper, and have a look at their Shiraz's at different stages of the ferment and a sneaky taste of the Chardonnay about to go into bottle any day now , is looking fresh in its youth, nice and zippy but already with enough body to taste great already.
Will be keeping an eye on these guys for sure.

Hanging Rock

Its all about the sparkling here for me. Yes they had other tasty wine, especially so in their value range. I really liked the full style Hanging Rock Poppet Head Chardonnay 2012 especially so for the bucks. But the Sparkling eclipsed everything... 9 years on its lees (wiki lees and why its important) and deliciously similar to a classic biscuity and yeasty champagne style (am I allowed to say that? Eeek!).

A mention must be made to another one of my favourite Macedon producers Mount Monument- which I was unable to visit this time around as their cellar door is in North Melbourne.

Stand out wines:

• Curly Flat Chardonnay 2011
• Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2011
• Cobaw Ridge Syrah 2010
• Knight Granite Hills "The Gordon" Cabernet blend 2008
• Hanging Rock NV Sparkling

Full tasting notes on some of the above wines to come on this blog in the coming week.

|| WINE OF THE WEEK ||

|| TASTING ||

Rochford Isabella's Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 , Yarra Valley, VIC

On a recent trip to the Yarra Valley I stopped by Rochfords cellar door and while there were a few nice drops this was the standout I opened it this week to have with a rustic lentil pie, yummy stuff!

It has a  nose of cassis, coconut characters from the well integrated oak and very subtle dried herbs like thyme.

On the palate its full and dense and more savoury than expected...more earth with the black fruit noticeable later and some slight tarriness on the finish which is not unpleasant at all. A serious wine, an awesome winter warmer for that roast lamb or, for the vego's, roast vegetables with rosemary.

(RRP Approx $40- $50) Rochford Wines

TASTING: Domaine Francois Feuillet, Pinot Noir '09, Nuits St. Georges, Burgundy

Domaine Francois Feuillet, Nuits St. Georges, Cuvée Marcel Gerbeaut 2009

Region: Burgundy, France
Variety: Pinot Noir

Fantastic wine, very impressive stuff. A complex and lifted nose of mushroom, earth, red cherry and leafiness.

A refined palate with cherry and earthy characters and very subtle white pepper, displaying complexity again in the mouth. A light to medium tannin structure balance this wine perfectly. Great length too. Exceptional.

Imported by Negociants Australia.

|| TASTING ||

Quealy Musky Creek Pinot Noir 2010, Mornington Peninsula, VIC

A stand out Pinot for me from the stellar 2010 vintage (was a great year for Mornington Pinot). Smacks of refinement and not just that but it packs a bit more power than some of its other regional counterparts.
A complex nose of bright red fruit, such as red cherries along with spearmint and orange zest.

In the mouth its light to medium bodied with cherry again some light spice, the savoury elements and subtle leafy characters adds to the complexity without at all being "stalky". Has a little more tannin and structure than most Aussie Pinot's.. Lovely.

(RRP approx $36) Quealy

|| TASTING ||

Dourosa 2009, Douro, Portugal
(Touriga National, Tinta Rouriz, Touriga Franca)

A rich blend of these three native Portuguese varieties has an amazing colour of bright but deep ruby with definitive purple highlights.

Blackberry and blueberry fruit on nose with light spicy oak, the fruit here has great intensity.

The palate follows and is surprisingly fresh for such a big wine. Black fruit, nice oak with gentle spice and a little prune later as the wine breathes. A little heat from the alcohol on the back palate, which was not unpleasant and not surprising from the Douro. All in all a good full bodied style and a fantastic winter warmer !

(RRP Approx $21)

|| TASTING ||

Krinklewood Wild Red Shiraz 2011, Hunter Valley, NSW 

Mondays can be tight with the wallet, after the weekends shenanigans, so a little compromising is usually needed when it comes to the nights "easy drinker".
So I'm looking for a bottle under $20 and find a decent Organic & Biodynamic shiraz that fits the bill...

A medium bodied Shiraz blend made up of Shiraz, Cabernet, Tempranillo & Viognier from the Hunter with dark red & black berry fruit on nose with distinct earth and leaves. The palate is firm and full with seductive dark berries & savoury depth provided by a nice handling of oak. A fresh but full savoury style shiraz... And great value too!

(RRP $16-17 Approx) Krinklewood

More tastings to come as fast as I can sniff and sip.. Updated weekly.

|| TASTING ||

Kennedy Shiraz  2009, Heathcote, VIC

A very pleasant nose of some intensity here with plum, blackberry & very subtle barnyard. In true Heathcote style, the palate is intense and similar to nose but more pepper and spice on the palate.
Great depth of flavour whilst remaining in the medium bodied realm and is well balanced by fine tannins and a light line of acidity. A great example of regional typicality.
(RRP $25) Kennedy Vintners

Top Australian Wine Producers turn to Organics

In what is a huge endorsement for the practice of Organics in viticulture, some top Australian wine producers are now turning to the practice.

Grosset, Pewsey Vale (Contours) & Torbreck which are in the official Langtons Classification of Australian wine (only iconic/high quality producers that have been consistent for more than 10 vintages are considered for this classification) are now practicing organics in the name of quality, vineyard health and sustainability.

While Grosset have in essence always maintained that they have had a minimal intervention and natural approach to wine making, it was only after a 3 year period of assessment ending in February this year that they achieved certification. “Grosset Wines has been at the leading edge of sustainable viticulture since planting the Gaia vineyard in the 1980′s” said Grosset in a statement on their website “and we see this independent certification of our vineyards and winery as an extension of that commitment".

                   

Mount Horrocks, another well known quality producer, has as well gained ACO (Australian Certified Organic) certification very recently. Stephanie Toole from Mount Horrocks puts it simply "The organic approach offers benefits in terms of health as well as ecological sustainability".

   

It is great to see major wine brands that are both lauded for their quality and are also within the mainstream retail environment (eg. Woolworths/Dan Murphy's being one of the major purchasers of the above mentioned brands). This, I believe, is a critical tipping point as consumers and growers alike start associating quality with organics.

Red wine. Dark Room. .. yes another wine blog.

Just me and what's in the glass in a dark room, that's as close as I can get to being "in the moment". My name is Dylan and I , like you, love wine. I am qualified through WSET (Wine Spirit Education Trust) and the Sydney Wine Academy. I have experience in the industry as both a Sommelier and in retail. I currently reside in Melbourne and this is my blog.

Here you'll find my words inspired by what I find unique, seductive and interesting in the wine world. Unpretentious tastings, articles, news and general ramblings.

To give the blog a little focus I'll be mainly sniffing and sipping Victorian wine as its where I live, Organic and Biodynamic wine because its a passion and unique wine for its talking points.