OK, I’ve got writers block, so the report on Galli will have to wait. I’ve been hitting the delete key more times than is necessary or healthy, so in the meantime here are a couple of pre-dinner nibbles until I get started in the kitchen.
I was clearing some space in the cellar last week and decided that the Bonny Doon Cardinal Zin 2003 https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/ would be good to go for Friday night. I know, the name is shocking and I think it was born of a time when some bright sparks in California decided that clever puns really were a good idea. Who could fail to see the funny side of the Marilyn Merlot: http://www.marilynmerlot.com/
Back to the Cardinal; it’s another Californian Zinfandel with a large chunk of Carginan and other stuff thrown in, this time from infamous winemaker Randall Grahm, who’s often described in the wine press as something of a character. Now whenever someone is described as a character I wonder if they have a penchant for ties which say ‘Do the Bartman’ on them, and are generally best avoided at parties. Never mind avoiding him, start with the wine. I’ve read elsewhere that this wine stands out for its leanness, but I thought it was so green that the grapes were still out on the vine waiting for some sun. Some nice flavours of red fruits and earthy liquorice, and I did leave it for the following evening to see if the wine fairy appeared to make it better. It didn’t.
So for no logical reason I turned to a Delatite Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 http://www.delatitewinery.com.au. Not exactly a direct replacement I know, but my hand was guided by God. As my previous posts will qualify, I’m a card carrying fan of Delatite and this didn't disappoint. Some nutty, buttery characters, ripe stone fruit and some interesting spice at the end. Delicious, well balanced and a good un-oaked chardonnay at around $20 or so.
To top off a rather interesting Saturday, I opened up a Terra Felix Shiraz Viogner 2006 http://www.terrafelix.com.au. Hailing from the Goulburn Valley, it has all the features of Australian Shiraz Viogner, with red fruits and a perfumed lift from the Viogner. It’s medium bodied and slightly on the leaner side of things, but not at all green, and costs about $13. I really like this wine as it is has no pretense other than being really well made and classically Victorian. It also went really well with a bowl of pasta and a viewing of the excellent Eagle Versus Shark on DVD, which was nice.
Well, that’s all for now. I promise I'll get Galli and Pizzini on line soon.
Be seeing you.
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5 comments:
As I footnote I've just looked at the Bonny Doon website and it looks like they're not making the CZ anymore. Shame
As a second footnote, I do realise that Bonny Doon do have a good reputation for making some great wine, including some good Rhone varients so no berating me for them being that bad.
Hi Rawshack. No berating, and I look forward to reviews of Galli and Pizzini (thanks for the inside info(; ).
My second closest VC manager, who specializes in imports, was telling me American Wines are generally big on tannin and don't mind a dose of brett at all. Was wondering if your experiences there matched this opinion?
Terra Felix seem to be getting all the right responses at the moment for the price. After I blow a bundle of cash on my Victotian extravagnaza, think I may settle into them and Tahbilk's reds. Can't make it Delatite this time round, maybe next. And will keep a lookout for that DVD. We've had similar tastes in the past on things other than wine ;) Cheers jeremy
I can't say I've had too many USA wines Jeremy, they weren't massive on the shelves in the UK and they aren't exactly huge here either.
The Zins I've had from CA have had firm tannins but not OTT, maybe because the two i've reviewed here have had at least 5 years in the bottle. I've got a Cabernet from Honig and another from Laurel Glen that I'll try soon and let you know
As for Brett... I'm not really an expert on this (or anything for that matter), I can tell it when it's obvious but struggle with 'faint whiffs'. This is where we need our man Gary ;)
I really liked the Terra Felix, as some of my recent comments have highlighted, I've had a crap time with stalkiness and downright unripe fruit in wines recently, and it's almost making me delve into the cellar for something huge from the Barossa or McLaren Vale. The TF though really was lean without having that greenness. I haven't tried any of their other wines but will certainly hunt them down like the dogs they are ;)
When do you start your Vic odyssey?
1st September mate. Will post here and let you know how it went. Particularly looking forward to a morning with Luke Lambert (my bro got in before he got "discovered") and lunch with my friends Jeni and Phillip from Curly Flat (seem to remember you enjoyed their chardonnay, as I do too!).
If you are sick of under ripe or green, go the teusner!!! VC have the Riebke for $17 at the moment, and at that price or $20-21 it is a great wine. You can decide what you want to do from there I reckon, but I doubt you'll be disappointed and I am not a Barossa man by any means. Some I enjoy, but not the overblown ones as much. Langmeil seem good to, although its been at least a year.
Re: Brett. Yeah, it was only until a tasted a full blown brett affected pinot at sensory analysis class that I got the idea, but once you've seen how bad it can get I think you can detect it much more. Thresholds vary from person to person. I don't mind some from time to time, but if it strips the fruit I'm outta there. Cheers mate, and keep the site rolling. Myself and my brother (who is doing Tassie currently, before Vic with me) enjoy it a lot. Kind regards, jeremy
Jeremy - Curly Flat 05 Chardonnay is possibly one of my top wines at the moment, and one I constantly refer friends to
Have a LL nebbiolo in the cellar which I'm going to hang onto for a couple of years. I'm a bit peaved that I don't have any of the Syrah hanging around either. I'm looking forward to hearing how the trip goes, I'll post some details of it if you like
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