Hobart
Tasted Friday, December 31, 2010 by graemeg with 509 views
The 2010 Taste of Tasmania was held in the usual Princes Wharf Shed venue in Hobart, this year the subject of a makeover to give the gloomy space bit of light. Looks a bit better, but the event has just about outgrown its venue. Only a short visit this year, just long enough to sample the following offerings:
A Taste regular, although I was more impresed with their wines of a few years ago that the versions on offer today. Tricky recent vintages? Hard to say. ‘Reserve’ bottlings of pinot and chardonnay are generally worth seeking out; they have greater depth of flavour than their non-reserve siblings, and their sporadic release timetable (with suitable bottle age) at fair prices make them the genuine article.
Now under (relatively) new management – certainly my first chance to try the wines for a few years and since the days of Nick Butler. Also this is the first time they’ve had their own stand at the Taste. Four wines tasted, and all hit the mark.
Wasn’t as bowled over by these wines as last year.
Always an ambitiously-priced winery, reflecting the small volumes, and nothing’s different this year…
Just saw these by chance on the way out, but the name, once moribund, seems to be taking a new lease of life under Fosters' ownership, of all people.
2009 Bream Creek Schönburger
Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, 12.9%, A$23} All musk and gewurz-like aromas. Light-bodied, with sweet musk-perfume fruits. A dash of sugar left here? Still there’s enough acid to keep it lively and give it a medium-length finish. Pleasant and unusual and worth taking to an Asian restaurant.
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2010 Bream Creek Sauvignon Blanc
Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, $24} Bright, grassy and youthful. The flavours are a blend of asparagus and sweet lines, with quite strong tangy acid; it’s a light-medium bodied wine with a medium length finish. Good effort.
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2008 Bream Creek Chardonnay
Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, A$24} Barely any oak here. Actually, not a lot here generally. A little bit of nut and citrus on the palate, vaguely chardonnay-ish taste, light body, short finish. Lacks character.
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2005 Bream Creek Chardonnay Reserve
Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 14%, A$34} Rich, aging nose of cashews and stonefruits along with some crisp oak. The palate tastes quite advanced, with decaying woody notes apparent and jostling interstingly with the tangy developing fruits. Good balance of flavour along the tongue, helped by a light tannic grip, the wine’s medium-bodied with a medium-length finish. I rather think it’s at peak now at five years of age, there’s just something about the spicy fruit that says it’s going to fade rather fast once it hits the downslope.
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2009 Bream Creek Pinot Noir
Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, A$33} Young nose of cherries and sap. The nose hints at coarseness, but the palate is much silkier in texture than anticipated. There are cherry/kirsch flavours, low-medium tannins, just a dusting of oak and medium acids; it all adds up to a light-medium bodied wine with a shortish finish sitting on the front and mid-palate. It’s OK, but getting expensive for what it is; might be better to wait for the Reserve wine which usually is twice the wine for 50% more money…
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2008 Bream Creek Cabernet Merlot
Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, A$27} Youthful nose of herbal, somewhat greenish aromas, bracken-like, but with a core of red fruit beneath if you work hard enough. The merlot (presumably) give some weight to the mid-palate, there are soft dusty tannins, but the flavours still tend toward the green end of the spectrum. It’s medium-bodied, but the finish fades rather too quickly to impress. Fair but hardly worth seeking out.
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2008 Bream Creek Riesling VGR
Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 11.8%, A$22}. Soft floral nose. Coats the tongue quite well with white flowery fruits, is light-bodied, and very clearly off-dry. But it lacks persistence, or the sort of extra dimension to lift it away from a bland sweetness. Dull.
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2010 Bream Creek Schönburger Late Harvest
Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{375ml, screwcap, A$24} We’ve skipped a few vintages here. Nine out of ten would pick the nose as gewurz, with a musk/tropical/turkish delight festival of aromas. The palate is medium-dry (ie. quiet sweet), but free from botrytis. It’s medium-weight, and despite being quite luscious has just enough tang to keep from cloying. Finishes cleanly, if a bit simple.
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