GT Wine Limestone Coast Reds

Another GT Wine tasting hosted by Peter Bourne. This time to look at the Limestone Coast Reds.

The Prodigy was my pick of this bracket

• 2013 Jim Brand Wines Shiraz Glenroy

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Initially reductive with red over blackberry, sight vanilla, camel, sweet spice and a little chocolate. Dense with slightly sour red berry fruit, medium minus intensity chalky tannins, travels medium plus length. Quite simple. Meh

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• 2015 Balnaves of Coonawarra Shiraz

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Polished oak, a little blackberry, meaty & peppery spice, cedar, a little high toned, polished oak. In the mouth it's sharply juicy, the tannins are a little hard and the fruit a little wilder and less ripe. Alcohol heat on the finish. Meh.

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• 2016 Parker Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Terra Rossa

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  A little mineral and animal on the nose and some meaty elements and wild blackberry with savoury spice. Juicy red fruit with soft tannins, medium length. Meh.

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• 2012 Katnook Estate Shiraz Prodigy

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Ooh, hello new oak - cedar, toast, sweet spice over partially baked black fruits - berries and plums and a tiny smidge of black pepper. Rich, dense, juicy, drying but quite lightly textured tannins join the wild very and plum fruit backed by plenty of oaky support. Big but fun...bit of a show wine. I had a second go at this and it was still much of a muchness.

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• 2013 Jack Estate Shiraz Mythology

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slight wood glue and concentrated black fruit, sweet spice, vanilla. Tight, drying tannins close down the front of the palate but the fruit persists on the mid palate, medium length. Hmm

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just the one here and not really for me

• 2015 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz V & A Lane

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Blackcurrant, blackberry, earthy notes and slight herbaceousness & biscuit. Juicy, fleshy, initially with chalky drying tannins, fruit is a little muted beneath this.

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I thought the Smith and Hooper was probably the best Australian Merlot I've tasted

• 2015 Terre à Terre Cabernet Franc Crayeres Vineyard

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully

  Medium minus red berry and sweet spice, a tiny farty note as well. The palate is similarly muted (anonymous for me) there is a certain astringency and alcohol heat that I find a little off putting. Nah.

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• 2016 Parker Coonawarra Estate Merlot Terra Rossa

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slight plums, sweet spice, earthy, a slight herbaceous note. Juicy, plummy fruit, backed by plenty of spice then a big wave of tannins sweets in. The fruit struggles to stay afloat beneath this tannic tsunami.

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• 2013 Banks Thargo Wines Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slightly reductive notes with high toned red plum, sweet spice, some red currant and berry here as well. Juicy, soft, similar red berry and plum notes here. Tannins are present but reined in. Hmm.

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• 2015 Smith & Hooper Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully

  Medium minus intensity aromas of earthy, plums, sweet spice, biscuit, a little toast as well. Far better on the palate, well balanced between fruit, tannin, acid and oak. Good. I popped back to look at this again the nose had begun to come together a little more with the palate being as rewarding as it had been previously.

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• 2015 Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Block

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slightly herbaceous, blackcurrant, clay, earthy savoury spice. More of the same on the palate, a little alcohol warmth an some floury tending to gritty textured tannin. Hmm. Time will help here.

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The Leconfield Sydney, Wynn's Black Label and the Wangolina were my picks here.

• 2015 Jim Brand Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Silent Partner

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Red berry and currant, earthy and herbaceous, clay. A little green on the palate, tightly tannic red berry and currant fruit. Meh.

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• 2012 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Private Collection

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Jubey blackcurrant, clay and earth, creamy, notes and an almost septic tank note which is a little off-putting. Equally jubey and creamy on the palate travels long. Tannins are well integrated but tight and drying without detracting from the palate. Good except or that odd note on the nose.

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• 2013 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon The Menzies

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Blackcurrant, earthy, sweet spice, slight plums, slight herbaceous. Juicy, tightly tannic, lightweight, black hued fruits. Pleasant

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• 2012 Pepper Tree Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Block 21A

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully

  Medium minus intensity aromas of blackcurrant, savoury spice, herbaceous, earthy. Juicy, tangy, a little more fresh and wild on the palate fruitwise but the tannins close things down. Meh and, as it's already 6 years old I'm not sure time will help this...

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• 2013 Jack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Mythology

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Herbaceous blackcurrant, a little sweet spice with a tiny redcurrant underpin. Juicy, fleshy blackcurrant tending to Ribena, gritty tannins. Quite nice on first pass but, on second pass, this had begun to, well, not fall apart but slide into anonymity or, more likely, a smidge of palate fatigue was kicking in.

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• 2016 Jacob's Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Limestone Coast

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast

  A little concentrated blackcurrant, coffee notes, cream and sweet spice and a little fresh earth. Flavours on the palate mimic the nose. Tannins are quite firm but not overly intrusive, all travel long with some alcohol warmth joining. Well made but not for me.

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• 2016 Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Medium minus intensity aromas of Ribena, ethanol and sweet spice, a little mint. Juicy, similar flavours but tending to a little more red fruit. Tannins are dry and gripping. Bit meh.

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• 2014 Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon The Sydney Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Blackcurrant, sweet spice, herbaceous notes, a little clay. Acidity is a little sour and juicy, plenty of fruit, gritty tannins. Long, pleasant and equally pleasant on a second visit.

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• 2012 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Family Selection

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Chalky, earthy, herbaceous, muted red hued fruit backed by a little blackcurrant. On the palate it's juicy and those earthy herbaceous notes are more prevalent on the palate. Kind of interesting in a red fruit way. Hmm

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• 2015 Mérite Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully

  A little muddy and jubey black fruits, slightly herbaceous notes, a little spice. Exceedingly acidic compared to the other wines, fruit is almost a little sweet but tannins are drying. Ugh.

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• 2013 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon The Cigar

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Red over blackcurrant, sweet spice, a little eucalyptus, earth. More of the same on the palate, tightly tannic but fruit persists. Young but balanced. Time required for me.

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• 2015 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slightly jubey blackcurrant, spice, earthy, slight mint and a little toast. Juicy and fleshy, beautifully balanced, black fruit travels long, oak is restrained, slightly chalky tannins don't detract. Yum and, on second taste, this is just as enjoyable.

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• 2015 Wangolina Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Mt. Benson

  Blackcurrant and slight brambles, sweetly fruity, sweet spice, slight vanilla, cream, a little cassis as well and slightly jubey fruit notes. On the palate it's very slightly out of whack; the acidity perhaps a little pronounced, the tannins a little drying but there is fruit and there is promise. Okay. When I went back to this it was coming together on the palate. Time required. good.

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• 2015 Lindeman's Cabernet Sauvignon Trio St. George

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Medium minus intensity aromas of blackcurrant, sweet spice, a little closed perhaps, and there are some confected vanilla and coconut notes here that I don't really like. Hmm, this is quite unpleasant on the palate for me after the other wines. Nah.

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• 2013 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  A little muted initially, with agitation meaty blackcurrant cassis, sweet spice and plenty of new oak. On the palate it's broad, big boned, if you will, with brooding fruit and tannic. Not rewarding today but the fruit/tannin balance (and my experience of previous vintages) points to great longevity. Okay.

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What a lovely tasting. At the end of thenight Peter let me take a couple of bottles (most were only just overhalf tasted) so I plumped for the Wynns Black Label and the Wangolina. Both were exceedingly pleasant.