Coravin - Readiness to drink

A couple of brackets of wine to try at home…interested in the state of play. All wines were Coravined & cling filmed about 40 minutes before consumption.

Well, I say global but I'm not sure that France, New Zealand and Australia really covers the entire gamut of global shiraz but it's all I had so that's what I got out…

• 2008 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of wet brambles, slight leather, cream, caramel and dusty notes with a very slightly jubey blackberry note. On the palate it's wetly juicy with blackberry fruit and a peppery, lightly tannic finish. Travels long. Nice now or 3-5 years.

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• 2008 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard

  New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

  From Coravin. Ripe blackberry, leather, a slightly reductive/rubbery note and green pepper, earthy with a little rosehip tea. It's a littler more sour than the nose initially suggest, tart brambles, near resolved tannins have a leathery, earthy quality. Probably a drink up for me.

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• 2008 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia's Paddock

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

  From Coravin. Leathery, baked concentrated black cherry, spice, cedar and dusty sweet spice, slightly oxidised almost, Acid feels clumsy and the impression is of a lack of balance, the fruit is muted, tannins are lightweight but quite chalky and drying, there is some vanilla here and plenty of alcohol heat on the finish. Nah.

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• 2008 Grant Burge Shiraz Meshach

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  From Coravin. Ripe, polished blackberry and black cherry vanilla, chocolate, plenty of oaky spice and some alcohol heat. And does what it says on the bottle on the palate - full bodied, old school Aussie Barossa Shiraz: Plenty of ripe fruit married to new okay with alcohol heat. Nicely balanced though. Good.

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Does 5-6 years still cover young? For these wines…I think it's reasonable to give it a resounding yes…Both of the Brunello could be happily married to massive lumps of charry meat right now though…

• 2013 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  From Coravin. Black tea, sour cherry, tobacco leaf, earthy spice, dried flowers and milk chocolate. In the mouth initial flavours of black tea and sour cherry for me, wetly fleshy though insidious tannins insinuate themselves into the mid palate and hang around like an unwanted relative. It finishes a little warm as well.

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• 2012 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  From Coravin. Slightly gamey, charcuterie funk, more dense than the Costanti on the nose; aromas of cherry and sweet spice. Perhaps a little more oak here? With time a smidge of dried flowers and cherry ripe chocolate. Far more savoury on the palate with juicy acidity and massive, grippy though talc textured tannins. The fruit is rather lost in this structural onslaught but it travels ridiculously long. Undeniably young and demands serious charred meat.

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• 2012 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Coparossa

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  From Coravin. Polished oak, slightly volatile, cherry, sweet spice a little rose petal and fresh, floral top notes with some jubey cherry menthols. Juicy, fleshy cherry and cherry menthol with wonderful stewed black tea tannins; the whole persists long. Really lovely. Balance of tannins, fruit and acid is nicely done. Very nice but time for me.

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Some to love, some to hate and some to generally shrug at…Meshach is very much what it is, the Chapoutier polished (as one would expect) and the Valdicava & Bruno Rocca were very good but very young.