NobleRottersSydney - Shiraz-Viognier

November 2009 and a first-time theme: Shiraz Viognier. Something we’d never heard of until a few years ago, and the fashionable nature of the blend is highlighted by the number of very young vintages on offer tonight.

• 1996 Lanson Champagne Gold Label Brut

  France, Champagne

  [cork, 12.5%] {Geoffrey} Gloriously evocative bread-and-cheese nose. Fresh on the palate, despite clearly displaying some bottle age, this is almost sweetly luscious. Intense developed yeasty flavours are carried by a delicate, persistent bead. Medium-full bodied. Still plenty of fresh acid holding everything up; all-in-all a mouthwatering effort and an all-round triumph.

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• 2007 Starvedog Lane Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  [screwcap, 13.5%, $25] {Kim} The viognier positively leaps out of the glass, with its floral, exotic apricot aromas riding all over some slightly jammy ripe shiraz beneath. The palate is ripe and exotic too, sort-of dry, but with minimal acid and soft tannins it tends to really show off the vionier and present a rather greasy texture, although even this thins out rather quickly on the finish. Medium-bodied, with some spicy shiraz fruits, it still all fades too fast on the palate for real interest. Why all the trophies for this wine? Beats me…

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• 2006 Alkoomi Black Label Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Frankland River

  [screwcap, 13.5%, $38] {Bruce} Stightly developing nose of faint spearmint, spice, sandalwood. Smells good. The palate offers luscious, ripe, warmly-spiced raspberry fruits, with low-level powdery tannins, medium body and intensity. It’s a pretty soft and friendly wine, with a little bit of mid-palate presence, and a medium length, slightly greasy finish. Nice wine, but rather pricey. Might be interesting to see it in a few more years, although there’s a risk it will fall apart completely.

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• 2001 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz-Viognier

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  [cork, 14.5%] {Stephen} Only the second vintage of this label I believe, and probably less extreme than some of its successors. An aged, raisiny nose, with burnt molasses, stewed fruits and charcoal notes. Smells better than it reads! The palate is dry, with soft oak and tannins, medium-bodied weight and a general impression of luscious fruit-cake shiraz flavours, instead of shoveling obvious voignier characters down your throat, which is all to the good, but it’s rather let down by a hot, almost spirity finish. Pity. Only likely to become less balanced with time, so get into it.

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• 2006 Lerida Estate Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  [screwcap, 15.7%, $50] {Glenn} Garnet. Cool climate shiraz aromas; white pepper, spice. Some development at 3 years old. The palate is powerful, with ripe spiced shiraz flavours. Moderately intense, medium-full bodied. Unfortunately, it finishes just too hot and alcoholic. Even the tannins are lost in this; there is length of finish to the wine, but it’s just too unbalanced. It was impressive as a youngster (winning trophies), but seems to me intrinsically unbalanced by the alcohol. A shame…

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• 2006 Petaluma Shiraz

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  [screwcap, 13.5%, $58] {Greg} A touch of viognier is confessed to on the back label, but not mentioned otherwise. It’s not that evident on the nose either, other than giving the red/blue fruited aromas an open, friendly lift. There are plenty of chalky tannins on the medium-bodied palate, and some loose-knit blueberry fruit flavours which combine to give a smoky, dusty finish, all rather primary still. The first wine of the night to obviously demand further cellaring time, this has an even, well-proportioned palate and medium length finish. Viognier (remember that?) is well hidden here.

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• 2005 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  [screwcap, 14.5%] {David} Youthful, restrained nose. Some candied, sweet-jammy red fruit. No overt viognier characteristics. Dry palate, medium powdery tannins, soft acid, medium body. Ripe, sweetish fruit. Lots of spicy weight on the front palate. Doesn’t seem to have all that much complexity or depth, although does manage a decent finish of medium length. In all, a solid effort from one of the longer-standing producers of this blend. Could hold a few years yet.

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• 2008 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  [screwcap, 14%, $80] {Ron} Youthful nose of pepper, spice, cloves & cinnamon. Very young and imbued with potential. Viognier seems noticeable on nose but not intrusive, if you know what I mean. This faint exoticism on the nose follows onto the palate, with spicy red fruits, tensely wound fine powdery tannins, and a silky, velvety mouthfeel that remains dry. Lovely line of weight stretching the distance of the palate; medium-full bodied, with a long finish. Youthful yet drinkable, although it’s a pity to see such potential wasted, especially as it feels like it will bloom quite generously with some age (back label recommends 5-10 years, which is short but at least candid). Really grand wine, and the perfect riposte to those who find this varietal blend too sickly and structureless in local guise.

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• 2002 Yarra Burn Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  [cork, 13.5%]{Gordon} Something of a mystery effort from this winery, who must make such small volumes of this that no ever hears about it. It’s garnet, with an aged nose, open and ripe, spicily fruity, which leads to a palate of aging raspberry fruits. This is a lighter style of wine than we’ve generally seen tonight, more opened out at 7 years old, and has broadened into an attractive wine. Still retains medium-weight chalky tannins, has good depth of flavour right to the back palate. Good effort all round.

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• 1997 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  [cork, 12.5%] {Graeme} The only green-scented aromas of the night arise from this garnet-coloured, aging wine. Capsicum, olives; the nose is scarily green for what purports to be a shiraz-viognier blend – you’d swear it was all cabernet. So a bit polarising for that reason. The palate was bizarrely unlike the nose, with dusty, red-tinged fruits, refined flavours, medium dusty tannins. There was a hint of green about it, sure, but not like the nose suggests. Good length of finish at a medium-bodied level, evenly-balanced palate; overall a very nice wine, but maybe not what you expect.

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• 1996 Glaetzer Sémillon Ratafia

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  [500ml, cork, 13%] {Geoffrey} Spirity camphor wood and oil nose. Smells like a mechanic’s workshop. There’s fruit here? Same spirity flavours, a touch of brass, medium-bodied but hot, with a fiery, dying-away finish. Not for me.

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An interesting night – one of the few times the WOTN was probably the champagne – maybe the Clonakilla will have a show with a little bottle age (although even it wasn’t universally acclaimed).