Coal Valley Winery Visits Apr 10
Coal Valley, Tasmania
Tasted Friday, April 23, 2010 by graemeg with 642 views
Introduction
Quick morning visiting some highlight CDs in the Coal Valley. Time constraints meant I started AT Domaine A and worked my way back towards Hobart - tough for the following two wineries, but in the end they stood up OK.
Flight 1 - Domaine A / Stoney Vineyard (9 Notes)
Includes new release wines (the latest vintages tasted below) about to go out to the mail list.
There's a lot made by this estate of the ageworthiness - indeed ageneediness - of their wines, and with exposure to a few really old vintages maybe I'll agree. For now my verdict is on hold. An estate as natural and obsessive as you get - tiny productions, no filtration, no acid adjustments; pure, natural and expensive. Their 2nd tier sauvignon sells for $35, their second tier cabernet is released at 6 years of age - nearly everything they do is different to everyone else...
Also, note that these bottles were all opened at least the day before, which might make a difference (in a good way).
Flight 2 - Pooley Wines (8 Notes)
Wines here are getting better and better. The contrast between the 07 & 08 pinots dramatically gives the lie to any notion of consistent vintages. Focusing on riesling and pinot is a great sign. Bottles all opened the day before (and vacuum sealed) except the grigio.
Flight 3 - Craigow (6 Notes)
Excellent of this estate to keep their wines until ready to drink - hence the bottle age on the riesling and gewurz. A real pity they only alternate pinots for tasting at the CD, meaning I only got to try the quaffer pinot and not the one I was interested in. Don't imagine my enthusiasm cut any ice, either. Pity the winemaker wasn't on duty.
And, the legendary 2004 botrytis riesling was apparently a fluke, caused by poor vineyard management. This wine, which I bought ages ago for A$27/375ml and thought expensive but irresistable at the time, is still available (not for tasting) - only now the price has escalated to $65/375ml. There is no intention to repeat it. Pity.
Closing
There's a great future for this area, I reckon - water/drought notwithstanding...
2009 Domaine A Sauvignon Blanc Stoney Vineyard
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{diam, 13.8%, A$35} Grassy aromas. Touch of asparagus. Palate has subtle acid giving a good crisp finish, and there's enough structure to give some presence on the mid-palate, which is far less intimidating than the nose indicates. Quality wine, but at a hell of a price. Good for a few years at least.
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2007 Domaine A Lady A
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{cork, 14%, A$60} Rich guava/melon fruit nose with a dash of quality oak just steering it away from pure fruit. The palate is smooth and rich, and finishes a little warm, but with great presence across the tongue. Medium-bodied, multi-dimensional wine. One of the few dry SBs you could even call majestic.
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2008 Domaine A Pinot Noir Stoney Vineyard
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{diam, 13.5%, A$35} Focussed new-world pinot nose. No stalks. Youthful, but not simply fruity. Palate is soft, with a touch of sap amongst the small-berried fruits. Light-bodied, yet persistent, with a medium length finish. Very discreet tannins. Pleasant, but I'd be keener if the price was 20% lower.
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2005 Domaine A Pinot Noir
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{cork, 13.5%, A$70} Glowing garnet. Quite developed nose of wet leaves, forest floor and a touch of compost. Really very seductive. Lovely medium-bodied wine, with furry fruits, fine powdery tannins, great balance and excellent coverage of the palate - the whole tongue is engaged with this wine. Seems ready to drink now - far more so than the following vintage.
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2006 Domaine A Pinot Noir
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{cork, 14.5%, A$70} A festival of mint on the nose. Wow. And this is in a bottle opened at least 24 hours. No question, this is a polarising nose. The palate is much better; tight, with red fruits, minimal sense of greenness/sap/stalk, subtle oak and fine powdery tannins. Medium-long finish. Feels very juvenile, and also the sort of wine that could spent a lot of time in a sullen and unpleasant condition. To buy if you're confident about the domaine's aging predictions.
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2004 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon Stoney Vineyard
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{diam, 13.5%, A$26} Every bit as stark as January's note. Green - capsicum, asparagus - this is really on the edge if you've drunk a warm-climate red in the last six months. Palate is better - the tannins are certainly not unripe, and the structure is nicely in place - just those flavours...
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2003 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{cork, 13.5%, A$70} Subdued nose. Floor polish, leather, some smothered currant fruit. Showing some development, but still structurally excellent - hidden acid, fine powdery tannins. A natural-feeling medium-long finish on the palate; in all a fine wine that really needs some time to bring out depth and real personality.
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2004 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{cork, 13%, A$70} The vintage speaks loudly - this is a rather more focused version of the 04 Stoney Cabernet. It's less alarming in the greenness of the nose, but still a bit of a shock for a bottle of this price. The palate improves considerably, with ultra-fine tannins, persistent curranty fruits that grow stronger, and a long finish. Medium bodied again - there's nothing in Domaine A's production that would ever be called full-bodied - but that forms part of its strength. But it needs cellaring, or vigorous splash-decanting some hours before consumption.
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2004 Domaine A Merlot
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{cork, 13.5%, A$85} The positively glacial development of this wine continues. My previous - disappointing - TN is partly redeemed by this tasting, but only to the point of offering some understanding. There's development apparent visually - it's a solid garnet red - but not so much on the palate. A touch of greenness remains to the dense blackberry fruits, but the palate is still relatively austere, and rather dominated by powdery tannins. It's medium weight, and with a medium-length finish whose best feature is the evenness with which the flavours coat the tongue. I've no doubt this will keep for many years - I lack the experience to assert that it will develop great charm; and the degree of complexity is a mystery. Certainly the admission price to the ride is steep.
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