Hunter Wineries (2) - Broke Rd
Tasted Saturday, January 5, 2013 by graemeg with 573 views
Introduction
...from part 1
Flight 1 - Tyrrell's (15 Notes)
Surely the king of the Hunter these days, with only random annual wines from other makers challenging their remarkable range of traditional Hunter semillons and shirazes. Ring first in case they’re busy if you expect the Private Bin tasting room. Thanks to Scott for fitting me in.
Flight 2 - Meerea Park (11 Notes)
Back along the Broke Road there was quite a range of Meerea Park on tasting at the shared little tasting centre they’ve used for some years, but no-one else. No matter…
Flight 3 - Lake's Folly (2 Notes)
The wines here are getting better and better all the time.
Flight 4 - de Bortoli (3 Notes)
Thought I’d make the effort to try this newish facility and see what one of Australia’s largest and oldest wine families is up to in the country’s oldest region. Shouldn’t have bothered. And there was virtually nothing from their other NSW or vast Victorian portfolio on tasting either. What’s the point of the place at all?
Closing
A great tasting day. Pity it had to end on such a down note. Great to see the falling alcohol levels, and the resultant freshness apparent in so many of the reds. A pity that 2012 was a red wine washout in much the same way 2008 was. At some point I’ll have to get around to other makers like Margan, de Iulius, Wilkinson, Marsh etc and see how the second stringers are doing…
2012 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 10.5%, A$36} A comparatively (to the lemony Stevens Semillon) sulphury but otherwise neutral nose. The palate has high acidity, and a steely, mouth-wateringly mineral and limestone flavor. Despite the lightness of it, there’s a real tang to the long finish. This is a ten-year wine, and not exactly pleasant drinking now. Wait and expect much.
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2012 Tyrrell's Sémillon Single Vineyard Stevens
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 10.5%, A$22} Youthful nose of freshly-cut grass and gentle lemon. A dry, light-bodied palate spotlights zippy high acidity, green apple flavours and a finish of spring-water freshness and medium length. Very drinkable, medium-term cellaring proposition.
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2012 Tyrrell's Johnno's Sémillon
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 10.5%, A$36} Quite different to the Vat 1. This has wafts of lychee, along with minerals and grass. It’s also less strident on the palate, with medium-high acid having a softer edge to it. The palate is limpid, almost impressionistic; just vague white flower flavours with a touch of matchstick/flint. It’s light-bodied, but the flavours are amazingly persistent on the palate, filling all the tongue, and finishing long and light with a talc-like grippiness. Fascinating wine, probably with a long life ahead.
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2012 Tyrrell's Sémillon Single Vineyard Belford
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Belford
{screwcap, 11.5%, A$22} This is bigger & blowsier than the preceding three semillons, with warm hay/straw and some lemon aromas on the fairly intense nose. In context, quite rich and full in the mouth, but barely medium-bodied in the objective sense. Medium acidity and a slight earthiness have this a bit more ground-based than the preceding wines, and less immediately arresting. Even but fairly low-key palate, medium length finish. A medium term wine.
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2012 Tyrrell's Vat 63
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 12.3%, A$22} Lightly oaked cream/grapefruit chardonnay nose, enlived with some Semillon-derived lemon/sorbet character. The palate seems buttery and rich, but remains quite crisply structured, not sagging at all. Nut, sandalwood and grapefruit flavours fill the medium-bodied palate; it has medium acid and length of finish. Back on form.
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2012 Tyrrell's Chardonnay HVD
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 11.5%, A$36} Tight, youthful nose of cashews, flint and figs. There’s a cedary seasoning to the tropical fruit flavours, but they have a grey-washed steeliness to them as well which stops it being just another warm-climate chardonnay. It’s quite full-flavoured on the medium-bodied palate, dry, and with even coverage of the tongue culminating in a freshly acidic, medium length finish. As cool and refreshing (but not unripe) as the alcohol level suggests. Great chardonnay.
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2012 Tyrrell's Chardonnay Vat 47
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 12.5%, A$36} Nuts and butter. Not too extreme though. Youthful but still weighty on the palate, medium/full-bodied. Hazelnut and stone-fruit flavours abound, with a touch of smoke. Medium-highly intense, it coats all the tongue with flavor, and has a textured, almost grainy feel to the medium/long finish. Still glories in plenty of acid, though. Wants 5 years’ cellaring at least.
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2010 Tyrrell's Chardonnay Belford
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Belford
{screwcap, 12.5%, A$27} Seems to be maturing somewhat; Belford often has a wild funky quality to it, and that’s even when released a couple of vintages behind the other chardonnays. This has a real brown-leaf quality to the stone-fruit aromas and flavours. The palate has a leesy quality to it as well; these all add up to medium/full-bodied weight, with plenty of flavor more towards the front of the tongue, finishing dry and medium-length. Tastes neither young nor really developing at the moment. I struggle with the Belford style, tis true.
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2012 Tyrrell's Pinot Noir HVD & The Hill
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 12.9%, A$19} A blend of the best pinot grapes Tyrrells could find in this wet vintage. It has a light-cherry nose, a mouth-puckeringly sour dry palate, with slightly gritty but low-level dusty tannins, light body, and an open earth-accented short/medium finish. As far from typical new world pinot as you could get, and would clearly do better with food. It’s tart rather than unripe, but it’s still a pretty polarizing wine. At least it’s not expensive…
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2011 Tyrrell's Shiraz Johnno's
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 12.5%, A$50} Ruby-crimson colour. Consistent with past vintages as a young wine (there is no other kind yet), this has a low-key cherry and violet nose, seemingly oak-free. There are medium chalky tannins on the palate, lots of natural acid, but still only a light-medium bodied presence from the savoury violet flavours. Has a long, light, dry and even finish, and needs years to blossom. And probably food too.
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2011 Tyrrell's Vat 8
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 13.8%, A$50} A youthful, shiraz-dominant nose of strawberry and blueberry. Fruit focussed rather than oak. Fleshy palate, perhaps a bit anonymous in flavour just now, with barely a seasoning of cedared oak adding to the ripe but still fairly low-impact palate. Seems to have all the goods to add up to seomthing great, just lacks much personality at the moment. Rather less ‘sexy’ than Tyrrell’s other reds sold for the same money, too.
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2011 Tyrrell's Shiraz Vat 9
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 12.9%, A$50} A nose quite similar to the same vintage Johnno’s shiraz, but with just a darker accent to the light red fruits. This is relatively medium/full-bodied, though; packed with acid and medium/high tannins, violet and cherry fruits. This is really dense, without being heavy somehow. Tightly-packed might be a better phrase. The whole of the palate is engaged; speaks volumes for the aging potential. One to keep.
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2010 Tyrrell's Shiraz Single Vineyard Stevens
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 13%, A$36} Youthful cherry/strawberry nose, enlivened with spicy notes. Yum. Has a peppery touch to those same flavours; open-knit and friendly on the palate. There’s nod to traditional Hunter earth, but the mid-palate is pretty generous with red fruit and spice, medium dusty tannins and a dry, medium length finish. A good Stevens, not up to the glorious 2009, but pretty damn good anyway.
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2009 Tyrrell's Vat 8
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$} Well, an extra 2 years bottle age over the 2011 certainly helps the cause here, but this is still pretty young. Has velvety blackberry fruits with a touch of cedary oak; a big, generous palate of black-accented fruit with medium powdery tannins, medium acid and a dry, dusty character which is beginning to knit the whole thing together. The cabernet here is from Hilltops; that cool-climate character really darkens the whole mien of the wine. Will be even better in five years.
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2010 Tyrrell's Shiraz Lunatiq Heathcote
Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
{screwcap, 14%} Iron, blackcurrant and earth. Smells like a coal-mine, and tastes like an iron railing. Big, warm, earthy flavours; blackcurrant, malt, liquorice. High level of dusty tannins, although not overly oaky. Full-bodied, powerful wine. Medium-long finish. Cries out for protein or at the least a very hefty meal. I’m guessing shorter term, but who knows?
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