Wine-Ark boys on tour - Hunter Valley 2014 - Day 1

Hunter Valley
Tasted Friday, September 12, 2014 by chatters with 550 views

Introduction

Day 1 in the Hunter with the wine ark boys - Wayne, Dave, Ben, Frank and myself. Everyone got to choose two wineries and then the idea was to jump into others as time allowed. Small winemakers centre, NSW Wine Centre (unscheduled), Meerea Park (unscheduled)

Flight 1 - Small Winemakers Centre (9 Notes)

Frank's choice - he is enamoured with Andrew Thomas' wines - as lot's of people are. I can take or leave them. The OC was pleasant and the Little gem quaffable.

  • 2014 Andrew Thomas Wines Sémillon Braemore

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Green melon, apple, slight candied note, slight spice. In the mouth apple, slight spice both drop quickly. Meh

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  • 2014 Andrew Thomas Wines Sémillon The O.C

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    slight ripe apple with some muted cinnamon spice on the nose. The wine is tangy with medium plus intensity acidity, front of mouth phenolic grip, cream, apple, long finish. Nice.

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  • 2013 Margan Chardonnay Hunter Valley

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    slight toast and butter over lemon and touches of floral top notes. Quite spicy. In the mouth the wine is tangy with citrus notes, very, slight stone fruit, bit of butter, mouth furring phenolic grip medium length. Meh.

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  • 2013 Hart & Hunter Chardonnay 36 Rows

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Butter and slightly toasted oak are the most prevalent characteristics on the nose with touches of herbs. In the mouth buttery malolactic dominates over very slight lemon citrus. Quite short. Nah

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  • 2013 David Hook Wines Barbera Hunter Valley

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    aromas of red tending to black cherry and slight caramel oak, spice and spirituous heat. In the mouth there is an almost searing acidity with dominates muted cherry with hints of plan chocolate. Medium length. Meh.

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  • 2011 The Little Wine Company Shiraz Little Gem

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    On the nose there are aromas of blue berry and black berry, sweetness of fruit…apricot perhaps, sweet spice. In the mouth the wine is ripe but not overly ripe blue and black berry fruit, quite spicy, fine tannins. Okay

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  • 2013 Hart & Hunter Shiraz Ablington

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Medium minus intensity aromas that are a little funky with slight cedar and very slight sour plum. In the mouth the wine has juicy , slight sour, pepper spice over blackberry fruit, quite tangy with fine slightly chalk textured tannin over the fruit which carries on the medium plus length which introduces a little alcohol warmth. Meh.

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  • 2011 Andrew Thomas Wines Shiraz Sweetwater Individual Vineyard

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    ripe black plum, slight reductive notes which blow off with agitation, very slight peppery spice. In the mouth the wine has flavours of ripe black plum and black pepper with firm tannins, the acidity, which is quite searing, then takes over. Spice on the finish.

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  • 2011 Andrew Thomas Wines Shiraz Elenay Barrel Selection

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    aromas of ripe black plum and cherry underpinned by bacon, cream and an almost coconut note. In the mouth the wine has punchy tangy ripe black plum and cherry fruit, slightly course textured and chalky tannin. Not very long. Meh.

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Flight 2 - NSW Wine Centre (5 Notes)

This place used to have Glenguin - Frank and I were both interested in the Aristea - but, alas, those days are gone. Nothing super invigorating here but the Blaxland Shiraz was okay.

  • 2011 Blaxlands Estate Sémillon Reserve

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin

    On the nose apple, kerosene hints and touches of honey. In the mouth there are flavours of tart green apple and little else. Meh

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  • 2012 Blaxlands Estate Chardonnay

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin

    Lemon and stone fruit on the nose. Clean and tangy with simple fruit. A touch short.

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  • 2013 Blaxlands Estate Shiraz

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin

    Medium plus intensity aromas of red and black plum with additional scents of crushed black pepper, cream and spice. In the mouth the wine has flavours of red and black plum, black pepper, overall the wine is quite juicy with chalky tannin that tends to push the fruit into a more savoury strata. There is a little alcohol warmth on the finish. Okay.

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  • 2011 Elbourne Shiraz

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin

    Medium minus aromas of black plum ad saddle leather as well smoky notes. In the mouth I pick up a slight Brett characteristic with chalky tannin. It's a bit short on flavour - black plums - and the tannin lends this a certain tang. Hmm

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  • 2005 Racecourse Lane Wines Shiraz

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Aromas of black plum, earth and leather. In the mouth the wine is a little thin with flavours of black plum, leather and silky tannins. Surprisingly one dimensional. Meh.

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Flight 3 - Meerea Park (6 Notes)

At the NSW Wine Centre they told us that Meerea also showed Glenguin so off we haired only to be disappointed once more. Apparently they did once but that arrangement has ceased. Anyway the chap very kindly stayed open a little later for us so that we could try their range...the Chardonnay and the 2011 Hell hole were okay.

  • 2013 Meerea Park Chardonnay Alexander Munro

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    On the nose toast, spice, slight butter lemon and stone fruit. In the mouth the wine is tangy and spicy with slight lemon notes over stone fruit Nice enough but finishes a little short.

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  • 2011 Meerea Park Shiraz The Aunts

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Sweet black plums, spice, black pepper and plentiful caramel oak. In the mouth there is a touch of residual sugar, flavours of black plum but finishes with slight mouth coating tannin…quite biscuity notes and chalky flavours. Hmm

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  • 2011 Meerea Park Shiraz Hell Hole

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Pepper and black plum with slight cedar. In the mouth the wine is tangy, peppery with chewy tannin, black plums fruit. Hmm.

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  • 2011 Meerea Park Shiraz Terracotta

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Perfumed and lifted with aromas of black plum and berry, cream and caramel oak. In the mouth there are flavours of black plum and fine, talc textured tannin. It's a bit short. Meh.

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  • 2009 Meerea Park Shiraz Hell Hole Flawed

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Cream, black berry and plum…quite obvious volatile acidity as well. On the mouth the VA element is more prevalent. It's not dead but it's well on the way. FLAW

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  • 2009 Meerea Park Shiraz Alexander Munro

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Black fruit and slight wet cardboard notes. In the mouth the wine is juicy and pleasant enough but lacks persistence. Meh.

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Closing

Not much to write home about here. One of the guys said, when we got in, let's hope we get some decent wines to try tomorrow. If I was pushed into a corner I'd go to the little wine co. little gem shiraz 2011 on the reds and the Andrew Thomas OC semillon on the whites.

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