Crystal Wines New World Experience 2008

Alex and I met at Crystal Wines to taste through their New World Experience wines. As would be expected, a mix of mediocre and decent wines, with a sprinkling of top-end ones. We zoomed in to the few that we wanted to try. Took a break for lunch after the Cab Sauvs before hitting the big Shiraz and blends after.

• 2007 Grosset Riesling Springvale Watervale 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Watervale

  This was really excellent for what it is. I actually enjoyed this more than the Polish Hill of the same vintage. A bit of SO2 funk on the nose, and then classic Clare Valley profile of lime, slate and flinty matchstick. More of that smoky flint showed up on the palate, which was followed by a bittersweet lime flavour and then melon and pear, slowly unwinding into a lengthy finish with a whiff of chrysanthemum. I felt that there were just layers of complexity waiting to open up over the years. There was more than enough structure to see this wine age as well, with really bright, but ever so round and juicy acid. Like the best Rieslings from this area, it had a good bite without ever becoming bracing or distracting.

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• 2007 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 88 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Alex liked this, but it disappointed me. I have been a fan for some time, but the last two vintages have been lacklustre. Nothing really wrong with the wine, which I found a decent example of Marlborough SB, just nothing very special either. Really grassy nose, fresh cut grass in fact, with typical scents of gooseberries, and guava - very attractive. What I did not like to much was that the grassiness expressed itself rather aggresively on the palate, so that it stood out and grabbed me more than the fruit flavours, rather overwhelming I thought, somewhat like a low end South American SB. There was also an unusually high amount of residual sugar. Alex liked the sweetness, I was a little put off. Still, as I said, it was not a bad wine. As would be expected, it had really good, fresh acidity. A little bitter, minerally streak added interest to the wine as it wound down from the mid-palate into the rather decently long finish.

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• 2006 Dog Point Vineyard Pinot Noir 88 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Like the Sauv Blanc, not a bad wine, but really nothing special. This kind of encapsulates what I do not like about many of the Marlborough Pinot Noirs - lots and lots of oak on the nose, with layered vanilla and butter notes, and lots and lots of sweet fruit, here expressing themselves in a sweet, cherry and strawberry taffy nose. Much the same on the palate - woody, buttery flavours, sweet, candied fruit and a little hint of perfumed flowers. Another light layering of butter on the finish completed the wine. It was a bit thick, but certainly balanced and pleasant on the mouthfeel. Just a bit soulless all round.

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• 2006 De Bortoli Pinot Noir 90 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  This really surprised me with its quality, with Alex likening it to a decent Chambolle village. Really complex, attractive nose, with high-toned cherries weaving their way through layers of loamy earth, damp forest floor, lightly perfumed flowers and a light touch of oak. Rather Burgundian. The palate was rather simpler, but still nice, with bright, fresh cherry and rasberry flavours augmented by a hint of preserved orange peel and the smallest touch of savoury game, all this supported by fresh acidity. The savoury aspects were a real contrast to the very sweet Marlborough pinot that we had alongside, and a pleasant reprieve too. There was a little heat, but that was well under control. My only issue was the shortish finish. Overall though, a surprisingly good Yarra pinot.

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• 2004 Irvine Grand Merlot 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  A top end Merlot that is not from Pomerol - who would have thought? The colour was deceptively light, with the rim of the wine already showing garnet. The nose was extremely Bordelais. I got barnyard, leather, stewed tea and herbs at the first whiff, followed by an underlayer of sweet plums. The new world only showed on the palate, and then again not very obviously. It was certainly rich, plush and concentrated, with ripe blackcurrant, plum and other blackish fruits coming to the fore, along with woody, oak flavous. However, there was also lots of secondary stuff going on, with meaty, brambly notes adding interest. A bit of chemically, crayon flavours crept in, but that was not too distracting. All this was really nicely balanced though, with fine tannins and fresh acidity adding a sense of structure. Only issue that I had was the shortish finish, which lingered just a little with a touch of bitter chocolate and herbal tea. Otherwise, an excellent wine.

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• 2003 Altaïr Vineyards & Winery Sideral 86 Points

  Chile, Rapel Valley

  I really did not like this. Not undrinkable, but it tasted so manufactured. Flint, gunpowder, really sweet, thick, candied fruit and loads of paint and acetate filled my nose on the first sniff. Very pungent, almost jackfruit like. I was almost shocked. Slightly better on the palate, which was less stinky, more fruity, but still really sweet, with a cotton candy aspect. Not my favourite style to say the least.

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• 2004 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Conistent with the last bottle that I had, maybe just a tad better due to the lack of heat on the palate. Purple wine, slightly bowning at the edges. Very Coonawara nose of mint, eucalyptus, earth and a little touch of funk. Alex said it smelt like a Koala Bear, and I can see why! Some high-toned, sweetish blackcurrants floated alongside the bearish scents. On the palate, I got lots more blackcurrant, held up by good fresh acidity and a touch of oak that became more obvious at the finish. Still simple, but well-made. This needs some time to come round.

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• 2006 Mitolo Cabernet Sauvignon Jester 86 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Dark purple colour. Completely OTT fruit bomb - I can see this pleasing a certain type of wine drinker. I did not like it one bit. In spite of the fact that there was some balance in terms of acidity, it was super sweet. Bluberry pie and all sorts of confection and candy on the nose, and very much the same on the paalte. Tons of residual sugar. Bleah.

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• 2004 Pirramimma Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Interesting wine, really good value for money. Nose reminded me of a Chinese medicine shop - herbs, and dusty, woody cupboard scents. Some sweet dark fruit was lurking under the dusky scents, with just a whiff of glycerin. If the nose was full of Chinese herbs, the palate was more reminiscent of a candy shop, with all sorts of sticky, thick sweet flavours - I got blackberries and preserved plums. Not quite as overblown as the Mitolo Jester Cab Sauv we had alongside, but sweet nevertheless. Finish was ok, with a slight dusty, woody linger. Not my type of wine, but pleasant enough in its simple way.

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• 2001 Juniper Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Alex bought this and popped it to try before lunch and compare with the other wines on tasing. This was probably the most impressive of the Cab Sauvs. Nose was rather old world, with earth, tea, flowers and a touch of funky leather with sweet berry fruits. A notch down on the sweetness and I would have been reminded of a Ducru Beaucaillou. Too good to be true at this price point though, the palate was far simpler. Rather dense, with flavours of blackberries, a bit of wood, but all this was submerged under a thick layer of chewy, almost clumsy tannins that coated the teeth and most of the mouth. Finish was okay, with some bitter tea flavours. Really, really tight - so surprising for a 2001 Aussie. This one needs lots of time still. There is okay acid to carry it, but I am a bit disturbed by the lack of soul in this wine - it all seemed rather run-ofthe-mill to me.

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• 2001 Diggers Bluff Watchdog 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  I found this surprisingly elegant. Darkly purple, with a nice nose of leather, bramble, meat, plums and dark berries. It smelled rather sweet with a touch of glycerin that translated to some heat and acetone on the palate, but all that was quite under control. In fact, the wine had a refined elegance from round, juicy acid. Like the other Digger's Bluff wines, this seemed really reserved compared to quite a few of the OTT wines that we had today, and it was all the better for it. I also liked the fact that the wine was seamless and focused, with a solid beam of fruit running through from the nose, into the attack and then through to the finish. A little savoury touch of meat added a bit of interest, otherwise, the wine appeared just a little one-dimensional. All considered though, very nice indeed.

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• 2005 Diggers Bluff Stray Dog 88 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  The poorest of the Digger's Bluff range, but still not bad. Dried earth, red meat and a touch of forest floor on the nose, coupled with lots of petite fruits rouge and a perfumed, dried flowers touch. As with its stablemates, the palate showed surprising elegance, with clean flavours of small red fruits, especially sweet cherries. It just plonked down rather suddenly on the midpalate though, with the flavours going flat in a real hurry.

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• 2004 Diggers Bluff Shiraz Top Dog 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Really low score by Josh Reynolds of IWC here, but I felt that this was the most distinctive of the wines on show today. I am not quite sure what to make out of it, but Alex and I both enjoyed it quite a bit. Dark red colour. Extremely perfumed on the nose - almost like a red Viognier, even though the wine was just marked as a Shiraz. Lots of flowers - very violet like - and some high-toned nail varnishy scents. Much the same on the palate, along with rich plums and lashings of Nyonya, pandan-coconut cake flavours - almost like drinking perfumed hibiscus or violet syrup at points. After some time, some peppery spice emerged. It was pretty nicely oaked too, with the cedar and vanilla tones adding to the whole mix without distracting from it. All this was nicely lifted with fresh acid, giving the wine a very lively feel. Finish was alright. A bit short, but with a linger of vanilla and coffee. Very different from the other Shiraz and blends. Thick, sweet, but nowhere near as thick or sweet as most of the others - this really had a nice sense of restraint and poise.

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• 2005 Greenstone Vineyard Shiraz 92 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

  Surely not as bad as the other scores suggest - I actually thought this was quite good. Dark blackish purple. Nose showed classic characteristics of bramble, meat and plum. Really nice and fresh on the palate, with good acidity giving a nice clean tone to the plums and black berry flavours. Good round finish too. Maybe lacking a bit of character, but certainly a well made wine, especially with the vines only being 3 years old! James Halliday seemed to liked this as well, granting it a healthy 95 points.

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• 2005 Pirathon Shiraz by Kalleske 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  This was really nice. Dark purple colour. Perfumed nose, with some flowers, and blackcurrants and plums wrapped in a lightly oaked package. Nice, clean palate, with good weight in the black fruit flavours, a nice peppery undertone and a touch of woodiness along with a yummy, savoury meat undertone. I found this nicely balanced, with a lovely round acidity. Very decent finish with a handful of spice.

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• 2005 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M. 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Made by Ben Glaetzer of Glaetzer wines fame - this was somehow nowhere near as good as his own Shiraz, especially the Amon-Ra which we tasted alongside. Dark blackish purple colour. Nose was sweet and very richly fruited, with a touch of meatiness. Neither Alex nor I could quite pick it apart though, because it seemed rather closed and monolithic. Maybe it was going through a dumb phase. Better on the palate, which showed lots of extract, more of that nice meatiness, tons of black fruit, all very thick and concentrated with lots of stuffing. Nice balance though, with velvety tannins and some fresh acid bringing relief to the heavy fruit. Nice long finish with a touch of mocha. Certainly well made, and very hedonistic and voluptuous, but this was not really my style - I found it all a little OTT. May get better as the sweetness tones down a little, but then again, it does seem rather simple and straightforward and I'm not sure if time can cure that.

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• 2006 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley 94 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  This one really stood out from amongst all the other Aussie Shiraz in terms of quality and breed for me today - I'm glad that I have another bottle tucked away safely. Dark, dark purple. Really concentrated and intense on the nose, with plums, spiced cake, and caramelised dark soy notes with a little twist of bramble along with a wafting vanilla note. Just a whiff of alcohol mixed in there somewhere. Really concentrated and weighty on the palate, which showed lots of plum and super-ripe blackcurrant, but also meat, pepper and spice. Everything was in perfect balance though. This was by far the wine with the best structure amongst all those that we tasted. Superb structure in fact, with firm, yet super-well formed tannins and round, juicy acidity giving the wine a wonderful backbone. Finish was really, long with a nice savoury turn. Everything was just in the right place - very seamless and complete. In spite of the intense flavours, I still got a sense that there was a whole lot more coiled up tensely like a spring, waiting for time to unwind into a full panapoly of different smells and flavours. Not my usual style, but this was so good nonetheless, and will continue to get better with time.

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