Pyrenees Wineries' Visit

This trip covers four of the oldest wineries in the region, with even the youngest of them having notched up thirty vintages.
Notes were taken on site, and not modified afterwards!

We meet Mark Summerfield at his eponymous winery, up to his elbows in vintage. Cabernet fruit is still arriving at the winery, and will for another week or so.
A notable quality of Summerfield’s wines is the consistency of style across wines and vintages. They are full-bodied and ripe, but avoid exaggerated characters. Mark generally doesn’t want fruit above 15°Be, and acid adjustments are always done at fermentation and not afterwards. Even better, this stylistic similarity avoids obliterating appropriate varietal characteristics. Thus, the similarities the shirazes display across the range and vintage mean they’re unlikely to be confused with the cabernets. Perhaps the consistency of oak sources (ie. all US oak, although not all new oak) assists in bringing out the varietal trademarks. Certainly it displays all the hallmarks of a team in touch with their vineyards.

• 2006 Summerfield Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%, A$25} Dark crimson. A touch of cool menthol on the nose. A mid-weight palate of youthful fruit, with a coolly stylish finish; not overdone or exaggerated.

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• 2004 Summerfield Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%. A$45} A handsome crimson, but still very youthful looking. A subdued nose only starting to show developed characters beyond the spectrum of black berry fruits. The flavours are dense, but not heavy. Well-structured, with all components knitting together nicely along the length of the palate, culminating in a long persistent finish. Very good indeed.

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• 2007 Summerfield Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 14.5%, A$26} A vigorous purple in the glass. Lifted white pepper fruits, with prickly acid on the palate. Some coconutty oak flavours, but not overdone. A lighter style of wine, quite subtle in its way.

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• 2007 Summerfield Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 14%, A$25} After the [Summerfield] shirazes, the aromas here are much leafier, as befits the variety. The faint eucalypt touch here is not too raw – it’s a supporting act only to legitimate cabernet aromas. The palate presents powerfully powdery and fine-grained tannins, a generally weighty structure and medium length finish. Very good value for the price, it has to be said.

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• 2006 Summerfield Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%} The fruit for this comes from old vines planted in the 1970s. A youthful, fruity and generally pretty seductive nose of fruity blackberries precedes a palate a some weight, a frame of the finest tannins, and a powerfully gripping dry finish. The structure doesn’t obscure the rich ripe fruit, and the long finish promises well for future aging. Mark believes that well-made Pyrenees reds have the ability to live almost indefinitely.

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• 2006 Summerfield Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14%} Boiled down minty/eucalypt aromas, more in the traditional Pyrenees style. Can be polarising if overdone, but I only really noticed it here as a contrast to the other [Summerfield] wines. Again, strong fine tannins, but well-judged against the weight of the wine. Intense and rich, balanced.

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• 2001 Summerfield Shiraz Indulgence

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 15.5%} A special cuvee made for family and friends, and never released commercially. In an unashamedly over-the-top style, the aromas are of raisin-like, near-stewed grapes, prunes, molasses & mocha. A typically rich & ripe palate follows, with surprisingly little development of fruit – it tastes much younger than its 8 years. Plenty of warmth on the tumultuous finish; a powerful blast of ultra-ripe fruit maintains supremacy over the oak, which is comparatively subtle. A powerhouse style which is aging quite gracefully.
  
  Retasted over dinner the same night beside Dalwhinnie Eagle Shiraz 2001: The Summerfield (from the pre-lunch tasting) remains a rip-snorting, out-there kind of wine, presenting inky menthol and black coal-face aromas. Rich, full-bodied, with dusty tannins, oaky notes, inky ripe fruits, its intense full-bodied flavours culminate in a long warm finish, devoid of much complexity even at 8 years old, but still remaining balanced within the full-bodied style.

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• 1992 Summerfield Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.8%} Very much ‘musuem stock’, this is exhibit ‘A’ of Mark’s case for aging Pyrenees reds. It certainly looks old, and in fact the colour is almost more brown-brick than red. The nose belies any fears; although obviously an aged wine it retains plenty of fresh currant-like fruit mingled with developed mint aromas. The palate is intense, with some of that eucalypt fruit, but structurally ideal, with softer tannins and acid maintaining a pure line right down the palate to the lengthy finish. Quite an eye-opener. Mark blithely assures us the remainder of the bottle will quite happily keep until tonight’s dinner. Confidence indeed.

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Standing outside the scenically-located cellar door, and overlooking the amphitheatre of vines below, winemaker David Jones gives us a short rundown on the property which was initially planted in 1977/78, with chardonnay (amongst the first Victorian plantings) following in 1980. Accordingly, the vines have “Massey-Ferguson” spacing, although the vineyard is now virtually organically-run and hand-harvested. The warm climate (ie. heat-trap amphitheatre in an otherwise cool region) helps keep vines disease-free. Plantings are across the hillsides to prevent soil erosion, and the 18ha of currently planted vineyard yields generally around 2 tonnes/acres except in recent drought seasons (last rains worth speaking of were in November 08) where it has fallen as low as near-uneconomic 1 tonne/acre. Vines are planted on ungrafted roots in the bony, schisty rock soils.

• 2006 Dalwhinnie Chardonnay Moonambel Pyrenees

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.1%, A$35} Pale lemon, this wine smells as I imagine the soil itself must. Stones, rock and flint are the initial impressions, and you’ve got to work hard to detect any oak at all. The palate is long, lean and linear, a cerebral and austere tasting experience. Very good indeed.

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• 2007 Dalwhinnie Pinot Noir

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {Procork, 13%, A$38} A youthful, richly perfumed nose of strawberries & cream precedes a slightly sour, chewy palate which offers fine, nicely ripe tannins. I thought this very attractive; others were less enthusiastic, perhaps feeling that the rising tide of quality among Australian pinots may have swamped this wine a little. It appears one of the few still pinots (ie. non-sparkling) remaining from the region, and perhaps it does struggle to make an impact among the wave of fuller-bodied reds. For the price it represents reasonable value.

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• 2007 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Moonambel Pyrenees

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {Procork, 13.5%, A$55} An almost sullen nose of dark-hued, suppressed black fruits, graphite and dust is clearly saving its best for later in life. Fine powdery tannins and a poised structure promise much, but again the impression is of repressed power and the promise of things to come. Potentially great, and wonderfully balanced, but only showing a fraction of its potential.

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• 2005 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Southwest Rocks Pyrenees

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.2%, A$60} The cuttings of this clone (different to the regular bottling) came from the Bests / Thomson’s vineyard in Great Western. This is far more open than the previous wine, with a core of intoxicating smoky blackberry fruits promising much. And it doesn’t disappoint, with waves of sweet fruit flavour coating front and back palates. Excellent wine, although the price is pretty steep compared to the regular release.

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• 2006 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Moonambel Pyrenees

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.5%} This has a rich smoky nose, with spicy shiraz and gentle vanilla aromas. A display of ripe shiraz flavours is on offer on the palate, framed by the finest of tannins. The rich warm finish stops well short of obvious heat; this is clearly a wine of pedigree and quality. Still very primary in character, although it can be drunk now without too much sensation of missing all it has to offer.

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• 2007 Dalwhinnie Cabernet Sauvignon Moonambel Pyrenees

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.5%, A$48} There’s very little development in the aromas of this wine. The nose is very much of a different character to the shirazes; pure dry cassis with a herbaceous touch is right in the classic cabernet spectrum. Fine iron-like tannins mark it as a wine of stature and emphasise the structural aspect which is the dominant feature of a quite shy wine in the absence of any development. One to hold.

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• 2003 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Eagle

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%, A$150} The current release of this flagship label, this mid-crimson wine offers a kaleidoscope of sultry shiraz fruits and spice, pepper, smoke and liquorice. The palate is very fresh still, and the tannins, despite their microscopic fineness, remain the dominant note on the lengthy finish. Alliers oak is never obvious in itself, but contributes to the overall depth and structure. Just 200 cases made, and thus a privilege to taste even from a logistical perspective, let alone the quality of the wine itself.

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• 2005 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Eagle

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%} This generous look into the future of the Eagle reveals an intriguing nose of smoke and bacon, with wafts of delicatessen all the way through the aromatics. In some ways this seems more advanced to me than the 03, with its peppery fruits, tangy acid and warm finish.

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• 2004 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Eagle

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.6%} Filling the gap [after tasting the 2003 & 2005], the 2004 combines the best aspects of its adjacent vintages. To the same range of smallgoods aromas is added a rich plummy note; the same ripe flavours and fine tannins are evident on the palate. The perfect summing up of a trio of remarkable wines.

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Blue Pyrenees Estate invests significant weight in the term ‘Estate’, reflecting its long heritage, and the fact that so much of its (large) production is derived from its own vineyards.

• 2001 Blue Pyrenees Estate Midnight Cuvée

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 11.5%, A$29} Some development evident on the nose here, although the 7 years on lees has certainly added to the complexity. Aromas of cheese and sourdough precede a creamy-textured palate showing plenty of chardonnay/yeasty characters with a dash of lemon-butter. Persistent and appetising.

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• 2006 Blue Pyrenees Estate Brut

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  (noir, chard, meunier) {Diam, 13%, A$25} Much more youthful aromas here, obviously [than the 01 Midnight Cuvee], with pinot/strawberry notes predominant. Very fine, soft texture with small bubbles – perhaps a reflection of the fact this wine is dosaged with unfermented grape juice, rather than yeast and wine. Note all future sparkling releases will be under Diam corks, which have shown greater resistance to oxidation (ie. flat sparklers) than traditional corks.

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• 2001 Blue Pyrenees Estate Brut Rosé

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 11.5%, A$25} There’s only a light blush to the colour here, but plenty of strawberries on the nose. There’s more evidence of yeast presence on the palate but these don’t overwhelm the lovely strawberry aspects. The purity of the wine is emphasised by the very dry and clean finish – this is no semi-sweet lollywater but a serious expression of mild brut rose. The 5g/L residual sugar is entirely subsumed in the texture of the wine and in no way evident except to add a little body.

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• 2001 Blue Pyrenees Estate Cuvée Riche

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 11%, A$25} A glowing pink colour, this offers a nose of jubey fruit amid the strawberries. The notion of 45g/L of residual sugar seems rather alarming until the wine is tasted, whereupon the distinct acidity manages to maintain the palate in balance, meaning the sugar all adds to the length of the finish if failing to offer much complexity. So, a fun style of wine, but thoughtfully enough made to be several steps beyond just an unthinking party quaffer..

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• 2004 Blue Pyrenees Estate Sparkling Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14%, A$25} This spend the first two years of its life as a still wine in oak before the second fermentation, after which it gets another two years on lees. The result is a quite yeasty palate, with the shiraz component peeking through the veil, with glimpses of sweet spice, cinnamon and Turkish delight. Quite fine bubbles (essential for good sparkling shiraz) and a lengthy, dry finish make this very drinkable, and suggest it ought to have a higher profile among this style of wine.

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• 2008 Blue Pyrenees Estate Sauvignon Blanc

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 13%} There’s only a touch of lemon colour to this otherwise transparent wine. It’s in the tart gooseberry/mineral style, with a touch of capsicum, happy to leave the sweet passionfruit style to the Kiwis. It’s clean, pure and dry on the palate, with just a touch of lees influence adding to the interest and depth of finish.

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• 2008 Blue Pyrenees Estate Chardonnay

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 13%} Clean and nutty, with subtly integrated oak. A juicy palate avoids much tropical character but shows more in the stone fruit style of chardonnay. Nice weight of flavours across the palate and a decent length of finish make this something of a sleeper. Australian chardonnay has come a long way in ten years…

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• 2006 Blue Pyrenees Estate Merlot

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 14.5%, A$18} A recent trophy winner, which would normally be a promise of good things with anything but this variety. But, fears are confounded. The bright crimson wine offers youthful mulberry and plum aromas in a fairly overt style. There are plenty of furry tannins on the palate, but the wine is not overworked, and manages some weight on the mid-palate and a finish of genuine length. At the price, it is a very worthy wine.

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• 2006 Blue Pyrenees Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 14%, A$18} Ruby red. Faintly curranty/leafy fruit on the nose, with a touch of classic regional eucalypt. Lots of fine dusty tannins dominate the palate and precede a powerful dry finish. A bit young to drink now, although I’d be wary about aging to too long (the price is a good guide to its potential).

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• 2005 Blue Pyrenees Estate Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {screwcap, 14.5%, A$18} Deep crimson red. Lifted spice and pepper on the nose. Here is the third maker of the day [after Summerfield & Dalwhinnie] whose wines show distinct varietal differences between cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, something that can’t always be said for some better-known regions around the country. The palate here is a little richer than the nose implies, with liqueur cherry/berry type sweetness of fruit and quite soft tannins adding up to a drinker-friendly wine.

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• 2004 Blue Pyrenees Estate Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%} Richly fruity but not over-the-top. A dash of viognier skins in the ferment adds an exotic touch to the bouquet and does add the classic touch of apricot (just a bit too much?) to the palate. The texture is impressively velvety, helped by 2 years in 50% new French oak. So a biggish, rich upholstered cushion of a wine, not exaggerated or pruney, but a deluxe offering at a sensible price.

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• 2004 Blue Pyrenees Estate Reserve Red

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%, A$32} The last of the wines left under the old-fashioned navy-and-gold wallpaper label. A big tannic wine in its old fashioned way, blending cab sauvignon, shiraz and merlot (a 76-19-5% split) in the time-honoured Australian way. The nose is then the expected mix of red and black fruits, with very little in the way of overt oak aromas. There are lots of ripe furry grape tannins on the palate, with depth of flavour, full-bodied weight and attractive coverage of all parts of the palate without winemaker’s tricks. Easily the best of the still wines, this appears to have it all, and should age gracefully over quite some years.

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Taltarni continues its French-influenced winemaking tradition under the hand of Brittany-born, Bordeaux-trained Loïc de Calvez. There have been some changes to the approach in the winery, with the aim of making wines which are more approachable in their youth than the Taltarnis of old without compromising their legendary ability to age.

• 2006 Taltarni Clover Hill Brut Rosé

  Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania

  {cork, A$30} Vaguely onion-skin in colour, with a touch of dried strawberry on the nose. Medium sized bubbles emphasise the spice flavours on the palate, and there’s plenty of richness on the mid-palate. A solid, if pricey, offering.

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• 2008 Taltarni Sauvignon Blanc

  Australia, Victoria

  (Pyrenees + 16% Tasmania) {screwcap} Mostly tropical aromas, with passionfruit, gooseberries and especially lychees on the nose. Nicely sized on the palate, with good length of finish.

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• 2008 Taltarni T Series

  Australia, Victoria

  {screwcap, 13.5%} A lemon-like wine, straightforward, with a refreshingly dry crispy palate. Good quaffer.

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• 2008 Taltarni Sauvignon Blanc Three Monks Fumé Blanc

  Australia, Victoria

  {screwcap, 13%, A$16} With 20% Tasmanian fruit, this sees some barrel-fermented material, which adds a subtle smoky note to the typical sauvignon aromas & flavours. On the palate it helps fill out the structure nicely and emphasises depth of fruit, without ever being obvious or dominating the palate. Quite subtle, and an interesting wine for the price.

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• 2008 Taltarni Pinot Gris Lalla Gully

  Australia, Tasmania, Pipers River

  {screwcap 12.5%} The usual spicy pear fruits on the nose, with a full texture on the palate. There’s a little acid to keep it from leadenness, otherwise pretty standard. The welcome low alcohol avoids warmth on the finish.

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• 2008 Taltarni Shiraz T Series

  Australia, Victoria

  (Pyrenees–Heathcote) {screwcap, 14%, A$15} Lifted spicy nose. There’s a touch of obvious viognier here along with a dash of mourvedre in the mix. Lots of warm apricot/cinnamon/sandalwood flavours, with powdery tannins and a rich mid-palate. Kind of an obvious wine, but again effectively priced.

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• 2006 Taltarni Cabernet Merlot

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork} Very closed and withdrawn, to the point of sullenness. A little dark cabernet fruit flavour peers between the walls of tannin, and there’s good coverage along the tongue, but it’s awfully reticent and not much fun at this age. Cellar with confidence, I’d say.

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• 2006 Taltarni Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.1%, A$32} The straight cabernet [after the 2006 cab-merlot] is no less austere, being a lesson in forbidding cabernet. It’s all black though, there’s very little evidence of green eucalypt or mint flavours at this point (or else my palate’s acclimatised already!). A big, pure uncompromising wine in need of time to relax a bit.

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• 2005 Taltarni Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14.5%, A$32} Deep ruby colour – lighter than the cabernet wines. Spicy aromas, with some regional spearmint/dark green notes. Still very youthful on the palate, with plenty of ripe fruit and warmth of finish, but no evidence of any development yet.

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• 2005 Taltarni Shiraz Heathcote

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

  {screwcap, 14.5%, A$36} All iron and earth aromas, with little of the dark green characters evident in the Pyrenees wine. There’s no coconut to betray the US oak here, but soft open–knit tannins speak of a more approachable wine. A lavish crowd-pleaser, taking it easy on the cerebral qualities.

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• 2004 Taltarni Reserve

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 14%, A$65} This projects itself almost as a distilled essence of the wines that have gone before. It’s very dark in colour, but still the base colour is a ruby red, instead of black. The nose is very closed, and neither the shiraz or cabernet components seem more pronounced. Swathed in 100% new French oak, it’s wound like a spring, with layers of ripe fruit tightly compressed together. There is no real impression of size, but rather great concentration and depth. In the spirit of the Taltarnis of old.

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• 2007 Taltarni Taché

  Australia, South Eastern

  {cork, 13%} There’s a pink hue to the colour, derived from the red wine added as disgorgement. This empasises the straw-fruited nature of the wine, which has quite large vigorous bubbles in a clean, refreshing, rather lighter style. The finish is appetisingly dry.

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Dinner with today's four winemakers in the Moonambel Pub...
(some duplicate notes from wines tasted earlier today are not repeated.)

• 1989 Taltarni Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  Here’s a tryptich of characteristic shirazes. A mild garnet red with some brown-brick tints, the 1989 {cork 12.5%} is notable for its mellow cigar-box aromas, with spiced Christmas fruits. Its nicely structured on the palate, with high-toned acid and medium-weight powdery tannins carrying fruit flavours that still retain some plummy freshness, even after twenty years. There’s plenty of weight to the finish, and a good rich mid-palate too. Quite an eye-opener. The 1993 {cork, 12.5%}, marginally darker in colour, adds aromas of wet leaves and forest floor to the remnants of plums and red berries. A medium-bodied wine in every sense, it offers softer tannins, dusty red fruit, spice and sandalwood. It’s dryly beguiling, with an even persistent cool finish. A beautifully balanced example of 15-year-old Pyrenees shiraz. The 1995 {cork, 13.2%} is appreciably younger than its siblings, with seamless plum fruits and subtle oak aromas. Soft chalky tannins are unobtrusive beneath the medium-full body of this wine, with its long arc of ripe fruit flavours which extend the length of the palate, and conclude with a lengthy seductive finish of great charm. A tribute to the elegant aging ability of Pyrenees shiraz.

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• 1998 Taltarni Clover Hill Sparkling

  Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania

  (Brut) {cork} A developing nose of cheese and breadshop aromas. Plenty of bubbles visible here too. The palate is a little more lemony than the nose would lead you to expect. Dry, persistent chardonnay-dominant fruits lead to a finish of nutty complexity, assisted by fine creamy bubbles. Aging nicely, and on this showing has some time to go yet, although expecting any further improvement is possibly a bit hopeful. Further evidence that the future of Australian sparkling will likely have a strong Tasmanian accent.

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• 1993 Taltarni Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  Here’s a tryptich of characteristic shirazes. A mild garnet red with some brown-brick tints, the 1989 {cork 12.5%} is notable for its mellow cigar-box aromas, with spiced Christmas fruits. Its nicely structured on the palate, with high-toned acid and medium-weight powdery tannins carrying fruit flavours that still retain some plummy freshness, even after twenty years. There’s plenty of weight to the finish, and a good rich mid-palate too. Quite an eye-opener. The 1993 {cork, 12.5%}, marginally darker in colour, adds aromas of wet leaves and forest floor to the remnants of plums and red berries. A medium-bodied wine in every sense, it offers softer tannins, dusty red fruit, spice and sandalwood. It’s dryly beguiling, with an even persistent cool finish. A beautifully balanced example of 15-year-old Pyrenees shiraz. The 1995 {cork, 13.2%} is appreciably younger than its siblings, with seamless plum fruits and subtle oak aromas. Soft chalky tannins are unobtrusive beneath the medium-full body of this wine, with its long arc of ripe fruit flavours which extend the length of the palate, and conclude with a lengthy seductive finish of great charm. A tribute to the elegant aging ability of Pyrenees shiraz.

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• 1995 Taltarni Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  Here’s a tryptich of characteristic shirazes. A mild garnet red with some brown-brick tints, the 1989 {cork 12.5%} is notable for its mellow cigar-box aromas, with spiced Christmas fruits. Its nicely structured on the palate, with high-toned acid and medium-weight powdery tannins carrying fruit flavours that still retain some plummy freshness, even after twenty years. There’s plenty of weight to the finish, and a good rich mid-palate too. Quite an eye-opener. The 1993 {cork, 12.5%}, marginally darker in colour, adds aromas of wet leaves and forest floor to the remnants of plums and red berries. A medium-bodied wine in every sense, it offers softer tannins, dusty red fruit, spice and sandalwood. It’s dryly beguiling, with an even persistent cool finish. A beautifully balanced example of 15-year-old Pyrenees shiraz. The 1995 {cork, 13.2%} is appreciably younger than its siblings, with seamless plum fruits and subtle oak aromas. Soft chalky tannins are unobtrusive beneath the medium-full body of this wine, with its long arc of ripe fruit flavours which extend the length of the palate, and conclude with a lengthy seductive finish of great charm. A tribute to the elegant aging ability of Pyrenees shiraz.

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• 2001 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Eagle

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.5%} The Dalwhinnie is an altogether gentler creature, seeking to persuade where the [2001 Summerfield] Indulgence insists (did I hear David Jones say “I’d rather be seduced than raped”?). Still very aromatic, the bouquet is lifted with stewed, lightly jammy spiced red fruit, preceding a palate rich and intense, layered with fine tannins and discrete acid. It’s medium-full bodied, but with a relative elegance and balance which give it great length and persistence. A pleasure to taste. Remarkable that the same region in the same year could produce two wines so utterly different in character, and yet both are so memorable.

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• 1988 Blue Pyrenees Estate Reserve Red

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 12.5%} Here’s the Pyrenees entry for the St-Julien look-alike contest. A quite enchanting nose of cigar-box and soft leafy blackcurrent notes. This is very dry, with a chalkily tannic palate, a dash of giveaway eucalypt, and aged ripe fruits. All secondary developed flavours, medium length and body, with good mid palate (so there’s the shiraz component!). Showing very well, although should be drunk soon, I suggest.

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• 1995 Blue Pyrenees Estate Reserve Red

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.5} Upon release back in the mid-late 90s, these were very expensive wines. They haven’t had a particularly high profile in the years since (victims of the general lack of Australian appreciation for blended wines in favour of single variety offerings, perhaps?) so it’s good to see what has become of them. The 1993 has an aging, soft and leafy nose of peat and sweetly composting fruit, with a gentle dusty palate of older red fruits. There’s an upholstered feel to the texture of the wine; medium bodied and nicely integrated, it’s aged very gracefully in an elegant style, and derives its persistent finish from the balanced nature of its components. Less austere than the 1988 which preceded it, this is a very endearing wine which still has plenty of life left in it. The 1994 is like a bigger, richer version of the 1993, except it adds a slightly feral, animal-hide note to the aromas. If you’re brettanomyces-intolerant, this is not for you. For me the vaguely bacterial note just adds interest and intrigue. The powdery tannins are a little softer here, although the wine remains persistent right along the palate, and has a quite long, even finish. The 1995 seems much younger than just one year would indicate, is a deeper garnet colour, and seems to show more merlot/shiraz aromas than cabernet. That grape reserves its efforts for the palate, where strong chalky tannins are the dominant character. They’re quite hard edged, but not green, and give the impression that the wine has not finished its aging process by quite some distance. I’d be confident to keep this a bit longer; in the end the tannins may outlast the fruit but the intrinsic balance is pretty good. Thus three similar, but slightly different wines give a pretty good account of themselves at fifteen years.

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• 1994 Blue Pyrenees Estate Reserve Red

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork 13.5%} Upon release back in the mid-late 90s, these were very expensive wines. They haven’t had a particularly high profile in the years since (victims of the general lack of Australian appreciation for blended wines in favour of single variety offerings, perhaps?) so it’s good to see what has become of them. The 1993 has an aging, soft and leafy nose of peat and sweetly composting fruit, with a gentle dusty palate of older red fruits. There’s an upholstered feel to the texture of the wine; medium bodied and nicely integrated, it’s aged very gracefully in an elegant style, and derives its persistent finish from the balanced nature of its components. Less austere than the 1988 which preceded it, this is a very endearing wine which still has plenty of life left in it. The 1994 is like a bigger, richer version of the 1993, except it adds a slightly feral, animal-hide note to the aromas. If you’re brettanomyces-intolerant, this is not for you. For me the vaguely bacterial note just adds interest and intrigue. The powdery tannins are a little softer here, although the wine remains persistent right along the palate, and has a quite long, even finish. The 1995 seems much younger than just one year would indicate, is a deeper garnet colour, and seems to show more merlot/shiraz aromas than cabernet. That grape reserves its efforts for the palate, where strong chalky tannins are the dominant character. They’re quite hard edged, but not green, and give the impression that the wine has not finished its aging process by quite some distance. I’d be confident to keep this a bit longer; in the end the tannins may outlast the fruit but the intrinsic balance is pretty good. Thus three similar, but slightly different wines give a pretty good account of themselves at fifteen years.

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• 1993 Blue Pyrenees Estate Reserve Red

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13$} Upon release back in the mid-late 90s, these were very expensive wines. They haven’t had a particularly high profile in the years since (victims of the general lack of Australian appreciation for blended wines in favour of single variety offerings, perhaps?) so it’s good to see what has become of them. The 1993 has an aging, soft and leafy nose of peat and sweetly composting fruit, with a gentle dusty palate of older red fruits. There’s an upholstered feel to the texture of the wine; medium bodied and nicely integrated, it’s aged very gracefully in an elegant style, and derives its persistent finish from the balanced nature of its components. Less austere than the 1988 which preceded it, this is a very endearing wine which still has plenty of life left in it. The 1994 is like a bigger, richer version of the 1993, except it adds a slightly feral, animal-hide note to the aromas. If you’re brettanomyces-intolerant, this is not for you. For me the vaguely bacterial note just adds interest and intrigue. The powdery tannins are a little softer here, although the wine remains persistent right along the palate, and has a quite long, even finish. The 1995 seems much younger than just one year would indicate, is a deeper garnet colour, and seems to show more merlot/shiraz aromas than cabernet. That grape reserves its efforts for the palate, where strong chalky tannins are the dominant character. They’re quite hard edged, but not green, and give the impression that the wine has not finished its aging process by quite some distance. I’d be confident to keep this a bit longer; in the end the tannins may outlast the fruit but the intrinsic balance is pretty good. Thus three similar, but slightly different wines give a pretty good account of themselves at fifteen years.

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• 2004 Dalwhinnie Cabernet Sauvignon Moonambel Pyrenees

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 13.5%, A$48} Deep pure cabernet fruit, with a ferric component to the aromatics. Big yet focussed on the palate; a mass of powdery tannins carry intense cassis fruit right to the end of the tongue, and the ripe flavours linger right to the last. Far too young still, but this is a real sleeper. Wait, then enjoy.

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• 2003 Summerfield Shiraz Cabernet Indulgence

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  {cork, 15.7%} A still-youthful blast of exaggeratedly intense black fruit. Coffee and raisins and chocolate and liqueured blackberries all fight it out in this outrageous wine. Made from berries that lost 40% of their volume through hang-time / raisining processes, this full-bodied monster of a wine presses so much extract into a single mouthful that you don’t even notice the alcoholic warmth. An extreme style that’s a lot of fun; seems to be aging better than you’d expect, and for those who like the style, it’s a cracker. But, it’s not available commercially…

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• 1975 Château Cheval Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  {cork, 12.5%} A very generous contribution from Andrew, just to keep the local [Victorian Pyrenees] wines honest. All graphite on the nose, with dried out brown leaves and only the faintest vestiges of curranty fruit remaining. The palate is softly tannic and dry as dust. Loïc reckons there’s faint TCA, not apparent on the nose but scalping the palate. Hmmm. The ‘75s were always supposed to be dry and tannic, and this wine certainly lacks the charm that’s a hallmark of Cheval Blanc. On this tasting past its best; maybe not falling apart but certainly with no flesh left on its bones.

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