Australia Wine Trip
Swan Valley
Tasted Sunday, September 20, 2009 - Monday, September 21, 2009 by Alex H with 1,477 views
Introduction
A hotbed for sweet wines and still growing many sweet varietals like PX, muscats and port varietals. They deserve their reputation for sweets and showcase the best that aussie sweet wines can be.
Flight 1 - Sandalford (5 Notes)
Famous for their sweet wines and well deserved at that. Quite commercial though and I was saddened to learn that they are ripping out the low yielding old PX vines that go into their famed sandalera due to commercial profitability reasons. From speaking to the sales lady at the cellar door, I think they are veering towards more commercialization and mass market. It really is a pity. I hope they don't lose the soul of their wines pursuing $$$.
Flight 2 - Lancaster (8 Notes)
Touted as having the oldest vines in Swan or even the region, I find the vines quite ill-maintained and the whole experience quite touristy and commerical with the sales person pushing quite hard to sell their wines. As humourous as he might be, I think sacarstic comments aimed at non buying customers are uncalled for. That said, my impressions of the wines were written before the sacarstic comment when I said we weren't buying any bottles. I find the wines mostly mediocre but generally palatable.
Flight 3 - Talijancich (2 Notes)
Visited this winery just because the name sounded unique. Thank God! I came here! The solera system dessert wines were to die for with a very fair price tagged to them. Up there to compete with the best of Spain's sherries or Portugal's vintage ports, they really have darn good sweet wines! The vines are pretty old as well. I tasted the other dry whites and reds with not much impressions except that they were quite rustic and old time aussie wines.
Flight 4 - Little River (9 Notes)
My best find yet! The only vineyard making truly classical styled wines but unsuprising given the winemaker is a french Count with family estates in Bordeaux. His wife, the Countess Jan de Tastes, gives a perfect rendition of respect of terroir, classical wine making and best practices of non-irrigation as well as lamenting over the Pine Tree farm they were going to plant next door, which were going to force them to irrigate as the Pine trees will use up too much of the ground water. She is as passionate about wines as any French would be but I did sense an air of snobbery over her comments about her neighbours' wines or even margaret river wines in general. However, she was the only person I spoke to that expounded on the topic of types of soils, irrigation, cropping, deleafing etc. Wonderful hour I had spent there as she explained her wines to us. A must visit!!! and next time I must try their famed duck confit!
Flight 5 - Vino Italia (2 Notes)
Another interesting winery that we chanced upon. Very low key and unimpressive winery building with an almost eerie feeling when entering just because it is situated in a deserted corner of Swan. However, was captivated by their vines which were all gnarled up and looked really old. And right I was as the aussie italian born winemaker (in his 80s I think) told us the brief history of how he started. A very typical italian Godfather like figure, he seemed proud of making wines for immediate consumption and to be had with food. The labels were outdated and vintage-less (so that they didnt need to re-print yearly) and the wines could be bought for a dime a bottle. Tasted a few other wines and ports but most didnt have any labelling so couldnt tell what was what. In general, this is also a must visit just for the nostalgia and the old vines. The Grenache is a powerful wine and shows its age like its winemaker. However, most of their wines are really for immediate consumption and came alive only with food.
2008 Sandalford Element Late Harvest 77 Points
Australia, Western Australia, Greater Perth, Swan Valley
(9/21/2009)
Kero , lifted alc on the nose. Sweet yet zesty orange peels, some pineapples. Very clinical.
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2008 Sandalford Sémillon Boytris Semillon 81 Points
Australia, Western Australia, Greater Perth, Swan Valley
(9/21/2009)
Luscious golden sultanas, sweet ripe raisins with a good dose of botrytis.
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2005 Sandalford Shiraz Margaret River 77 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
(9/21/2009)
Lifted christmas spices. Standard slightly spicy fruits.
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NV Sandalford Founders Reserve Liqueur Port 81 Points
Australia, Western Australia, Greater Perth, Swan Valley
(9/21/2009)
Burnt coffee caramel , luscious christmas sweet spices of aniseed and nutmeg. Lots of unctuous raisins, dried figs and lovely rich fruits.
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NV Sandalford Sandalera 90 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
(9/21/2009)
Lovely lovely nose. Tarry rich spiced dark chocolate. Smoky but more muted nose than i last remembered. This is a heavenly sundae of rich toffee, caramel. Rich, regal and indulgent. This is wow!
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