NobleRottersSydney - Wirra Wirra with Greg Trott

The first dinner of the new millenium! It's always enlightening to have a winemaker present* at a dinner, the more so when he has supplied the wines. This was a kind of follow-up to the very pleasant morning we spend at the winery last year. There we tasted virtually Wirra Wirra's entire current release range - this dinner was narroweer in scope but included some older vintages.

• 1998 Wirra Wirra "The Cousins"

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Light to mid yellow. Pungent yeasty nose, with quite developed characters. Creamy blended peanut flavours with a hint of grapefruit tang. Fine, subtle mousse, initially seemed a little short on the palate, but became very more-ish quite soon. Very pleasantly aged.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1996 Wirra Wirra Chardonnay Adelaide Hills

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  Mid yellow with a flash of green. First whiff has a bit of butter and oak overlying grapefruit aromas. Quite soft and rounded on palate, but thankfully not dominated by malo characters. There’s still plenty of fresh acid holding it together. Integrated and smooth, with a medium-length finish. Quite attractive really. Does contain some Adelaide Hills fruit – Greg says ‘whites from McLaren Vale need to be blended…’

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1994 Wirra Wirra Sémillon

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Greg is also a fan of semillon. This was a single vineyard wine made as a one-off in small quantity. It received a variety of treatments – part malo, part aged in oak. It’s mid yellow, with a remarkable nose of grass, straw and asparagus which convinced us all it was a sauv-blanc – quite uncanny. Despite this rich, pungent nose and initially smoky-taste, more aged semillon characters were apparent on the palate. Clearly not a Hunter style, but not too thick and oily either. Pleasant and appetising.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1994 Wirra Wirra Shiraz RSW

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Still a deep red, with some developing garnet colour at the rim. Nose of liquorice, smoky oak and chocolate. On the palate is showed developed spicy papper flavours. For me it was all front palate – there was very little beyond the mid-point of the tongue. A little furry tannin is evident on the teeth, preceding a very dry medium length finish. Just didn’t seem quite balanced though.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Wirra Wirra Shiraz RSW

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Deep crimson red. Blackberry fruit is a lot more evident here but still heavily cloaked in the same spice as the ’94. Quite soft on the palaqte – the tannins are very fine. This is better balanced, with a rounder palate, suggesting the ’94 is drying out a little. The mixed spice character is a little strong for my taste – maybe the 98 will age a little better than the 94. Medium length.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1994 Wirra Wirra Cabernet Sauvignon The Angelus

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Still solid red – much the same colour as the 94 RSW. A little pongy on the nose – this was the only bottle that provoked a cautious reaction at uncorking. A spicy nose here too, which combines with loose brambly fruit on the palate. There’s still considerable tannins, and I think they make this something of a ‘doughnut’ wine. The length is medium, and the tannin is the last thing left. There is a component of Coonawarra in this wine, too.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1992 Wirra Wirra Cabernet Sauvignon The Angelus

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Supplied by a Rotter, just to compare to the more recent wines. Garnet red with some bricking, it presented a smoky nose of dried fruits, prunes and raisins. A fuiller, rounder palate than the 94, considerably less spicy also. Good length finish, although it favours acid over tannin. These cabernets are certainly leaner, more skeletal, than the shirazes.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Wirra Wirra Cabernet Sauvignon The Angelus

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Inky deep crimson. Strong raspberry fruit, again with spice underneath. Powerful tannins for what is really only a medium-bodied wine. Primary fruit qualities are very much to the fore – could almost be described as simple at this stage, although the relationship with the older wines is evident.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1994 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Vineyard Series Jones Block

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Not sure that this was ever a commercial release. Only 168 dozen made from a red-soil-over-limestone vineyard planted in 1981. The fruit from here normally goes into the RSW but some barrels were so good from 94 that this special cuvee was made. A deep, deep red. An intensely tight, focussed nose of pure shiraz fruit which just bores into your nasal passage. Wow! Blackberries, saturated rpe fruit, a little spice, seamless oak, fine tannins, unobtrusive acid, a hint of bottle development. Smooth & full on the palate. Not a one-dimensional blockbuster, but with subtlety and elegance – somehow big without being overpowering. Long balanced finish. A joy to drink – what a wine!

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Chook Block

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  273 dozen bottles only. Deep black/red. Iodine & reticent blackberry nose. Again, sensationally focussed fruit – the balance of fruit, oak & tannins a little coarser than the 94 Jones, but similar elements are found. It’s a bit disjointed now, and doesn’t hang together as neatly as the older wine, but I think it will develop along similar lines. Retail around $60. If it goes the way of Jones, then it’s worth it.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Wirra Wirra Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Series Penley Vineyard

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  The fruit is from Penley Estate – a marital connection means the two wineries exchange some fruit. Deep purple/red. Essence of cabernet; that dark, smoky, chocolatey, yet slightly herbaceous Coonawarra signature. Almost an inky texture, with lovely fine tannins. Super long finish, with concentrated weight. Leaner than the shirazes – perhaps tighter is a better word. Great wine with a super future.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

*Postscript: At the age of 70, Greg Trott passed away in March, 2005.
"Wine is serious, but life is fun."