Community Tasting Note

• Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 93 points

  July 14, 2023 - It's a big, bouncing, baby boy!
  
  I bought this off the back of a review that heaped praise on the wine and the description, more importantly, appealed. The price, for a relatively unknown wine and winery seemed about right, for what is something of a reserve wine for them. 'Reserved for, or from what', I hear you mutter. My answer is 'reserved from shits like you lot and reserved for arses like me'.
  
  The wine is under the screw cap of love. It pours dark for Grenache, which is medium dark, nice and bright but without that shiny aspect that over-clean wines sometimes seem to have. Ruby colour and it looks inviting.
  
  The wine you see also delivers in the wine you smell and taste (or is that guzzle?). Aromas of blue fruits and strawberry and very much varietal Grenache fruit but what I love is the roast meat and iron undertones. There is a slightly cedary aspect that I thought must be oak, but the winery swear they use 7-8 year old American oak barriques and don't seek to impart oak character (so, presumably no shaving and re-charring, which could allow 'old oak' to impart oak characters). There is alcohol (it is 14.5% ABV admitted) and you can question whether it is leaning into 'porty', but that isn't my take.
  
  The palate is a charm because of the texture. It is smooth, but with fine, sandy tannins to the finish. The finish is very long, indeed and the intensity can't be faulted. The texture, with that almost creamy aspect did make me wonder again about oak, but perhaps it can be achieved through other means (a bit like politics). This delivers depth, without losing the quick feet and poise that Grenache should have. With its perfume, varietal fruit and sandy tannins, this wine speaks of its origins in Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale and I like that. You wouldn't think CdP but you would think it nods in that direction.
  
  I think if you find it too much, too exuberant, I can see that, without agreeing. I love it for providing great pleasure but with some complexity. I consider the wine is very fairly priced.
  
  Splendid with a massive piece of Scotch Fillet (for the Americans, I think this is whatever you call beef from the rib area- I call it beefy heaven). Afterwards, a Negroni and then a competition to see whether human fed by cow, or cow can contribute most to Greenhouse gases. I win. Not even close. Manser and beef powered farts raise the local temperature by 20 degrees and everyone wants to be my friend. This is life in the Lynehamsas badlands at its best.

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2 Comments

• KillerJones commented:

  7/14/23, 7:46 PM - Always a joy to read your reviews! You provide so many details, but always shrouded in humor. I have often wondered what reserve really means. 😂
  
  Sounds like a lovely pairing with a rib eye. Hey, is there any water left in lake George these days?

• Rote Kappelle commented:

  7/14/23, 11:38 PM - Doktor Slaughter, thank you for your kind words. The question about Lake George has to indicate a visit to the area at some point. There has been water enough for me to think of mass drownings, thus raising a mental smile.
  
  The vintages here have been awful recently, however. Be very cautious about Canberra/Hilltops wines from 2021, 2022 and 2023. Some will be fine, but we have seen very unusual weather. This year I struggled to ripen my olives before the frosts hit and whilst I got a good crop of figs, in the last two years I struggled with those as well. I suspect that this will be a beast of a summer and we will burn in 2024/2025. Nothing less than we deserve for screwing with the planet, with malice and money a fore thought.

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