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Game of Rhones
Carriageworks, Redfern
Tasted June 19, 2016 by chatters with 511 views
Introduction
another year another game of rhones...I got a VIP ticket and had a couple of hours of early access that proved most fruitful in getting around the wines
Flight 1 (69 notes)
Red
2015 Brash Higgins Grenache Mataro Co-Ferment
Sweet red berry fruit and a slight metallic note…it's juicy and an odd combination of sweet and sour - red berry fruit dominates here as well; strawberries and slight raspberry but the tannins are too pronounced and the acidity a bit too spiky - it's a bit out of whack. Nah.
Red
2010 Brash Higgins Shiraz Omensetter
meaty and chunky, smoky black fruits, quite muted...meaty and biscuity on the palate, not much fruit, then huge, drying, brutal tannins. Nah.
Red
2013 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers
lovely peppery elements, very Rhone, red currant here as well…sour on the palate, bone dry, tight tannins. Nice
Red
2011 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne
Again lovely peppery notes then, blackberry fruit, cream, slight caramel - good quality of oak, crushed rocks, blackberry, cream...
Red
2015 Head Wines Shiraz Head Red
lightweight and pretty red fruit; over time meaty notes intrude. In the mouth there is initially red berry fruit but wild ferment funkiness and a bit of stalkiness push this aside
Red
2015 Head Wines Shiraz
quite anonymous muted but perfumed black fruit and some damp clay…sour black fruits, stalks, tight tannins, not very approachable after the nose.
Red
2014 Head Wines The Blonde
Muted dishwasher water notes. Oh dear. Slight eucalyptus and mint. Slight black fruit hidden under peppery notes…short, sharp, too tannic as well. Stingy. Nope.
Red
2005 Heathcote Estate Grenache Noir
slightly oxidative, leather, muted fruit…sweet fruit is knocked about by age and oxidative notes…perhaps a bad bottle?
Red
2013 Heathcote Estate Grenache Noir
Red berry fruit, perfumed, slight stalkiness as well…someone trying to do a Pinot style Grenache? Slightly stalky. Touch, chewy tannins that are chalky and close things down. Hmm, time required?
Red
2014 Heathcote Estate Shiraz Single Vineyard Heathcote
sulphurous black fruits, meaty and spicy with slight metallic notes…slightly sweet black fruit them meaty elements and sulphur with some chalky tannins. Meh
Red
2013 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Billi Billi
red currant spectrum, cream, very slight spice…juicy and spicy, slight red fruit, talcy tannins. Meh
Red
2014 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Cliff Edge
slight stalky notes, toast and almost olives underpin black fruits…fleshy, tangy, black fruit, tine tannins, well balanced, pleasant.
Red
2013 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi
concentrated blackberry fruit, good quality oak and peppery spice…more of the same on the palate, a class apart from the two other Mt. Langi offering. Very good.
Red
2015 Ministry of Clouds Grenache
savoury red berry fruit, slight meaty notes imply wild ferment for me…juicy and fleshy, the wine is dry but the fruit is sweet and long. Not massively structured…Nice
Red
2014 Ministry of Clouds Mataro
Red fruit, quite dense but perfumed which lends it some elegance…juicy and fleshy, again, more red fruit again here but a little short, perhaps. And a little out of whack. Hmm.
Red
2015 Ministry of Clouds Shiraz
peppery spice, biscuity warmth, muted black fruit behind this…tight tannins on the palate back the black fruits and spiciness. Very nice and exceedingly well balanced.
Red
2014 Alpha Domus Syrah The Barnstormer
sulphur, funky, cream, leather, vanilla, black fruit, slight cab mac prettiness. Nice nose…juicy and fleshy with much o the same as the nose on the palate. Chalky tannins. Pleasant
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Red
2014 Babich Syrah Winemaker's Reserve Gimblett Road Vineyard
cream, toast, black fruit over peppery spice...Slight sour black fruit and grippy chalky tannins here. Hmm
Red
2013 Ngatarawa Syrah Proprietors' Reserve
Muted black fruit, peppercorns and gun smoke…awful on the palate though, couldn't get it out of my mouth quick enough.
Red
2014 Pepper Tree The Pebbles Limited Release Shiraz Viognier
tarry and slightly medicinal, black plummy fruit, slight acetone with a perfumed top note…fleshy and juicy more savoury on the palate with chalky tannins but the plummy fruit persist. Nice
Red
2013 Pepper Tree Shiraz Limited Release Hunter Valley
Exceedingly perfumed, peppery and plummy with blackberry fruit…slight less rewarding on the palate, wet muted fruit, slightly drying tannins. Hmm.
Red
2014 Tellurian Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre
slightly farty sulphur over red and then black fruit…more sulphur on the palate, and there is a bit of sourness here. Nope
Red
2014 Tellurian Shiraz Redline
toasted blackberry backed by sweet spice…quite closed on the palate, muted fruit, spice. Meh
Red
2013 Tellurian Shiraz Heathcote 'Pastiche'
more perfumed with green peppercorn, black fruit and sweet spices…juicy black fruits are a little short and lost beneath chalky tannins. Hmm.
Red
2013 Tellurian Shiraz Tranter
meaty black fruit which doesn't get to the palate…sour with cream and spice. Meh.
Red
2010 Vidal Estate Syrah Legacy Series
blackberry and black pepper…juicy, lacks a little fruit on the palate. Okay at best
Red
2011 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve
concentrated but perfumed plum, cream and vanilla…dense plummy fruit and massive, chewy, drying tannins. Touches of Durif almost! Nah.
Red
2014 Brash Higgins Shiraz SHZ
Meaty and peppery, slightly reductive, blackberry…juicy but not the right kind of juicy - tartaric addition perhaps? Feels out of whack on the palate.
Red
2008 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas
olives, savoury, black fruits, liquorice, slightly stalky…juicy black fruit, talc textured tannins. Pleasant enough but not mind blowing.
Red
2013 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Vineyard
blackberry, black pepper, green peppercorn. Very juicy, pepper over fruit here joined by tight and chewy tannins. Time required
Red
2014 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Vineyard
more blackberry fruit than the 13, riper, oak is more obvious here. Big and bolshy, drying tannins close things down a bit. Again time required
Red
Red
2013 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage
green over black peppercorns, slight red currant…juicy, peppery with drying, chalky tannins. Surprisingly broad on the palate though it does lack fruit.
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Red
2011 Giesen Syrah Single Vineyard Clayvin Vineyard
meaty with green and black peppercorn, perfumed. Yoghurt. Lacks a bit of fruit, touches of rhubarb with drying but silky tannins
Red
2012 Giesen Syrah Single Vineyard Clayvin Vineyard
blackberry and pepper, new oak…Juicy and fleshy, black fruits, talc textured tannins but not overtly sweet. Well balanced. Long. Excellent in fact.
Red
2014 Henschke Johann's Garden
perfumed pepper over red berry fruit (strawberries predominantly) and a saline/briny note. Broad and fleshy, fruit is lost beneath tannins. Hmm.
Red
2014 Hentley Farm Shiraz The Beauty
smoky, dusty, quite muted and closed. Another ripe fruit, over oaked, closed down Aussie Shiraz. A far more rare occurrence than you might think. Meh for this
Red
2012 Maison Des Anges Châteauneuf-du-Pape
warm red berry fruit, baked earth, slight peppery notes…savoury red berry fruit, slight pepper, tight tannins, okay.
Red
2012 Man O' War Vineyards Syrah Viognier Bellerophon
black berry and perfumed but green peppercorns as well as black pepper notes. More peppery on the palate with chewy tannins, quite Rhone. Nice
Red
2014 Man O' War Vineyards Syrah Viognier Bellerophon
black fruit, slight apricot, slight green notes, perfumed as well. Same on the palate, fleshy, chalky, drying tannins. Nice enough
Red
2013 Man O' War Vineyards Syrah Dreadnought
Quite brooding black fruit, almost a little Cornas in fact…Juicy blackberry fruit tending to compote, drying tannins, fruit persists as well. Very good.
Red
2011 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'A'
slightly reductive, mineral notes, quite light, perfumed in fact. Plummy fruit, pleasant, slightly chalky tannins, touches of bacon fat. Nice
Red
2014 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'C'
red plum and slightly meaty. Slight sour plum, juicy, talc textured tannins. Ungenerous.
Red
2013 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Rosehill
black plums, cream, vanilla but constrained. More o the same on the palate with slight plain chocolate and coffee note. Requires meat!
Red
2006 Oliver's Taranga Vineyards Shiraz HJ Reserve
toast, muted black fruit bacon. Savoury, meaty, concentrated black fruit and plentiful tannins. Bolshy but nice in that way
Red
2012 Oliver's Taranga Vineyards Shiraz HJ Reserve
funky and meaty (wild ferment), black fruits, cream, cedar…fruit is a little muted with some vanilla oak but lovely structure and balance
Red
2013 Passage Rock Syrah Waiheke Island Reserve
muted pepper and black fruit, bacon….cream, vanilla and extremely muted fruit on the palate though. Meh.
Red
2014 Schild Estate Grenache Edgar Schild Reserve
beautifully perfumed, red berry fruit, cream and vanilla. Fleshy, tangy, pinot noirish in fact, slightly grainy tannins, fruit persists, very good indeed.
Red
2013 Schild Estate Shiraz Pramie
tiny touch of cork taint, muted black fruit. Drying, tight, tannins dominate meaty black fruit. Nah
Red
2014 Teusner Shiraz 'Big Jim'
bit reductive, meaty…chewy tannins, not much else going on here for me.
Red
2011 Teusner Grenache Righteous
lovely ripe red berry fruit and Yankee oak extremely nice nose in an old school way…more of the same on the palate, very good and quite fun.
Red
2006 Torbreck Descendant
thick, dense in appearance, brooding black fruit on the nose and plentiful oak. Huge and massive, black fruit present but swept aside by tannins. Time required.
Red
2013 Torbreck Descendant
muted black fruit and perfumed apricot…black fruits, tight tannins, a little short perhaps. Hmm.
Red
2014 Torbreck (Cuvée) Juveniles
fruit forward, red berry; strawberry, quite lightweight and fruit forward. Sweet strawberry fruit, gentle tannins, no oak, pleasant
Red
2014 Torbreck Grenache Philippou
muted red fruit backed with spice, slight candy floss. Juicy, fleshy, red berry, strawberries, talc textured tannins.
Red
2013 Torbreck The Steading
muted red fruit, perfumed, slightly reductive…savoury red berry fruit, chalky tannins, perhaps lacks a little oak. Hmm
Red
2010 Voyager Estate Shiraz
Closed, muted, meaty black fruit, slight salinity. Fleshy and juicy, almost too acidic, there is a certain sharpness here, meaty and peppery with chalky tannins but lacks a bit of fruit on the palate
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Red
2013 Willunga 100 Grenache The Tithing
Meaty and concentrated red and black berry fruit, slightly herbaceous. Juicy, fleshy, fruit carries medium long joined by chalky tannins. Short for the price but other wise good
Red
2013 Yabby Lake Vineyard Shiraz Red Claw
slightly reductive perfumed black fruit…very tannic…perhaps a touch of palate fatigue or this is just muted
Red
2014 Yabby Lake Vineyard Syrah Single Vineyard
slight caramel, ripe fruit, almost toffee apple notes…toast, red rather than black fruit, slightly drying tannins. Meh for me.
Red
2008 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2
a little development here but not too much; blackberry compote, slight leather and vanilla. In the mouth there is black berry fruit and grippy tannins underpinned with a touch of vanilla. Nice.
Red
2014 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2
blackberry tending to cherry, cream, oak ,vanilla and spice. Juicy and fleshy, talc textured tannins, pleasant
Red
2015 Yarra Yering Light Dry Red Wine
Muted nose, not much going on…quite sour in the mouth, pretty awful.
Red
2014 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill
meaty and almost vegetal notes over black fruit. Quite muted on the palate with powdery tannins and slight fruit flavours. Hmm
White
2013 Yeringberg Marsanne Roussanne
Peach, apricot, bees wax and touches of cream…slight pear skin joins on the palate with the fruit, fleshy, long, nice
White
2013 Yeringberg Viognier
Floral, honeysuckle and white blossom, apricot and ginger spice, broad, slightly spicy and alcohol warmth, touch short. Okay
Red
2013 Yeringberg Shiraz
Cream, vanilla, slight coconut dominates meaty black fruits….a bit bland with slight peppery notes. Hmm
Closing
Hmm. The Kiwi stuff here was, for the most part, very good. The Australian stuff was more of a mixed bag and the few French were fairly indifferent. Man O War and Ministry of Clouds would be close to my favourite producers...