Category: Wine

Henschke

The Henschke family have been making wine in Keyneton in the Eden Valley in South Australia for 150 years. Their wines include Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, two of the most sought after Australian Shiraz wines. In this post we concentrate on some of their other wines tasted at a recent visit.

The wines of Henschke are superb, reflecting the care and attention in both the vineyard and winery. They are well worth searching out.

You can view the Henschke website here

Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2017

Pale lime in appearance. Fresh and zingy with bags of lime citrus fruit and great minerality. A nice weight and a good finish. Excellent.

Eleanors Cottage Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Adelaide Hills/Eden Valley 2015

Aromas of gooseberry, fresh grass/nettle and stone fruit. Palate is full and fresh. Nice weight, lovely balance. Delicious.

Louis Semillon Eden Valley 2015

Aromas of pear, apple and camembert. Palate has nice weight and balance with stone fruits and lime citrus on the finish.

Archers Vineyard Chardonnay Adelaide Hills 2016

Lemon citrus with a touch of vanilla and almond, crisp and fresh. Has spent 8 months in oak and no malolactic fermentation. Very nice, very drinkable

Giles Pinot Noir Adelaide Hills 2015

Very pale but bursting with aromas of cherry, strawberry and cranberry. Palate has these red fruits with lovely touch of spice and savoury flavours. Excellent.

Henry Seven Eden Valley/Barossa Valley 2015

65% Shiraz, 20% Grenache, 10% Mataro, 7% Viognier. Aromas of red berry fruits and cherry. A medium bodied wine with lovely peppery, spicy red fruit on the palate. Easy drinking king style. A good all rounder.

Johann’s Garden Barossa Valley 2015

70% Grenache, 25% Mataro, 5% Shiraz. Ruby red in colour. Medium bodied with red fruits and spice. A lovely finish of red fruit with white pepper.

Keyneton Euphonium Barossa Valley/Eden Valley 2013

45% Shiraz, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Red/garnet in appearance. Full bodied with ripe, plummy fruit. There is a savoury note and chocolate along with a touch of mint. A rich wine with tannins beginning to soften. This is excellent.

Marble Angel Barossa Valley 2012.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon and is the first vintage of this wine released on to the market. Still youthful in appearance. Nose is black fruits, green pepper and eucalyptus. Palate is full and rich with tannins that are beginning to integrate.

Cyril Hanschke Cabernet Sauvignon Eden Valley 2013

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot. Youthful with hints of maturity beginning to show. N one is black fruits, plum and vanilla. Palate has depth nd is complex with nice balance and weight. Finish is dry with blackcurrant and a hint of cooling mint. A long life ahead of it before peaking. Excellent.

Tappa Pass Shiraz Eden Valley/Barossa Valley 2015

Youthful appearance. Black fruits, farms and peppery. Palate is smooth with plummy black fruits and chocolate. Tannins still firm. A complex wine that delivers a big punch and has great balance. A very good shiraz that will benefit from cellaring.

Noble Rot Semillon Eden Valley 2015

157g/l residual sugar. Pale yellow gold in appearance. Aromas of apricot and peach with orange and caramel. Palate is rich with tropical pineapple and honey and great balance. Very nice.

 

Charles Melton

 

Charlie Melton has been making his own label wines in the Barossa since 1984 and now owns 20 hectares of vines. He began his wine making career ten years earlier and worked for Peter Lehmann who actually decided he should be called Charlie instead of his given name Graeme. His passion is for old vine wines and traditional varieties such as Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre (Mataro) and this comes through loud and clear in the wines he produces.

Rose of Virginia 2015

This is serious rosé wine. A great colour, deeper than many rosé wines, with aromas of raspberry, cinnamon and Turkish delight. The palate is dry, red and stone fruits. This aged style of rosé is characterful and very nice. Made mainly from Grenache it is a robust wine and excellent value for money.

La Belle Mere GSM 2015

Red/garnet in appearance. There is earthy spice and delicate red fruits. Wine is medium bodied and the finish is savoury and long. very nice entry level wine.

Father in Law Shiraz  2016

Youthful purple/red in appearance. Aromas of plum, strawberry and sweet tobacco. Smooth and full bodied with a generous kick of spicy pepper. Drink it now or keep, your choice.

Kirche Shiraz/Cabernet 2016

Generous black fruits with coffee and vanilla. Palate is full with rich fruit and cool eucalyptus and tobacco. Tannins add structure. A wine with real ageing potential.

Grains of Paradise Shiraz 2014

February rain led to a lighter vintage, as a consequence less oak was used in the vinification. Garnet in appearance. Aromas of red fruits and plum. Palate is savoury black and red fruit with hints of spice and a nice savoury finish.

Grains of Paradise Shiraz 2015

Great depth of colour – red/garnet. Ripe plummy fruit, white pepper and a savoury edge. Palate is rich, full and  complex with a savoury sweet spice. A lovely finish.

Nine Popes GSM 2015

Aromas of red fruits, vanilla and a touch of dried herbs and white pepper. Palate is sweet red fruits, smokey and a big hit of spicy pepper on the finish. A series wine that needs some cellaring.m very good.

Mother Vine

Mother Vine is a wine bar located on Vardon Avenue in Adelaide. It is the sort of place that you come across on your travels and you wish you had at home. As well as an excellent wine list they also offer food in the form of small plates. They also offer the Motherboard, a selection of charcuteries, cheeses, marinated olives, pickles, spiced nuts and sourdough bread. Easily enough for two, this was an absolute delight and a perfect accompaniment to the wines we had.

Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay Victoria 2017

A natural wine,  low intervention, hand picked, wild yeasts and minimal filtration. Lemon citrus with lovely texture, crisp and clean. There are some very nice toasty notes with hints of almond. the finish is lingering citrus. Very nice.

Goon Tycoons Smokey Gun Chenin Blanc Margaret River WA 2017

Single vineyard Chenin Blanc which has been 100% barrel fermented. Apricot, peach, lemon citrus. Palate is medium with good texture and noticeable minerality. The finish is peach and a lovely lingering lemon acidity. Very nice.

Rusden Driftsand GSM Barossa 2016

Inky with a little maturity at the rim. Strawberry, raspberry and sweet plummy fruit. Palate is silky smooth with red fruits, chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Very nice

S.C. Pannell Basso Garnacha McLaren Vale South Australia 2017

Bright cherry red in appearance. Aromas of red cherry and warm spice. the palate has bags of red cherry, raspberry. There is a gentle nuttiness which is delicate and refined. this is highly fruity, drinkable wine with a serious side. The finish is incredibly long. Excellent.

Rusden Christines Vineyard Grenache Barossa 2016

Red/garnet in colour. Cherry and raspberry with a smokey, savoury core. Medium bodied, this wine has serious depth with warm spices while maintaining a youthful drinkability. Developing well in the glass, an excellent example of Barossa old vine Grenache.