Wayne's World of Wine
Wayne Johnson (Sommelier) Chronicles his travels down under.
By Wayne Johnson, edited by Jeff Pinhey
Wayne is on a self proclaimed sabbatical from the winter in Nova Scotia. He is travelling in Australia, possibly finding time to even work in between drinking.
Here some reports we have back from him....
Feb 27: How are things? Was in Mclaren Vale last week heading to the Clare tomorrow. Lot's of good juice around, and the wineries pour til the cows come home! ..especially if you show some interest and you're from away.
I really enjoyed a cab that Charles Melton produces in the Barossa Valley. He uses only French oak, so its tannins are soft but firm and velvety. Also a Peter Lehman, Six Sisters Shiraz, again they use French oak as well so it softens without taming, spicey and big.
Kaesler produce some seriously good wines. He has a shiraz or cab, can't remember, that he calls the Bogan, which means "a good bloke, but dresses like a slob". I guess the story goes that he was called a bogan in college, so he's got humour, I didn't get to meet him personally, but hope to go back this week or next.
I'm liking the Sangiovese that Richard Hamilton produces, and it's either from his vines in Connawarra or McLaren Vale.
I can only do three wineries a day max if I'm driving. They believe in doing flights of all their wines, from the entry blends to their big reds and ports. I'm trying to get a cheap flight next week to Perth if I can swing it, the Margaret River plonk is as good as any I tried in Aussie. The rieslings are flinty and somewhat steely, clean crisp and tart, good value at all the wineries.
Cheers for now mate'
Gonna bike to the beach, 30 degrees today and the "surfs up"
Wayne
P.S. The beer is great here as well!!!
Cheers to all.
March 5, 2006
Eh, Mate'
Well I did it, visited Penfolds flagship; Magill Estate Cellar Door, 15 minute drive from downtown Adelaide in the Adelaide Hills.
Before being swallowed up by Southcorp and now Fosters, Penfolds was the largest winery in South Australia. The Magill Estate is a 14.5 acre plot that still produces 400 tons annually, an amount which is processed in a few hours in their larger facility in the Barrossa. The Magill Estate offers tastings and tours which range in price from $15 per person to $150 pp, if you want to taste their big boy; Grange, Australiia's "Most Famous Wine", of which some is still produced there.
I was invited to a flight tasting of five of their wines, 2004 Eden Valley Riesling $24.90 it was solid,showing the characteristic flinty, rubber on the nose, good acidity an ok balance of friut with a lemon lime finish.
The second was their 2005 Bin Tumbarrumba Chardonnay, which was just released last week. $37.50 It had plenty of acidity alright, but still way too young!
Thirdly; I was offered 2003 Bin28 Kalimna Shiraz,...again this was just released and it was too young as well,..I refered to it as being "still green",...this one was being sold for $24.90 it had plenty of pepper and spice, but wasn't terribly nice.
And fourthly, 2003 Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz(65/35) respectively,..it was big and inky,cigar box on the nose, with some candied friut on the palate that showed the shiraz wasn't taking a back seat. Had good tannins, balance but at $45.90,...a little high.
Finally, Bluestone 10 Year Old Tawny at $20.50 it was good,...carmel brown and gold in colour, but just a little too sticky and syrupy pour moi.
With figures released Friday in Adelade's major newspaper "The Advertiser" Barossa Valley Cockatoo Ridge sharply underlined the wine industry's woes when it reported a 42% fall in it's first half profit, despite having a 61% surge in sales!
Can you say "wine glut"?....some of the producers I visited in both the McLaren Vale and Barossa still have their 2005 and some 04's still not bottled. Producers don't want to discount their wines(names), and growers are feeling the sting! Vineyards in SA's Riverland area are forecasted by real estate agents, that values per hectare would fall from an average of $49,400 to about $14,820. I know I am getting a little sidetracked but I think that Penfolds and a lot of the big producers are going to have some interesting challenges staying competitive and saving face.
Cheers, gotta go.
Oh, here is a picture John Miller, asst/ cellar door manager. He has worked with Penfolds for 27 years, and he was my "flight attendant".
Then on to New Zealand!
Visited Matakana, New Zealand, a beautiful hour and a half drive northeast of Auckland on Sunday march 19th.It?s a relatively "new wine" region, with the first plantings, originating about 30 years ago. My first stop was Ascesion Vineyard, a must see, highly recommended winery, from two top wine merchants visited in Auckland.
Ascension Vineyard is a fifth generation, family run winery, described by NZ wine critic, Peter Saunders as ?the regional star of Matakana?. A small craft winery that produces some 4000 cases annually that rarely make there way outside of New Zealand. I sampled 11 flights of wine fromViognier,($26.95) to their secret "Epiphany" 2002 $50.00(a merlot dominant, Bordeaux style wine that I?m guessing might hold a little of their bold Pinotage grape).
Stars and Kudos to their "Flotsam & Jetsam" East coast Gewurztraminer 2005. The grapes come from two tiny vineyards on the east coast of Matakana. The bouquet is floral and highly perfumed, so much so that it smells like those Turkish delight chocolate bars, if ya dare remember. At $19.95 its more than interesting with a clean-cut, lively finish.
"The Rosarian" Matakana Rose 2004 is a blend of juice drained from all of their reds, shows a magenta hue, with aromas of stewed strawberries and raspberries. The palate is fresh and nicely balanced acidity and sweetness. Not bad at $19.95. The other bargain, (that I?m always looking for) was the 2004 Pinotage. They are the only maker of the "great grape of South Africa" in Matakana. With a soft, round, plumy palate and hallmark flavours of smoke and very gamey meat ,allspice, this baby was a deal at $19.95. www.ascensionvineyard.co.nz
Netted vines, grapes are ready to pick at Ascension Vineyard Matakana
Next stop was a winery called Hyperion,(named after the mythological Greek sun god Costa, no, sorry, not Costa, Hyperion, one of the Titans) consisting of two small vineyards, established in 1994. Owned and operated by John and Jill Crone, their plantings are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, plus Malbec, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
I tasted seven flights, all with Greek names, Phoebe, Helios, Eos, Zeus, etc. (Ed. note - surely there must have been one Costa?) Priced $20-$40, they were all well structured, no nonsense varietals. John was my host, he quickly walked me through the wines, (he was expecting a tour). He proudly told me that all their wines were made "on site" and grown exclusively in Hyperion's vineyards.
The winery is a converted cowshed surrounded by rustic farm buildings, not much to look at, but the vino sure tasted great. Thanks John! www.hyperion-wines.co.nz
John Crone, winemaker/proprietor, Hyperion Vineyards, Tonque Farm Rd. Matakana.
Last stop of the afternoon was Heron's Flight Vineyard. Wine maker and owner David Hoskins gave me a personnel tour through HF's transformation from just another winery, producing French varietals, Cabernet (1988) and Chardonnay(1989) to only producing "Tuscan style" Sangiovese (10 acres, planted in 1998), and dolcetto (5 acres).
David Hoskins of Heron's Flight. In front of his Sangiovese grapes.
Depending on the year, the weather and the quality of the crop, dictates the price. The 2003 was a little "lighter", Il Rosso, and it sold for $22 a bottle, the 04 vintage commanded a $50 a bottle price tag. Dolcetto, which they first harvested in 2004 was selling for $33. www.heronsflight.co.nz
footnote;
"Early signs point to an excellent vintage". Although yields are slightly down on average,the total volume is expected to be a record 165,000 to 185,000 tonnes of grapes due to new plantings. Last year, 142,000 tonnes were harvested and 2004 yielded 165,000 tonnes.....New Zealand Herald
Windin' me way thru Hawkes Bay
March 23rd
Leaving Rotorua and the geo-thermal steam behind, I landed in Napier, via Taupo. My first stop was the Crab farm winery for some lunch and some vino. This winery is situated just north of Napier and less than 200 meters from the pacific ocean. In fact, half of the winery lay under the Pacific, before the huge earthquake of 1931.
Part of the vineyard grows on river metal silt and ex marine muds, which might explain the sea briney nose on their gewurztraminer, which reminds one of freshly steamed pip's(small square edged white sea clam/cockle). On the palate, it was round and full of lychee,with a long fine spicey finish. Quite nice for only $15 NZ dollars,(NZ dollar,which at the time added up to about .70 cents Can.). Their Savignon Blanc was crisp and clean, lots of green apple with a lemon/lime finish. Chardonnay was ok, merloy was quite concentrated with usual merlot earthiness, but their Pinot Noir 03, which won gold at the Asian wine show in Hong Kong, was full of mac apple, mealy stewed prunes and rubarb.Wonderful stuff at $30.
Dominique Jardine of Crabtree Winery Napier (Hawkes Bay) NZ www.crabtreewinery.co.nz
Friday 24 March...TeAwa (maori for "the river") Winery, in nearby Flaxmere. Jenny Dobson, cellar door pourer. was my flight attendant. We toured thru 10 flights of really good, well structured wines.
The Te Awa Range: "In-depth knowledge and understanding of our vineyard has allowed us to identify parcels of vines that reflect the very best of our vineyard potential. The limited quantities of fruit from these vines are harvested and handled judiciously to create Te Awa wines."
Their Savignon Blanc was fragrant and distinctive New Zealand Savignon Blanc (tomato plant vine), passion fruit on the nose as well, gave this SB a less tart but lively finish. Good value at $19.75
Te Awa Boundary 2002 is their flagship wine, a combo of Merlot 65%, Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc,3% and Malbec makes for a delicious wine that's well balanced with the friut forward Cab Franc and added depth of Cab Sav.Not cheap at $35.95, but a very sturdy concentrated wine.
Their "Zone 10" Cabernet Sauvignon is grown on a hillside of stones, with no grass showing between the vines, incrediblity intense flavors are the produce of only 225 liters(3-4 barrels) from the 2.43 hectares. Able stuff for $65 per bottle.
On to Trinity Hill, (across the road from Te Awa) again, a 10 flight tasting. impressive were the 2005 Gimblett Pinot gris that was both crisp and soft with pear and spice and wonderful mouth feel - $28.95. The 2004 Wairarapa Riesling had aromas of orange blossom and citrus, green apple and limes on the palate, exceptional at $18.95, and their 05' Viognier, with its distinct aroma and flavour of apricot, was rich and full, with a slightly spicey finish.$28.95
The 04' High Country Pinot Noir was young and complex, with lots of rich black friut to come, it had been barrel-aged for ten months which reflected it's complexity and elegance. serious stuff, $39.
And finally a little 04' Hawkes Bay Montepulciano, a simple wine with good colour, blackcurrant and plum flavours with good tannins. which fetched $19.
My three days in Hawkes Bay provided me with plenty of rain,....so I had to endure indoors with glass in hand. Because of the exchange rate, I found the Kiwi plonk much to my liking, the cooler climate gave almost all my samples excellant crispness and lovely acidity. The people that I meet were a friendy bunch, always willing to share a story or two, along with their bottle.
Hawkes Bay was expected to harvest around 30,000 tonnes this fall
Cheers!
And there is no BS in NZ winemaking.
It's all sheep shit.