The Key Review

The Key Review of Wines (KROW) issue 13
25th June, 2008

The KROW (Key Review of Wines) Issue 13

The 2008 vintage is in and bigger than expected; it’s been difficult and far from uniform. All regions will have their own story and when the wines start to appear it would be unwise to generalise.

Grape prices improved slightly in the warm inland regions responsible for the bulk of Australian wine, but not really enough to meet the needs of growers. Since the end of vintage we have all suffered from oil/energy costs and increased food costs. Wine will inevitably increase in price.

Research commissioned by the UK Wine and Spirit Trade Association has found that although times are difficult with living costs soaring, ‘cash-strapped consumers will think twice before reducing their spending on wine’. Apparently ’60 percent would prefer to cut spending on sweets, chocolate, soft drinks and beer before considering cutting back on their wine purchases’.

The good news continues in the US: the Nielsen Company has released results of a survey that supports the UK results: ‘nearly half of consumers surveyed report that the downturn in the economy has had no influence in the amount they are spending for beer, wine or spirits at off-premise locations; less than 20 percent indicate a significant impact. More than 80 percent of consumers say they are spending the same amount or more on beer, wine and spirits compared to a year ago.’

If you'd like to receive each edition of the KROW, please send your name and email to:
Jenny Stonier: jenny@ferment.com.au
Tony Keys: tony@thekeyreport.com.au

Happy drinking
Tony Keys

The charts we used have not always transferred well when KROW was posted on-line therefore I have reverted to using a straight mark out of 100 for quality. Marking wines can be an emotive issue and there is no enforceable rule on what scale should be used.

The Australian show system uses marks out of 20; The American critic Robert Parker created the 100 point system. Several writers use stars of symbols, many out of five. To understand the true meaning of my approach to marking out of 100 accept a wine I consider of average quality to be 85 and believe me there is nothing wrong with a wine with 85 points.

In truth the value of a wine is directly related to the wealth of the drinker; those with untold millions in the bank may think nothing of drinking bottles worth hundreds of dollars/pounds/euros while those with an overdraft and more pressing financial matters might find spending over $10, £5 or €10 not a justifiable expense.

In regards to value for money, wine divides into two sections, roughly those up to 100 Dollars/Euro/Pounds and those over. Once a wine is over this amount then scarcity, fashion or plain pomposity is what is being paid for.

Up to that amount there really is a quality to value ratio. The hard part is expressing the value. I’ve experimented with charts, held long debates about a critic’s role in pricing; many reviewers make no comment, others use symbols. The most honest system is for me to give a wine the retail price I would pay eg: it sells for $25 but I say it would still be good value at $35. The difficulty with this approach is that it’s not up to me to dictate pricing therefore I have decided on the softer approach of just a few words of comment.

When I say ‘works better with food’ it’s because I have tasted it on the bench and then with food, as certain wines often taste better in this context. What food? Doesn’t matter - that’s up to you and I find it both a waste of time to just give one word examples as guidance (pork chop, tuna, quail) and a touch precious on the writer’s part. Also, I really don’t care what tucker you like, what I do know is a decent plate of food, enjoyable glass of wine and good company is enough.

Château Tanunda ‘The Château’ Barossa Valley Riesling 2007:

A fruity nose just starting to take on a more defined Riesling lime character (February 2008). On the palate it’s very broad in flavour, enjoyable enough but needs more definition - hopefully that will come with time. At the moment it’s a ‘decent’ glass of wine.

89 points / worth its price

Aus $18 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available http://www.chateautanunda.com

Plantagenet Great Southern Riesling 2007:

Quite light on nose and on entry however the flavor builds and intensifies as it journeys. The flavour spectrum is mineral - wonderful aftertaste; quality wine.

91 points / very good value even worth a little more. The wine is not sold in the US and the maker (strangely) doesn’t know the retail in the UK.

Aus $22 UK£ USA$ www.plantagenetwines.com

Yalumba South Australian Riesling 2007:

Lovely drop, no need to go over the top on descriptions - it’s a very enjoyable glass of wine.

88 points / great value for money and worth more

Aus $12 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.yalumba.com

Angove’s Clare Valley Riesling 2007:

The green/gold colour could be described as a lime green tinge. Lime again on the nose and lime follows through to the palate. There is a mass of full-on flavour that rather shocks the palate - it’s a wine with just a little too much enthusiasm! Still, it’s an enjoyable wine to drink and a good price.

89 points / great value for money and worth more

Aus $15 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.angoves.com.au

Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling 2007:

Expectation is a big part of drinking wine; that’s why many reviewers and wine shows present wine masked. I’ve drunk a lot of Pewsey Vale Riesling over the years and so I approached this latest vintage licking my lips in anticipation. For me the wine was almost there but missing something - that final flip that puts it above say the plain SA Yalumba Riesling reviewed above.

I put my view to the Louisa Rose, winemaker of both wines; she replied: ‘somewhat strange as we think that the 2007 Riesling is a great wine. It's a vintage that we will talk about for a long time - up there with the greatest. The wine is very typical of the vineyard, with great length and depth - limes and dried herbs. It's the house wine for many of us in the winemaking team.’

Very kindly I was sent another bottle and I have to admit it was a lot better, but the seed of doubt was sown and I couldn’t quite match Louisa’s enthusiasm.

89 points / despite my doubts it has received good reviews therefore I guess it must be worth the price asked.

Aus $18 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.yalumba.com

Majella ‘Melody’ Coonawarra Shiraz Rosé 2007:

The winery’s first attempt at a rosé; it didn’t do a great deal for me - I found it jerky on its journey with big dollops of flavour not linked; hopefully it will settle with a short time in bottle.

83 points / expensive because it didn’t perform for me

Aus $16 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.majellawines.com.au

Majella Coonawarra Sparkling Shiraz 2005:

Sparkling Shiraz is a love/hate wine …I’m in the love category. This means that, depending on your attitude to the style, Sparkling Shiraz will be approached with a positive or negative opinion already in place. Wonderful balance of sugar/acid/tannin - the wine just rolls across the palate at a luxurious pace.

93 points / worth every penny

Aus $28 UK£15 USA$30 www.majellawines.com.au

Mount Eyre ‘Three Pounds’ Hunter Valley Shiraz 2005

Deep savory hints on the nose with the savory transferring to the palate; medium weight in the mouth - the wine flows smoothly across the palate unfolding character as it travels. This is a wine for the grownup wine drinker.

92 points / cheap for the quality

Aus $25 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.mounteyre.com

Mount Eyre ‘Holman’ Hunter Valley Shiraz 2006

By today’s standard, 13.5 percent alcohol by volume is quite light. This wine shows that huge alcohol (14.5 up to 16 percent) is not always necessary. Gorgeous damp earth smell entices the drinker into the wine; very savoury with hints of dark red fruit/prune/dates unfolding as the wine travels - a beautiful expression of Hunter Shiraz.

95 points / $50 is a big barrier in Australia this represents value at $45 and could well move to the $50 bracket

Aus $45 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.mounteyre.com

Wild Oats Shiraz Viognier 2006:

A multi-regional blend, a sound red wine, a wine that will please a multitude of people, a wine that reminds me of buying peanut butter - crunchy or not (I’m a bloke who thinks peanut butter without the crunchy bits is not the real thing).

85 points / there are so many wines with more interest around at $3/5 less

Aus $18 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.oatleywines.com.au

Tulloch ‘Private Bin JK Walker’ Shiraz 2006:

Here’s a quandary, the reason wineries send wine to people like me is to get a third party endorsement with the hope that increased sales will result. But the problem is, if I give this a good review and people do go out and buy it, then the law of commercial reality will come into play and it will go up in price. I could say a great deal about this wine - drivel on for hours. Let’s just leave it at ‘I think this is a very fine wine indeed’ and note the mark.

96 points / this is unbelievable value at $40. Put it in a global context and it’s incredibly cheap

Aus $40 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.tulloch.com.au

Tulloch Pokolbin Hunter Valley Dry Red 2006:

An interesting wine…it entered on the sweet side and was all over the place, but benefited from decanting. Good earthy Hunter style with persistence of flavour that just continues, complete with a wonderfully long aftertaste.

91 points / outstanding value. There are plenty of others out there of lesser quality and greater price.

Aus $25 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.tulloch.com.au

Plantagenet Great Southern Shiraz 2005:

Just one sniff of this wine and you’re into deep, evocative, pleasurable places; one sip and the incredible journey continues, need more be said? ‘Outstanding’.

94 points / such good value that a little more could be asked. The wine is not sold in the US and the maker doesn’t know the retail in the UK of this wine either.

Aus $40 UK£ USA$ www.plantagenetwines.com

Plantagenet ‘Omrah’ Western Australian Shiraz 2005:

Interesting nose… I couldn’t pin it down but the notes said ‘anise’ and I’m happy to go with that. Across the palate it tumbles along, offloading light savory flavours as it travels. It remains beautifully restrained as it flows - never becoming full-on; just a touch short on the finish.

91 points / again very good value

Aus $18 UK£ USA$ www.plantagenetwines.com

Conte Estate ‘Rock Hill’ McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006:

Good sound Shiraz from nose to finish; not great but above ordinary.

88 points / good value for money

Aus $18 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.conteestatewines.com.au

Conte Estate ‘Over the Hill’ McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006:

Far from over the hill, in fact a very stable wine although it lacks excitement. Defined rich Shiraz nose followed by flavours that travel in a straight line to a pleasant, medium length finish.

89 points / probably worth its money, but only just

Aus $25 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.conteestatewines.com.au

Penfolds Bin 95 ‘Grange’ Shiraz 2003

Like all new releases of Grange, the 2003 sits darkly in the glass. Over a decade or three this inky blackness will fade to more subtle shades of red with hints of orange. That is the first lesson of young Grange - this 2003 is no wine to get into bed with on the first date, this is a wine that demands patience.

The 2003 is not as robust as its predecessor the 2002; it may not last three/four decades but it will still be around in two. The nose will draw many descriptions from the more flamboyant taster but in truth, at this stage the sweetness of American oak dominates; this also translates to the palate. Flavour descriptors are rather redundant; all are being squashed by the oak/acid/tannin.

The best guide is the weight of the wine - its mouth-feel and in that aspect it’s notably lighter than some previous vintages. From a weather aspect, Peter Gago, Penfolds’ chief winemaker, likens it to the 1983 vintage. Both came in under very hot conditions; he differentiates them by the tannin component - very harsh in the 1983 softer in the 2003.

Grange is sourced from many vineyards – the grapes in the 2003 vintage originated in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, and Magill Estate (Adelaide). It’s a blend of Shiraz (96.5%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3.5%) from Coonawarra.

As far as Grange goes, it’s not the best of vintages; however as a wine it still rates highly.

95 points / compared to other great Shirazes reviewed its grossly expensive but Grange is now a luxury goods item so the price is immaterial.

Aus $550 UK£160 USA$300 www.penfolds.com.au

Grant Burge ‘Meshach’ Barossa Valley Shiraz 2003:

This is Grant’s stab at a ‘Grange’; the two biggest differences are that this wine is single vineyard (Filsell) and $430 cheaper. It’s a powerful wine - fruit/acid/oak/tannin all in abundance and all awkward at the moment. However this is a wine built to last a decade or more so this is as it should be. In direct comparison to the Grange it’s richer and just a touch more approachable at the moment.

94 points / and yes, for what it will offer in years to come, worth the money, but buy today and drink tonight – no, it’s not.

Aus $120 UK£50 USA$85 www.grantburgewines.com.au

Barwick Estate ‘Crush’ Western Australia Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2005:

Well made and well balanced - flows smoothly from fist sniff to final swallow and at a good price.

88 points / well worth the money if not a little more

Aus $14.50 UK£ Not Available USA$ Not Available www.barwickwines.com/

Zema Estate Coonawarra Shiraz 2005:

‘White pepper’ is an often used description for wine, one I suspect is used more than it is detected. This wine had a full-on blast of white pepper on the nose. In the mouth very rich dark berry fruit at the front of the palate with more earthy/mushroom characters lending support. Very slow journey across the palate with good lingering finish.

93 points / exceptional value for money and has potential to age; buy a case or two.

Aus $25 UK£13 USA$23 www.zema.com.au

Barwick Estate ‘The Collectables’ Blackwood Valley Shiraz 2004:

Ripe fruit nose with just the hint of savory. Same on the palate - ripe fruit underscored with savory; great depth to the wine and more flavours released as it travels, quality lingering finish.

93 points / well worth the price possibly $5 more

Aus $30 UK Not Available USA Not Available www.barwickwines.com

Reminder: New address for wine samples:

Tony Keys
PO Box 134
Bangalow
2479 NSW

Cheers,
TK

Comments, Questions:
Email Tony Keys: tony@thekeyreport.com.au
Phone: 0438184569

Subscribe to the KROW:
Email Jenny Stonier: jenny@thekeyreport.com.au
Phone: 0409 173 100

The Key Review of Wines
Published by Ferment Pty Ltd
Phone: 0409 173 100
Fax: 02 6628 0250
13/143 Pt Nepean Road
Dromana Vic 3936
www.ferment.com.au

Subscribe to The KROW

Previous Issues

In this issue;