Wine Code Breaker #337

2019 Tonic Grenache, Clare Valley / McLaren Vale, South Australia

Tonic can be defined in its adjectival form as “giving a feeling of vigour and well-being.”    As a noun, tonic is defined as “a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigour or well-being.”  Calling a winery Tonic therefore comes with some serious strings attached.  Either you are a giver or a medicinal substance.  There can be no in between.  With Grenache, this is even truer.

The 2019 Tonic Grenache is a blend of Clare Valley and McLaren Vale in South Australia.  It is a crimson coloured wine with swirls of brightness.  The nose is highly perfumed with red fruits, aniseed (or was that fennel), marzipan and nougat like aromas.  The palate sees the red fruits, herbs and spice with touches of plums come shining through instilling a sense of well-being.  The tannins are fine and sandy driving a persistence that becomes a catalyst that gives you an understanding as to why this winery is called Tonic.  This Grenache from Tonic is a tonic to beat all tonics. 

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
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DrinkNow; 3-10 yrs
Price$32
TastedJuly 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #336

2018 Bangor Vineyard Shed Captain Spotswood Pinot Noir, Tasmania

Captain Spotswood was granted land in 1831 as a retired army office and thus became the area’s first settler. This land became known as Bangor in Tasmania. His house was regarded as a respectable building, sited perfectly for the views of Norfolk Bay. During his toiling, the Captain regarded the land as third rate, best suited to wheat, turnips and potatoes. Today, this site is now planted to Pinot Noir. With International Pinot Noir Day approaching on 18 August 2020, you have time to sail to Norfolk Bay and grab a Pinot Noir to celebrate this most magnificent of days and tip a glass to Captain Spotswood as you do.

The 2018 Bangor Vineyard Shed Captain Spotswood is a Pinot Noir from the geographic wine region of Tasmania. In the glass as it is swirled, a light crimson splashes lazily around. The nose is perfumed with rose petals and bright spices. Red fruits and cherries lift with air as the sails fill on the horizon. On the palate, the red fruits mingle with rhubarb and cherries; not a turnip in sight. Savoury and earthy notes sit easily against the silky tannins. Vibrant acidity plays out the long fanning finish leaving you to marvel at this grape and the toiling of nigh on 200 years.

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
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DrinkNow; 3-10 yrs
Price$34
TastedJuly 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #335

2018 S.C. Pannell Old McDonald Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Grenache at one point was looking like forever being something you threw in with Shiraz and Mataro (or Mouvedre as it perhaps should be called). To this point, I was fascinated to hear that there had been no significant plantings of Grenache for the last 40 years. And, to think that these marvellous bush vines produce just 6% of the annual production from the McLaren Vale is something to ponder. So, when you taste a Grenache that is handled by a magician in the winery like Steven Pannell, you really wonder why this wonderful grape is not more widely planted.

The 2018 S.C. Pannell Old McDonald is a single vineyard Grenache from McLaren Vale in South Australia. The bush vines are older than 70 years and this year have produced a bright bright crimson coloured wine that swirls alluringly and magically in the glass. The nose is elegant and intense with Turkish Delight like aromas, rose water, raspberries, dried herbs and floral spices. The palate is a performance with its refined delicacy balancing the intense red fruits against a backdrop of tar and emery board like tannins. The acidity is taut and the persistence is enticing, leaving you wondering why there is not more.

Enjoy!

Rating96 pts
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DrinkNow; 10+ yrs
Price$60
TastedJuly 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #334

2019 Jim Barry Assyrtiko, Clare Valley, South Australia

Santorini Island in the middle of the Mediterranean and Clare Valley in South Australia don’t have a lot in common at first glance.  One is an island of volcanic rock that experiences about 370 mm rainfall in any one year, while the other is a valley in the middle of a brown land that experiences around 600 mm rainfall.  Millenia ago, a grape variety evolved on the island and thrived.  A few years ago, this grape was introduced to the brown land and is thriving.  Assyrtiko is that grape.  A white discovered on a holiday that is now finding its way into our homes.

The 2019 Jim Barry Assyrtiko from Clare Valley in South Australia is a bright pale lemon coloured wine.  The nose, you might say, has a Mediterranean twist with its mineral and salty nuance, and influences of crisp lemon. A crusted oyster shell and zestiness of grapefruit complement these aromas nicely.  On the palate there are green olives along with lemons and minerals, leaping across a textural bed with a saline edge rounded out by its crisp acidity.  Not much in common, but what they have is great. 

Enjoy!

Rating93 pts
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DrinkNow; 3-7 yrs
Price$30
TastedJuly 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #333

2018 d’Arenberg The Thunderstep Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Australia’s National Shiraz Day has finally been declared.  July 23 is now a date for us to rejoice forever more.  All we need is a patron.  Sir Leslie Colin Patterson I hear has been suggested.  As a former cultural attaché and Chairman of the Australian Cheese Board, he would appear to have all the credentials that are more than a match for this great grape.  Like Shiraz, Sir Les is mate of the Australian taxpayer.  He has a personality like no other.  So, on this great day, a McLaren Vale Shiraz is a worthy showcase, encased in a cylindrical form.

The 2018 d’Arenberg The Thunderstep Shiraz is from the McLaren Vale in South Australia.  The colour is a proudly strutting dark red with flashes of black.  Sir Les would raise the glass to his not so insignificant nose and declare this to be a damn site better than a tie.  It is perhaps as robust as McLaren Vale can be with bold red berries and spices wafting thunderously from the glass.  The palate too is more than a match with its seductive dark fruits and earthy mineral flavours.  The tannins roar as the flavours linger with Sir Les boldly stating Shiraz is a well liked bastard and The Thunderstep is no failure.

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
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DrinkNow; 10+ yrs
Price$40
TastedJuly 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #26

2009 Tyrrells Rufus Stone Shiraz, Heathcote, Victoria

One from the archives of 2012…While watching the London Olympics in full swing it seemed appropriate that a wine with ties to Great Britain and an Olympic sport be honoured as a “Wine Code Breaker” (originally published as “Wine of the Week”).  On the 2nd August 1100, Sir Walter Tyrrell fired an arrow at a stag. Unfortunately, this arrow struck an oak tree altering its flight striking William II, King of England (surname Rufus) in the chest killing him instantly. Over time, the oak tree was felled and a stone now marks the spot of this fateful hunting trip and is known as the Rufus Stone. William II was not a popular monarch in his day and even now, nigh on a millennium later, much suspicion remains over the cause of his death. Sir Walter’s history is not widely known; however, it is thought his descendants eventually migrated to Australia and created the Tyrrells winery, one of the oldest family owned and celebrated Australian wineries to this day.

Tyrrell’s Rufus Stone range celebrates wines from outside of their home in the Hunter Valley in NSW. The Heathcote region in Victoria is evolving into one of the most stunning regions in our vast continent for Shiraz. The 2009 Heathcote Rufus Stone Shiraz has an intense bright colour. Aromas of plums, dark berry and herbal fruits and dark chocolate; intensity driving interest. The palate is dark and lively with expressive plummy spice fruits. Mocha, herbs, coffee and vanilla beans add complexity. A viscous brooding texture leaves you wanting more. Fortunately the palate length makes this gap between sips a relatively painless experience.

Pairing the Heathcote Rufus Stone Shiraz with slain stag? I won’t know. Pairing it with watching the archery at the Olympics? A Gold medal experience.

Enjoy!

Rating92 pts
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Drink3-10 yrs
Price$17 (at tasting)
TastedAug 2012
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Wine Code Breaker #332

2016 Blue Poles Allouran Merlot Cabernet Franc, Margaret River, Western Australia

Blue Poles is an abstract painting by Jackson Pollock that was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia in 1973 for a lazy $1.3 million.  A controversial purchase it was and today, this painting, originally titled Number 11, is valued at over $350 million. This controversy inspired the naming of the winery Blue Poles, a small enterprise based in Western Australia. 

The 2016 Blue Poles Allouran is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Margaret River in Western Australia.  Not a hint of blue in the dark reds and blacks that abstractly swirl in the glass.  On the nose there are perfumed violets, herbs of sage and bay leaves, cassis and blueberries that splash against the canvas.  The palate has strokes of red and blue fruits, along with brushes of savoury and herbal notes.  The plushness and tightness of tannins are firm and powdery that seemingly linger longer than the controversy of the purchase.

Enjoy!

Rating93 pts
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DrinkNow; 5-10 yrs
Price$30
TastedJun 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #331

2015 Rockford Basket Press, Barossa Valley, South Australia

It would be fair to say that the history of the wine press is as old as wine itself.  The original was no doubt the humble human foot.  The most notable evolution was the development of the basket press during Medieval times (or thereabouts).  Essentially, this was a wooden slatted basket with a lid that could be lowered using a large screw to exert pressure on the grapes and squeeze out the juice, gently.  Too soft and your wine is pale and insipid.  Too hard and your wine will be too tannic and harsh tasting. Mechanical improvements have continued over time, but the principles remain true.  Also, the use of a basket press in its traditional form adds to the hand made nature to the liquid within.  The most famous Australian wine that references basket press as its name is from Rockford, a very traditional wine making team, presenting the best a season can show in a very traditional bottle.

The 2015 Rockford Basket Press is a blend of Shiraz from the subregions within Barossa Valley in South Australia.  It is a medium purple to deep garnet coloured wine that is nothing short of exciting to look at.  The nose, with swirling and air, is a basket full of aromas including coffee, spices, blueberries, touches of Christmas cake, baking spices, boysenberry, liquorice and black pepper.  On the palate, it is the deft pressing that delivers intensity of the plums and black berry fruits that excels and excites.  A little touch of figs along with spices and liquorice adds to the complexity.  A well crafted layering is interlaced with the velvety tannins, delivering a stunningly persistent finish that will see this wine live on for a very long time.

Enjoy!

Rating97 pts
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DrinkNow; 10+ yrs
Price$100
TastedJuly 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #330

2019 Paralian Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia

2019 Paralian Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South AustraliaThe oldest democracy by the sea is the land they call Greece.  The Paralians were the Greek people who lived on the Athenian coast in the 6th Century BC and today this is a term to describe someone who lives by the sea.  The oldest landscape by the sea is perhaps the McLaren Vale region in South Australia.  Stands to reason that a vineyard located in a democratic land would call itself Paralian. 

The 2019 Paralian Shiraz from McLaren Vale in South Australia is a vibrant purple coloured wine that cannot help but stand out.  The nose is an abundance of vibrant plums covered with ocean spray, which is balanced by this delicacy of violets wafting on a light sea breeze.  Sprinkles of blueberries pierced with chocolate chards of ancient times and earthenware jars of coffee, liquorice and oak spices.  The palate has a vibrancy of dark fruits, including an inkiness of an old parchment.  There is a mineral complexity in amongst the fruit and oak.  The flavours are presented on a sea of velvet with peeling waves of acidity that drive a persistence that would test the sailing vessels of the 6th Century BC.  This one has my vote.

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
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DrinkNow; 3-10 yrs
Price$46
TastedJune 2020
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Wine Code Breaker #329

2018 Kaesler The Bogan Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia

“Upper Middle Bogan” is an Australian comedy that meshes together, through family connections, the Melbourne Upper and Bogan cultures.  An hilarious series that exaggerates the characters that we all can relate and sometimes aspire to.  For those who pretend we can’t, let me remind you that a Bogan is a term that is used to describe someone whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated.  Now, we all have our days and for the day when we feel just a tad or even completely Bogan, Kaesler has just the wine for us to sit back and dwell on our inner Bogan.

The 2018 Kaesler The Bogan Shiraz is from the Barossa Valley in South Australia.  It is unashamedly a bright purple black in colour that leaves very little to the imagination.  The nose leaps out after some swirling with bold red and black fruits combining with exotic fruit spices and spices driven by the oak influence.  The palate is a V8 driven by the blue and black fruits with liquorice, chocolates and enticing spices that grip to the velvety texture, delivering a beautiful, persistent, almost purring finish.  By the way, leave this overnight and it really shines brightly like a drag car burning down the straight.

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
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DrinkNow; 10+ yrs
Price$50
TastedJune 2020
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