The Unexpurgated Wine Code

Wine Code Breaker #45

2011 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia

One from the archives of 2012…Being deep into an Australian summer of Test cricket you have some time to reflect upon the traditions that have evolved over the years and remain respected by players and lovers of the game to this day. Test cricket is deep on tradition and represents the finest form of the game. Some 24 years before the first test match was even thought of, Kalleske began growing grapes. Their original traditions of being growers of good quality grapes sought after by some of the finest makers of wine have evolved into producers of some of the best wines to come out of the Barossa Valley.

The 2011 vintage of the Greenock Shiraz from Kalleske is the tenth release from a single vineyard within the Kalleske farm. Brick red and very bright in colour. A tight and youthful nose dominated by spice, liquorice and plums. Herbs, almost rosemary like wafting in the background with a touch of charry oak and milky chocolate. The palate displays elegance, coolness and length, more herbal than plums, more spice than blackberries. Very fine tannins add a third dimension and combined, all parts present a seasonal expression that has taken seven generations to come into being.

As a package, this is very very good now. With patience and time, it will continue to mature in the bottle for many years to come.

Enjoy!

Rating	96 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 5-12 yrs
Price	$38
Tasted	Dec 2012

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Wine Code Breaker #316

**2018 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache, Barossa Valley, South Australia**

The cold opening is a technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of a show before the opening credits. Comedians are considered the best, but to me, David Caruso is the greatest at delivering a cold opening. He plays the fictional character of Lieutenant Horacio Caine in “CSI: Miami.” The drama for the next 48 minutes (given numerous commercials) is set up nicely with the cold opening which is followed by the rolling of the opening credits against the background of the killer riff from The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” to add further dramatic effect. The question now becomes, how would Lieutenant Caine approach the tasting of a wine?

Season 11: Episode 1 “Killer Bottle”

Scene 1

Horacio arrives and alights from the CSI Hummer with sunglasses in his left hand. The location is set with an opened bottle of wine and two large bowled glasses on a table overlooking sparkling waters with the Miami skyline as a backdrop. Frank is standing next to the table. The sun is setting.

Horacio: What have we got here, Frank?

Frank: Horatio, we have a bottle of the 2018 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache from the Barossa Valley and the colour is sanguine like, though a touch more on the crimson side.

Horacio: Mmmm, anything else Frank?

Frank: [with pensive look, reaches for the glass, swirls, sniffs and sips] The aromas on this one has rose petals, liquorice, raspberries and blackberries. Upon tasting Horacio, the flavours are delightful with soft light ethereal tannins, well structured with a highly persistent finish.

Horacio: [leans forward showing profound interest, picks up the second glass in his right hand, swirls, raises the glass to the setting sun to check out the colour, sniffs the aromas and takes a sip] Frank… [long pause with glass returned to the table followed by the dramatic putting on of sunglasses] … this one is a killer! Order another bottle.

Cue the opening credits.

Enjoy!

Rating	95 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 10+ yrs
Price	$45
Tasted	Mar 2020

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Wine Code Breaker #80

2012 Maximus Gluteus by Maximus Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia

One from the archives of 2013…Julius Caesar was stabbed in the back, front, neck and sides some 23 times on the 15th March 44 BC. This event has made the Ides of March infamous. A foul act of deception it was, justified on the grounds of avoiding a single member of the Senate becoming more important than the Senate itself. In the end, a tyranny evolved with a successful Republic being cast away in favour of an Empire. In remembrance of this day, I am starting a petition to have the Ides of March re-badged to the International Stab Someone In the Back Day and I have found the perfect wine to toast it with.

The 2012 Maximus Gluteus by Maximus produces a Shiraz from the McLaren Vale district in South Australia. It is a remarkable black colour with a touch of plum red on the rim. Coffee and chocolate nuances infused with dark berries. Rich plums in abundance with just touch of sea salt belying the maritime clime the McLaren Vale region is influenced by. The palate is very rich, broad, flavoursome and velvety. Plums and pudding based on glazed fruits and a vanillin coconut oaken influence. A long lingering finish.

Seek out and celebrate International Stab Someone In the Back Day when next it comes around with a Gluteus by Maximus Shiraz. No knives required.

Enjoy!

Rating	91 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 3-8 yrs
Price	$20s
Tasted	Oct 2013

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Wine Code Breaker #315

2019 Hughes & Hughes (by Mewstone) Dornfelder, Tasmania

“I’ll have a Dornfelder thanks.” What the? Is that a beer? Is that a crisp? Or, is it some cocktail of some disrepute? Well, it is definitely not a character from the Game of Thrones. It is in fact a grape that was introduced to Germany around the 1970s from the crossing of another four German varieties. Today, in this land of sauerkraut, kranskys, and beer, Dornfelder has become one of the highest volume varieties. Some recent introductions into the Australian environment has elevated the “what the?” to a “yes sir, one glass or three?”

The 2019 Hughes & Hughes Dornfelder (by Mewstone) is from a site in North West Tasmania. The colour is seriously vibrant with a melding of iridescent purple and violet. The nose has a sour grape like appeal of a children’s lolly along with blueberry fruit. A little bit of spice adds interest. The palate is a mix of sour cherries, blueberries and spices wrapped in soft furry tannins. A dustiness is there towards the rear of the palate that drives balance and persistence leaving you remarking, “that is a Dornfelder.”

Enjoy!

Rating	91 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 1-5 yrs
Price	$26
Tasted	Feb 2020

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Wine Code Breaker #309

2018 Giant Steps Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria

From the archives of 2019 … A favourite comic book of mine growing up was the tales of Asterix and Obelix. My absolute favourite though was Asterix & Cleopatra. In this story, my Gaulish heroes were recruited to support Edifis in the construction of a magnificent palace for the Cleopatra, the Queen of Ancient Egypt. Not surprisingly, they become infatuated with Cleopatra, proclaiming she had the most magnificent nose in the land. What I did not know in my youth was that this most magnificent of noses was not just a nose of beauty, it was a nose that was regaled across the Ancient lands for Cleopatra’s ability to sniff and judge the wines proffered to her. Cleopatra’s key skill was her ability to classify a Pinot Noir, much like my bride, from ten paces. The Giant Steps Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley met with my bride’s sniff of approval and I am certain, Cleopatra would agree.

The 2018 Giant Steps Pinot Noir is a blend from single vineyard sites across the Yarra Valley in Victoria. The colour is a bright light crimson that once poured into a large glass, appeals greatly allowing for the nose to shine. The nose, as sniffed by my Cleopatra, presents perfumed rose petals with red fruits and cherries that appeal immediately with little teasing from the glass. Tease some more and there are savoury and earthy notes with touches of dusty cedar influences that add complexity and charm as escribed on the parchment of flax. The palate has the red fruits that are gloriously elegant with a silky texture that expertly entwines the savoury and earthy flavours. There is complexity, there is attractiveness, and there is a wonderful length to the palate that excited my Cleopatra and no doubt would have excited the Cleopatra of ancient times.

Enjoy!

Rating	95 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 3-7 yrs
Price	$38
Tasted	Nov 2019

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Wine Code Breaker #314

2016 TarraWarra Nebbiolo, Yarra Valley, Victoria

The Yarra Valley is one of the better areas in Australia for Pinot Noir. It stands to reason that it perhaps should also be one of the better regions to grow Nebbiolo. Both are seen as fickle and thin skinned; and this is not just physically, but perhaps more aptly if you could assign a personality to a grape. If the season permits, it will shine and if it doesn’t then, well, best to leave them alone for another year to sulk for a while so that we can all move on.

The 2016 TarraWarra Nebbiolo from the Yarra Valley is worthy of seeking out to celebrate World Nebbiolo Day on the 5th of March. Its colour is a lighter variant of brick red showing none of the fickleness that grape is renowned for. The nose is delicate and very floral, with roses evolving into cherries. Touches of leather and perhaps even the aroma of a freshly cracked earthen pot is there as well. The palate has those darker fruits presented with anise, spices, coffee beans and the earthy clay. The tannins are silky and firm with high acidity that brings it together proudly with not a hint of sulking.

Enjoy!

Rating	92 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 3-10 yrs
Price	$40
Tasted	Dec 2019

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Wine Code Breaker #313

2016 Balancing Rock Wines The Rock Shiraz, Granite Belt, Queensland

The Granite Belt is renowned for its granitic structures that have evolved over many an eon. One of note is a structure known as the Balancing Rock located atop The Pyramid in Girraween National Park. It is an amazing feature that presents you with a >6 metre wide by 7 metre high boulder balancing on a 1 metre base. What the “rock” is that? Did you also know that the proportions of a glass bowl to a stem are almost the same? And, did you know that the Granite Belt is home to some excellent cool climate Shiraz?

The 2016 Balancing Rock Wines The Rock Shiraz is from the Granite Belt region in south-eastern Queensland. It is a bright cerise and red coloured wine in the glass. The nose is lightly perfumed of cool spices and white pepper along with plums and a hint of sapphire grapes lightly sprinkled with coffee beans. The palate is medium weight with plums and cherries perched delicately on a bunch of herbs. Light sandy tannins with tight acidity delivering an elegant persistent finish leaving you thinking “that is a rock!”.

Enjoy!

Rating	90 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 3-7 yrs
Price	$26
Tasted	Feb 2020

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Wine Code Breaker #312

2017 Bird in Hand Montepulciano, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

“Italian” is a word at first reading that does not appear too hard to rhyme. “Stallion” is a word that instantly comes to mind. Charles Cotton, the author of “Book 1, Virgil Travesti”, a mock poem in his self titled poetical works, selected “tatterdemalion” as his word to rhyme with “Italian”. I wonder what this author from the 1600s would pick to rhyme with “Montepulciano”, the second most widely grape grown in Italy and making its home in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia.

The 2017 Bird in Hand Montepulciano from Adelaide Hills in South Australia is a vibrant purple and black as you would surely know. The nose is of rose petals with inky red and black fruits, spices, earth and perhaps a hint of caffe chino. The palate has the earthy notes in abundance with hints of marzipan and blacker element fruits much like a curio. The tannins are grippy and the acidity is crunchy putting on a goodly show. An intensely flavoured wine with an extended finish that is far from tatterdemalion as would not veto.

Enjoy!

Rating	93 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 5-10 yrs
Price	$35
Tasted	Jan 2020

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Wine Code Breaker #311

**2006 Soul Growers Black Cellar Sparkling Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia**

Sparkling Shiraz, for some, is an aberration. For others, it is the gold that appears at the foot of a rainbow. Tasting a Sparkling Shiraz is more than the alleged gold at the end of the rainbow, it is more like following gravity’s course along the rainbow. The colour, the bead, the aromas, the taste, the texture describe the path of a projectile that is pre-determined by natural law. Observe the facts as they are presented to you without the biases of the head or heart, determine and ride the arc’s path, and figuratively stroll leisurely towards its terminus and the truth will fall at your feet.

The 2006 Soul Growers Black Cellar Sparkling Shiraz is from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Its colour is a swirl of blacks that have been absorbed from all the colours of the rainbow except their brightness. The aromas soar up the arc with black fruits, spices, chocolates and cardamom. The descent along this rainbow’s path is perhaps greater as the blackberries rise, with evocative spices elegantly floating along a carpet of fine bead into your heart. Your head senses this as an almost everlasting experience that would thoroughly enhance a leisurely stroll.

Enjoy!

Tasted Jan 2020

Rating	94 pts
Closure	Cork
Drink	Now; 3-7 yrs
Price	$49

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Wine Code Breaker #310

2017 TarraWarra South Block Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Victoria

“Horton Hears a Who!” plays out William Blake’s concept of a grain of sand that contains a universe. Our hero, Horton, saves the universe of the Whos of Whosville much as viticulturalists protect and preserve their plots. They hear and sense the vines as they live and thrive through the seasons and years. They are keen for us to hear what this patch has to say. The grape becomes the body. The wine becomes the voice.

The 2017 TarraWarra South Block Chardonnay is from a single vineyard site in Yarra Valley, Victoria. The colour is a very light yellow straw with a tinge of green. Its nose sings with the blossoms of citrus fruits. Peaches are there with hints of oatmeal. The palate calls out with lemon, grapefruit and the oatmeal of the nose. It is zesty and the acidity trumpets out beyond the region. A wonderfully structured wine, with a delightful texture, gives this wine a voice that can be heard far and wide.

Enjoy!

Rating	94 pts
Closure	Screwtop
Drink	Now; 5-10 yrs
Price	$40

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