Wine Code Breaker #385

2017 Ghost Rock Vineyard Zoe Brut Rosé, Tasmania

Walking into a French patisserie is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It can be a dreamy experience, particularly where there is une tarte aux pommes involved. The lightly crusted pastry, the apple and glazing…need I say more. Imagine if you could turn this into a sparkling drink. How would you go about it? My approach was to puree the tart until it was a fine, free-flowing liquid and transferring it to a Soda Stream. From past experience I did this outside and the result was, well, an explosive emulsion covering the freshly rain-cleansed Camelias! The easier way is to start with grapes and follow the traditional method, or Methode Traditionelle, for the crafting of fine sparkling wines.

The 2017 Ghost Rock Vineyard Zoe is a Brut Rosé that is made using the traditional method from a Pinot Noir dominant sourced from vineyards in Northern Tasmania. The colour is a delightful salmon pink with an attractively alluring fine bead. The nose is quite floral with strawberries, red apples and crisp skin influence in amongst rose petals. Hints of dough and yeast wafting gently are reminiscent of freshly baked pastries. The palate is crisp and creamy, with red and green apples that builds from a core of strawberries. The pastry-like dough adds to the complexity and the crunchy acidity the balance. A lovely, persistent finish that was significantly more pleasing than my Methode Stupide.

Enjoy!

Rating: 93 pts

Closure: Diam

Alc: 12.5%

Drink: Now; 3-5 yrs

Price: $38

Tasted: December 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #384

2020 Ox Hardy Grenache, South Australia

Grenache from McLaren Vale like other areas of Australia has evolved over the years into something that is very different from where it started. Amazing to discover that Grenache accounts for only 6% of the annual crush of this amazing region. From bush or trellised vines, there is something that the growers and wine makers are doing now that we, the consumers, are loving. Picked a bit earlier with less sugar and vibrant acidity, add a little stalk for some whole bunch ferment, be gentle with the oak, leave it for a bit, put it in the bottle and stick a label on it. Sounds pretty simple really, but that is the trick.

The 2020 Ox Hardy Grenache from the McLaren Vale region of South Australia is a vibrant lightly coloured crimson that instantly appeals. The nose throws out dry spices, red fruits, bay leaves, rosemary and hints of earth as they are gently coaxed with swirling. The palate is deft and expressive with those spices and herbs along with hints of cola and sarsaparilla. Finely textured with emery board tannins, it delivers a long pleasing finish giving you time to ponder how good this 6% is.

Enjoy!

Rating: 92 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $38

Tasted: October 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #383

2021 Rieslingfreak No. 4 Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia

The word freak as a noun refers to a very unusual and unexpected event or situation. As a verb, freak is to behave or cause to behave in a wild and irrational way. Coming across a winery that is called Rieslingfreak does get you wondering. Is it because the wine being offered causes you to behave in a wild and irrational way due to a very unusual situation in response to the contents of the bottle? As it turns out, it is called Rieslingfreak as the winemaker is obsessed by all things Riesling.

The 2021 Rieslingfreak No. 4 is, unsurprisingly or unfreakishly, a Riesling that comes from the Eden Valley in South Australia. The colour is almost clear with just a pale green tinge on display. The nose is intensely aromatic with fresh citrus, mostly limes, and green apples with a delicate wafting of blossoms. The palate carries the intensity of the nose through. This is when you start to feel an overwhelming need to freak out as the crisp acidity clashes triumphantly against the lively, lightly oily texture with talc notes splicing through. You are left breathless as the flavours linger for what could be seen as an unusually or freakishly long time. What a freak!

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 12%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $27

Tasted: October 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #260

2012 Yalumba Tri-Centenary Grenache, Barossa Valley, South Australia

One from the archives of 2018…I have been lucky enough to have met Kevin Glastonbury once. Often referred to as KG, he is a winemaker from the Yalumba team. I made the mistake of calling him Wayne and those around at the time burst out in mirth while my face became somewhat Grenache-coloured in embarrassment. Getting over this, we had a great discussion over Yalumba’s wonderful reds and in particular, KG’s approach to Grenache. KG left me with the impression that he was a frustrated Pinot Noir winemaker and issued strict instructions to seek out the Tri-CentenaryGrenache. It took me a couple of years, but better late than never.

The 2012 Yalumba Tri-Centenary Grenache from the Barossa Valley in South Australia is a bright garnet and purple-coloured wine that is made from bush vines dating back to 1889. The nose immediately appeals with its earthiness, spices, herbal and floral bouquet. Wonderfully alluring. Moving to the palate and you will feel compelled to make like a wolf by howling at a full moon. It is an impressively broad-flavoured palate supported by grainy tea-like tannins and red earthy fruits that have a degree of leanness to them. Liquorice and spices intertwine with touches of mocha, hints of coffee beans to name but a few elements that are present. Intense and elegant, it is amazingly complex and stunningly delicious. All must pay homage to those vines that have survived and straddle three centuries and to a winemaker who treats their precious fruits with the utmost respect. Onya Wayne…oops, Kevin!

Enjoy!

Rating: 97 pts

Closure: Cork

Alc: 13.5%

Drink: 3-30 yrs (at tasting)

Price: $55 (upon tasting)

Tasted: September 2018

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Wine Code Breaker #215

2015 Dexter Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

One from the archives of 2017…When I heard Dexter mentioned, I immediately thought of the mini-series of the same name. A character who is an expert in the reading of crimson hieroglyphs and perversely hungry for justice. You constantly wonder if he is a hero or monster? Is he authentic or socio-path? Either way, he is a conflicting character that challenges the senses. Pinot Noir too can challenge the sense in a heroic and perverse sort of way. Its colour can range from light to deep, but in the end is irrelevant. The nose and palate can be confrontingly light, and conflictingly big in flavour. In the end, this is irrelevant as either way, it is a hero in the glass that confounds the senses leaving you desiring more.

The 2015 Dexter Pinot Noir is from a single vineyard site in Mornington Peninsula in Victoria that is surrounded lightly rolling hills carpeted by gum trees. It is a lightly crimsoned coloured wine that flashes very brightly. The nose is of rose petals, cherries, pomegranates, dried herbs and savoury notes that include green olives. Touches of pencil shavings only heighten the yearning for a taste. A lighter ethereal feeling wine that dances deftly across the palate. The fruit is there, but the leading performers are the savoury flavours and tannins combing heroically leaving an elegantly fanning finish. Having now met Dexter the winemaker, it is clear that he is an expert who is authentically passionate about making good wine.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 13.5%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs (at first tasting)

Price: $45 (upon release)

Tasted: April 2017 and November 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #382

2020 Ghost Rock Wines Oulton Pinot Noir, Tasmania

The location; a series of paddocks woven into a tapestry of rolling hills abutting the Bass Strait. A small single vineyard paddock within this quilt hugging a hill is planted to Pinot Noir. The weave of the vines endure, survive and thrive as the seasons pass. The soil and the interplay of the roots transports water and nutrients into a canopy that offers protection and vitality to the bunches as they form and ripen. The location; Oulton.

The 2020 Ghost Rock Oulton is a single vineyard Pinot Noir from a paddock just outside of Devonport in northern Tasmania. The colour is bright cerise with glints of rubies. The nose is all red fruits with cranberry and pomegranates standing tall amongst raspberries, strawberries and hints of cherries. Earthy tones, white pepper, smoky sap and savoury oak add complexity. The palate is an amalgam of the influences of the variety, the place and the winemaker. The deft hand of the maker is clear where the flavours of variety and place are not overshadowed on a soft silky texture. Crisp acidity drives its persistence giving you time to look around. The location; Oulton.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Diam

Alc: 13.5%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $52

Tasted: October 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #381

2019 Nocturne Cabernets, Margaret River, Western Australia

A nocturne has two meanings in relation to the arts.  On one hand, it can refer to a short musical composition that is romantic in nature and evocative of the night, typically for the piano.  The other references a picture of a night scene, romantic or otherwise.  There is a third reference that is gaining notoriety and this one brings pleasure to a third dimension of our senses.

The 2019 Nocturne Cabernets from the Margaret River district of Western Australia is a hauntingly beautifully coloured wine with its deep purples, reds and blacks. It is best poured with a Chopin nocturne rising and falling in the background. The nose against an artist’s night scene, real or imaginary, presents cassis, herbs, and spices that lovingly tease the senses. The palate is not to be rushed. Once tasted, it crescendos the berry fruits with trills of bay leaves, dark mint chocolate and freshly slivered fennel. The firm tannins and acid provide the structural elements for a long lingering and sensory pleasing finish as the last notes of Chopin drift away into the night sky.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 3-7 yrs

Price: $32

Tasted: September 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #380

2020 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Greenock I recently discovered is a small village on the mouth of the Clyde River in Scotland. So small in fact that there is one road in and out. The road out of course sees very little use with most of the residents having never felt an urge to see what is yonder. If you are looking for it, you have to take care with its pronunciation for no one will know where you are referring to. Go with Grrreeeeen-noock. Grrreeeeen-noock of course is also a sub-region of the Barossa Valley that was once known as Little Scotland. I have begun to ponder how an Scottish emigrant from Grrreeeeen-nock arriving today would describe one of this region’s famous bottles of Shiraz. With apologies to the Kalleske Prussian heritage, here goes…

Th’ 2020 Kalleske Greenock shiraz frae th’ Greenock sub-region in Barossa strath in Sooth Australia. Stunningly deep crimson coloor ‘at draws ye in loch a black hole. th’ beak has th’ hallmark black fruits, spices wi’ coffee, mirk chocolate an’ tooch ay a savoory black oli’es. th’ palate heids towards th’ broodin’ wi’ th’ mirk fruits lurkin’ an’ risin’ in waves ay firm velvety tannins. th’ peaks ur spices, th’ trooghs ur savoory. th’ finish lingers glorioosly an’ wi’ wee doobt, Greenock shiraz shoods be pronoonced Kalleske!

For those who struggle with the accent, the translation…

The 2020 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz from the Greenock sub-region in Barossa Valley in South Australia. Stunningly deep crimson colour that draws you in like a black hole. The nose has the hallmark black fruits, spices with coffee, dark chocolate and touch of a savoury black olives. The palate heads towards the brooding with the dark fruits lurking and rising in waves of firm velvety tannins. The peaks are spices, the troughs are savoury. The finish lingers gloriously and with little doubt, Greenock Shiraz should be pronounced Kalleske!

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 10+ yrs

Price: $45

Tasted: September 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #379

2019 Yangarra Estate Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia

International Grenache Day is celebrated on the 17th September each year and it is an opportunity to celebrate all that is good about Grenache. It can be lightly crushed for a rose, blended with Shiraz and Mataro to create a GSM or vinified on its own. On its own, Grenache can swing from light and ethereal to bold and voluptuous. Balance though is the key for whatever style is the winemaker’s whim. At the high price point, complexity, longevity and persistence are the keys. At the lower end, it is its drinkability. Across all, yumminess is a feature.

The 2019 Yangarra Estate Grenache from McLaren Vale in South Australia is at the in between price point presenting a bright red coloured wine. On the nose, it is highly perfumed with spices, earth and liquorice; lovely and attractive. The palate brings out the red fruits; raspberries and pomegranates mingling on liquorice and spices with an earthiness that is the backbone. The flavours float effortlessly on a fine bed of obvious sandy tannins delivering a finely tuned wine that appeals as a marvellous example of the Grenache grape.

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $38

Tasted: September 2021

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Wine Code Breaker #378

2017 RockBare Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia

In the arts, a fine piece is one that is said to have light and shade. Simply put, light and shade can be a metaphor for things that evoke an emotional response. In wine, light and shade can be the colours as they are swirled, the aromas as they rise and the flavours and textures as they wax and wane in waves. Grenache can do all these things.

The 2017 RockBare Grenache from the McLaren Vale in South Australia is lightly crimsoned, sparking a raised eyebrow. The nose is awash with rose petals, raspberries, cherries and liquorice that rise and fall with the swirls of the glass. A hint of nuts adds complexity and intrigue. The palate brings little waves of flavours that surprise. It is deceptive with its lightness, where touches of raspberries, blackberries and earth mingle and build with savoury notes, cola and a dusty oak. Its texture is something to marvel at as a bed of emery board-like tannins clashes delicately against the crisp acidity, leaving you with an emotional response that is best described as a sense of awe.

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 13.5%

Drink: Now; 3-7 yrs

Price: $28

Tasted: August 2021

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