Wine Code Breaker #367

2020 Spinifex Garçon Grenache, Barossa Valley, South Australia 

Spinifex is a grass that is critical in holding back coastal foredunes from erosion in a harsh environment.  It appears delicate, yet can withstand much of what mother nature can throw at it.  It covers the surface of the dune and can be severely impacted by one storm, yet resilient enough to bounce back from the large swells that can pound the sand.  Human pedestrian traffic though can cause irreparable damage, so best to tread carefully along the dunes.  Spinifex is also the name of a winery that produces fine delicate wines from an environment that could be called harsh. They too are resilient, robust and tendered with care for us to marvel at.

The 2020 Spinifex Garçon Grenache is from the Barossa Valley in South Australia.   It is a beautiful light crimson-coloured wine.  The nose is perfumed of raspberry and spice with hints of graphite, earth and white and grey peppers.  The palate is delicate, with red fruits including raspberries, red currants and pomegranates. Dry spices and white peppers float easily across the palate with fine emery board tannins that along with the flavours lap gently against the dunes for a long, peaceful and lingering finish.

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $30

Tasted: May 2021

Wine Code Breaker #366

2017 La Petite Mort Marsanne, Granite Belt, Queensland 

La Petite Mort is the celebrated album by James, a British rock band.  Incidentally, my favourite song from this group is Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) but that is another story.  This album is influenced by the recent deaths of a family member and friend of the band.  The lyrics of the album could be described as confronting, polarising, a conversation piece.  La Petite Mort is also the name of a small batch winery that produces wines that could also be described as confronting, polarising, a conversation piece. 

The 2017 La Petite Mort Marsanne is from the Granite Belt wine region in Queensland.  It is a bright, light green tinged wine.  The nose is a touch confronting with nashi pear, honey and lanolin.  It may polarise some, but it moves into a conversation piece with the palate.  Those nashi fruits shine with crunchy textural features mingling with some green fruit notes.  A lovely, expressive wine where the melons, minerals and honey drive the persistence.  Confronting, polarising, a conversation piece, and this makes me walk like you.

Enjoy!

Rating: 90 pts

Closure: Diam

Alc: 12%

Drink: Now; 3-7 yrs

Price: $36

Tasted: April 2021

Wine Code Breaker #365

2009 Castagna Sparkling Genesis Shiraz, Beechworth, Victoria

Din Djarin is better known as the Mandalorian or Mando for short. A western styled hero who wears beskar armour never shows his face to anyone. He travels through a galaxy far far away in his space craft with occasional drop ins to his favourite wine region for is preferred style, Beechworth Sparkling Shiraz. As it turns out, not only is he a master bounty hunter, he happens to have a particularly fine palate that offsets the fact that bounty hunting is a complicated business. I found one of his recent tasting notes and it is with Mando’s permission that it is published here for your benefit.

The 2009 Castagna Sparkling Genesis Shiraz from Beechworth in Victoria is a sparkling marvel that I bring in warm or cold. Served cold it is a deep brick red with a developed yet black light absorbing look about it. I am a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my business and the fine bread streams through it like a light sabre through a droid. Upon sniffing, alone of course, I like the odds. It is scented, perfumed with liquorice spice and blackberries standing out. I recall when one chooses to walk the way of the Mandalorian, you are both hunter and prey and this palate is my prey. It is a deep and complex with black fruits, herbs, spices and just a touch of apricots. Its firm tea like tannins balance the mousse of the bead as the flavours splay with finesse and ease and linger. I’ll see you again, I promise. This is the way.

May the fourth be with you on International Star Wars Day.

Enjoy!

Rating: 96 pts

Closure: DIAM

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 5+ yrs

Price: $90

Tasted: December 2020

Wine Code Breaker #364

2019 Shadowfax Mondeuse Noir, Port Phillip, Victoria 

Mt Blanc in France is the highest mountain in the Alps of Europe.  In its shadows is the Savoie wine region of France.  This is the home to the Mondeuse Noir (or Noire) grape that the Gaul’s claimed “ripens amongst the snow.”  Then there is Werribee, located within the Port Phillip wine region it has one of Australia’s largest plantings of Mondeuse.  It has been in Australia for over 100 years but you wouldn’t really have known. It has been seen more as a blending variety elevating the acid and colour.  More recently, this grape is being showcased on its own to highlight its rustic and acid driven characteristics.  

The 2019 Shadowfax Mondeuse Noir from the Port Phillip region in Victoria is a bright ruby purple coloured wine.  The nose is instantly herbal followed by blackberries, spices, black olives as the savoury element and orange zest giving it a real appeal.  The palate has the dark fruits and black olives coming through mingling with a somewhat sappy crunchiness to the tannins.  The acidity brings it into balance and is better with a rustic plate of charcuterie and breads. This is not a wine for all, but is one of interest and worth trying. 

Enjoy!

Rating: 90 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 13%

Drink: Now; 3-7yrs

Price: $34

Tasted: March 2021

Wine Code Breaker #363

2020 Giant Steps Wombat Creek Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria 

Hello Possums! Dame Edna Everage is our beloved megastar who is like no other. Hailing from Moonee Ponds, our Dame’s life experiences are something to marvel at. Her love of gladioli and outfits, whilst teetering on the fine line of outlandish and stylish, pale in comparison to her personality and cutting insight. She is sorry, but she cares. I have heard rumours Gladysdale in the Yarra Valley is a spiritual retreat for our megastar housewife for it is close to Wombat Creek. Why, this is the highest vineyard in the Yarra Valley and produces some stunning wines that are fit for our megastar and ourselves.

The 2020 Giant Steps Wombat Creek Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley in Victoria wears a bright crimson colour with remarkable ease. The nose balances out Edna’s gladioli with its cherry perfume, red fruits that are tending toward pomegranates, earth and soft spices of the oak. It is a gentle creature on the palate with elegant splaying of the red and cherry fruits across a bed of red rose petals, savoury spices and cedary tones. The velvety texture counter balances the crisp acidity to deliver a beautiful fanning tail that leaves you aglow.

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 13%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $60

Tasted: April 2021

Wine Code Breaker #362

2016 Printhie Super Duper Chardonnay, Orange, New South Wales 

The Orange wine region is located about 300km due West of Sydney.  It is an elevated landscape that belies its altitude.  Dominated by Mount Canobolis as there is nothing higher to the West.  A cool climate region that is relatively new, yet producing some stunning wines with pure fruit and regional zing. 

The 2016 Printhie Super Duper Chardonnay from Orange in New South Wales is a bright golden coloured wine.  The nose appeals instantly with its peaches, cumquat and other citrus elements.  There is oatmeal and honey with a touch of caramel.  The palate has the citrus, nuts and white peaches.  It is a complex palate with a creamy texture that provides its persistence.  It is cool, it is elevated, it is zinging with deliciousness. 

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 12.5%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $85

Tasted: March 2021

Wine Code Breaker #361

2019 Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese, Beechworth, Victoria 

The making of wine is a process that clashes the technical with creativity and music can help meld the two together to deliver something delicious.  I have recently wondered if you had a winery located in a former lunatic asylum, would you play Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon on repeat?  This seminal album begins with a heartbeat and takes the listener on an immersive experience through the various stages of life before ending with a heartbeat.  The themes explored within the album would no doubt relate well to the vintage process as there will be ups and downs along the way.  A glass of Sangiovese from Beechworth made in an abandoned lunatic asylum is perhaps a worthy accompaniment to this wonderfully thought provoking album.

*Heartbeat* The 2019 Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese from Beechworth in Victoria also contains a small amount of Colorino.  Speak to me is what you will think of the dark crimson coloured wine in your glass as you raise it to your nose.  Breathe (in the air) from the glass and cherries will appear on the run with a wow of raspberries, herbs and dried flowers.  With time, there is a delicate and lively balsamic note that may metaphorically send you to the great gig in the sky.  The palate though is where the money is; the cherries and balsamic will have you thinking us and them thoughts as the savoury thread, herbs and spices present as any colour you like.  A little espresso may appear to give you brain damage as you start remembering games and daisy chains and laughs.  It is without doubt the winemaker kept the loonies on the path as the gravelly tannins and crisp acidity drives its persistence that is this glass’s eclipse.  I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon with a Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese.  *Heartbeat*

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $30

Tasted: January 2021

Wine Code Breaker #360

2016 Castagna la Chiave Sangiovese, Beechworth, Victoria 

Regions that have been put on the map by some wonderful examples of Shiraz are now being put back on the map, or their spot on the map is enlarged, with Italian varieties. Beechworth is one. A region founded on golden known for its cool climate Shiraz, you could say is now being re-pegged for Sangiovese. This region’s cool climate, a bit of elevation and dry Summers combining with the grape deliver flavours with sharp acidity that builds the wine. 

The 2016 Castagna la Chiave Sangiovese from Beechworth in Victoria is a bright crimson coloured wine.  The nose acts as a key opening with balsamic and leather moving through to cherries, blueberries, herbs and a little bit of tomato.  On the palate, the entrance expands with espresso and cola notes mingling with plums, cherries and leather.  These flavours are highly attractive on a mid weight palate, yet the golden nugget is its gravelly tannins complimenting the lively acidity that suggests this grape has a firm place in the region’s future. 

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Diam

Alc: 13.5%

Drink: Now; 5-10 yrs

Price: $75

Tasted: February 2021

Wine Code Breaker #359

2019 Singlefile Family Reserve Chardonnay, Great Southern, Western Australia 

The Zephyr of Great Southern has struck again.  This Mistress of the Winds plays with the steep hills and valleys of the region and the Great Southern Ocean to deliver moisture laden breezes that cool the winters and warm the dry summers.  The vines grown on gravelly sandy loams benefit greatly to produce deeply flavoured grapes with crisp acidity. Chardonnay is a highlight of this region.  

The 2019 Singlefile Family Reserve Chardonnay from the Denmark area of Great Southern in Western Australia is a bright, lightly golden-coloured wine.  The nose is gloriously complex with freshly sliced peaches sprinkled with grapefruit on a bed of oatmeal and oak spice.  On the palate, the grapefruit pith balances out the white peach and ginger spice with hints of savoury nuttiness.  The creamy lees texture and its crisp acidity brings out an elegant and intensely flavoured lingering finish that leaves you thanking Zephyr for her favours.

Enjoy!

Rating: 96 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 13.2%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $60

Tasted: February 2021

Supplied by Singlefile as a guest panelist for their release. It was delicious and is thus highlighted.

Wine Code Breaker #358

2019 L.A.S Vino TNT Touriga Nacional Tinta Cao, Margaret River, Western Australia

Wagner’s 1876 opera, Götterdämmerung, is the last of the four musical and theatrical masterpieces that are better know as the The Ring of the Nibelung or the Ring for short.  This cycle tells the story of the killing of Siegfried by Hagen with a stab in the back.  Of course, this is not the first time such a killing has occurred.  Consider the infamous events of the 15th of March, known as the Ides of March.  Nowadays, it is celebrated as International Stab Someone in the Back Day.  Before you contemplate undertaking such an act, best to grab a red and ponder your options.  TNT might be one of those options to help you to work it through.

The 2019 L.A.S Vino TNT Touriga Nacional Tinta Cao is from Margaret River in Western Australia.  It is a bight purple coloured wine that is served from a squat little bottle that takes two hands to pour.  This has a simple and attractive nose with blackberries, spice and, as the nursery rhyme goes, all things nice.  The palate is one of bright dark fruits.  It is full-flavoured with blueberries, blackberries, spices, nutmeg and cinnamon.  A mouthfeel that is wrapped in fine powdery tannins that are balanced by dusty notes driving a lovely persistence that is worthy of sipping on while following the fourth cycle to its bloody conclusion. 

Enjoy!

Rating: 90 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14.5%

Drink: Now; 3-5 yrs

Price: $25

Tasted: February 2021