Australia Archives - Chateau Blue

Moorooroo Park ‘Lotties’ Shiraz 2016

Clear, deep, ruby with thick tears.

Clean, developing, medium+ intensity nose of red fruits, eucalypt and vanilla. Some heat evident that persists through to the palate.

Dry, high acid, medium chalky tannins, high alcohol (15%), full body, medium+ flavour intensity of blackberry, plum, cloves. Long finish, juicy, mouth-watering acid lingers. A generous and luscious palate.

This wine has little tertiary development and would benefit from aging – perhaps open the next bottle around 2030- and be sure to decant. This is a very good wine (94 points) with good (but not excellent) balance – a “blockbuster from Barossa” if you will!

Steak, roasted and barbecued red meats would be a perfect way to enjoy this wine.

Dandelion Lionheart of the Barossa 2018

Clear, deep, ruby with a purple rim.

Clean, youthful, medium intensity nose of baked plum, cranberry, sweet spice (cinnamon, clove), hint of vanilla (suggestive of used oak).

Dry, med+ acid, med tannin, high alcohol (14.5%), med+ body, medium flavour intensity of blackberry, plum – some jamminess. Med+ finish, juicy, acid lingers a little.

This is good to very good wine (93 points), mid-priced (excellent QPR in the low to mid $20’s), can drink now but has potential for ageing up to 10 years (2030). If you drink now be sure to decant!

This is a steak and three veg kind of wine, perfect for winter quaffing.

Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2018

Singlefile Single Vineyard Denmark Family Reserve Chardonnay 2018

From the packaging alone you know you’re onto something special! A clear, medium, lemon (almost gold) wine with fine tears appearing.

Clean with medium+ intensity of stone fruit (peach, nectarine), blossom, a touch of oak induced toast and a hint of marzipan – developing nicely.

On the palate the stone fruit comes through with some added citrus and the restrained buttery mouthfeel provided by the partial malo.

High alcohol (14.1%), med+ acid, body and flavours with a med+ finish.

A very good wine which is drinking well now but could be cellared for over decade. A restrained, balanced and almost Burgundian example of this varietal. 95 points.

We served this with a seafood chowder – the acid balancing the fats and the restrained malo complementing the dish’s creaminess. The overall assessment – delicious!

d’Arenberg Ironstone Pressings 2014

Pleasant if not too restrained – primary fruit (cherry, plum) struggling to make an impact on the nose or palate.

Further savoury characteristics on the palate, toasted oak and fine tannins, medium acidity and a medium- finish. High alcohol but once again wasn’t evident in the body. Was expecting more for the price, just scrapes a 90, based on my love of this label.

Not sure that there is much to be gained from by leaving the rest in the cellar but I might wait another year.

Windance Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

A clear, deep, garnet wine with pale tears developing. Clean, medium (+) intensity nose, developing with black currant, cassis and dried herbs – vanilla evident from oak treatment.

Dry with medium+, firm tannins, medium acid and high alcohol (14.5%). A medium+ bodied wine with medium+ finish and medium flavour intensity of black fruit, black olive, cedar and bramble.

This is a very good wine (92 points), high-priced ($42) drinking well now, but will show improvement through to 2025.

This is a good example of a Margaret River cabernet, perhaps a little more balance between tannin and fruit would have made this a great wine. Will benefit from decanting.

Rockford “Basket Press” Shiraz 2011

A clear, deep, garnet wine with a few thick legs appearing. Medium (+) intensity nose, clean and developing with red fruit and mocha – vanilla evident from oak treatment.

Dry with medium, fine tannins, medium+ acid and high alcohol (14.2%). A medium+ bodied wine with medium+ finish and medium(+) flavour intensity of raspberry, blackberry and a hint of dried herbs and black pepper.

This is an excellent wine (95 points), high-priced ($65) drinking well now, but will show improvement through to 2022.

A restrained version of the Basket Press, perhaps due to the difficult 2011 vintage, but a lovely wine nonetheless. Will benefit from decanting.

Alkoomi Shiraz Viognier 2012

A clear, medium, ruby wine with thick but clear legs. Medium intensity nose clean and developing with red fruit (cherry), plum, hint of black pepper. Oak treatment very subtle (only 33% in new French oak).

Dry with medium fine tannins, medium+ acid and high alcohol (14.5%). A medium+ bodied wine (despite the alcohol) with medium+ finish and medium flavour intensity cherry, pepper, hint of blackberry and a touch of the co-fermented Viognier coming through.

This is a very good wine (94 points), mid-priced ($23) and will drink now, but will show improvement through 2017 to 2019.

The Alkoomi is a very good expression of the Côte-Rôtie style and will pair barbecued foods, pizza, beef and pork.

UPDATE: (12 April 2020) I drank one of three remaining bottles on the Easter weekend and I am happy to report that the wine has improved and is stunning – my points have increase to Gold (95 points). Tertiary characteristics really evident now, smoked meat, Viognier has receded a bit, a nuanced wine.

Dandelion Lionheart of the Barossa 2014

A clear, deep, ruby wine with thick legs. Medium+ intensity nose clean and developing with vanilla, baked plum, blackberries and a hint of cloves.

Dry with medium+ firm tannins, medium+ acid and high alcohol (14.5%). A medium+ bodied wine with long finish and flavours of jammy plum, blackberry, sweet spices and a touch of dark chocolate.

This is a very good wine (93 points), mid-priced ($27) and will drink now, but will improve to 2025. Quite young and tight at the moment so some aeration is advised.

This wine follows good vintages in 2012 and 2013 – it will suit barbecued and roasted beef / pork as well as cured meats. Will cut through big Mediterranean dishes too but will overpower lighter or subtler expressions.

Di Giorgio Tempranillo 2013

A clear, medium, ruby wine with pale rim and few, thick tears evident. Medium intensity nose clean and developing with red berry fruits, savouriness, cedar and a hint of white pepper.

Dry with medium+ smooth tannins, medium acid and medium+ alcohol (14%). A medium bodied wine with medium finish and flavours of red berry fruit (cherry) and oak characteristics (vanilla) on the palate.

This is a very good wine (92 points), mid-priced ($23) and will drink now, but may improve into 2020. Some decanting may help as it definitely opened up after a few minutes in the glass.

This wine will complement food perfectly especially the richer, meatier dishes and cured / smoked foods. An obvious match would be Spanish food like chorizo and jamon but it would equally pair roast lamb and Italian foods.

At this price point I would encourage you to make this your go-to everyday red!

Fun facts: Tempranillo is the fourth most planted grape in the world although we only have just over 700 hectares under vine in Australia. If you have ever had a Rioja then you would have had Tempranillo as it normally comprises 60%+ of the blend.

Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling 2008

A great example of an aged Riesling. Clear, medium intensity and (just) gold in colour – a few pale legs evident. This is a fully developed wine with a clean, med+ intensity nose – minerality hits you first (kerosene / rubber) with grapefruit and perhaps a touch of elderflower following.

Dry, high acid and med alcohol (12%) on the palate, medium bodied with a med+ finish. Medium flavours follow the nose profile with apricot and grapefruit. The crisp acidity provides a clean finish and some lingering minerality.

This is a very good wine (93 points) which should be drunk now – it won’t improve much with further aging. Mid-priced and excellent value for money – a great match with an oily fish or roast chicken. It will even stand up against a desert – the second half of this bottle accompanied a flourless orange cake very nicely indeed! Grab it from Dan Murphy’s while you still can.