Angoves Nine Vines Tempranillo Shiraz 2007 (South Australia)
$14, Screwcap, 13.5%
Winery Website

Flicking through the latest Big Red Wine Book, I noted this got a 90/100, which is a rather fine achievement for a wine that can be found for around $10 (when on special). Personally, I also have plenty of time for Angoves wines – simple, top value products, produced by a smart, family run operation. As is often the case in the wine industry, it is the small to medium sized family operations that produce the finest wine, and no exception here.

The Nine Vines Tempranillo Shiraz smells ripe, simple and rather sweet on the nose – indeed it shows as typically Riverland sweet & heavy cropped. But nestled in there is a whiff of volatility & a splash of meaty flavour that hints at the interest below.

The palate too is loaded with sweet grape juice – almost Hubba Bubba like in its grapey (but not residual) sweetness. Again, its rescued by some gritty seriousness, with a bit of ‘chew’ on the back end injecting this with some appeal beyond simple fruitiness. The Tempranillo also delivers leather/beef savouriness that neatly slots in below the Hubba Bubba to make things more interesting.

Ultimately, this is a sweet fruit driven red, with plenty of appeal, at a realistic price. My score does not reflect the drinkability. 15.0

Turkey Flat 2006 reds
Personally, I find the 2006 Barossan reds to be a pretty varied lot, with the wines generally lacking the power of 2005 or the grace of the 2004. That’s a gross generalisation sure, but it fairly wraps up my overall opinion. The Turkey Flat wines seem to mirror that view, presenting as drinkable, if unremarkable wines. Stating that though, perhaps time will be kind to these quite mild mannered drinks?

Turkey Flat Grenache 2006
Weighing in at 15% alcohol this vintage, and I’m not convinced if it has worked in this wines favour. The nose is rather fresh and fruit, with very ripe, almost-jam, Raspberry driven nose. There is also a hint of strain on the nose, a note of overripeness that only gets stronger as the wine sits in the glass. The palate similarly starts off quite pretty and berry laden, before becoming all cumbersome and awkward, the almost vegetal strain showing through & the acidity jarring the finish.

Ultimately, this comes across as a wine that was the product of a hard year, the mixed messages of ripe fruit and clumsy hardness not doing too much for the complete package. It’s still drinkable, but it just doesn’t quite sit as it should. 15.4

Turkey Flat Butchers Block SGM 2006
Line priced with the straight Grenache, this was a more complete wine, if not quite satisfying. The darker colour of this, when placed next to the Grenache, is immediately noticeable – Shiraz doing its thing – the nose carries the same strained berry fruitiness of the Grenache, but with more chocolatey plums.

Like the Grenache however, the palate is slightly jarring, with the berry flavours intermingled with some more obvious sweet coconutty oak & an extra edge of heaviness. The purity of the straight Grenache is lost and replaced with some soupy, ripeness-for-ripeness sake, palate richness.

I’m thinking this will be a better wine in a year or so, but there is a high chance it’s only going to get fatter. Another somewhat average wine. 15.5

Turkey Flat Shiraz 2006
Interesting that this is still bottled under cork, when the rest of the wines are in Screwcap – a rather backward attitude (in my opinion), but one held by many winemakers (then again, what do I know).

I think that this might be in a bit of a developmental hole, as the nose gives away almost nothing, just the odd lick of chocolate syrup & a faint whiff of dusty berries. The palate is dark, long & ripe, with blackberry, fruit cake and raspberry coulis. It again finishes slightly chewy and bitter, with a slightly horsey nudge in there too.

I like the length and palate structure, but I’m not overly taken with the wine as a whole – its in a bit of a transformation stage I think, yet my score reflects how it tastes right now. 16.5+