Eloquesta ‘A Boy with Fruit’ No.1 (Mudgee, NSW)
14.5%, Screwcap, $28
Stuart Olsen, Eloquesta winemaker, told me recently that he can’t get the ‘set-minded, grumpy old men wine reviewers to appreciate what he’s doing’.
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Surprisingly enough it works though with this unusual, boysenberry coloured red genuinely intriguing.
It all kicks off with a big hit off wth Ribena fruit juice on the nose – that’s the fresh 2013 vintage component kicking in. The pressings character sits underneath, giving thickness and a sense of savouriness to everything. There’s more surprise on the palate, which is lively and layered, topped off with fine natural tannins to punctuate things nicely.
Ultimately a hard wine to pin down perhaps, swirling from juicy black fruited (little oak to speak of), to quite drying and earthen – even complete with a little Mudgee mud. That complexity, however, is something to be admired and the whole wine feels ‘real’ – not a corner cut.
A quirky, yet satisfying, drink, I’d like to see even more wildness (and maybe some dried grapes – it would work nicely here), but I can’t fault either the fun or the tastiness.
Source: Sample
Tasted: May 2014
Score: 17.7/20, 92/100
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