November Tasting Notes Roundup

A few wines that passed the Australian Wine Review tasting bench during November – lots of ‘almosts’ this month, plus some real surprises from Taltarni.

Tenefeate Creek Merlot 2011 (Adelaide, SA) 14% $20
From One Tree Hill, which is sort of Adelaide Hills/Barossa but technically ‘Adelaide’. Sweet oak dominates the nose. Textural oak though. Generous and slightly syrupy texture isn’t all that varietal, but it is generous and pretty red fruited. Slightly raised acidity but nice gritty tannins. Solid and generous. 16.8/20, 89/100

Pyramids Road Mourvedre 2011 (Granite Belt, QLD) 14% $30
Super dark purple colour. Good colour! Has some lovely purple grapey-ness, lots of flesh, grape Hubba Bubba sweetness. A flash of rustic ironstone too. Smartly made. Just needs more concentration really as it looks a bit thin through the finish. 16.7/20, 89/100

Hidden Creek Tempranillo 2009 (Granite Belt, QLD) 13.5% $22
Cranberry and aged ham. Has a slightly feral nose. No flavours on the palate to carry off the less than pristine elements. Unconvincing. 15/20, 83/100

Bilgavia Estate Chardonnay 2012 (Hunter Valley, NSW) 12.5% $30
‘Rich and generous’ says the label, yet the style is anything but – a little peachy/straw Hunter fruit with ground coconut older oak. Lots of acidity and nice and clean, the buzzy acidity a feature point of the palate. Not enough beyond that acid, the wet season writ large. 16/20, 87/100

Taltarni Sangiovese 2009 (Pyrenees, Vic) 13.5% $25.99
87% Sangiovese 13% Cab. This is a bargain, every bit the authentic take on a Super Tuscan style, but in a Taltarni style (with Pyrenees mint). Dark ruby in colour, this smells like rustic Sangio, yet surprisingly fresh too. Everything is driven by thick, extractive tannins on a very dry, warm year palate. Those lingering tannins a great feature if dry and confronting. Drink now or in 20 years. Not unhappy at all for the dollars here. 17.5/20, 91/100

Taltarni Rosso Sangiovese Cabernet Merlot 2009 (Pyrenees, Vic) 14% $26
49% Sangiovese 44% Cabernet 7% Merlot. 32 months in older French oak! What a clever blend this is. Nowhere near as dry and curmudgeonly in its expression compared to the Sangiovese, the nose a little lifted by creamy oak. Underneath its quite juicy, oak creamy in its texture yet still quite bright. Lovely shape to the tannins in this. Red berry fruit over an utterly smooth, grainy, structured palate. Delicious. 17.8/20, 92/100

Bussell of Margaret River JG Cabernet Merlot 2011 (Margaret River, WA) 14.5% $26.95
From the Grant Burge empire. Sourced from Wilyabrup.Distinctly Margs red if a little roasted. Dusty dark berry fruits, fine tannins and dry extract. A bit squashed and could do with less ripeness. Nice coffeed oak but just a bit less ripeness would be a winner here. Regional though. Good smoky tannins. 16.8/20, 89/100

d’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings GSM 2009 (McLaren Vale, SA) 14.5%, $70
Meaty, funky and just a bit feral. There is a certain Grenache driven wildness and drive of fruit, yet also a cranberry, beef stock meat too. More like a slightly old fashioned CNdP than a modern McLaren Vale GSM. Not without attractiveness but also a little fetid too. 16.5/20, 88/100

d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2009 (McLaren Vale, SA) 14.5% $70
Dark and inky. Looks thick and slightly wild but alive with plum fruit juiciness. Looks very lively for the hot vintage actually. There’s even a hint of undergrowth. Slightly hot to finish but I rather like the naturalness. Less than perfectly clean, but has character. 17.5/20, 91/100+

Longview Yakka Shiraz 2010 (Adelaide Hills, SA) 14.5% $27
Purple tinge. Molten, grape sweet purple fruit and volatility. Overripe and very sweet, with a plum compote palate sweetened by oak. Generous and full with minimal spice – this could be Barossan with its boozy glycerol sweetness. Not without appeal, but also too big for love 16/20, 87/100

Summit Estate Ryan’s Daughter Reserve Pinot Noir 2011 (Granite Belt, QLD) $50
Ambitious pricing. Evolved, warmer site wine with cherry and bacon bits evolution on the nose. Smoky and rather authentic Pinot palate with bacon bit fattiness and a rich mid palate, though its quite an oak derived richness. Pulls up short to finish but serious in its intent. 16.5/20, 88/100

Turners Crossing Picolit 2013 (Bendigo, Vic) 13.5%, $25 500ml bottle