d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne 2004

Something a bit different here, a straight roussanne from the McLaren Vale. As usual for d'Arenberg, the wine has a funky name and attractive label. I must admit, I've never had much luck with d'Arenberg wines, generally. Of course, I've not tasted the whole range, but in the past, my impression has usually ranged from slight to total disappointment.

I had a bit of trouble coming to grips with this wine, perhaps because I'm not hugely familiar with roussanne as a grape but also because I found the style of this wine a little broad and indistinct. The nose offers up a range of muted white stone and lightly tropical fruits, attractive enough, certainly inviting of a sip. In the mouth, I was a bit taken aback initially by the wine's broad, unfocussed mouthfeel, although at the same time attracted by its upfront flavour. There seems to be a fair whack of residual sugar in there, and when you combine this with noticeable phenolics and fairly rough acidity, you get a wine that is mouthfilling and generous, but also unsophisticated and coarse. The fruits become a bit more tropical in the mouth -- I was reminded of tinned pineapple -- and there's no shortage of flavour. I must say, the wine did go well with the chicken/tomato/olive pasta dish we had last night, I think because the wine's body and sugar levels were a good complement to the food's robust, rustic flavours.

At the end of the day, though, there's still a quarter of a bottle left. If you're bored with the "usual" Australian wine styles, this one could be the break you need.