Two cheap shiraz wines that speak of their region

Still staying at a mate's house while the boat is repaired. He's not really into wine but is curious and asked me to help him choose a dozen. Budget was $150 -- I wanted to select wines that are representative of their regions. We had two of them tonight.

I won't dissect these wines in great detail -- know that they are both well-made, quality wines of considerable flavour and character. What I am pleased with, in particular, is that they are identifiably regional and show clear differences in origin. I think it's great that we can purchase wines in the $10-15 range that are very much of their region.

The Seppelt Victoria Shiraz 2004 is all blackberry jam, white pepper and spice. The palate encourages immediate drinking, although the finish, which is lightly drying with powdery tannins, indicates the wine would not die with a year or so in the cellar. But why bother -- it's such nice drinking now. Sensational value.

The Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz 2005 is a pretty reliable number year in year out, and this one shows clear differences from the cooler climate Seppelt -- it's a relative fruit bomb, with flavoursome stewed plum-like fruit and sweet American oak the highlights. Soft, generous, medium bodied -- this is easy Barossa shiraz in "by the gulp" mode. This wine doesn't have the structural finesse of the Seppelt, but really, what's not to like here?

Redman Shiraz 2004

I had a 1976 Redman Claret last year and it was a beautiful, ephemeral experience. It was totally over the hill but none the less interesting for that. So how does the current release compare?

This is a leaner shiraz that's relatively low in alcohol (13%) and of medium body. The flavour profile is quite complex and has notes of blackberry, foliage and odd, slightly raisin-like fruit. There's a fair whack of volatile acidity that highlights the more vegetal aspects of the flavour profile. Intensity of flavour is good, and the palate has quite prominent acidity that isn't terribly integrated into the rest of the wine's structure.

I wonder how this will age? At the moment, the flavour profile isn't terribly to my taste.

Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 1999

Last old note for now.

Complexity and sophistication are the bywords with this wine. A lovely, savoury, slightly sappy nose gives way to the most luscious palate of clean fruit, earth, leather and silkiness. The tannins are so fine as to be simply a continuation of the flavours on the middle of the palate. Mouthfeel is a highlight here, it's just so soft, it glides over the tongue and slips away so smoothly. The nose is complex and evolving as I swirl, with further notes of mushroom and dusty earth, as well as a bit of oak. A seamless and complex wine. Very nice indeed.

Charles Melton Nine Popes 1996

Beguiling aromas that mix savoury, fruit and oak characters in a slightly lifted bundle of joy. There's also a meatiness in there that straddles a savoury/sweet line. In terms of palate, it has a thick, seamless mouthfeel that delivers a similar mix of flavours as was smelled, but more fruit forward and richer than one would anticipate from the nose. There are some faint aged characters, but it's still predominantly primary character driven. As I drink, there's a lovely brambly note that is emerging too, a sweet delicious stalkiness. The wine is actually still quite acidic, so it's probably got a ways to go, but I can't think how it could get better than this.

This is a seriously good wine that is still quite young tasting but with the clean, developed mouthfeel and flavour integration that comes with bottle age.

Note that I've subsequently had a couple more bottles of this wine that have not quite attained the same level as this one.

Tyrrell's Vat 5 NVC Shiraz 2004

Bought two of these at cellar door a few months ago. I remember it smelling incredibly barnyardy, which is why I bought a couple.

This bottle has nowhere near the same level of pong. Colour-wise, it's dark and red/purple but not terribly dense. Quite beautiful. The nose, surprisingly, is muted, with soft fruit and earth characters wafting gently upwards along with subtle oak influence. The palate is where the action lies. It's light to medium bodied, with a clean yet slightly rustic mouthfeel. The fruit flavour is of the utmost purity and lightness, and most deliciously there's this sweet dirt/earth character that for me is the core of the wine. The label mentions that this character is specific to the vineyard (this is a single vineyard release). I would be curious to know if there's an element of residual sugar there. If not, it's quite remarkable. A fresh, delicious, almost bistro-style wine that I could drink litres of. I love it.

I have tasted the 2003 several times and enjoyed it very much, although it's a denser wine. It has the same sweet earth flavour as the 2004, along with richer fruit and more weight.

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2004

We had this last night with big steaks at the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening, I must say.

This is a sophisticated, pinot-like expression of cool climate shiraz that disappeared very quickly from the bottle. The flavour profile of this tends towards the red fruit, dried spice end of the spectrum. This wine is so clean. Sparkling red fruits leap from the glass and intermingle with a variety of spicy notes, and oak also contributes a vanillan, perhaps slightly sappy note. Everything's in balance, politely taking its place alongside the other elements.

Quite a light wine in the mouth, medium bodied at most, but with an appropriate level of flavour intensity and great persistence. Acid plays the primary role in this wine's structure, contributing not only length but also a deliciously fresh, astringent mouthfeel. Tannins are very fine and do not dominate in any way.

This wine is drinking so well now but I would like to see some secondary characters develop and add extra interest. At the moment, the wine is super "correct" and very tasty, but if I were to criticise it at all, it would be for a slight lack of personality. Perhaps some bottle age with help this wine to shine in its own, individual manner.

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2006

Ok, so I'm already a little pissed from a lame sauvignon blanc we finished before dinner. But this wine is nice.

This wine's nose of violets, fake raspberry and licorice allsorts seems to me reminiscent of gamay. This wine is always a fragrant one, in my experience, and the 2006 continues the trend with an expressive nose that I understand best in terms of colour: it reminds me of vivid purple. There are also notes of citrus peel - again, fragrant and expressive.

On the palate, there's a gush of gently fruity flavour, perhaps a little unfocussed. Medium bodied, the wine's structure is relatively soft but well defined, the acidity in particular is quite mouthwatering.

This vintage seems more approchable than my recollection of prior years' wines, not that the Hilltops has ever struck me as especially forbidding when young. If the fruit flavour were more clearly delineated, this would have been even better. I have several bottles in the cellar and will track it with interest.

Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz 2005

I could smell this wine as soon as I started pouring it, which always makes me smile.

Hunter Shiraz often smells to me like dried brown dusty earth, and this is really typical. It's got that lovely dusty, dirty, meaty smell that leads into some toasty vanillan oak, all of which frames a core of sweet/savoury red fruit of exceptional quality. This wine has great "line" and one's experience of it flows smoothly from nose to palate and finish. Intensity of flavour is high, although the wine is only just medium bodied. This wine's structure seems acid-driven. I just can't get over the quality and complex flavour delivered by the fruit in this wine. It's clean and ripe and, although it has a sweet dimension, the wine as a whole remains savoury in its flavour profile.

Drinking well now but I'm certainly going to leave some bottles in the cellar and see how they develop.

I was a bit worried when I first opened the wine as there was some sulphur hanging about, but this blew off quickly, leaving a very clean wine behind.

Update: this wine has opened up further over the course of our meal, with some additional aniseed/medicinal notes emerging. The wine has also developed some weight and intensity in the glass. A really beautiful wine.

De Bortoli Gulf Station Shiraz Viognier 2005

It's been a relaxing Sunday and I wanted to open something relatively unchallenging to pass the time this evening. I thought this might fit the bill, but I was wrong. It's a much better wine than that. I can't believe this quality for the price (about $16 at Dan's).

On the nose, this wine has a complex, primarily dark flavour profile with a clear but subservient line of bright, sour red fruits and lighter fragrance peeking through, perhaps also some vegetal/stalk notes, which I liked. Mostly, though, it's rich dark berries and cooked meats, showing real density of flavour. Structurally, this wine is strikingly pinot-like, with a most delicious fruit sourness at its medium-bodied core. Sort of like stewed cherries. It's intense and integrated, oak playing but a minor role in the wine's flavour. The finish dries firmly at the very end, due to the fine tannins. It's elegant, intense and delicious.

This wine is fantastic.

Vasse Felix Shiraz 2004

I remember having this wine at a tasting a few years ago and really liking it. I just opened the 2004 to have with roast beef.

I love how expressive this wine is on the nose -- not at all like the Voyager Estate Shiraz we had a little while ago. Deep black berry fruits mingle alongside herbal edges and toasty, cedary oak. It's a big nose, but not over the top or clumsy. On the palate, there's a bit of tingly fruit sweetness that livens an otherwise dark flavour profile, with more black fruits and a lot of oak. The wine's mouthfeel is thick and chunky, but not clumsy due to its rather sophisticated slipperiness. Very fine tannins provide a drying finish that could do with a few years to mellow out a bit.

For my taste, the wine's showing too much oak at present. But this wine isn't a quaffing wine and one has to accept that, in its youth, it may not drink easily. A lovely full-bodied red wine to sip and think about.

Kilikanoon Medley Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2002

It's a wet, windy night outside, and the boat's rocking a lot more than usual. The perfect night for a generous, warming red wine.

We decided to open this Kilikanoon number, and it turned out to be the perfect selection. It's got this delicious blackberry bush nose, alongside a fair hit of oak-derived vanilla and spice. A little bit of VA enhances the generosity and warmth of the nose. In the mouth, this wine is smooth and full bodied, with a fruit sweet mid palate that leads to a smoothly tannic, toasty vanilla finish. This is not a hugely sophisticated wine, but it's got an attractive spectrum of flavours on display, and it's so giving, flavoursome and warm, it's hard not to love, especially on a stormy night.

Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2003

Really nice wine and a great, cost-effective alternative to mid-level Australian red wines.

Quite an expressive nose of primarily savoury notes (dried herbs and bacon, with some more feral smells hovering at the edges), with brooding black fruits in the background providing weight. On the palate, this wine was initially almost all tannins, very fine and ripe, but overwhelming. After a little while in the glass, this wine showed good balance between its savoury notes, very ripe red and black fruits (almost jammy) and fine tannins. It's nice to drink a cheap wine that displays its primarily savoury profile with pride, rather than shoving slutty ripe fruit to the forefront.

I'd like to see this again wine in a few years' time.

Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant 1999

Finally cracked this little baby, a gift from Chris and Dan, open.

I'm loving this wine. It's sensuous and elegant, the sort of wine that rewards slow sipping and contemplation.

An attractive brick red colour of moderate density. There are aromas of rotting flower, red fruits and spice that blend and waft evenly from the glass. The palate continues this theme and delivers its flavours within the context of gentle acidity and resolved, fine tannins. There are a range of secondary flavours in addition to the still-bright primary fruit. This wine shows good intensity of flavour and great balance and elegance. Medium bodied at most, I'm glad to have opened the wine at this point in its life.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Johnson's Block 2003

Interesting wine, this one. It's a little ungainly at the moment, but I will be interested to see how the other three bottles in my cellar change over time.

The ingredients for a more harmonised wine appear to be present. The nose is quite forward and fruit-driven. The fruit is bright and has good intensity, if not great complexity. It's mostly raspberries with a bit of blackberry thrown in, both fresh and jammy at once, if that makes sense. On the palate, the fruit again leads the way. Tannins are very much present, not coarse exactly but a little raw at the moment. They are the sort of tannins that ache for time to soften and integrate with the wine. Acidity very much along the same lines. I'm not sure it's worth the price ($30-something) but it's a wine that I will follow with interest, because it expresses personality, and that's something that is worth a lot to me as a wine lover.

Charles Melton Rose of Virginia 2007

This is the first wine I've tasted from the notoriously difficult 2007 vintage. I've had the Rose of Virginia quite a few times and always look forward to revisiting this wine.

When we first opened this wine, it felt a little one-dimensional, with a very attractive but simple floral fruitiness at its core. Over the course of half an hour, the wine rebalanced and opened up to greater complexity. This is a very well-judged wine. On the nose, there's a nice duality between seductively sweet, lifted floral notes and a subtle meaty savouriness. The palate echoes and amplifies this structure, with an entry that is predominantly fragrant/floral, leading to a middle palate that is quite full (owing partly to some residual sugar). The back of the palate is most engaging, with the fruitiness whisked away by more of that savoury meatiness and quite a dry, lightly tannic finish. Refreshing acidity supports the wine and prevents it from being at all cloying.

Really nice wine.

Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Red 2006

This wine is seriously cheap. I think we paid about $11 for it at Dan's. The reason I'm writing a note is that it's the sort of wine that the Australian industry has historically done so well at: multi-region, multi-varietal blends in a mainstream style.

The blend is shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and pertit verdot, with the latter contributing its distinctive aroma and flavour of what I experience as darkish bubblegum fruitiness (Hubba Bubba grape flavour, to be exact). The region is listed as "South Australia", but a little digging on the Wirra Wirra website reveals a blend of Fleurieu Peninsula and Adelaide Hills fruit.

Basically, this is an easy wine; full of flavour, totally unchallenging; but what makes it interesting (and a repeat buy) is that it's not corporate-tasting at all. In fact, it has some personality in its flavour profile, as well as enough structure to reward a bit of contemplative tasting if in the mood. It has a reasonable intensity of flavour (none of that horrible, lolly water taste one sometimes gets from low end wines) and goes well with food (rump steak last night). Basically, a perfect quaffing wine.

I'd much rather drink this if on a budget than a Rosemount Diamond Label, Yellow Tail or equivalent mass produced thing.

Bailey's of Glenrowan Shiraz 2000

If given the choice, I'll usually gravitate towards a more elegant, medium bodied red wine over the more monstrous examples. But sometimes, the food you're eating (in this case a hearty beef stew) calls for something more. So, out came a Baileys of Glenrowan Shiraz.

I opened this wine expecting not to like it, as I've reacted negatively to the flavour profile of North-Eastern Victorian reds in the past. So it was with a good deal of surprise that I found myself latching onto this wine in a most positive fashion.

Perhaps the bottle age helps things along, but I found the wine to be big, but in balance, and surprisingly complex for its price point. It has that distinctive "stewed red fruit" flavour that I often get with warm climate shiraz, and the wine's flavour shows a good deal of spicy oak influence. This translates, especially on the palate, to a lovely mix of hot fruit and spice that, whilst not overly structured, is very generous and quite delicious. I wouldn't call the mouthfeel refined, but nothing poked out unduly, with acid and tannin, as well as alcohol, sitting alongside each other nicely.

This wine has me reassessing my aversion to red wines from this region. I like that about wine. It's constantly surprising and forcing me to question my prejudices.

Two cheap Hunter reds

I put together a fairly inexpensive dozen the other day, and in amongst it were two Hunter shirazes from the 2003 vintage. We had them back to back so they were easy to compare.

Tyrrell's Stevens Shiraz 2003

Fuller bodied than a lot of Hunter shiraz but certainly a wine of its region. The flavour profile on this wine is a notch darker than a lot of shiraz from this area, perhaps owing to the drought affected vintage. I found the nose quite dumb, with a whiff of dark fruits and barnyard. It's on the palate that this wine hits you, with concentrated dark fruit flavours of the most attractive purity (sort of blueberryish), along with regional flavours of dirt and stink. Nice acidity and tannins, nothing out of balance. A chunky yet sophisticated wine in the mouth, substantial and slippery at the same time. Really enjoyed this one, it has a lot of personality.

Mount Pleasant Philip 2003

This wine is in what I understand to be a more traditional Hunter shiraz style, in that it is medium bodied, with bright red berry flavours placed within a predominantly savoury flavour profile of dust/dirt and barnyard. Really very aromatic and expressive, this wine is totally consistent from nose to palate. I think this wine showed more complexity than the Stevens (pretty awesome considering it's half the price), without perhaps the same concentration of flavour. I loved it. Usually the Philip is a bit lame but this one is great.

Tintara Shiraz 1998

I keep expecting these wines I'm dragging from the cellar to be corked or faulty, but I seem to be having a good run so far.

I bought this wine years ago in Canberra as I wandered through a large wine shop in one of my periodic buying frenzies.

A very dense purple red colour. Initially on the nose, a clean burst of concentrated blueberry fruit was pretty dominant. I've been swirling a bit, though, and a real complexity of flavour is developing, mostly oak-related. The fruit is still lovely and clean, but there are well integrated spice and mocha flavours too. Some alcoholic sweetness at the edges.

The palate is similarly concentrated and lip-smacking, and the wine has a clearly defined structure. Tannins are present but not overwhelming by any means (they will probably melt away as I tuck into my steak in a few moments). This wine is generous and attractive in its flavour profile, and not unsophisticated in its own way. This is the sort of big red wine that I enjoy.

Glen Fiona Syrah 'Puncheon-Aged' 1999

My first Walla Walla syrah, courtesy of Chris and Dan.

Really funky yeast characters on the nose, sweet flowers and a bit of VA, the combined effect being sort of like sewage. Nice sewage, though, and quite restrained overall. The palate is more assertive, helped along by velvety tannins that caress and flow over the tongue. Very much fruit driven at this stage, and the fruit itself is attractive in character, if slightly bubblegumish. Medium bodied, balanced acidity, extremely moreish, the mouthfeel a highlight.