Adelaide Hills 12.5% Screwcap $28 Source: Retail
I bought this partially on account of the retailer informing me that oenologist Erinn Kleinn was a friend of Jamsheed’s Gary Mills. I already knew that Kleinn was dyed in the wool Bd, and at a recent red wine masterclass Michael Fragos had mentioned that Chapel Hill were having some success using Bd techniques to achieve optimum flavour profiles at lower baumés – something which is of more interest me as I get older and begin to consider my health in a more serious manner.
Sadly, this wine just didn’t quite cut it. It’s not a “bad” wine, and 2008 wasn’t the easiest vintage for reds in the Adelaide Hills, but the finish is too firm & the fruit and tannin balance is out of whack. It tastes of fresh yellow plum flesh, cherries, cola bottles & black jubes. There’s a nice amount of cool climate spice (mostly pepper) and minimal oak influence. Tangy acidity on a light to mid weight palate. Some vegetal notes as well.
It works better with food but ends up lacking in generosity and not quite hitting its stylistic mark. Interesting to read the back of the bottle – “Creating wines with vitality through the simplicity of biodynamics”. Anyone who refers to Bd as simple is a little too much of a convert for my tastes. Bd might (or might not) hold some great winemaking/grape growing techniques but I don’t see anything “simple” about it.
Winery Website- http://www.ngeringa.com/