2012 Smith & Hooper Reserve Merlot

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageFrom Wrattonbully , a region which appears to have developed the reputation of being the poor man’s Coonawarra. With names like Tapanappa and Terre à Terre making their mark that may all change. This Merlot is more perfunctory than ‘Reserve’ though.

Sweetly fruited. Plums with ripples of raspberry alongside chocolate and herbs. Roughly hewn oak and tannin. Touch of eucalypt on the back-palate. Accessible if a bit of a stretch at the price. 87

Region: Wrattonbully
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Price: $27
Tasted: July 2014

http://www.smithandhooper.com

Posted in Merlot, Wrattonbully | Tagged | 3 Comments

2012 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Vineyard Shiraz

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageMy fascination with Shiraz from the Great Southern GI continues unabated. Its isolation may slow progress to an extent but I feel strongly that it will one day produce some of the leading examples of the grape in Australia.

Deep, boysenberried, chocolatey and plummy with hints of eucalypt. Significant cedary oak matched to full-bodied fruit. Extremely plush and cuddly until compressed tannin takes hold. It’s only after a few sips that elements of regional savouriness, licorice and dried herbs become obvious. A light twist of cracked pepper. The flavour washes over the structure, the two never quite making contact. And that’s my biggest issue with the wine. 91

Region: Great Southern
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $35
Tasted: July 2014

http://franklandestate.com.au

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2012 Frankland Estate Olmo’s Reward

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageNo Merlot for Olmo in 2012. The Cabernet Franc was deemed to be too high quality. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot remain in the mix.

Wonderful Franc perfume. Fresh red fruits, brown grass, capsicum, spice, tree bark and violets – the latter probably from the PV. The palate adds cassis, cedar and mint with a scattering of garrigue/herbs. So shapely and lithe, such superior acidity and long-strand tannin. Around medium-bodied and extremely handsome. A tailored Italian suit in a glass. 93+

Region: Great Southern
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $45
Tasted: July 2014

http://franklandestate.com.au

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2013 Tscharke Matching Socks Touriga

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageMany varying opinions about Touriga as a table wine variety when speaking to McLaren Vale and Barossa vignerons. Some very positive, others not so much. The latter feel it can get jammy and simple. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tasted so far. This one certainly isn’t jammy but it is ripe at 12.5%.

Oh so spicy; white pepper and such. Nimble with vivacious loganberries, cherries, strawberries and fresh plums. Sarsaparilla, less-than-clean stables and roots. Lively, buoyant and sessionable with pert, tart acidity and a smudge of tannin. Nothing profound but offers immediate, if slightly brief, pleasure. 88

Region: Barossa Valley
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $20
Tasted: July 2014

http://www.tscharke.com.au

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2013 Rorschach Wine Co. Pinot Noir

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageI’m not as fond of the inaugural Rorschach Wine Co. Pinot as I am the Chardonnay.

Syrupy and medicinal cherry aromas. Lipstick, putty and make-up on the palate. Strange descriptors to some but that’s what I’m getting. It’s actually not that sweet. Dark red fruits, spiced plum and a bit of that foresty-leafy Pinot character. Slightly earthen. Doesn’t have great flow and finishes slightly hollow with abrupt tannin. There are positives here but I think they’re somewhat overwhelmed. 87

Region: Mornington Peninsula
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $42
Tasted: July 2014

http://rorschachwineco.com

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2013 Rorschach Wine Co. Chardonnay

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageA new player on the Mornington Peninsula. Great packaging. And that’s what matters.

Solids funk, yoghurt and cheese lees with a chunk of slightly raw yet biscuity oak. The fruit is fresh and vital underneath; Nashi pear, peach, nuts and melon. As a young wine all that wood diminishes the length. The solids, lees and fruit are just fine by me. I reckon there’s a lot to work with going forward. 90+

Region: Mornington Peninsula
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $35
Tasted: July 2014

http://rorschachwineco.com

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2013 Manners Hilltops Shiraz

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageStrikes me as a superhero type label. And for a producer I’m unaware of it’s a superhero type price. Will it be Iron Man or the Green Lantern?

Has all those Hilltops blueberries on the nose and palate. Black cherry, plums, pepper and star anise too. Violet mouth-perfume. Like the oak treatment, like the architecture. Voluminous. Big and muscular with a bit of warmth. Were I to be rescued I’d prefer someone more svelte – say The Black Widow – but this’d do the job. 92

Region: Hilltops
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $45
Tasted: July 2014

http://wellmanneredwine.com.au

Posted in Hilltops, Shiraz, Syrah | Tagged | 3 Comments

2013 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Vineyard Riesling

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageThe most famous of the Frankland Estate Rieslings and one of the better known Great Southern examples of the variety full stop.

Slatey and pure. Green apple skins, lemons, basil and citrus zest. Sheer mineral precision and extension. One for the classicists. 94+

Region: Great Southern
Alcohol: 11.6%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $35
Tasted: July 2014

http://franklandestate.com.au

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2013 Frankland Estate Poison Hill Vineyard Riesling

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageEach of these three Frankland Estate single vineyard Rieslings lie within a 25km radius. Another exercise in distilled terroir. Australian Riesling is an easier grape to apply the ‘minimal intervention’ tagline to…for the most part.

Granular pear marks the wine. Top notch line and length. A hint of citrus blossom, talc and plenty of kaffir lime and lemons. Driven and chalky with a little pithiness on the back-palate. No coarse acidity. Very individual within its paradigm. 94

Region: Great Southern
Alcohol: 10.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $30
Tasted: July 2014

http://franklandestate.com.au

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2013 Frankland Estate Netley Road Vineyard Riesling

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Jeremy Pringle

imageFrom vines planted in 1968 according to the bottle and 1966 according to the website. Apparently recently renamed Justin’s Vineyard in honour of founder John Justice Roche. I wonder if the Netley Road moniker will be dropped come future vintages.

Lime, fennel, green apple skins and a hint of bergamot tea. Appealing flavours and aromas. Softer, glycerol body – not the stereotypical steeliness of the Great Southern. Presents with a sense of width. I’m not totally convinced by the way it plays out on the palate. It feels a little ill-defined, balled up and indiscrete. 90

Region: Great Southern
Alcohol: 12.3%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $30
Tasted: July 2014

http://franklandestate.com.au

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