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By KEITH ST. CLAIR
Published January 28, 2005
Keith St. Clair/tbt*
Rob Buono, president of Old Bridge Cellars, pours one of the many d’Arenberg wines at Tuesday’s tasting.
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Hundreds of area wine lovers got a huge treat this week when the Australia Harvest Festival 2005 came to the A La Carte Event Pavilion.
The Australian Wine Bureau takes this annual road show to only a handful of U.S. cities, and Tampa was one of the lucky few this year (along with New York and San Francisco). A $40 advance ticket bought access to 300 wines and more than a dozen winemakers.
Australia trails only Italy in the amount of wines exported to the U.S. Aussie wines are all about fruit, whether it's big, bold reds that can be enjoyed young and also age gracefully; crisp, clean whites that aren't overwhelmed by oak; or luscious Rutherglen muscats, perhaps the world's greatest bargains in dessert wines.
On Tuesday, I spent more than five hours tasting more than 80 wines. That's a whole lot of swirling, sniffing, sipping -- and spitting. I get the purple lips, tongue and teeth; you get the skinny on some wines and producers worth knowing about.
Lake Breeze: This small winery is producing big bargains. Its grapes all are grown on its estate in Langhorne Creek. The '01 Bernoota is a shiraz/cabernet sauvignon blend with a wonderful nose and flavors of mint, eucalyptus, spice and great fruit ($20 suggested retail). And its '04 cabernet sauvignon ($20) is a tasty bargain, too.
Turkey Flat: Its wines from the Barossa Valley are much sought after. The '02 grenache ($23) offers an incredible intensity of fruit. At $25, the Butcher's Block is a tasty blend of mourvedre, shiraz and grenache that has great structure to go along with juicy fruit and spices. The grapes for its '02 shiraz come from vines planted in 1847. The wine is huge, nearly black in color and offering massive fruit and spice. Worth the $39 price-tag.
Green Point: This small producer from Victoria region stunned the wine world last year when Wine Spectator scored its '02 shiraz at 93 points, landing it at No. 28 on the magazine's top 100 wines of the year list. The '03 will be a crowd pleaser, too. Although the new model ($18) might not quite have the aging potential of its predecessor, when a wine tastes this good on release, who wants to wait a few years? The '03 has excellent concentration of fruit and its aromatics really benefit from the addition of viognier, a white grape that is 3 percent of the final blend. If you're lucky enough to see a bottle of its '03 reserve shiraz, grab it. Winemaker Matt Steel says he expects a very small amount of this will be shipped to Florida and it's practically a steal at $25. It's an intense wine with remarkable fruit and complexity. The taste keeps expanding on your tongue and the finish doesn't want to quit.
d'Arenberg: Fans of Australian wines know this McLaren Vale producer well. Its wines offer top quality at every price point. The '03 Stump Jump is a grenache/shiraz/mourvedre blend that is tasty and a wonderful value at $9. The Footbolt shiraz ($19) is a winner from vintage to vintage, and there's a lot to like in the '02 model. The '03 Laughing Magpie ($35) is a shiraz/viognier blend that has great fruit and a finish that goes on and on.
Grant Burge: In terms of a quality/price ratio, this winery would be very difficult to top. At $10, its Barossa Vines offerings were both winners. The chardonnay has a very nice nose and flavors, offering complexity and some spiciness. The shiraz has great fruit and would be a wonderful sipper. A step up at $15, the Miamba shiraz is a serious wine that drinks great now but could age. The Filsell shiraz ($27) is outstanding. And the '00 Holy Trinity ($27), a grenache/shiraz/mourvedre blend, is an elegant wine that also has remarkable aromas and flavors. Drinking wonderfully young but will age gracefully.
Pretty Sally: This tiny Victoria producer might be making the best Australian wines you've never heard of. The '04 sauvignon blanc ($25) is remarkably ripe yet not at all flabby. The '01 cabernet sauvignon ($30) is concentrated, yet soft and elegant with great fruit. The '03 shiraz ($30) is simply remarkable. A juicy, tongue-coating wine that is a fruit explosion in your mouth as the flavors keep expanding. A very young wine that I expect will be amazing two or three years from now. The winery's Dan Cornew said a few Tampa Bay area retailers at the tasting showed interest in carrying the label. Believe me, these wines will be worth seeking out.
Bargains also worth looking for: Stonehaven '03 shiraz ($6); De Bortoli '03 dB chardonnay ($8); Wyndham Estate '04 Bin 777 semillon/sauvignon blanc ($9); Wirra Wirra '03 Scrubby Rise chardonnay and shiraz (both $10); '04 Devil's Marbles chardonnay ($12); Rafferty's Rule '01 Angels' Share shiraz ($20).
And don't forget: Wines from Jacob's Creek, Rosemount Estate and Penfold's. Yes, their labels can be spotted on just about every supermarket's wine aisle, but there's a good reason: They deliver high quality at their price points. If you haven't, you should try Penfold's Rawson's Retreat line at $8, as well as Jacob's Creek Reserve line and Rosemount's Diamond label, both at around $12. Splurge a little for Rosemount's Show Reserve line at $24. Or splurge a lot for Penfold's St. Henri shiraz $39 and Rosemount's Balmoral syrah ($60). - Keith St. Clair, an editor who lives in Clearwater, frequents tastings throughout Tampa Bay. E-mail him at stclair@tampabay.com
Taste (for yourself)
Napa Vintners Tasting (2/2) Abilities Foundation hosts Napa Valley Vintners Association tasting with 75 premium wines from some of Napa's top wineries, poured by Napa winemakers, paired with culinary tastes from local restaurants. 6:30-7 p.m. VIP tasting; 7-9 p.m. Grand Tasting. Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N Dale Mabry, Tampa. Tickets: VIP tasting, $150 advance, $175 at door (includes Grand Tasting admission), Grand Tasting, $100 advance, $125 at door; proceeds benefit the Abilities Foundation. Call (727) 538-7370, ext. 345.
Nightlife Napa Valley 2/2 Follow-up tasting to Napa Vintner's Tasting above, geared toward 20- and 30-somethings, Napa Valley winemakers present wines to pair with chef Jeannie Pierola's cuisine. 9:30-11:30 p.m. at SideBern's, 2208 Morrison Ave., Tampa. Tickets are $20, plus $10 suggested Abilities Foundation donation. Buy tickets at www.sidebernsevents.com by calling (813) 253-0358, or at door if available.
Bordeaux vs. Carmenere (Friday 1/28) At free sampling, compare French bordeaux from Chateau Falfas, Chateau La Croix with Chilean wines that include Tierra Fuego carmenere reserva and Tres Valles cabernet/syrah. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Got Wine, 662 Main St., Dunedin. Call (727) 736-4077.
[Last modified January 27, 2005, 13:31:03]
| by Joseph Cabo | 02/14/05 10:57 PM |
| Where can I buy Pretty Sally shiraz in this area? | |
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