We started the day with a tasting at the hotel with Russell Bourne and the Battley Wines. I won’t say much about the wine except that Dan might have saved the best for last. If you can find any of these wines you need to buy them. These are small-production, high-quality wines from the Beechworth region which is about a four hour drive north of Melbourne. Beechworth is cool climate, high elevation and Battely produces the most Rhone-like wines in Australia.
We have the rest of the day free to roam around Melbourne with an optional lunch scheduled at one of Dan’s favorite Melbourne restaurants- Becco. Becco serves great bistro food and we dined banquet style again while the wine flowed. The food was some of the best on the trip. We shopped around the city for the remainder of the day until it was time for our final blow-out dinner. During the tour we collected wine donations from the producers for this last supper. We wound up with 7 cases of wine for the dinner. Needles to say we had plenty of everything and we got a little rowdy the restaurant Da Noi. Most of the group went out after dinner but I headed back to the hotel to try and pack. On the bus the next morning at 7 AM for the ride to the airport and the long flight home.
See ya latter Australia… I’ll be back soon.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Friday, August 25th- Wild Duck Creek, Whistling Eagle, Red Edge
We depart the hotel at 8 AM for a two hour drive to Heathcote for a couple visits, beginning with David “Duck” Anderson at Wild Duck Creek. Heathcote has a slightly cooler climate than Barossa or McLaren and is known for its red Cambrian volcanic soils.
At Wild Duck we tasted the following for breakfast…
2004 Wild Duck Creek Cabernet Reserve
2004 Wild Duck Creek Malbec (blending sample)
2004 Wild Duck Creek Shiraz-Malbec (formally known as Yellowhammer Hill)
2004 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz
2004 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz Reserve
2004 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Duck Muck Shiraz
2004 Wild Duck Creek Fortified Shiraz
We moved on down the road to Whistling Eagle to for a tasting, vineyard tour and a home-cooked lunch with Lynn and Ian Rathjen. Ian’s ancestors settled the Heathcote region in the late 1850’s. The Whistling Eagle vineyards are located on the side of Mt. Camel, an extinct volcano that make us part of Heathcote. The Whistling Eagle wines are powerful but very balanced- the cabernet was one of my favorites of the trip. Lunch was amazing and so was the view from the top of the hill.
Tasted were…
2005 Whistling Eagle Sangiovesse (barrel sample)
2005 Whistling Eagle Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Whistling Eagle Cabernet (barrel sample)
New Release and Back Vintages of the Shiraz
Back down the hill was rolled to the small vineyard owned by Peter Drudge of Red Edge. Peter makes shiraz and cabernet from his estate-grown fruit. The wines are classic Heathcote- powerful but with plenty of acid to create very balanced wines.
We tasted the following wines with Peter…
2005 Red Edge Shiraz Old Vines
2005 Red Edge Cabernet
2005 Red Edge Degree Shiraz
2001 Red Edge Cabernet
1997 Red Edge Shiraz Old Vines
We headed back to Melbourne to meet David Hickinbotham at the Telstra Dome to watch a professional fotty match between the St. Kilda Saints and the Western Bulldogs. We had a great time at the game and then walked to Melbourne’s Chinatown for a late night supper at the Shark Fin Inn. Plenty of BYOB wine was about as well a lazy-susan’s full of mud crab, peking duck, etc. to snack on.
At Wild Duck we tasted the following for breakfast…
2004 Wild Duck Creek Cabernet Reserve
2004 Wild Duck Creek Malbec (blending sample)
2004 Wild Duck Creek Shiraz-Malbec (formally known as Yellowhammer Hill)
2004 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz
2004 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz Reserve
2004 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Duck Muck Shiraz
2004 Wild Duck Creek Fortified Shiraz
We moved on down the road to Whistling Eagle to for a tasting, vineyard tour and a home-cooked lunch with Lynn and Ian Rathjen. Ian’s ancestors settled the Heathcote region in the late 1850’s. The Whistling Eagle vineyards are located on the side of Mt. Camel, an extinct volcano that make us part of Heathcote. The Whistling Eagle wines are powerful but very balanced- the cabernet was one of my favorites of the trip. Lunch was amazing and so was the view from the top of the hill.
Tasted were…
2005 Whistling Eagle Sangiovesse (barrel sample)
2005 Whistling Eagle Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Whistling Eagle Cabernet (barrel sample)
New Release and Back Vintages of the Shiraz
Back down the hill was rolled to the small vineyard owned by Peter Drudge of Red Edge. Peter makes shiraz and cabernet from his estate-grown fruit. The wines are classic Heathcote- powerful but with plenty of acid to create very balanced wines.
We tasted the following wines with Peter…
2005 Red Edge Shiraz Old Vines
2005 Red Edge Cabernet
2005 Red Edge Degree Shiraz
2001 Red Edge Cabernet
1997 Red Edge Shiraz Old Vines
We headed back to Melbourne to meet David Hickinbotham at the Telstra Dome to watch a professional fotty match between the St. Kilda Saints and the Western Bulldogs. We had a great time at the game and then walked to Melbourne’s Chinatown for a late night supper at the Shark Fin Inn. Plenty of BYOB wine was about as well a lazy-susan’s full of mud crab, peking duck, etc. to snack on.
Thursday, August 24- Melbourne Wine Room, Buckshot, Lilly Pilly
We checked out of the Chardonnay Lodge in Coonawarra early, 6:30 AM, so we could have more time in our next stop- Melbourne. After a brief stop for breakfast pasties (meat pies- yummm) we arrive at the slick Como Hotel in Melbourne at 1:30 PM. The Como is a first class hotel where all of the beautiful people stay- it was a real treat to stay there. Melbourne is a very vibrant and beautiful city with an exceptional arts culture.
We could have spent the afternoon on our own or we could join Dan for wine, oysters and antipasti at the Melbourne Wine Room. Guess what I choose to do.
Dan treated us to multiple bottles of Raveneau Chabis, Zind Humbrecht Riesling & Pinot Gris and the odd bottle of red. A couple guys were even nice enough to spring for a bottle of 100pt. Parker Sine Quo Non Just For The Love Of It Syrah- thanks guys. We had a little more time to kill so what do we do? Order some cocktails. I had the best Pimm’s Cup and #4 I’ve ever had. Not a bad rainy afternoon in Melbourne.
We had dinner with Buckshot and Lilly Pilly at a waterfront restaurant called Sail’s. The Buckshot wines are from the up and coming wine region called Heathcote. Heathcote is located two hours north of Melbourne. We drank the following with dinner…
2003 Buckshot Heathcote Shiraz
2004 Buckshot Heathcote Shiraz
2005 Buckshot Heathcote Shiraz (barrel sample)
2002 Lilly Pilly Noble Blend
2005 Lilly Pilly Noble Blend
Back to the Como for a nightcap in the hotel bar.
We could have spent the afternoon on our own or we could join Dan for wine, oysters and antipasti at the Melbourne Wine Room. Guess what I choose to do.
Dan treated us to multiple bottles of Raveneau Chabis, Zind Humbrecht Riesling & Pinot Gris and the odd bottle of red. A couple guys were even nice enough to spring for a bottle of 100pt. Parker Sine Quo Non Just For The Love Of It Syrah- thanks guys. We had a little more time to kill so what do we do? Order some cocktails. I had the best Pimm’s Cup and #4 I’ve ever had. Not a bad rainy afternoon in Melbourne.
We had dinner with Buckshot and Lilly Pilly at a waterfront restaurant called Sail’s. The Buckshot wines are from the up and coming wine region called Heathcote. Heathcote is located two hours north of Melbourne. We drank the following with dinner…
2003 Buckshot Heathcote Shiraz
2004 Buckshot Heathcote Shiraz
2005 Buckshot Heathcote Shiraz (barrel sample)
2002 Lilly Pilly Noble Blend
2005 Lilly Pilly Noble Blend
Back to the Como for a nightcap in the hotel bar.
Wednesday, August 23- Henry's Drive, Majella
Checked out of the wine-soaked and stained room #7 and boarded the bus for the four hour ride to Padthaway- home of Henry’s Drive. Of course we stopped on the way for pasties and iced coffee. The Longbottom’s had recently finished construction of their new tasting room/office/cellar door and hosted us for a lunch and tasting. We dined on Australian Waygu beef and other delicious items while we drank the new releases.
2005 Pillar Box Red
2005 Pillar Box White
2004 Henry’s Drive Shiraz
2004 Henry’s Drive Shiraz Reserve
2004 Parson’s Flat Shiraz-Cabernet
2004 Dead Letter Office Shiraz (blend of 55% Padthaway and 45% McLaren Vale Shiraz- Kim Johnston is the winemaker for Henry’s Drive and Shirvington it that tells you anything about this wine)
We finished the lunch with an aged vertical of Henry’s Drive Cabernets from 1999 to 2004.
We then traveled a short hour to Coonawarra, the Cabernet capital of Australia, for a tasting, bbq and bush tour with the boys at Majella. We tasted through the whole lineup of Majella wines, including my favorite, the 2005 Musician Shiraz Cabernet. We capped off the night with plenty of Cooper’s and a bush tour. A Coonawarra bush tour consists of riding in the backs of utes (that’s a pickup truck to you a me), drinking beer and spotlighting kangaroo’s. It felt like back home in the Black Belt.
2005 Pillar Box Red
2005 Pillar Box White
2004 Henry’s Drive Shiraz
2004 Henry’s Drive Shiraz Reserve
2004 Parson’s Flat Shiraz-Cabernet
2004 Dead Letter Office Shiraz (blend of 55% Padthaway and 45% McLaren Vale Shiraz- Kim Johnston is the winemaker for Henry’s Drive and Shirvington it that tells you anything about this wine)
We finished the lunch with an aged vertical of Henry’s Drive Cabernets from 1999 to 2004.
We then traveled a short hour to Coonawarra, the Cabernet capital of Australia, for a tasting, bbq and bush tour with the boys at Majella. We tasted through the whole lineup of Majella wines, including my favorite, the 2005 Musician Shiraz Cabernet. We capped off the night with plenty of Cooper’s and a bush tour. A Coonawarra bush tour consists of riding in the backs of utes (that’s a pickup truck to you a me), drinking beer and spotlighting kangaroo’s. It felt like back home in the Black Belt.
Tusesday, August 22- Clarendon, Samuel's Gorge, Russell Jeavon's Pizza
We had a free morning to sleep in, eat breakfast and shop in downtown McLaren Vale. Several of us went to the Bloke Shop to purchase the requisite Rossi boots and by the time we knew it we were back on the bus and headed to Clarendon- the home of the ubiquitous Hickinbothams. We took at bus tour of the Hickinbotham vineyards and ended up at David’s father’s house overlooking the vineyards. I thought the Kay’s had the best view until we got to this place- wow. We had a tasting of their own Clarendon labeled wines followed by an immense array of foodstuffs for lunch. The generosity of the people we met can not be translated into words.
After lunch we drove down to the local fotty field for a friendly game of full contact footy (slang for Australian Rules Football- not rugby). After a few drills to get down the basics we picked teams and played a game. Our Paringa team was victorious but it took about an hour for the headache and burning lungs to go away. Luckily cold Cooper’s was not far away.
Do not pass Go and proceed directly to meet Justin McNamee at Samuel’s Gorge for a vineyard tour and tasting. We had a barrel tasting of many, many blending components for the Samuel’s Gorge Shiraz, Grenache and Tempranillo wines. We finished the tasting with the 2004 new releases of the same. This is a winery to watch.
2004 Samuel's Gorge Shiraz
2004 Samuel's Gorge Grenache
2004 Samuel's Gorge Tempranillo
On to one of my most anticipated visits of the trip- Russell Jeavon’s Pizza. This now world famous wood-fired oven pizza place is normally open one night a week- Friday night- and reservations are hard to come by. Russell’s place is very rustic and everything is cooked in the wood-fired brick ovens- bread, pizzas and some amazing desserts. We had the whole place rented out for our group and we were accompanied by all of the McLaren Vale producers who all brought plenty of wine to drink. The pizzas lived up to their billing and we finished the night with plenty of Cooper’s and dancing to DJ Darky aka Frano Farroch.
After lunch we drove down to the local fotty field for a friendly game of full contact footy (slang for Australian Rules Football- not rugby). After a few drills to get down the basics we picked teams and played a game. Our Paringa team was victorious but it took about an hour for the headache and burning lungs to go away. Luckily cold Cooper’s was not far away.
Do not pass Go and proceed directly to meet Justin McNamee at Samuel’s Gorge for a vineyard tour and tasting. We had a barrel tasting of many, many blending components for the Samuel’s Gorge Shiraz, Grenache and Tempranillo wines. We finished the tasting with the 2004 new releases of the same. This is a winery to watch.
2004 Samuel's Gorge Shiraz
2004 Samuel's Gorge Grenache
2004 Samuel's Gorge Tempranillo
On to one of my most anticipated visits of the trip- Russell Jeavon’s Pizza. This now world famous wood-fired oven pizza place is normally open one night a week- Friday night- and reservations are hard to come by. Russell’s place is very rustic and everything is cooked in the wood-fired brick ovens- bread, pizzas and some amazing desserts. We had the whole place rented out for our group and we were accompanied by all of the McLaren Vale producers who all brought plenty of wine to drink. The pizzas lived up to their billing and we finished the night with plenty of Cooper’s and dancing to DJ Darky aka Frano Farroch.
Monday, August 21st- Noon, Kay Brother's, Shirvington
We’re checked in at McLaren’s On The Lake for a couple days in McLaren Vale. We start our morning with a tour, tasting and coffee at a little place called Noon. If you have never had a Noon wine before, if you beg me I might sell you a bottle.
Drew and Rae Noon source grapes from Langhorne Creek for their Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Cabernet and use estate-grown fruit for their Eclipse Grenache-based wine. We finished the visit with some hot coffee and some of Drew’s home-baked cookies.
We tasted the…
1998 Noon Reserve Cabernet
200? Noon Reserve Shiraz
2004 Noon Eclipse
We traveled down the road to Kay Brother's Amery Vineyards for a tour, tasting and lunch. The view of the valley from the winery is one of the most idyllic in wine country- the Hillside vineyard is actually on a hillside and the Block 6 compromises a few rows at the bottom of the hill. Chief winemaker Colin Kay led the tour though the grand, old winery and into the hall for lunch. The Kay’s have kept meticulous hand-written, daily records of the winery’s activity, weather, etc. since it’s inception in 1891.
Tasted were…
2003 Kay’s Amery Hillside Shiraz
2004 Kay’s Amery Hillside Shiraz
2004 Kay’s Amery Shiraz
2004 Kay’s Block 6 Shiraz
2004 Kay’s Amery Cabernet
2005 Kay’s Amery Hillside Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kay’s Amery Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kay’s Amery Block 6 Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kay’s Amery Cabernet (barrel sample)
2005 Kay’s Amery Merlot (barrel sample)
2005 Kay’s Amery Cuthbert Reserve Cabernet (barrel sample)
1997 Kay’s Amery Hillside Shiraz
multiple Tawny's and Dessert wines
Off to Scarpantoni for a tasting and tour at their winery. Phil Scarpantoni and the gang make a wide array of wines that are very popular in Australia. The US only receives a couple of their wines. These wines deliver for the money.
We left Scarpantoni and drove down to Maslin Beach for a walk on the sand. Maslin Beach was Australia’s first official nude beach so of course we had to take pictures of the sign (Unclad Bathing Foreshore Reserve Area- South of This Point Only).
Back into the town of Wilunga for a cleansing ale at the pub before joining the Shirvington’s and winekaer Kim Johnston for dinner at Fino. The Shirvington wines were, well, Shirvington wines. They also happened to be from the 2005 vintage (the best since 1998). I'll leave the rest for your imagination. The Italian banquet style (aka family style) food kept coming and the corks kept popping. Everyone had too much fun that night- this event was definately one of the highlights of the trip. Thank God we had the whole restaurant to ourselves.
Swilled were…
2005 Shirvington Shiraz
2005 Shirvington Cabernet Sauvignon
(pictured- the Florida boys with winemaker Kim Johnston)
Back to the hotel for a party in room #7, again.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Sunday, August 20th- R Winery, Rudderless
The next morning we check out of the Grand and treck for four hours to Mannum, a river town on the Murray River the is a popular vacation and boating spot in South Australia. We spent the whole day on a very large houseboat for a tasting of the new wines from R Winery. R Winery is owned by Dan Philips and Chris Ringland and is now the home of Marquis-Philips and many other up and coming labels. We had plenty of great food, wine and sunshine to re-energize us mid-trip.
Tasted on the boat were…
2005 Marquis Philips Shiraz
2005 Marquis Philips Cabernet
2005 Marquis Philips Merlot
2005 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend
2005 Marquis Philips Holly’s Blend
2005 Marquis Philips Lisa’s Blend (yet to be released Shiraz blend by new MP winemaker Lisa Whetherell)
2005 Marquis Philips Shiraz S9
2005 Marquis Philips Cabernet S2
2004 Bitch Grenache
2006 Bon Bon Rose
2005 R Ose
2005 Evil
2005 Pure Evil
2005 r Cabernet
2005 R Cabernet
2003 J.P. Belle Terroir
And probably some other that I don’t remember.
Off the boat and “on the bus” for a one hour plus drive to McLaren Vale and the Victory Hotel (http://www.victoryhotel.com.au/) on Sellicks Beach . Amazing view of the sea and one of the best sunsets ever witnessed. We were at the Victory for dinner with the owner Doug Govan and his new wine label called Rudderless. Doug planted wines around his pub and now has a wine made by his friend Justin McNamee of Samuel’s Gorge fame. The Cooper’s beer battered King George Whitting were outstanding and the wines were some of my favorite of the trip.
Tasted on the boat were…
2005 Marquis Philips Shiraz
2005 Marquis Philips Cabernet
2005 Marquis Philips Merlot
2005 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend
2005 Marquis Philips Holly’s Blend
2005 Marquis Philips Lisa’s Blend (yet to be released Shiraz blend by new MP winemaker Lisa Whetherell)
2005 Marquis Philips Shiraz S9
2005 Marquis Philips Cabernet S2
2004 Bitch Grenache
2006 Bon Bon Rose
2005 R Ose
2005 Evil
2005 Pure Evil
2005 r Cabernet
2005 R Cabernet
2003 J.P. Belle Terroir
And probably some other that I don’t remember.
Off the boat and “on the bus” for a one hour plus drive to McLaren Vale and the Victory Hotel (http://www.victoryhotel.com.au/) on Sellicks Beach . Amazing view of the sea and one of the best sunsets ever witnessed. We were at the Victory for dinner with the owner Doug Govan and his new wine label called Rudderless. Doug planted wines around his pub and now has a wine made by his friend Justin McNamee of Samuel’s Gorge fame. The Cooper’s beer battered King George Whitting were outstanding and the wines were some of my favorite of the trip.
Saturday, August 19th- Teusner, Paringa
It could be Wednesday for all we know. We check out of the Barossa Novotel Resort and stop at the former location of one of Australia’s best restaurants, Barr-Vinum. Barr-Vinum is co-owned by Bob McLean and Chris Ringland and was lead in the kitchen by Sandor Palmai, one of Australia’s most brilliant chefs. Located in the tiny town of Angaston in the Barossa, it appears the restaurant was too big for the town. It is closed until further notice.
We met Kym Teusner of Teusner Wines in the restaurant for a tasting. The Teusner wines are some of my personal favorites.
We tasted through the new releases of…
2005 Joshua (65% Grenache, 25% Mataro and 10% Shiraz, no oak treatment)
2004 Avatar (60% Grenache, 30% Mataro, 10% Shiraz aged in seasoned oak for over 16 months)
2004 The Riebke (Shiraz from the northern Barossa sub region of Ebenezer)
2003 Albert (100% shiraz cuvee from vines between 45 and 90 years old)
Barrel sample of a 2005 vintage shiraz that will be a super-premium single vineyard release.
Before we started on our 2 hour drive to Paringa, was stopped by the Barossa Farmer’s Market for a look. At Dan’s suggestion most of us stood in line for the best bacon, egg and cheese sandwich we have ever eaten. I washed mine down with some farm-fresh milk (clotted lumps and all) before hitting the bus.
We arrived at David Higginbotham’s Paringa vineyard for a light lunch and a vineyard tour. The vineyard is 5 square MILES of neatly trellised vines and red dirt on the banks of the Murray River. After the bus tour of the vineyard, no walking here, we headed to Mildura for dinner with David at his favorite restaurant, Stefano’s, at the Mildura Grand Hotel. We also spent the night at the Grand where every room was unique. We started the evening with a reception in the garden where we quaffed 2005 Paringa White and 2004 Paringa Sparkling Shiraz. When it was time for dinner was ascended into the hotel’s old wine cellar (must have been 2,500 sq. ft.) for supper.
With our Italian styled banquet dinner we drank…
2006 Bon Bon Rose
2000, 2002, 2005 Paringa Merlot
2000, 2002, 2005 Paringa Cabernet Sauvignon
1999, 2002, 2005 Paringa Shiraz
We met Kym Teusner of Teusner Wines in the restaurant for a tasting. The Teusner wines are some of my personal favorites.
We tasted through the new releases of…
2005 Joshua (65% Grenache, 25% Mataro and 10% Shiraz, no oak treatment)
2004 Avatar (60% Grenache, 30% Mataro, 10% Shiraz aged in seasoned oak for over 16 months)
2004 The Riebke (Shiraz from the northern Barossa sub region of Ebenezer)
2003 Albert (100% shiraz cuvee from vines between 45 and 90 years old)
Barrel sample of a 2005 vintage shiraz that will be a super-premium single vineyard release.
Before we started on our 2 hour drive to Paringa, was stopped by the Barossa Farmer’s Market for a look. At Dan’s suggestion most of us stood in line for the best bacon, egg and cheese sandwich we have ever eaten. I washed mine down with some farm-fresh milk (clotted lumps and all) before hitting the bus.
We arrived at David Higginbotham’s Paringa vineyard for a light lunch and a vineyard tour. The vineyard is 5 square MILES of neatly trellised vines and red dirt on the banks of the Murray River. After the bus tour of the vineyard, no walking here, we headed to Mildura for dinner with David at his favorite restaurant, Stefano’s, at the Mildura Grand Hotel. We also spent the night at the Grand where every room was unique. We started the evening with a reception in the garden where we quaffed 2005 Paringa White and 2004 Paringa Sparkling Shiraz. When it was time for dinner was ascended into the hotel’s old wine cellar (must have been 2,500 sq. ft.) for supper.
With our Italian styled banquet dinner we drank…
2006 Bon Bon Rose
2000, 2002, 2005 Paringa Merlot
2000, 2002, 2005 Paringa Cabernet Sauvignon
1999, 2002, 2005 Paringa Shiraz
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Friday, August 18th- Barossa & Eden Valley
We started the morning with a winery tour at Rusden Wines and Troll Creek. Christian Canute makes the wine for his own label, Rusden, and for his cousin’s label Troll Creek. We then drove up into the Barossa Ranges to the Canute’s farm house. We were treated to a breakfast of egg-in-the-hole, Christian’s homemade bacon, baked beans, bloody marys and wine, of course. We tasted through the new releases of the Rusden and Troll Creek wines, including…
2005 Rusden Christian Chenin Blanc
2004 Rusden Driftsand GSM
2004 Rusden Ripper Creek Cabernet/Shiraz
2004 Rusden Chookshed Zinfndel
2004 Rusden Boundaries Cabernet
2004 Rusden Black Guts Shiraz
2004 Rusden Christine’s Vineyard Grenache
2004 Toll Creek Shiraz
2004 Troll Creek Cabernet
We continue over the Barossa Ranges into Eden Valley to visit Domenic Torzi and his multiple projects, including Torzi-Matthews, Old Plains, Longhop and Veronique. Dominic is an Australian of Italian decent that is very passionate about food and wine. He bakes some of the best olive oil in the country (Una) and bakes equally superb bread.
Tasted were…
2004 Torzi-Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz (Eden Vlley)
2004 Old Plains Power of One Shiraz (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Longhop Old Vine Reserve Shiraz (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Longhop Old Vine Grenache (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Longhop Boomerang Shiraz (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Veronique Shiraz Barossa
Down the road to Hutton Vale we go for lunch. Hutton Vale is owned by the Angas family who are direct decendents of George Fife Angas who used to own the South Australia Company. Once one of the wealthiest families in the world in the 1800’s, their property holdings totaled 14,000,000 acres in what is now the state of South Australia. Hutton Vale is also a commercial sheep farm and we were lucky enough to be able to watch sheep sheering. We ate lunch at their 1840’s farm house, a highlight of the trip.
Tasted were…
2005 Hutton Vale Riesling
2002 Hutton Vale Grenache Mataro
2001 Hutton Vale Shiraz
On to The Willows Vineyard for a tasting with Peter Scholz. 100% estate grown wines from the 100 acre vineyard in Light Pass.
Riesling, Semillon, Cabernet, Shiraz, G7 Grenache, Bonesetter Shiraz and The Doctor Sparkling Shiraz.
We then drive down the street to meet Rob Gibson at Gibson Wines/BarossaVale. Rob had a full spread of wines to show us, including blending components from barrel. These were some of my favorite wines of the trip.
Tasted were…
2004 Gibson Reserve Merlot
2004 Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2004 Gibson BarossaVale Shiraz
2004 Australian Old Vine Collection Mclaren Vale Grenache
2004 Australian Old Vine Collection Barossa Shiraz
Barrel Samples…
2005 Grenache Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2005 Mourvedre Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2005 Shiraz Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2005 Shiraz Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Shiraz
2005 Shiraz Blender for Australian Old Vine Collection Shiraz
2005 Grenache Blender for Australian Old Vine Collection Grenache
2005 Shiraz Blender for Eden Valley Old Vines
2005 Bordeaux Blend
Into the belly of the beast we go for dinner with Greenock Creek Vineyard & Cellars at the home of Michael and Anabelle Waugh. We tasted through all of the new releases and several older wines. Excellent heavy hors devours were pass all night long while we tried to finish all of the wines that the Waugh’s had opened for us (three bottles of each wine listed below)- we were unsuccessful.
Drank were…
2005 Greenock Greek Cornerstone Grenache
2004 Greenock Creek Cabernet
2004 Greenock Greek Alice’s Shiraz
2004 Greenock Greek Apricot Block Shiraz
2004 Greenock Greek Seven Acres Shiraz
2004 Greenock Greek Creek Block Shiraz
2001 Greenock Greek Roenfeldt Road Shiraz
2001 Greenock Greek Roenfeldt Road Cabernet
1996 Greenock Creek Seven Acres Shiraz
1997 Greenock Creek Creek Block Shiraz
2000 Greenock Creek Alice’s Shiraz (inaugural year)
2005 Rusden Christian Chenin Blanc
2004 Rusden Driftsand GSM
2004 Rusden Ripper Creek Cabernet/Shiraz
2004 Rusden Chookshed Zinfndel
2004 Rusden Boundaries Cabernet
2004 Rusden Black Guts Shiraz
2004 Rusden Christine’s Vineyard Grenache
2004 Toll Creek Shiraz
2004 Troll Creek Cabernet
We continue over the Barossa Ranges into Eden Valley to visit Domenic Torzi and his multiple projects, including Torzi-Matthews, Old Plains, Longhop and Veronique. Dominic is an Australian of Italian decent that is very passionate about food and wine. He bakes some of the best olive oil in the country (Una) and bakes equally superb bread.
Tasted were…
2004 Torzi-Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz (Eden Vlley)
2004 Old Plains Power of One Shiraz (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Longhop Old Vine Reserve Shiraz (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Longhop Old Vine Grenache (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Longhop Boomerang Shiraz (Adelaide Plains)
2004 Veronique Shiraz Barossa
Down the road to Hutton Vale we go for lunch. Hutton Vale is owned by the Angas family who are direct decendents of George Fife Angas who used to own the South Australia Company. Once one of the wealthiest families in the world in the 1800’s, their property holdings totaled 14,000,000 acres in what is now the state of South Australia. Hutton Vale is also a commercial sheep farm and we were lucky enough to be able to watch sheep sheering. We ate lunch at their 1840’s farm house, a highlight of the trip.
Tasted were…
2005 Hutton Vale Riesling
2002 Hutton Vale Grenache Mataro
2001 Hutton Vale Shiraz
On to The Willows Vineyard for a tasting with Peter Scholz. 100% estate grown wines from the 100 acre vineyard in Light Pass.
Riesling, Semillon, Cabernet, Shiraz, G7 Grenache, Bonesetter Shiraz and The Doctor Sparkling Shiraz.
We then drive down the street to meet Rob Gibson at Gibson Wines/BarossaVale. Rob had a full spread of wines to show us, including blending components from barrel. These were some of my favorite wines of the trip.
Tasted were…
2004 Gibson Reserve Merlot
2004 Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2004 Gibson BarossaVale Shiraz
2004 Australian Old Vine Collection Mclaren Vale Grenache
2004 Australian Old Vine Collection Barossa Shiraz
Barrel Samples…
2005 Grenache Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2005 Mourvedre Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2005 Shiraz Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Wilfreda Blend
2005 Shiraz Blender for Gibson BarossaVale Shiraz
2005 Shiraz Blender for Australian Old Vine Collection Shiraz
2005 Grenache Blender for Australian Old Vine Collection Grenache
2005 Shiraz Blender for Eden Valley Old Vines
2005 Bordeaux Blend
Into the belly of the beast we go for dinner with Greenock Creek Vineyard & Cellars at the home of Michael and Anabelle Waugh. We tasted through all of the new releases and several older wines. Excellent heavy hors devours were pass all night long while we tried to finish all of the wines that the Waugh’s had opened for us (three bottles of each wine listed below)- we were unsuccessful.
Drank were…
2005 Greenock Greek Cornerstone Grenache
2004 Greenock Creek Cabernet
2004 Greenock Greek Alice’s Shiraz
2004 Greenock Greek Apricot Block Shiraz
2004 Greenock Greek Seven Acres Shiraz
2004 Greenock Greek Creek Block Shiraz
2001 Greenock Greek Roenfeldt Road Shiraz
2001 Greenock Greek Roenfeldt Road Cabernet
1996 Greenock Creek Seven Acres Shiraz
1997 Greenock Creek Creek Block Shiraz
2000 Greenock Creek Alice’s Shiraz (inaugural year)
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 17th- Bush Ranger Event, Kalleske, Red Nectar
Started the day at the Nuriootpa High School for a tour and tasting. This high school was the first in Australia to start a winemaking program to compliment its large agricultural curriculum. The students participate in all aspects of grape growing and winemaking, except for the tasting part. This wines produced from the school’s program are sold commercially and have been rated in the mid 90’s by Parker. They make Shiraz and Chardonnay.
We then drove to the Bethany area of the Barossa to a public picnic spot for the 2nd annual Bush Ranger Event. This event was created by Dan Philips to honor Rhone-inspired wines made in Australia and to allow multiple producers to get together and talk about and drink each other’s wines. We started the event with a aged vertical tasting of RBJ Theologicum wines lead by Chris Ringland. We tasted 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999.
The producers started showing up after the RBJ tasting and we all dined on casoulet and many other goodies. This was followed by more drinking, hanging-out, playing cricket, kiegel, etc.
On hand with their Grenache and GSM based wines were producers and growers from…
Burge, Gibson, Glaymond, Kalleske, RBJ, Rockford, Rusden, Samuel’s Gorge, Teusner, Willows, R Winery, and more
After 6 hours of this we hopped on the bus and head to Greenock for a tour of the Kalleske vineyards. On the way we toured the vineyards of Red Nectar. These vineyards are owned by Troy Kalleke’s cousin, Tami Schutz We followed Kalleske vineyard and winery the tour with a cleansing ale and dinner at the Greenock Creek Tavern hosted by Kalleske and Red Nectar.
Tasted with dinner were…
2005 Kalleske Clarry’s White
2005 Kalleske Clarry’s Red
2004 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz
2004 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache
2004 Kalleske Shiraz Johan Gerog
2005 Kalleske Lorraine Late Harvest Semillon
2005 Kalleske Shiraz VP (vintage port- barrel sample)
2005 Red Nectar Shiraz
2005 Red Nectar Cabernet
We then drove to the Bethany area of the Barossa to a public picnic spot for the 2nd annual Bush Ranger Event. This event was created by Dan Philips to honor Rhone-inspired wines made in Australia and to allow multiple producers to get together and talk about and drink each other’s wines. We started the event with a aged vertical tasting of RBJ Theologicum wines lead by Chris Ringland. We tasted 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999.
The producers started showing up after the RBJ tasting and we all dined on casoulet and many other goodies. This was followed by more drinking, hanging-out, playing cricket, kiegel, etc.
On hand with their Grenache and GSM based wines were producers and growers from…
Burge, Gibson, Glaymond, Kalleske, RBJ, Rockford, Rusden, Samuel’s Gorge, Teusner, Willows, R Winery, and more
After 6 hours of this we hopped on the bus and head to Greenock for a tour of the Kalleske vineyards. On the way we toured the vineyards of Red Nectar. These vineyards are owned by Troy Kalleke’s cousin, Tami Schutz We followed Kalleske vineyard and winery the tour with a cleansing ale and dinner at the Greenock Creek Tavern hosted by Kalleske and Red Nectar.
Tasted with dinner were…
2005 Kalleske Clarry’s White
2005 Kalleske Clarry’s Red
2004 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz
2004 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache
2004 Kalleske Shiraz Johan Gerog
2005 Kalleske Lorraine Late Harvest Semillon
2005 Kalleske Shiraz VP (vintage port- barrel sample)
2005 Red Nectar Shiraz
2005 Red Nectar Cabernet
Monday, August 28, 2006
Wednesday, August 16th- Too Many To List
Started with pasties and coffee at Two Way Range and Clancy & Fuller. There is a common partner in each wine so they were tasted together.
Tasted were...
2004 Two Way Range Shiraz
2002 Clancy Fuller Scribblers
2002 Clancy Fuller Silesian
2002 Clancy Fuller Three Hogshead Shiraz
Next visit was at Loan Wines with Rick and Jessie Loan. One of the only Certified Organic vineyards in the area, the Loans have been making Shiraz and Semillon since 2001. This is one of the rising stars in the Barossa. They have two paddocks on their property, the Front Block and the Creek Block. Depending on the vintage they make either a blended wine of both vineyards or just a Front Block Shiraz. This will continue to change.
Tasted were…
2006 Loan Raven’s Rose
2002-2005 Loan Semillon
2001 Loan Front Block Shiraz
2002 Loan Shiraz
2003 Loan Front Block Shiraz
Multiple barrel samples of Shiraz from 2004 and 2005.
(Jessie & Rick Loan)
On to a winery tour, tasting and lunch at Glaymond and Tscharke. Damien Tscharke is another young winemaker making big waves in Barossa. We tasted through barrel samples and blending components of the 2005/6 wines, including a single barrel reserve Shiraz that will be new for 2006, and through the 2004/5 releases.
Tasted were…
2006 Tscharke Tempranillo Only Son (barrel sample)
2006 Tscharke Graciano Only Son (barrel sample)
2006 Tscharke Montepulciano The Master (barrel sample)
2006 Tscharke Zinfandel The Curse (barrel sample)
2005 Glaymond Grenache (barrel sample)
2005 Glaymond Shiraz The Distance (barrel sample)
2005 Glaymond Shiraz Landrace (barrel sample)
2005 Glaymond Mataro Landrace (barrel sample)
2005 Glaymond Cabernet (barrel sample)
2005 Glaymond Shiraz The Distinction (barrel sample)
2005 Touiga National Vintage Port
2004 Glaymond Grenache Gerhard
2004 Glaymond Shiraz The Distance
2004 Glaymond Shiraz Mataro Landrace
2004 Glaymond Cabernet As If
2004 Glaymond Shiraz The Distinction
Mclean’s Farm was the next stop for a tasting at Bob Mclean’s house for a tasting of his new releases and some older vintages and barrel samples.
Mclean’s Farm Cabernet Shiraz
Mclean’s Farm Shiraz
On to Hobbs for a vineyard tour and tasting of new releases. Greg Hobbs has a home, winery and vineyard located on about 25 acres in the Barossa Ranges right next door to Chris Ringland’s house and eponymous vineyard. Greg makes the wine with help from Chris. As some already know, the Amarone-styled Hobbs Shiraz The Gregor is one of the stars of the GP portfolio.
Tasted were…
2004 Hobbs Shiraz
2004 Hobbs Shiraz The Gregor
Frontinac
Viognier
Grenache
We then met Chris Ringland in his vineyard for a tour followed by a diner and throw-down in his new house overlooking the vineyard. I ate more morel mushrooms in cream sauce that night than I have eaten in my whole life. The music was pumping and the wine was flowing. We finished the evening at the Eden Valley Hotel for Cooper’s.
Drank were…
Rockford Black Shiraz Sparkling
2005 Chris Ringland Shiraz (barrel sample)
2000 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
1998 RBJ Theologicum
2004 3 Rings Shiraz
2005 3 Rings Shiraz
1987 Sevenhills Vintage Port
1997 Rockford Grenache
2002 Acquillon Grenacha
2001 Rockford Semillon
2003 Alto Moncayo Veraton
Tuesday, August 15th- Burge, TJ, Rockford, Hare's Chase
Depart hotel for the Barossa and travel 50 mins to the first stop at Burge Family Winemakers. Rick has a beautiful tasting room/cellar door and provided a great vineyard tour. When looking at the Burge property from the street the Olive Hill paddock is on the right and the Draycott paddock is on the left- the vineyards are 10 acres each.
Burge is 100% biodynamic and dry-grown.
Tasted were…
2005 Olive Hill Semillon
2000 Olive Hill Semillon
2004 Clochemerle Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro
2004 Grenacha Dry Grown Grenache
2004 Homestead Blend Cabernet-Shiraz
2004 D&OH Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro
2004 Draycott Shiraz
2003 Vintage Port
Wilsford Old Barossa Tawny
On to Trevor Jones Fine Wines for a brief visit as Trevor was out of the country. He was there in effigy though. We were lead on a tour of the winery by the winemaker Matt Reynolds and then tastes through the new releases.
2005 Virgin Chardonnay
2005 Boots White
2005 Boots Grenache
2003 Drygrown Shiraz
2003 Wild Witch Shiraz
On to Rockford and tasting and tour of the winery lead by Robert O’Callahan. All winemaking at Rockford is by traditional method and many of the Barossa’s new superstar winemakers trained under Robert at Rockford (including Chris Ringland, Christian Canute, etc.). 2007 will be Robert’s 42nd vintage. Rockford is a cult wine in Australia and very little is imported into the USA.
We had a tasting at the winery and then took the bus over the Barossa Ranges from the Barossa Valley into the Eden Valley where Robert has a 2 acre organic vegetable farm. The farm is harvested two times a week for special lunches that are cooked for Rockford’s mailing list customers. We were lucky enough to have one of these lunches prepared for our group- it was some of the best food on the trip and included an amazing goose cassoulet (pictured below).
Tasted at the winery were…
2002 Semillon
2001 Moppa Springs (GSM)
2002 Cabernet
2003 Basket Press Shiraz
Drank with lunch were…
1999 Semillon
2003 Semillon
1998 Moppa Springs (magnum)
1996 Basket Press Shiraz
1987 Basket Press Shiraz
NV PS Marion Tawny Port
On to the Barossa Novotel hotel to check-in and then get back on the bus for a brief ride to Hare’s Chase. Hare’s Chase is a partnership between winemaker Peter Taylor and businessman Mike de la Haye. Peter is one of the most power corporate winemakers in the world as chief winemaker for Southcorp- he also used to make Penfolds Grange. When Peter and Mike started their own label on the side they chose Dan Philips as the importer. We had a tour, tasting and bbq at their winery/estate vineyard in the Marananga region of the Barossa Valley.
Tasted were…
2005 Hare’s Chase Blend
2004 Shiraz
2003 Shiraz
2002 Shiraz
2005 Tempranillo (private bottling for Peter & Mike)
2006 Blend Elements from Barrel
Cabernet-Cab Franc
Tempranillo
Shiraz
Burge is 100% biodynamic and dry-grown.
Tasted were…
2005 Olive Hill Semillon
2000 Olive Hill Semillon
2004 Clochemerle Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro
2004 Grenacha Dry Grown Grenache
2004 Homestead Blend Cabernet-Shiraz
2004 D&OH Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro
2004 Draycott Shiraz
2003 Vintage Port
Wilsford Old Barossa Tawny
On to Trevor Jones Fine Wines for a brief visit as Trevor was out of the country. He was there in effigy though. We were lead on a tour of the winery by the winemaker Matt Reynolds and then tastes through the new releases.
2005 Virgin Chardonnay2005 Boots White
2005 Boots Grenache
2003 Drygrown Shiraz
2003 Wild Witch Shiraz
On to Rockford and tasting and tour of the winery lead by Robert O’Callahan. All winemaking at Rockford is by traditional method and many of the Barossa’s new superstar winemakers trained under Robert at Rockford (including Chris Ringland, Christian Canute, etc.). 2007 will be Robert’s 42nd vintage. Rockford is a cult wine in Australia and very little is imported into the USA.
We had a tasting at the winery and then took the bus over the Barossa Ranges from the Barossa Valley into the Eden Valley where Robert has a 2 acre organic vegetable farm. The farm is harvested two times a week for special lunches that are cooked for Rockford’s mailing list customers. We were lucky enough to have one of these lunches prepared for our group- it was some of the best food on the trip and included an amazing goose cassoulet (pictured below).
Tasted at the winery were…
2002 Semillon
2001 Moppa Springs (GSM)
2002 Cabernet
2003 Basket Press Shiraz
Drank with lunch were…
1999 Semillon
2003 Semillon
1998 Moppa Springs (magnum)
1996 Basket Press Shiraz
1987 Basket Press Shiraz
NV PS Marion Tawny Port
On to the Barossa Novotel hotel to check-in and then get back on the bus for a brief ride to Hare’s Chase. Hare’s Chase is a partnership between winemaker Peter Taylor and businessman Mike de la Haye. Peter is one of the most power corporate winemakers in the world as chief winemaker for Southcorp- he also used to make Penfolds Grange. When Peter and Mike started their own label on the side they chose Dan Philips as the importer. We had a tour, tasting and bbq at their winery/estate vineyard in the Marananga region of the Barossa Valley.
Tasted were…
2005 Hare’s Chase Blend
2004 Shiraz
2003 Shiraz
2002 Shiraz
2005 Tempranillo (private bottling for Peter & Mike)
2006 Blend Elements from Barrel
Cabernet-Cab Franc
Tempranillo
Shiraz
Friday, August 25, 2006
Monday, August 14, Lengs & Cooter, Geoff Weaver, Hazyblur
Started the day with an hour long walk around the city and a hazelnut Capuchino from Cibo. Visited the Edinborugh Hotel (Adelaide’s best wine shop) briefly before our lunch with Lengs & Cooter. We joined Colin Cooter, Karl Lengs and Colin’s son James at their favorite neighborhood restaurant called Stamps. The food was exceptional, especially the Cofin Bay oysters on the half shell with a lime and cucumber salsa. The lightly fried calamari was the absolute best I’ve ever had- everyone agreed. The wines were exceptional.
Tasted were…
2006 Lengs & Cooter Watervale Riesling
2005 Lengs & Cooter Chardonnay/Viognier
2004 Lengs & Cooter Victor Shiraz
2003 Lengs & Cooter Old Vine Shiraz
NV Sparkling Red (with crown seal)
2003 Reserve Shiraz
multiple museum wines from 1998, 2001, etc.
We then walked around the corner to taste with Geoff Weaver, king of Aussie Sauvignon Blanc.
Tasted were…
2005 Riesling
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
2005 Sauvignon Blanc
2004 Ferus Sauvignon Blanc
2001 Chardonnay
2005 Chardonnay
2004 Pinot Noir
1999 Cabernet-Merlot
On to Hazyblur which is located in the Adelaide Plains. Ross Tromboli is the winemaker and sources fruit from all over South Australia. They has a whole pig on the spit for us and plenty of duck, pasties, etc., etc., etc. We started the event with a barrel tasting of the 2005 vintage (the best vintage since 1998) and then moved into the current release wines from 2004. Ross has added a Cab and a Shiraz from Kangaroo Island to his portfolio. We were also treated to a redneck fireworks show in the parking lot a la Ross and a couple of the group members.
Tasted were…
2004 Adelaide Plains Shiraz
2004 Mclaren Vale Plains Shiraz
2004 Baroota Shiraz
2004 Barossa Shiraz
2004 Barossa Invictus Shiraz
2004 Kangaroo Island Shiraz
2004 Kangaroo Island Cabernet
2004 Kangaroo Island Pinot Noir
2003 Shiraz Late Picked
2004 Fortified Rose (experimental barrel)
2005 Adelaide Plains Shiraz(barrel sample)
2005 Mclaren Vale Plains Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Baroota Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Barossa Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Barossa Invictus Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kangaroo Island Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kangaroo Island Cabernet (barrel sample)
2005 Kangaroo Island Pinot Noir (barrel sample)
Tasted were…
2006 Lengs & Cooter Watervale Riesling
2005 Lengs & Cooter Chardonnay/Viognier
2004 Lengs & Cooter Victor Shiraz
2003 Lengs & Cooter Old Vine Shiraz
NV Sparkling Red (with crown seal)
2003 Reserve Shiraz
multiple museum wines from 1998, 2001, etc.
We then walked around the corner to taste with Geoff Weaver, king of Aussie Sauvignon Blanc.
Tasted were…
2005 Riesling
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
2005 Sauvignon Blanc
2004 Ferus Sauvignon Blanc
2001 Chardonnay
2005 Chardonnay
2004 Pinot Noir
1999 Cabernet-Merlot
On to Hazyblur which is located in the Adelaide Plains. Ross Tromboli is the winemaker and sources fruit from all over South Australia. They has a whole pig on the spit for us and plenty of duck, pasties, etc., etc., etc. We started the event with a barrel tasting of the 2005 vintage (the best vintage since 1998) and then moved into the current release wines from 2004. Ross has added a Cab and a Shiraz from Kangaroo Island to his portfolio. We were also treated to a redneck fireworks show in the parking lot a la Ross and a couple of the group members.
Tasted were…
2004 Adelaide Plains Shiraz
2004 Mclaren Vale Plains Shiraz
2004 Baroota Shiraz
2004 Barossa Shiraz
2004 Barossa Invictus Shiraz
2004 Kangaroo Island Shiraz
2004 Kangaroo Island Cabernet
2004 Kangaroo Island Pinot Noir
2003 Shiraz Late Picked
2004 Fortified Rose (experimental barrel)
2005 Adelaide Plains Shiraz(barrel sample)
2005 Mclaren Vale Plains Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Baroota Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Barossa Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Barossa Invictus Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kangaroo Island Shiraz (barrel sample)
2005 Kangaroo Island Cabernet (barrel sample)
2005 Kangaroo Island Pinot Noir (barrel sample)
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Sunday, August 13th, Kangaroo Island
Amazing day. THE coolest place I have ever been. Good to see the Byers again- they say hello to everyone in Pensacola. Pictures and descriptions can't describe this place- it must be seen. Just amazing. BTW, Cape D'Estaing is back in a big way with the 2004 vintage.
Tasted were...
2001 Cape D'Estaing Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Cape D'Estaing Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Cape D'Estaing Shiraz
2004 Cape D'Estaing Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Cape D'Estaing Shiraz
2004 Cape D'Estaing Cabernet Sauvignon Admiral's Reserve (magnum- 120 bottles produced)
2004 Cape D'Estaing Shiraz Admiral's Reserve (magnum)
Went to a yakatori (japaneese bbq) restaurant for dinner with Damien Tscharke. The food was outstanding and the wines were too.
Tasted were...
2005 Tscharke Albarino
2005 Tscharke Tempranillo Only Son
2005 Tscharke Montepulciano The Master
2005 Tscharke Zinfandel The Curse
Saturday, August 12th, Arrive in Adelaide
After 34 hours of traveling we landed in Adelaide. We were met at the gate by Dan Philips, Rachel (GP’s Aussie-side employee), David Higginbotham (Paringa, Clarendon, R Winery) and Lisa Wetherell (Marquis-Philis, R Winery). Beautiful day with clear skies and temps in the upper 60’s. We quickly load our luggage onto the bus and are off on the 10 min drive to the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel. We checked in at 11:30 AM, ran upstairs to drop our bags and shower and then most of us met back in the lobby where we proceeded to the Exeter Hotel (a hotel is a bar in Aus). Called the “X” locally, the Exeter is the most popular hangout for the under 40 crowd in Adelaide. We had a couple of Cooper’s on draught and then made our way back to the hotel (2 blocks) for a 1 PM bus ride to the Ashton Hills Winery. A couple of us went to a wine shop called East End Cellars before we hit the X, too.
Ashton Hills is in the Adelaide Hills which is a 15 min ride from the hotel up a narrow winding road. We were met at the winery by owner Stephen George. Stephen makes the wines for his own labels, Ashton Hills & Galah, and is the winemaker at Wendouree, an Aussie cult wine that is not imported to the US- Dan desceibed it as the Screaming Eagle of Australia. The vineyard climate was described as very European and similar to the warmer parts of Burgundy or the cooler parts of Bordeaux.
Tasted were…
2004 Ashton Hills Sparkling Salomon Brut, a 100% Pinot Noir rose sparkler.
2005 Ashton Hills Riesling
2005 Ashton Hills Chardonnay
2004 Ashton Hills Reserve Pinot Noir
2001 Ashton Hills Five (Bordeaux blend with 40% merlot)
1998 Galah Sparkling Red (cab, shiraz and malbec blend from the Wendouree vineyard, planted in 1911)
I found the coolest spit/dump bucket I’ve seen- I want one. It is French and I wrote down the info printed on the bottom of the bucket…
Oeno Sablier, (1) 49111969, Oeno Com- France, http://oenosablier.com/
We finished up at Ashton Hills and made a visit to Cleland Wildlife Park just down the road. We all had a glass of 2004 Paringa Sparkling Shiraz before our guide Maryn took us for a tour of the park. We saw bandicoots, koala bears, kangaroos, magpies, cookaboras (sp), etc. We got to pet the koalas and the roos and the coolest part was feeding a kangaroos with a joey in her pouch- it popped its head out a couple of times too.
Back to town for a 6 PM tasting at the hotel. I feel surprisingly good at this point and not tired- I popped a Berocca (orange flavored- best yet) just in case though. On the roof of the Roof Garden Hotel we were greeted by ice cold Cooper’s Pale and a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Adelaide Hills. Noel Kelly (Clos Clare) and Corey Chaplin (Lunar) were on hand to taste their new wines and share some pizza with us.
Tasted were…
2005 Clos Clare Riesling
2006 Clos Clare Riesling
2004 Lunar Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Lunar Shiraz
Corey , 29, and his girlfriend,27, were great people and we hit it off with them immediately. Corey worked at Rockford for Chris Ringland and Robert O’Callahan for several years before starting his own project- 2004 is his first vintage, 500 case total production. The Lunar grapes come from the Marananga, Ebenezer and Dorian vineyards in the Greenock area of the Barossa. Super wines, especially the cab which has no signs of the dreaded green bell pepper prevalent in many Aussie cabs of late. I had a long conversation at the bar with Corey about this green issue and we are on the same page- he assures me that no Lunar cab will ever be green.
At 7:30 we lost most of the group to the bed and a couple to the casino. The rest of us, including Corey and his girlfriend, went to a tapas and wine bar called The Apothecary. Very cool place. They brought in the shelving, drawers, wall panels, etc. from an old apothecary in London. We snacked on some tapas and ordered the following…
2004 Kalleske Old Vines Grenache
2004 Glatezer Godolphin Shiraz
2004 Ashton Hills Salomon Brut
and one more red I can’t remember
Back to the Exeter Hotel for more Cooper’s at 9:30ish. The scene was happening now and the place was packed. Peter Lynn (Majella) showed up and hung out until we hit the wall at 11 PM. Back to the hotel for some sleep.
Slept until 5:30 and woke up well rested. Got up, had a Berocca and a shower and then went downstairs for some breakfast. 8 AM bus ride to the airport for a flight to Kangaroo Island.
Ashton Hills is in the Adelaide Hills which is a 15 min ride from the hotel up a narrow winding road. We were met at the winery by owner Stephen George. Stephen makes the wines for his own labels, Ashton Hills & Galah, and is the winemaker at Wendouree, an Aussie cult wine that is not imported to the US- Dan desceibed it as the Screaming Eagle of Australia. The vineyard climate was described as very European and similar to the warmer parts of Burgundy or the cooler parts of Bordeaux.
Tasted were…
2004 Ashton Hills Sparkling Salomon Brut, a 100% Pinot Noir rose sparkler.
2005 Ashton Hills Riesling
2005 Ashton Hills Chardonnay
2004 Ashton Hills Reserve Pinot Noir
2001 Ashton Hills Five (Bordeaux blend with 40% merlot)
1998 Galah Sparkling Red (cab, shiraz and malbec blend from the Wendouree vineyard, planted in 1911)
I found the coolest spit/dump bucket I’ve seen- I want one. It is French and I wrote down the info printed on the bottom of the bucket…
Oeno Sablier, (1) 49111969, Oeno Com- France, http://oenosablier.com/
We finished up at Ashton Hills and made a visit to Cleland Wildlife Park just down the road. We all had a glass of 2004 Paringa Sparkling Shiraz before our guide Maryn took us for a tour of the park. We saw bandicoots, koala bears, kangaroos, magpies, cookaboras (sp), etc. We got to pet the koalas and the roos and the coolest part was feeding a kangaroos with a joey in her pouch- it popped its head out a couple of times too.
Back to town for a 6 PM tasting at the hotel. I feel surprisingly good at this point and not tired- I popped a Berocca (orange flavored- best yet) just in case though. On the roof of the Roof Garden Hotel we were greeted by ice cold Cooper’s Pale and a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Adelaide Hills. Noel Kelly (Clos Clare) and Corey Chaplin (Lunar) were on hand to taste their new wines and share some pizza with us.
Tasted were…
2005 Clos Clare Riesling
2006 Clos Clare Riesling
2004 Lunar Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Lunar Shiraz
Corey , 29, and his girlfriend,27, were great people and we hit it off with them immediately. Corey worked at Rockford for Chris Ringland and Robert O’Callahan for several years before starting his own project- 2004 is his first vintage, 500 case total production. The Lunar grapes come from the Marananga, Ebenezer and Dorian vineyards in the Greenock area of the Barossa. Super wines, especially the cab which has no signs of the dreaded green bell pepper prevalent in many Aussie cabs of late. I had a long conversation at the bar with Corey about this green issue and we are on the same page- he assures me that no Lunar cab will ever be green.
At 7:30 we lost most of the group to the bed and a couple to the casino. The rest of us, including Corey and his girlfriend, went to a tapas and wine bar called The Apothecary. Very cool place. They brought in the shelving, drawers, wall panels, etc. from an old apothecary in London. We snacked on some tapas and ordered the following…
2004 Kalleske Old Vines Grenache
2004 Glatezer Godolphin Shiraz
2004 Ashton Hills Salomon Brut
and one more red I can’t remember
Back to the Exeter Hotel for more Cooper’s at 9:30ish. The scene was happening now and the place was packed. Peter Lynn (Majella) showed up and hung out until we hit the wall at 11 PM. Back to the hotel for some sleep.
Slept until 5:30 and woke up well rested. Got up, had a Berocca and a shower and then went downstairs for some breakfast. 8 AM bus ride to the airport for a flight to Kangaroo Island.
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