greg drinks

Category: australia/new zealand

australian and new zealand wines

  • 2004 Three Miners Pinot Noir

    I recently tasted a very nice pinot noir from New Zealand. The 2004 Three Miners pinot noir impressed me and I would say it’s about a 90-91 point wine.

  • A couple for the weekend

    I just acquired a case of the 2005 High Trellis cabernet sauvignon from d’Arenberg and I had to pop a bottle open this evening. I liked it! It was one of those Australian fruit bombs that didn’t taste fake. It was not cloyingly sweet. It had structure and complication and interesting flavors. It also had a deep deep red color that I can only describe as blood with a bit of a purple hue. See the picture below. It had fantastic color.

    Of course you need to know how it tasted. d’Arenberg is a favorite of mine. I like most of the wine they produce and this one was no exception. On the nose I smelled chocolate covered dark cherries an blackberries. There were wisps of black current and a hint of leather. On the palate you were immediately attacked by huge dark cherry flavors that mingled with leather, tobacco, wood and cocoa. The mid palate was exciting and the wine had a rich flavor that weighted heavily on the palate. Currant and mulberry flavors danced along on the lingering finish. There was an interesting note of cowhide that reminds me of chewing on a leather shoe lace on a pair of work boots. It was a big fruit bomb but nicely balanced. If I were to score it I’d say it was a 90 point wine.

    We opened another bottle this evening from California. The 2004 Bogle Phantom. This is a meritage blend of 54% Petite Sirah, 43% old vine zinfandel and 3% old vine mourvedre. If you like petite syrah you’ll like this wine. The zin gives it a spice that is very interesting. It displayed black currants, raisins and spice on the nose. On the palate it was big, jammy and spicy. It had a lush dried fruit component that reminded me of chocolate covered raisins, dried figs, currants and prunes. The chocolate really came out on the mid palate. One the end there were flavors of mocha, black dirt, vanilla, a tiny trace of cumin and coffee. A quite interesting wine. It developed more as it was allowed to breathe. Definitely worth the $17 I paid for it.

  • The Winery and The Wines


    I was so happy that The Winery in Fargo reopened. It is a nice cozy place with some great values on wines. They have an all new menu and wine list offering very affordable options. I was there on Wednesday evening and had the opportunity to taste some nice ones. We started with a Bogle Petit Syrah. This is usually a nice affordable quaf and it didn’t disappoint us. There are two wines that I want to talk about though.

    2005 Langmeil Three Gardens


    The 2005 Three Gardens was an incredibly complex and interesting wine. When first poured it had a very interesting mossy nose with earthy sweat sock smells that mingled with black cherry and spice. The pungent socks diminished with a bit of air time. On the palate this was full and lush. Actually I would describe it as soft and creamy. It had flavors of roasted vegetables, corn silo dust and sour black cherries. It had a good tannin structure and a long finish. Secondary notes were full of complex interesting things like green hickory nut hulls and spice. An excellent wine that I will be looking for again.

    2004 Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon


    We also opened a 2004 Franciscan. The bouquet was full of cloves, tart cherries, green peppers with a side of blueberries. Another interesting nose. When I put this in my mouth I immediately knew this was opened way before it’s time. Can you say TANNIN MONSTER? So dry and puckering this one had more tannins in it than I can remember tasting before. It definitely needs a good five years in the bottle before it is drinkable. Aside from that it had flavors of chocolate covered cherries dusted with unsweetened cocoa and cassis. The finish was very dry and woody, undoubtedly due to the huge tannins. Because of that the alcohol felt quite hot. I think this will be a nice wine some day but that day is not now.

  • Have your cake and drink it too


    Let them drink cake is about right. I want to talk about this wine I had last night. A great effort from the Barossa Valley of Australia. This is a 2006 Shiraz appropriately labeled Layer Cake. It is produced by Pure Love Wines in Tanunda. I paid about 12 bucks for ir. I want to share what is written on the back label as I think it sets the stage for how I will describe my experience with the cake.

    My old grandfather made and enjoyed wine for 80 years. He told me the soil in which the vines lived were a layer cake. He said the wine, if properly made, was like a great layer cake, fruit, mocha and chocolate, hits of spice and rich, always rich. ‘Never pass up a layer cake’, he would say. I have always loved those words. ~A. Orlando 

    This description is absolutely accurate. The color layer: This wine had a deep rich almost black color. A great indicator of things to come. The aroma layer: The nose is attacked by layers of fruit and earth. Notes of black plums and black cherries overlayed on top of leather and musty soil permeated the nose. The rather high 14.9% alcohol was apparent on the nose and the tongue when the bottle was first opened, but after being decanted for an hour or two it diminished and became harmonious with the wine. The taste layer: How do you describe the heavy weight and lusciousness that this wine delivers on the palate. This wine HAS to breathe for a while before it expresses its true layers. When first opened it tasted out of balance with various flavors darting in and out but not supporting each other. After being decanted for some time the palate is first attacked by a heavy fruit of blackberries and plums mixed with hints of cherries and the slightest touch of raspberries. This was mingling with rich, earthy cocoa and leather. After airing this all came into resonance to provide a rich and satiny experience. A long finish this ‘fruit bomb’ was not the typical heavy, fakey, fruity Australian shiraz that we all know and tolerate. This one really appealed to my palate after it was tamed a bit. Next time I’ll let it decant for at least six hours.

    Another very pleasing wine I had last evening was a zinfandel from Mendocino county in California. The 2003 Edmeades had a very high alcohol 15% alcohol level but it was not out of balance at all. I actually think the alcohol helped to tame the big fruit and kept it in check. The nose was full of raspberries, chocolate and black pepper. On the palate the red fruits danced in the mouth probably waltzing around with the alcohol. The chocolate notes were present but not obtrusive. The only negative thing for me was the smoky flavors that stood out a bit too much. This is undoubtedly due to the toasted oak. I am not a big fan of the smoky oak. I found it overall a nice and enjoyable wine that I would definitely drink again.

  • Wine Whirlwind

    Our local wine shop has free wine tastings about once a month. There are usually 50-70 bottles of wine open for tasting setup around the store. It’s a nice event and really draws a big crowd. They offer wines at all different price ranges for tasting so you can have the opportunity to taste some things that you might not go and plunk down the money for without knowing it. Last night featured a lot of very reasonably priced wines from all over the world. I tasted quite a few and here’s a whirlwind of impressions that I got from many of them.

    How about we start with some white wines. Prices are the sale prices for the evening.
    2005 PKNT Chardonnay $6.97 – vodka nose, light, pleasant, clean.
    2005 Napa Ridge Sauvignon Blanc $10.97 – Grapefruit strong on the nose. Smack you in the face grapefruit flavor then it just disappears.
    2005 Napa Ridge Chardonnay $10.97 – Pears, alspice and nutmeg on the nose and the flavor. Hints of oreo cookie creme filling on the back end hitting the roof of my mouth.
    2005 Konu Baru Sauvignon Blank $9.97 – simple nose with clean simple taste. Not very distinctive. A little light. Did I say clean?
    2003 Marcelina Chardonnay $17.97 – Classic chardonnay nose with oak and buttery apricots. Hints of green apple and peaches on the flavor. A nicely structured chardonnay.
    I certainly tried many more reds than I did whites. And I forgot to write down the vintage on some of them.
    Penfold’s Rawsons Merlot $5.97 – Hings of tequila on the nose. Not bad, good balance with some cassis flavor. A bit on the light side.
    Penfold’s Rawsons Shiraz/Cabernet $5.97 – musty nose with black fruits. Good tannin structure and blackberry flavors. Pretty well balanced. A great buy at 6 bucks.
    Penfold’s Rawsons Cabernet $5.97 – Musty herbal nose. Light body and a little blah.
    2006 Layer Cake 100% Shiraz – big wine, needs to open up some but has nice flavors of chocolate, blackberries and raspberries. A little bit short on the finish, but it was quite tight when I tasted it.
    Black Box Paso Robles Cabernet $18.97 (3L) – Definite sour cherries with a jolly rancher smell. Light finish but pretty good fruit. Not bad for a box.
    2005 Wolf Blass Merlot $8.97 – Light musty dusty nose with similar flavor profiles. Ok but not great.
    2004 Wolf Blass Shiraz $8.97 – Diesel fuel nose. Not very balanced. Harsh on the back of the throat.
    2005 Wolf Blass Shiraz/Cabernet $8.97 – Big fruit nose, sharp alcohol on the back of the throat. Flavors of cassis and red berries. Much better than the Shiraz.
    2005 Wolf Blass Cabernet $8.97 – musty sweat socks meets basil on the nose. Big fruit on the tongue with slight herbal oregano notes. Black cherry comes through.
    Kono Baru Shiraz $9.97 – light color. Alcoholic on the palate with a light finish. Nice flavors of chocolate and raspberries on the fron tend.
    Kono Baru Cabernet $9.97 – Penzoil service station smell. Some fruit, nice taste, light on the end.
    2005 Mia’s Playground Cabernet $8.97 – Big red jammy fruit nose. Red raspberries and blackberries on the palate. A slightly strange aftertaste but not really unpleasant. Hard to describe. A good solid wine but not a serious cab.
    2005 Geyser Peak Cabernet $12.97 – Nose filled with cranberry aromas. Soft fruit on the palate. Mid palate and finish is very disappointing. Nothing there but dry wood.
    Redwood Creek Pinot Noir $5.97 – light color and light in flavor. But some resonating red fruits with toasty oak. The oak almost covers it up though.
    Redwood Creek Cabernet $5.97 – very blackberry.
    2004 Marcelina Cabernet $23.97 – Vanilla, oak, cherries and cassis on the nose. Very nicely balanced with red fruits and hints of vegetables and mushrooms.
    Beringer Napa Pinot Noir $20.97 – Definitely toasted oak on the nose. Light but complex fruit. Hard to describe. A pretty good pinot.
    2005 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet $21.97 – Chocolate and cherries on the nose but you can’t taste this on the palate. Hardly any fruit. Earthy and tannic.
    2005 Chateau Souverain Merlot $16.97 – Sour cherries, blackberry jam. Balanced and very nicely structured. Still good tannins that will let this one age. Maybe give it a few years.
    2004 Chateau Souverain Cabernet $17.97 – Nose is very interesting with cherries and something that reminds me of the dentist – fluoride? tooth polish? Nice fruit and strong tannins. Another one to age for a while.
    I also tasted a couple of sweeter ones.
    Luccio Moscato d’Asti $10.97 – nose full of tangerines and apricots. Definitely a stone fruit taste. Sweet and balanced.  A nice effort for 11 bucks.
    Nachtgold Eiswein $16.97 (375 mL) – Apricots with a bit of petroleum on the nose. Very apricot on the flavor. Not too complex. Sweet but not cloying. Good acid.