Not part of the in-crowd since 2005!

Mandalay Road Zinfandel 2006 ($25)

Last week, Bernice O’Connell of Mandalay Road paid me a visit at the office out of the blue. In addition to catching me up on goings-on in the up-and-coming (and I say that with the utmost respect, but admittedly, when you have Margaret River a little less than an hour up the road, any wine region is going to have its work cut out for it) Geographe appelation. Additionally, she left me with a bottle of Mandalay’s new 2006 Zinfandel and was keen to hear my thoughts. Tonight, two pieces of t-bone marinated overnight in garlic, chilli, parsley and a pedro ximenez sherry thrown on the barbie provided a perfect excuse to get stuck into the bottle. Given a little room to breathe, the dense purple liquid revelead glimpses of cedar, hazelnut, black cherry and plum: charming without having to try. Chocolatey tannins still show a little bit of grip and the palate is at this stage a touch tight, but the quality of both fruit and winemaking is eivdent – little surprise when you consider the wine’s production was overseen by Margaret River legend John Durham (of Cape Mentelle fame, now the newly appointed winemaker at Plantagenet via a short stint at Moss Wood). No doubt Mr Durham drew heavily on what he learned while working on Cape Mentelle’s legendary Zin. In summary: a very promising wine full of encouraging signs that zinfandel has a future in Geographe, though I feel the wine might be out on the market a little early. Ensure you allow plenty of breathing time or a generous swirl in the decanter if tackling now. Will be looking very schmick indeed nine to 15 months down the line. Speaking of schmick, I must also congratulate all involved for the label’s face lift – the elephant graphic and all associated design elements are spot on. www.mandalayestate.com.au