AceHighWine

In a tasting last night where too many wines were overpriced and quite frankly overdone to the point of looking like caricatures of the big, bold, predominantly South Australian blockbuster style of red, this came up smelling like proverbial roses: though in reality, it was more like a hedonistic, heady flurry of white pepper and grilled meats. The effects of this wine (a blend of shiraz, grenache, mourvèdre and viognier) in the mouth were almost instantaneous - I sat up a little straighter and my chicken-scrawl handwriting jolted to life, trying desperately to keep up with the stream of superlatives being relayed synapse-to-synapse from my brain. Incredibly balanced and poised and defined by shades of pepper, meat and ripe plums whose purity, clarity and restraint shone like a beacon. Finishes clean and dry with a lingering trail of succulence. Fine, elegant and lengthy - one of the best Henry’s Sevens I’ve quaffed in recent memory. And finally, does anyone else think the name sounds like a championship winning rugby side? 18 www.henschke.com.au

A new blip on my sub-$20 value radar, this multi-vineyard McLaren Vale red (60 per cent shiraz, 30 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 10 per cent grenache) embodies the region’s drinkability: attractive ripe plum flavours, nicely handled vanilla oak that coexists peacefully with the wine’s silky tannins and a persistent, succulent finish that’s not all that common at this price point. Not sure what distribution’s like for this, but it’d be a pretty handy drop to be able to whip out for impromptu occassions that call for a decent splash of red. 16.5/20 www.chalkhill.com.au

After a less-than-inspiring tasting of sub-$20 red wine blends, it became obvious that there’s a lot of unremarkable (at best, faulty at worst) new cheap reds doing the rounds. Regardless of what “connoisseurs” might think of perenial shelf-fillers like Queen Adelaide, Matthew Lang, Sacred Hill et al, the reason I think they continually sell so well year in and out is brand familiarity: generations of “social” wine drinkers recognise these brands as dependable drops for their drinking dollar, have done so for many years and are likely to do so for many more.

I suspect that many up-and-coming names in the industry would kill for this sort of recognition and steady earner for their bottom line.

I also think this could be part of the aforementioned problem to do with the swell of ho-hum red - and similarly, white - wine trickling on to the market.

On more than one occasion, it’s discovered that these new names are second labels from established and reputable wineries who have decided to dip their toes into the waters of the lower - and more competitive - price point market. In these instances, I think already established reputations serve as a hindrance as savvy consumers make comparisons that inevitably result in disappointment when the new doesn’t live up to the expectations set by its predecessor.

Of course, decisions made in the marketing department and sheer necessity are often catalysts for the introduction of wines to a brand’s portfolio and with the industry getting more competitive by the vintage, producers can’t be blamed for such decisions - but I think signs are starting to emerge that the wine glut that Australian consumers were once showering freely in may not be as perpetual as once thought…

While we’re in the Barossa, it would be remiss not to mention at least one shiraz from the region, particularly when it comes from the hand of former Grange winemaker John Duval. Now out on his own, one of the former custodians of Penfold’s flagship wine is applying his 30-odd years of winemaking experience to premium fruit sourced from the winemaking region he calls home.

The John Duval Entity Shiraz 2005 ($47) is a ball of generous Barossan character with buckets of ripe plum and chocolate flavours: the fruit and oak characteristics are at ease with one another - largely due, I imagine, to Duval’s decision to use French oak rather than the American barrels normally favoured in the region. The wine’s juicy, medium bodied texture is as much a part of the wine’s appeal as the judiciously managed and lingering flavours that impress without overwhelming. This is Barossan shiraz that’s been put through finishing school: classy and refined, but still true to its roots.

At the same tasting, I also had the pleasure of looking at the John Duval Plexus 2005 ($36): A blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre (usually shortened to GSM), it’s black fruit bouquet is similar to that of the Entity, but imagine the richness levels knocked up a notch. The wine’s flavours sit firmly in the black fruit spectrum and feel considerably thicker than the Entity. Again, oak input has been kept to a minimum but some telltale coffee flavours lurk on the finish. Flawlessly made using deliciously long fruit, this is a winner from go to “sh#t, who drank the last of the Plexus?”

Speaking of which, perceptive readers may have noticed that the bottle of Entity featuring in the photo above is conspicuosly much emptier than the two cabernets to its right. I’m sure you can guess why. www.johnduvalwines.com

Brilliant, translucent ruby colour that sparkles in the glass. Attractive, bright perfumed fruit on the nose with a dab of earthiness: with air time, those confected raspberry grenache notes start to reveal themselves. Soft in the mouth, gorgeous tannin structure, very juicy and supple. A very satisfying gulp of raspberries and dark juicy plums fleshed out with sprinklings of spice that finishes long and true. A trim and taut middle-weight winner that carries its 14.5 per cent alcohol with ease, this beauty was a pleasure to drink the moment I yanked out the lightly wine-pecked cork. www.yalumba.com

The thing I love about opening and drinking a bottle of wine from d’Arenberg is that you’re not just tasting what’s in the glass, but also the generations of history that form the very fabric of the famous McLaren Vale brand with the red stripe. Custodians of the grenache variety (d’Arenberg’s main grenache release is indeed dubbed “The Custodian”), the winery also produces this stunner of a wine. The wine’s aroma is true-blue grenache, exhibiting the variety’s infamous confected notes alongside with a smattering of dried, pruney fruit. In the mouth, there’s buckets of generous flavour with the tastes morphing between sweet and sour; from dark berry fruit to black olives. I’m proud to say I’m a big fan of this medium-bodied drop (and d’Arenberg in general) that went down an absolute treat with my meal of grilled lamb cutlets I ordered on Friday night at Subiaco’s Cico. Highly gluggable and very food-friendly. Oh, and incidentally, I know there’s been a bit of a lull in reviews, but rest assured eager reader(s), the busy period is over and from hereon in, the reviews will be as regular as the daily paper. You can bet on it. www.darenberg.com.au