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

Made from fruit sourced from Central Victorian vineyards and overseen by French and American winemakers, this is an intriguing drop that takes Old World winemaking and puts a New World slant on it. Hints of mango on the bouquet betray the presence of viognier corsing through the shiraz’s veins, as does the gorgeously soft and approachable palate padded out with pockets of peppery, earthy plum. Beautifully succulent from A to B: a most interesting dinner guest. 17. www.terlatochapoutier.com

Complex and heavy handed bouquet full of pencil lead, polish and even hints of tar. If the opening credits don’t tell you this is juicy fruit-bomb territory, the palate does and in no uncertain terms. This is intense, crammed full of blackberries, plums and all kinds of dark-hued fruit, sprinkled with milk chocolate and balanced by delicious bursts of succulence that add seconds to the fruit’s impressive length. Still one of Australia’s most accessible (in terms of taste and being able to find some at the local bottlo) red wine bargains: unpretentiously warm-climate and fruit-driven in style and appeal. It might be a little too forward for some, but it’s hard to fault as a drink that satisfies from the start of the bottle to the end of it. 17 www.orlandowines.com.au

There are three things I really love about the Amon-Ra: first, the name is cool, but that’s to be expected if you name a wine after Egyptian mythology’s King of Gods, and second, the artwork on the label - the all-seeing eye of Horus - is just so bold and iconic (if only the wine dripped a little more to the left, we’d have a pretty clever Polaroid on our hands).

Oh, and last but certainly not least, it’s a wee bit of a cracking drink! While it’s not the latest release of Amon-Ra, an extra year seems to have really put some razzle-dazzle into the ‘05. Intense, dense shade of purple to the eye, cedar and chocolate to smell. It drinks like a shampoo commercial: luscious, thick and silky, with outrageously clear cut flavours of plum and blackberry driven by fine, drying tannins. The mouthfeel is pure taxed-at-51-per-cent luxury and amazingly rich, dense and juicy. The flavours finish long with nut and coffee flavours weaving in and out. Quite frankly, a show-off wine that epitomises rockstar unfiltered, Barossa old-vine shiraz. 18.5

Also, the current release 2006 which was released in September: Lifted bouquet of plum with swirls of florals on the nose move smoothly into a tightly wrapped palate showing great balance between gorgeously ripe plum and toasty, chocolaty notes driven by an underlying sense of succulence. The aftertaste is deliciously juicy and long. Good wine from a cracker vintage. Will age beautifully. 17.5+ (with plenty of room to blossom).

It seems that every other month, I read online or in print, criticism about these big, bold, Barossan shirazes that smash it at shows and blind tastings because they’re just so obvious, cuddly and ripe. Sure, I enjoy the subtlety and elegance that the cooler climates offer, but surely there’s scope for appreciating both styles? Also, if Barossan winemakers suddenly started trying to craft something other than the warm-climate fruit bombs that they’re so good at, I suspect that many would be quick to criticise their efforts before suggesting that they stick to what they know. As far as I’m concerned, they know how to make good, warm-climate Aussie shiraz and I’m bloody glad they do. www.glaetzer.com

A couple from drinks last Friday. A surprise in the Fosters’ package, the Coppertrail Shiraz was a particularly nice way for the department to end the week. www.annieslane.com.au

Annie’s Lane Coppertrail Shiraz 2002 ($53.99): Looking good from the get-go - complex bouquet of raisin, earth, twig, caramel, dark chocolate, peanuts and pepper. Nice cast on the bottle which is always a good sign. Juicy, fine spicy tannins help the palate of earthy, red berry fruits gently through the mouth, combining richness with softness to lip-smacking effect. While time in oak is less pronounced on first taste, the wine’s 22 months in French and American oak reveal themselves as bursts of chocolaty goodness on the finish of deceptive length: the wine doesn’t leave through the front door where the paparazzi awaits, but takes it time slipping out the back door. A very good wine to be sure and considering the associated costs with producing and holding onto such a wine prior to its release, the asking price is understandable, but for my meagre income, this is the kind of wine I’d have on a wish-list rather than a to-buy one. 17.5+

Annie’s Lane Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007 ($19.99): Maybe it’s because my tastes have been calibrated to the punchy West Australian SSB style, but just couldn’t get into this. Tropical fruit and apple skins on nose with similar characters echoed in the mouth. Soft, rounded acidity and decent juiciness and length make for a pleasant summer quaffer but this isn’t on the same playing field as Margaret River. Am I being a West Australian wine snob? Possibly, but if Sandgropers aren’t going to be parochial, then who will? 15.5

The sum total of one parcel shiraz, one small parcel viognier, the excellent 2005 vintage and the benefit of Petaluma experience, this is further proof why shiraz loves the kiss of cool climate goodness. Seductively fragrant, a core of vanilla-daubed blackberry sings out to the senses. First the nose, and then the mouth meekly follows… An elegant and finely-textured wine, powdery tannins form the perfect canvas for those glorious yet soft plum flavours to shine, ably assisted by some musky viognier notes. Everything about this is great: the tannins, the length, the flavours on the finish, the flavours in the mouth, the way this medium-weight beauty captivates the drinker with each sip… This is a very easy wine to get lost in during the course of an evening. 17.5 www.bridgewatermill.com.au

Another week at the office, another excuse to open a couple of wines for the department to enjoy and me to have a look at. One white and one red were produced for tasting, offering a little something for everyone.

Voyager Estate Chenin Blanc 2007 ($20): Complex nose built upon a core of forward tropical fruit aromas tinged with hints of musk and florals. Not as sugary as the perpetual Amberley, this semi-sweet chenin is juicy and driven by a fruit-centric palate of musk, apples, peaches and tropical fruit that feel full and pure in the mouth. A refreshing lick of acidity on the finish rounds of the package nicely. Delicious summer drinking and released in time for consuming en masse in the warm weather. 16.5. www.voyagerestate.com.au

Rosemount Show Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004 ($20): Nice nose: meat with thick lashings of caramel nose and plum with a heady choc-mint character. Very attractive aromas. It’s a juicy red wine built upon a foundation of fine tannins, delicious plum flavours, chocolate biscuit oak nuances and more of that peculiar mintiness - not a character normally associated with McLaren Vale shiraz but I think it works with the juicier, less intense style of shiraz I’ve tasted from the region’s ‘04 vintage. Everything is well balanced and feels supple in the mouth to create a soft and approachable drink that finishes long. Good value drinking from a good vintage. 17. www.rosemountestate.com.au