Australian Wine Tasting at Cafe Maxx

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 - 06:30 PM

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Breaking the darkness, waking the grapevine.  One inch of love is one inch of shadow.  Love is the shadow that ripens the wine.

Set the controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd

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Australia is still one of the greatest sources for great values and although they have had a tough couple of years, with 2011 being one of the most difficult harvests the last few decades, they were rewarded with 2012 which is an outstanding vintage.05102014-Australian-Wine-Tasting-at-Cafe-Maxx.jpg I just tasted through the Heartland wines and was so impressed with them that I wanted to show them to you- our wine drinking people!  This is a project that is 100% Langhorne Creek fruit and there are not many Aussie wine lovers that are familiar with this region of South Australia which is home to some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the planet.  These wines are made by Ben Glaetzer and he is one of the top minds in Australia today.  His Amon Ra wines have a cult status among collectors and these wines under the Heartland label score very high on our Quality/value scale and they are even better on the second day!!

Hartland is brought into the country by our friends at Noble wine Estates so I asked them to bring another one of their properties along to showcase another region and these wines from McLaren Vale's Yangarra estate are equally impressive.

These tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines; you get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time. A great way to spend happy hour.

Tonight we will feature wines from Australia, which means lots of syrah or Shiraz as the Aussies say.   This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

 

Australian Wine Tasting at Cafe Maxx Wednesday, May 14, 2014 6:30 PM

 

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Yangarra  Grenache McLaren Vale 2012 Price: $24.75       Sale $21.78          Case $253

"A highly complex, intense beauty, with cherry and plums giving way to hints of licorice, dried spring flowers, cocoa and cinnamon spice. The palate is driven and concentrated, with fine sandy mineral tannins.” - Peter Fraser, Winemaker

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Yangarra Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre McLaren Vale 2011 Price: $24.75       Sale $21.78          Case $253

(89 Points) Formerly produced under the Cadenzia label, the 2011 GSM has a medium ruby-purple color and a very exuberant fruity nose with aromas of kirsch, black cherry compote and raspberry preserves plus underlying Chinese five spice hints. Medium to full-bodied with just enough fruit to flesh out the low to medium level of grainy tannins, it has a lively acid line carrying the fruit to a long finish. Drink this one now to 2017.   eRobertParker.com #205, Mar 2013

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Yangarra Shiraz McLaren Vale 2011 Price: $25.50       Sale $22.44          Case $261

Blackberry fruit is entwined with the dark chicory and juniper tannins and the faintest whiff of harness leather. The primary fruit character begins to prickle like summer with smells of rain on hot sun baked sandstone.

 

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2012 Heartland Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon Langhorne Creek       Price: $16.50       Sale $14.52          Case $169

60/40 split for Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend and this is one of the best areas in South Australia for Cabernet Sauvignon and they have the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon in the world in this region, 139 year old vines!  This is a joint venture between Ben Glaetzer and Nick Keukenmeester, a good friend of Ben's who bought into the label 2 years ago.  On the nose notes of black olive to the dark currant and cassis berry fruit, tobacco spice and a note of eucalyptus/minty notes.  Ben uses a technique where he dries some of the fruit and this region is cooler and the wines have wonderful freshness and an underlying spice note that is unique to the region.  A very full bodied wine on the tongue with an array of herbs and earthy notes to the dark berry fruit, very zesty and spiced on the finish with a long layered finish, lovely balance.  Finish 45+                Excellent             

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2012 Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon Langhorne Creek    Price: $16.50       Sale $14.52          Case $169

The label is a picture of all the different spices that are in the bouquet of the wine, they have 500 acres in Langhhorne creek but they also buy from the best vineyards in all of Langhorne Creek, 20% new oak 12 months of aging mostly French, this is a cooler region and you have a good amount of the herbs and spice from the picture on the label showing here, rosemary, thyme, lavender and black olive tapenade, these vineyards are 20-30 years old, the cold temperature at night give these wines great backbone.  A good amount of ripe delicious fruit with currant, plum and cherry fruit, an array of that spice and herbs on the nose through the finish, fine tannins and a good hand of acidity holding things together.  Finish 45+                Excellent +         

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2012 Heartland Shiraz Langhorne Creek                 Price: $16.50       Sale $14.52          Case $169

Blackberry jam like fruit on the nose with violet floral notes, dark spices and a note of eucalyptus, dark coco, nice complexity on the nose, black licorice.  Smooth and silky on the tongue with a good hand of ripe blackberry fruit, zesty acidity and a good amount of that nuance from the nose through the savory finish.  All three of these entry level wines over deliver in terms of their quality/price ratio.  Finish 40+          Excellent             

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2012 Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon Directors' Cut Langhorne Creek        Price: $36.00       Sale $31.68          Case $368

This is an outstanding vintage after a horrible year in 2011, so they got this vineyard fruit from 70 year old vines; this is the first vintage of Directors' cut Cabernet Sauvignon.  The nose here is very intense with a good amount of that spice and herbs in the other wines but has more intensity with black raspberry and currant berry fruit, black olive tapenade and cigar box spice.  This wine has wonderful intensity like all of the wines but may have more nuance and a long finish that is more savory than sweet lots of nuance from the nose through the finish, this is a big wine but still maintains its balance and has a very long finish.  Finish 50+          Most Excellent

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2012 Heartland Shiraz Directors' Cut Langhorne Creek     Price: $36.00       Sale $31.68          Case $368

The best vintage that they have ever made, the China best Shiraz award for the 2010, all the wines are screw cap- Chateau Margaux has been experimenting with Screw caps since the 1960's, Penfolds since 1971.   Lots of ripe blackberry blueberry fruit on the nose with pretty violet floral notes, sweet tobacco spice, cigar box, dark coco and more.  Jammy blackberry fruit on the tongue with a host of dark spices, floral highlights and a firm hand of acidity holding things together, smooth velvety texture on the tongue, very nicely balanced for a wine that is pushing 15% alcohol.  Finish 50+    Most Excellent

 

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Back to Back at Cafe Maxx - Thai Cooking Class with Oliver Saucy

Thursday, May 15th @ 5pm

Chef Oliver's Thai Cooking Class

$65 per person (plus tax & gratuity)

Join Chef Oliver as he takes you through an evening of preparing delicious Thai cuisine.  $65 per person (plus tax & gratuity)

 

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The Menu

Seared sea scallops with cucumber sauce and orange salad

Thai shrimp cakes with sweet chili sauce and vegetable-cashew stir fry

Grilled chicken and noodle spring rolls with peanut sauce

Spiced filet mignon with red & green chili papaya slaw and coconut sticky rice