Vintage Australian Tasting at Wine Watch

“The food we were given was no more than eatable, but the patron was not mean about drink; he allowed us two litres of wine a day each, knowing that if a plongeur is not given two litres he will steal three.” - George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London

I knew there was a reason I liked George Orwell and two liters is my kind of ration when it comes to wine- that is why I like Australia.  Australia is the only country that I have visited where they offered us beer after every wine tasting, Coopers was the brew of choice and it is so refreshing to have a beer after drinking a lot of red wine, especially Australian Shiraz.

After this first trip down under I fell in love with Australian wines and have been selling and collecting wines from Australia for over 15 years now.  With the bottom falling out of the market in 2008 we have struggled to sell some of the higher end brands that were developed in the 1990's but that is no problem because I am happy to drink these wines as they are some of the best examples of this variety on the face of the earth. 

We just did a super Syrah tasting featuring Syrah from all over the world and once again the Aussie's were on top with the 2002 Hobbs Shiraz taking the top spot for me, gaining the coveted KILLER rating!!  This is one of the wines that I found on this first trip to Australia and one that is from on incredible 100+ year old vineyard site.  Australia has some of the oldest Syrah vines on the planet and their wines can go toe to toe with the best from anywhere.

Every year we have experienced a similar phenomenon but are still in our beginning stages of our scientific process of tasting through the top wines from the land down under that are reaching their peak years of maturity.  That is why we made this an annual event- there is a lot of research that needs to be done on the subject of vintage Australian Shiraz.  Will they age like the great wines of France, Italy and even California?

Join us as we experience ten 10+ year old Aussie wines and Wine Watch Catering’s Toni Lampasone will be providing a few treats to accompany the tasting wines. This is a sit down tasting and is limited to 15 tasters, the fee for this event is $135 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Vintage Australian Tasting at Wine WatchFriday, August 29th7pm

Tasting Line-up:

1995 Randall's Hill Shiraz 1910 Barossa Price: $750.00    Sale $660.00

(95 points) The fruit for this wine comes from the Three Rivers Vineyard owned by Chris Ringland, one of the stars of handcrafted, artisinal, cult, old vine Shiraz. Made from 90-year old vines, and cropped at two tons of fruit per acre, this 125 case cuvee exhibits an impressive dark ruby/purple color, and layer upon layer of fruit. Thick, chewy, and full-bodied, this massive Shiraz spent a whopping 32 months in new French oak, but has perfectly absorbed the wood. Majestic flavor breadth, exceptionally pure, and remarkably well-balanced, this seamless beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 20-30 years. Bravo! Wine Advocate #127 Feb 2000

1996 Penfolds Grange Price: $394.00    Sale $346.72

(95 points) Deep garnet colored, 1996 Grange is scented with stewed plums, warm cherries and mince meat with hints of Ceylon tea, black olives and Chinese five spice. Medium-full bodied and with a generous amount of flesh on the palate, it gives very crisp acid and a medium-firm level of grainy tannins, finishing long. The layered complexity of this wine is just beginning to emerge, promising better things to come. In Asia Wine Advocate Jan 2012

1997 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace Eden Valley Price: $490.00    Sale $431.20

(95 points) Explosively aromatic and extraordinarily long, this well-balanced wine doesn't show its muscle as much as does its structure to propel the gorgeous flavors. Cherries, berries, earth and mineral notes mingle enticingly, wrapped in a gentle buzz of tannins. A stylish wine that should age well. Drink now through 2012. 35 cases imported. “HS Wine Spectator Issue: Sep 30, 2002

1998 Yunbar Estate Sinners Shiraz Barossa Price: $42.00    Sale $36.96

This was an outstanding vintage in the Barossa and Yunbar Estate is a tiny producer that makes outstanding wines, it may be the surprise of the night for some tasters.

1999 Kay Brothers Shiraz Block 6 McLaren Vale Price: $85.00       Sale $83.60

(95 points) The 1999 Block 6 boasts layers of concentration, huge body, and massively extracted blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with leather, animal fur, and licorice. There is a lot going on in this blockbuster, broodingly backward, yet super-concentrated Shiraz. It represents the best of McLaren Vale in a very traditional sense. This cuvee often shuts down after bottling, re-emerging in 4-5 years, and lasting for two decades. There are 450 cases produced of this estate's flagship wine. Walking past these 108-year old vines, I was amazed by their gnarled character (even though I have seen plenty of ancient vines in southern France). Anticipated maturity: 2004-2018 Wine Advocate #143, Oct 2002

2000 Three Hill Shiraz Margaret River Price: $45.00    Sale $39.60

Proprietor Erl Happ and this wine is made from a young vineyard planted in a southern portion of Margaret River known as Karridale. It is aged in large foudres rather than smaller barriques resulted in minimal oak characteristics. This is pure unadulterated Margaret River Shiraz.

2001 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz Mclaren Vale Price: $105.00    Sale $92.40

A very hot year in South Australia and the wines got very high marks from the critics due to thier wonderful forward fruit and plush velvety nature. 

2002 Barossa Class Shiraz Price: $50.00    Sale $44.00

This wine is made by the high school students at Barossa High who are studying enology- with the help of a few professionals and a few prime Barossa vineyard sites.  I was very impressed with the groups when I visited with the students who made this wine on my first visit to the Barossa Valley with the infamous Dan Philips. 

2003 Burge Family Shiraz Draycott Barossa Price: $58.75    Sale $51.70

(94+ Points)The most backward and potentially longest lived of this trio is the 2003 Shiraz Draycott, a blend of 86% Shiraz, 10% Grenache, and 4% Mourvedre. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a classic bouquet of licorice, blackberries, plums, and vanillin. Full-bodied, dense, concentrated flavors judiciously marry the finesse school of winemaking with the exuberant, powerful, Barossa style. Boasting beautiful depth, precision, and equilibrium, it will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 10-15 years.

Readers should not confuse Burge Family Winemakers (one of Australia's finest wineries) with the much larger firm of Grant Burge. Burge Family Winemakers old vine estate-bottled offerings, made by the modest, but enormously talented Rick Burge, are classic Barossa wines with extraordinary elegance as well as complex aromatics that combine European subtlety with Australian power.  Wine Advocate # 161 Oct 2005

2004 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar McLaren Vale Price: $95.00    Sale $83.60

(98 Points) Bordering on perfection is the 2004 Shiraz Savitar. Made from 30- to 50-year-old vines, and aged 18 months in 100% new French hogsheads as well as smaller barriques, it boasts an opaque purple color, and an extraordinary nose of acacia flowers, blueberries, raspberries, and blacker fruits, melted licorice, and graphite. It possesses amazing intensity, great equilibrium, a fabulous, multi-layered mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish. This extraordinary Shiraz should prove to be one of the legends of southern Australia’s great 2004 vintage. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.

For a winery only established in 1999, and dedicated to hand-crafted, artisinal wines, Mitolo has consistently been a revelation in my tastings. Thanks to owner Frank Mitolo and his brilliant winemaker, Ben Glaetzer, the quality has been truly splendid. Wine Advocate # 161, Oct 2005

Menu

Selection of Cheese: Beemster, Reggiano Parmesan, Chevre

Beef tenderloin tartar with basil, arugula and sundried tomatoes drizzled with lemon, garlic aioli and fresh shaved reggiano parmesan

Grilled Australian Lamb Chops with Jalapeno Garlic Mint Jam

The fee for this event is $135 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.