Tag: Barossa Valley

Laughing Jack, Greenock Shiraz 2009 Review

Laughing Jack, Greenock Shiraz 2009

Unless you’re related to one of its 685 residents, you’re unlikely to have heard of Greenock, a town nestled in the northwestern edge of the Barossa Valley, but you’ll certainly be hearing a lot more about their wine if they can replicate vintages like the 2009 Laughing Jack Greenock Shiraz! Owner and vigneron Shaun Kalleske…
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Turkey Flat, Butchers Block 2010 Review

Turkey Flat, Butchers Block 2010

Question: When is a GSM not a GSM? Answer: When it comes from the Barossa Valley. While the blend of Grenache Shiraz (or Syrah) and Mouvedre (also called Mataro) (“GSM”) is the calling card of the southern Rhone region in France, some Australian producers have also had remarkable success with the marriage of the “Holy…
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Westlake, Eleazar Shiraz 2009 Review

Westlake, Eleazar Shiraz 2009

If ever you needed proof that bigger is not better, look no further than the Westlake Eleazar Vineyard in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. Their flagship Shiraz, the “Eleazar”, sells at around $55 a bottle but is as good a Barossa Shiraz as I’ve tried in the last year. They only produce about 70 cases of…
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John Duval, Plexus 2009 Review

John Duval, Plexus 2009

The 2009 edition of the John Duval Plexus is a colourful affair – not just because of the lively purple hue of the wine in the glass, but the vibrancy and playfulness of the perfumed fruits as they hit the nose and then pass across the palate. John Duval is perhaps best known for his…
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Peter Lehmann, Art Series Shiraz 2009 Review

Peter Lehmann, Art Series Shiraz 2009

Big, bold Shiraz is synonymous with the Barossa Valley and it’s difficult to think of a more prominent winemaker from the region than Peter Lehmann. The Stonewell Shiraz may be his flagship, but as the style goes, his second-stringers do much more than make up the numbers. The latest release of the Peter Lehmann Art…
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Charles Melton, The Father in Law Shiraz 2009 Review

Charles Melton, The Father in Law Shiraz 2009

I occasionally hear Barossa Valley Shiraz described as “too ripe”, “too powerful” or “too expensive”, and while I don’t agree with those descriptors, there is a nice compromise currently available that exhibits the Barossa nose but in a medium-bodied style which won’t blow the budget. The 2009 The Father in Law Shiraz is made by…
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Massena , Saperavi 2010 Review

Massena, Saperavi 2010

If you’ve never heard of Saperavi, then I’m possibly not alone! No, it’s not a Spanish swear word, but rather a grape native to Georgia (as in the former Soviet Bloc State) and as old as the hills it grows in! I’d never tried one until I recently happened upon the Massena Saperavi (2010) at…
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Brockenchack, Mackenzie William 1896 Riesling 2010 Review

Brockenchack, Mackenzie William 1896 Riesling 2010

Most Sunshine Coasters would know Trevor Harch as a founder of the Evans Harch construction company, but in his “retirement”, he’s apparently exchanged his spirit level and measuring tape for some pruning shears and a tasting glass! Trevor (and wife, Marilyn) have long been Barossa-philes and have recently added to their business interests with a…
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MDV, Eden Valley Grenache 2008 Review

MDV, Eden Valley Grenache 2008

Bright as a button, the vibrancy of the colour is overshadowed only by the spicy sweetness of the fruit. Lifted violets on the nose pre-empt the prettiness of the wine but it’s the plump red cherries in the middle that give this wine its mojo. There are fine tannins at the end, but they struggle…
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Linfield Road, "The Black Hammer" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Review

Linfield Road, “The Black Hammer” Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

From vines first planted in 1860 in the Southern Barossa Valley, the Linfield Road wines certainly have maturity of vines on their side! The 2006 “The Black Hammer” Cabernet Sauvignon ($18-22 a bottle) is slightly dirty in the glass but has a herbaceous, cedary nose that invites immediate imbibement. At first, the rich fruit titillates…
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