Tasted 24th May 2011

Australia

Peter Lehmann Back to Back Grenache 2008 Barossa Valley, S Australia 6.99
86% Grenache and 14% Shiraz. Back to Back is the symbol of the bond forged over many decades between Peter Lehmann and his
friends, the growers. Since 1979, Peter Lehmann Wines have championed the relationship between grape grower, their vineyards and
the winemakers, to make wines of the highest Barossa quality. The vines are 40 - 80-years-old and planted on red brown earth over
limestone. The grapes were hand-picked and fermented with 10 days on skins with twice daily pumpovers. 7 day post-ferment
maceration and matured in combination of stainless steel and older oak 300l hogsheads. Winemaker Andrew Wigan. Suitable for
vegetarians and vegans. Alc 14.5%, TA 5.8g/l, pH 3.5, RS 2.8g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 196 branches.
Pale colour. Jammy, juicy, fruity nose. Very sweet taste. Seems older than 2008. Quite an evolved, breaking down taste. Not unpleasant.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 S Australia 8.99
70% Shiraz with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from premium districts across Southern Australia with significant parcels from
Padthaway, Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. The 2008 vintage was warm to hot, with a
prolonged heat wave in mid-March. However, grapes picked before the elevated temperatures were delivered to the winery in excellent
condition, resulting in good varietal definition and balanced flavours. Elements of this wine were matured for 12 months in small oak
casks, while other components were matured in stainless steel to retain a fresh fruit focus. Alc 13.5%, TA 6.3g/l, pH 3.52. Special Offer:
Save 25%, £8.99 - £6.74 from 20/07 to 16/08. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 239 branches.
Some fruit on the nose. Warm, oaky, quite baked fruit. It’s OK.

See Saw Shiraz/Mourvèdre 2009 Hunter/Barossa Valleys, S Australia 8.99
Buyer’s Highlight - Step outside of Aussie brands in the mid-price range and there are some startling discoveries!
95% Shiraz with 5% Mourvèdre. The Shiraz was sourced from the iconic Hunter Valley and grown on old vines planted in volcanic red clay.
Mourvèdre sourced from the historic old vines of Barossa. Shiraz was harvested mid-Feb, Mourvèdre harvested late-March. Fermented with
temperature control at 20 - 28°C in 100% stainless steel tanks for 10 days. Extensive pumpover and rack-and-return regime employed before
being pressed and transferred to barrel to undergo 100% malo. The individual parcels were then blended to taste and prepared for bottling
in Nov 2010. Winemakers Andrew Margan and Hamish MacGowan. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 13.7%, TA 6.70g/l, pH 3.48,
RS 0.4g/l. Special Offer: Save 25%, £8.99 - £6.74 from 20/07 to 16/08. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 159 branches.
On the label it says “S&M” which I’m not sure is what they mean. Baked, savoury nose. Lovely juicy taste. Fruity and with some warmth from the alcohol, but it’s a very nice flavour.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Coonawarra, S Australia 14.99
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, produced from only the top 20 - 25% of Cabernet fruit available from Wynns Coonawarra Estate. A dry,
warm winter promoted good bud-burst followed by a spring with limited frost concerns, which meant overall vine health was excellent.
January was hot and dry, tempered by a cool February that steadied ripening. Warm weather at harvest ensured full flavour
development and harvest took place in April. The wine spent 16 months in a mixture of French and American oak (French oak 35% new,
29% 1-year-old and 15% 2 years and older ; American oak 8% new, 2% 1-year-old and 11% 2 years and older). Winemaker Sue Hodder.
Alc 14.0%, TA 6.55g/l, pH 3.49. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 2 branches.
Very minty nose, but also showing its age. Lovely taste. Savoury, oaky, very cabernet. Lovely.

Moss Wood Amy’s Blend 2009 Margaret River, Western Australia 14.99
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Petit Verdot, 10% Malbec and 1% Merlot from 12-year-old north-facing vines planted on red-brown,
gravelly loams over clay at 2,000vines/ha, 30m above sea level with a strong maritime influence. The grapes were hand-harvested at
6 - 8tonnes/ha, destemmed into open top fermenters with hand-plunging or closed fermenters with pumpovers. Seeded with pure yeast
culture and fermented for 14 days at max. temp. of 28°C. Final blend was made and then matured for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Bottled Dec 2010. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 14.4%, TA 6.47g/l, pH 3.64, RS 0.6g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct
and 138 branches.
Mint, eucalyptus, green pepper, blackcurrant. Rich, sweet, green peppery taste. Exactly typical. VG.


New Zealand

Craggy Range Merlot 2008 Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 14.99
88% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. The 2008 vintage was very warm and dry, excellent conditions
for producing rich red wines. The grapes for this wine hail from 8 - 10-year-old vines located on the very stony, free-draining Gimblett
Gravels of Hawke’s Bay. Hand-picked and destemmed then passed to stainless steel tanks for fermentation at 30ºC max, followed by
maceration for 28 days with periodic aerative pumpovers. Malo took place in French oak barriques, of which 46% were new. Barrel
maturation lasted 18 months and the wine was then egg-white fined prior to bottling. Winemaker Rod Easthope. Suitable for
vegetarians. Alc 14.0%, TA 5.7g/l, pH 3.67, RS <2 g/l. Special Offer: Save 20%, £14.99 - £11.99 from 29/06 to 19/07. Available from
Waitrose Wine Direct and 230 branches.
Bizarrely aromatic. Like very ripe plums on a windowsill. Very oaky taste, and althoughy it says they’re French there’s a vanilla/popcorn flavour, and some very plain chocolate.

Mt. Difficulty Pinot Noir 2009 Central Otago, New Zealand 24.99
100% Pinot Noir, from pioneer estate in Bannockburn. Soil is a mixture of gravel schist and clay. 2009 was a cooler vintage, which can be
compared with 2005 and 2007. Low yield caused by rain during crucial flowering period but ideal summer and long fine warm autumn
ensured perfect ripeness. Grapes were hand-harvested from late-March to late-April. Cold maceration lasting 8 days, then ferment for
6 days up to 34°C with indigenous yeasts. Post-ferment maceration for 6 - 8 days then matured in French oak barrels (one third new) for
11 months. Winemaker Matt Dicey. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 14%, TA 5.4g/l, pH 3.66. Available from Waitrose Wine
Direct and 138 branches.
Sweet cherry on the nose. Sweet fruit and warm alcohol. It’s still too young and hasn’t yet become interesting.

Schubert Block B Pinot Noir 2008 Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand 29.50
100% Pinot Noir, specific Dijon clones. Small estate owned and run by winemakers Kai Schubert and his partner Marion Deimling. Block B
is 3.5ha vineyard planted in 1999 and 2000 in sub-region East Taratahi on old river beds, so heavy loam soils interspersed with rocks
giving good drainage. Harsh climate with a big diurnal temp difference and strong wind gives low yields of small berries with good skin
to juice ratio. Grapes were harvested by hand 10th - 15th April 2008. Cold macerated then fermented in small open top stainless steel
vats for 10 days. Total time on skins 21 days. Aged in 50% new, 50% 2nd use French oak barriques for 14 months. Suitable for vegetarians
and vegans. Alc 14.5%, TA 5.1g/l, pH 3.7, RS < 1g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 1 branch.
Lovely aroma. Very tropically ripe fruit. Sweet vanilla oak on the nose. Attractive wine, but so it ought to be.

Vidal Syrah 2008 Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 11.99
100% Syrah from Vidal, a small boutique winery in the heart of Hawke’s Bay, wholly owned by Villa Maria but specialising in red wines.
Grapes hail from Omahu Gravels and Twyford Gravels vineyards, with vines planted on alluvial deposits of gravel with silt and sand.
Grapes were destemmed, lightly crushed and fermented in small individual batches. During ferment the must was gently hand-plunged
and pumped over on skins to extract desirable tannin, flavour and colour. Then pressed off and run to barrel where it completed malo
over winter. After resting in French oak for 18 months the wine was lightly egg-white fined and bottled. Alc 13.0%, TA 6.59g/l, pH 3.55.
Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 136 branches.
Sweet, cherry fruit on the nose. Like Tunes. Warm alcohol and warm oak. Not for me.

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