McLaren Vale Wine – The Nebb

The Nebb is the love child of the Wickham brothers and their concentration is all about Nebbiolo.  Nick tried a bottle of Barolo from the Piedmont region of italy.  In this case the wine looked brown and unappealing but he pushed on to try the wine.  From that moment on he was inspired by the variety and new that Nebbiolo was the only variety he wanted to make wine from.  From this experience he also thought that the original unappealing brown colour of the wine may be an impediment to any wine sales as the general public would take one look at the wine and run.  Thus a decision was made to add a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon to the wine – with decreasing proportions as a following for the wine was forged.

Up to now the wine was made at the Redheads Studio in McLaren Vale, which allowed small producers like Nick to work with their passion and get some assistance from experienced winemakers.  Unfortunately this facility is no longer operational.

The Nebb Front Label

The origin of the name is self explanatory, however the label may need some explaining.  Nick has a friend who is a “Reformed Street Artist” aka street grafity.  He took the The Nebb concept – that also means beak and extended this to Dr Schnabel von Rom.  The good doctor worked to rid the early 16th century England of the Plague.  Doctor von Rom was known to have a beak that was full of herbs to purify the air during his exploits.  These elements were brought together to produce what is rather a different label.

Nick also has the advantage to work in a cooperage and thus can get access to excellent barrels but he also understands the different elements in what makes barrels work for the Nebbiolo.  The grapes are processed in 4 batches – note that all ferments are done in old 500 L puncheons turned on their sides with an end removed:-

• warm ferment with the wild yeast ie left to its own devices
• fermented with a specific Barolo yeast
• cold soak (chill plates and dry ice added)
• standard ferment

The Nebbiolo comes from a vineyard in the Blewitt Springs area of McLaren Vale.  The first wine was made in 2005.

The wines have not been put into any wine shows but was put into The Adelaide Review Hot 100 South Australian Wines – and made the top 10.  Well done guys.

Both wines I tasted are available in small quantities and are both at $35/bottle.  If you are interested in the wines they are not found in bottle shops so check out the web site at www.nebbiolo.net.au.  I tasted these wines twice.  They were decanted for my initial tasting and then I tasted them again the next day.  I will add any differences on the second tasting in brackets.  I have not tasted a lot of Nebbiolo before and certainly none from Piedmont – I was in for a very pleasant surprise.

2006 The Nebb ($A35)

This wine has 34% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder of course Nebbiolo.  The wine shows some brown edges but Oh the nose (how interesting is this!)- mandarin peel and chocolates (with orange blossom with 24 hours breathing).  The palate has the mandarin peel, mulberries (with a balanced chocolate finish with 24 hours breathing).  The tannins are not as pronounced as the 2007 wine.  This is definitely a food wine, and something multidimensional like roast pork shoulder with apple sauce or chinese sizzling beef dishes.

2007 The Nebb ($A35)

The wine is 20% Cabernet – in line with the philosophy of reducing the Cabernet component.  This time I was ready for the browning wine, producing such a wonderful mandarin peel aroma this time with some floral (rose) hints.  The palate follows through with the mandarin peel and mulberries (dates and mocha comes through with 24 hours breathing).  There is plenty of dry dusty tannins which could give this wine a long life.  This would be interesting to pair up with a plate of soft cheese and cured meats with lots of crusty bread.

McLaren Vale’s Lonely Grape TV Episode #11

Thanks for joining me in this tasting of 2 Nebbiolo based wines from “The Nebb”, a small producer from McLaren Vale. I also had the wine open for a couple of days to see the changes over time.

McLaren Vale Wine – HALiFAX

I first encountered Halifax wines at the McLaren Vale’s “Vale Cru” tasting a couple of months ago and was impressed.  After my recent visit I am even more impressed.  I got onto the mailing list at the Vale Cru tasting and got myself an invite to their yearly new release tasting.  Well what an absolute joy – it does not take long to see Peter and Lizzy’s outlook and even the wines show the same.  They are passionate about – good food, good wines, good friends, good times.  Their pride (after the wines) was a large dining table where we were invited to share a light lunch with other Halifax wine lovers and try their wines in a relaxed food and friend atmosphere.

Halifax Entrance

The shiraz vineyard is on Binney Road between the towns of McLaren Vale and Willunga.  This south eastern area of the McLaren Vale region and has a higher elevation and slightly cooler than the plains regions of McLaren Vale.  Wine made in the vineyard and sustainability are the 2 catch cries from Peter.  Peter is committed to minimal interference with the wine – minimal oak influence, no filtration or fining - he lets the vineyard and the fruit do the talking.  The shiraz is supplemented with cabernet sauvignon, grenache and soon mourvedre.

Halifax Cellar

The winery is not open for cellar door visits – it is purely by appointment only.

The website is www.halifaxwines.com.au

2009 Holiday Rose ($A20)

 This grenache based wine is effectively sold out (to restaurants) – and after tasting it I can understand why.

A salmon colour followed by an aroma hit that is just like freshly crushed grenache berries.  The palate is full of nectarine and apple with an almost creamy finish.  This is a lovely dry wine with lots of acid.  It is a shame it is all but sold out.  If this is representative of the rose to come bring on next vintage with a block of goats cheese and crusty bread.

Inside HALiFAX Cellar

2006 Ad Lib ($A23)

A blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a lighter style than the normal McLaren Vale Grenache based wines, and I for one believe there is room for both styles.  A juicy infusion of red berries on the front palate and blackberries on the back palate.  This is a soft wine – minimal oak and fine grape tannins.  Drink this wine now with lasagna (my wife makes the best lasagna).

2006 Halifax Vineyard Shiraz ($A25)

The wine is bright red – a surprise considering it is a bit older than general red wine releases.  Quite fragrant with lots of black fruits – particularly black cherries.  When I tried this I was taken by how soft this was is – all the usual McLaren Vale shiraz fruits come through – plums and blackberries, all in waves with minimal oak influences.  This wine would last a while – but it is so juicy why wait!  Have a bottle or three of this with slowly braised lamb shanks and make sure you share this with friends.

2006 Coach House Cabernet ($A35)

Two words – silky smooth.  The vineyard the grapes came from the vineyard Penfolds Bin 707 came from.  The wine is a sensory wave of blackberries and blackcurrant (both on the nose and palate).  The oak treatments are not evasive and supply a pleasant dusty tannin finish.  Drink it with a big juicy medium rare steak.

2002 Halifax Vineyard Shiraz ($A35)

The wine is for current customers however, for Lonely Grape readers, this museum release shows what the current vintage may evolve into over the coming years.  The wine is showing a small amount of browning.  The nose is showing the black fruits with savoury characters of chocolate and a mushroom earthyness.  Bring on a huge plate of Grilled Field Mushrooms (with vin cotta added to the upturned cups) with ricotta gnocchi covered in a simple butter mushroom sauce at a table full of your friends.

McLaren Vale’s Lonely Grape TV Episode #10

Thanks for joining my review of the 2007 Five Geese Shiraz and the 2007 Marius Symposium Shiraz Mourvedre (see my blog review of Marius Wines).

Both wineries do not have a cellar door.  Marius Wines can be found at www.mariuswines.com.au and Five Geese Wines at www.fivegeese.com.au.

The tasting was conducted in the Freerange Gallery in McLaren Vale with the Art of Wine photographic exhabition of James Hook’s work – on display until 5th December 2009.

Thanks to James Hook for digital copies of some of his photos and to the Freerange Gallery for their patience while I was filming.

McLaren Vale Wines – Caught Red Handed

Caught Red Handed is the venture of Phil Rogers who is based in Sellicks Beach in the McLaren Vale wine region.  Phil has all but completed his winemaking degree in Wagga and after working in a few wineries (including McLaren Vale wineries – Rosemount, Hardys Reynella & Wirra Wirra) during vintage as a cellar hand.  During this time he became frustrated at the lack of opportunity to get a winemaking gig so he turned this frustration into a decision to start his own brand and make his own wine.  The 2007 reds were made at the Hawkers Gate Winery (in the McLaren Flat area of McLaren Vale region) and since then the wines are made at the Dennis Winery (on the Kangarilla Road just outside the McLaren Vale township).

Caught Redhanded does not have a web site yet, but can be contacted via email (caughtredhandedwines@gmail.com) and Phil is also an active member of the BooseMonkey site (www.boozemonkey.com).  Phil has a mailing list that you can also join when you contact him.

Wines will be delivered at a flat rate of $20/12 bottle case.

And now the wines:-

Caught Redhanded Pack

White Wines

2008 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ($A12.50)

The grapes for this wine comes from one of the highest Adelaide Hills vineyards in Lobethal and it is the first commercial white wine Phil made.

The wine shows herbaceous characters but is not over the top like a lot of Sauvignon Blancs available right now.  When I drink it I get the herbaceousness continuing with tropical fruits combined with hints of limes and a good acid finish.  The wine would go well with a locally caught pan fried fish – I always like snapper.  I suggest this wine is a buy and drink now sort of wine as it may lose it’s freshness with much more aging, but right now and cold would be very good (it is about 35 degrees as I write this). 

2008 Pinot Gris / Sauvignon Blanc ($A15)

The same Sauvignon Blanc from the above wine was mixed with some (Mount Compas) Pinot Gris.  I found the wine had a closed nose but the palate was pleasing with good acid and an excellent mouthfeel of nashi and lime.  This wine has more complexity than the straight Sauvigonon Blanc – it was a pity the wine had a closed nose.  With the extra complexity the wine could match with more complex food such as a mild chicken indian curry.

2008 Sauvignon Blanc / Chardonnay ($A12.50)

As soon as I saw the label I was interested to see what was in the glass, as I had not see this blend before.  The Sauvignon Blanc is the same as the above wines and the Chardonnay also came from the Adelaide Hills (a different vineyard than the other wine).  The blend is 70% Sauvigonon Blanc with 30% Chardonnay – and the chardonnay is wooded.  As per the previous wine the nose was closed (note that the wine was not too cold).  The wooded fruit dominates the palate with hints of citrus peel and peachy melon characters.  The oak domination detracts from this wine but it may go better with food (I suspect this was Phil’s plan).

2009 Pinot Gris ($A15)

The grapes for this wine come from a Lobethal vineyard and they were the first harvest from those vines.  There is orange blossom and pear on the nose.  When I drank the wine it showed minerally nashi charachters with lots of acid (though a little short), which would go well with grilled seafood.

Red Wines

2009 Cabernet Rose ($A15)

The grapes came from Langhorne Creek and was the bleed off juice from the processing of the grapes.  The wine had just been bottles (6 days).  What I found was a very interesting wine in a style that should be a good seller in the coming hotter months.  On the nose was pink lady apples, floral and straw characters followed by a palate full of pure cabernet fruit, apples and some herds on the back palate.  Please note this is not a totally dry style but it is not a sugar bomb either.  This wine would be great cold while sitting in the backyard with friends on a Sunday lunch with lots of crusty bread (maybe from the Willunga Markets) and some soft cheeses – my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

2007 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A20)

The grapes for this wine were from a vineyard in Willunga, with only 2 barrels made (1 barrel french oak and the other american oak).  Even before the wine was brought to the nose I could smell the vanillin oak, which also has stewed plums and black fruits coming through.  There was also a tingling on the nose from the high alcohol (15.8%).  The palate is a mixture of fruit cake (which reminds me I had better check my fruit mice), plums and finishing with bitter chocolate a licorice.  There is so much going on there that you can hardly notice the alcohol heat on the finish.  This is a big, big wine with lots of tannins and acid.  I would leave this one for a while longer and I can see a rich slow cooked casserole being consumed (as winter comfort food) with this wine. 

Fortifieds

NV Port (375 ml bottle)($A15)

Not tasted.

Future Releases

2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($A20)

This wine is from the same vineyard as the 2007 wine and will be bottled in the next few weeks.

The wine is very dark in colour and continues with dark black fruits and black cherries on the nose with a fruit cake palate with the black cherries continuing.  The 2 things I note when comparing the wine is that the oak and alcohol is not as dominate in this wine – making the wine better balanced.  I like this wine a whole lot better than the 2007 version and I will check it out when bottled. 

Other wines being made are:-

2008 & 2009 Chardonnay from Adelaide hills

2007 Adelaide Hills Shiraz – ready to be bottled

2009 Langhorn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 Adelaide Hills (Lobethal) Pinot Noir

2008 Adelaide Hills Shiraz

2009 McLaren Vale Shiraz

McLaren Vale’s Lonely Grape TV Episode #9

Hi everybody and thanks for joining me for Lonely Grape TV Episode #9.  This tasting was conducted at the Freerange Gallery from McLaren Vale.  I taste the 2008 Reserve Bush Vine Grenache (which won a Gold Medal in the 2009 McLaren Vale wine show) plus the 2007 Inkwell Shiraz.  Check out their previous blog reviews at La Curio and Inkwell.  The contact details for the wineries are:-

www.lacuriowines.com

www.inkwellwines.com

Thanks to James Hook for digital copies of some of his photos and to the Freerange Gallery for their patience while I was filming.

McLaren Vale Wines – Madeleines

This lable (previously known as Vincognita Wines) is the infusion of 2 families.  The Belej family and the Dix family.  The Nangkita Vineyard was purchased by Peter Belej in 2003 after having significant Riverland vineyard experience – particularly with the Viognier variety.  Chris Dix was working for another winery but had intentions to produce his own wine and contacted Peter to buy some of the excellent Viognier fruit.  At the time Peter was sick of winemakers taking his fruit, and in his mind, destroying his product.  Peter thought that Chris had talent as a winemaker, however he refused Chris’s grape purchase request.  Peter had another idea – lets make the wine together.  That was in 2002 and the rest they say is history

 

The Nangkita Vineyard is situated in the souther Mt Loft Ranges and is in the middle of the Fleurieu Peninsula (also mid way between McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek).  There is no cellar door, however you can see the vineyard on the outskirts of Nangkita (driving south on the Victor Harbour Road turn left at the sign post as you come into Mount Compass.  The vineyard is approximately 100 acres of a combination of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvingon Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Primativo, Merlot and Chardonnay.  The area is about 160m above sea level and as such is cooler than the McLaren Vale region.  The soil is white sand (between 1 and 1.5 m in depth) over sandstone and clay. 

Madeleines Basket Press

 Another advantage is the high quality (low salinity) water in the aquifer under the vineyard.  Irrigation is kept to a minimum but the last 2 -3 years being in a drought has ment the water was vital to grape and wine quality.  Up until 2009 the best grapes were kept for their wines and the remainder was sold to other wineries.  With 2009 being difficult to sell wine grapes lead to a decision to utilise most of the for their own wine making pursuits. 

Madeleines Nangkita Vineyard

Nangkita Vineyard Views

The web site is www.vincognita.com.au

Now the wines:-

White Wines

2008 Nangkita Vineyard Viognier (A$19.50)

The grapes for this wine were picked before the 2008 vintage heat wave set in and the quality shows they made the right decision.  The wine is dominated by characters that I was not expecting.  This wine is full of ginger and cinnamon and not dominated by apricots.  Peter tells me there is 2 clones of Viognier one has the apricot flavours and the other has these ginger characters.  Obviously this wine is dominated by grapes from the second clone.  The wine has a wonderful mouthfeel - almost viscous and the acids are starting to soften.  The wine would go well with chinese or thai foods.

2009 Nangkita Vineyard Viognier (A$19.50)

The 2009 wine is very different to the 2008.  This wine has more of the apricot characters with hints of ginger.  There is plenty of acid in this wine and Chris believes the wine will be drinking best next year.  Tasting the 2 wines together is interesting to show the differences in style.  It will be interesting to see this wine in a years time but I do not think mine will last that long.

2009 Gewurtztraminer (A$15)

The wine was bottled only 4 weeks before the tasting – so it should have just settled down after the shock of bottling.  The wine has the usual floral characteristics on the nose but there is none of the sweet candy smells one can get with this variety.  The palate shows good acid, some minerality and the floral/turkish delight characters with a hint is spiciness on the finish.  There is almost an oilyness to the wine that I find pleasing.  This is a dry wine and would go well with chinese foods as it would compliment the various spices used in this style of cooking.

2009 Chardonnay (tank sample)

Straight from the tank – only a small proportion saw any oak and no malolactic fermentation.  Chris has tried to make a chardonnay that is different to the usual.  Partially due to the difficulty in the public’s perception about this wine variety but also to try a few different things with the wine.  The wine shows good apricot and peach aromas and palate with sufficient acid to make this a good food wine.  A nice piece of pork or a tuna steak would give you a good match.

Red Wine

2007 Nangkita Vineyard Primitivo (A$22)

The vines are basically the same as Zinfandel.  This wine is like a fruit cake in a glass, raisins on the nose and a mouthful of raisins with little oak influence on the tannins or the flavour characters.  Oak is there but not a big part of it (old french and american oak was used).  This would go well with a Moroccan Tagine of goat, vegetables and dates mixed with chilli, cummin and crushed tomatoes.

2007 McLaren Vale Shiraz (A$19.50)

This is a big wine with an inky colour (from the small berries from that years vintage).  The nose and palate shows lots of stewed plums that are almost sweet and the heavy oak (used to offset the fruit).  Make no mistake this is a big – big wine and will need a number of years before the tannins settle down.  I would not really drink this until after 2015.

2007 Nangkita Shiraz (A$19.50)

The wine has sice, plums, blackberries with oak influences on the nose.  The palate continues with ripe plum and blackcurrant fruits with lots of white pepper.  The oak is strong but so is the fruit.  The fruit is so concentrated that it lingers on the palate after the oak tannins have gone.  Again the wine is a big monster (not as big as the McLaren Vale Shiraz).  I would still let this wine alone for a while before trying it.

2007 NSX 10th Anniversary Shiraz (A$48)

This wine was made from the best barrels from 2007.  The wine is huge both in fruit and oak.  In saying this it more approachable now than the other 2 Shiraz wines above.  Great black berry and plum fruits mixed with lots of cedery oak tannins and a good acid lift.  Approachable now but will last for a long long time.

Lonely Grape TV Episode #8

This episode of Lonely Grape TV was fimed at the Freerange Gallery in McLaren Vale.  Until the 5th December this gallery has a photographic exhabition showing photos from James Hook and the subjust is wine making.  James is the winemaker of the Lazy Ballerina.  This episode shows 2 wines:-

Willanbi Vineyards 2009 Isabella Verdelho

2008 Lazy Ballerina McLaren Vale Shiraz

McLaren Vale Wine – Olivers Taranga Vineyards

The Taranga Vineyards are 6th generation owned by the Oliver Family with Corrina Wright (part of the 6th generation) being the winemaker.  The 96 ha of vineyards, first planted in 1841, are home to mainly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also include 14 other varieties.  Most of the grapes are sold, with the added distinction that one block is sold as  Penfolds Grange stock (the only Grange supplier in McLaren Vale).  The family are experimenting with “new” varieties such as Fiano to review the ability of these varieties to assist in sustainable farming (in this case reducing water consumption).  The Olivers are part of the McLaren Vale sustainable initiative called Generational Farming Sustainability Farming where vineyards will be assessed on their sustainability (in the areas of pest & disease control, soil & weed management, water use, environmental management & continuing education).  The system will lead to vineyards being able to obtain a sustainable certification.  About 60 McLaren Vale vineyards have joined this excellent local initiative.

The wines have been of a quality for James Halliday to give the winery a 5 Star rating.

The cellar door is on Seaview Road (see map).  They are open 10 am to 4 pm daily.

Oliver Taranga's Cellar Door

Their website is www.oliverstaranga.com 

Olivers Taranga Art Work

 

It was interesting to note that a winery on the right as you come into McLaren Vale which is now owned by Simon Hackett was once called Taranga (about 25 years ago).  I had thought that this winery was owned by the Olivers.  Corrina put me straight that this winery had no association with the Oliver family.  It was a mistake that many people make and they get asked this quite often.

 

Olive oil is also available with excellent award winning packaging.  The bottle with an olive wood stopper is classy.

 

And now the wines……

 

Please note that the wines attract a discount if you purchase any 6 wines or more from the cellar door.  The pricing below will indicate the individual price first and then the 6+ purchase price second.

 

White Wines

 

2009 Fiano ($A24 / $A22) 

Plenty of general fruit on the nose with a hint of tropical characters.  Excellent acid finish on the wine with a textured mouthfeel – almost viscous!  One of the Italian trial varieties with the fruit showing good acid even during the hottest growing seasons - like to 2009 growing season.  This is a good food wine and I would like it with a plate of BBQ’d Octopus with a lemon marinade.

 

2008 Viognier (A$18 / A$15)

I found the nose on this wine a little closed – possibly as the wine was a bit cold.  The palate had lots of apricot and dried fruits with an excellent acid zing on the finish.  This wine should be drunk while young and a pan seared tuna steak would be a good match.

 

Red Wines

 

2008 Tempranillo ($A30 / $A28)

This spanish variety is showing some good wines in McLaren Vale.  Taranga Vineyard is doing a good job with this emerging variety.  Some of their grapes are going into other winery wines in the district and the grapes going into this wine are also pretty good too.  The wine has earthy characters with a hint of spice on the nose.  When it enters your mouth it shows lovely black berry fruit and finished with very dry dusty tannins.

 

2007 Cadenzia Grenache ($A30 / $A28)

The wine has a lighter colour that I would normally expect from a McLaren Vale Grenache, however this does not take anything away from the wine.  With a perfumed nose with hints of stewed plums followed by a flavour packed mouth full of plums, cherries with hints of pepper.  Bring on Mums Sunday Lamb Roast with a bottle or 2 of this wine.

 

2006 Corrina’s Shiraz / Cabernet Blend ($A30 / $A28)

This wine is a vineyard blend – in other words Corrina has enough confidence in the vineyard blocks that the grapes are picked, crushed and fermented together.  By doing this the extraction from the 2 varieties are different that if the wines were fermented separately.  It is also great to see another example of the blend seen alot back in the 80’s.  There is the black fruits of the Cabernet coming through on the nose.  When the wine hits the mouth there is a lingering composite of blackberries, chocolate, tannins and oak characters.  If this wine style has been out of favour then this wine should be seen as a beacon to say otherwise.  The wine is drinking well now but it has a few more years ahead of it.  I can think of nothing better than to drink this with BBQ’d meats.

 

2006 Shiraz ($A30 / $A28)

This is a dense big wine that is a joyful arrangement that fills the whole mouth full of licorice and rich ripe black fruits that finished with some spice action.  Fine tannins and good fruit/oak balance makes this a winner.  It maybe me being one dimensional but yet again I see this with a juicy Whychood Meats Rump Steak with an infusion of mushrooms, red capsicum, onions and tomatoes brought together with some Coriole Vin Cotta.  

 

2005 HJ Reserve Shiraz ($A48 / $A45)

The best barrels of the yearly shiraz offerings goes into this reserve wine.  This wine does not disappoint.  A spiced lift on the nose through to the silky smooth palate.  Here is all the black fruits, plums, pepper mixed with the elegant tannins from fine french oak.  This wine has all the finesse one should see in a reserve wine and leaving this for about 10 years would see a gem.  

 

Fortifiedes

 

NV Banished Fortified Grenache ($A30 / $A30)

 

This wine is not available at this time – it has been so popular that they had to remove it from sale.  The wine is drawn from a 20 year old solera system, so to keep with wines integrity only a certain amount can be withdrawn.  Expect the wine back at the cellar door in about 6 months.  The wine shows all that you would expect from a 20 year old fortified – rancio characters, hazelnuts and toffee – YUM.  The packaging is first class and I understand this wine has been frequently purchased with gift giving in mind!

Lonely Grape TV Episode #7

Thanks for joining me in a review of two Madeleines handmade original wines in this episode of Lonely Garpe TV.  On this episode I taste a 2008 Nangkita Viognier and a 2007 Nangkita Shiraz.  Both enjoyable wines from a small winery just outside the McLaen Vale wine region (close to Mount Compas).  They do not have a cellar door - check them out on their web site www.vincognita.com.au (note that Vincognita was what the wine used to be called).