Wine Notes September 2009

By Franz Scheurer

Belvedere Silver

Belvedere is bringing out a limited edition of Belvedere Pure for the upcoming Festive Season and it’s a glaring, out-there, chic and in your face silver bottle, a big departure from the classic Belvedere look. Once seen never forgotten is obviously the aim and I reckon it works. The bottle comes complete with neck gift tag and it will be available nationally in selected bottle shops as of 1st October 2009. This is a fabulous Christmas gift!

For stockist information call Moet Hennessy on 1300 136 590

http://www.belvedere-vodka.com

Richmond Grove Adelaide Hills Limited Release Chardonnay 2008

The elevated position in the Adelaide Hills helps this wine to be lean and austere without the challenging flavours of a Chablis. The fruit is sourced from the Adelaide Hills and aromas of flinty minerals with a touch of citrus confirm the cool climate. On the palate it is rich without being overblown, quite varietal and full of preserved lemon flavours. This is a good wine to go with delicate food as it won’t overshadow or kill subtle flavours.

RRP: $23.99

Leconfield McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008

The first thing that stands out is the simplicity of the label. It’s gorgeous, understated and a whine I would automatically grab and try if I did not know it beforehand. The next thing that stands out is the wine itself. Despite its regionality, this is not a blockbuster Shiraz but an elegant, eminently well-crafted wine, with lots of finesse and elegance. The fruit is sourced from vineyards established over the last four decades by Burton and Richard Hamilton. It’s bottled at 14.5% a/v, full of ripe fruit with boysenberries and white pepper on the nose and more savoury, earthy characters on the palate. Finish is long and satisfyingly rich without ever becoming too dry. Love it.

RRP $ 24.95

Fat Yak Pale Ale

Great name meets cool packaging. This is a terrific Aussie beer, naturally brewed with no additives or preservatives. Bottled at 4.7% a/v it is a fully flavoured, mouth-filling drop, quite chewable, floral and lots of citrus, ending with a bitter-sweet finish. Hops is added early and again late in the fermentation preventing it from developing into a sweet beer but keeping the strong citrus aromas and flavours. Great thirst quencher and well worth seeking out.

firefly Recharge

This pomegranate & echinacea drink with rosehip and ginseng is as good as it gets. Drink it ice cold and recharge your batteries or at least quench your thirst. It’s not too sweet and the flavour of pomegranate is both soothing and tart softened by the rosehip. I can’t really taste the echinacea nor the ginseng but the fact that both are in there and supposedly good for you gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling in the tummy. You’ll find it at Simon Johnson Purveyor of Quality Food stores in 330ml bittles. Enjoy!

Beez Neez Honey Wheat Beer

Aptly named this is indeed the bees’ knees. Full bodied, bottled at 4.7% a/v this is a refreshing beer that is not too chewy, with a fair amount of malt flavour and a touch of honey. There is just enough bitterness to ensure this beer quenches a big thirst and it’s best consumed at Australian beer temperatures (in other words: bloody cold).

Available in many good bottle shops.

Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz 2007

This wine is made from fruit from the ‘short row’ Shiraz growing adjacent to the Cellar Door Cottage and it shows off McLaren Vale terroir and style at its best. Bottled at 14.5% a/v this is a full-bodied, fruit forward Shiraz with lots of spice on the nose and dark berries on the palate. It’s instantly mouth-filling with quite finely textured tannins and a long, dry and spice-laden finish. I perceive brown cardamom, Turkish delight and cooked blackberries with a dark, almost smoky finish. RRP: $28.50

Picardy Sauvignon Blanc Semolina 2009

This fabulous food wine was crafted by the Pannell family in Pemberton, Western Australia, made with fruit from 3 clones of Sauvignon Blanc and 18% Semillon, from 5 year old vines. Only 250 dozen were made. Estate grown, unirrigated, cane pruned and hand harvested, no tannins or enzymes were added to mask the terroir. This is a definite food wine and opens up gloriously, with aromas of lime and lemongrass and flavours of deep-fried baby artichokes with preserved lemon. It is the perfect wine to drink with deep-fried Harbour prawns and a lemon aioli. RRP $25 and at that it’s a bargain!

Pillar Box Reserve 2007

Let me say up front that this is a real discovery. Made by Mark & Kim Longbottom in Pathway, this is a Shiraz that will reward patience. Although great to drink right now, I am convinced that a few years of careful cellaring will benefit this wine greatly. Although a high alcohol wine (15% a/v) it is no fruit bomb, but a Shiraz that shows excellent savoury undertones and a surprising elegance. Nose: Mulberries with cream and mace. Palate: Mouth-coating, savoury with meaty complexity and lots of spice. Cinnamon and cassia slowly give way to stewed black berries with burning cedar and warm mastic resin aromas, with a long, beautifully balanced finish. For more information go to: http://www.henrysdrive.com