2013 CHATEAU CAMPUGET SYRAH - BLUE JEAN

Costieres de Nimes offers good value wines for drinking over the short to medium term.  Such is the case with this Syrah from Chateau Campuget.  There's a real sense of Mediterranean sunshine about this wine, not to say that it is overripe or overdone in any way.

Laden with dark berry fruit, liquorice and hung game, it is a lovely wine that simply says ‘drink me’. As to when, it is good to go now, but should hold for another 3-4 years.

2013 CHATEAU CAMPUGET COSTIERES DE NIMES 1753 SYRAH
Producer: Chateau Campuget
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Languedoc, France
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 29 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Mid-crimson in appearance. Attractive nose of hung meat/charcuterie, black cherry and blackberry. Medium bodied, soft and round, dark fruited with suggestions of game, black pepper and cured meat. Good length. Solid as a rock.
Score: 16/20

2014 FREEHAND CABERNET SAUVIGNON - I'M FREE

Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t flavour of the month in Australia at present, lagging well behind Pinot Noir and Shiraz in the public’s consciousness. However, done well, Cabernet can be truly delicious, particularly as a dinner table wine alongside grilled and roasted meats.

This particular example, from biodynamic producer Freehand, is the essence of Cabernet with its blackcurrant fruit entwined with charcoal, lead pencil and tobacco. Drunk on its own, it won’t appeal to all comers, but with a rack of lamb, it really comes into its own.

Interestingly, the wine is labelled as being both biodynamic and preservative free. A rather abstract label further suggest that this could be quite an ‘off-beat’ wine. While one could be tempted to think that this is an off-beat wine with its heart on its natural wine sleeve, it is actually rather conventional, but in a good way. It’s rather delicious, especially given the price.

2014 FREEHAND CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Freehand
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Great Southern, Western Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 28 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Opaque deep crimson verging toward black. Very typical Cabernet Sauvignon nose of charcoal, tomato leaf, blackcurrant and tobacco. Dry, medium bodied, with sweet blackcurrant fruit to the fore, overlaid by charcoal and pencil shavings. Powdery tannins provide structure. Excellent value for money, with upside for medium term cellaring.
Score: 16.5/20

2015 ST NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL ‘SABLES’ - FRANC-IE, DO YOU REMEMBER ME...

Loire Valley Cabernet Franc is one of the under-rated jewels of the wine world. At its best, it is aromatically expressive, no more than medium bodied, tremendously fresh and bright. There are few other red wines that offer better drinking when the sun is out.

This particular example ticks all of the boxes. Being grown on sandy soils, it is relatively light, with soft tannins. It is a wine to enjoy now and over the next year or two, preferably with rare lamb chops straight off the barbecue.

2015 ST NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL ‘SABLES’
Producer: Domine du Mortier
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 30 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Typical Cabernet France nose of blackcurrant leaf, redcurrant and lead pencil shavings. Medium bodied, soft and supple. Cabernet France to a tee – savoury and elegant, but not lean or austere. Easygoing and confident.
Score: 16/20

2014 DAVID FRANZ LONG GULLY ROAD SEMILLON - WILD HEARTED SON

Although it is one of Australia’s foundation grape varieties, Semillon remains largely ignored by the drinking public. Much is the pity, as dry Semillon can be delicious. While the Australia’s flagship Semillons come from the Hunter Valley, there are some very good wines from the Barossa Valley.

As a general rule, Barossa Semillon tends to be slightly fuller in body and earlier maturing than examples from the Hunter. When Semillon is as good as this bottle, it is one of the best wine values from anywhere. It does help that David Franz, the man behind the label, has a strong bloodline in the Barossa Valley. He is, in fact, the son of one Peter Lehmann.

As to the wine, it is completely and utterly delicious, and an absolute steal at under $25 per bottle. If anyone thinks that all Australian wine is over the top, high alcohol and confected, they just need to try a glass or two of good Semillon.

2014 DAVID FRANZ LONG GULLY ROAD SEMILLON
Producer: David Franz
Variety: Semillon
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 11.2%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $24.00
Date tasted: 31 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright greenish yellow. Attractive nose of grapefruit pith, candied preserved lemon and candle wax. Dry, medium bodied, bright and lively; grapefruit zest, lemon citrus and crab apple. Very attractive wine. Long on the palate. Will develop well over the medium term.
Score: 17.5/20

2014 SC PANNELL ‘THE VALE’ - ARE YOU OLD ENOUGH?

There is little that Steve Pannell can do wrong. He has an uncanny understanding of how wine fits into the contemporary Australian lifestyle and landscape. His wines tend not to be showy, but inevitably pass the deliciousness test with flying colours.

‘The Vale’ is a traditional McLaren Vale blend of Shiraz and Grenache. At this point in time it seems tightly coiled to the point of being slightly obdurate. For one reason or another, this particular bottle just didn’t sing. In view of the producer’s credentials and other reviews of this same wine, one is happy review judgement at this point in time.

2014 SC PANNELL ‘THE VALE’
Producer: SC Pannell
Variety: Grenache et al
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 23 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Direct nose of tar, roasted spices and liqueur cherry/raspberry. Medium bodied, quite taut, slightly straight-jacketed. Needs more time? Solid, but not particularly expressive. Give it the benefit of the doubt and revisit in a couple of years time.
Score: 15.5/20

2014 LA VIOLETTA ‘UP!’ SHIRAZ - I'M COMING UP!

Karrinyup, Manjimup and so on. Those West Australian’s just love their ‘Up’s’ don’t they! They also know how to make good wine. Such is the case with La Violetta ‘Up!’ Shiraz. It is a seductive wine, rich in violet and lilac florals.

Winemaker Andrew Hoadley has coaxed the best out of Great Southern Shiraz with this homage to all things Western Australian ending with –up. While its name may be irreverent, the wine is seriously delicious. There’s lots to enjoy now and over the next 5 or so years. More please!

2014 LA VIOLETTA ‘UP!’ SHIRAZ
Producer: La Violetta
Variety: Shiraz/Syrah
Region: Great Southern, Western Australia
ABV: 13.7%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 22 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Alluring nose of dark red fruits and lifted florals. Medium bodied, supple and fine. Very attractive and elegant, a panoply of sweet red and black fruit, nothing in excess. Slightly gamy. All in all, a delicious wine for now and over the next 5-6 years.
Score: 16.5/20