2012 YALUMBA THE SIGNATURE - SIGN YOUR NAME

‘The Signature’ is one of the stalwarts of Australian wine. A classical Australian ‘Claret’, it displays the harmony of Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. It is a traditionally inspired, full bodied, generous wine.

2012 was a smart vintage in the Barossa Valley, and much of the quality of the vintage comes thought in this wine. On this showing it is in desperate of need of further bottle age. Although not tight or overly tannic, it is a touch shy at the moment. Given the pedigree of the label and the quality of the vintage, it should be strutting its stuff with 6-8 more years in bottle.

2012 YALUMBA THE SIGNATURE
Producer: Yalumba
Variety: Shiraz Cabernet blends
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 20 November 2016

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby. Bright nose of plum, cherry, cassis, woodsmoke, graphite, coconut and vanilla. Full bodied, red fruit meets black, the Cabernet coming through more with air. Tannins are super-fine, sitting very much behind the fruit. Solid, a good rendition of this classic label, but needing several years more in bottle to reveal its full potential.
Score: 16+/20

2013 GRUETZNER VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON SHIRAZ - TAILOR MADE

We have previously discussed the inaugural release of winemaker turned tailor Tom Riley’s Gruetzner Vineyard red blend. The follow up, from the warm 2013 vintage, is just as good. However, in 2013, the blend favours later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon over Shiraz.

Oak once again plays second fiddle, allowing high quality dry-grown fruit to take centre stage. This is a vineyard that has previously made the cut for Penfold’s Grange, and one can see why. This wine is the essence of Cabernet Sauvignon, with its rich cassis fruit and suggestions of damp earth.

Elegantly constructed, long and stylish, there is plenty to enjoy now. Indeed the fruit rather envelops the structure of the wine, masking the underlying tannins somewhat. A good decade and a half of cellaring will see this delicious wine reach maturity.

2013 GRUETZNER VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON SHIRAZ
Producer: TB Riley Wines
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Vintage: 2013
Region: Apsley, Far Western Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 8 March 2016

Tasting Note:
Deep cherry red. Bright nose of cassis, lead pencil shavings, dried herbs, earthy notes. Medium bodied, savoury, red and blue fruits, the dark personality of Cabernet really comes through. Delicious.
Score: 16.5+/20

2012 TB RILEY ‘GRUETZNER VINEYARD’ SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON - TAILOR MADE

Don’t know where Apsley is? You wouldn’t be the only one. It’s a remote town in far western Victoria, not that far from the South Australian border. It is the home of Gruetzner Vineyard, a relatively cool site that has provided fruit for Penfolds Grange. Being cool and dry, it produces modest yields of small Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that have abundant tannins and good natural acidity.

Now to the maker, Tom Riley is a one-time member of the Penfolds winemaking team turned high-end tailor. Trained as a winemaker, Tom ‘saw the light’ and moving into the more lucrative of cutting the finest cloth. Thanks for us drinkers, Tom still makes a little bit of wine on the side.

Gruetzner Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon from the excellent 2012 vintage is his first effort, and it has a real wow factor. A classic Australian ‘Claret’, Riley’s take on Bin 389 is a real beauty. It sees no new oak being matured exclusively in seasoned oak barrels. The wine displays excellent fruit concentration and plenty of structure by way of fine powdery tannin.

In some ways, this is an anti-Penfolds wine, being the product of a single vineyard, no new wood and notably made without the use of ‘exogenous tannins’. This is a cracker of a wine for the cellar, but patience is needed. Leave for at least a decade.

2012 TB RILEY ‘GRUETZNER VINEYARD’ SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: TB Riley
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Vintage: 2012
Region: Far Western Victoria, Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 31 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Impenetrable crimson. Stern nose of dark fruit, minerals, wet earth, graphite. Medium bodied, silky in texture, blueberry, blackberry, cassis. Very ‘dark’. Savoury. Powdery tannins assert themselves on the finish. Classic dry Australian red executed with aplomb. Needs time – at least 5 years.
Score: 17.5/20

1999 YALUMBA 'THE SIGNATURE' - WARM AND CUDDLY

Yalumba’s ‘The Signature’ is one of Australia’s great labels. Produced since the 1960’s, it is an über-traditional blended of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, sourced from the Barossa Valley. As is typical of many of Yalumba's premium red wines, it sees a generous amount of new oak, primarily American. Yet, the quality of the raw material is such that the oak isn’t overly assertive. That said, it helps to be an admirer of rich and oaky warm climate wines if you are to enjoy ‘The Signature’.

1999 was a vintage that, for many, flew under the radar in the Barossa Valley. At the time, it rather sat in the shadows of the much lauded 1998 vintage. While 1998 produced many full throttle wines of great power and intensity, the best 1999’s display greater elegance and harmony. There is indeed, a lot to like about 1999.

This bottle of 1999 Yalumba ‘The Signature’ was the first of a six-pack. Interestingly, the back label suggests drink from release through 2011. However, from this drinker’s perspective, it is wine that is just starting to hit its stride now. The tannins have fully resolved, yielding a wine that is opulent and voluptuous, but not heavy or exaggerated. It reveals layers of creamy dark chocolate married with liqueur cherries, blackberry and plum. This is a wine that is a real crowd pleaser. On the subject of food, it cries out for a hearty braise; Jugged Hare finished with a touch of dark chocolate would be ideal, as would Kangaroo Fillet with a Chocolate Sauce.

1999 THE SIGNATURE 
Producer: Yalumba
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend
Vintage: 1999
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 3 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby, fading very slightly at the rim. Rich chocolate driven nose – Valrhona! Nutty oak, vanilla, liqueur cherries covered with dark chocolate, gentle touch of herbaceousness. Becomes more perfumed with air. Full bodied, velvet smooth, svelte – very sexy, luxurious texture that teases the tongue. Dark chocolate, red fruit, pleasant bitterness on the mid-palate. Long finish. Restrained hedonism. A real crowd pleaser!
Score: 18/20

BABY GRANGE - 1996 BIN 389

Known as ‘baby Grange’ as it as partially matured in used American oak casks that previously held Grange, Bin 389 has been a permanent fixture in the Penfolds line-up. Always a typically Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, Bin 389 is very much in the Penfolds house style.

The 1996 Bin 389 is still just a baby, maintaining the deep purple colour of youth, a touch of earthiness on the nose ever so slightly betraying that this wine is now 15 years old. The tannins have softened somewhat, but we’re yet to see any genuine secondary complexity emerge. This Bin 389 needs at least another 3 years, perhaps 5. The rewards of patience indeed!

1996 BIN 389 CABERNET SHIRAZ
Producer: Penfold’s
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 1996
Region: Various regions, South Australia
Price: N/a
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 7 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Mint and eucalypt on the nose, cassis and blackberry, earthy notes suggesting evolution. Dry and medium bodied, this is not a heavyweight. Very much of the Penfold’s house style, rich black fruit married with spicy oak, touch of liquorice. At this point in its evolution, the wine delivers just moderate complexity and, to be frank, is a touch boring. Perhaps a few more years in the cellar will see that much needed complexity emerge?
Score: 15.5+/20

THE PENGUIN ON TOUR: REDBANK

Redbank Winery is a Pyrenees stalwart that has been guided for many years by the hands of winemaker Neil Robb and wife Sally.  The standout wine in the range here is Sally's Paddock, a Bordeaux blend with a generous Australian touch of Shiraz.  It is a classic of the region.  The 2009 is a well assembled Sally's Paddock, savoury and structured.  While it doesn't have the class of the region's best wines, it will keep admirers of the style happy.  A 2001 Sally's Paddock being offered for tasting had developed secondary characters of earth and leather.

The Sally's Hill Shiraz is also a strong performer.  Notwithstanding rather high alcohol (15.5% ABV) the 2008 is well balanced, lively and vibrant.  At under $25 a bottle, it is decent value for money.  The other wines in the portfolio are decent, if not necessarily completely convincing examples of their ilk.  One suspects that fresher tasting samples might have helped.  Sally's Hill Pinot Noir makes a strong case for why the variety isn't made for the Pyrenees; dry and rugged, it is a long way from feminine and perfumed examples of the heartbreak grape.

2008 HUNDRED TREE HILL CHARDONNAY
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 12.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Price: $14.50
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Produced from bought in fruit, the wine is unoaked. Pale silvery lemon. Melon and green apples on the nose. Dry, medium bodied, crisp pear and apple fruit. Simple and easy going, but well made. Good value for money.
Score: 15.5/20

2009 SALLY’S HILL CHARDONNAY
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Price: $23.90
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Weightier and richer than the Hundred Tree Hill Chardonnay, with evidence of gentle oak usage and partial malolactic fermentation. Elegant, slightly creamy in texture, apples and pears. Refreshing acidity.
Score: 15.5/20

2009 SALLY’S HILL PINOT NOIR
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Diam
Price: $23.90
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Made from 100% estate grown fruit. Cherries and boiled sweets on the nose. Quite a rugged ‘dry red’ that bears little comparison to red Burgundy or better New World Pinot Noirs. Candied fruit on the palate. Touch short on the finish.
Score: 13/20

2009 SALLY’S HILL CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2006
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Diam
Price: $23.90
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Bright nose of red fruits, touch of cedar. Moderate fruit intensity, cherries and plums. Grainy tannins carry the finish. A decent enough, albeit not particularly varietal Cabernet Sauvignon.
Score: 14.5/20

2008 SALLY’S HILL SHIRAZ
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Shiraz
Vintage: 2008
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 15.5%
Closure: Diam
Price: $23.90
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Fruit driven nose of cherry, plum and blueberry. Sweet red fruits carry the palate. Although the alcohol is very high, the wine is extremely well balanced and maintains a sense of elegance and drinkability.
Score: 16/20

2009 SALLY’S PADDOCK
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Diam
Price: $59.20
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
A blend of 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot and Malbec, matured in a combination of French and American oak, some of which is new. Quite tight on the nose; dark briar fruit and woodsmoke. Dry and elegant, ripe and sweet fruited, seductive. The component parts work in harmony, delivery a quality wine. Fine tannins frame the finish, which shows good length.
Score: 16/20

2001 SALLY’S PADDOCK
Producer: Redbank
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2001
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Diam
Price: $106.50
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 29 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Colour has faded slightly. Quite gamey and animale on the nose. Wet earth, fig and leather drive the palate, which has entered an interesting secondary phase. A good wine, but might have been more interesting a couple of years ago?
Score: 16/20

THE PENGUIN ON TOUR: BAROSSA VALLEY - ROCKFORD

For anyone raised in South Australia, Rockford is a Barossa Valley winery that has almost icon status. Basket Press Shiraz and the non-vintage sparkling Black Shiraz are feted to the extent that they are offered to a select group of mail order customers on allocation, no more than 6 bottles of each per customer.

On evidence of a tasting of current releases, as well as a couple of gems from the museum collection, the reds continue to be the stars at Rockford. That said, the 2007 Local Growers Semillon is one to look out for. At under $20, it represents excellent value and should develop well in bottle for up to 5 years.

Of the big name reds, the 2009 Basket Press Shiraz is in fine form. Such is the tannin management that the wine slides easily down the gullet now. Rest assured, there’s no lack of structure here, and there’s oodles of high quality old vine fruit to see this wine well into its second decade.

Also impressive is the 2009 Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon. It displays true varietal character, something not always associated with Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and should keep well for at least a decade.

The latest N.V. Black Shiraz, disgorged just a couple of months back, was frankly rather tight and taut, not revealing much of its potential. Judgement should really be reserved for a couple of months. Past experience suggests that bottle age will see the wine settle down and develop spicy complexity.

Good as many of the other Rockford wines undoubtedly are, star of the current line-up is the 2003 Shiraz V.P., a single vineyard Shiraz fortified with locally distilled 12-year old spirit. It’s rich, sweet up-front, savoury on the finish, with complex layers of prune and black cherry fruit entwined with exotic spices. Although delivering plenty of pleasure now, it should age well in bottle for many years to come.

2009 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2009
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: %
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $20.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Quite delicate and elegant. Pithy grapefruit and stony minerality. A rather gentle and polite Riesling. Perhaps could do with a bit more fruit intensity. Decent enough value, but there are better examples of Eden Valley Riesling out there.
Score: 15/20

2004 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2004
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Touch of kerosene on the nose. Slightly honeyed and oily in texture. Rounded, but rather simple.
Score: 14.5/20

2007 LOCAL GROWER’S SEMILLON
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Semillon
Vintage: 2007
Region: Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.2%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $18.50
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Made using fruit sourced from the Barossa Valley floor and Eden Valley. A small percentage of the wine sees wild barrel fermentation. Quite textured; creamy, but not too weighty on the palate. Melon and peach, touch of honey, vanilla and subtle oak spice. All in all, a very good wine, and excellent value. Better than either of the two Rieslings. Should develop well in bottle over the medium term.
Score: 16.5/20

2007 MOPPA SPRINGS
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2007
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Blend of Grenache (55%), Mourvèdre (30%) and Shiraz (15%). Elegant, savoury, meaty and spicy. Not a heavyweight at all, indeed, rather fine and elegant. Although showing just moderate complexity at present, a recent bottle of the 1998 Moppa Springs demonstrates that this wine can age well in bottle, developing layers of spicy complexity. 
Score: 15+/20

2003 MOPPA SPRINGS
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $28.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Sweet raspberry coulis on the nose. Full and fleshy with suggestions of tar, star anise, clove and cinnamon. Drinking well now, but shows only modest complexity. 
Score: 15/20

2008 ROD & SPUR
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Vintage: 2008
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $30.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Blend of Shiraz (53%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (47%). Subtle spicy oak intermingled with red fruits. Dry, medium bodied; like the Moppa Springs, this is not an overoaked warm climate monster. In fact, it is rather elegant. Quite classy. Both elements are well balanced and the oak is well integrated. Tight at the moment, but should open out over the medium term. 
Score: 16/20

2009 RIFLE RANGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $37.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note: Surprising varietal for a Barossa Valley Cabernet! Blackcurrant pastilles and underbrush. Ripe black fruit framed by very fine powdery tannins. Well balanced acidity and alcohol. Finishes long. 
Score: 16.5/20

2009 BASKET PRESS SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $54.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Matured in a combination of new and used American and French oak barrels. Full bodied, rich and fleshy. Excellent fruit intensity; blackberry, plum and cherry. Oak is subtle and well integrated, allowing the fruit to speak for itself. Finishes long with very fine, slightly puckering tannins. Should have a long life ahead of it. An excellent Rockford Basket Press! 
Score: 17+/20

2003 SVS HOFFMAN SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 15.0%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $85.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Single vineyard wine, made solely from pressings wine and matured in 100% new American oak. Very deep in colour for a wine approaching 10 years of age. Intense on the nose, with very forward charry American oak. Very intense on the palate, liquorice, charry oak, roasted spices and coconut. Taut and tannic. Hint of alcohol warmth on the finish. A bit of a monster, in contrast to the other Rockford wines, which display considerable elegance and judicious use of oak. Needs plenty of time. A ‘statement’ wine. 
Score: 16+/20

N.V. BLACK SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Champagne/Sparkling Wine
Vintage: Non-vintage (Disgorged 2011)
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $57.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Disgorged just a couple of months ago, and a bit unyielding. Sweet cherry and plum confit, rather tight. Not strutting its stuff at this stage, but time in bottle will undoubtedly be rewarded. A subsequent tasting of Black Shiraz from magnum (triaged in 1994 and disgorged in the past 12 months) showed how well it can age, developing an almost ethereal floral bouquet. 
Score: 16.5+/20

2003 SHIRAZ V.P.
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Fortified wine – Port
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 18.1%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $63.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011

Tasting Note:
A Vintage Port style wine, made from old vine single vineyard Shiraz, fortified with locally distilled 12 year old Brandy spirit. Flamboyant nose of prune, liqueured plums and morello cherries. Rich, full bodied and sweet on the palate, fig, prune and dark spices. Like all good Ports, the finish is slightly dry, and the spirit is extremely well balanced (though at just over 18%, the alcohol is relatively low for a Vintage Port). Already showing a good amount of complexity. Really rather good, an Australian Graham’s perhaps?! 
Score: 18/20

MAJELLA – A COONAWARRA STAR

In the 1990’s, Majella emerged as a Coonawarra producer to be reckoned with. Show success brought the name Majella to the attention of wine-lovers throughout Australia.

The Majella house style veers towards the riper end of the Coonawarra spectrum, and favours a generous use of oak. A recent tasting of several Majella wines from different vintages showed that the Cabernet Sauvignon’s from better vintages (1998 and 2001) had held up very well. Indeed, the 1998 was in the prime of its life; rich, flamboyantly oaked and serving up plenty of pleasure.

2000 was a somewhat tricky year in Coonawarra.  Although 2000 The Malleea has held up well, it delivers moderate interest for a super-premium bottling.  Astute buyers would perhaps best be served to stick to the standard Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon in stand out years.

For those that like their wines with plenty of personality and a decent dollop of high quality oak, Majella is an estate worth buying from, especially in good vintages. For terroiristes, the good news is that the flashy oak doesn't drown out regional typicity.  The standard Cabernet Sauvignon is without a doubt one of the region’s best and holds up extremely well in the current market in terms of value for money.

1998 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Majella
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 1998
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
ABV: 14%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 2 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Bold nose of liqueur cherries and plums intermingled with charry oak/smouldering coals. Quite flamboyant in style – clearly picked very ripe and extravagantly oaked (the nose suggests both French and American), but well balanced. The tannins are fully resolved, but this wine has plenty of stuffing and should hold for a few years yet, perhaps even as long as 10.  
Score: 17.5/20

2000 MALLEEA
Producer: Majella
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2000
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Date tasted: 16 October 2011

Tasting Note:
Lively nose of cedarwood, redcurrants and raspberries. Medium bodied, a bit hollow on the palate, lacks the stuffing that a ‘luxury cuvee’ of this nature demands. Better with food, but slightly lacking in intensity and complexity on the palate. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there’s nothing particularly exciting about it either.  A subsequent bottle showed better, and the score is based on the second bottle.
Score: 15.5/20