 |
|
Peter Wagner |
The dead of winter is the
time for dangerous red wines: those inexpensive bottles that are too
easy to drink when it’s cold outside. Having previously discussed
Two-Buck-Chuck and also Yellowtail, this month’s column is about
Rosemount, an Australian producer who also makes a bunch of cheap,
mostly decent wines. They focus on reds, and currently have six
different varieties available. Each can be had for just $6 and are found
widely in supermarkets in certain enlightened states.
In summary, all but one of the six are well worth their price, and are
actually a notch above cheap BBQ wines. As with the aforementioned, they
are drink-now-do-not-age wines. They are presented in order of
preference. However, your own personal taste is likely more important
than rank among the first 5. Only the sixth is substandard on my scale.
1. 2004 Shiraz (53%) Cabernet (47%). Deep in color, the nose began with
sl
leafiness and sulfur, but both blew off quickly, leaving rich dark berry
fruit on the nose and palate with nice medium tannic structure and
balanced acid. The wine opened well, with richness developing further in
the glass, and with good length. Balance of fruit, tannin and acid are
excellent. Very easy to drink.
2. 2003 Merlot. Medium deep color with vanilla and dark cherry nose.
Medium tannin and richness with nice bright red and dark cherry fruit.
Slightly earthy, with nice balance and length, a touch more complex than
(1) but not as rich. I did not expect this to come out #2 in the group.
3. 2004 Shiraz. Sl sulfur that blew off; vanilla with red/black berry
fruit on the nose. Forward fruit on the palate, with blackberry finish,
a bit simple in its flavors. But balanced (i.e., fruit-acid-tannin) and
pleasant.
4. 2004 Shiraz (55%) Grenache (45%). Grapey floral nose and palate.
Slight earth, bright acid, light tannins, pleasant accessible wine. Not
as rich as the above three. Slightly herbacious, with fair length.
5. 2004 Cabernet (88%) Merlot (12%) Deep color, with a nose of plums
and dark berry turning to blackberry. Sl. green pepper with red and dark
cherry fruit on the palate, which however was surprisingly simple. While
juicy, it lacked depth or complexity. But another easy-to-drink drop.
6. 2003 Cabernet. Strong salty “Vegemite” nose with pruney, ripe fruit.
Same characters on the palate. The fruit began to fade in the glass,
leaving a slight bitter edge.
However, since it is the holiday season, you may feel like splurging on
something of higher quality. Here are two in that category.
White: Frank Family 2005 Chardonnay $30-35. Who knows if our Executive
Director has a part of this winery, but no matter. This is a
refreshingly crisp, lightly oaked, apple-citrus flavored wine without
the heavy, overoaked, buttery characters of so many California
Chardonnays. Light vanilla, excellent acid and delicate fruit give this
wine elegance and balance. Costs a bit, but with a name like Frank, who
cares? Red: You
guessed it. Frank Family 2004 Zinfandel $35. This wine has forward,
jammy red cherry and raspberry fruit, with spice and vanilla and
sweetness from alcohol on the nose. The palate follows in kind with very
ripe and accessible forward berry fruit and vanilla/spice. Opens very
well in the glass. Has a sweetness to it that is probably due to the
high alcohol (15.6%) and vanilla oak more than true residual sugar, and
there is definite “heat” at the finish - the clear taste of alcohol
typical of wines with lots of ethanol. Not too tannic, but with good
acid, it is a great food wine for red meat dishes. It’s a bit pricey,
but Marty is very
proud of the wines from this vigneron, so it’s a pleasure to feature
them. |
