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Wine Wizard |
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2007 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc $9. This is standard New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – fresh, clean, herbal-grassy nose with gooseberry fruit, and a palate that follows in kind. Why then this wine in the column? A) Price is $4 or so less than the mainstream NZ SB range. B) Quality is still excellent C) Acidity is quite moderate – I have said before that perhaps the major distinguishing feature among NZ SB’s is their various levels of acidity. On average, these wines are really quite tart, and perhaps too much so for many people. Nobilo is less tart than most. The only downside is that there are richer NZ SB’s out there, but that said, there is still plenty of fruit. Great everyday wine. 2005 Kirkland Meritage, Napa valley, $11. Most of you will know that “Meritage” in California = Claret in Bordeaux (ie, a blend of main Bordeaux varietals). Most of you will also know that Kirkland is the Costco brand. So Costco had this wine made for them to sell under their own label. This wine is 69% Merlot, 29% Cabernet and 2% Cabernet Franc. The nose is a bit subdued, with dark cherry and some stemmy green aspects, but the palate is really very good. The fruit is quite intense with red and dark cherry. Its main feature other than excellent fruit is the silky smooth mouthfeel that is elegant, and not at all heavy, with excellent acid, and lighter tannins, some herbal elements, light oak and spice. Very easy to drink, and the 13.5% alcohol is quite modest. There is some stemminess that stops well short of bitterness, and a hint of earth. The finish is medium long – wish it were longer – but for this price, it is a wine I would serve at a formal dinner without worry. Will it age? It could be interesting to check it yearly, but I don’t think it is a real keeper. It compares with one of my perennial favorites, Estancia Meritage, which is twice the price. Thought a review of several current release ~$6 Australian budget Shiraz listings might be interesting. There now so many since Rosemount invented this niche some years back. Here are six examples of wines that should be readily available. None are over the top in concentration or alcohol. I am reporting on all six, but feel comfortable recommending only the first five (actually, surprised that five of six are quite drinkable). You may well rank them differently according to your taste, so enjoy any of these top five: 2007 Yellowtail Shiraz $6. The best of this bunch, this wine is not just a berry juice fruit bomb with no structure, as several such cheapo offerings tend to be. Slight mint and a touch of gamey leather on the nose with some dark plums. The palate is lush with dark fruit and hints of earth, black pepper and spice to give some complexity. It has a rich mouthfeel, soft tannins, and good acidity to provide good balance and length. It’s no $30 pretender, but is much better than $6. This might actually last a year or two in the cellar and be interesting then. 2007 Black Swan Shiraz $6. Close second place, this wine took a while to open (an observation that often correlates with goodness). Slight mint and red/dark berries on the nose. The palate has ripe sweet red/dark berry fruit (but no residual sugar), vanilla, slight black pepper, light oak char, slightly higher than average acidity, soft tannins, and it really improved with time in the glass open to air. 2006 Little Penguin Shiraz $6.50. Next tier down from the two above, but still excellent value. Mint and dark fruit on the nose and palate. Quite lush and soft, but not as complex and structured as the above two. Very easy to drink. 2007 Alice White Shiraz $5.50. This wine did not have forward aromas, even with time. There was pleasant dark fruit, mint, good acidity and sweet ripe vanilla and dark berries on the palate, but it came across as very simple. I realize these words don’t really convey why it ranked fourth, just not as interesting as the above. 2006 Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz $5.00 very much like the Alice white, very easy to approach, decent dark berry fruit, but very simple. There was some spice but no mint, and while pleasant, came across as just OK. It would make a good BBQ party wine for a crowd. Can’t beat the price. 2006 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz $6.00. This one I did not like, simply because it had far too much tannin for the fruit and came across as harsh and hard. It was also a little tart and bitter. All symptoms of an insufficient fruit component. |
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