What’s new at Vintages on October 24th? The focus is on wines from both the land of Oz and port from the Douro Valley. Here are a few notes on the wines from the release. (Click to enlarge images)

130278 PIRATHON SHIRAZ 2005, Barossa Valley, South Australia $38.95
Lots of toasty oak, cedar, smoked meat, dried herbs, forest floor and briar. There is fabulous structure on the palate, showing pure blueberry fruit essence, lively acids and a super long finish. Find this wine

10223 TORBRECK OLD VINES GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MOURVÈDRE 2006 Barossa Valley, South Australia $20.95
A brawny wine that displays a dusty robe of dried mushrooms, blackberry, black raspberry, Szechwan pepper and coffee grounds. Powerful and spicy on the palate, it has good acidity and a long creamy finish.  Find this wine

636407 TWO HANDS BELLA’S GARDEN SHIRAZ 2007 Barossa Valley, South Australia $63.95
This inky monstrous and muscular wine first shows layers of earth, mineral, iron and anise. A few swirls allow the black fruit and sweet black cherry flavours to surface. The palate is tight, but shows some of the potential in this slab/slice of wine. The finish is chewy and long. Those with friends in New Jersey might want to consider a road trip as the exact same bottle can be acquired for less than thirty bucks! Find this wine

47605 WALLACE BY BEN GLAETZER SHIRAZ/GRENACHE 2007 Barossa Valley, South Australia $24.95
Not a lot at first on the nose until some black fruit and cedar notes are released. It has a clean palate, with plenty of acidity, decent concentration, but a touch of heat takes control of the finish. Find this wine

745489 CORIOLE MARY KATHLEEN RESERVE CABERNET/MERLOT 2005 McLaren Vale, South Australia $35.95
A wonderfully enticing nose of damson, cassis, plum and black raspberry, all well supported by a hint of coal dust and mineral. It is spicy, quite tannic and has solid acidity. The finish has plenty of fruit, milk chocolate and lots of dusty tannin. Find this wine

627844 GEMTREE UNCUT SHIRAZ 2007 McLaren Vale, South Australia $24.95
Relatively sweet aromas of eucalyptus, mint, plum, blueberry and a touch of candied beet lead to a rich palate of cake spice, cherry and black fruit candy. Find this wine

590471 KATNOOK ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005 Coonawarra, South Australia $29.95
A highly extracted wine that boasts dark chocolate, slate, black raspberry and lead pencil aromas. The palate has gobs of black fruit, creamy, but well integrated oak and lots of lively acidity. Find this wine

606624 RINGBOLT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007 Margaret River, Western Australia $19.95
This Bordeaux ringer with its notes of cassis, lead pencil, plum, cooked strawberry and wet earth, is a good value wine. It carries black currant jam, tame oak and dusty tannins from palate to finish. Find this wine

686543 VASSE FELIX CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006 Margaret River, Western Australia $29.95
“Brettish” aromas combine with aromas of wet soil, mineral and a touch of green pepper. There is plenty of blackcurrant, plum and sweet vanilla flavours on the palate to enjoy. Never been disappointed with this producer and I trust the funky notes on the nose will integrate. Find this wine

988568 YARRA RIDGE PINOT NOIR 2008 Yarra Valley, Victoria $21.95
Medicinal aromas of strawberry candy and red currant mix with a trace of anise and Moroccan spice. The flavours echo the aromas well while it coats the mouth with a silky layer of cooked red fruit. Find this wine

962415 TAMAR RIDGE KAYENA VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2007 Tasmania $26.95
Cool climate? Not here, this beefy wine has lots of damson, red berry jam, Mediterranean spice and cinnamon. The palate is ripe and slightly toasty. Find this wine

A few of the Ports

141119 QUINTA DO NOVAL TAWNY PORT $18.95
A powerful tawny port, showing, dark cherry, chocolate, almond and plenty of ripe spicy aromas. Although classified as a Tawny, this will measure well with good Stilton and other holiday treats. There is still plenty of tannin suggesting the wine will hold a little longer, but why wait. Find this wine

140871 CROFT PINK PORT $19.95
This begs to pose the question why? Alcohol and sweet red maraschino cherry equates to syrupy wine with red fruit and heat. Find this wine

675751 FERREIRA LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2000 $19.95
LBV can be a bargain and this one is, full of dark spice laden chocolate, lots of prune, Christmas cake spice and sweet vanilla aromas. The palate is full, has lots of sweet creamy fruit and chewy tannins. Find this wine

260091 OFFLEY BARÃO DE FORRESTER 10 YEARS OLD TAWNY PORT $24.95
Gutsy and brawny, this has nutty aromas with a meaty background, cigar leaf and caramel. The palate is rich and silky, showing dried fruit and a touch of cocoa. Find this wine

Ontario

85134 Niagara Peninsula MEGALOMANIAC SONOFABITCH PINOT NOIR 2007 $24.95
Concentrated with an abundance of dusty fruit, plum and black cherry, whilst hosting a supporting layer of thyme, cedar, fennel seed and dried meat. The palate is quite lovely; it is fleshy, full of sweet red fruit and Mediterranean spice. There is some tannin to warrant some aging. Find this wine

Argentina

29280 TERRAZAS DE LOS ANDES MALBEC RESERVA 2007 Mendoza $19.95
Cedar and bacon, blueberry and sage create an interesting combination that works. The palate features the fruit and combines with dusty dark chocolate and coffee grounds. Blackberry flavours appear on the well balanced finish. Find this wine

Germany

599274 DR. LOOSEN DR. L RIESLING 2008 Mosel $13.95
There is a note of peachy sweetness, a nice creamy texture on the palate and enough acid to balance. It finishes clean with a note of dried tangerine. Find this wine

87593 LINGENFELDER RIESLING KABINETT 2007 Freinsheimer Musikantenbuckel $18.95
A citrus focused nose featuring lime leaf, lemon grass, grapefruit and stony mineral. It has a juicy mouth feel, great acidity and a pure fruit driven mineral finish. Find this wine

Italy

650432 CASTELGIOCONDO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2004 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi $49.95
Black and blue berries are augmented by Asian spice, leather and black olive. The palate echoes the fruit, it is balanced, the finish has mild tannins and notes of hazelnut and mocha. Find this wine

135657 RAVAZZI CHIANTI RISERVA 2006 $16.95
Plenty of red fruit propped up by notes of nutshell, nutmeg and black olive. The palate does not deliver the promised fruit and the tannin is quite astringent. Find this wine

134700 LE CHIANTIGIANE LOGGIA DEL SOLE CHIANTI RISERVA 2006 $14.95
Dusty dark berry, sawdust and plum lead to a palate of damson, cooked fruit and spice. The palate has lively red fruit acidity, but there is a cloying feel to the finish. Find this wine

Portugal

650291 CORTES DE CIMA CHAMINÉ 2008 $14.95
This blend of Aragónez, Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon is loaded with earthy wet underbrush, mineral and pine cone aromas. The palate is sweet, full of blueberry and black fruit flavours with a minty floral finish. Find this wine

Spain

50203 BERONIA RESERVA 2005 Rioja $17.95
Spicy peppery greens balanced with blackberry fruit aromas quickly develop and are followed by notes of cooked plum, chalk and smoked meat. The palate is sweet and creamy, full of blackberry and raspberry with a touch of smoked meat and lead pencil/mineral on the finish. Find this wine

39883 PAPA LUNA 2007 Calatayud $16.95
A robust and gutsy wine offering notes of mineral, salty black olive, dried herbs and underbrush. It is tight to taste right now, but the fruit is clearly waiting to shine. The palate is fruit packed; there is spice on the finish along with a touch of heat. Good to cellar for a couple of years at least. Find this wine

Cheers

CZ

Related posts:

1. Alan’s October 10th, 2009 Vintages Release Tasting Notes
2. Alan’s September 26th, 2009 Vintages Release Tasting Notes

2 Responses to “Alan Kerr’s Vintage’s October 24th Release – Tasting Notes”