Rock of Wisdom Superfly Rosé 2017

Highly perfumed and bone dry Rosé here from the rock of wisdom crew. Walks a line from florals to something spicy like sandalwood, a slice or two of meat and even pencil shavings. Aromatically complex we'll perhaps thus describe it as. 

Whole bunch pressing and extended time on lees has given the wine a textural presence that provides whole mouth experience. Good phenolic, fine - almost powdery feel - tannin, giving the crunch and extending length of presence. It really is a superb dry Rosé. 92 

Tasted on: Friday 27th October, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://rock-of-wisdom.myshopify.com/

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Lowe Wines Jodie Wilbetree 2017

Slight dusky pink with a shimmer.

Balances a hint of musk with some fruit. A moderate petillence, manifesting itself latterly as a minerally bent. Its that sensation that lends the wine an additional kick, moving the wine on a degree. 

There's a bit of crunch through the middle and some balancing apple and strawberry, yet not sweet. Good length, driving and subtle. 90

Tasted on: Saturday 30th September, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 11.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: lowewine.com.au

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Lowe Wines PF500 Shiraz 2017

No, not a Spartan sequel with Gerard Butler, instead it's an organic Shiraz grown at 500 metres and coming in a rather gluggable 500ml bottle.

Organic Shiraz from Mudgee. Unfiltered, unfined (or unrefined as the collar info label states). Smells primary, pretty raw, loaded with black fruit - kinda like the topping you get on a blueberry cheesecake. 

Light, juicy, small amount of unresolved co2 sits nicely, giving a gentle minerality and spritz to proceedings. Good going, not the most complex of wines, 'soif' in its presentation. Enjoyable. 90  

Tasted on: Sunday 1st October, a Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $17 (500ml)
Alcohol: 13.9%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: lowewine.com.au/

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Alkoomi White Label Riesling 2017

Fragrant Riesling on the go here, more than a passing resemblance to flavours one might associate with Thai cuisine: kaffir lime, throw of lemon and indeed lemongrass. Veers more toward the apple and citrus spectrum and gives hints to a sweeter aspect within. 

Brown lime, a bit of palm sugar sweetness, a gentle sherbety-minerality bang in the middle. Decent length of fruit derived flavour, if not a classic dry Riesling. 89

Tasted on: Tuesday 3rd October, a Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $15
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.alkoomiwines.com.au/

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Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz 2013

Woah, bring on the toast. I've not had the pleasure of the Aberfeldy before, and 24m in American hogsheads has sure left its mark and certainly harks back - for me - to a different time and place. 

Certainly a wine of its style. Weaves toasty coconut oak in with a creamy, herbal element. The palate is thick, chewy, lavish - with blackcurrant fruit adding its own dimension. 

The tannin profile sits nicely, adding a rasp across the middle and final thirds, carrying the wine long across the finish. For a generous wine, it also pulls off a subtlety. Accomplished well. 92 

Tasted on: Sunday 1st October, a Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $65
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.timadamswines.com.au

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Chateau Yaldara Foundations Grenache 2016

Muskiness that sits under a rose and berry aromatic core. Sweet spices add another

dimension, subtle - not always the Yaldara watchword - further evidence of its evolution in progress. 

A lightness on entry, easy going in its approach. Soft, almost squishy, berry fruit lends a sweet edge to proceedings. There's a darker edge towards the final third, bolder fruit, a suggestion of licorice with a twist of pepper. 

Good wine. Many facets and a gentle length that gives. 91  

Tasted on: Monday 2nd October, a Root to Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 15%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://1847wines.com/

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Spinifex Luxe Rosé 2017

Exceptional Rosé here a blend of Mataro (51%), Grenache (38%) and Cinsault (11%).

Winemaker Peter Schell explains, "Luxe is selected from only those (rosé) parcels that have particular aromatic and textural complexity - we are drawn to sections that display what we call secondary fruit - fresh and dried flowers, herbs, spice, minerality, white and green tea-like aromatics - rather than primary fruit - fresh berry fruits etc." It is, therefore, little surprise that the wine is rich in savoury Mataro fruit.

This is a wine that invites on colour alone, that it delivers in spades is testament to its quality. Produced only in exceptional years, this 2017 instance opens with aromas that seem to shift between cassis, pomegranate, with provencal herbs. 

The palate is lean and long. Suggestion of citrus peel, white pepper, coriander seed even. It's complex, yet beautifully poised and balanced, a testament to the terroir and winemaker's hand. 

It's a wine of delicate, almost unyielding, length - of the savoury, of dried herb (had me thinking of oregano and thyme). More please. 94  

Tasted on: Thursday 12th October, a Flower day
Source: Retail
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.spinifexwines.com.au/

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Delinquente Wine Co. Weeping Juan Pet' Nat' 2017

Not sure who Juan is in the context of this wine, but i'd suggest there's no need for the waterworks.

Scant detail on the actual composition of this pretty number from the Riverland's Delinquente Wine Co. I'd hazard that there's perhaps at least a splash of Nero d'Avola or such in the mix - though I'd perhaps also suggest that actual composition is of scant relevance once you clap your laughing gear around its charms.

Pours a blush pink in the glass, the petillence evident from the off. A slight turbidity too. A little muskiness, macerated strawberry and raspberry. Joyous.

Fine on entry with a rambunctious minerality that bolsters credentials through the middle. Feels quite rounded, sitting nicely in the mouth, yet a tickle of bubbles cascades across the palate. The fruit not afraid to make itself known across the final third. Good drinking. 90

Tasted on: Sunday 22nd October
Source: Retail, Camp Hill Cellars
Price: $25
Alcohol: 
Closure: Crown Seal
Website: http://www.delinquentewineco.com/

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Rock of Wisdom Superfly Grenache Mataro 2017

"To be Superfly is to be overtly confident and that's the drive behind this wine. We couldn't wait and we didn't want you to either."

Superfly is Pete (Rock) and Sof's (Wisdom) playful side to their main Rock of Wisdom label. The Mrs could be in for a treat with this one I tell ya, for "This is a wine for making love with the lights on". Sorry. Couldn't resist.

An 80/20 blend of Grenache and Mataro co-fermented. It's great to see a red released at 9-10 months old and the new (but old) vogue for a Barossan red to weigh in at a stated 13.5% alcohol.

It smells fresh and primary, playful. Red fruits in abundance with something a little more savoury lurking just underneath (that would be the Mataro, it's a bit like that). The palate is a joy to behold too. Slurpy, juicy and with the lightest of touches.

There's something like a little nimble crunch through the middle, a perky spiciness too. Put that lot together and i reckon the bottle will be gone before I get a chance to get into the bedroom. A session in the lounge perhaps? A bloody steal at $20. I'm in. 91

Tasted on: Saturday 21st October
Price: $20
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://rock-of-wisdom.myshopify.com

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Wirra Wirra RSW Shiraz 2015

Wirra Wirra's flagship Shiraz is in fine form with this release from 2015.

Deep, dark, nigh on impenetrable at first. Blends a whiff tobacco with the blue/black fruit mix so present in McLaren Vale Shiraz. A glorious combination.

Full bodied and the fruit presence is strong here. Not jammy, more jam packed one would suggest. The fruit is backed up with spicier elements giving the body an excellent one-two with respect to fruit-savoury nuances. A little perky toward the back palate, freshening things up a little. Good form. 93

Tasted on: Saturday 20th October
Source: Sample
Price: $70
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.wirrawirra.com

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Mitchell McNicol Shiraz 2007

Winemaker Andrew Mitchell honours his Father Peter McNicol Mitchell with this impressive cellar aged Shiraz from the Clare Valley.

Showing the colour of a wine with a bit of age on it, the bright vibrant reddish hues giving way to the more subdued, losing their brightness and sheen.

Aromatically it remains strong, a Shiraz from a warm year - the plum and residual oak elements combining to form an attractive profile, luring the drinker in.

Medium bodied. The fruit retains enough of a presence and combined with integrated oak delivers a proposition that all at once is spicy, savoury with that retained fruit presence just rounding the palate profile out. Soft, elegant and long on the finish. Patience has been rewarded, and yet still good for at least ten i'd suggest. 93

Tasted on: Saturday 21st October
Source: Sample
Price: $45
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.mitchellwines.com

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Wirra Wirra The Absconder Grenache 2016

Insightful release notes from (Wirra Wirra MD) Andrew Kay accompanying this, even if the AFL references were somewhat lost on this import. 

Strong aromatic game on this premium Grenache from the Wirra Wirra team. Florals abound, red fruits-a-plenty and redolent of this grenadine cordial and old housemate used to import from France. I suppose you had to be there for that. All up, soft and inviting with a sweet fruit accent. 

Elements that all lead onto the palate. That initial gloss and sheen of fruit makes way for perhaps a touch of warmth through the middle. 

Tannins are a little tea-like in their initial presentation, segueing into a gentle rasp across the back palate. Much to enjoy here, no shortage of joy factor. 93  

Tasted on: Tuesday 17th October, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $70
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.wirrawirra.com

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Out of Step Wine Co. Malakoff Estate Vineyard Shiraz 2016

Jeez this site produces some good booze from its dirt, all the more impressive given the vines are barely a touch over ten years old. I think Malakoff is a vineyard that will be spoken of in reverent terms in the not so distant future, if it isn't already so. It goes without saying that kudos goes also to the guiding hands of Dave and Nath over at Out of Step for this one. 

The Shiraz leads with the cool, nigh-caramelised, sappy note that alludes to some judicious use of stem in the ferment (50%).

Positively brimming. Marries a roasted meat character to something akin to liquorice root. Manifestly savoury, minerally and raspy tannins that lend just an extra je ne sais quoi. 

Not devoid of fruit either, black forest berry fruit married to that inherent savoury quality. And all just about at medium body. Onto a good thing here. 94

Tasted on: Tuesday 3rd October, a Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $ 32
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.outofstepwineco.com/


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Margan Semillon 2017

Semillon's ability to awaken the senses and positively enliven the palate is second to none, well perhaps Riesling may have some skin in that game - I digress.

This cracking example from Andrew Margan and a cracking 2017 vintage carries itself and is redolent with lime, lemongrass and lemon balm.

It's fresh with a real acidic zip that will serve it well in the coming years. That, for $20 too, you can have something raring to go now or, given some time and patient cellaring, will develop into something else never ceases to amaze. Good drinking here. 91 

Tasted on: Sunday 10th September, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.margan.com.au

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