60 Australian wines at 9 am!

Last Wednesday morning, I started my day doing a "mini" portfolio tasting of Southern Starz's portfolio. Ken Onish invited me over to taste the "leftovers" of his tasting from the day before with a prominent wine critic. I wanted to go Tuesday night, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. Still, one day later, the wines showed no ill effects, according to Ken, and I agree, based upon my tasting.

None of these wines are in the market yet, and in fact, because 2007 and 2008 were, for the most part, bad vintages in most parts of Australia, some of the wines tasted were just tasted for education, as Southern Starz will not be bringing them into the market. I offered up my opinion on the "garbage" whenever I thought applicable. The good news is that Ken and John work diligently to supply to best wines that money can buy. There is no funny games here.

All wines are tasted without any information, including price, unless I ask. They are not blind, but for many people unfamiliar with the wines, they might as well be. Many wines were new to me, as well.

When I got there, all of the wines were lined up ready to go. I was late, which Ken hated me for, so I tasted the white wines rather quickly. All in all, I did this tasting in a little more than 2 hours. I taste fairly quickly when at these types of events. I am not a critic, so I do not need to spend hours studying these wines. If I got paid for that, I surely would.

2009 Bleasdale Verdelho-A crisp, clean wine. Not sure of the price, but this was a good pairing for seafood.
2008 Nugan Vision Chardonnay Riverina-I was never a fan of Nugan. I thought they made garbage wines until about 2 years ago. Since then, I have very much enjoyed many of their wines. This had a distinctive green appley quality. Not over oaked, but definitely noticable. Very comparable to a good value Calif Chard (if such a thing exists).
2008 Nugan Chardonnay Frasca's Lane Vyd-I liked this one a lot. I also liked the 2006. Single vineyard Chardonnay at under $20 that tastes great? What is not to love? They use oak, but much better in the integration on this one.
2008 Wildberry Chardonnay Two Passions-A real crowd pleaser. I like the Wildberry Chard, but always hated the packaging. Better packaging, still great juice. A touch of sweetness finished this one off nicely.
2008 Water Wheel Memsie White-A mostly Chard blend (SB, Roussanne, Marsanne round it out), we have never sold this wine, but I always like it. I think I will reconsider. At $10, it kills it for the summertime sipper. Put a straw in and slurp up!
2009 Koonowla Riesling-One of my favorite producers in Clare Valley, this bone dry Riesling holds its own against the best in class from other regions. You just have to dig the style and I do.

On to the reds (which there were many more of)
2008 Bleasdale Langhorne Crossing Shiraz/Cab- A wrote a big chocolate bar bargain. I think ken said this was like $10 retail. Wow, there is a lot going on here for $10.
2007 Bleasdale The Broadside- 60 Cab, 40 Shiraz...this had one of those burnt rubber smells that I do not care for. The wine showed a lot of character though. Tobacco, leather, this was a very earthy wine. Not bad.
2007 Bleasdale Second Innings-100% Malbec. They make this wine, apparently, when there is no Frank Potts, which is the case in the 2007 vintage. Frank Potts usually contains about 10% Malbec. Southern Starz was looking for feedback for this wine and whether it had a chance in the marketplace. I told them, NO! For me, this was nothing like some of the fine Argentine value Malbecs.
2007 Bleasdale Mulberry Tree-Cabernet Sauvignon, I really enjoyed this wine, probably around $15 and a great value. Not over the top, jammy Australian Cab. It had a lot of minty (Eucalyptus) qualities.
2007 Bleasdale Shiraz Bremerview-Big, fat and juicy. I liked it but preferred the Cab.
2008 Wildberry Two Passions Cabernet Sauvignon-A little over the top for in the Blueberry category.
2008 Nugan Riverina Cabernet Sauvignon "Vision"-This had a strange nose that I could not make out. But it was absolutely delicious in the glass. Rich deep color, sweet fruit, with a little vanilla. Great value!
2008 Nugan Riverina Shiraz "Vision"-This wine tasted like fruit punch. Bleh!
2008 Nugan Parish Shiraz McLaren Vale-A strange off putting finish. Wanted to like this wine, but alas, I did not.
2008 Nugan Durif-A wine that i have tasted in multiple vintages, and I can never wrap my finger around it. This was plain and simple for me. Poor QPR.
2008 Water Wheel Memsie Shiraz-This is a fairly simple wine. Good fruit. At $10, not a bad choice. But do not expect the world.
2007 Water Wheel Shiraz-This had a nice mid palate, very spicey, but the finish really fell off the cliff for me. Color is very purple
2007 Cascabel-I loved this wine in 2005, but you can see that Cascabel really struggled with their 2007s. This was a a very uninteresting and uninspiring GSM blend. Sometimes nature f**** you.
2007 Cascabel Graciano Tempranillo-This was a very powerful wine, and yet refined. I could see this one improving with age. Although, I would still seek out older vintages.
2007 Cascabel Monastrell-A very earthy wine, as you would expect from Mourvedre anywhere in the world. Very spicey and racy. Me likey.
2006 Koonowla Cabernet- 2006 was not kind to the Clare Valley. 2004 and 2005 Koonowla red wines are absolutely stunning and relative bargains. 2006s absolutely suck.
2006 Koonowla Shiraz-Read above
2008 Reilly's Barking Mad Cabernet-Never one of my favorite producers in the portfolio (bias perhaps?) but the Clare Valley got hit with a heatwave in 2008 and the Cabernet shows it. Not a good wine. Fried?
2008 Reilly's Barking Mad Shiraz-Heat here, but it is Shiraz so it handles it better. This is a good wine, but relatively uninteresting for me.
2007 Reilly's Bushvine Grenache-This was a WOW wine for me (no bias, I guess?) When I heard the price, I almost fell over in my chair (well, not quite, since I was standing for the entire tasting). Seriously, this is an eye opener. When it releases, I suggest you find some. I think it is like $17 SRP. Serious wine for that kinda money.
2006 Reilly's Dryland Cabernet-Back to the awful Clare Valley Cabernet (similar problem to Koonowla) . Pass!
2007 Reilly's Dryland Shiraz-This had many Cab like characteristics for me. It was big and rich, with some vanilla. Coated your mouth with nice spice. I liked it.
2006 Reilly's Stolen Block Shiraz- Aptly named because the winemaker won this plot of land in a card game from D'Arenberg's Dead Arm production. About 40% cheaper than Dead Arm, fyi. This was a very good wine. 80 year old vines, 50% new oak that integrates well.
2007 Sylvan Springs Shiraz-Uninteresting wine for me. Nothing wrong with it, but just not exciting enough.
2007 Kurtz Seven Sleepers-You ought to get to know Steve Kurtz's wines. Small productions, generally good quality. The Seven Sleepers was a good wine, but it just lacked that "oomph" for me to push it to the next level of great QPR. Very fruity and lots of chocolate. Shiraz/PV/Cab/Grenache/Malbec
2007 Little Ox McLaren Vale-Ox by Andrew Hardy was one of my little "discoveries." When no one knew this wine and it got poor reviews, I was buying it. in 2005, Andrew released Little Ox, an absolute bargain. The 2006, for me, was just as good. The 2007 misses the mark slightly. Still a good wine, but I think a reflection of the vintage.
2008 Tait Ball Buster-The Ball Buster is consistently a good wine. Hard to find faults, as it is typical $15 Aussie Shiraz from Barossa. I believe that in 2008 there will be no Basket Pressed Shiraz, so theoretically, the quality here should be even better. I did not get that. Bruno Tait is very talented. Find his Basket Pressed from other vintages.
2008 Longwood Reserve Shiraz-A super small production, I believe that Longwood was hit very badly by the heat in McLaren Vale. Phil Christiansen barely bottled anything. Good idea. Pass.
2005 Ox by Andrew Hardy-What is not to love here? Production has gone way up since the 2003 vintage of 70 cases. Now there is a whopping 275 cases! Produced from 120 year old vines, this is a special wine for me. Big, rich, cherry nose, this wine will age and I will be happy to own it!
2008 Oliverhill Red Silk Shiraz-Oliverhill had big problems with the heat of McLaren Vale in 2008 as well. This is a replacement for the Clarendon Shiraz, as I recall. I loved this wine. Great QPR and aptly named. Also no Petite Syrah in 2008, which is a bummer. That is generally a delicious wine.
2008 Oliverhill Mt Benson Shiraz-An interesting wine. No heat wave in this region. Small production. Only 20% new oak. This was a bit spicier and racier than the Red Silk. I liked the Red Silk more, but this may have had more going on.
2008 Oliverhill Jimmys Section-A wine I rarely "get into." The 2008 lacked character and style. Seeking a personality, I could not find one. Pass for me.
2004 Kurtz Lunar Block Shiraz-Now we are talking. I am not sure how much this is gonna cost, but worth every penny. I told you to look out for Steve Kurtz. This guy knows what he is doing. Named for the astronauts trip to the moon in 1969, this vineyard was planted about 50 years ago, but was purchased on the day Neil Armstrong and company walked on the moon, hence the name. It spends 27 months oak 100% new oak, and stays in bottle for another year before release. One pallet was produced and do not be surprised to see Grapes the Wine Co take a huge chunk. At first taste, I asked how much Cabernet was in the blend. NONE! I then asked if we were tasting a ringer for Penfold's Grange. This is a serious wine.
2005 Kurtz Lunar Block Shiraz-I could clump the notes together but I did prefer the 2004 to the 2005. That being said, I am very happy to own a lot of the 2005 someday. 31 months in 100% new oak. Kurtz knows what he is doing with the Lunar Block!
2008 Flinders Run Little Flinders-The first production of a second label of this great winery (that you have never heard of). The winemaker is now John Zilm from Craneford fame. They experimented with a little Flinders last vintage and it just never happened. This time, they got it right. At around $17/btl, this is very good value. Shiraz/Cab blend. Drink early and often.
2007 Flinders Run Shiraz- I would like to think I "discovered" this wine, when I was at a Southern Starz portfolio tasting a couple of years ago in Washington, DC. The 2005 was awesome on that day, and subsequently we bought and sold a ton (we made commitments before Jay Miller's well deserved high score). The 2007 of this wine is excellent. The 2006 was very good , but not up to the high standards of the 2005, but the 2007 gets very close to the delicious 2005. 100% Shiraz from the Southern Flinders Ranges. A winery to look out for over the years. At $30-35 SRP, serious value!