Two wines with dinner and a fortified wine afterwards.
Magpie Estate 'The Thief' Mourvedre Grenache Rose 2006, Barossa Valley, AU
NYW - £8 [B+]
A rather deep coloured rose, made from unusual varietals. This off-dry rose displays plenty of fruity characteristics, with notes of cherries, raspberries and strawberries. Its not completely devoid of body, which is why it will go with light dishes (maybe chicken caesar salad). Its got slightly too much body for me to drink on its own, not to mention 14% alcohol.
Was had with: Prawn and salmon in parsley sauce with cheesy crust. Went alright with the food, but shouldve chosen a different wine.
Independent adjudicator rating: 8.5/10
Dona Dominga 'Gran Reserva' Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Oddbins - £10 [B+(+)]
A big, powerful new world wine. The nose reveals lots of attractive fruit, plenty of secondary flvours to savour. Palate is dominated by juicy blackcurrants and dark berries; there are touches of smokiness / toast, licorice and also of spices, specially cinnamon and perhaps nutmeg too. This wine really punches its way through your palate, and why not too at 14.5%. There is definitely some oak treatment, but I thought it was tastefully done; tannins should allow some maturing over 3-5 yrs, but its drinking beautifully now. I really liked it since there is so much flavours to savour, tasting this is like biting into a bunch of alcoholic berries. But it must be said that others might find it slightly too big, punchy and showy. Imagine having this for a barbecue, lovely.
Was had with: Roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and horseradish sauce. Classic beef and Cab Sauv combination really cant go wrong.
Independent adjudicator rating: 7/10
Burge Family Winemakers 'Vintage' Shiraz Touriga Souzao 2003, Barossa Valley, AU
NYW - £10 (37.5cl) [A-]
A fortified red wine, made with 40% Shiraz, 40% Touriga, 20% Souzao; the latter two are varietals commonly found in Port. This wine displayed lots of fruit, ripe blackcurrants and dark berries; I always feel that fortifying Shiraz always gives a slightly Ribena-like quality where the end product sort of tastes like fruit pastilles and wine gums. The mouthfeel is sweet, rather dense but not as heavy as vintage port; the lack of tannins probably makes this ideal for early drinking, perhaps even slightly chilled. I can certainly see it with fruit based deserts. A drawback I thought was that the alcohol level of 19.5% was very evident on the nose, wasnt disguised at all. Otherwise, a well-balanced and well made fortified wine.
Showing posts with label Magpie Estate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Magpie Estate. Show all posts
Monday, 5 May 2008
Thursday, 24 April 2008
General - 16-23 April 2008
Various wines that were tasted during this week, all with food.
Cliff Edge Shiraz 2001, Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyards, Australia
CWM - £14 [B+]
Its quite rare to be able to taste a big aussie shiraz thats been aged abit, I must admit, this was why I bought it. This wine was no pushover, I think the alcohol level was upwards of 14%, but somehow you didnt feel the burn as much as usual. There is a fantastic fruitiness to it, the nose reminds me of blackcurrant cordial / ribena / berry pastilles, there is a mintiness perhaps eucalyptus nose as well. It really was a big wine, voluptuous even, but it didnt have the same kind of kick compared to a young aussie shiraz; its lost the punchiness to it and gained a smoother texture too. I actually like it very much (not for everyday drinking, mind) and it went really well with spaghetti and italian sausages.
Jean-Claude Boisset Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2006, France
NYW - £11 [B+]
This is the entry level red bourgogne by JC Boisset; a full tasting note from a Boisset tasting will be uploaded shortly, I bought this wine on its own for dinner. This wine displayed much forward fruit, ripe cherries and raspberries dominate; there is some tartness as well, like drinking cranberry juice. The tannins are enough to support the body. I was impressed by the purity of expression; its not some Grand Cru stuff, but you feel that this wine was well made, they didnt muck about with too much oak etc. Its a vibrant, happy wine really; and great value for what is a decent Bourgogne to drink now. I had it with a roast belly of pork in a white wine and garlic reduction sauce and it was lovely; the fattiness of the pork didnt overcome the wine at all. Drink early though, this entry level wine is not for keeping.
Finca Antigua Merlot 2004, Martinez Bujanda, La Mancha, Spain
Restaurant price £16, Retail unknown [B]
Ordered this wine for a curry dinner at the famed Shish Mahal Restaurant in Glasgow's West End; they recommneded it, and apparently this wine won a medal at the IWC 2005? The wine itself is everything one would expect of a pure Merlot; large, round and juicy fruit; the nose is deep with cassis and red fruits. There is a woodiness and smokiness to it, I would imagine this had some new oak treatment, but cant be sure. Often one finds such pure Merlot (esp New World) to be quite dilute where the flavours are not concentrated, this wine didnt suffer from this problem; the soft tannins are ripe and if you try hard enough, there is even some secondary chracteristics with spices etc. Overall, this wine complemented the curry dinner nicely, if sometimes slightly overwhelmed. Cant complain.
Magpie Estate 'The Salvation' Gewurztraminer 2007, Barossa/Eden Valley, Australia
NYW - £9 [A-]
Made by the good people at Noel Young Wines, this is only the second white wine they have made in 10 years and I feel they got it spot on. The floral, slightly perfumed nose is enticing; the palate is full of white fruits, citrus, pineapple, some candied ginger and even the elusive lychee. There is still some sweetness (to an Auslese level?), but this is balanced by the fruity acidity that runs through, leaving a clean, lip-smacking finish. I think its wonderfully balanced and shows good expression of a Gewurztraminer. I dont know whether this will evolve in bottle, it might just gain a bit more weight and lose some of the freshnes of youth, but its wonderful now, honestly. I had it wine some simple sweet and sour pork; the spiciness/sweetness of the dish was complemented very well by the wine. Very impressed and will definitely consider buying again.
Cliff Edge Shiraz 2001, Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyards, Australia
CWM - £14 [B+]
Its quite rare to be able to taste a big aussie shiraz thats been aged abit, I must admit, this was why I bought it. This wine was no pushover, I think the alcohol level was upwards of 14%, but somehow you didnt feel the burn as much as usual. There is a fantastic fruitiness to it, the nose reminds me of blackcurrant cordial / ribena / berry pastilles, there is a mintiness perhaps eucalyptus nose as well. It really was a big wine, voluptuous even, but it didnt have the same kind of kick compared to a young aussie shiraz; its lost the punchiness to it and gained a smoother texture too. I actually like it very much (not for everyday drinking, mind) and it went really well with spaghetti and italian sausages.
Jean-Claude Boisset Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2006, France
NYW - £11 [B+]
This is the entry level red bourgogne by JC Boisset; a full tasting note from a Boisset tasting will be uploaded shortly, I bought this wine on its own for dinner. This wine displayed much forward fruit, ripe cherries and raspberries dominate; there is some tartness as well, like drinking cranberry juice. The tannins are enough to support the body. I was impressed by the purity of expression; its not some Grand Cru stuff, but you feel that this wine was well made, they didnt muck about with too much oak etc. Its a vibrant, happy wine really; and great value for what is a decent Bourgogne to drink now. I had it with a roast belly of pork in a white wine and garlic reduction sauce and it was lovely; the fattiness of the pork didnt overcome the wine at all. Drink early though, this entry level wine is not for keeping.
Finca Antigua Merlot 2004, Martinez Bujanda, La Mancha, Spain
Restaurant price £16, Retail unknown [B]
Ordered this wine for a curry dinner at the famed Shish Mahal Restaurant in Glasgow's West End; they recommneded it, and apparently this wine won a medal at the IWC 2005? The wine itself is everything one would expect of a pure Merlot; large, round and juicy fruit; the nose is deep with cassis and red fruits. There is a woodiness and smokiness to it, I would imagine this had some new oak treatment, but cant be sure. Often one finds such pure Merlot (esp New World) to be quite dilute where the flavours are not concentrated, this wine didnt suffer from this problem; the soft tannins are ripe and if you try hard enough, there is even some secondary chracteristics with spices etc. Overall, this wine complemented the curry dinner nicely, if sometimes slightly overwhelmed. Cant complain.
Magpie Estate 'The Salvation' Gewurztraminer 2007, Barossa/Eden Valley, Australia
NYW - £9 [A-]
Made by the good people at Noel Young Wines, this is only the second white wine they have made in 10 years and I feel they got it spot on. The floral, slightly perfumed nose is enticing; the palate is full of white fruits, citrus, pineapple, some candied ginger and even the elusive lychee. There is still some sweetness (to an Auslese level?), but this is balanced by the fruity acidity that runs through, leaving a clean, lip-smacking finish. I think its wonderfully balanced and shows good expression of a Gewurztraminer. I dont know whether this will evolve in bottle, it might just gain a bit more weight and lose some of the freshnes of youth, but its wonderful now, honestly. I had it wine some simple sweet and sour pork; the spiciness/sweetness of the dish was complemented very well by the wine. Very impressed and will definitely consider buying again.
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