Rieslingfreak Eden Valley Reverence of Riesling No. 4 2013

The Breakfast Club. Ferris Buellers Day Off. Sixteen Candles. Rieslingfreak. Who knew John Hughes loved Riesling?

A new famous John Hughes, out of South Oz, is smitten with Rizza. And why not. The No. 4 in a series of five is talcy, limestony, lemony all with balanced acid(y). Its a ripper that will not punch a whole in the back of your throat courtesy of out of control acid. This is all checked. And balanced. And checked....

Drink with fish and chips
Drink now
94
Screwcap 11.5%v/v $22 Seddon Wine Store

Radford Eden Valley Menagerie 2009

It's been a while but I'm back.

For the last 2 weeks I have been toiling with constructing the wine list (not only restaurant but also wine retail) for the soon to be opened Albert St Food & Wine in downtown Brunswick. I reckon I have swilled and and garbled and spat out close to 1000 wines, with yesterday accounting for about 150; some crackers, some not so cracking. This one was is a cracker! The Radford Eden Valley Menagerie 2009.

As it says, this wine is a collective of Mataro, Grenache, Shiraz and the earthiness that is Alicante. Deep garnet in the glass with a wonderful smack of sweet morello cherry,spice and dried herbs on the nose, the Menagerie has a real velvet mouthfeel combined with a flavour I cannot quite pinpoint, suffice to say it felt quite meaty in a sweet way - that was a good thing, not bad.

This is such a great wine and pays respect to Southern Rhone with acid balance and spice all at the same time pitching the wild card Alicante in for good measure. A great outcome.

Drink with steak tartar
Drink till 2016
94
Screwcap 14%v/v about $32 at Albert St Food & Wine in 2 weeks

Wolf Blass Clare Valley/Eden Valley Gold Label Riesling 2005

I love Riesling. I also love Riesling with some age; the ageier the better I say. Seeing this Wolf Blass Clare Valley/Eden Valley Gold Label Riesling 2005 at Psarakos in Thornbury I thought 'you beauty' - I really did! And $28, another 'you beauty'.

So I'm at home, and with my best Butthead voice, it was time for, 'Beavis, the test!' - my first Beavis and Butthead reference. Nice. But anyway, the wine. Golden in the glass so all good thus far. Prickly ripe pineapple on the nose - 2/2. In the mouth? Blousy, Flabby, Blah. Absolutely nothing that would suggest this is an aged Riesling, even a young Riesling for that matter; no acid or white phenolics either.

But hang on. What happened when I put it in the decanter. Lovely and soft, then almost a brute, and honestly, in a weird way almost tangible. A great wine.

Drink with sole and buerre blanc sauce
Drink till 2015
91
Screwcap 12%v/v $28 Psarakos Market, Thornbury

Sorby Adams Eden Valley Individual Vineyard ‘The GT’ Gewürztraminer 2008

I was down at Blackheart and Sparrows a while a go now looking for a Gewürztraminer for an Asian chilli dish I was preparing that night. Now it is a fair given that Gewürztraminer wine is a monty with Asian food yet here in Australia I find it increasingly difficult to find a half decent version of the Alsacean style; distinctive aromatic wines with a whack of floral notes and the obligatory lychee taste. It is because of this I generally go for a Riesling or perhaps even an acid driven Chardonnay.

In Australia however, it all just seems to be lychee, lychee and more lychee... with a hint of lychee at the end! And this was all too apparent with the Sorby Adams Eden Valley Individual Vineyard ‘The GT’ Gewürztraminer 2008; let me just say that the name packs more of a mouthful than the actual wine! The wine in the glass presents a strawy yellow with a clear watery hue. The nose gives the predictable lychee aroma with a hint of rose petals after a while. The palate I must say was a little disappointing – quite flat with no real oomph to it; no real anything actually.

The wine in the end did not hold up well with the chilli dish, so we had to make good with a couple of Tiger beers from Singapore – this was a far better option in the end. Crisp dry and very easy to drink, an almost Susan with the Nasi Goreng.

In the end, a pretty disappointing Gewürztraminer.

Drink with Nasi Goreng
Drink till 2011
80
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $23 Blackheart and Sparrows, Lygon Street Brunswick

...and

Tiger Beer
Drink now
About $45 for a case at Tsarakos Grocers in Thornbury