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Oddbins Wine Fair 2001 - New World

A selection of New World wines from Oddbin's annual wine fair. You can also view my tasting notes on Champagnes and other fizz and the Old World wines from the Oddbins range. (14/12/01)

Tasting Notes

Tasted in November 2001. Click to locate stockists:

Australia

Jim Barry McRae Wood Shiraz (Clare Valley) 1998: Deeply coloured purple-black wine. An intense berry fruit and chocolate mint nose. Despite the exuberant and youthful nose it's quite serious on the palate, with balancing acidity behind the masses of soft fruit and tannin. Drinking quite well but no doubt will improve with time. 15.5/20 (£6.99)

Brown Brothers Sauvignon Blanc 2001: Confected tropical fruit on the nose, which doesn't promise much. Nevertheless, very fresh on the palate, which is full of dry fruit and correct acidity. 14.5/20 (£6.99)

Brown Brothers Late Harvested Muscat 2001: This is overly heady and intensely perfumed on the nose, and is full of ripe and expressive fruit. Similar intense perfume with tangerine and orange peel character on the palate. The acidity is too low to balance out the fat texture, sweetness and intense flavours. 12/20 (£5.99)

Campbells Silverburn White 1999: Slightly smoky, although with no great character on the nose otherwise. Fresh palate, with crisp acidity, some pleasant fruit, and a dry finish. 14/20 (£5.49)

Campbells Silverburn Red 1998: Pepper and spice on the nose, with a touch of liquorice and some dark, chewy fruit. Medium bodied, with plenty of macerated cherry and berry fruit, soft acidity and soft tannins. 15.5/20 (£6.99)

Campbells Bobbie Burns Shiraz 1998: Some dark fruit here, with a hint of maceration. Great depth of flavour on the palate, with rich and deep cherry and crushed berry fruit. Full textured and quite well balanced. This wine still has prominent tannins although it has certainly developed since I last tasted it eighteen months ago. Will continue to develop but could be drunk now. 15.5+/20 (Price unavailable)

Campbells Durif 1996: A powerful nose, with super-ripe sweet berry fruit and toast. Very smooth and integrated, although it maintains an appealing tannic backbone. A great depth of fruit, with spice and oak flavours. The power persists through the finish. 16.5+/20 (Price unavailable)

Campbells Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat NV: A good, deep orange-golden hue. Orange marmalade, raisins, sultanas and spicy fruitcake on the nose. A beautiful texture to the palate, sweet, richly flavoured with sufficient acidity. 16.5/20 (£5.99)

Deakin Estate Merlot (Victoria) 2000: Chocolate fruit and spicy fruitcake on the nose. A big, fat, round and sweet palate on the nose, with low acidity and sweet, chewy chocolate-coated fruit. 14/20 (£5.99)

Deakin Estate Shiraz (Victoria) 2000: This is much less expressive on the nose than the 1999 vintage, which I enjoyed. Sweet rounded fruit on the palate, with a soft structure. What a let down! 13.5/20 (£5.99)

Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1998: An intense colour here, with similarly intense, tarry, ripe yet crunchy blackcurrant fruit on the nose. A rich layer of sweet fruit on the palate, with good acidity buoying it up. Quite tannic, with great structure. This wine needs time. 16+/20 (Price unavailable)

Katnook Estate Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon 1997: Great intensity here, with powerful, tarry, brambly fruit layered across minerals and stones. The palate has powerful fruit, with smoky and tarry elements. There is a wonderfully smooth texture, with supple tannins and correct acidity. For such a big wine this is drinking surprisingly well now, although I'm sure it will tolerate many years on cellaring. 17.5+/20 (Price unavailable)

Katnook Estate Prodigy Shiraz 1998: Another intensely coloured wine, with masses of characterful Shiraz fruit on the nose. The palate is fairly simple, with a similar mass of powerful, sweet black fruit and black pepper. It seems quite hard and ungiving at present, with prominent tannins. Not at all ready. 17+/20 (Price unavailable)

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay (Padthaway/McLaren Vale, SA) 2001: A fresh, lemony and slightly mealy nose. There is a freshness to the clean, slightly tropical fruit on the palate. Crisp lemony acidity. Good texture. Another quaffable vintage of this reliable label. 15.5/20 (£5.99)

Penfolds Adelaide Hills Chardonnay (Adelaide Hills, SA) 2001: Plenty of honeyed, mealy oak on the nose here. The palate has a much firmer structure than the Koonunga Hill. A firm layer of fruit and good acidity. There is a mealy, toffee and honeycomb quality to the oak, which fortunately does not overpower the other flavours. There's a touch of style with this wine. 16/20 (£11.99)

Penfolds Koonunga Bin 2 Shiraz Mourvedre (South Australia) 1999: A sweet nose, full of pepper and raspberry fruit. This is followed by sweet, peppery, chewy summer berry fruit on the palate. A good body, nice structure and soft tannins. 15/20 (£7.99)

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz (South Australia) 1998: A good chocolate, spice, blackberry and raspberry nose. Quite powerful on the palate, with great fruit backed up by good structure. The tannins are firm, supple, but perhaps just a bit too prominent. Perhaps needs just a few more months in bottle. 16.5+/20 (£9.99)

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz (Coonawarra, SA) 1998: A very youthful nose, with intense fruit and good black pepper notes. Again this is a sweet and tasty, fruit-laden and youthful wine, although with supple tannins and balanced acidity. 16.5+/20 (£9.99)

Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (South Australia) 1998: This has a more restrained nose, with a hint of elegance. Plenty of chewy blackcurrant, other black fruits and black pepper on the palate, with big tannins and fine acidity. Big and powerful, but strikes a good balance despite this. Tannins come to the fore on the finish - this wine needs time to come good. 16.5+/20 (£14.99)

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon (South Australia) 1998: Lovely cassis fruit on the nose, although it seems a touch tarry and chewy. Nicely rounded on the palate, with good tannins, sweet blackcurrant fruit and a mealy oak edge. The tannins also dominate the finish of this wine, which would also benefit from a few more years in bottle. 16.5+/20 (£11.99)

Penfolds Bin 707 (South Australia) 1998: The latest vintage of this flagship wine has an intense nose of sweet, chewy, tarry bramble and blackcurrant fruit. It is sweet, rounded and smooth on the palate, with cigarbox notes and blackcurrant fruit. This wine is in a very simple, primary stage of its evolution. Tannins are prominent, yet very supple and there is balanced acidity. This wine needs a lot more time yet. 17+/20 (£39.99)

Peter Lehmann Semillon 2001: Fresh pear fruit on the nose. Nicely rounded, with soft pear and other fruits on the palate. Balanced acidity. 14/20 (£5.49)

Peter Lehmann Clancy's Red 1999: Liquorice and super-ripe berry fruit on the nose, with a touch of cedar and cigar-box. Great fruit on the palate, very ripe, with lots of spice. Soft, almost supple tannins, with fresh acidity. Very flavoursome, great for drinking now. Excellent value for money. 16.5/20 (£6.99)

Peter Lehmann Seven Surveys 1998: Quite Rhône-like on the nose, with lots of spice, roasted herbs and ripe fruit. Quite soft on entry, with rounded fruit, developing a more spicy, powerful character on the palate. Dry tannins give good structure underneath the nicely textured fruit. 16/20 (£6.99)

Peter Lehmann Cabernet Sauvignon 1999: This wine has a fantastic colour when poured in the glass. The nose is a powerhouse of ripe berry fruit. On the palate, more sweet and creamy cassis fruit sits over a dry, tannic structure. There’s a creamy texture, especially on the finish, with some notes of roasted coffee also coming through. Quite notable acidity which may need a little more time in bottle to fully integrate. 16/20 (£8.99)

Peter Lehmann Shiraz 1999: This has more sweet and ripe fruit on the nose. A really powerful, fairly classic, Barossa Shiraz on the palate. Layers of sweet, fat, rich and creamy berry fruit, and similarly sweet tannins, together with some notes of spice, give a real sense of power. Again, notable acidity suggests this wine needs a little more time in bottle. 16.5/20 (£7.99)

Peter Lehmann Eight Songs Shiraz 1997: This has clear class on the nose. There is plenty of sweet fruit, but also some spice and pepper notes. Wonderfully structured on the palate, with a more austere edge to the fruit than the previous wines, with beetroot and pickling spice complexities. Lots of fine tannins, and plenty of acidity to keep it fresh, with just a touch of a creamy edge to the fruit coming through on the endpalate. Stylish, elegant finish. This wine has real potential, but needs time. 17.5+/20 (£24.99)

Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 1995: Another fantastic colour, with an intense, spicy, powerful fruit laden nose. The palate has similar power, but is in no way coarse. It has dry tannins, a fair application of oak, and smoothly textured fruit. Great finish. Great wine. 17.5+/20 (£19.99)

Wynns Shiraz 1998: Fairly classic Shiraz fruit on the nose. On the palate there is classy, brambly, sweet and spicy fruit, with supple tannins and a nice application of oak. Showing better, balanced acidity compared to my previous tasting. 16+/20 (£6.99)

Wynns Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 1997: More powerful fruit on the nose of this wine, with a tarry and brambly edge. Soft, rounded, black fruits on the palate, but with good tannins and pleasant acidity providing some structure. 16+/20 (£7.99)

Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1997: A fantastic colour, and a nose of sweet blackcurrant fruit and similarly sweet oak. Lots of classic cassis fruit on the palate, with a spicy and peppery edge. There are prominent but supple tannins and the necessary acidity to keep it fresh. Very drinkable. 16.5+/20 (£9.99)

Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1997: A great colour and a great nose. Blackcurrants, smoke and minerals, with notes of cigarbox and polished wooden cabinets. There's plenty of body and power on the palate, which has intense blackcurrant fruit with more cigarbox nuances, a creamy texture and supple but prominent tannins, particularly through the finish. A tannic length. Needs a good few years yet. 17+/20 (£39.99)

New Zealand

Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2001: Lots of fresh grass and gooseberry notes on the nose. The palate Is somewhat lean and green, with good acidity. There's a nice roundness to the endpalate. 16/20 (£8.99)

Matariki Quintology (Hawkes Bay) 1998: This has brambly fruit on the nose, with a slightly stinky, cheesy edge. Nevertheless it's quite pleasant on the palate, with sweet fruit and good, supple tannins, although there is a somewhat green character to the acidity. 16/20 (£12.99)

Montana Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) 2001: A very expressive, obviously New World nose full of greengage fruit with just a grassy edge. Nevertheless, the palate is fresh and quite stylish, with good acid providing the necessary structure underneath some classic lean, green fruit and grass flavours. 15.5/20 (£7.99)

Montana Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) 1999: More good fruit, but with a smoke and mineral edge. Lovely weight on the palate, quite fatly textured but with the necessary supporting acidity. Fairly rich for a Sauvignon, but still packed with fresh, green flavour. Definitely a step up from the Reserve bottling. 16/20 (£10.99)

Montana Reserve Riesling (Marlborough) 2000: Lots of lime on the nose, with a steely, smoky edge. This wine also has a touch of fatness to it, with that smoky edge to the fruit coming through from the nose. There's even a petrolly note here. Sharp acidity keeps it fresh. 16/20 (£7.99)

Montana Reserve Chardonnay (Gisborne) 1999: An unsurprising application of honeyed, mealy, butterscotch oak on the nose here. On the palate, fresh and clean fruit, with some tropical and honeyed nuances, just keeps its head above the mealy oak. You need to be oak-tolerant to drink this one. 15/20 (£7.99)

Montana Ormond Estate Chardonnay (Gisborne) 1999: Clean and more expressive fruit on the nose, with a more integrated streak of mealy oak. This is rich but not blowsy on the palate, with firm, classic lemony acidity providing a good structure. Tropical fruit flavours mingle with the mealy oak, which is less dominating of the wine than the Reserve bottling. 16.5/20 (£10.99)

McDonalds Winery Church Road Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay) 1998: The nose is packed with mealy, honey oak. Lots of honeyed fruit too. A big blast of oak announces the wines arrival on the palate, but there is sufficient fruit to stand up to it. There is a touch of fatness to the feel of the wine, which is quite firm with good acidity. This is a good wine, but is for oak-lovers only. 16/20 (£11.99)

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) 2001: Lovely fruit on the nose, clean, grassy, with a tropical edge. Quite fat and rounded on the palate, again with a tropical edge to the very obvious and in your face fruit. A touch confected. Fair acidity. 14/20 (£7.99)

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) 2001: More smoky tropical fruit here, leading to a big and rich palate, although with a better underlying structure. There's a greener, grass and gooseberry element to the flavour profile along with the tropical element, making an almost weird combination of flavours. Good acidity. 14/20(£9.49)

Villa Maria Clifford Bay Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) 2001: Clean and fresh on the nose, with grass and gooseberry elements. Good structure on the palate, with a smoky, greengage and gooseberry profile. A pleasing and appropriate rich edge to the fruit, and correct acidity. 15/20 (£10.99)

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Riesling (Marlborough) 2000: Intense and smoky lemon and lime fruit on the nose here, with a floral edge showing through. Good lime fruit on the palate, with smoky nuances and a sweet, fat, creamy character. A good example of New World Riesling. 15/20 (£8.49)

Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay (Gisborne) 2000: Lots of smoky fruit with a lemony edge on the nose, which is promising. Soft tropical fruits on the palate, with reasonable acidity, and a fair application of oak. 14/20 (£6.99)

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Chardonnay (Marlborough) 1999: An unusual nose here, full of the varnish and acetone aromas of volatile acidity. This doesn't really show through on the palate, which has sharp but fairly pleasant fruit. There is some mealy, vanillin oak. 12/20 (£8.49)

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2001: A nose full of flavoursome aromas, with asparagus, rosemary, thyme and plenty of fruit. Smoky herbs on the flavoursome, medium-bodied palate. This wine really packs a punch. 16.5/20 (£7.99)

Wither Hills Chardonnay 1999: The nose here is packed with mealy, spicy, smoky oak, with plentiful tropical, slightly lemony fruit playing second fiddle. The palate is completely oak dominated. A disappointing effort compared to the Sauvignon. 13.5/20 (£8.99)

USA

Bonterra Vineyards Chardonnay 1999: A sweet fruit nose, with a touch of honey. Big and rounded on the palate, with soft acidity and a nice application of mealy, honeyed oak. It’s a touch too sweet and confected on the finish. 14/20 (£8.49)

Bonterra Vineyards Roussanne 2000: This has a very perfumed, floral nose. Quite fresh and clean on the palate, but with a little too much in the way of perfume, floral and candied orange peel notes. Fortunately good acidity stops it from getting sickly. 14/20 (£9.99)

Bonterra Vineyards Viognier 1999: Fairly clean and classic peach and pine nut aroma here. The palate has a fairly oily texture, with some good peach, apricot and nut flavours, and a touch of orange peel. Not too alcoholic, good body, fair acidity. Not a bad effort for a New World Viognier. 14.5/20 (£9.99)

Bonterra Vineyards Muscat 2000: A raisiny sweetness on the nose. Not particularly perfumed or floral. Similar sweet honey and raisins on the palate, with lots of rich texture, but lacking somewhat in character. 13.5/20 (£6.99)

Bonterra Vineyards Sangiovese 1998: A nose of sweet berry and cherry fruit, with a leafy, spicy edge. A fairly light to medium body, with some restrained berry fruit on the palate. Quite dry, with minimal tannins, and a smoky, buttery sheen. 14/20 (£11.99)

Bonterra Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 1998: Sweet berry fruit again here, but with confected, cola-like notes, and roasted herb complexity. The palate has dry tannins, almost astringent fruit, with more notes of confection. 12/20 (£8.99)

Bonterra Vineyards Zinfandel 1999: Ripe and tarry berry fruit on the nose. Fairly tannic palate, with a lots of sweet and smoky fruit. Medium body. Again, a slightly confected cola-like edge. 13/20 (£8.99)

Bonterra Vineyards Syrah 1997: This wine has a good, clean and classic Syrah nose. Red and black fruits in abundance, with some notes of black pepper. The palate has a nice body, with clean fruit and a touch of peppery interest. Nice tannins and fresh acidity. This is the nicest red in Bonterra’s range. 15.5/20 (£11.99)

Bonny Doon Ptomaine des Blageurs Grenache Village (Navarra, Spain) 1996: Quite a characterful nose here, with some sweet raspberry fruit, aniseed and liquorice aromas. Similar character on the palate, with medium body, moderate tannins and balanced acidity. A touch chewy and sweet, with a macerated edge to the fruit. 15.5/20(£11.99)

Bonny Doon Ptomaine des Blageurs Syrah (VdP d'Oc, France) 1997: This wine isn’t giving much away on the nose. There is some unappealing, somewhat thin confected fruit on the palate, with little character. 12/20 (£11.99)

Bonny Doon California Syrah 2000: Lovely fresh and clean fruit on the nose, with good raspberry fruit and some pleasing aromatic notes, I feel reflecting the inclusion of Viognier (as well as Mourvèdre and Cinsaut) in the blend. There is a touch of elegance on the palate, with orange oil and blossom notes complimenting the clean raspberry and blackberry fruit. I like this one. 15.5/20 (£11.99)

Bonny Doon Ceci n'est pas un Carignan (California) 2000: This has smoky cherries on the nose. Also quite characterful on the palate, with cherry fruit and roasted herb flavours. Medium bodied, with slightly prominent alcohol and an unfortunately just a touch of confection. 14/20 (£11.99)

Bonny Doon Cardinal Zin 'Beastly Old Vines' (California) 2000: A nose packed with cherry and berry fruit, with a slightly cola-like, confected edge. More sweet fruit on the palate, with that touch of confection showing through. Nevertheless dry and fairly tannic, with correct acidity. Lacks class, but may improve with time. 13?+/20 (£13.99)

Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant (California) 1999: This has good fruit on the nose, with already some suggestion of grilled meat aromas. A full bodied palate, with plenty of character. A layer of red fruits sit with spicy meats. There are some obvious chalky, mineral tannins, and the palate is cut through by a fair amount of acidity. With more fruit on board I would say this has good potential for ageing, but as it is I'm not sure. 15?+/20 (£19.99)

Chile

Casablanca White Label Sauvignon Blanc 2001: Lemon fruit drops with grassy notes on the nose. Soft fruit and soft acidity on the palate. Good flavours but weakly put together. I would spend up for the Santa Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc, a favourite of mine, although not tasted here. 13/20 (£5.49)

Casablanca Santa Isabel Estate Gewurztraminer 2001: Soft and gently perfumed on the somewhat unexpressive nose. Good varietal typicity on the palate, with plenty of perfumed, spicy fruit. Unfortunately a sweet, confected edge doesn't marry well with the low acidity. 13/20 (£6.99)

Casablanca Santa Isabel Estate Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay 1998: Lots of freshly sawn timber on the nose here, and little else. Good weight on entry, but the palate is completely dominated by buttery and spicy oak and barrel-ferment flavours. Completely over the top. 12/20 (£6.99)

Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc 2001: A lovely grassy nose, yet full of fruit. Sweet tropical and greengage fruit on the palate, perhaps a touch confected. It lacks depth of flavour, although the tropical, tingling character and correct acidity does have some appeal. 15/20(£5.99)

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 1999: There's lots of toasty, mealy and honeycomb oak on the nose here, although a layer of tropical and lemon fruit shines through. A lovely texture on the palate, with sweet, smoky, honey and butterscotch oak sitting nicely with ripe melon fruit. Correct acidity. Enjoyable and showing very well, but for oak-lovers only. 15.5/20 (£9.99)

Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon 2000: Sweet and ripe berry fruit on the nose, with an edge of smoke and tarry complexity. Soft and round fruit on the palate, very open, warm and obvious, although there is a slightly displeasing green streak. Soft tannins and correct acidity. 15+/20 (£6.49)

Errazuriz Merlot 2000: This wine is a touch more austere and is showing a little more oak. Round berry fruit, spice and chocolate on the palate. Again, soft tannins and correct acidity. A warm, chocolatey finish. Good. 15+/20 (£6.49)

Errazuriz Merlot Reserve 1998: Smoky and intense aromas on the nose here, with plum fruit, stones and minerals. Medium bodied, full flavoured, with spicy, supportive tannins and firm acidity providing a good structure. Rich and spicy plum and chocolate character. Great depth of flavour. 16+/20 (£9.99)

Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1998: Again a somewhat austere wine, but with ripe fruit on the nose, which has an intriguing honeyed edge. Firm, medium bodied, with crisp blackcurrant flavours, dry tannins and sufficient acidity. 16+/20 (£8.99)