Wine
Australia Margaret River Tasting
On the 18th November 2008 I attended a Margaret
River wine tasting evening organised by Wine Australia
Ireland.
John Mc Donnell and Cliff Royle from Voyager Estate
walked us through a selection of wines from Margaret
River. Margaret River is my favorite region within
Australia. It has a special place in my heart being
not only the first wine region I visited but I also
got married in Western Australia and spent a couple
of day of my honeymoon in the region.
The wines from the region always deliver great balance,
class and refinement. With world class Cabernet Sauvignons
from vineyards such as Cape Mentelle and Chardonnays
from Leeuwin Estate going up against the best Burgundy
has to offer.
The wines were presented in four flights as follows
-
Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
Blends from Voyager Estate, Xanadu and Vasse Felix
-
Chardonnays
from Voyager Estate, Clairault Estate and Brookland
Valley
- A unusual red blend from Cullen and Shirazs from
Voyager Estate and Stella Bella
-
A Cabernet/Merlot
from Voyager and straight Cabernet Sauvignons from
Xanadu and Vasse Felix
I would like to say a huge thank you to John and
his team who made the afternoon possible and Cliff
Royle who made the presentation but interesting and
engaging which is often a fine line. The wines themselves
showed really well and sparked great debate within
the room which contained some of the best palates
in the country.
Now for my notes from the wine tasting,
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Wine Maker Cliff Royle from Voyager
Estate - One Very Talented Individual !
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1. Voyager Estate 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Fantastic nose to this wine with delicious fresh aromas
of citrus, gooseberry and peaches.
This is a 55% Sauvignon Blanc/45% Semillon blend ,
with a cool climate fruit content on the palate. The
wine had lovely balance, good acidity and a long finish.
Robertfranciswine - 91 Plus Points
Price Bracket - €22.55 euro [approx]
Distributed by Febvre & Co.
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2. Xanadu Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007
Pale lemon coloured wine with a dollop of tropical
fruit - melon and mango really.
On the palate the mango comes roaring through with a
chunk of lime on the side. Not as much acidity of the
Voyager but was still refreshing and palate cleansing.
Quite obvious that there is more Semillon in the blend
here as the wine is much broader on the palate.
A definite touch of melon on the finish.
Robertfranciswine -89 Plus Points
Not Available in Ireland
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3. Vasse Felix Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Not as aromatic as the previous two whites but definite
notes of citrus.
Bucket loads of limes and gooseberries on the palate
with some stone fruits. Not sure if it was just me but
there some garden peas and a touch of toasty hunter
valley semillon on the finish.
Robertfranciswine - 90 Points
Price Bracket- Under €19.95
Distributed by Cassidy Wines
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4. Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2006
Delicious perfumed nose with spice and vanilla.
This wine is aged in 40% new oak. A touch of stone fruit
but not huge fruit on the nose for me.
Lovely ripe peaches, nectarines and a delicious creaminess
to the palate. Perhaps a touch of pear ?
Great balance, finish and elegance to this wine - Fantastic
Aussie Chardonnay !
Robertfranciswine - 91 Points
Not Available in Ireland yet - but keep your eyes peeled
as Febvre were rumored to be starting to distribute.
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5. Clairault Estate Chardonnay 2005
Less aromatic then the Voyager again with nice stone
fruits on the nose.
Broader and fuller on the palate with some tropical
and stone fruits. Really good finish.
Robertfranciswine - 90 Points
Price Bracket - €31 approx
Distributed by Febvre & Co.
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6. Brookland Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2004
Good hit of vanilla and spice on the nose but as with
all chardonnays it is classy and elegant not over the
top.Aged in 70% New Oak.
On the palate stone fruit with a rush of grapefruit
and spice [in particular nutmeg] on the finish.
Really well balanced, elegant and a good degree of complexity
on the finish due to bottle age.
Robertfranciswine- 89 Plus Points
Not Available in Ireland
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7. Cullen Mangan 2005
Possibly the most controversial wine of the tasting
as it totally split the room. Some people were very
much in favour of the wine and others [myself] included
felt that it was a solid wine but very pricey at this
level. I am a huge fan of Cullen wines but this was
a tad disappointing for me.
Nice colour with fantastic aromatics to this wine -
a blend of Malbec [36%] Petit Verdot [32%] and Merlot
[32%]. In fact for me the best thing about this wine
was the aromatics with the Petit Verdot really being
the star here ! Leather, Spice and gorgeous black fruit
with good concentration.
Good ripeness of fruit with perhaps the slightest touch
of sour plum on the finish. Subtle tannins with good
balance and a nice finish but I was hoping for better.
Robertfranciswine - 88 Points
Price Bracket: €31.95 Approx
Available from Selected Independents, Distributed by
Liberty Wines.
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8.Voyager Estate Shiraz 2006
Cooler fruit from the 2006 vintage with nice black
fruits, spice and a touch of chocolate.
On the palate lush blackfruits with firm but yielding
tannins with pepper and a touch of blueberry floating
around in the background. Sweet cherries and spice on
the finish. Very nice Western Australian Shiraz !
Robertfranciswine - 90 Plus Points
Price Bracket - €27 approx
Available from Selected Independents, distributed by
Febvre & Co.
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9.Stella Bella Shiraz 2005
Not hugely perfumed on the nose - did open
out a bit has mostly plums on the nose.
Black fruit, pepper and spice on the palate - all quite
lush with this being a more traditional mid price range
shiraz. There was a nice creaminess and roundness to
the wine.
Nice but perhaps a bit baked and strained on the palate.
Also slightly off balance.
Robertfranciswine - 87 Points
Price Bracket - €18 approx
Available from Selected Independents, distributed by
Tindal Wine Merchants.
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10.Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot
2004
Lovely purple black colour to this wine with
great colour concentration. Good freshness of fruit
and in no way over the top.
Fantastic smooth blackfruits with delicious vanilla
and spice also a touch of menthol floating around in
the background.
Rich, ripe fruit that has been softened out by the merlot.
The fruit is beautifully balanced exactly what I am
looking for in a Cab/Merlot.
Soft tannins with a huge finish with glorious blackfruits
and spice. Good elegance and balance.
Robertfranciswine - 90 Plus Points
Not Available in Ireland yet - but keep your eyes peeled
as Febvre were rumored to be starting to distribute.
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11.Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Rich wine on the nose with powerful blackfruits,
cedar box/cigar on the nose. I also got strange hits
of bacon and paprika.
Solid fruit richness, firm tannins and a solid finish.
However a second tasting of this wine revealed some
harsh tannins and the fruit fell away a little.
Robertfranciswine - 87 points
Not Available in Ireland
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12.Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Fantastic fruit and colour concentration to
this wine. With sweet blackfruits, vanilla, liquorice
and spice on the nose. The blackfruits were really concentrated
almost wine gummy like.
On the palate the blackfruits were huge as were the
tannins. A massive fruit laden finish to this wine also.
Robertfranciswine - 90 Plus Points
Price Bracket - €28
Available from Selected Independents, Thomas Woodberrys
in Galway.
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A huge thank you to Cliff and John for a most enjoyable
tasting session.
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