Oh my gosh oh my gosh my favourite wine

This is my favorite Saltram wine. A taste of this stuff is inevitably followed by a "OOooooooH!!!" from the customers at the cellar door.

Most people have heard of, tried, or are converted to Pepperjack Shiraz. It's an easy-drinking classic made by Richard Mattner. This, my friends, is the grown-up big brother.

Full-bodied, fruity, and with enough tannic backbone to deal with Porterhouse steak, this Langhorne Creek sourced shiraz will tickle your fancy. Oooh yes.

Pepperjack (Saltram) Barossa
2012 Shiraz (Porterhouse Matched)
Langhorne Creek

14.5%

Colour:
Clear
Deep ruby

Nose:
Clean
Medium-pronounced intensity
Cinnamon
Blackberry
Raspberry
Tobacco
Cherry brandy
Toasty (American oak)

Palate:
Dry
High acid
Low-med tannin
Full body
Sour cherries
Blackberries
Slight star anise on finish
Black tea on finish
Jammy fruit
Medium length finish

We tasted this wine after two days of opening, an indication of its' long cellaring potential; the juicy fruit and acidity were still there. I love the fruit, mouthfeel and density of this wine. It's powerful yet still not overpowering. Seriously, this stuff sells itself! Nic finds it too "in yer face", however this is my blog and I'll rave if I want to. Hahaha.

G

Hentley Farm (Barossa) 2012 Viognier

A new friend kindly gave this bottle of wine to Nic for a birthday present recently. The Barossa is strange; everyone is linked in some way. Some people describe it as 'incestuous', but I wouldn't go that far. :) For example, our neighbour across the road was born at Hentley Farm and spent some early years of his life there. He has a family history book with b&w photos and everything. Nowadays it is a successful winery and restaurant. Now our friend's fiance is one of the winemakers (not naming names :P). So, we are all connected in this nice little nest of Barossan love. Aww. (Still get that warm fuzzy feeling when I spot Maggie Beer out doing her grocery shopping at the markets.. hehehehehe nervous awe).

I had expected some classic viognier varietal stuff in this bottle, which we didn't get. Don't get me wrong, it is a lovely wine to drink, however in a blind tasting I would struggle to name its varietal correctly. That might just be my palate, but hey. Because of the viognier I described to the man in the Smelly Cheese stall at Adelaide market, the cheese match (some version of reggiano which is slightly softer and very nice), doesn't quite go.

Hentley Farm
2012 Viognier 
Barossa Valley

Colour:
clear
pale lemon

Nose:
clean
medium intensity
grapefruit
almonds
lemon blossom

Palate:
dry
high acid
medium bodied (:( )
juicy mandarin to begin with
then bitter grapefruits or bitter lemon
nutty
towards the end- a tiny tiny bit of fresh apricot- if I close my eyes and imagine hard enough and click my little red sparkly shoes together...

*there is a weird petrolly flavour usually associated with aged riesling-- curiouser and curiouser...

Overall a nice, easy drinking white, just not the medium-full bodied full on apricot type of drop you might expect. With age? Who knows what might happen in the future? Interesting....


G

Saltram Assorted

http://instagram.com/p/jEHtIrBwrB/

Saltram Estate is a major wine producer of the Barossa Valley, South Australia. It is part of the global Treasury Wine Estates group (formerly Fosters), along with such labels as Wolf Blass, Penfolds and Rosemount. They have three winemakers who produce quality sparkling pinot noir, riesling, chardonnays, fiano, semillon, grenache, sangiovese, shiraz blends, shirazes, cabernet sauvignon, tawny, moscato and a beer. *phew. Depending on which wine you are sampling, the grapes generally come from the Barossa Valley, as well as Eden Valley (whites, cooler climate), Adelaide Hills (pinot), and McLarenVale (fancy).

I had the opportunity to try some of the abovementioned wines, notes as follows:)

Saltram Mamre Brook Chardonnay
2011, 12% alcohol

Colour:
Clear pale lemon

Nose:
Clean, pronounced oak (vanilla)
Lemon
Orange blossom
White peach

Palate:
Off-dry with medium acidity
Medium to full-bodied
Stone fruit (peach)
Lemon
Tropical fruit (melon, banana)
Vanilla/toasty oak characters

If you like oaked chardonnays, but without the cloying thick sickly taste that seems to come with them, you might like this one. The acidity isn't too high, but it is still refreshing. Personally I get disturbed by waking up the next day with the aftertaste of heavy oak in my mouth, but that's only because I have had it too much in the past. Some people really like American oak; for me, though, it masks some of the other flavours. To each their own!

Had it with Greek baked beans and bread, it was a nice match.

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Saltram
Mamre Brook Eden Valley Riesling 2013
11% alch

Colour:
clear pale lemon

Nose:
Medium intensity
lemon & lime
grapefruit
almond
pear
apple
lemon blossom

Palate:
Dry
High acid
Light-medium body
lemon
lime
lemon barley water
bath salts/soap
zippy medium length finish

This is an interesting riesling, and if you like 'em young, without the petrolly characteristics, you'll probably like this. The aromas of lime and lemon blossom are very nice, though not so pronounced (you have to stick your nose in a fair way). The acid is high but that is to be expected in a young wine. It would be oh so fine with oysters, or any seafood or fish. It has some guts and a good finish. Will develop into something quite nice over time.
Be sure to serve COLD; it is 40 degrees here at the moment and mine has gone warm :S

Happy drinking!!!!