Wendouree, Shiraz Malbec, Clare Valley

Drink in 2035.

2006 vintage

Still looking very fresh at 18 but there are tertiary notes present. Eucalyptus jumps out of the glass, we're in South Australia alright. Blackberry, cherry, chocolate licorice bullets. Only 13.2% but this has a pleasant weight in the mouth. Tannins are well-integrated and take a couple of sips to notice but are still firm. There's very few Australian Shiraz that can be made at ~13% and not feel thin as a result, the Tyrrell's Sacred Sites are the obvious comparison …

2006 vintage

Peter Bourne - Supper (Bibo Wine Bar, Darlinghurst) : Decanted. Red berry, plums, sweet spice, a little eucalyptus, sweet spice and a little caramel, touch of earthiness. Juicy, fleshy, red berry, a little alcohol warmth, silky tannins, a little plummy underpin. Nice.

2006 vintage

Clean cork, double decanted and drunk over a couple of nights. Dark fruit, chocolate, aniseed, and some savoury notes. Tannins have softened to reveal a wine that is fairly supple but not at the expense of a decent a lick of grip. Good to go now after solid decant but no rush.

2006 vintage

Magenta with little bricky hues, dark fruits on the nose, damsons on the palate. Moreish with a touch of coffee and liquorice. All in great balance. Medium finish. Impressive wine.

2006 vintage

A few years since I’d had this, and more agreeable company on this occasion, the angular acid/tannin from prior now but an unreliable memory. Strong colour still. Dark purples, slight rusty rim. Classic Wendouree nose. Deeply scented. Jube gum, fresh, intensely spicy and then a potpourri of dark chocolate, crushed walnut, bark, aniseed. Yep, complex. Rich, medium to full bodied, dense. Packed with fine tensile tannin, softly chewy. Palate finishes as it starts, scented and savoury. Not so much iron …

2006 vintage

Pretty good showing here, decanted for a couple of hours which I think k helped. A slightly austere style, very much in a savoury style rather than fruity. Some hard spice type flavours, ripe black cherries, eucalypt as well. Oak has a nice complementary presence, tannins and texture from the Malbec a highlight. Didn’t show quite as well on day 2, oxidation creeping in but still enjoyable. Not a knockout wendouree but a very nice honest Shiraz blend blend happening, …

2006 vintage

Part of a birthday trio involving the 1998 and 2008 Shiraz Malbecs (see TNs). Pale brick, very faded, burnt brown hues. Obviously the oldest looking but otherwise fresh, lively, virile even. Fragrant nose. Like the 98 and 08, blackberry at its heart but more raspberry before older notes of mushroom, leather and then classic Wendouree iron filings, shoe polish. Sound palate. Smooth, medium bodied, good flow. Slightly grainy tannin, with vanilla too courtesy of American oak (that was discontinued late …

1991 vintage

1991 Wendouree Sh Mal Good cork. Like nectar, opened over the course of a few hours. Dark colour with bricking at the rim. Liquorice straps, molasses and tar. Almost Barolo like in flavour and shape. Aged Shiraz fig jam, aged Malbec dark fruits and echo of black jellybeans and menthol. Finishes with ferrous red earth and perky black fruit. Very easy to drink. A birthday gift shared by a very dear friend. A real treat, makes you smile and fill …

1991 vintage

Despite a stuck cork end that ultimately crumbled and had to be filtered out, it was clear from the bouquet alone that the wine was in very fine shape. Young, fresh and (at first) energetic, with a vibrancy that eventually dissipated as the wine took on weight with air. Loads of sweet red fruit, harmonious and pure, complemented by layers of eucalyptus and fennel. Great persistence on the finish. My second best of these 1991s I've had, out of two …

1991 vintage

Loved this, Malbec gives a chalky plumpness to the palate that really lifts the wine. Still only medium bodied, characterised with leather, earth, plums, aniseed and gum tree. Beautifully balanced and aged, the structure holds it all together and ensures and even longer life. Tannins grippy and gravelly but still smooth and wrap nicely around the dark cherry fruit.

2006 vintage

Needed a decant in the Swann, but after 7 hours this was lovely. Initially it was full of Italian cherries, almond and liquorice. Now it's silky and full of red fruit. No problem at all with the Reidel Sommelier Burg glass and now it flirts between a burg, a Pomerol and a top Chateauneuf. No way I'd call Auz if this was blind. Great.

2006 vintage

Quick Notes From a Memorable Night in Sydney (Cirrus, Barangaroo) : An extraordinary bottle, so rare I had to create the 1991 version of the wine in CT before adding a review. This wine was simply ethereal. Gentle red fruit complemented by layers of chocolate, smoky eucalyptus and fine salinity. Tremendous persistence. Seemingly immortal.

1991 vintage

Farewell for now : Cherry, raspberry, leathery meat, some herb, chocolate and spice on the nose. Showing development and character, but still plenty of youthfulness. The palate has really good lift to this, still good freshness and purity. I thought the structure would be a little more overt, but this seems to have settled down really well to drink over the next 5-6 years.

1991 vintage

black cherry, plum, marzipan, black fruits, minty, nice firm earthy tannin on the back end but not intrusive. This is pretty bloody good. 93

2006 vintage

Dark, as it should be. Marzipan intense french oak. Intense wine, that handles the oak and is beautifully balanced, so that it is drinkable now, though it does still seem very young. I don't detect the slightest sign of secondary aged character yet. Such a lot of flavour, a big Aussie wine but in no way a Parkerised wine. 13.2% alcohol. Yet unlike some of the Wendouree wines of the past there is a modern succulence. And it really is …

2006 vintage

Beautiful drinking now, has developed more secondary characters, but still has lovely fruit weight on the palate. This was drunk in company of some spectacular wines and more than held its own. wish i had more. Will drink well fro at least 5-10 more

2006 vintage

This continues to improve and integrate with a little more age. Only medium bodied but is flush with dusty fruit and background five spice and oak. Really easy to drink, enough complexity and depth to keep you interested and wanting more.

2006 vintage

This was very good and in a really nice place at the moment. Medium bodied, terrific structure with chalky (almost creamy) tannins. Quite an interesting blend, better than the straight Shiraz in my book and looking forward to my last couple of bottles in a few years.

2006 vintage

Very much in its youth. Tannins quite firm and dominating the fruit at this stage. There is some good underlying fruit here but it does need more age.

2006 vintage

Very very young. Double decanted and then left for a couple of hours. Punchy tannin and medium plus acidity over black spicy berry and prune - without being overtly jammy. Very pleasant.

2006 vintage

(decanted for 4 hours) dusty and one dimensional on the nose, mouth filling but quite short. Given my experience of this wine and estate I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt that it may be going through a transition from primary to secondary. Will re try in a few years.

2006 vintage

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Wendouree, Shiraz Malbec, Clare Valley

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