I do this blog for fun, the wines here are some of the very few I can be bothered to write up. The cream has risen.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Lazy Ballerina Shiraz Viognier 2009

I'm a bit new to Shiraz Viognier really, I mean who would think it's a good idea to co-ferment a white grape with a red one? I'd somehow picked up the idea that it's done to lift the aromatics, but if done poorly it can leave the wine smelling like apricots.

However James Hook (aka the Hookmeister), informed me when I pronounced his SV free of such stonefruit 'taint' that the reason for the Viognier is to soften the tannins a little. There's under 3% Viognier in this wine if I recall correctly.

Thus this wine is slightly more approachable than it's 09 Shiraz sibling, which if you'd read my review you'd know I reckon it needs a little time for those tannins to soften up. (Which you can't have read yet because I lost my notes in a Freudian desire to have a need to open another bottle of it, despite it being too young.)

A side note on this wine is that the Shiraz in it is from a completely different vineyard to it's straight Shiraz stablemate.

A couple of hours in the decanter first and it's clear this is one classy drop. The nose is plums and spice and all things nice. On the tongue it's full bodied high quality fruit supported by fine young tannibles and excellent acid balance. Despite the Viognier, the tannins will benefit from a wee bit more bottle age.

This is a very good wine and I have no hesitation in rating it Highly Recommended++ and ****. (Remember I try to mark hard)

6 comments:

  1. Amazingly, I've had a couple of red/white blends that have worked really well. When I was in the Clare Valley, I had a sparkling Shiraz-Viognier (which was good, but I can't remember the vineyard, for shame), and Dandelion make a (still) Shiraz-Riesling too!!

    Oh, and the D'Arenberg Sparkling Red (Chambourcin and Shiraz) is fermented on Viognier skins I think.

    Counter-intuitive, but it can work well as your review confirms :)

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  2. Hi Teddy. I believe the practice of Shiraz Viognier co-ferment started in France's Rhone region, more specifically Cote Rotie. It's only been around in Australia perhaps 10 years, if my research is right.

    Good tips on the other red/white blends, I can't find any Clare sparkling SV though, so wonder what it was.

    To add another, Ekhidna wines of McLaren Vale make a Shiraz Riesling (5%) too under their Paper Eagle label.

    Far too many SV to list these days.

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  3. So the 09 LB shiraz is from Inkwell, Piombo and somewhere in the vales west (my guess is Blewitt Springs), now I'm curious about where the shiraz in the S/V is from .. U aren't tellin?

    Paper Eagle/Ekhidna do some good stuff, the Ekhidna grenache 08 (85grenache/15shiraz) is a damn nice wine and so's the Paper Eagle Linchpin Shiraz 08 ... can't say I really went for the White Crow shiraz-riesling though

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  4. The label says John Minchella's on Strout Rd. I thought James said there was another vineyard too, but perhaps I am confused with the straight Shiraz.

    I can neither confirm nor deny any other source vineyards for his wines. He may have already sent his hit squad after you.

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  5. Hi Guys,

    SV is;

    John Minchella's Shiraz plus a couple of barrels from another Sellicks Hill vineyard that I work on Culley Rd. Over the years I have walked a lot of rows on Culley Rd!

    Shiraz is the rest of the usual suspects.

    James.

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  6. Thanks James ... Sellicks Hill, overlooks a very nice pub : )

    Jeremy Pringle on www.winewilleatitself.com has just posted his review of this wine. He reckons the Viognier is very evident "Apricot, exotic stone fruits and extra textural slipperiness."
    Ah well, we all have different palates, I haven't tried this vintage but can't recall any apricot characters in the previous one.

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