Chris Ringland 2007 CR Shiraz

This is long sold out, so this is just an opinion on how it's travelling at 6 years old.

Lighter than most CRs, it's only 15.5%, and in theory from a tough vintage but the tannins are lovely despite this and in fact I reckon they're mostly from the oak which is unusual of 07, especially in the BV.

A bit of secondary development showing, but the fruit and oak still in your face. Acid is mouth watering.

Pretty sure this is a Dan Murphy only label, so unlikely I will buy any in the future as I see the duopoly being to my detriment in the longer term, plus exclusive labels tend to disrespect the consumer. Still, Mr. Ringland made 'em nice back then.

No hurry to drink it, but then no great reason not to. I'll open another in a year since I bought a case of this quite cheap a few years back, and not from Mr. Murphy either.

Turkey Flat Butchers Block 2012

A couple of summers ago I became a serious fan of the Rhone blend, typically Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre. A bit lighter weight than most Shiraz and they often drink well with a slight chill, which is nice for the warmer days. The 2010 of this was pretty damned good and I've been looking forward to the 2012.

The nose is somewhat Grenache red fruit dominant, but that's often the nature of Grenache isn't it? Some pencil shavings, allspice and a dollop of Mulberry jam.

Lovely fine powdery tannin backbone and pretty good acidity, if slightly tart.

The thing is though, the hallmark of a good GSM, or in this case SGM, is that it should be seamless with no one variety being too obvious. Unfortunately, unlike the 2010, the 2012 is unbalanced, with the Grenache completely dominating the Shiraz despite the latter being the bulk of this wine, and the Mataro is hiding away in the corner scared of the guy with the intense red eyes.

It's a well made wine, and if you're a Grenache fan perhaps this is your cup of tea.


Rating: Agreeable (remember, I'm a hard marker).

For fans of GSMs I'd highly recommend the 2012 Teusner Avatar as a great example of what a perfect blend of the three can be.

2012 Teusner Independent Shiraz Mataro

I was fortunate enough to first taste this with Kym Teusner, along with pretty much his full range of wines. It is staggering to see that he and his team has put together such an impressive range of truly great wines in a little over 10 years.

Before I talk about this wine, I also tasted the flagship 2011 Righteous Mataro. Kym was advised not to release it, with the 2011 bad vintage hoohah, and most wineries not releasing their flagships from that year. He felt that regardless of the overall vintage, the quality of fruit for that wine still deserved it's status as a flagship. It seems this wine is a bit polarising, I think it is one of the best wines I have ever had, but perhaps that's my bias to Mataro and great oak...time will tell though.

Short story, Kym is bloody talented - and humble enough to mention the other winemakers that helped him through the very tough vintage.

So, to the Independent, a wine specifically made for the independent retailers and not sold to the large chains, thus trying to help the small guys avoid a price war against the big boys with deep pockets.

Shiraz and Mataro in equal parts if memory serves correct. Black and brooding when dormant, but poke the beast and maroon blood stains the sides of the glass. Balsamic glazed plums accompanying a thick steak seared black on the barbie, sprinkled with fresh roasted ground star anise, nutmeg and brown cardamon seeds. That's the wine, and probably not a bad meal to have with it.

Better after a day's breathing - the wine, not the steak - lovely tannins, balanced acid and a just a delight to drink, especially with food. I liked this better than the 2012 Riebke, then again I bought both.

At $25 RRP this is a high VFM wine, especially this stellar vintage. Drink now or drink in 10 years.

Rating: Highly Recommended++

Note: not sure the 2012 is released yet, I have not tried the 2011.