This week I have three wines for your consideration. All of them are from the New World and the Southern Hemisphere. I enjoyed each of them and hope you might find one that appeals to you.
Inception
2011 Deep Layered Red (548354)
South Africa
$14.99
In the New World, winemakers seem to have a tradition of producing single varietal wine. In the Old World, it has long been a longstanding tradition to create wines that are blends. Blending wine from different grapes gives the winemaker another opportunity to create a wine that is fuller, rounder and with more layers. In the last few years we've seen a trend to do this in the New World as well. Some if not all have been tremendously popular.
One thing I've noticed about these New World blends is that they often have a little sweetness to them and are rarely bone dry. While they don't have enough sweetness to show on our scale of zero to 10 (with zero being dry) -- they are most often zero, but there is that suggestion of sweetness.
The latest is one from South Africa is Inception's Deep Layered Red. It is a blend of mostly Shiraz with some Mourvdre and Petit Verdot. The colour in the glass is quite a deep purple that has some denseness to it. It has aromas that are quite varied, from red berries like raspberry and cherry to black plum. This wine has spent time in oak before bottling which adds another dimension of smoke and vanilla. Chocolate or mocha is yet another facet of the many layers of the aromas. In the mouth it has a medium-body with layers of flavours making it an interesting drink. First I found fruit flavours, followed by pepper and sweet spice and finishing off with a hint of toast and very fine tannins.
I think this wine would appeal to nearly everyone whether or not it's to be served with a meal. This is a wine that would pair well with almost any meat dish from beef to chicken and will complement a dessert of dark chocolate.
Heartland
Spice Trader
2012 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (685735)
Australia
$19.99
Lake Alexandrina -- a fresh water lake in South Australia -- is fed by four rivers including the Murray River and has a positive influence on the vineyards in Langhorne. Moderate temperatures allow the fruit to have a longer ripening time for better development. This area has produced many wines with good accolades including those made by Heartland.
This wine is the first vintage of the Heartland's Spice Trader. It's a blend of 58 per cent Shiraz and the rest is Cabernet Sauvignon. From all that I've read the 2012 vintage was extremely good after a rough start. Spring frosts in the region destroyed as much as 40 per cent of the buds in some vineyards leaving the vine to concentrate on the remaining clusters to produce exceptional fruit.
The wine it is deep purple with aromas of black berry fruit. Black currant, blackberry and blueberries are all there. In the mouth I found it wasn't a big fruit balm, but has more the delicate or integrated fruit flavours with a hint of vanilla and a light spattering of peppery spice. On the finish, it has very fine soft tannin with some fresh acidity. In the end it was the blueberry flavours that lingered the longest.
Spice Trader is very good example of this blend from Australia, easily enjoyed on its own without food or at this time of year with anything you might want to BBQ.
Stoneleigh
2012 Chardonnay (288795)
New Zealand
$15.99
A dried up river bed in New Zealand's Marlborough wine region is home to Stoneleigh Vineyards. They call the exposed stone of this riverbed sunstone. These stones retain heat from the day and release it during the cooler evenings and night. The vineyards are very dry so the vines don't produce a big quantity, but instead give high quality fruit. Marlborough has a good reputation for good wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but this Chardonnay has its place.
To be honest I wasn't sure what to think of this wine. I think its temperature was too cold when I first tasted it which made the aromas hard to find. As it warmed up, so did I. This wine finding the aromas of apple and peach with plenty of toasty oak. It has a definite straw colour.
Many wine drinkers prefer un-oaked Chardonnay, but I enjoy it and think it adds another dimension to the wine. There are other white wines with an oaky presence that I don't like, but I like it in a Chardonnay. As it continued to lose its chill, I found even more aromas like tropical fruit and melon. On the palate, it has a somewhat creamy texture adding to its medium to full-body. There are nice layers of fruit and a nice oaky flavour with a subdued acidity on the finish. If I were to serve food with this wine it would be soft, lighter flavoured cheese, chicken or maybe a pasta dish with a cream sauce.
