OK, so the last box was good – not amazingly full of Gold medal stunners but had plenty to offer the casual punter and interested explorer beyond the usual offerings on a NZ supermarket shelf. Sticking with it, I’m now through the third box – where the series starts to get really interesting. The themes have been set, and it is time to take a deep dive into character development.
We start as usual, with whites. This time it is a Riesling. Leconfield Coonawarra Old Vine Riesling 2021. Dry, tight and fairly lean – in a good way. Packed with character and flavour, with mandarin peel, nashi pear, lychee, blanched almond, preserved lemon and jasmine florals. A lovely herbal note emerges on the palate, lit by a bracing acidity and leans towards a greenness of apple, lime zest and capsicum. Energy and focus towards the finish that is pithy, crisp and sustained. A superb food wine, I’d match it with shellfish and it can handle a bit of spice. 90pts
Aussie reds can range from straightforward to voluptuous and all the way up to complex, elegant masterpieces as good as most of the world’s best. One thing it does do well is value-for-money entry levels reds like South Australian Shiraz that are packed with appealing ripe fruit and deliver a comfortable, enjoyable glass at a wallet-friendly price. A couple of the next wines might fit into that category.
Tyrrell’s Blacksmith’s Hut Shiraz 2021 hails from Heathcote – IMHO an absolute powerhouse region for Shiraz. A dark purple in the glass, with warm aromatics of dark red fruits to match. Blackberry, plum, orange rind, fig, pepper and violet florals. A good concentration, but with the sweetness just starting to over-extend into a jammy ripeness. Integrated tannins and medium acidity – a solid core. A bit of liquorice and warm spice towards the finish. 91pts
RedHeads R’dotto Royale 2021 is named after Venice’s 18th century gambling house, R’dotto. This is another beguiling blend from Laithwaite’s favourites – RedHeads. Five Italian varieties are featured – Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Sagrantino and Barbera. Ruby, rich and seductive, with black cherry, sumac, redcurrant, greengage, raspberry and cola. Acidity is juicy, and there is a delicious tar to the tannins, which show a bitter dark chocolate edge. This is both velvetty and characterful, quite a difficult trick to pull off. Some mocha and a bit more spice. 91pts
RedHeads Esulé 2015 – is a wine that received 95pts from Hallidays for their 2013 edition. From McLaren Vale, and, unusually for the region, leading with a Cabernet Franc component (52%) over Cabernet Sauvignon. It has the funky, smoky signature of Franc on the nose, with the pomegranete, bramble, damson, rosehip, vanilla and floral notes of violet and lavender. Medium bodied, with a tension and balance between acidity, supple tannin and ripe fruit. Some pretty big oak (50% new) character. The Cab Sav fills the edges with a herbal mint and eucalypt expression, and the wine has a fairly tight structure. Towards the finish it loses direction though and the ending is not as long as you’d expect from the bright start. 91pts
We finished the box with a La Fonte d’Oro 2020, a southern italian wine from Puglia. Leading with Negroamaro and also with some Primitivo in the mix. Made in a style of an Amarone with the grapes dried for two weeks to concentrate the flavours. It is a densely packed wine, inkily dark and rich. Blackberry, fruit cake, chocolate, cranberry, cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose. Inviting and warm on the palate, with plenty of toasty oak notes, an earthy minerality, a balm-like texture, and layers of sweet and savoury flavours to discover. You could definitely decant this for maximum enjoyment. 92pts
