“Drink not the third glass, which thou canst not tame When once it is within thee,” George Herbert, 1593-1633, The Temple, The Church Porch, st. 1.
One of my most memorable wine tasting experiences years ago was a beauty from Australia called Grange Hermitage, which sold for more than $100, as I recall. I also seem to recollect that the Hermitage portion of the name enraged French winemakers of Hermitage (Mon dieu!), and Penfold’s was subsequently forced to abbreviate the name to Grange. A tad pricey and hard to find while its reputation grew, I recall that Ray’s offered a limited quantity of this rare wine a while back for a tad more than $400 per bottle.
From 1984 until 1990, Daryl Groom was the winemaker for Grange, releasing steadily stunning vintages of this decadently rich wine. Shortly thereafter, Groom bought 87 acres of land in the Barossa Valley contiguous to the Penfold’s Grange property and began production of his own Shiraz, the primary component in Grange. He rapidly collected a gaggle of fans and then set his sight upon producing a grand Sauvignon Blanc, which thrives under cooler growing conditions like those in New Zealand. Extensively researching sites, he settled on a 20-acre parcel of land with a cooler microclimate. He also decided to plant an eight-acre experimental plot of Bush Block Zinfandel in 2000 and released his first commercial production in 2003 before playing for primetime with the 2006 vintage. According to Groom, “Our desire is to let the vineyards and their fruit do the talking in producing the style and quality of our wines.” Based upon my tasting of his three releases, I would concur – these wines, indeed, spoke well.
Here are my tasting notes, using my normal “A”-“F” scoring scale:
1. 2009 Sauvignon Blanc – Adelade Hills, $16: Light straw color with medium body. Classic Sauvignon Blanc nose with playful notes of straw, flowers and a touch of spice. Quite balanced in the mouth with zesty, light fruit and bracing acidity. Very good with chicken, light fish or cheese. A
2. 2008 Bush Block Zinfandel, Barossa Valley, $23: Brick ruby color with heavy body. Deeply intense, almost briary and jammy nose of currants, blackberries and blueberries. A sip brought on notes of chocolate and cherries as it strutted its stuff. Long, lingering finish and cleana aftertaste. With one hour of air time, this beauty got noticeably softer and esoterically, sinfully spicier. This is one superb wine, folks! A+
3. 2007 Shiraz, Barossa Valley, $33: Deep, brooding purple color pregnant with promise. Heavy body, with a deeply intense, brooding nose with forward notes of chocolate and fearless fruit. Huge in the mouth, with great depth and gobs of intensity. Beguilingly fruity and long finish. For those of you who enjoy aging wine, this would greatly reward and thank you for 10 or more years in the bottle. A+
Today’s winner in this tough contest was the Bush Block Zinfandel, which also barely captured the price/value award.
Groom’s wines are sold at the Forest Lake Store north of Land O’ Lakes, as well as at Gooseberrie’s, Otto’s, Ray’s Sendik’s, Sentry in Delafield and Sonoma Cellars.
Cheers, Mate – you’re on a tear!
