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Andy Velebil wrote:Mahmoud Ali wrote:I haven't had a bottle of the Charamba in over a decade. I thought it was pretty decent when it first arrived on the market over here in Edmonton - had decent reviews too. I feel certain that it was a blend back then and certainly not Touriga Nacional.
Many years ago, in 2000/2001, when I spent about 8 months in Australia, I had gotten pretty tired of the Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache and GSM merry-go-round. Any foreign wine was a welcome relief even cheap Bordeaux Superiore. Well, one day, in a Coonawarra bottle shop after a day or two of cellar door tasting I came across a decade-old Charamba, probably an '90 or '91 vintage. Although the price was in the mid- to high-teens I just had to have it.
It was chilly at that time of the year and we were camping. We had the Charamba with a beef or kangaroo stew cooked on our camping stove and relished the old world faded flavours of a rustic but savoury wine.
Ay Caramba!
Nice story, thanks for sharing. Any Aussie wines that really stood out (sorry for slight thread drift that may happen)
Andy, sorry for taking so long in replying.
There were plenty of good wines at the Coonawarra cellar doors. I was there in 2001 and the red wines on offer then were mostly from the '98 and '99 vintages. The wineries I visited were:
Balnaves
Bowen Estates
Katnook
Lindemans
Majella
Redman
Rymill
Wynns
Zema Estate
Balnaves: What I recall most about Balnaves was meeting some staff from the nearby Leconfield. My partner and I had been to Adelaide and the McLaren Vale and the conversation turned to the Richard Hamilton wines and their cellar door. I remarked that I really enjoyed the '98 Burton's Vineyard Grenache but was keen to get my hands on the Marion Vineyard wine from the only extant urban vineyard in Adelaide. The Marion community owns the vineyard but Richard Hamilton makes the wines. Well, the next thing I know one of Leconfield employees says that there is a bottle of the '95 Marion's Vineyard that has been in their lab for a number of years. He said he wasn't sure how long it had been there or wether it was going to be any good but that I was welcome to have it. Soon enough I was the proud owner of the bottle.
I took this bottle home to Edmonton and many years later, probably in '10/11, it turned out to be a delightful bottle, earthy, savoury, and fully resolved.
Bowen Estates: The '99 Cabernet and Shiraz were good, the blend a little weak, but the surprise for me was the Chardonnay. I cannot recall the vintage but I thought it was very nice, well judged oak and fruit balance and probably the most convincing Chardonnay of my Coonawarra visit.
Katnook: The reds were good but the standout was the '98 Prodigy, their premium Shiraz.
Lindemans: Most memorable here were the '98 vintage of all three of their premium wines, the Pyrus, Limestone Ridge, and St. George. They were all very good, definitely cellaring style wines with plenty of depth and intensity.
Majella: Once again, fine well-made red wines, but what I recall with fondness was their distinctive sparkling Shiraz, intense and young, a nice balance between fruit and tannins, with a judicious use of oak. A very nice style.
Redman: The highlight here was a cellar door 1997 Pinot Noir. It was a limited production wine and the grapes were made the old fashioned way - foot trodden. It was medium-bodied, savoury and dry, very dry, with a finish that was leathery and savoury. This is what make cellar door experiences so distinctive.
Rymill: The reds here were much less fruity and forward, they were older than the wines on offer at other cellar door indicating longer aging but with less new oak. More savoury in style.
Wynn's: The stars of the show were the '98 Michael and John Riddock. Despite asking for my pour first and letting it air while I tasted through the range they remained firm and unevolved in the glass. Excellent wines and very memorable.
Very special and for sale were bottles of '96 or '98 Wynn's Oven Valley Shiraz. Unfortunately they were not on tasting. I had only recently bought some 1990 so I decided not to buy any, a decision I now regret.
Zema Estate: This family-owned winery was the only winery that still hand-harvested their grapes. We thought all their '99 reds were good, the Cab, Shiraz and their Cluny blend. The '98 Family Reserve Cab was even better.
Cheers..........Mahmoud.
