Tried and Tasted - this week's Staff Recommendations

This week, the Exel Wines team have been tasting:
Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2012
and
Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2011 

Russell Wallace, General Manager

Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2012 -  I often find Chenin Blanc can be one of those hit or miss wines with a big gap between the good and the downright awful and mostly nothing in between. So I was pleasantly surprised by the elegance of Mulderbosch’s efforts. An elegant and refined wine is not usually the terms that would spring to mind for a Chenin, but they do here. The citrus fruits and acidity were all pleasingly delicate, that is not to say that there is a lack of flavour going on here just that it all is balanced and allows the minerality, more commonly found in a kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, to come through. Score: 16.5/20

Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2011 - Red Blends just are not really my bag baby! Once again though the wonderful Mulderbosch, turns that on it’s head with this Bordeaux Blend on steroids. I was expecting a huge hit given the actually grapes and the diversity of grapes in play here.  Then with a closer look at the percentages part of this wines delicate nature was explained. Cabernet Franc is, unusually, the dominant grape lending the cedar notes and the graphite type minerality that let this sip down smoothly. The Merlot backs up this more gentile nature meanwhile the Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot all, for want of a better description, remind you who is boss! Just enough of these varietals punch full on characteristics come through to please the lover of big and bold wines, not too much to put off the lovers of fresh and fruity wines. Score: 18/20

Clive Holroyd, Database Manager

Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2012 - This wine is a pale straw gold in colour; when I initially swirled the glass I thought it had no legs, but on closer inspection realised it had coated the glass almost perfectly, suggesting an alcohol content not to be sniffed at. Sniff it I did however and a lovely aroma of light and crunchy citrus fruits (mainly gooseberry and pineapple) assailed my nose; with just a hint of sherbet. Anticipation was high for the first mouthful and I was not disappointed, there is an initial sharp and tangy hit from the citrus that quickly opens out to rich floral and fruity flavours with just a hint of creaminess. I'm not a big white wine drinker, but this is a lovely clean and fresh and full bodied wine that I really enjoyed. Score: 16/20

Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2011 -This is a wine that I knew I was going to enjoy from the moment I poured it. It's a rich tawny red in colour and quite leggy in the glass suggesting a full body. The aroma produces the classic South African herbal notes; I got dill and a creamy buttery parsnip with underlying deep red/black fruits. The wine is very full when tasted, initially its the savoury butter flavours that hit you but then the deep fruits come through. You can taste the tannins but they quickly subside and leave no unpleasant after-taste.  A great wine. Score: 17/20

Mark Powrie, Orders Administrator

Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2012 - I found this a very interesting white. The aromas coming from this wine were very subtle to start with. Once the wine had the opportunity to sit in the glass, I could then smell the fruit quite strongly. First sip, the wood came straight through and then the fruits and the flavours followed. I found this wine to have a long length and it would be a suitable white to enjoy on its own or with a starter. Score: 13/20

Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2011 - This was a surprise. Having chicken for my dinner, I thought that this wine would drown the flavours. Opening the bottle, I could smell dark fruits and spice. After a wee while in the glass, first sip was a surprise. The wine had a dark colour and I was expecting a big punchy flavour, but the flavours were subtle. No too overpowering, just enough to enjoy the wine. There was a little kick as the wine was going down, but this could have been the spicy flavours. I have to say, it went very well with the chicken and I would be inclined to have this wine with a lighter meat rather than gamey meats. Score 16/20

Dianne Younger, Company Administrator

Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2012 - Golden in colour, I found this wine quite sweet initially with a slight fizz. It had a nice oaky roundness to it though. I cannot say that I picked up a great deal on the nose (maybe I had over-chilled it), but the palate was soft with floral notes which then led to flavours of catalope melon. I did not have this wine with food, but I could imagine it would go quite well with a coconut-based thai dish or roast chicken. Score: 16/20

Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2011 - The colour reminded me a little of Ribena! This wine had aromas of plump black fruit with hints of cassis and vanilla. The palate was big (almost pinotage-like) with lots of blackcherry flavours along with underlying spice notes, but with a cabernet smoothness to it. I would imagine this wine would be a good accompaniment to a hearty stew or ox liver and onions. Score: 14/20

Tried and Tasted - this week's Staff Recommendations

This week, the Exel Wines team have been tasting:
Chateau Ruat Petit Poujeaux Cru Bourgeois 2005

Russell Wallace, General Manager

A classic Bordeaux blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot and Cab Franc from the Moulis-en-medoc appellation in Bordeaux.  2005 was one of Bordeaux’s best vintages in recent times so if you want a wine from this year you have to search smart and look amongst the lesser know “petit Chateaux” rather than the classified growths.  Despite it’s name this is not historically the second wine of Chateaux Poujeaux (I think!),  originally I understand it used to be a completely separate entity which may, or indeed may not, have been bought over by the Poujeaux clan I cannot tell for 100%.  I am sticking with the presumption that it is separate, although they are both the same area of Bordeaux and ultimately similar in DNA!

2005 is still technically young in Bordeaux terms, but the 2005 vintage (good largely down to a heat wave creating less crop but more intensity in those that did produce) is a vintage that has been drinking well pretty much since put in the bottle.

This is definitely a decant or Vinturi sort of wine, straight out of the bottle it will be a little harsh but still surprisingly pleasant.  Expect a huge flavour, power and tannin, most Bordeaux of this sort of age would have mellowed out by now and become more like a full-bodied Burgundy but I was surprised at the intensity this wine still holds and will, I think, continue to hold.  The lack of brown notes on the rim suggest this wine will keep for some time yet.  Intense dark fruits, pronounced acidity, with still younger oak flavours and for me a kind of zing to start with as the flavour explodes.

Mark Powrie, Orders Administrator

Opening the bottle, I was hit with a strong scent. There was a mix of fragrances coming from the bottle, including dark cherry, smoke and even dark chocolate. Once I had left the wine to breathe and come to room temperature, there was a different mix of scents coming through.

First sip of this wine and BAM…the smells came through like a ragin' bull and the flavours were out of this world. Strong dark fruits, woody/peat flavours, a nice strong mix.

That nights tea was Chicken stuffed with Haggis and although this wine would cope with a more intense flavour, it went very well with the peppery haggis.

This wine was very enjoyable, better with a meal rather than on its own. 12/20

Ally Moir, Exel Wines Shop

·        Had this with a well aged steak and thought it was superb – a nice bouquet, a lovely claret ring around the top of the glass and completely complemented the food (no rich sauce just sautéed mushrooms and onions). I’m sure there lots of ageing in it yet, but a real winner. Score 18.5/20

Henschke - A Family Day Out

I have been mulling over a title for this piece whilst writing, but hopefully the title will become obvious as you read through.

A couple of weeks back I stumbled upon the wonderful opportunity to represent Exel Wines and be one of the select few to attend a masterclass and lunch at the beautiful location of Prestonfield House.  This was an opportunity too good for me to miss - a tasting through a selection of the ever delightful offerings from Stephen and Prue Henschke.  Starting the morning off with a trundle on the train to Edinburgh followed by a brisk 35 minute walk out of town to the tranquil and sublime settings of Prestonfield House.  If ever in Edinburgh I would recommend a visit, if nothing else just to soak in this stunning location!

Prestonfield's Sublime Setting

This was one of those tastings where you could feel a real excitement and sense of privilege in the room.  The Henschke name has become so iconic these days that getting such an intimate audience is a genuinely special thing (especially North of the Border).

I could describe this small scale family vineyard turned wine-making legend at great length, introducing the six generations of family that have cared for the 100 hectares of land, the vines and wines they produce and the painstaking dedication that goes into every facet of what they do from vine selection to the biodynamic and organic principles that has become a cornerstone of the vineyard.  But instead, I thought a brief poem summed it up perfectly.



And thus onto the wines, eight in total made for a perfect treat.  An opportunity to taste a real variety of what the Henschke legacy, or perhaps rather their land can produce.

The Master Class Line Up

1. First up was probably my favourite.  I love a real surprise in my wine and the Julius Riesling 2013 did just that.  When I hear the word Riesling I usual cross the street as I am genuinely not a big fan at all of the grape variety, or at least not of the ones I have personally tried.  However, there were no hints of petroleum here just crisp, citrus fruits, a vibrancy that seemed alive and a wonderful minerality.  This also accompanied a duck pate later for lunch, and whilst the pairing worked well I could not help but feel that the food was almost distracting me from enjoying the flavours of this wine.  Oh, and this is from the wine that is from vines that are "only" 40'ish years old! £20.80 per bottle
2. Next up was (cover your ears if you are a member of the A.B.C. crowd) a Chardonnay.  It is no secret that Australia makes a mean Chardonnay, so much so that the effect has almost come full circle going through it's heyday when nobody drank anything else, to a period where no one dared go near it, to today when one is usually willing to give it a whirl so long as it is certified 100% as unoaked.  Well, Henschke might have an oaked Chardonnay that will tempt you back in to that world in the form of the Lenswood Croft Vineyard Chardonnay 2012.  There is a strong Germanic influence in this wine owing to the regions cooler climate, the oak is definitely but I have to say, I have never tasted anything so balanced.  The minerality and fruits just shone through, enough so to let your mind forget about the oak and allow it to just enjoy itself. £29.30
3. At wine 3 we moved over to the reds, starting off with the "entry" wine of Henry's Seven 2012.  Younger clones from the Hill of Grace Vines, this features just under 70% Shiraz balanced and turbo-charged with (Spanish origin) Grenache (Spanish-Garnacha), Mourvedre (Spanish-Garnacha) and Viognier (Spanish-Mataro).  This is a wonderful example of complexity in a glass, and a wine that seems desperate to prove itself amongst its Henschke peers.  The Viognier lends a real lusciousness and structure.  Most of the grapes are fermented separately and blended at the end, but the Shiraz and Viognier at Henschke are co-fermented together. £21.76
4. Keyneton Euphonium 2010 was the next up. A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot from 50 year old vines.  The surprise in this wine was the more delicate mouthfeel and increased overall finesse.  Given the blend, I would have expected a fuller richer style, but I was please to see the restraint in the overall body. This wine was paired up with a lovely beef rump with béarnaise and wild mushrooms at lunch. £26.90

At this point there was a brief interlude for some very appropriate wine enthusiast 'geek type' chat. Covering mostly corks, stelvins, glass vino-lock and relative oxygen transfer rates, I think it says a lot about me to say that I rather enjoyed this part!

Enjoying some Henschke "Geek Chat!"

     5.  Of the reds, perhaps the big surprise came from the Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (technically there is a small percentage of Cab Franc and Merlot too, but who's counting).  With 18 months in largely new French oak I had expected a fair punch from this wine, but again I was left in awe of the elegance and finesse.  Now, I am not saying that there is a lack of flavour at all.  The depth is there, and so too is the richness, really the main difference is a softer more pleasant tannin.  I really love this wine. £81.95
     6.  Moving on to the first 100% Shiraz, and doing so with style in the form of the Mount Edelstone 2010.  100 Year old vines (well in 2010 they were only 98 years to be exact!), and the first wine where Stephen and Prue's dedication to Organic and Biodynamic farming comes into its own.  It is a real pleasure to listen to the obvious joy and passion they both have from getting the most out of nature that they can in such a natural way.  The dedication is obvious.  This is a wine where we start to get in to a preference for 24+ hour decanting to really let the wine develop.  This has a lovely pepper, mixed with a lemon balm kind of nose that gives way to a wildly distinctive taste that softens down wonderfully even after the 20 minutes. I had to continually swirl my glass in an effort to get close to the recommended aeration time! £73.24
     7.  (And number 8.) The icon that is the Hill of Grace, apparently it is actually a valley - honestly aussies!  Well, today's big treat was the opportunity not to just try one vintage of this wine, but two vintages side-by-side.  I always recommend trying related wines side-by-side whenever possible, it just adds a new dimension and accentuates characteristics, traits and subtleties that may otherwise go undetected.  First up was the 2007, where there was more than just a hint of the softness of the earlier Cabernet about this vintage and something that really appealed to me.  I guess the best description I could come up with would be a Bordeaux-Burgundy or a really powerful Burgundy.  The 2008 was, by contrast, more intense due to a warmer growing season.  The nose was spicier and more peppery (apparently the pepper hints come from a compound called "rotundone" which is actually found in pepper, amongst other things, so it is not just the Jilly Goolden in me coming out!) At around £295 a bottle this is not your everyday kitchen wine rack sort of bottle so the opportunity to try one of the world's finest wines was really very much appreciated.

What a Choice!

Sorry not quite finished yet. As lunch was finished off with a nice cheese selection and an exceptional Pinot Noir, in the Giles Pinot Noir 2008.  At the end of such an array of big wines, big flavours it was a delight to see a personal favourite variety (so long as it is done well) able to hold its own and shown off some incredible depth of fruits and integrated oak. £29.62

Finishing the day off with a divine lunch.