I first heard about this wine on the 3 Wine Guys podcast (thx, T-bone) so I picked up a bottle when I saw it at a wine store this summer. And I’m glad I did as it really shows off what blending young vines can do for a wine.

This is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from noted winemaker Chris Ringland. I’ll have to check out his other efforts given what magic he casts on this modest wine.

Henry’s Drive, “Pillar Box Red” 2005 ($10) - Deepest purple-black in color. This one needs to unwind a bit before it shows it’s best but once fully open it features nice black and red fruit aromas with fennel and a bit of chaparral. Full and rich black cherry and strawberry fruit gives way to a bit of licorice, vanilla and spice on the finish. A delicious fruit bomb for everyday drinking.

15% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 90
Rating:

Buy this wine online

The second wine tasted on my visit with Cameron Hughes in late May. This one is more in line with what you would expect in an Aussie Shiraz; rich, bold and powerful. One for the cellar.

Cameron Hughes, Lot 42, Shiraz Barossa Valley, “75 year Old Vines” 2005 ($18/sample)

Dark purple in color with blackberry, white pepper and fennel aromas. Rich and bold in the mouth with blackberry jam, mint and licorice flavors finishing with firm tannins. I’d lay this one down for a few years to let the tannins soften a bit or decant for 2-3 hours before serving. Another stunning value.

14.5% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 89

Buy this wine online

Being the “wine guy” with family and friends, I’m often asked about the best values. In fact, part of the reason I started this blog and podcast was to share these tips. Although I find great values to write about here quite often, what I encountered with the following wine falls into the “extreme value” category.

The reviews that follow are from a podcast I recorded with Cameron Hughes the last time I was in San Francisco. We covered his approach, sourcing practices and business model for over an hour; about 40 minutes of which was recorded. As fate would have it, this is the first podcast recording to inexplicably vanish since I started doing this almost 3 years ago. It’s really a shame, but Cam has agreed to re-record for an upcoming show in the next week or two. But I’m posting these reviews now because I don’t think there will be any wine left in two weeks time.

Cameron Hughes is a négociant who specializes in bringing the best value for money to wine lovers. He does this by finding the best juice available — increasingly from outside of the U.S. — and blending and bottling under his label. He keeps his costs low by only selling online or through Costco stores here in the U.S. who take a much lower markup than other wine retailers. The result are some stunning wines at prices that make you wonder what he’s thinking. For example, the wine here could stand up to a $50 Shiraz and hold it’s own; Cam sells it for $20. When I asked him about his pricing practices, he smiled and said, “I’m making friends…”; then he opened this wine for us to taste.

Cameron Hughes, Lot 38, Shiraz, Barossa Valley, “100 year Old Vines” 2005 ($20/sample)

Very dark purple in color with aromas of blackberry, mocha, licorice and spice. Jammy and rich in the mouth with blackberry fruit and black pepper flavors finishing with moderately firm, but well integrated, tannins and good acidity. This is a big wine but it has massive fruit to balance the alcohol and a concentration that seems to only come from old vines. I’m going to let my bottles rest for a year or two before enjoying but it’s drinking very well right now.

15% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 92

I would suggest you buy this wine sooner rather than later as only 500 cases were released yesterday. Visit Cameron Hughes online to order (no Costco for this one).

I tasted this wine at San Francisco’s Vino Venue while tuning up for my barrel tasting the next morning at Pax Cellars. I’d heard of Two Hands Wines, and their reputation for fine Shiraz, but this was my first taste of their wine.

Two Hands is a single-minded effort to produce the best Shiraz made in Australia. Since starting only seven years ago, this winery has made some of the most celebrated Shiraz in the world and, if this tasting is any indication, their reputation is very well earned.

Two Hands Wines, “Gnarly Dudes” Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2005 ($30) - Dark purple in color with aromas of blackberry, plum, licorice and spice. In the mouth, concentrated blackberry, pepper and spice flavors finish long with a silky mouthfeel. Delicious.

14.8% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 93

Buy this wine online

Today’s podcast is something completely different than I have ever attempted, a live recording from a podcast event held in Minneapolis on June 12, 2006. Although I am flying a bit by the seat of my pants before a live audience, I do talk about wine tasting tips, feature a virtual tasting of a wine and answer a few wine related questions from the audience. Back to a more normal podcast format later this week, I promise

Show Notes:
00:22 - Introduction
01:13 - Soundboard recording from “Live to HD” event
25:00 - Contact Details

Feedback: winecast@gmail.com
Copyright 2006 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Direct mp3 Download
Direct aac Download (enhanced for iPod)

 

 Standard Podcast [26:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Water Wheel Vineyards, “Memsie”, Bendigo, Australia 2004 ($17) - An interesting blend of 83% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Malbec. Garnet in color with black cherry, current and spice aromas. Plum, black pepper and spice flavors finishing with dusty tannins. Delicious and a great value. Score: 9/10

Buy this wine online.

HRM Rex-Goliath, “Giant 47 Pound Rooster�, Shiraz 2004 ($8) - Very dark purple in color with intense aromas of raspberry and plum; mouth-filling plum and black pepper flavors with some spice and fine tannins, finishing a tad hot for a 13.5% alcohol wine. A nice house Shiraz that could standup to wild boar and other hearty fare Score: 8/10

Lengs & Cooter, “The Victor�, Shiraz, South Australia 2003 ($15) - Dark garnet, almost black, in color with pronounced plum, blackberry and vanilla aromas; jammy blackberry fruit with black pepper flavors and moderate tannins. The 14.5% alcohol is balanced by the intense fruit at this point and it will be interesting to watch this one develop in the bottle over the next 4 or 5 years. Score: 8.5/10

I review wine software for the Palm OS, a couple of stories from the wine world and taste three Australian Shiraz:

- Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Shiraz 2002 ($10)
- Yalumba “Y Series” Shiraz 2002 ($12)
- Meerea Park “The Aunts” Shiraz 1999 ($16)

Direct mp3 Download