Ngeringa Australian Pinot

Back in April I had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Australia that included visits to the Adelaide Hills wine region, Barossa Valley, and the Yarra Valley (here, here, here, and here).  During my trip my trip, I had a couple of notable observations about the wine scene in Australia – one of which was the growing trend of damn good Pinots coming out of southern Australia.

As the weather here in Virginia makes the final transition from Summer to Fall, and the comfortably cool weather takes residence here for another month until winter sets in, I find myself ‘jonesing’ for Beaujolais and Pinot Noir.  To satisfy this craving, I decided to open one of the bottles of Australian Pinot that I brought back with me – the JE Ngeringa 2006 Pinot Noir.

Ngeringa is situated below Mt. Barker, located in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia.  Ngeringa has five hectares of land under vine, all of which are farmed biodynamically.

As fervent practitioners of biodynamic wine growing, we respect biodynamics as a sensitivity to the rhythms of nature, the health of the soil and the connection between plant, animal and cosmos.  It is a pragmatic solution to farming without the use of chemicals and a necessary acknowledgement that the farm unit is part of a greater whole.

Although I did not get to personally visit Ngeringa during my visit, I picked this up during a Pinot tasting while I was in Melbourne.

JE Ngeringa 2006 Pinot Noir (~$25AUS/~$19US) Light red color in the glass, with a nose of cherry, strawberry, red clay soil, and barnyard aromas (funky in a good way).  Medium tannins with mineral, cherry, baking spice, and floral flavors in the mouth.  The wine spent 14 months in oak, 35% of which was new barrels, which added just a dollop (is that a real wine term) of wood to the wine.  Sadly, I believe Ngeringa wines are only distributed in Australia.

Although the Aussie Pinots are not nipping at Burgundy’s heels in terms of elegance, the Aussies are making some tasty Pinots.  If you find an Australian Pinot Noir in your local wine shop, pick it up, it may surprise you.

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Battle of Bosworth

The Battle of Bosworth was fought on Bosworth Field in Leicestershire, England in 1485.  The battle is considered the last significant medieval battle, and marked the end of the War of the Roses with the death of Richard the III – the last King of England to die in battle.  (mini history lesson alert:  The Wars of the Roses included several wars between supporters of rival houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England.)

Edgehill Vineyards’s founders, Peter and Anthea Bosworth, adopted the name, Battle of Bosworth, for their wines.  The Bosworth family has grown grapes in the McLaren Vale area since the late 1840’s.  Edgehill currently has 50 acres under vine which are all certified ‘A’ grade organic by Australian Certified Organic, a process that takes four years.

One of my primary goals while in Australia was to visit a few biodynamic/organic vineyards – and discuss the growing trend of biodynamics in Australia.  My first stop, as noted previously, was a great visit to Hahdorfhill Winery to meet with winemaker Larry Jacobs.   I planned to visit Edgehil to learn more their own ‘Battle of Bosworth’ to convert their winery to organic viticulture, but my plans changed and I was not able to stop by for a personal visit.  I was, however, able to find a few bottles at a small wine shop in Melbourne to take home with me.

The first of their wines that I opened when I returned home was the Battle of Bosworth 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.  My wife and I enjoyed this wine on the deck along with a mild 70 degree night and grilled shrimp.  This wine was $18AUD/bottle (~$13US) at the wine shop.  The wine was characterized by pale straw color in the glass and a nose of lychee fruit, lime and a slight cheddar cheese aroma.  The wine seemed to change a bit in the hour that it took us to drink it – the nose revealed a more floral component near the end.  The mouth was full of tangy acidity with tastes of unripe grapefruit and lemon zest.  Super clean and refreshing wine.

The yellow flower on the bottle isn’t actually flower at all, it’s the yellow Soursob (oxalis pes caprae) - considered a weed by many.  Edgehill promotes the growth of the Soursob in the vineyard which outgrows other weeds and is used as an under vine mulch in the summer which reduces moisture loss.

For this photo, I borrowed a picture taking technique from my Australian wine blogging friend, Edward at Wino Sapien, by snapping this photo atop a book that I had just finished.  Fitzgerald’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ was one of two books I picked up the day before my trip for the long flight over to Australia and back.  Hat tip to Edward for the photo idea (although he reads much more cerebral books that I can manage).

Excellent wine and great family story as an accompaniment.

Unfortunately, Edgehill does not appear to have distribution in the United States (although I do notice that their wines are available here in the UK where I’m currently traveling).

Organically grown, traditionally vinified!   ~ Edgehill Vineyards

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Bon Bon

One of the many pleasant surprises I had in Australia was the number of great Shiraz Roses I tasted.  Until the trip I don’t believe I’ve ever had Rose made from the Shiraz grape.  During my trip, I tasted about 15 different Shiraz Roses and liked all of them.  Over the last couple of summers Roses have definitely grown on me resulting in a weird desire to drink them nearly every night. 

Summer skipped right over Spring this past weekend here in Virginia with temperatures reaching 90 degrees which seemed the perfect occasion for an evening on the deck with a Rose.  Although I did bring a couple back with me, I picked up this particular Shiraz Rose at Lets Talk Wine in Chesapeake for $12.99. 

Bon Bon is produced by R Wines, owned by Dan Philips and Chris Ringland, and imported by The Grateful Palate  (if wine isn’t enough for you The Grateful Palate also has a bacon of the month club as well). 

Bon Bon 2008 Shiraz Rose - nearly finished this before I thought to grab the camera.

Bon Bon 2008 Shiraz Rose

100% shiraz.  13.9% alcohol.  Watermelon color.  The grapes for this particular wine were actually picked to be made into a rose.  This is a very fresh rose and a perfect sipper for warm evenings.  The nose was full of raspberries, strawberries and a slight lime zest aroma.  Light mouth feel.  The mouth was straightforward with more strawberries and watermelon taste with cherry on the finish.

I believe Bon Bon has wide distribution here in the US so this Rose be easily found.  This is a perfect summer evening wine to sip after a long day!

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Langmeil Winery – Barossa Valley, Australia

One of the first stops on my Barossa Valley itinerary was to Langmeil Winery (the Long Mile).

The cellar door is surrounded by perfectly manicured grounds and old wood and stone structures.  The tasting room had a cozy old-world character.  If I owned a winery, my tasting room would resemble Langmeil’s (but with a view of the hills).  Unlike many other tasting rooms I’ve visited (namely here in the States), Langmeil’s tasting room staff practiced ‘inclusive tasting’ – wherein everyone talked to everyone else and everyone and all of the tasting room staff said hello to everyone that walked thru the door.  (Editorial note – please ignore the many grammatical errors).

The land that Langmeil Winery now stands has a deep history dating back to 1838.  The land was purchased by a 36 year old German blacksmith, Christian Auricht.  He and his family arrived in South Australia in 1838 after emigrating from eastern-central Europe. 

I tasted several excellent wines at Langmeil, a few of the notables include:

The 2006 The Freedom 1843 Shiraz

$100AU/bottle (~ $75US). This wine comes from Shiraz grapes in Langmeil’s first vineyard – a small block of grapes planted in 1843!  These vines are thought to be the oldest surviving Shiraz vines in Australia.  I was fortunate to get to taste this wine as they do not normally open this wine for tastings, but I just happened to be standing at the tasting bar beside a few old friends of the wine maker and they convinced him to open the bottle.  I actually took two tastes of this one because it was so excellent.  Deep purple color with a very complex nose of blackberry, blueberry, currant, clay (like that orange mountain dirt), and slight spice aroma.  The mouth feel was very smooth with loads of dark fruit in the mouth.  Look for this wine here in the States, a well balanced representation of Barossa Valley.  This wine would be perfect with grilled buffalo burgers!

Overall my notes from this tasting experience were sketchy because I was chatting with the tasting room staff and the other tasters.  Here are a few abridged notes:

2008 Viognier

Light gold color. Apricot syrup, peach.  Very syrupy.  Would go well with peach pie and vanilla ice cream.  Still prefer some of my Virginia Viognier to this one.

2008 GCV Chardonnay

I only had a sad face beside this one which means I didn’t much like it at the time. L

2006 Shiraz Orphan Bank

This wine is made from 140 year old vines that were ‘rescued’ from a vineyard that was set for plowing to make room for housing.  These vines were saved and transplanted and today are used to make the Orphan Bank Shiraz.  Bright purple color (a little unusual) with fresh dark fruit.  Plum and earth tastes.  $50AU/bottle.  ~$35US/bottle.

2007 Shiraz Valley Floor

Dark purple color with tinges of bright purple/pink edges.  Heavy vanilla crème soda and blackberry aromas.  $28.50AU/bottle.  ~ $20US.

2006 Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark ruby color.  Pepper, dark cherry and hints of blackberry.  Strong tannins – needs more time.  Big.

2006 Grenache Fifth Wave

Bright purple color.  Plum and vanilla on the nose.  Creamy mouth feel with a raspberry and vanilla cream finish.

Langmeil wines are distributed here in the United States by Negociants USA < www.negociantsusa.com >.