Wine tasting on 9-12-2008

Piroca was literally on the way to Paris when we had this tasting and was absent. Uncle-E did not quite make it. As a result, this was a rather small tasting. Present were Winepath, Jimmy and Uncle-N and we blind tasted only two wines. Both happened to be from Australia.

1. Turkey Flat Shiraz 2005, Score=2+

Color is dark cherry red. Plum and black cherry on the nose. Good black fruits with plum upfront and a bit of acidic finish and good firm tannin. Reasonable finish. Good but not anything exceptional. It lacks a WOW factor and not that complex. Cali Cab was mentioned and then Spanish, Tempranillo?, was also mentioned. This happens to be from Australia, Barossa valley, Turkey Flat Shiraz. Apparently RP liked this one and gave 95. We did not think this is a 95 wine. Here is what RP said, "Cut from the same mold as the 2004, the spectacular 2005 Shiraz exhibits an inkier purple color as well as a deeper, richer, more nuanced style. Cropped at .8 tons of fruit per acre, which no doubt accounts for its awesome concentration, it is even better than the 2004”.








2. Tir na N'og Old Vine Grenache 2006, Score=2+

This is a quite different wine. Nice red color, slightly lighter than Syrah or Cabernet that we usually taste. The nose is very fragrant; strawberry and raspberry with mineral. Uncle-N said “granache”. The palate mirrors the nose with lots of nice sweet red berries and red cherry which end up with mild well-integrated tannin. The finish is quite long. South of France style (Rhone blend). Granache, maybe some Syrah component, were mentioned but Australia did not even come up as a country of origin. A decent wine but again nothing spectacular. This is from McLaren vale and carries a Gaelic name of “Tir na N’og” with a subtitle “Land of youth”. Wine spectator gave 91. I cannot find any information on the web about the winery but the wine maker/winery must be of Irish decent (obviously). According to Winkipedia; “Tír na nÓg was considered a place beyond the edges of the map, located on an island far to the west. It could be reached by either an arduous voyage or an invitation from one of its fairy residents. The isle is visited by various Irish heroes and monks in the echtrae (Adventure) and immram (Voyage) tales popular during the Middle Ages. This otherworld is a place where sickness and death do not exist. It is a place of eternal youth and beauty. Here, music, strength, life and all pleasurable pursuits come together in a single place. Here happiness lasts forever, no one wants for food or drink. It is the Irish equivalent of the Greek Elysium or the Valhalla of the Norse.” If we keep drinking as we are doing, we may reach Tir na N’og someday.