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Bodegas Riojanas, Gran Albina 2004
£19.99
This 'Alte Expression' Rioja is made from hand-selected grapes and gets 24 months in new American oak caskes, creating an intense, concentrated and very modern style of red wine with chewy tannins and opulent fruits. Unlike traditional riojas, which are ready when released (although some can be kept), this needs a few years bottle age to reveal its true glory
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Bodegas Riojanas, Monte Real Gran Reserva 1998
£18.49
Unusually for Rioja, this is a single vineyard wine. The Rioja Alta fruit gives extra weight and body to this smoky, spicy wine, which is ready to drink but should keep in your cellar a while if you like
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Charles Melton, Nine Popes 2005
Online Catalogue | Sipped and Savoured | Charles Melton, Nine Popes 2005
 | Tasted April 2008
Graeme (christened 'Charlie' by Barossa legend Peter Lehmann back in the 70s) Melton's wines are hand crafted from low-yielding 'dry-grown' (unirrigated) vines which produce intense, concentrated flavours, undiluted by water. Charlie Melton saw the potential of these varietals in the ancient vines of the Barossa and decided to create his own version of the Rhone icon Chateauneuf Du Pape. However, Charlie's French skills were not a patch on his winemaking and he thought Chateauneuf Du Pape meant 'home of the nine popes', hence the name! |
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Grapes: Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
Winemaking: Yields are extremely low and the vineyards are truly ancient with many exceeding 80 years. The oldest source for Nine Popes is a Grenache vineyard well over a century in age. Nine Popes is matured in a combination of French oak (80%) and American oak (20%), approximately 25% of which is new each year.
ABV: 14.5%
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Tasting Note
Fragrant and floral with raspberry, spice, vanilla bean and some more ferrous bloody smells lurking in the background. On the palate medium to full bodied with juicy raspberry, blueberry, iron and floral flavours. Fresh and obviously youthful, this is a wine of considerable potential that needs time to fill out and soften. 2005 was an outstanding vintage in the Barossa so this has years ahead of it!
Cellaring
Drinking well now but will improve over the next few years.
If you like this, why not try...... 'Rhone Ranger' Randall Grahm's Le Cigare Volant - his own interpretation of Chateauneuf Du Pape or John Duval's Plexus, another GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre) blend from the Barossa.
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Online Catalogue | Sipped and Savoured | Charles Melton, Nine Popes 2005
