Offcuts

A couple of Forester Estate whites first, the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blend and the straight Sauvignon Blanc, both 2007 vintage. I'm not strongly drawn to Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc (alone or in combination) from Margaret River, so wasn't expecting a lot from these wines. The blend is a typically refreshing, slightly grassy wine with straightforward flavours and a certain vagueness that facilitates casual quaffing. The Sauvignon Blanc is noticeably more focused and varietally clear, which may be good or bad depending on your point of view. It felt a little disjointed to me, with a jerky line and little elegance in the mouth. Plenty of flavour, though, with a big punch of passionfruit and balanced herbaciousness. One could do a lot worse.

Tonight I'm having a glass or two of the Landsborough Valley Estate Shiraz from 2008. I can't find much about this producer online, nor do I have any information about this particular wine. It seems, from James Halliday's site, there's an interesting story behind the vineyard site (located in the Pyrenees region). In any case, this is a pretty neat wine. A really strong smell of salami sits atop rich, dark fruit flavours, black pepper and a good dose of savouriness. Is there a hint of overripe fruit? Perhaps. Mocha oak contributes to an overall sense of complexity. This is a big boned Shiraz that could probably use a couple of years in bottle to integrate and settle. A satisfying drink in the context of larger scale Victorian Shiraz.