I’ll admit it; I’m obsessed with wine. Not just any wine… Australian wine. Not always reds, but they tend to be a preference.
The huge diversity of fabulously more-ish wines we enjoy, with all those complex fragrances, owe their existence to a melting pot of cultures, of immigrants who arrived on our fine shores to grow, cultivate and shape a wide range of grape varietals. Don’t get me wrong here xenophobes: I am aware that a good number of English/Irish ‘true blood Aussies’ played their fair share in making Australia’s cellar doors what they are today. But the reality is these folk are more likely to invite a bunch of ‘boat people’ to help with their winemaking than our nation’s great leaders are likely to tax mining companies proportionately. But let’s not get too political: let’s just say that our Aussie winemakers are a pretty open-minded bunch.
Much of the success of today’s Australian wine industry has come about through an overwhelmingly positive open-arms approach to sharing and learning about other countries, their soils, climate and individual winemaking techniques. The industry’s acceptance and pleasure in connecting with different wine cultures to refine and further develop winemaking methods makes me think of our winemakers as superb diplomats. They’re more than qualified to deal with the big issues: the French arguments about the use of cork rather than stelvin closures (the screw-cap) for example, or how to work around the European Union’s wine naming rights issue.
The outcome of all their fine work, apart from brilliant alternative names (eg topaque) for some wines, is – more importantly – killer wines for all. That in turn manifests itself in an outright national obsession with matching food and wine and with photographing our food and wine (see Instagram/Twitter). It’s also worth mentioning that wine is one product that presents a true appreciation of the value of our local dirt: we can taste it! This message is proudly announced across the dining tables of our cities, making our country’s winemakers pretty neat spokespeople.
Back in 2006 I began developing Essentials Magazine – a product that I hoped could truly tell the story of Victoria’s wine regions and the people who make up its driving force. One of my very first reporting missions was to review food at the Harvest Home Hotel restaurant, then hatted by The Age Good Food Guide, in Avenel, Victoria. That autumn evening, sitting down to a mains of Pâté de Lapin (rabbit pie), chef owner Suzi McKay placed on my table a Jones Winery L.J. Shiraz. I was instantly hooked and for good reason. The wine, with a deep cherry colour, fine tannins and a full silky palate, was nothing short of incredible. It was at this point that my true red obsession began. It’s pleasing to now return to where I’d once before sipped it.
Jones 2006 L.J. Shiraz (this vintage sold out)
The immediacy of this beautifully fragrant nose with finely developed, well-integrated tannins is yet again impressive. Deluxe wafts of French oak abound. Its fragrance is certainly full, yet mysterious in its complexity.
First rich layers of forest fruits dominate: cherry, blackcurrant, mulberries. But continue smelling and exploring and additional layers of cigar box, Chinese five spice and violets begin to announce themselves. If there ever was a red to obsess about, this would have to be a hot contender.
The palate of this 2006 vintage wine shows how well it can age. The low yield of berries from Mandy Jones’s mature Rutherglen vineyard allows for a very fine wine presenting with a velvety and exceedingly delightful mouthfeel. From front to back its balance is astonishing: it fills the mouth with a mixture of rich plum, prunes and bramble fruit in mid- to back palate, but brighter cherry/choc flavours liven up the front palate, preventing this wine from seeming too heavy. All releases of the Jones L.J. Shiraz finely balance acidity and tannin structure to allow for aging, making this wine a fantastic investment for anybody looking to add something special to their cellar. Does the 2006 get better with every sip? Absolutely. Even better than I remembered!
Jones 2011 Malbec
With perhaps a darker, inkier colour than the L.J. Shiraz, its nose is deep and robust. A vigorous swirl of the glass will show off the deeper purple colour and help it open up. I really needed to get it moving in the glass to release its fragrance of dark plums and prunes coupled with earthy and herbaceous notes. Soft developing tannins, French oak and some cigar box nuances can also be detected. All in all, when smelling this wine it presents as much more of a masculine, stern or ‘dark’ wine; but take just one sip and things begin to change. An almost anti-gravity-like bright and light flavour lift begins to liven things up.
Although this wine does smell deep and dark, the palate is positively juicy and bright with lush plums layered with really lovely violet and rose petal floral elements. These add a fine delicacy and charm. In terms of fruit flavours it is relatively simplistic, however its mouthfeel is silky and developed with well-ripened tannins. Ageing this one is sure to produce another gem. Mandy, you are my hero!
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