Perth Area Wine Tasters
Previous Tasting
Tuesday 12th September
Ian Fenton of Gordon and MacPhail and Andrew Mitchell, winemaker and owner of Mitchell Wines presented some Mitchell wines of Clare Valley
Watervale Riesling 2004
Intense aromatic Riesling fruit flavours are the hallmarks of this wine. It has a fine dry palate with a crisp acidity and a long lingering fruit finish. These wines drink freshly and lively when released young but develop beautifully for 5–8 years. The fresh fruit flavours transform into the rich toasty characters for which aged Riesling from this area is renowned, and this wine is consistently one the Clare Valley’s best.
Semillon 2004
Subtle French oak handling - both during fermentation and initial aging - serves to complement the stylishly tangy fruit in this wine. The palate is clean, fresh and with crisp acidity. A good balance of ‘lemony’ Semillon fruit flavour, harmonised with dimension of intrigrated oak on the middle palate. Mitchell Semillon is easily approachable when young and with 2–5 years of cellaring develops the butter and straw characters which are typical of high quality aged Semillon.
Grenache GSM 2002
The Mitchells believe that given the conditions of rocky barren soils,
old, dry grown vines and a long ripening period, which their selected
vineyards in Clare offer, the fruit develops the flavours and structure
for a complex varietal wine. The fully ripened Grenache fruit is fermented
on skins from 10–14 days and gently basket pressed to extract full
flavour and tannin structure.The glorious essence of Grenache is enhanced
with a touch of mourvedre and sangiovese.
The resulting wine is not aged in wood, in order to preserve the complex
array of fresh lively flavours of the variety - the black cherry and soft
fruit tannins. A wine of great style with both power and finesse.
Peppertree Shiraz 2004
This wine takes its name from the old peppertree which grows in the Shiraz vineyard at Watervale. It is a happy coincidence that the nose and palate of the Peppertree Shiraz show the spicy peppery characters of high class shiraz wines. The grapes are picked at optimum ripeness and fermented on their skins to extract maximum flavours and characters. Careful aging for about 18 months in small French oak barrels adds complexity to the finished wine. The wine is full flavoured and has a soft, almost velvety palate which makes the wine very easy to drink in its youth. The underlying quality and structure of the wine gives it the capacity, however, to mature and improve for many years in the cellar. All in all, this is a wine which shows the virtues of Shiraz as a premium grape variety.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Mitchell Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Clare Valley wine. It shows strong ‘berry’ flavours on the nose, with overtones of dusty new French oak aromas. The palate is very full flavoured and the wine has a firm tannic finish. When seen as a young wine it is the potential of the structure which stands out. The essential ingredients - fruit, oak, acidity and tannins - are present in the right proportions. All that is needed is 5 to 10 years (or more) in the cellar to allow these components to harmonise. The result is an elegant wine of great power.
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