wine list
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday March 30, 2011
Dindima 2005 Orange Cabernet Merlot, $35OWNERS Lee and Dave Bell named their operation Dindima (Din-dee-ma), meaning "group of stars", as a tribute to the indigenous Wiradjuri people of the Orange district. Their Orange vineyard is 900 metres above sea level and this wine, which won a gold medal in the 2008 National Cool Climate Wine Show, is a blend of 75 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 25 per cent merlot. The wine is garnet-hued and has ripe plum and caper scents. Firm blackberry flavour shows on the front of the palate and the middle palate opens out with maraschino cherry, anise and minty fruit characters underpinned by hazelnutty oak. Flinty tannins come through at the finish. Buy it at dindima.com.au.DRINK WITH: Beef lasagne, curried lamb neck chops or char-grilled kangaroo fillet.AGEING: five yearsRATING: * * * *Plantagenet 2009 Great Southern Riesling, $22THIS refreshing white comes from the Plantagenet winery at Mount Barker in Western Australia's Great Southern area. It is green-tinged light gold in the glass and has orange blossom scents. Crisp lime flavour shows on the front of the palate and lemon zest and slate characters, with a whisper of toast and honey, come into play on the middle palate. Steely acid features at the finish.DRINK WITH: Smoked salmon and avocado-filled fresh bread sticks, fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola and rocket salad or pan-fried leatherjacket and ginger sauce.AGEING: eight yearsRATING: * * * *top fiveMoppity Vineyards 2009 Hilltops Shiraz, $25HERE'S a red that ticks most of my boxes. It's 13.9 per cent alcohol, multi-faceted, packed with great shiraz fruit character and terrific value. It is made from grapes grown on Jason and Alecia Brown's Moppity vineyard, 12 kilometres south-east of Young, and is inky purple in colour. Scents of bramble jelly and pinebark show on the nose and the front palate displays profound ripe plum flavour. Blackcurrant, Turkish delight chocolate and herb fruit characters combine with nutty oak on the middle palate and the finish has smooth chalky tannins. It is available at the cellar door in Moppity Road, Young, and on 02 6382 6222 or at moppity.com.au.DRINK WITH: Grilled loin of venison kebabs, beef ragu or char-grilled rosemary-infused lamb backstraps.AGEING: eight yearsRATING: * * * * *
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