OLD BRIDGE CELLARS AUSTRALIAN TASTING - Fleming's Steak House, Houston Texas (6/3/2005)

Winemakers Kym Tolley (Penley), Zar Brooks (Zonte’s Footstep), and Phil Sexton (Giant Steps, Sexton, and Innocent Bystander) were present to talk about their wines.

Giant Steps
Phil Sexton was very interesting to speak with about his wines. I was interested the climate surrounding his vineyards and the wines were good. Not overdone.

Info from Old Bridge Cellars - Giant Steps – Yarra Valley – Phil Sexton (founder of Devil’s Lair, now pursuing the cool climate holy grail in Yarra Valley) Named with the utmost respect for both the seminal John Coltrane album and the steep 30-degree inclines of the vineyard slopes, Giant Steps is adjacent to the prestigious Yarra Yering vineyard in Victoria’s famed Yarra Valley. It is the result of a lifetime search by proprietor, Phil Sexton, who has achieved legendary status in the Australian beverage industry, firstly revolutionizing micro-brewing with Matilda Bay Brewery and then founding the premium Margaret River vineyard (Devil’s Lair) that rose quickly to cult status before being purchased by Australia’s largest wine company. The 75-acre vineyard encompasses a series of ridges rising from 400 to 1200 feet and is planted to multi clonal selections of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Merlot.

• 2002 Giant Steps Chardonnay Giant Steps - Australia, Victoria, Yarra Valley
  Crisp chard with spicy, oaky flavors and pineapple fruit. About $22 retail. (87 pts.)
• 2003 Giant Steps Pinot Noir Giant Steps - Australia, Victoria, Yarra Valley
  Mediam clear ruby in color. This was a brawny Aussie Pinot with a spicy, earthy nose with ripe cherries. Medium bodied with varietally correct Pinot characteristics. This has more earth and spice than floral or fruit flavors. Good concentration but maybe a touch of heat on the finish. It was hard to tell as the wines were growing warmer. About $23 retail.Winery notes: Hand picked, sorted and crushed to small open squares where the must is cold soaked and then hand plunged through fermentation. After extended maceration they press to barrel and from there, gravity rack and settle prior to bottling 12 months later. Minimal handling, no pumps, sulfur or filtration are the guiding principles. Bottled with a screw cap. Medium aging potential. Cool, dry ripening seasons help to produce elegant fruit with good acid and pH balance. (88 pts.)
• 2003 Giant Steps Merlot Giant Steps - Australia, Victoria, Yarra Valley
  A merlot that tastes varietally correct from a cool weather site. Plummy with licorice and a chalky note on the finish. Nice concentration. About $24 retail. Winery Notes: 95% Merlot with the balance a blend of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon all grown on the higher rocky slopes of Giant Steps, hand picked during April and early May 2003. (88 pts.)
• 2003 Giant Steps Sexton - Harry's Monster Giant Steps - Australia, Victoria, Yarra Valley
  A blend of 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 22% Petite Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Good complexity with some interesting cedar flavor, spices and dark fruit. About $35 retail.Winery notes: Only produced in exceptional and warm years from the highest slopes of the Giant Steps Vineyard. Here the aspect is extreme. The vines receive more than their fair share of incidental sunlight as well as reflected light from the flinty white rocks that cover the ground and also from the lake well below. (89 pts.)
  

Penley Estate
I found all of these wines to be overoaked for my palate. To each their own.
Info from Old Bridge Cellars - Kym Tolley, a winemaker with over 25 years winemaking experience and a direct descendant of the famous Penfold wine family, founded the estate in 1988 in the heart of Coonawarra. He has quickly risen to the very top ranks of Australian producers, and has been voted the best Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon in 2002 by industry peers. Penley has also been honored with being named Wine and Spirits Top Wineries of the Year in 2001.

• 1997 Penley Estate - Australia, South Australia, Coonawarra
  This was a sparkling blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was cold and sour on the finish. (80 pts.)
• 2002 Penley Estate Condor Shiraz Cabernet - Australia, South Australia, Coonawarra
  Again very oaky - hard to tell the varietal under the oak treatment. About $18 retail. (86 pts.)
• 2002 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Phoenix - Australia, South Australia, Coonawarra
  Simple and oaky. About $18 retail. (85 pts.)
• 2000 Penley Estate Shiraz Special Select Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Coonawarra
  Beefy Shiraz that was somewhat monolithic in character. Again a heavy oak treatment but the age helped mellow it. About $60 retail. (87 pts.)
• 2000 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Australia, South Australia, Coonawarra
  The top of the line from Penley Estate. Good structure and balance with currants, vanilla and some spiciness due to the oak treatment. About $54 at retail. (90 pts.)
• 2002 Penley Estate Shiraz Hyland - Australia, South Australia, Coonawarra
  Incredibly oaky. About $18 retail. (85 pts.)
  

Zonte's Footstep
Fun wines and well-priced.

Info from Old Bridge Cellars -Zonte’s Footstep is named after the original 19th century plantings at their Langhorne Creek vineyard. More than fifty separate blocks of the 20th century Zonte’s plantings follow, and expand upon, the original footstep of Zante grapes, as the currant business dried up! A century on, a group of mates, all local grape growers and winemakers, pooled old white pick-ups, new tractors and expertise to reestablish the property. Located in the heart of the district on an ancient, 40 million year old, deep, fertile, alluvial plain between two rivers, just a flagon’s throw from the sea mouth of the River Murray. Today’s plantings, taken from descendants of the first 300 cuttings brought to the area in 1836 that thrive in their pristine maritime climate.

• 2004 Zonte's Footstep Shiraz-Viognier - Australia, South Australia, Langhorne Creek
  Very dark ruby with a complex nose including florals and pepper. Although fruit forward it was balanced. In flavor profile it was similar to D'arenbergs Laughing Magpie. About $16 retail.Winery notes:
  The grapes for Zonte’s Footstep are sourced from our five hundred and twenty odd acre vineyard at Langhorne Creek, one of Australia’s oldest wine grape districts just South East of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, on the spectacular Fleurieu Peninsula. ...The vineyard is planted mainly to red grapes, with a smaller percentage of white. (0 views) (87 pts.)
• 2004 Zonte's Footstep Cabernet-Malbec - Australia, South Australia, Langhorne Creek
  It didn't taste like Cabernet or Malbec but it did taste rather nice. Decently balanced with some plum flavors. This wine might be a good candidate for a "house" red - relatively inexpensive and approachable for non-winos. Under screwcap and about $13. (87 pts.)
  

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