After Ted's recent d'Arenberg post, I decided it was time to try d'Arry's Original, which is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Shiraz. I thought the Original was solid, but nothing special. The fruit is very bright without being candied and the same flavours follow through on the palate. It is a very soft wine - too soft for my taste.
Perhaps this wine will improve with age. Wine Spectator says to drink now through 2010, but the d'Arenberg website says this wine will cellar "for a considerable time." I'm not sure how long that is, but it sound like they mean longer than 2010. I wouldn't have thought it was a wine to cellar, as the tannins are not noticeable (to me), but d'Arenberg should know better than I do. Certainly there is enough fruit that it could fade quite a bit without doing much harm and if age added some complexity that would help.
For now, Kelly and I agreed that the Original deserves an 87. Wine Spectator gave it an 88.
Price: $24.48
Value: 3/5
Score: 87
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Oct 2008
ANBL UPC: 9311832337006
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Is this wine closed with by screw cap? If it is, this wine will probably last well past 2010.
ReplyDeleteIt's screw cap. I'll probably pick up a bottle or two for the cellar - I curious to see what will happen.
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the Aussie Shiraz posts and picked up a bottle of the Pepper Tree Wrattonbully yesterday, as recommened by Chris. We opened it after work and some of our staff tried it.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, a group had gone though a few bottles of the D'Arrys Original and had left about 1/2 bottle on the table, so we got to compare the two side by side. The concensus was in favour of the Original.
I think the much deeper, almost velvet colour offered by the grenache in the Original won us over right away.
The Pepper Tree was dark red, and had more pepper & spice than fruit on the nose. (maybe not surprising given the name...) There was a touch of sweetness, but the long pleasant finish made up for it.
I agree with the WS 88 for the Original, but was a bit surprised to see that WS only gave the Pepper Tree a 73. I would have given it about an 84, and considering it was $10 more than the Original, a lower value rating.
For $35, I was hoping for a denser, deep purple shiraz, something like the Centennary Hill, which is one of my favorites.
Interesting post on the Wrattonbully & Original. Re the WS score, I've noticed a few occasions when WS has really slammed a wine that clearly deserved better. I'm not talking 4-5 points difference between my rating and theirs, but a difference of 10+, like here. My best guess is that sometimes they've just gotten a bad bottle and not re-tasted.
ReplyDeleteWe finished off the Original last night. I liked it even less than I did the first time. I don't think it had changed much, but I was feeling less tolerant towards the bright almost candied flavours. And the balance isn't great - too soft for my taste, as noted in my original post, but also hot on the finish. We had it alongside the Ruins Pinotage and the Tormaresca Masseria Maime, and the Original was a distinct notch or two below either of those. I'll let my original scores stand, but right now I think it is more like an 84, with a 2.5/5 for value.
ReplyDeleteI tried this wine the other night and didn't enjoy it a whole lot. I enjoyed the nose (as described by others). Dark fruit (I didn't find it too candied) and some chocolate (but I've been getting that a lot lately) on the tongue were fine, quite smooth and soft. But for me the wine was ruined by the hot finish. Really hot. And it just wouldn't go away.
ReplyDeleteI had this blind and when I found out what it was I had to laugh as it reminded me of the Galvo Garage which I had about 6-12 months ago. I was excited to try the GG having heard good things about it and knowing the D'Arenberg name, and bought a few bottles. However once opened I found it almost undrinkable and ended up binning/cooking with the bottom half of the bottle.
I now wonder whether it was a similar 'hotness' which put me off that. The two wines have different grapes so I'm not sure I can put it down to style, perhaps its just me. Unfortunately I have given away/returned the rest of my GG so I can't give it a second chance.
Now I wish I'd tried the Galvo Garage when I had the chance. Anyway, I found the Original enjoyable, but not exciting. For the money, I'll try something new before I'd buy it again.
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