Spanner in the works
First Grade
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Just knocked over Clonakilla and Eden Road. Some highlights:
Clonakilla
Eden Road. I stuck largely with chardonnay and syrah here, but was impressed with much of their stuff. Forgot to grab a tasting list, but a couple stand out:
Clonakilla
- 2016 riesling. Just fantastic. If Clonakilla's riesling isn't regarded as amongst the best in the country, it should. Acidity and minerality - the future is very bright, and long, for this one.
- '15 O'Riada Shiraz. Elegance and power. It's still tightly wound, but this fragrant beast, is going to satisfy over the coming decade or more.
- '15 syrah. So the Shiraz Viognier is its famous cousin, but this one is every bit as good, albeit in its own little way. It's very regal and I love the cherry/berry notes coming through. Would buy now and open it up in 10 years or more. Murrumbateman shiraz.
Eden Road. I stuck largely with chardonnay and syrah here, but was impressed with much of their stuff. Forgot to grab a tasting list, but a couple stand out:
- 2014 Canberra Syrah and '13 Tumblong Syrah. Both very different, and both great. I preferred the Tumblong, but ended up getting the other one. I felt it had higher acidity and tannin, meaning I could get a few years bottle age on it. Also had the '14 Long Road and '15 Gundagai. The Gundagai was also fantastic.
- '15 Maragle, Courabyra, and '13 Tumbarumba chardonnay. Genuinely surprised with the quality of these three. Did it in a flight, which was a great way to explore regions and vintages. Courabyra won me over in the end, but if you can get a few friends over, worth doing all three over dinner.