Welcome to the latest edition of Soaked. In this edition we'll take a look at the  the Majella new releases, and I'll explain my rating system.

Ratings

I’ve agonised over this for a period of time and I’ve decided to institute a simple rating scale for this web site and my reviews generally.

I intensely dislike ratings – especially 100 point scale scores, if someone can really elucidate the difference between a 86 point & 89 point wine please let me know. Why do all these scores sit between 80 & 100?

I want to know what a wine tastes like? Where it fits in the world? What does it have that I like? Will it go with food? Written reviews are meant to provide a concise description of the wine, and if well written provide a much better guide than just a raw score.

A more useful method instead of just following ratings is for you to work out what you like in wine. Perhaps you love the silky savoury sophistication of high class Pinot or maybe it is the big rich flavours of Aussie Shiraz that grabs you. You may find you actively dislike high scoring wines made in styles that are not to your taste.

I’ve stuck to a simple five-point scale although you won’t see any reviews for scores of less than 3. I don’t intend providing reviews for wines that are inferior, ordinary or faulty. This is meant as a useful guide of what to try and buy. Space, time and sanity don’t permit an examination of all the less than wonderful wines out there.

• : 5 points, is exceptional, a wine that exemplifies everything it should be, a great wine, I’ll try not to give too many out.
• : 4 points, super wine, much better than average and well worth checking out.
• : 3 points, a wine that is very good and exemplifies its' style.

I’m going to try and keep the scores absolute, that is unaffected by how much the wine costs. You should expect to get 4 or 5 points for an expensive wine, 3 would be a disappointing score. On the other hand I can’t ever imagine a commercial bulk product achieving 5 points even if it is great value. For a wine around $10 3 points is an excellent score.

Wine evaluation is, unfortunately largely subjective, whilst I aim for consistency I am primarily about what I feel about the  wine. I'll try to give you a sense of the wine as a whole rather than a stripped down elemental approach. Hopefully you find the reviews useful rather proscriptive.

Around the Traps

Majella New Releases 2006 - Recommendations

I recently attended the launch of the new vintage of Majella wines which have established a deserved reputation for making rich, fruit driven Coonawarra styles. 

I was very impressed with the second release of The Musician, after a wonderful first release it is great to see a consistency of style from this wine with the 2005. It is named in honour of family member Matthew Lyn, who was tragically killed in a hit & run accident earlier this year. The wine is a  a great early drinker with typically generous Majella blackcurrant/dark berry fruit shining through. A blend of estate Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, it is balanced by just enough oak to give the wine a touch of grip, a super Coonawarra red that would still be a good buy at around $25, I rate this wine as one of the best under $20 reds around.   

Majella's Shiraz has a very loyal following, the 2004 being it's 14^th vintage. It has a consistent style built around rich dark berry fruit, dark chocolate characters, lifted pepper and spice notes, firm tannins, and a whack of sweet cedary oak. The 2004 is a baby but will cellar beautifully. If drinking it now I'd suggest at least a couple of hours air and drink it with a substantial slab of steak. The Majella Shiraz style is winning a lot of fans although I find it a oaky and a touch clunky in it's youth.  Expect to pay around $30 per bottle.

Also on tasting was the 2002 Shiraz and what a huge difference the couple of years of bottle age has made to this wine. The oak  and tannins have softened considerably and the soft berry fruit shines through. There has been a limited re-release of this wine, it is much better current drinking and for only $5 or so more than the 2004.

I must admit I much prefer the Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2004; this is typical of the superb Cabernet Sauvignon that Coonawarra can produce. It has a lovely lifted nose with just a touch of Coonawarra mintiness, rich cassis fruit, vanillin notes, a touch of herbaceous/brambly characters and some firm tannins that run the length of the wine. An excellent Cabernet that will set you back around $30.. 

A new wine on show was the Majella Merlot 2004, this is the first release of what looks like a very promising wine. Merlot is a tricky thing to get right, it is a matter of retaining its' lovely soft sweet fruit, yet having enough structure and a touch of savouriness to balance the fruit. The vast majority of Australian Merlots are either sickly sweet or thin and insipid. The Majella does the trick beautifully  with lovely spicy plum and mulberry fruit nicely supported by long fine tannins and an earthiness in the background, the mouthfeel is gorgeously silky and the finish long and persistent. A winner of a Gold at the recent Brisbane wine show, with only 450 cases made I'd move quickly if you want to get some, priced around $30.

Last but not least is the flagship Malleea 2003 which is quite a wine, with the concentration and structure of a superior wine. It is a blend of the very best Cabernet and Shiraz available in the vineyard that is given the Rolls Royce treatment in the winery, including 2 ½ years maturation in new French oak. A little less refined than the 2002 but  with the same powerful core of dark berry fruit that is offset by the substantial tannins and oak, a really powerful wine that demands some time in the cellar. Expect to pay around $70 per bottle - if you can find any.

All in all a pretty impressive line up - Majella continues to stand out as one of the very best Coonawarra producers.

Keep your eye on the website over the next few weeks for more great wines and reviews.

Cheers for now,

Declan

Soak Wines

declanb@soakwines.com.au