It doesn't get any better than this
Alright, so it’s a bit more than ten bucks - $10.80 in a six pack. Now go and buy a bottle and, if this is not the best value Riesling out there right now, tell me why not.
‘ ... suggestion of ginger is hard to deny once planted in the mind; lime/citrus a no-brainer. Nonetheless, it is the palate that provides much of the intensity and drive of this classic long-lived Watervale wine. Drink: to 2022; 94 Points; James Halliday
‘... bubble gum-like aromas but it’s all class from there. Indeed it’s a scintillating wine. Drives of lime, sherbet, talc and slate. Piercing length. Smoky/gunmetal-like aftertaste. Tremendous finish – for persistence and finesse.’ 94 Points; The Wine Front.
Lime and lemon with faint mineral notes on the nose. Terrific concentration of lime and orange rind flavours on the palate. Fresh and zippy with a long fine finish. 92 points - Kim
$10.80 at 1stChoice Liquor in a mix of six
St Halletts Gamekeepers Shiraz Grenache 2009
These days, St Halletts is a big company owned by a large conglomerate. All the same, this has been a terrific drinking red, much better than the dull white Gamekeepers. It’s not a big red, nor one of enormous Barossa character, but a polished soft commercial number with lovely fruit in the warm, spicy Shiraz spectrum, and a velvet finish.
One for the warmer months, for lunches, for women or for those of you who don’t mind a little subtlety. Drink now - will not get any better (If you plan to keep it for more than 6 months, wait for the 2010 version. It has two siblings, a Shiraz Cabernet and a Shiraz. The former is just as good but the Cabernet gives it a touch more backbone.
‘Dark cherry and poached plum, red licorice and worn leather with a gentle grip of toasty tannins. Over-delivery is the wine industry buzz word, and the Gamekeeper really does live up to the notion!’ - Gourmet Traveller.
‘A splash of touriga nacional adds spice and floral characters to the rich dark berry fruit of the shiraz and grenache in this Barossa red, with oak in a background role and fine tannins on the finish!’ -Courier Mail
‘A fruit-driven mouthful of raspberry, plums and blueberries with no oak influence, embark on an adventure of the senses!’ -Lakesider
Halliday gives it 91 points, I’d give it 90. $10.90 at Kemenys or 1stChoice Liquor
Notes on sources:
Kemenys is great for shopping online
1stChoice Liquor is a national chain (owned by Coles) with a crude website, where you can download a very short PDF of specials and that’s about it. The advantage is, of course, that bargains last longer here because you won’t find them online. The Naremburn shop in Sydney has an excellent fine wine section, don’t know about the other stores. On the whole, their prices are very competitive, with lots of specials and you get the full discount for a mixed buy of six.
Here’s the store locator
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.