I recently organized a wine dinner for a corporate client the theme of which was Old World v New. Under this formula, wines made from the same variety of grapes but originating on different continents were paired in a blind comparison.
If this isn’t exactly an original idea, it is one that proves decidedly popular and this time it was the European wines that were preferred by the assembled guests in five out of the six pairings.
The New World entrant that broke the trend was from Australia: the Keith Tulloch Hunter Valley Kester Shiraz 2004 ($35). It was picked over a French Hermitage by a large majority of the guests, a decision with which I was in full accord as it is a delicious wine.
Too many New World Shirazs have that jammy, over-cooked, sweet character that makes them work as an aperitif for those who drink red wine that way, but which then fall apart with food due to lack of acidity.
Not the Kester. First of all, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales is cooler than the better-known South Australia regions like Barossa and McLaren. Hence it tends to yield less overblown wines.
Keith Tulloch
Then there’s Keith Tulloch himself. His family have been making wine in the Hunter for over a hundred years, yet he is an innovative and enterprising winemaker who is enamored with the wines of the Rhone Valley. He even spent the 1996 harvest working at top Rhone producer Jaboulet.
This influence shows in his wines, especially the Kester. It still has the generous fruit one expects in an Oz shiraz but it’s dryer than most. All that luscious, earthy fruit is balanced by a fine, bracing acid structure and a smoky, chocolaty finish. In style it falls somewhere between Oz fruity overkill and the sort of French restraint which, in poor years, can become lean and parsimonious.
The overall impression, however, is one of unalloyed luxury, a viscerally indulgent wine that is a pure pleasure to drink. And drunk it was, with enthusiasm, by the guests that evening.
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To find this wine near you try www.wine-searcher.com
Nick,
Actually, the Hunter is considerably warmer by conventional measures than Barossa. Wine Australia gives the following heat degree days:
Lower Hunter 2070
Barossa Valley 1710
There are significant variations in the distribution of day-night temperatures and sunlight hours from region to region that affect how the grapes ripen, but to suggest that the Hunter is cooler than the Barossa is misleading.
Nice wine pick, though.
Hi Nick,
I have actually had the pleasure of tasting this wine and also, of meeting Keith Tulloch, himself as I worked for the distributor in NYC who is responsible for the distribution of this wine.
Truly is a great pick – was part of the first real exposure I had to quality Australian wines and definitely changed my mind instantly from the cliche view that all Australian wine should be cheap.
Keith is also a delight. If you haven’t had a chance to try his other wines, I recommend you find them soon… one of my personal favorite dessert wines is his Botrytis Semellion.
Hi Nick (and Joe)
How warm or cool a climate is in an Australian wine region is difficult to address in term sof Heat Degree Day terns due to the extreme differences in vintage dates. Joe is right in the HDD measurements but vintage in the Hunter (mid January in 2010) starts months before the Barossa and so the grapes are all picked before the hottest Hunter weather.
It is certainly true that Hunter reds are almost always less full bodied and more savoury in style than their bigger, sweeter Barossa counterparts and I think there are a few factors, including Climate, behind this. I’ll send a note to Keith to weigh in on this good conversation.
Cheers, Michele
This is a Great Wine that impresses everyone who has a glass.
My wine buddies and I get together on occasion. Each of us must bring a wine that retails around $40 a bottle. I brought a 2003 Kester Shiraz. It blew everyone away!!
What year was the Kester that you wrote this article about?
Many thanks Nick, Joe, Constance, and Phillip for the comments about my Kester Shiraz. (Phillip – I’d like to say that the article could have been written about any Vintage release, they are all of that style and balance…)
To weigh in a few words about the HHD it is indeed useful but not really adequate to use as a stand-alone comparison : the HHD figure for the Barossa Valley is lower but climatically the area is caterogized as “Mediterranean” with high daily Summer temperatures, zero Summer rainfall, low humidity and typically no cloudcover or cooling breezes. The Hunter Valley’s Summer weather is not “Mediterranean” at all – it is influenced by more sub-tropical systems – and as such it has high Summer temperatures, quite variable Summer rainfall, higher humidity, and reliable cloudcover and cooling afternoon sea-breezes. In many ways this cloudcover and sea-breeze influence is the key for the Hunter Valley : although the HHD figure is higher, the weather is more moderate. As a result the Hunter reds generally have a more refined medium-bodied elegance and balance, and more moderate tannins than their Barossa counterparts.