Michael Sawyer, Chris, and Dave Powell.
We had the pleasure to spend three hours tasting and talking with iconic Australian winemaker Dave Powell, his general manager Michael Sawyer and two close friends of ours at the Powell & Son winery in Barossa, South Australia.It’s complicated because of the patchwork of history that has led up to the creation of Powell and Son and the extraordinary wines they are making. That history is largely yesterday’s news, but it is also context for the story that was about to unfold for us.
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2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz
Still deep violet in colour. Lots of dark berry fruit here: blackberry, blueberry and plum with supporting notes of baking spices and whiffs of vanilla. Thick, plush and quite powerful, this manages to maintain balance despite its size. However we found it to lack complexity and be a bit one dimensional. The materials are there, but they somehow avoid coming together in a way that ordinarily we would find more impressive. Not a complaint, but not something to go wow over either.
Very Good+
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2006 Molly Dooker Blue-Eyed Boy Shiraz
It is difficult to do a proper tasting note on a wine like this. TNs need to be objective evaluations of a wine’s quality, not just a recounting of the tasters personal preferences. This behemoth of a wine had tons of super-ripe flavor (blackberries and blueberries) and a nose to match. Definitely striving for a push the envelope style, it came across as out of balance to us. The fruit screamed so loudly you could not pick up any subtle nuances or complexity. The body was so full that it resembled a blueberry milkshake. And there was a quite notable heat from the alcohol. Simply too much for us, but we can see other palates taking a different view, if they like that style.
Good+
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2012 Curly Flat Pinot Noir
An intense and very expressive wine, it showed a tremendous nose of floral and spice combined with a wonderful earthiness. Other than wanting the fruit to show a bit stronger, this wine has all of the components we love in a New World Pinot Noir.
Excellent – (Available at BC Liquor Stores for $50, plus taxes)
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2002 d’Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon
A beautiful nose of black cherry & blackberry, a medium+ body with barely noticeable tannin & some nice acidity on the finish. It had an overall mouth feel showing great balance that can only be achieved after long cellaring. Secondary notes of forest & earth provided a good counterpoint to the confectured fruit on the attack. Fully mature & in a great place right now.
Excellent
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