Current Issue #488

Wine Review: Old Jarvie's History Lesson in a Bottle

Wine Review: Old Jarvie's History Lesson in a Bottle

Looking at this McLaren Vale blend there is a distinct tip of the hat to the wines of Spain. Tempranillo (60 percent) is obvious. Garnacha (25 percent) is fairly easy to decipher as Grenache, and Monastrell (15 percent) is the Iberian synonym for what we in Australia call Mataro or Mourvedre.

Nomenclature and semantics aside, all you really need to know about this recently released label from the folks behind Hither & Yon wines, is that it is pretty delicious drinking and is worthy of a place in your stemware of choice. While we are on names, Old Jarvie refers to the gulf that laps Adelaide’s coastline. Matthew Flinders named it after the First Earl of St Vincent, Admiral John Jervis, who the British sailors nicknamed Old Jarvie. A history lesson you can drink. old-jarvie-wine-tempranillo-adelaide-review-2 Aromas of plum, dark and blue berry fruits aplenty here with a touch of cranberry poking through to brighten up proceedings. Hints of Asian spice, deep earthy notes, licorice, purple flowers and cola with some complex and meaty notes round out the aromatic landscape. Medium–bodied in the mouth, the fruit flavours again consist of deep, resonant plummy fruit along with blackberry and cranberry flashes. Hints of star anise, cola, soy sauce, licorice, violets, roasting meats and gentle, subtle nutty oak. Sandy tannins and bright acidity sit comfortably with the fruits’ depth and a couple of glasses of this, with a plate of meaty pasta, a roaring fire and the reality TV program of your choice, would be the ideal winter’s evening. Old Jarvie 2015 ‘The Saviour’ Tempranillo Garnacha Monastrell

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