It has been a most excellent wine tasting day. I began with a stop at the Two Hands Winery. The Cellar Door was hidden down a long, dusty gravel road but was a most elegant facility. There were padded leather chairs tucked along a lovely wooden bar. Behind the bar were great racks of wine interspersed with some lovely artwork. A quite nice young man came from behind the wall and offered a wine tasting menu. I explained that I did not drink white wines and would prefer only the upper end reds. He bowed his head every so slightly in acknowledgement, turned and retrieve four dark bottles, placing them in front of me. First was the 2009 Bella’s Garden Shiraz. It was a nice dry wine with strong hints of Black Currant. Second was the 2008 Zippy’s Block Shiraz, another quite dry wine with a slightly higher alcohol content and strong Currant aroma. Third came the 2007 Area Shiraz. The quality of the wines suddenly jumped, as did the price. This Shiraz was very smooth and not quite as dry. The taste and nose were fruity and there was just a hint of Black Currant. Lastly, there was the 2007 Aphrodite Cabernet Sauvignon. This was, by far, my favorite. The taste was very soft and there was an extremely smooth aftertaste. The wine was dry but there were strong fruit undertones along with a small emphasis of Black Currant. It had been quite a first tasting of the day.
Second came the Torbeck Winery. Here the Cellar Door was obviously more of an afterthought. There were no signs and only a very small parking area. The building was part of an old equipment repair facility. However, inside there was magic. I began with my same request as before and, again, four bottles of wine were placed in front of me. The first wine was a 2008 “The Gask” Shiraz. These wines were aged in French oak. The Gask was not too dry and had a very nice berry and cassis nose and taste. Second came 2008 “The Celt” Shiraz, a smoother wine with excellent legs and a great nose. Third was the 2007 “Descendant” Shiraz. The Descendant was a blend of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier, which made the wine much smoother. This wine was just slightly dry and had a great nose. Lastly was their special wine, a 2007 “RunRig” Shiraz, which was a blend of 98% Shiraz and just 2% Viognier. RunRig was amazingly smooth and held an excellent fruity taste. In my mind, while the first stop was better than expected, this stop was so much better than the first that I was just shaking my head. Here the server asked where I was headed next. After I had told him he immediately suggested a change. So, now I’m of to the Hentley Winery.
Hentley was a well-hidden place, too, but it was well worth the effort to find. There was a nice little Cellar Door and the server was a very pleasant young woman. After I paid a small charge we began our tasting. This time I say we because she was nice enough to taste with me. Our first was a new project for them. She asked that I try it and offer an opinion. The wine was a 2009 Zinfandel that was smooth, not too dry and had a nice cassis taste. Second was a 2008 Shiraz blend called “The Beauty.” It was a blend of 97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier. The wine was very soft. It had a hint of oak and Black Currant. It was an elegant wine. Next came the 2008 Shiraz called “The Beast.” This was a very dry full-bodied yet smooth wine. The same grapes were used in both “The Beauty” and “The Beast”, with the difference being the small percentage of Viognier that gave “The Beauty” its elegance. Lastly, their special wine was a 2008 “Clos Otto” Shiraz that was created from the grapes harvested from a special section of their vineyard. This wine was amazingly smooth with excellent dryness and fruity tastes. What A day!
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