The Thumbprint
of Rolf Binder
a tasting of his wines
23 August 2002, The Grand Hyatt Singapore
Mr. Rolf Binder is both winery owner (Veritas Winery) and contract winemaker based in the Barossa Valley. On this occasion, upon completion of his 22nd vintage, he presented a sampling of his current releases - 2000 & 2001.
A contrast in styles is seen in the 2001 JJ Hahn & Christa Rolf Semillons. The JJ Hahn was light & fresh appealing for an afternoon's refresher. Whereas, the Christa Rolf showed more weight & cellaring potential but already well balanced & integrated.
We then moved on to a series of Rhone varietal wines.
1998 Shiraz Mourvedre "The Pressings" was soft & light on the nose & palate, revealing an easy drinking wine appropriate with roast pork or fried chicken.
2001 Macpie Estate "The Fakir" is 100% Grenache offered a more fragrant nose but is similarly soft & light but with a huge dose of alcohol, typical of this varietal.
On the other hand, the 2001 Hemlich Shiraz-Mourvedre-Grenache was weighty, full flavoured & fragrant of jammy red fruits. Almost as juicy as the BBQed steaks that should accompany it. This is typical Rhone-styled Aussie.
The single varietal Shirazes came in different intepretations.
2000 JJ Hahn Shiraz was light, soft & fresh, possibly from cool climate conditions & perhaps younger vines.
2001 Lily's Garden Shiraz under the Two Hands label was seductively approchable & ready to drink. A little weight & depth of fruit help it rise above the JJ Hahn Shiraz. One could easily drink a whole bottle of this wine over dinner of roast lamb or steak or game.
2000 Pathdaway Shiraz, also under the Two Hands label showed the power of the region's wines. Full & weighty this "in the face" wine would be a favourite for many Aussie Shiraz lovers. The jammy flavours just goes on & on.
2001 Killibinbin Blend 01 Cabernet Shiraz was left to the last. This is obviously Killibinbin's basic wine offering that is drinker friendly & suitable for an early evening drink with "the boys" or "the girls".
Overall, a good showing that would satisfy various occasions & settings. It reminds us that wines are made from grapes of various sources & qualities. The idea is to make the best with what is available. The consumer should choose the better wine for the occasion, be it an early evening's drink or what you wish for dinner.
Rold Binder's wines are marketed by Greg Corra of Inland Trading.