Chris Shanahan: Wine review – Moorilla and Red Knot by Shingleback

Moorilla Muse Tasmania Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2012 $40
Pinot noir remains the great red hope in cool Tasmania. But warmer sites down there produce good cabernet, including Muse, from Moorilla’s St Matthias vineyard in the Tamar Valley. I put it in a masked tasting alongside the superb Vasse Felix Heytesbury 2011 ($90) and respectable, if not exciting, Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (70). Cool-grown Muse’s floral, fragrant character contrasted with the greater power and tannic backbone of the other two wines. It provides an elegant, early drinking style of cabernet, with softer tannins, bright fruit and a leafy edge revealing its cool origins.

Red Knot by Shingleback McLaren Vale Shiraz 2013 $10.40–$15
Red Knot provides delicious proof that winemakers can deliver high quality regional specialties at a modest price. Shiraz and McLaren proved a natural fit from the mid-nineteenth century. The variety gave its full, ripe flavours to fortified wines and, later, to the rich, warm, savoury table wines we enjoy today. Ripe, vibrant fruit flavours and a full, soft palate give Red Knot Shiraz the instant, easy drinking appeal that’ve made it such a huge success. It’s available from the cellar door in McLaren Vale and in the Woolworths’ owned Dan Murphy and BWS chains.