Reviewed by John Rozentals.
As the crow flies, Orange and Mudgee are only some 70-to-80 kilometres apart, but climatically and geologically they might as well be on opposite sides of the universe.
That’s probably not quite true but you get my drift. They’re very different beasts for wine production.
These differences have long fascinated winemaker Peter Logan, who has been working with fruit from the two areas for most of his winemaking life.
His Orange grapes are grown at nearly 1000 metres on ancient volcanic soil and typically experiences cool-to-mild days and cold nights, whereas the Mudgee vineyard, while still at about 560 metres, has generally warm days and cold nights, and sits on ironstone and quartz gravelly loam.
With his Ridge of Tears wines Peter has the opportunity to really explore those differences — both shiraz from the same vintage, both made by the same team in much the same way.
But the styles of red are quite different.
The Orange shiraz is softer and quite loaded with spice and red berries. The Mudgee shiraz is more tannic and exhibits more earthy flavours — and darker fruits and dark chocolate.
Tasting both is a fascinating exercise, but I must confess that I prefer the bigger Mudgee shiraz, I guess simply because that’s the style of red I naturally lean towards.
Visit www.loganwines.com.au.
TASTING NOTES
Logan 2016 Ridge of Tears Orange Shiraz ($45): This is described by Peter Logan as the ‘prettier’ of the two reds. He focused on building structure and complexity by working with two quite distinct parcels, one that finished ferment in barrel, other left to soak on skins for six months after ferment.
Isabel Estate 2017 Marlborough Pinot Gris ($29): I’m not normally a huge fan on pinot gris/grigio but I do like the way that structure and complexity have been build into this dry white. It’s multi-layered with a bevy of different fruit flavours — pears, nectarines and baked apples come immediately to mind — plus a dose of ginger. Very well suited to spicier Thai dishes.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Logan 2016 Ridge of Tears Mudgee Shiraz ($45): A red with a great deal of substance. It’s bright, it’s juicy and it’s delicious. Peter concentrated on taming the dominant local tannins which can easily get out of hand. A rich, but not over-the-top red which I simply love to drink.
