Heathcote II Heathcote Victoria Australia Shiraz 2004

Heathcote II, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia Shiraz 2004

Snuggling up in front of the fireplace to watch a movie, Linda prepared her delectable baked brie with toasted almonds, berry puree and honey (shown left), and I pulled a favorite profile big hearty Shiraz from the cellar. We love this style for tasty casual sipping.

I recall tasting this Heathcote II Shiraz at the wine desk with the segment  buyer at Binny's and ended up buying their entire allocation. We're still being rewarded as we hold a few bottles yet and they're as good as ever, and even better than I recall from our last tasting.

Inky/purple color, full bodied, huge full beautiful aromas of fruit that permeate the room upon opening, thick chewy mouthfeel, rich, structured, full forward flavors of concentrated ripe blackberries, black raspberries, chewy currant, with hints of anise, mocha, mineral and tones of graphite. The graphite was less pronounced than what I recall from the previous tasting allowing the fruits to predominate - more like initial tastings of this wine, and returning my rating back to 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=309580

http://www.heathcote2.com/

 

Baked Brie Tranche Slice of Pape Blanc Columbia Valley White Blend 2010

Baked Brie highlights Tranche Cellars 'Slice of Pape Blanc' Columbia Valley White Blend 2010

One of the highlights of our recent gala French cuisine wine dinner at Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park was their decadent baked brie cheese with honey and toasted almonds. So, for a casual midweek tasting of an interesting white wine, Linda crafted her own rendition of this preparation - Baked Brie in crescent wrap with mixed berries, honey and toasted almonds (shown below).

 

The delicious crescent rolls with baked brie, mixed berries with honey and toasted almonds were ideally suited to a moderately complex Rhone style white blend.  

To accompany this decadent treat, we tasted this interesting, odd named proprietary white blend from the producer Corliss, otherwise known for Cabernet Sauvignon.  Wine Advocate says "Tranche Cellars consistently delivers serious, impeccably made wines that over-deliver". 

This label, "Slice of Pape Blanc" is a blend that would characteristically be found in Chateauneuf du Pape Blancs, white blends from the southern Rhone River Valley known mostly for big reds. 

This is a blend of 59% Roussanne and 41% Viognier aged in 100% neutral French oak. 

The complexity and depth of the wine was a perfect compliment to the symphony of flavors of the brie, crescent, berry, honey and almonds.  


Tranche Cellars 'Slice of Pape Blanc' Columbia Valley White Blend 2010

Straw colored medium bodied with a silky texture, this opened to rich, crisp, bright vibrant tones of lemon citrus with accents of peaches, hints of apricot, floral and just the right amount of acidity.

RM 91 points. Wine Advocate gave it 92

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1611401

http://tranchecellars.com/