No doubt if you have followed my posts till now, you'll notice this as the second of such posts and that Stonehaven happens to be a recurring vineyard name. See here for Stonehaven's champagne post. The reason for this is rather simple, Stonehaven was having a promotion at the time and every 2 bottles you got will net you one bottle of merlot free. And best of all, each bottle was going at $17 each at Giant at the time, however, if you check now, you'll realise each bottle has gone up to $20 with nothing free. Just a point of interest if you were wondering.
Stonehaven Background:
Stonehaven is located just 6km south of Padthaway, the gateway to South Australia's Limestone Coast and is just 1 year shy of its 10th year since inception in March 1998. Throughout this time, Stonehaven has garnered numerous awards and was honored by being named 'International Winery of the Year' at the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition in the year 2000.
Stonehaven Merlot 2006
Smell: A whiff of this will allows you to find traces of strong spices, olives and black pepper. It is quite easy to ascertain that this is a wine with character and punch.
Taste: True to its smell, the taste will explode in your mouth quite literally. I found it full bodied and very spicy. The acidic taste certainly is evident and it requires a few moments to settle in your mouth. Aftertaste is also spicy and packs only the slightest hint of fruitiness.
Color and Sight: The color is a very deep red which allows very little penetration of light.
Overall: I rather enjoyed the spicy and strong drink by itself but had to portion it with water, cheese or red meats to allow it to be generally palatable. It is difficult to drink on its own due to the intense concentration of spices it embodies. Not suitable as table wine but more towards taste appreciation and food pairing instead. Given free, i would have expected less of this but it proved otherwise. Might have been better if i allowed it time to age further.
Score: 7/10
StoneHaven Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
This came as a surprise to me, pardon my lack of exposure to wine but its the first with 3 combinations i got to try. And once again, cabernet sauvignon is hard to pass by.
Smell: Spices were evident, such as olives and pepper but there was also a strong fruity smell probably due to medium aged pickings for the fruit.
Taste: Initial tastes were spicy at the tip of the tongue and salty towards the sides, however, upon futher tasting, there's an obvious sweetness along the middle portion and the aftertaste is decidedly fruity.
Color and sight: Light penetration for this was easy and its more towards ruby red in color.
Overall: I always prefer fruity aftertastes instead of salty or spicy ones. I suppose its more of a personal preference as opposed to what my friend in Australia likes. Still, i liked this mixture enough to get myself 2 bottles and shared with my gf who also says she likes it quite a bit. I'd recommend it as it works well alone or with food. =)
Score: 8/10
Stonehaven Merlot 2006
Smell: A whiff of this will allows you to find traces of strong spices, olives and black pepper. It is quite easy to ascertain that this is a wine with character and punch.
Taste: True to its smell, the taste will explode in your mouth quite literally. I found it full bodied and very spicy. The acidic taste certainly is evident and it requires a few moments to settle in your mouth. Aftertaste is also spicy and packs only the slightest hint of fruitiness.
Color and Sight: The color is a very deep red which allows very little penetration of light.
Overall: I rather enjoyed the spicy and strong drink by itself but had to portion it with water, cheese or red meats to allow it to be generally palatable. It is difficult to drink on its own due to the intense concentration of spices it embodies. Not suitable as table wine but more towards taste appreciation and food pairing instead. Given free, i would have expected less of this but it proved otherwise. Might have been better if i allowed it time to age further.
Score: 7/10
StoneHaven Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
This came as a surprise to me, pardon my lack of exposure to wine but its the first with 3 combinations i got to try. And once again, cabernet sauvignon is hard to pass by.
Smell: Spices were evident, such as olives and pepper but there was also a strong fruity smell probably due to medium aged pickings for the fruit.
Taste: Initial tastes were spicy at the tip of the tongue and salty towards the sides, however, upon futher tasting, there's an obvious sweetness along the middle portion and the aftertaste is decidedly fruity.
Color and sight: Light penetration for this was easy and its more towards ruby red in color.
Overall: I always prefer fruity aftertastes instead of salty or spicy ones. I suppose its more of a personal preference as opposed to what my friend in Australia likes. Still, i liked this mixture enough to get myself 2 bottles and shared with my gf who also says she likes it quite a bit. I'd recommend it as it works well alone or with food. =)
Score: 8/10
