2009 Old Mill Estate Langhorne Creek Touriga Nacional

My first introduction to this dry, red Portuguese variety was at a favourite watering hole and as they say in the classics, the rest is history ! Bored with the usual offerings, sticking to my a b c diet, I thought I'd push the vinous education envelope and try the touriga. My only knowledge of the variety was its use in making vintage port. The truth be told, that's probably when I first experienced it, not knowing it was actually the touriga varietal.

Be warned winophiles, approach with care as there is an intense, brooding creature in the glass. A table wine of inky dark colours, concentrated dark fruit flavours, high tannins and a 14.5% alcohol content, it is initially shy on the nose but delivers a wallop to the unsuspecting novice once swirled.

Heady, tight, musky and fruity on the aromatics with plums, dark berries, spices and black tea providing an enormous structure to the palate. Yet an underlying smooth texture makes this wine so intriguing and appealing that it is difficult to ignore. A wine of contradictions, complexity, balance and length that has a considerable age-worthiness to it. No prizes in guessing this would complement hearty meat dishes. A real cracker of a wine !

Old Mill Estate was the first Australian winery to use touriga national to produce premium table wines and believed that the grape would thrive in the rugged, deep alluvial soils of the Bremer River estuary. Indeed, it would appear this variety has great potential in Australia to grow and produce quality table wines in conditions similar to the northern Douro and Dao regions of its native Portugal. 

Source: Retail Purchase. Rating: 92+ Points. Website: www.oldmillestatewines.com.au