The Aussies tend to have a habit on contracting names, more
often than not in a sign of affection.
As Aussies can do, they put an edge into the name, just to keep everyone
on their toes. So I don’t think there’s any
misogyny in shortening the name of the premium Hunter Valley winery ‘Bimbadgen’
to ‘Bimbo’. Don’t let being PC control
pour lives; just have a bit of fun in once in a while.
The Chairman actually knows Bimbo (the winery) very well,
and has done many good works to improve the breed of the wines, especially with
winemaking advice, but also in thoughts of viticulture and management. These all impact on how a wine can
taste. From being ‘another’ label,
albeit with decent wines, the output is in the classier level, with many of the
wines winning good show awards.
We were graced by The Chairman visiting SWMBO and I, and as
a gift, he left us a 2011 Bimbadgen ‘Signature’
‘McDonalds Road Vineyard’ Hunter Valley Shiraz. My early experience with Hunter Reds is that
of ‘soupiness’ with plenty of bugly things happening. Then the modern age kicked in, and the wines became very
varietally expressive, pure and lean, maybe too skinny. They had lost the Hunter character. Being warm and humid, there are huge
challenges in the region, so there are advantages in picking early. 2011 was seen as a great growing season, and
the wines are said to show the Hunter as it be.
Dark and impenetrable black-red with some garnet of bottle development,
this was dense and weighty on the nose as well as palate. Not really varietally expressive, it was more
a rich, sweet, ripe, hearty red. Mulberries
rather than blackberry or raspberry. No
real peppery overtones, but plenty of tar and earth and layers of interest
bordering on the funkiness of those old ‘soupy’ styles of the past, but with
all the negatives removed. It tasted of
traditional Hunter as I see it in my experience. Nice underlying structure held up the fruit,
and just enough acidity to prevent it being flabby in any way. A nice, heartwarming number and certainly no
flashy, empty Bimbo.
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