With over 1640 wineries fighting to find shelf space in Australia today, any new entrant to the marketplace has little choice but to over-deliver in terms of quality and presentation. A tough order indeed, and the words of former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser that ‘Life wasn’t meant to be easy’ have never rung a truer note. While its first release was a Shiraz from 1998, Gemtree is a small McLaren Vale-based label whose 2002 releases look very impressive indeed. At a price that barely buys half a bottle of many of its regional competitors, Gemtree’s latest Shiraz and Tempranillo dry reds offer typical regional richness and flavour without any of the over-cooked characters so common these days amongst the wines of its neighbours. Matured largely in French cooperage, the Shiraz is smooth, deeply fruited and elegant, and easily carries its relatively modest 14.5% alcohol. Oak plays second fiddle in the intensely fruited, dark and chocolatey Tempranillo, which appears have everything it takes to become a deliciously smooth and earthy, leathery wine in around five years time. At around $25 and less, these new releases from Gemtree certainly fulfil the very steep requirements for it to survive and then thrive as an important McLaren Vale brand.
