Review – Greg Norman Estates
2003 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon,
2004 Limestone Coast Cabernet Merlot,
2005 Limestone Coast Shiraz
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

During the 1970s, Greg Norman was first introduced to wine, and the appreciation of a good bottle of wine, while competing in Europe – namely, France. The Shark eventually experimented with wines from around the globe, and eventually founded his own winery, Greg Norman Estates.

Last month, we reviewed two exceptional wines from Greg Norman California Estates: 2004 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay; and 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. This month, we take a closer look at three additional wines from the Greg Norman Estates: 2003 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, from Norman’s California Estates; and two terrific reds from Norman’s Australia Estates – 2004 Limestone Cabernet Merlot, and 2005 Limestone Coast Shiraz.

2003 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon

“The foundation for my new California wines was established many years ago,” says Norman. “I am very fortunate to take something that I am passionate about, both a business and a personal interest, and expand it to a geographic area that I have grown so very fond of.”

The North Coast of California is renowned for the complexity and richness of its Cabernet Sauvignon. The region includes Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties and benefits from the benign marine influence of the Pacific.

Quite simply, Norman’s 2003 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest California wines we have sampled. This wine has deep, rich flavours of blueberry and ripe black currant, and a nice velvety mouthfeel. It finishes out with discrete notes of sweet oak and a touch of mint. The majority of the fruit sourced for this vintage came from Sonoma County for its bright fruit profile, while fruit from other areas provided complexity and structure.

The grapes were crushed and fermented an average of seven to 10 days. Pump-overs three times a day helped extract colour and tannins. After fermentation, Greg Norman Estates California winemaker, Ron Schrieve, aged the wine for 23 months in one- and two-year-old French oak barrels to round out the firm tannins and add complexity and depth of flavours.

Technical Details
Alcohol: 13.5%
pH: 3.70
Total Acidity: 0.60 g/100ml
Harvest Date: September to October 2003
Price: $ 25

2004 Cabernet Merlot

“Fine wine is one of my great passions,” says Norman, “and Australia wine in particular. This passion and curiosity led me to launch Greg Norman Australia Estates, a collection of wines from my native Australia. From the beginning, I have been committed to the promise that every bottle of my wine delivers exceptional quality and value. And gratefully, the wine press agrees. My wines have consistently been awarded high ratings and critical acclaim.”

We won’t argue. In fact, Norman’s Australia wines from the hands of winemaker Andrew Hales are magnificent offerings. We sampled two wines from Australia’s Limestone Coast, which was once the ancient seabed of the Southern Ocean. The mild climate is like that of Bordeaux. It encompasses the regions of Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wrattonbully.

Norman’s 2004 Cabernet Merlot is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (81%) and Merlot (19%). A supple, generously-flavoured blend, this wine is always the perfect partner with food. We sampled it with grilled rainbow trout, and Portobello mushrooms grilled with extra virgin olive oil and Greek Feta cheese.

The 2004 Cabernet Merlot is bright ruby red in colour, and it possesses vibrant and complex aromas of spicy, red berry fruit, red currant, sweet cheery and cranberries, prefacing notes of varietal, leafy blackcurrent fruit, cinnamon and clove spice. The same abundant, vibrant fruit is reflected on the palate which also shows a hint of liquorice, sweet cinnamon spice, and subtle cedary French oak. This wine is beautifully structured with soft, velvety tannins, balanced acid and abundant, bright, sweet fruit on the finish.

The fruit for this wine was sourced from the Limestone Coast vineyards in Padhaway, Coonawarra and Wrattonbully. The 2004 vintage was dry, mild and relatively cool, being one of the latest on record. The extended ripening season and three weeks of unseasonably warm weather from the beginning of April resulted in fruit with excellent colour, ripe tannin and concentrated flavours.

The individual vineyard parcels of fruit were harvested then fermented separately in rotary and static fermenters. Careful management of the wine in these fermenters extracted the dark colour and rich flavours from the skins without any harsh sharp tannins. The wine was pressed off the skins and racked to new and seasoned French and American oak for maturation prior to blending and bottling. 

Technical Details
Harvest Date: April-May 2004
pH: 3.48
Acidity: 6.28 g/L
Alcohol: 14.54%
Residual Sugar: 1.67g/L.
Price: $24

2005 Shiraz

Greg Norman Australia Estates 2005 Shiraz is a champion amongst Norman’s Limestone Coast offerings. We were pleasantly surprised by the rich, vibrant flavour bursting with fresh fruit. This wine is deep, dark red with purple hues. Intense, lifted aromas of ripe, dark plum, blackberry, sweet vanillin and spice with light subtle hints of blueberry and blackcurrent fruit, all portend to a generous palate that is full flavoured, balanced and long. The palate, though big and opulent, has an elegant, smooth texture, some mocha and cedar oak character combined with ripe, dark berry fruit and tine tannins. The mid palate’s ripe berry flavours will, with time, reveal more complex characters such as dark chocolate, liquorice, wood smoke and warm leather, as the wine ages and evolves.

The fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Padthaway and the famous Coonawarra region in South Australia. Dark, rich and full-bodied Shiraz fruit shows extra finesse, particularly when from vineyards grown on the rich red soils that overlay the region’s hard limestone rock. The 2005 vintage was very good, remembered for its very dry summer and autumn, the warm, dry conditions prevailing from April through to May. There was the occasional short overnight shower to maintain the vines, but these did not cause any disease. The warmth caused the fruit to ripen more quickly, subsequent harvesting beginning two weeks earlier, and this allowed the winemakers to pursue riper fruit flavours, generous tannins and bigger structured wines, particularly from Padthaway and Coonawarra, albeit with higher alcohols than normally expected.

In regards to this wine’s vinification, the individual vineyard parcels of fruit were harvested then fermented separately in rotary and static fermenters. The juice gently moved over the skins to extract the rich colours and flavours from the skins. The wine was then pressed off the skins and racked to new and seasoned American and French oak for maturation prior to blending and bottling.

All in all, this is a fabulous wine, one which will only get better with age. Already, I list this as one of my all-time favourite wines. Two thumbs up, Greg Norman! We highly recommended it for accompanying grilled beef and vegetables, or on its own. In any case, you, too, will be pleasantly surprised.

Technical Details
Harvest Date: March-April 2005
pH: 3.49
Acidity: 6.35 g/L
Alcohol: 14.95%
Bottling date: September 10 2006
Price: $24

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Just like Norman himself, the Shark’s wines are drenched in versatility and quality. We highly recommend Greg Norman Estates wines. Find out more about these fine wines at www.shark.com.