Deep, deep colour and fine tannins underpin a rather substantial wine.  Alcohol this year is at 13.0% to give the wine a more elegant style rather than the richer, heavier style of the 2004 wine.  Elegance is not a word normally associated with Durif, but this wine after 6 months in the bottle, shows this character whilst the ripe tannins are ensuring the wine is for the long haul.  The effect of the cool maritime climate show through in this wine.  Great acidity, with a background spiciness or pepper characters derived from it's Shiraz origins that tend to show in cooler climate wines.  There is a velvet texture when the wine is consumed and the lovely fruit flavours linger on the tongue.  Something quite special, but unfortunately there is not much of it available.  This wine has not been entered in any wine shows at this stage but its predecessor, the 2004 Durif, won a Silver Medal at the 2006 Cool Climate Wine Show and a GOLD MEDAL at the 2006 Winewise Small Vignerons Awards where the judges made the following comments:

"Definitely not your huge blockbuster style of Durif, but it has much to offer.  The palate is fresh and full, crammed with dark berry flavour suppoted by savoury tannis.  Very well made.  Highly recommended - GOLD MEDAL"  - Winewise Magazine.

Some comments from the Web -

“Most of the wineries with the variety are in the warm and hot regions, Rutherglen, Riverina, Murray Darling etc. But Durif actually is also suited to cooler climate viticulture, although very few Australians will believe you if you tell them. John Vale of Vale Wines at Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula has grown the variety for several Vintages.

Last weekend I tried the 2005 Vale Durif. The wine is deep red colour and has great depth of flavour. There are spicy characters in the middle palate, reminiscent of cool climate Shiraz. Compared to typical Rutherglen Durif this wines is positively elegant. You could drink this wine a range of foods, perhaps you could pair it in a similar way as you would a young Tempranillo, rather than with heavy meats and game dishes that are called for with the more usual Australian Durifs’”.

Extract  from www.zimbio.com  Blogging Web site written by Darby Higgs

“What was my best wine of the year.

Maybe the Brown Brothers 2007 Vermentino? It won a gold medal at AAVWS.

Perhaps the most surprising wine I tried was John Vale's cool climate Durif 2006 made from vines grown at his vineyard at Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula “

Extract from www.vinodiversity.com Best Wines - 2007