David Falchek, Times Shamrock Writer
When he introduced himself as Stuey Bourne, I immediately thought of "The Family Guy" and "The Bourne Identity."
Blessed (or cursed) with a pop culture name, Stuart Bourne is neither the megalomaniac toddler from the animated television series nor the renegade government agent from books and movies. He's the Aussie winemaker for Barossa Valley Estate in the heart of shiraz country.
I got to see Mr. Bourne in action and try the wines at an innovative Web wine tasting. It works like this: I and other wine writers sit at our computers in the United States and try the wines, as Mr. Bourne stays up past his bedtime - it was 1:30 a.m. the next day Down Under - to spin his shirazes.
He's the hand behind the iconic E&E Black Pepper Shiraz at Barossa Valley Estates.
Barossa is to shiraz, Mr. Bourne explained, what Napa Valley is to cabernet sauvignon.
Mr. Bourne reaches for restrained style with wines that are rich and ripe but have less aggressive acids and less oak influence. "It's easy to overcook a steak - and it's a crime," he repeated the adage. It's the same with barrel aging.
Mr. Bourne compared his tiers of shiraz to BMWs - the 5, 6, and 7 series. The entry level wines are called E Minor, and come in a chardonnay and a shiraz. E minor 2006 Chardonnay has a fresh apple-and-lime character and dried, jellied-fruit finish. $12. Four stars.
The E Minor 2006 Shiraz is light bodied, with slight oak and plum character, but has a limited range, even for an Aussie shiraz at this price. $12. Three stars.
The story is with the other "E" wines.
After harvest, each grower's grapes are fermented and barrel aged separately. Mr. Bourne samples the hundreds of barrels selecting the very best for E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. E & E stands for Elmore & Elmore, the first two grapegrowers selected for this flagship wine.
The 2004 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz certainly is deep and rich, a powerful wine with blackberry, pomegranate and cranberry flavors. $95. This vintage isn't available in Pennsylvania, yet. The good news is you can find past vintages for $40 (2001), $52 (2002) and $70 (2003). Four and half stars.
The vast majority of wine that does not become E&E becomes instead Ebenezer Shiraz. Like its big brother, Ebenezer is concentrated and loaded with flavor.
The 2004 Ebenezer Shiraz has intense, juicy smells of blackberry, rootbeer and menthol, concentrated and almost Port-like with fruitful, licoricey flavors. $30. Four and a half stars.
Mr. Bourne wants to avoid any aggressiveness, hoping to counter the perception of shiraz as deep, dark wines that will "rip your face off" with rough acids and harsh tannins. He succeeds with wines that are drinkable and generous. But this style eliminates some personality and complexity. E&E is just too slick, too perfectly crafted. I expect a top-priced red to rough me up a bit. The best heros, like Jason Bourne, have a dark side.
And E&E is about $100, more than twice what it cost a few years ago. But I'm turning down this Bourne Ultimatum and reaching for the Economical Ebenezer, which has more spine. Quality wise, Mr. Bourne admitted, and I agree, it's just a shade below the E&E - yet it's one-third the price.