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 part II


Into the Valley
Text and Photographs © Tom Cannavan, 03/07

I visited McLaren Vale in October 2006, as International Judge at the McLaren Vale Wine Show, the annual examination of the region's wines. A panel of expert judges from other Australian regions descends on McLaren Vale for two days of blind tastings to identify the wines worthy of bronze, silver and gold medals, and ultimately the trophy winners for the best wines it their class. Over the two days we tasted through 640 wines, a huge task made bearable by the unfailing good humour of the organisers and my fellow judges.

After the tasting I spent the rest of the week getting to know the winemakers of McLaren Vale in a series of visits and tastings arranged for me.

Setting the scene

McLaren Vale is one of South Australia's most beautiful wine regions, just 45 minutes drive from the city of Adelaide, on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Vines cover the valley floor from the foot of the Adelaide Hills to the rugged cliffs and beaches. The region enjoys an almost Mediterranean climate, and though vines are now the major crop by far, olives and almonds grow wild throughout the region and fishermen land squid from nearby piers.

McLaren Vale has become almost synonymous with Shiraz, most often expressed here in richly fruity wines with cherry, plum and spice aromas. But many other red wine grapes flourish, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Grenache and Mourvèdre, and smaller amounts of many others, of which Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, and Sangiovese are probably most prevalent.
  

For whites, Chardonnay is king, though Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are all quite widely planted, and experiments with everything from Italy's Fiano to Spain's Malvasia continue in an effort to find whites that really suit this climate and soil.

Liquid gold

Like almost every Australian region, water is a precious commodity, and the region was in drought conditions with water restrictions at the time of my visit. There are some dry-farmed plots of old trellised and bush vine Grenache and Syrah, but most plants need irrigation and that is a major headache. Systems of dams and water catchment schemes help, but recently a new pipeline has also been built that channels recycled 'grey' water back to the vineyards from the area's water treatment plants.

The winemaking scene

   Historically, most farms in McLaren Vale grew grapes, but didn't make wine. They sold their fruit to wineries locally, and across South Australia.

Many of these farms have turned partially, or even entirely, to making 'estate wine' from their fruit. As yet there are relatively few wineries that are fully equipped to carry out every process from crushing to bottling, so a number of contract winemaking operations around the Fleurieu Peninsula provide service to smaller producers, and a couple of large bottling companies carry out the vast majority of bottlings.

Techno vs. classical

Chatting to an Australian winemaker can be something of a culture shock for those more used to visiting the estates of France. European winemakers (even the very biggest ones) like to stress the traditional, non-interventionist approach they have to making their wines. It's not just that winemaking plays second fiddle to the 'terroir' of the vineyards; any hint that a wine has been manipulated in some way is an affront to French sensibilities. Aussie winemakers are a different breed: open about the technology they use, and pragmatic about the amount of intervention that kicks in once the grapes have been crushed.

Across Australia, acidity is adjusted by the addition of the required amount of tartaric acid even before the grapes reach the fermenters, and almost all bigger brand wines have tannins supplemented too, with the addition of a powdered form. Other yeast cultures, enzymes and an array of treatments are employed to make sure wines are squeaky-clean and show exactly the aromatic, flavour and textural profile desired. But the latest technique that was on everyone's lips on my visit to McLaren Vale was 'sweet spotting'.

Sweet spotting

The sunny and hot climatic conditions enjoyed by much of Australia means that sugar levels in grapes rise rapidly, and high levels of sugar (and thus potential alcohol once the juice is fermented) occur before full 'phenolic ripeness' of the grapes - the point where skins and pips are fully ripe and ready to pick and crush. To avoid phenolic under-ripeness, grapes must be given more 'hang time'. But extra time hanging on the vines means sugar levels continue to rise, and alcohols of 15.5% or even higher result.

Sweet spotting uses technology to lower the alcohol of a wine in small steps, so that, for example, samples can be prepared from a naturally 15.5% ABV wine in decrements of 0.1% - samples at 15.4%, 15.3%, 15.2% and so on, perhaps down to just 13.0% at the final stage. These samples are then tasted and assessed, to find the 'sweet spot' where the wine shows its optimum aroma and flavour, and is most balanced.

The technology used to do this separates alcohol from the rest of the wine's components by means of a membrane that only alcohol molecules can pass through. This alcohol 'permeate' can then be removed, and then gradually re-blended with the de-alcoholised wine to the desired level.

There seems little doubt that this process must cause something to be lost from the wine (I'm sure artisan winemakers and their followers will be horrified at the very concept), yet the winemakers who use the technique swear that 'sweet spotting' is almost miraculous, insisting it is all about improving quality and flavour, and that the removal of a percent point or two of alcohol both brightens the quality of fruit and makes for more balanced, elegant wines. I certainly tasted the evidence in some beautiful wines that had been sweet-spotted, apparantly with no ill effects.

four estates

Profiles of four of McLaren Vale's most high profile estates follow. A future report will also look at some smaller wineries, and the 'Wine Women of the Vale', a collective of female winemakers who dragged me off for a day on a jaunt around the Vale.

Rosemount

I met up with Andrew Locke, winemaker for Rosemount here in their large operation on the McLaren Flat. Though Rosemount's roots are in the Hunter Valley, the company grew, became multi-regional, and eventually became part of Fosters, the world's biggest wine group.

This is now a seriously large facility, crushing 22,000 tonnes of grapes annually, which equates to around one fifth of the entire crush for McLaren Vale. As well as producing such well-known McLaren Vale names as Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz, GSM and their top Shiraz, The Balmoral, other wines made here will go into South Australian-labelled blends like Rosemount Diamond Label.
  

But interestingly, fruit crushed and fermented here is also transported up to Penfolds' main winery operation in Nurioopta, where it finds its way into St Henri Shiraz, Bin 707 and other premium Penfolds wines. Since the Foster's takeover, it may also find its way into Wolf Blass's Platinum label.

Andrew is sanguine about the challenges he faces in being part of this larger group, whose Australia-wide needs must add complexity, if not conflict to his job: "No, not really," he told me, "occasionally one of the Penfolds boys will come down here and spot a really nice patch of Shiraz and say 'that looks like Grange material', but if it's something I really had my eye on for Balmoral, then Balmoral is where it goes."

The McLaren Vale operation is principally for red wines, though Andrew makes little bits of Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, grown close to the Adelaide Hills. The winery sprawls over a large area, having been extended several times over the years, and includes roto-fermenters for the most basic wines, stainless steel tanks, and 16 open-top cement tanks, lined with wax, which Andrew says are hugely labour intensive, but an essential part of the kit for the complex range of styles and price points he has to cover.

We took a tour round some lovely old plots of ancient bush vine Grenache that has irrigation, but Andrew says he "just switched it off" a few years ago, and the Grenache (for GSM and other blends) is now dry-farmed.

   I spoke to Andrew about my perception of the Rosemount Diamond Label brand, which was once king of the BOGOFs and deep discounts, and which really discredited the brand in my eyes. "It was a crazy period," he says with a sigh, "and eventually the only time we ever sold any wine was through BOGOFs. People just waited for offers, and never bought wine in between. We don't play that game anymore."

The Diamond label wines, in distinctive new packaging with funky diamond-shaped bottles, have recently been relaunched in the UK. The old Diamond Label brand had become very poor wines in my opinion. I found the new wines to be more moderately oaked, and less sweet than before, though still too sweet for my own palate. Whether Fosters can resist playing the BOGOF game again with this wine remains to be seen.

See current stockists of Rosemount on wine-searcher

Rosemount Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Very nice passionfruit nose, with a touch of nettle and hints of tropical fruit. Palate is slightly harsh, with acidity a little prominent, but there is good punch and verve.

Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz McLaren Vale 2003
Lovely big depth of plummy, chocolate-laced fruit on the nose. There's a touch of curranty quality, but plenty of cherry and plum. The palate has a softness and velvety texture, with ripe tannins and more of the chocolaty backing.

Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz McLaren Vale 2004
About to be bottled. Much brighter, fresher nose, with a more elegant plum pie character. Very nice fruit here. On the palate a lot more brightness and life about this wine, with an edge of lean, savoury character though that chocolate fills in.

Rosemount GSM McLaren Vale 2004
48% Grenache, 47% Shiraz, 5% Mataro. Fragrant, floral-edged more esoteric fruit. Nice nutty edge, some luscious chocolate coming through. On the palate lots of jammy, ripe, very nice, plush fruit, quiet raspberry and strawberry and cream character.

Rosemount GSM McLaren Vale 2005
47% Grenache, 46% Shiraz, 7% Mataro. Slightly nutty character on the nose, with light raspberry aromas. Very fine. There is quite a fleshy character o the palate, this has a slippery, smooth elegant fruity character, but the plummy depth and fleshy fruit comes through, and lots of spice in to the finish.

Rosemount Balmoral Shiraz 2004
Big, sweet, voluptuous nose, with meaty tones, dark, ripe red fruits, with a little floral lift (flowers wrapped in Proscuttio). Beautiful fruit on the palate, with a seamless richness, but really nice acidity and balance, with a stripe of savoury, spicy tannins.

Rosemount Balmoral Shiraz 2005
All components of Balmoral are 100% McLaren Vale fruit, since 2002. made by Andrew. Block 2 and 7 McLaren Vale Shiraz, with a bit of barrel ferment. Lots of fragrant, floral notes, with, a slightly animal character. Very attractive. A little sulphide character, adding to a pleasant funk. A more meaty character, with lots of plum and mocha. Lots of richness and dark, brooding qualities. Beautiful stuff.

Rosemount Rosemount Traditional 2004
Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot. Rich, blackcurrant and mocha nose, with a touch of mint, and a lovely soft sheen of roundness. Half of the Cab component here goes into Bin 707. The palate has a lovely rounded, soft, ripe, juicy fruit. Good length and persists through the finish. Lovely.

Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz 2005
70% or so is made at this facility. Very pure, ripe, raspberry fruit. Palate drinks well - very ripe, a touch too sweet (5gm RS). But a good, solid commercial wine.

Rosemount Diamond Label Merlot 2005
Big, sweet, generous fruit, plenty of cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Nice chewy chocolaty mid-palate. Quite chunky.

Rosemount Diamond Cellars Grenache Shiraz 2005
Quite packed with flavour, with lots of juiciness and fine, chunky fruit.

Rosemount Diamond Label Rosé 2006
Lovely bright, focused, strawberry fruit, with soft creamy fruit and natural generous sweetness. Very nice fruit on the palate, with a dry finish.

Rosemount Diamond Label Sangiovese 2004
This has a lot of dark, mocha and clove notes, and very solid fruit - not the cherry brightness that you'd want, and a bit too big and full.

Battle of Bosworth

Jock Bosworth and his partner Louise Helmsey-Smith entertained me for a full day at their beautiful old 1850's farmstead home, surround by their extensive vineyards, part of which are farmed organically. They have also been reintroducing native vegetation in gullies and dried-up creeks around the farm, creating an idyllic little patch of McLaren Vale.

Jock is a fairly serious grape grower and supplier to many wineries, but a percentage of his production goes into his own Battle of Bosworth label, that has been "Wine of the Week" on wine-pages recently. This is an intriguing range, including an Amarone-style wine called White Boar, made by cutting the cordons on Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, then leaving the bunches to dry on the vine in the heat and breeze of McLaren Vale, before fermenting into a 16% alcohol blockbuster.
  

As he seemed so committed to organic farming, I asked Jock about his take biodynamics. "Look," he said with a shrug, "I just don't buy it because I don't buy homeopathy: that such tiny amounts of treatments can be effective." The quantity of 'active ingredients' in biodynamic sprays and treatments is indeed minute. Jock seems like a particularly pragmatic character: keen to do his bit for sustainability and the environment, but prepared to act only on evidence and his own acceptance of science, not the opinions of others.

In many ways that sums up the Battle of Bosworth wines: solid, well-grounded and commercial, but also quirky, unusual and made with equal amounts of passion and care.

See current stockists of Battle of Bosworth on wine-searcher

Battle of Bosworth Chardonnay Viognier 2006
The Viognier is picked ripe then barrel fermented, Chardonnay is mostly barrel fermented and picked quite early. Lovely fragrant, citrussy lemon, with a really light, crisp profile, plenty of light and the oak just adds a sheen of creamy quality. Beautiful, fragrant wine.

Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
A bit of the Amarone Cab, a tiny bit of Shiraz. Nice touch of leafiness, then plum and thick blackurranty fruit. Good varietal character. The palate has a broad juicy stripe of blackcurrant, with fine, chewy tannic quality and lovely balance. Good fruit and lovely balance.

Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Brighter, purer, blackcuranty fruit lively palate with ripe, fine, very pure tannins.

Battle of Bosworth Shiraz 2005
A little touch bottle shocked. The fruit is lovely, with a very nice, pure fruit quality, with a touch of raspberry, and cedar and plenty of fine, juicy, fruit. About 40% oaked, 60/40 split of US and French oak, but all oak French coopered.

Battle of Bosworth Shiraz 2004
Very pure, creamy raspberry fruit and a nice fragrant oak, with lovely finesse and lots of silky, fine tannin. Spice and fine, balanced finish.

Battle of Bosworth White Boar 2004
Organically vinified cordon cut, Shiraz, with 5%V Cab. Nice cherry skin, plenty of fine, dry raspberry fruit, lovely quality. 4g/l RS, lovely wine, with a chocolaty, long, persistent finish. Creamy, delicious. Cordon cut and left for two weeks or so to raisin on the vine.

Geoff Merrill

On of the great names of Australian winemaking, Geoff Merrill invited me to his picture postcard winery, where the rolling vines, rose garden and duck pond have been all but surrounded by city suburbs. Merrill produces five ranges of wine, starting with the Geoff Merrill brand that sells for around $15 AUS, and moving up through single varietals and reserve wines to the pinnacle of the portfolio, the superb Henley Shiraz, which is one of Australia's most expensive wines at $150 per bottle.

All red wines start off being treated equally: they are vinified and spend one year in American oak barrels. At this point, a barrel tasting determines which wines are good enough for the reserve ranges. These are filled into 2nd use French oak (previously used for Reserve Chardonnay) and just eight barrels selected for The Henley Shiraz.
  

   The Henley is a truly world class wine, that I served blind in a tasting seminar I presented to 60 winemakers as part of this trip. The Merrill logo represents a set of scales, which Geoff hopes sums up the Henley and indeed all of his wines: 'Perfectly balanced'.

See current stockists of Geoff Merrill wines on wine-searcher

Geoff Merrill Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Very pale colour, but lovely zippy, bright Sauvignon nose with tropical fruit and plenty of vibrant gooseberry and a hint currant leafy quality. Fine palate, with plenty of power and zip, perhaps a little too alcoholic for me, but real zest and bite in one of the better McLaren Vale Sauvignons.

Merrill McLaren Vale Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2006
Intense, quite creamy and broad nose, with very nice fruit with a lanolin quality and plenty of lemon and hints of tropicality. Juicy, punchy palate, with masses of citrus and a broadening palate with plenty of verve and sweet mid-palate fruit, but a lovely acid balance into a long, creamy finish.

Geoff Merrill Chardonnay 2004
Nicely vegetal touches to very good, ripe fruit, with a citrus and buttery tone. Nice leesy, creamy character without too much oak. On the palate really bright fruit sweetness, with tropical, pineapple tones and good oak. Becomes quite toasty, and though the lemony acidity seems a little unknit, a very nice Chardonnay.

Geoff Merrill Reserve Chardonnay 2002
All McLaren Vale fruit in this vintage, though normally some fruit will come from Geoff's Coonawarra vineyards too. French oak fermented and aged, almost all new. Beautiful Bourbon-barrel nose with plenty of charry, coffeeish toast but also hints of honey and leaf tea. Sumptuous palate with masses of fruit, quiet a thick texture and an orangy fruit quality with tropical notes. Oak is creamy and doesn't dominate into a long, sweet-edged finish.

Geoff Merrill Grenache Rose 2006
24 hours maceration gives a deep cherry pink colour. Nose is very fragrant and perfumed, with floral, old roses nuances and bright raspberry and creamy strawberry fruit. Plenty of creamy, mouthfilling red fruit on the palate, with a fairly soft acidity and a hint of tannic bite that makes this juicy, jammy and very delicious. Easy drinking and very nicely made.

Geoff Merrill Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre 2003
Hugely opulent plum and black coffee nose, with spices and a luscious, ripe black cherry quality. On the palate a big, densely structured, very fruity wine, with high extraction and a mouthfilling texture. Lovely plummy fruit still retains freshness, and there is life about this into a sweet-fruited finish balanced by rugged yet smooth tannins and good acidity. Decent length too.

Geoff Merrill Cabernet Shiraz 2003
Slightly leafy cabernet character is nicely judged, with a touch of raspberry giving light and shade to creamy black plum fruit. The palate has more structure and more of an edge than the Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre in this range, and a fresh, crisp finish with lovely balance. A delicious wine.

Merrill Shiraz Grenache Viognier 2004
The Viognier is a prominent component on the nose, with a touch of dried apricot and a floral note. Fine black fruit begins to emerge and dominate. On the palate lots of dried plum and cherry fruit and a dry, slightly leathery quality with spices and a peppery character. Very nice savoury oak and tannins add structure and this finishes with a nice balance of fruit, spice and acidity.

Geoff Merrill Merlot 2002
Big, ripe, plummy and slightly tomato nose, with very ripe and dense merlot showing good varietal character. Plenty of oak too. On the palate this is big, ripe and mouthfilling, but avoids being soupy thanks to quite nice peppery, spicy oak qualities and a decent structure of tannins and acidity and a roasted coffee darkness.

Geoff Merrill Shiraz 2002
This has quite an elegant oak structure, with a savoury, slightly gamy quality of fruit adding a lot of interest. There are plenty of ripe plum and black berry fruits, but that edge of bloody, ripe fruit character is attractive. On the palate this is brimming with black fruits, but there's a lean stripe of quite steely tannin and a bite of pepper and spice, along with persistent acidity, that really gives the finish some life and bite.

Geoff Merrill Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Again a little touch of vegatility and leafy quality on the nose is expressive of the Cabernet, with olive and blackcurrant notes. On the palate it has a medium-bodied texture and a nicely juicy, quite ripe and sweet black fruit quality. It perhaps has a tiny lack of concentration on the mid palate, but the smooth oak tannins fill in and leave this savoury and well balanced.

Geoff Merrill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
A blend of approximately 80/20 McLaren Vale and Coonawarra fruit, spending 24 months in first American, then French oak. A much more minty and eucalypt character than the regular Cabernet bottling, with ripe, very dense blackcurrant aromas with terrific purity. Lovely sophisticated oak quality and bottle age adds a cedary, savoury edge. Lovely palate too, with a flood of slightly earthy, gamy fruit that maintains that creamy blackcurrant purity, with fine, quite chocolaty tannins combining with coffeeish, svelte oak into a long, nicely balanced finish. Lovely stuff.

Geoff Merrill Reserve Shiraz 2000
29 months in American then French oak in this selection of Shiraz. It has a very complex nose with incense and lots of gamy, animal notes, as well as ripe, bloody and plummy plum fruit. The palate is savoury and full of finesse, with cedar and all sorts of gamy nuances to a solid core of fruit. Polished tannins and a lovely infill of cedary, spicy oak marry with gentle acidity into a persistent, moreish finish. Another beautiful example of restrained and intelligent winemaking.

Geoff Merrill 'Henley' Shiraz 2000
Bottled in a super-heavyweight bottle this is Geoff's ultra-premium icon wine, named after Henley beach where he has fond memories of growing up with his grandfather. Only 200 dozen bottles are produced, and the selected wines are aged for 18 months in Radoux French oak. Very gamy, supple, subtle animal and bloody notes on the nose, where no one component of oak or fruit dominating. On the palate there's a beautiful warmth of supple, toasty, plummy fruit, with a really seamless quality. The structure of the tannins is beautifully linear and harmonious, with plenty of spice, pepper and toast, but that integrated, deep, sensuous fruit and finely integrated acid just extends the finish leaving this very long and very impressive indeed. Outstanding.

Serafino and Shingleback

Serafino is an impressive wine making facility, built as part of a complex of restaurant, conference facilities and more on Kangarilla Road called 'McLarens on the Lake'. The ebullient Steve Maglieri owns Serafino, and winemaking is under the control of Chief Winemaker, Scott Rawlinson, pictured right. Fruit for Serafino's own wines is sourced from the 300-acre family vineyard, comprising Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Chardonnay and Sangiovese amongst others.   

   Scott has a large, very well equipped cellar at his disposal, and can dabble in small lots that he makes for clients, as well as very carefully made wines for Serafino.

Also making thier wines in this facility is Shingleback, one of the hottest properties in South Australia. Shingleback won the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 2006 for their Shiraz, and their wines have picked up scores in the mid-90s from Robert Parker. Shingleback is owned by Winemaker/Viticulturist John Davey, whose 320-acre estate vineyard is on land purchased by the family in 1959. I met with Shingleback's English-born Winemaker Dan Hills, a modest and endlessly patient character, with whom I shared a beer or two on my first night in the Vale, and who was also Chairman of the McLaren Vale Show.


See current stockists of Serafino wines on wine-searcher

Serafino Semillon Sauvignon 2006
Lovely pungent nose, with a bit of creamy, rich, skinny and buttery phenolic complexity, then a blast of juicy, clean fruit and good acidity.

Sorrento Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Adelaide hills fruit, lovely gooseberry and grassy character, with plenty of punch and verve. Very nice palate, with passionfruit and gooseberry, little falling off towards the back palate.

Goose Island Chardonnay 2006
In Asda stores as 'McLaren on the Lake Chardonnay'. Nice melon and dry, pear and lemon fruit. Unoaked, clean, pure. Very nice wine.

Serafino Reserve Chardonnay 2005
Subtle buttery, toasty French oak, with a rich leesy character. Two pickings - greener and riper picking . Develops some Bourbon barrel richness, but beautifully clean acid and a crisp finish.

Serafino Sharktooth Chardonnay 2005
Wild ferment. Vegetal, buttery, with a really Burgundian character, and plenty of ripe, full, sweet fruit driving through to an elegantly toasty palate with very good acidity.

Sorrento Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot 2004
Cedary oak quality and a touch of green peppercorn, fine palate, a touch of earthy, gamy quality to rich blackcurrant and plummy fruit, but nice balance and length. Very elegant.

Serafino Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Very beautiful, cedary oak quality, with terrific cassis and spice notes, onto a gamy, ripe, very juicy palate with rich mid-palate mouthfeel and fruit, and a long, spicy finish. Fabulous wine (trophy winner).

Sorrento Grenache 2005
40-year-old terraced vines. Nice bright fruit, cherry flavours and a bit of meatiness emerging on the palate. Tangy and fresh, very drinkable.

Serafino Grenache 2005
A touch more oak, but a pure, mineral tone to bold, juicy fruit. More substance on the palate, with chocolate flavours emerging and nicely balanced, spicy finish.

Serafino Shiraz 2004
Big, ripe blackcurrant and blackberry nose, with a sweet, slightly raisined quality. Palate is quite fresh, with some spice and pepper filling in on the finish. Second oakier bottling, more power and fuller finish.

Serafino Sharktooth Shiraz 2004
Lovely big blackcuranty, ripe, velvety nose, with plenty of oak, but spicy and cedary, with plenty of deep, sinuous fruit. Long, very charming.

See current stockists of Shingleback on wine-searcher

Shingleback Chardonnay 2005
Lovely toasty barrel ferment character. Very nice nutty, leesy style. Rich but succulent palate, with racy lemon fruit and some textural, toasty oak in the finish.

Shingleback Shiraz 2001
Quite meaty and savour, with nice tertiary flavours of earthy berry fruit, and still fine, liquoricy tannins with grip on the back palate.

Shingleback Shiraz 2002
Full, dark, plum and liquorice nose, with serious character. Quite full bodied and rich, with a slightly gamy quality coming through and a long, savoury finish.