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Jacob's Creek brings back Barossa Pearl: wine review

Chris Shanahan

Reincarnated: Jacob's Creek's Barossa Pearl is back.
Reincarnated: Jacob's Creek's Barossa Pearl is back. Supplied

Jacob's Creek, Barossa Pearl

In 1992, cartoonist Ralph Steadman sketched a matronly "Barossa Pearl" presiding over a Barossa soup kitchen. Alas, Orlando Barossa Pearl – once fruity, sweet, vibrant and sparkling – had popped her last bubbles in 1983. Today's wine industry owes much to Pearl. Released in 1956, she and similar lightly sparkling "pearl" wines introduced a generation of beer and fortified drinkers to table wine. Resurrected Pearl is made, like the original, from Barossa riesling and semillon grapes. Whether will click with grandchildren of the original drinkers remains to be seen. It's a blander and sweeter drink than I remember the original being. But that's a long time ago.

Majella, The Musician Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz $17.10-$20

Hits the right notes: The Musician by Majella,  cabernet sauvignon shiraz.
Hits the right notes: The Musician by Majella, cabernet sauvignon shiraz. Supplied
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The Musician is the Lynn family's song of fruit - a floral, juicy expression of the cabernet sauvignon and shiraz grapes grown on their eastern Coonawarra vineyard. The wine delivers Coonawarra's deep, ripe, berry flavours, medium body and elegant structure, without the overlay of oak or other winemaker inputs seen in wines made for cellaring. The 2013 vintage seems even juicier and fruitier than the excellent 2012 reviewed last year and would make an excellent Christmas lunch wine, served slightly chilled.

Leo Buring Eden Valley Dry Riesling 2014 $18-$20

The Leo Buring brand goes back to the first half of last century. But its reputation for fine, long-lived riesling came during the '60s and '70s after Lindemans bought the business following Leo Buring's death. Winemaker John Vickery, still active today, made all those early Burings, setting a standard still admired and emulated today. Burings now belongs to Treasury Wine Estates and, under winemaker Peter Munro, continues to make exceptionally fine rieslings. This version, from the company's own Eden Valley vineyards, displays floral and citrus varietal character and a generous, finely textured palate. Vibrant acidity gives a juicy, dry, refreshing finish.

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