2023 Nick Spencer Wines Medium Dry Red Blend
2023 Nick Spencer Wines Medium Dry Red Blend

2023 Nick Spencer Wines Medium Dry Red Blend

95 pts
Nick Spencer Wines |Gundagai |Cabernet Sauvignon
Nick Spencer's modern take on a classic, old-school Aussie Claret.
4.6
Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
5 Reviews
Price:
$32.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Nick Spencer’s Medium Dry Red Blend is a nod to a golden era of Australian wine – the classic ‘Aussie clarets’ of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Back then, the focus was on crafting beautiful, balanced wines from multiple varieties rather than spotlighting single regions or grapes. Nick’s 2023 version captures that spirit in a modern, polished way.

Built on a Cabernet Sauvignon base, with Shiraz and a splash of Malbec, it’s vivid and immediately engaging. Expect a lifted, floral nose with notes of blue and black fruits, ironstone, aniseed, and a hint of dark chocolate. The palate is juicy and medium-bodied, with a crunchy cranberry-like acidity and silky tannins that promise a good few years of evolution if you have the patience.

As always with Nick’s wines, it’s an exercise in balance, charm, and drinkability. A roast lamb or a hearty tray of roast veggies would do it justice. This is a true-blue, proper Australian red, thoughtfully done.

95 points
"MDR is a medium-dry red; a pitch-perfect blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and shiraz... Impressive."
- Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"This is such a pure expression of cabernet... Drinking this is like watching steam rise from a cool dark pond; here though the steam is scent. It just keeps on rising as if it can barely stop itself. It’s a beautiful drink and a charming experience."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

95 points
"A cacophony: Earth and pencil graphite, crushed kitchen herbs, cardamon pod, bay leaf, cigar butt, asphalt, cassis, bramble, boysenberry and nuances of vanilla bean paste... The balance and depth are exemplary. Bargain."
- Regan Drew (Wine Pilot)

Regan Drew

Regan Drew

Wine Pilot 95 Points

An old school ‘Australian Blend’ of Cabernet Shiraz (70%) and Shiraz (20%) with some Malbec (10%) for spice. The Cabernet and Malbec come from the Moppitty Vineyard in the cool Hilltops region while the Shiraz comes from Gundagai, 100kms to the south. A cacophony: Earth and pencil graphite, crushed kitchen herbs, cardamon pod, bay leaf, cigar butt, asphalt, cassis, bramble, boysenberry and nuances of vanilla bean paste. Holds your gaze (and palate) with intensity. The structural Cabernet allows the palate to stay in place long after a lesser wine would fall over. Velvety tannins are a wonderfully woven hall runner, studded with spice and purple/black fruit. The balance and depth are exemplary. Bargain.

Jane Faulkner

Jane Faulkner

Halliday Wine Companion 95 Points

MDR is a medium-dry red; a pitch-perfect blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and shiraz. The fruit comes from Gundagai and Hilltops, although no new oak adopted. So, in the glass, it’s all gorgeous fruit and fragrance from cassis, mulberries and black plums laced with dark chocolate that's studded with mint. There’s a savoury edge, too, a squid ink note, but cabernet is certainly in the driver’s seat. It’s fuller-bodied, with a succulence across the palate. Everything is brought together by fine, textural tannins and equally fine acidity. Impressive.

Campbell Mattinson

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front 95 Points

Australian wine can be a brash place, but it still manages to provide harbour to some considered, thoughtful souls, of which Nick Spencer is one. He is the real deal, in short. His wines are more than wines. They are their grapes laid bare.

This is such a pure expression of cabernet. It has depth, flavour, scaffolding and length, but most especially, it’s lifted. It tastes of boysenberry, cocoa, bay leaves and fennel, with complex tannin spreading and running through the juiciness of the finish. Drinking this is like watching steam rise from a cool dark pond; here though the steam is scent. It just keeps on rising as if it can barely stop itself. It’s a beautiful drink and a charming experience.

95 points - "Australian wine can be a brash place, but it still manages to provide harbour to some considered, thoughtful souls, of which Nick Spencer is one. He is the real deal, in short. His wines are more than wines. They are their grapes laid bare.

This is such a pure expression of cabernet. It has depth, flavour, scaffolding and length, but most especially, it’s lifted. It tastes of boysenberry, cocoa, bay leaves and fennel, with complex tannin spreading and running through the juiciness of the finish. Drinking this is like watching steam rise from a cool dark pond; here though the steam is scent. It just keeps on rising as if it can barely stop itself. It’s a beautiful drink and a charming experience." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

95 points - "An old school ‘Australian Blend’ of Cabernet Shiraz (70%) and Shiraz (20%) with some Malbec (10%) for spice. The Cabernet and Malbec come from the Moppitty Vineyard in the cool Hilltops region while the Shiraz comes from Gundagai, 100kms to the south. A cacophony: Earth and pencil graphite, crushed kitchen herbs, cardamon pod, bay leaf, cigar butt, asphalt, cassis, bramble, boysenberry and nuances of vanilla bean paste. Holds your gaze (and palate) with intensity. The structural Cabernet allows the palate to stay in place long after a lesser wine would fall over. Velvety tannins are a wonderfully woven hall runner, studded with spice and purple/black fruit. The balance and depth are exemplary. Bargain." - Regan Drew (Wine Pilot)

Customer Reviews

4.6
Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
Based on 5 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 3 Total 4 star reviews: 2 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
5 reviews
  • DW
    David W.
    Verified Buyer
    3 months ago
    Reviewing
    2023 Nick Spencer Wines Medium Dry Red Blend
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Nick Spencer Medium Dry Red 2023

    Gosh, this is a nice wine. Juicy, tangy, medium bodied with a touch of spice and savouriness. Such easy drinking with food or on its own. Just lovely.

    Was this helpful?
  • JW
    James W.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    3 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2021 Nick Spencer Wines Medium Dry Red Blend
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Great blend

    Beautiful blend. Medium bodied. Unreal food/table wine. Would buy again.

    Was this helpful?
  • MY
    Marc Y.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    5 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2021 Nick Spencer Wines Medium Dry Red Blend
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Nick Spencer Gundagai Medium Dry Red

    Great well balanced wine from a top producer

    Was this helpful?
Show More

2023 Medium Dry Red, Gundagai, NSW

Inspired by the Australian ‘Clarets’ of the 50’s 60’s and 70’s. The Medium Red Blend pays homage to the Classic Australian Red Blend, Shiraz and Cabernet.

Tasting Notes

Remarkable lifted floral nose with iron filings, blue and black fruits aniseed and chocolate. The palate has a lovely crunch of acidity with an almost cranberry like character.

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety Style ["Cabernet Blends"]
Country Australia
Region Gundagai
Australian State NSW
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Wine Pilot
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 95
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

Nick Spencer Wines

Nick Spencer is one of NSW's most decorated winemakers. Over the span of more than two decades, he has become perhaps the state's most outspoken advocate for the potential of the regions of the NSW High Country, in particular, Tumbarumba and Gundagai.

Nick's wines exemplify balance, style, immense drinkability and exceptional value for money. As his label has expanded, his winemaking has become more adventurous, now incorporating the use of amphora, sulphur-free bottlings and a more stripped-back winemaking style to highlight the quality of the fruit that these lesser-known NSW regions can produce.

He is one of the most important producers in NSW today and is the touchstone of quality for the state.

Winemaker Nick Spencer Nick Spencer Wines

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