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We ordered this from the winelist at a restaurant in Gratallops last week. A snip at 60 Euro - it goes for about 42 Euro normally - so a very fair markup. The wine is also from the Priorat DO which is one of the wildest most beautiful wine regions we have ever seen.

It is a blend of grenache, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and a bit of cariñena (carignan). A blend that would most likely be considered a bin end special in this country! The wine was poured into a magnum decanter and we waited dutifully and very patiently for about an hour before trying it. While we were waiting we had a glass of local white made from grenache blanc…interesting is one word for it. My hand kept moving towards the decanter but JP made me wait. When my main of oxtail arrived the moment could be delayed no further.

Aromas of raspberry rope/cherry, aniseed, dark chocolate and sweet herbs. Some spicy cinnamon oak and minerally overtones too. A very delicious and complex smelling wine - and one with a little VA lift to whisk it up the nose. On the palate it is rich and leathery with dark chocolate, mineral and ripe berry flavours. Very ripe but still fresh and not at all heavy. Dry fine ripe assertive tannins and a long tannic finish. We savoured the bottle, and as is often the case, the last glass was the very best. A wine that speaks clearly of its origins - rugged and beautiful, filled with the warmth of the sun and the stony ground in which it was grown.

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St Henri is one of my very favourite Australian shiraz. If I was to take one wine overseas and announce “this is what South Australian shiraz is really all about” most likely it would be St Henri. The price is getting up there now though. This release looks to be quite typical of the vintage - intense ripe fruit, fine tannins and fresh acidity - an atypical vintage in many respects. There also seems to be some noticable oak here - sweet and spicy vanillin oak - more than I have seen in previous vintages anyway.

Strong dark colour. Aromas of sweet raspberry/plums, roses, chocolate, vanilla, star anise and other spices. On the palate a mix of berry and blackcurrant fruit that looks slightly porty. There are also flavours of chocolate, leather and coal dust. I really like the texture and structure of this wine though. It has beautiful fine grained grippy tannins and fresh acidity. Long fruit sweet and savoury finish. A very good St Henri and one that should age particularily well.

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Initially quite shy – it didn’t really open up until the next day, and then showed sambuca and raisined fruits, five spice and cinnamon, apricots, alcohol and Christmas cake. It is a real delight to smell. The palate is rich, with liquored citrus fruits, lighter than expected, and a Cointreau finish. This isn’t a big lumbering port with dank sultana fruits, but fresher and brighter. The finish is sweet and silky (no heat at all) with a lingering trace of spice.

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Needed a reminder of 2004 after a disappointing 2003 Beaujolais. This wine is a “Cru” wine and we met the owner last year who gave us a bottle of 2001 which was lovely. I found out that Duboeuf bottle her wine and if you ask a nice retailer they can get these wines from Negociants Australia. The first bottle was nice but not bursting with cherries and blueberries, so I opened another. Yep, cork problem again. Very subtle. The second bottle was right on, lovely Beaujolais. The 2003 wine that I had before this was another “Cru”, from Fleurie, Quatre Vents. In the six months since we last tried it the fruit has begun to change to raisin style over ripe. Thus I suggest 2004 is better value if you look carefully.

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We arrived back in Sydney early this morning..unlike our bags which are currently in some other part of the world. We beat them in the mad dash to get from Heathrow T1 to T4 to board our flight (after being bumped) with about 31 seconds to spare due to a two hour delay with our connection from Barcelona. Running flat chat with two wooden boxes of 04 Roda Cirsion and a back pack full of Vina El Pison, Pesquera and San Leon Manzanilla is not recommended exercise for the wine enthusiast..

I’ll have a few winery write ups and some tasting notes to throw up over the next few days but cannot upload any pictures because the cable is in the bag..somewhere. Spain is hot hot hot and two weeks is not nearly long enough.

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A lovely example of a Pinot Noir that has aged well. Good but not great. The vintage was warm and generally the Pinots from 2001 looked lighter. This opened with restraint, showing spices like cinamon and dark cherry flavours. The palate has nice texture and a little raspberry as well as the black cherry. A spicey edge on the finish that I suspect is from the oak. It may last beyond my forecast if cellared well.

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The nose opened with pepper and cinamon and a hint of clove and black currant. Over the meal it opened up to reveal more black currant and a bit of ginger. A very complex wine with lovely fruit flavours that are holding really well. This was a friends way of celebrating her sons 18th and both it and Nick are looking pretty good. There is an acid edge to it that suggests that this wine will hold on for many years and be even better. Bang for bucks? Well given that I didn’t have to pay for it I loved it but I would be reluctant to fork out many hundreds of dollars. However, think of the occasion. Few wines have a pedigree to age this well. I was going to give it a point or so lower, but this has aged with grace.

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This a great summer wine. It opens with mouth filling cherries and boiled lolly style flavours. Bang on style for Beaujolais Villages. I reviewed a Duboeuf wine of this style a few weeks back and both are excellent. The points reflect the variety and style. A young drinking wine that is great with antipasto as you and friends solve the problems of the world.

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This one is a recent auction purchase. Six bottles of this and 6 bottles of Narbantons for about $50 per bottle.

Pleasantly aromatic: pretty red cherries, fleshy overtones, graphite and earth. The palate shows delicate red fruits, some animalé and acid. Initially it lacks oomph and finesse, but it builds with time in the glass, the fruit tannins expanding nicely, but it does remain on the lighter and earthier side of things. It is austere, being finely boned, and it will not satisfy those that prefer bigger, lusher and more opulent pinots, but it does have a lovely texture and structure about it. Fine now with a decant, and should be able to do some more time.

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A very pleasant surprise. We bought this after quite a search in Beaujolais. It had a good name but was not easy to find. The vintage got a bad wrap from several friends but we found many lovely wines. The colour of this wine is very enticing, bright and ruby red. The aromas are bursting with red berries and black currant. The palate is loaded with cherries, pepper and a hint of violets. The palate is very clean, tight and with a small tannic grip. The succulence is lovely and my only regret is that I only had the single bottle when I am certain that it will last many years.

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We visited Concha y Toro vineyards a few years ago and had some impressive wines so when I saw this on the shelf at Vintage Cellars I grabbed it. The warning bells regarding the price being silenced by a shroud of sentimentallity. The wine opened with a strong dose of reductive character ie it had a definite pong. The alarm bells were still ignored. Lots of Shiraz starts off this way, give it time and let it breathe up I thought. It changed to reveal fennel, soft fruit and a bitter edge. The pong revealed itself as a chocolate flavour. Had it with food and it was hard going.

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A soft wine that has cool climate shiraz and a little apricot lift from the Viognier. The wine was clean but it seemed thin. Flavours were there, pepper, raspberry, hint of licorice as well as the hint of stonefruit, but they seemed dilute. We had it with wood fired gourmet pizza which over whelmed it. One of three cheapies that we tried, this was the best!

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I have listed this as Strathbogie ranges but it is only a km from being listed as Goulburn Valley. I have visited and bought two lots of this wine. I like it and so does everyone I share it with. Jenny has opened as I have driven by. I should have asked what shops have it but it never occured to me. Contact Jenny via the website, she is very helpful. It has a rich style of shiraz that suggests musk, plums and a hint of fennel. The oak is there and yes it is obvious but it adds a lovely bit of flavour synergy. This is well made warm climate Shiraz from a year that was good but with vines recovering from the drought. I suspect that the 2005 will have more concentration which would earn it higher points.

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This wine looked great when we bought it many years ago. However, we did not enjoy it this time. The nose has heaps of mint along with leather, fennel and feral overtones. The palate has lovely balance of fruit, oak and Coonawarra mint. I can’t get past the leather/feral flavours that some may describe as Bret, but it is at a level that may cause some people to really love it. So, its up to you. If you like funky shiraz with superb balance and a little age this wine is for you. As for us, a very rare thing, hardly touched it despite several tries over the evening. We ended up opening a nice Beaujolais to restore the spirit.

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We bought this at the cellar door a number of years back. We try and drop in to Coonawarra each year on our way to or from Adelaide. We lost faith with the regions Cabernet for a while but the Shiraz always seemed to be good. We only bought two bottles of this and the first left us unconvinced. However, the second consumed over dinner on a visit to the sisters was great. Compared to the Wynns 97 it had gobs more mint and clean shiraz fruit. It also seemed a little lighter. I found the mint was too strong so downpointed it. I have seen these wines at great prices and reckon they can reward some time in the cellar.

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Time to try some Shiraz I thought. Most of the wines in the following reviews were had with dinner and NOT tasted blind. This was a really enjoyable wine. It was bought many years ago at a dozen rate and we reckon it has been a good buy. The Coonawarra mint is still evident along with soft berry/shiraz flavours. Very clean and quite long on the palate. It has more complex fruit flavours, nice oak and fruit. Reckon it would have been about $15/bottle.

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Acacia flower, marmalade, grapefruit with a rich sweetness. The palate shows sweet and unctuous fruits, and though it is quite sweet, it is not too sweet. There are also candied citrus fruits, like pineapple and lemons. A question has been raised over the 14.5% abv, but it would seem that will some time that it is not as noticeable as it was originally. A very nice wine, and should age well in the medium term.

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I love Roederer non-vintage, as it is lovely fresh and also because it can handle a bit of aging; so since I am forgetful, it does not matter if it is left lying dormant for a while.

A fine bead. This one showed pleasant citrus notes, but with yeasty green apples and some peel. Fine acid on the palate, with dried hay, yeast and acid fruits. It does seem to lack some refinement and it perhaps a bit broad. I think I am getting fussy, because this did slip down oh-so-easily.

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I believe that the grapes for any given disgorgement come from 4 years prior, which means that the wine produced in 2000 are from grapes from the 1996 vintage. A good portent if there ever was one. As with many Rockford bubbles, this one was a leaker, and the cork was completely stuffed. Why do they in particular have so many cork problems?

Intense red liquorice, cranberries and mushrooms, slightly composty, but a very pleasing nose. The palate is well fruited, red currants and raspberries, red plums and a bit of freshly turned red soil, fondant, sweet but with a cleansing acidity and a bubbly verve. A very good wine, but doesn’t excel. Sometimes I think Sparkling Shiraz should just be consumed and not contemplated.

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I had the DP57 Tokay recently, so I thought I’d try its sister/brother (?) wine too. This one showed warm syrup and raisins, some volatility, old wood and spirit. The palate is very sweet, not overly complex, a certain slipperiness, with very good length. An enjoyable wine, but doesn’t quite float my boat; I think the Tokay is a better wine.

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