The Home of Renowned Tasting

So now I am drinking what I think is a top quality chardonnay but JP otherwise known as ‘Chardonnay Sharon’ or more favourably ‘The Chardonnay Queen’ is not here to provide her expert opinion. So no subtle sideways look to suggest that I am an idiot. Looks like I am just going to have to wing it… This looks like being the best Hillcrest Chardonnay since the outstanding 2002 vintage. Maybe better. There are only a measly two (2) barrels made and they sent up two (2) bottles because they still choose to seal it with the nefarious cork. Nice cork though. Very smooth and silky and I am sure it would bounce most pleasingly off someones head if I threw it at them. There has to be a good use for cork after all…

Aromas of stonefruit, grapefruit, oatmeal, smoke and plenty of fine spicy cashew nut oak. On the palate great intensity of flavour. A powerful wine with grapefruit, stonefruit, mineral and a slight tropical edge featuring tastefully applied gingery oak. It is savoury yet fruit sweet with clean crisp acidity and impeccable balance through the length of the palate. Finishes long and spicy with crisp grapefruit and ginger spice. This is a very rare and special wine.

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Something was leaning in this photo and I am sure it was not me. Anyway, I’ll call it art. I’ll call it ‘The Leaning Longhop of Pizza’. If anyone would like a signed copy for $18,000 I am more than happy to oblige. All proceeds will go towards building a refuge for aged winemakers. So this is a blend of cabernet sauvignon 65% and shiraz 35%. The classic Australian blend.

Outrageously perfumed and floral with aromas of blackberry, creme de cassis, new leather and mint chocolate. On the palate an intense flood of blackberry nip, dark cherry, bitumen, mint and chocolate. Firm grainy tannins and warm alcohol. Finishes with cherry liqueur and earthy flavours. A hedonists delight. Consider yourself forewarned.

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This is third in the pecking order of Mount Langi shiraz so it gets the chirpy little name of ‘Billi Billi’. Not an enigmatic name like ‘Ghiran’ or a dangerous exciting name like ‘Cliff Edge’. Oh well I’ll bloody well show them puffed little Billi Billi…

Aromas of dark cherry, licorice, flowers and spice with a whiff of raw meat adding complexity. Nice smelling wine. On the palate medium to full bodied with bright juicy berry and cherry fruit, meat and violets. Looks a little flat. Fresh acidity and light grainy tannins. Sour cherry finish with a slightly tinny character on the end. Good well priced shiraz.

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I have been swanning about at multiple champagne tastings today (more on this later) so thought I had better get back and do some real work - like tasting some wine. This arrived yesterday so I thought I might as well adopt a LIFO system today. Tomorrow I’ll adopt a FIFO system. I am adaptable. This wine shares many of the traits with the MLG shiraz of the same vintage. Some people loved it and others found it a bit porty and over done. Funny old business wine. I am not a style nazi so I’ll let the note do the talking.

Aromas of blackberry pie, licorice allsorts, pepper, chocolate sauce and cedar/coconut oak. It’s pretty rich and porty smelling. On the palate full bodied with flavours of ripe blackberry, raspberries, pepper, spice and coconut oak. Slightly sandy tannins but pretty smooth and ripe overall. Good length. A warm satisfying wine and a good drink.

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This one is another wine from de Bortoli, and is made from Syrah and Tempranillo grapes grown in the King Valley. A lovely red in colour, with aromas of red cherry, cranberry, mulberry and olives. It is also a bit meaty, with some leather, earth and spice. There are also lots of lovely soft fruits on the palate, with some light spices, soft earth, supple leather notes and some cleansing acid. Medium bodied, sweet fruits with a savoury edge - very approachable - great stuff. A bit of complexity, a lot of drinkability, and overflowing with value. Enjoy over the short term I think.

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I didn’t buy any 2004 Raveneaus, but luckily I had a friend drop over on the weekend with a bottle in hand. We all need friends like this. A kind of New World nose: preserved lemons and a bit of butterscotch, green apple skins and a lick of wet stone; quite a fruity nose. In contrast, the palate showed a lot less fruit and a more structure, with fine lemons and grapefruits, minerals, and a latent power that was impressive. It had quite a full and rounded mouthfeel but was at the same time as taut as a drum. A wine with oodles of class – a terrific effort.

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To celebrate our first birthday we have put together a mighty selection of Winorama’s top rating wines for the year. These wines have all been graciously supplied by the wineries involved and we would like to thank them not only for their generosity but also for their support of the website over the past year. Hooray! The selection criteria included that the wines be commercially available at present but we think that every wine here is an absolute beauty. Each one has something quite special to offer. There are four fabulous prizes up for grabs -

Number One - Six of the best
Taylors St Andrew Riesling 2001
Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1999
De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2004
Hillcrest Premium Pinot Noir 2004
Seppelt Moyston Cabernet Merlot 2004
Marius ‘Symposium’ Shiraz Mourvedre 2005

Number Two - Magnum Force
Meerea Park Hell Hole Shiraz 2003
A magnum signed by the winemaker. One of only 60 bottled and valued at over $130.

Number Three - Barossa beauties
Peter Lehmann ‘The Black Queen’ Sparkling Shiraz 1998
Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Number Four - Three phase semillon (set to stun)
Tyrrell’s Reserve HVD Semillon 1999
Bimbadgen Estate Signature Semillon 2002
Meerea Park Hell Hole Semillon 2006

(more…)

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I have just bought a swag of Fourriers and this is the first hackney-carriage off the rank. And how good is the nose on it? Dark cherry, infused with black stones, pretty petals, and clean earth. It is both masculine and muscular, and very primary at the moment; you can really smell the love in the glass. The palate is earthy too, black fruits, ripe but elegant and restrained – not overly fruity, with the earth and minerals overlaying the fruit. It also some brooding tannins, and should age well. Indeed, a wine with a tremendous future.

And if you do open a bottle of Fourrier, be sure to give it a few hours in the decanter – it is absolutely essential, because according to Burghound, “Fourrier works as much as possible with CO2, he recommends decanting all of his wines before serving them; the rationale behind this is that he believes that the gas is a powerful preserver of wines and will keep them fresh longer while the tannic structure resolves itself”. And he is right.

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I was given a gift voucher last christmas to use in Coles Myer stores so I popped into Vintage Cellars and bought this and a bottle of Crozes Hermitage. I nearly bought a bottle of 2004 Bowen Cabernet but it was about 2345 dollars (or thereabouts..)

Aromas of licorice root, tar, dark cherries, prunes, saddle leather and pencils. A deep intense smelling wine. On the palate dark cherry, licorice, earth, minerals and dark chocolate flavours. Medium to full bodied with soft but dry tannins. Savoury dried cherry and dark chocolate finish. It may well be an old world wine trying to be a new world wine but it works for me. Then again maybe it is the hot vintage. Anyway it is very delicious and still looks distinctly Italian - like Robert De Niro in a pair of Stubbies.

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I think 2004 was an even better vintage in McLaren Vale than 2002 for shiraz. I am sure people are going to ask the question - ‘Is this better than the 2002 RSW ?’. I am going to take the ABC response…’Well I don’t know the answer to that question. If I knew I would tell you”. Anyway I think it is less oaky, fresher, and better balanced but not as thick and rich. Is that better? Maybe, maybe not. Lincoln would prefer this one…that’s for sure.

Fragrant lightly floral aromas of rich blackberry,plum, bbq meat, coconut and cedar oak. On the palate full bodied with flavours of blackberry essence, plum, meat and toasty vanilla oak. Firm ripe tannins and fresh acidity. It is packed with fruit and oak but maintains balance throughout. No heaviness. Nothing overdone. Very long lip smacking finish. This is a great RSW and it showed no signs of tiring over three days.

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As a child I always used to take things apart to see how they worked..and then I could never put them back again. I trashed most of my toys and precious things this way. Anyway, I opened this wine sealed with the new ‘Stelvin Luxe’ because I was equally curious. Luckily there was only a little bit of fear as I was sure I would be able to put it back together again. You will be pleased to know that I managed to do so by screwing the top back on in a clockwise motion. I am a fair bit smarter these days!

Aromas of plum, black cherry, tamarillo, toasty spicy oak, brown sugar and a little smokey undergrowth. It smells like a Marlborough pinot. On the palate sour red fruits and plums with spicy caramel oak and a touch of stalkiness. Quite tart and fresh with grainy tannins. Most of the weight is on the front palate and the finish tails away quickly but it does smell good. A well priced bistro style pinot.

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I used the photo for the 2004 vintage here but I did notice that the label now has the inclusion of some raised print. Quite appropriate too because this wine deserves a promotion. Maybe even a corner office? It is much better than it’s predecessor. I do love a merlot/cabernet franc blend. My favourite wine is Cheval Blanc (although that is a cabernet franc/merlot blend) and this offers a somewhat more affordable expression of the grapes - being (roughly) around 1/20th of the price.

Aromas of cherry/raspberry, chocolate, baking spices, a touch of cedar oak and some more earthy tobacco overtones. A most charmingly aromatic and interesting smelling wine. On the palate medium bodied. A wine of some elegance and poise with flavours of cherries and plums, fresh raspberry, chocolate and black olive. Fine dry tannins and lively pippy acidity. Finishes with dry tannin and earthy red fruit flavours. Good length. Very stylish and unforced. A true claret style that does not rely on oak, alcohol or extract to make itself heard. A bargain at the price and a very strong buy recommendation from me.

Other vintages reviewed: 2004

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A bottle of 2005 Stoneleigh pinot noir arrived the other day and I did a double take as I unpacked it. I thought for a minute they had bottled the wine under cork, but no, it is a screwcap. It is is labelled as Stelvin Lux with >> instructions to open it anti-clockwise in case you feel inclined to attack it with a corkscrew first….. . I think it looks very nice. Smarter than the normal screwy one. I am pretty sure that this is the first one I have seen. Are they new? I like it. I am an aesthete.

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I liked the 2003 version of this wine, so opened this with high expectations. A pleasing colour – a vibrant red with splashes of purple. The nose is full-on, with black fruits, spice, milk chocolate, vanilla and earth, cinnamon, and a bit of volatile acidity. It just smelled like a big wine, and the palate didn’t let the nose down at all. It is intensely fruited, almost painfully so, with buckets of plump red cherries and red plums, sweet and juicy, and quite a bit of vanillan oak too. The finish is on the sweeter side of things, and the length is excellent. Another outstanding effort, but I think it needs a couple of years to soften, so you should be patient, yes, you know you can do it.

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Domaine Pierre Amiot et Fils is a producer based in Morey-St.-Denis. This wine comes from 50 year old vines and is situated just below Clos du Tart. Aromas of candied red fruit, bright cherries and satsuma plums, a bit of a stalky/stemmy character and some earth. The palate also shows bright fruits, with some richness but is very much understated. The finish is drying, again with some stem/stalky notes. Perhaps stalk isn’t the right word, maybe herbal is a better descriptor; regardless there was a slight greenness and a bit of sap too. I am not sure if this is a wine-making artefact or a regional character – I haven’t really got my head around Morey yet. It doesn’t matter either way really, because it didn’t prevent me enjoying the wine immensely, and it is especially good value for money too. Imported by Ross Duke.

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The Ten Minutes By Tractor Wine Co. draws its fruit from three vineyards, each located on Main Ridge, the highest part of the Mornington Peninsula. They are “ten minutes by tractor” apart, and consist of the Wallis, McCutcheon and Judd vineyards.

A beguiling nose, showing aromas of black cherries, undergrowth and mulch, pepper and stalk, smoke; complex and ever changing. The palate showed sweet black cherries, red cherries, a bit of black earth, and some brisk acidity. Not silky smooth at the moment, but has an exuberant rawness; a wine of promise and should rate higher in the future.

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There will be a bit of Hunter shiraz going up on Winorama over the next few weeks which makes me quite cheerful. I love the stuff. I do try to keep this bias out of the rating when reviewing though. I might expand on this later but quite often my high scoring wines are not necessarily the wines I like to drink and vice versa. I try and rate on quality alone even if I don’t particularily like the style. Maybe I’ll introduce a new element into the rating system to cater for this.

Aromas of cherry, red berries, earth, old leather, spice and subtle oak. There is also a sniff of something like fresh sweet aromatic herbs. A medium bodied palate with sweet red fruit, earth, aniseed and other spices. Fine lightly grippy tannins and balanced acidity. Earthy sour cherry finish. A very refined, regional and highly drinkable dry red.

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This wine is made by Davey Family Wines in the McLaren Vale. A radioactive salmon pink – I am sure it would glow in the dark. An odd nose: it is dominated by sweet strawberries and red cherries, but there is a hint of blue cheese, and an underlying earthiness and rustiness. The palate is propped and propelled by sweet cherry and sweet strawberry fruit; simple and likeable - one for the bistro market. It also gets an extra point for a bit of interest on the nose.

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This is a cheapie from de Bortoli. The nose showed cherry and spices, a raisin character and some sparkily acid. The palate showed black cherry and raspberry, spice and light earthy notes with good acid; none of the cherry ping that you often see in a Sangiovese. It is medium bodied and pleasantly balanced with a sweetish finish. It is perhaps simple, but sometimes I think we think too much about a wine; sometimes it is just meant to be enjoyed, and this fits the bill. Great quaffing gear.

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This is one of our house reds, and it is about time I wrote a note on it. And with a flick of the wrist, I was into the bottle. Aromas of black fruits, tar, fruitcake and a bit of spirit. The palate showed blackberries, spices and baked earth, and finished with a bit of a kick. It does seem to lack a bit of stuffing, appearing a bit hollow and unharmonious; the alcohol is noticeable too, but sometimes that is just what you need.

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