The Home of Renowned Tasting

I was going to open this alongside the Premium release of the same vintage and then thought ’stuff it’ I’ll rate them on their own merits this time. I have tasted them together a couple of times already anyway. I had this bottle open for a day and the wine hardly moved so I would suggest slinging it into a decanter if you are drinking it young. I reckon this vintage should make quite a few people pop up like Meerkats and really take notice of Hillcrest. Great wines across the board.

Red and black cherries, plums, undergrowth and briar, toffee, spicy toasty oak and a little sap. Plenty going on here. On the palate medium bodied with intense cherry fruit, spice, undergrowth and a gentle sappy character. It has fine grained dry tannins and vibrant clean acidity that pulls through the length of the palate. Long tangy spicy finish. Superb.

No Responses »

The first bottle I tasted of this did not seem quite right. It looked slightly flat and muted so I called for a second bottle. Suspicions confirmed. It looks like a different wine. The next vintage will be sealed with a screwcap thus not only ensuring a minimal chance of taint but also a reduction of stress on the Devil’s elbow when he throws his next big dinner party.

Aromas of rich berry, chocolate sauce, violets, earth and subtle cedar oak. Very comforting with a high yum factor. On the palate full bodied with ripe berry, cassis, dark chocolate, leather and some briary woodsy flavours. Strong grippy tannins make their presence felt right through to the long chocolatey finish but tannins are good for you anyway. A very satisfying and tasty beverage.

No Responses »

This wine was served blind at dinner by a good friend along with three other “Reds”. Wendy and I immediately thought it must be a Gamay because it was so fresh and zesty. The nose was bursting with a whole mix of red fruits and maybe a hint of maceration character. On the palate it was an absolute fruit bomb. Loaded with cherry, raspberry and very, very clean. It was not a classic Pinot in character but maybe its what the New World needs, our own lovely easy drinking red with delicious summer flavours. When our host heard us raving he was smiling but as soon as he heard the gamay word muttered he quickly said “They are all Pinots”. Lovely colour, enticing nose and very quaffable. Maybe I am being a point miser but I am loathe to go higher because of my inbuilt understanding of Pinosity which didn’t match.

6 Responses »

When Yarra cabernet is really good I think it’s the best wine the region produces. It does not happen very often but when it does it always makes me think (ouch). I can’t remember being quite so taken with a wine for ages. It is an absolute table lifter and I wasted no time in securing myself a six pack which is a far less painful experience than doing sit-ups and crunches.

Classic cabernet aromas of blackcurrant, dark cherry, cigar box, black olive, graphite and a hint of aniseed. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of black fruit, black olive, earth and fine pencilly oak. Beautifully ripe fruit, a mass of powdery fine grained tannin and clean fresh acidity form the perfect cabernet triangle. It rings clear and long with a sustained finish that hits exactly the right note. No noisy alcohol. No clumsy thudding oak. Just the wonderful sound of vintage, grape and site all coming together in perfect harmony.

33 Responses »

The problem with writing introductions to tasting notes is that sometimes the well is dry and one can’t think of much to say except for maybe if I had a well I might like it filled with this wine because it is really very nice. And it would smell great and all the villagers would be sozzled and their clothes would be an attractive mauve colour. I think that would make for a good place to live.

Lovely vibrant aromatics here with lots of flowers, vanilla, licorice, pepper and cinnamon spice over a core of sweet cherry, boysenberry and raspberry fruit. Exceptional. On the palate medium bodied with boysenberry, cherry, pepper, spice and vanilla flavours. Quite tight and fresh with lightly gritty grippy tannins. Good length of flavour. It drinks so beautifully and smells so magnificent that I feel like a points miser with the score.

One Response »

This must be on more wine lists across the country than just about any other red wine. Is ubiquitous the right word? This year it a mix of 47% cabernet, 35% shiraz and 18% merlot and the back label tells me this makes for a ‘masterful blend’. Ooo I am quivering.

Opens up stinky, charry and meaty but give it some time in the glass (or decanter) and you will be rewarded with a rich smelling wine offering dark cherry, plum, choc/vanilla and brown spices. On the palate full bodied with blackberry, dark cherry, chocolate and spice flavours. Ripe liqueur style fruit that stops just short of being Porty. Plenty of thick ripe tannins. A big hearty drink that would go well with a big juicy steak.

5 Responses »

With the exception of Parker 1st and John Riddoch I think we now have 2004 Coonawarra Cabs just about done and dusted. No serious tasting would be complete without Petaluma though so here we have it - just about the last cab off the rank. This is 65 percent cabernet and 35 percent merlot.

Aromas of cassis, cherry, white flowers, cigar box and subtle choc-vanilla oak. A very fragrant sweet smelling wine. On the palate medium to full bodied with red fruits, cassis and light cigar box oak. Fine powdery tannins offer a firm but fair grip and clean acidity freshens the mouth. Almost seamless apart from a slight dip on the back palate (which may smooth out). The overall impression is of a beautifully balanced, svelte and stylish cabernet and one with enormous cellaring potential.

12 Responses »

Now here is a wine that I really like. It has some sort of X-Factor that tickles my fancy. It may not be my highest rating wine in this excellent Coonawarra 2004 series but it is one of my favourites. I’ll re-taste this tomorrow and the score may go up…or it may come down. (Note: For the record it went up.)

Aromas of plum, cassis, chocolate, violet and vanilla cedar oak. It is plush and luxuriant but has classic Coonawarra top notes of capsicum and mint. On the palate full bodied with cassis and berry fruit, chocolate, mint, tobacco and vanilla oak flavours. Ripe and full but again those cooler flavours serve to add interest. Plenty of firm, almost furry, tannins nestle beneath the rich fruit. Finishes with good length of flavour. A big cellaring style that pushes all the right buttons.

4 Responses »

I am sure you will be able to find this round the traps for less than the suggested RRP. If you do then I’d recommend grabbing a couple of bottles if you are in the market for a few inexpensive reds that have a bit of integrity and interest.

Aromas of juicy berry, blackcurrant, red capsicum and a little spicy coconut oak. Give it a bit more time in the glass and you may see a couple of licorice allsorts appear. On the palate medium to full bodied with red fruit, red capsicum and some slightly herbal flavours. Firm dry lightly grippy tannins and a clean red fruited finish. It tastes like cabernet and given a couple of years cellaring I’d suggest this might look even better.

No Responses »

Once upon a time I worked in an office where the general manager’s wife had an interest in interior design…and so it came to pass that we were the lucky recipients of decor that included office partitions covered in a carpet-like fabric in the colours ‘Dreamtime Hibiscus’ and ‘Vivid Fuchsia’…

Vivid fuchsia in colour. Very lively and aromatic with musk stick, cranberry, crushed red berries and flowers. Smells sweet but the palate is only just off dry with flavours of cranberry, red berry, musk and spice. It is fresh and crisp with a little rasp of tannin like the lick of a kitten’s tongue. Finishes dry with surprising length of flavour. An excellent and highly refreshing Rose of Virginia.

Other vintages : 2006

10 Responses »

I had this a few weeks ago at the opening of the Armand Rousseau Memorial Cubby-house. This is a new addition in our backyard - it catches the afternoon breezes and shade, and it overlooks some lush greenery. This means it is ideally suited for drinking wine and exchanging stories. Anyhoo, the wine was given a couple of hours in a decanter and served blind, and turned out to be a glass-swapper - was it better in a Bordeaux stem or a Burgundy stem? Red fruits, spices, a rich meatiness and quite a bit of classy oak, with firm but fine tannins. New World in style, and seemed more in the dry red mold, and though it does seem to lack some delicacy it does have some style and grace. Very nice but very young - should look better in a few years.

6 Responses »

This wine was served at the Grand Banquet of the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration. I had not tried this label before. The wine is labelled as a 1er cru but it is actually made from a second harvest of fruit picked from all 6 DRC Grand Cru vineyards: La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée St.-Vivant, Grands-Echézeaux and Echézeaux. It was one of the most contentious wines from the 2 day tasting. Why? HUGE bottle variation. Mine was great but many had wine that looked very ordinary. On my bottle the nose was quite complex and showing sweet cherry, a bit of plum, some annise and a little oak spice. The palate had great power and lovely texture. The flavours were as suggested by the nose and the length was excellent. In case you missed it, I was the main person behind this event when we commenced planning in 2001 but I have attended most Pinot events that I can get to since 2000 and could well be described as a Pinotfile, in case the renowned readers haven’t noticed.

No Responses »

Quite a complex nose: tobacco leaf and tomato leaf, some herbal characters, olives and green capsicum. The palate showed red currants and cigar box, capsicum, fine tannins, a lovely savouriness and some fine linear acid too. But on the first night the finish was quite disappointing, with sour pips and a green bitterness. This wasn’t as noticeable with food, and fortunately these traits all disappeared on the second night - I am not sure how this can happen but it did. A classically dry wine that balances savoury and sweet very well.

No Responses »

I drank this one over a couple of nights. The nose showed sweet fruits, red plums and blackcurrants, quite nutty and oaky, with a lick of tar. Strangley it is didn’t have any of the spice or minerals that I have come to expect in Margaret River Shiraz. Perhaps this is a feature of some particular sub-regions. The palate showed rich red fruits, a lovely texture but with some slightly abrasive acid. The finish is a little bumpy, and has quite a bit of cleansing acid. Perhaps a couple of years more in the bottle will see it improve.

No Responses »

This is a museum release from the Eather boys. Cellar door only and a tidy snip at $25 per bottle. Still a pale straw in colour, with lemon, white asparagus and a bit of straw. The palate has gained some weight and is showing some development, losing some of that flintiness that young Semillons can show, but at the same time still having some spritely acid. Fine lemon and dried grass on the palate, medium weight but with some power too. Great length. Quite gnawish, and for me just the way I like my Semillon; your mileage might vary.

No Responses »

A simply gorgeous nose, with rich apricots, mandarins, dried citrus fruits, vanilla and a bit of syrup. The palate is beautifully sweet and smooth, with dried apricots, orange marmalade, lemons and some bright acid that just cuts through it all; there is nothing cloying about this at all, and it has some distinguished length too. An intense and great value wine. I am inclined to think that Semillons make the best botrytis styled wines, and this is an excellent example. Do yourself a flavour and buy some now!

No Responses »

Gary reviewed the St Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 a while back - here is its softer little brother. The nose showed blackcurrants more than red currants, and some dusty cedar that flowed through the to palate. There also was some red liquorice, olives, red capsicum, a savoury richness, slightly grainy tannins and a lovely savoury length. With time the currants continued their fight for supremacy, and after a couple of hours the red currants had won the battle. Quite finely structured, and also has a bit of warmth on the finish. Drink in the short term.

2 Responses »

I love a glass of something sweet after dinner, and I have been quietly sipping this for the past 3 weeks. A red/brown in colour. Orange peel and syrup, nuts, sultanas, toffee and some woody spices. The palate is also very syrupy, with sweet tar and raisins, nutty and it almost has a sticky texture. A simple and straight-forward wine that unfortunately is a bit swamped by all that syrup. Not a light wine, nor one that you would have several glasses of at a sitting, but would make a pleasant fireside warmer.

No Responses »

My second Chardonnay from last night, and concludes a trio of excellent wines from Miceli. This one was also barrel fermented, and has a couple of years of bottle age on it too. A Jimmy Durante nose: big and classic - vanilla, cream, peaches and cashews. A big palate too, with cream, nuts, melon, oatmeal and some leesy funk and complexity. A beautiful dry texture, smooth, faintly herbed with great lemony length and a drying finish. An impressive wine with lovely fruit concentration and intensity. Drink now.

No Responses »

Chardonnay was on the block last night and I thought it might be interesting to compare and contrast two wines made in differing styles. But unfortunately I didn’t research my subjects very well and in the end they were remarkably similar. This one is a single vineyard wine from the Bellarine Peninsula, 100% barrel fermented with up to 12 months in French oak. I was greeted by aromas of lemon and oatmeal, vanilla, cream, a certain freshness, like a stray hand on a knee at the dinner table, with a bit of butterscotch and honey. The palate showed lemon and a bit of spice, restrained peach and melon fruits, a creamy texture but also quite drying really, and with very good length. A lovely wine.

No Responses »